Swedish snus and Swedish death metal

[shikitohno]

I don't mind the whole kvlt aesthetic. It's just the endless fans of it who feel like if something isn't kvlt enough it's somehow inferior music. My previous example, Dimmu Borgir. Around the Stormblåst period, they were fairly typical black metal, with some minor innovations. Death Cult Armageddon came out, and every acted like the band had turned their back on the scene. If you look at their previous albums (Enthrone Darkness Triumphant comes to mind), they'd been simulating orchestral pieces all along with a synth. So when they got successful, they got an orchestra and choir on their album. I haven't listened to anything of theirs recently, since I found In Sorte Diaboli a bit of a let down, but up until Death Cult, there was a very obvious progression.

Yet I'll get torn to pieces on most metal forums for admitting I like the album by people who say it's a sell out, or not kvlt enough for them. Also, I really dislike it when a group describes themselves as kvlt to try and excuse poor musicianship and shody recording techniques. If you can't afford an awesome studio, or there just isn't one reasonably near to the band, that's one thing. Mixing an album like crap to make it kvlt is just irritating, though.

[sleipnir]

Marduk is coming to my town next Friday, pretty stoked to see that. Any Dissection fans here??

[KarlvB]

Any Dissection fans here??

I was for a little bit - circa Storm of the Lights Bane.

Reinkaos was a bit disjointed and not nearly as good.

I kind of lost interest when Jon went absolutely bat shit crazy and killed that dude (I know I am supposed to separate my appreciation of music from the artist's actions but I find it hard to in a case like this)

[sleipnir]

Any Dissection fans here??

I was for a little bit - circa Storm of the Lights Bane.

Reinkaos was a bit disjointed and not nearly as good.

I kind of lost interest when Jon went absolutely bat shit crazy and killed that dude (I know I am supposed to separate my appreciation of music from the artist's actions but I find it hard to in a case like this)

Yeah these guys have a penchant for killing each other/themselves. Yeesh... :evil:

[shikitohno]

I enjoyed The Somberlain. Haven't bought anything else by them, so I can't really comment. There's one song on that disk where the vocalist let's out this King Diamond like wail out of the blue. Cracks me up every time I hear it (it's in one of the first few songs, I think the second), as he doesn't do it anywhere else on the album.

[tom502]

I like Darkthrone.

[deadohsky]

A lot of good bands listed here, but imho, how can you have a thread about Swedish metal, and not mention Opeth?

Just my .02, i'm sure there are other fans here.

[shikitohno]

I didn't think of them as metal for a while, because the only Opeth CD I had was "Deliverance," I believe. All very soft, acoustic based songs. Recently grabbed "Damnation" off eMusic expecting more of the same. Was rather surprised.

[Kvlt]

Re: Snobs Take Multiple Casualties In Latest Music Taste War

Ah the "sell out sound". :lol:

Sell out?

I guess that is why Terrorizer gave it the honour of being the second most influential death metal album of the nineties? :? :? :?

Ps: Necroticism was #1)



[/b]

That's irrelevant. Everyone knows Slaughter was the sell out album that led to metalcore. First two albums were far superior.

I would have said Morbid Angel.

MA is from Florida, not Sweden.

Well, judging by the name Kvlt, and others across the internet that I've run into with such a moniker, if it doesn't sound like it was recorded in a tin lunchbox, the guy who did the mixing knew what he was doing, the artwork isn't photocopied, or the musicians know how to play their instruments (rather than throwing an epileptic guy at a drum kit and turning on a strobe light), it's sell out music. It's the thing the bugs me most about the whole black/death metal thing. Once a band or musician in either of these genres obtains a modicum of success, or tries to do something with the music that doesn't resemble exactly what Emperor or Darkthrone were doing in the early 90s, hordes of online "kvlt" metalheads come out of the woodwork to deride the band as selling out.

Some, I'll genuinely give them, like Dimmu Borgir. But for the most part, it seems to just be elitist assholes being, well, elitist assholes. They moan and groan about how there's no good stuff any more, and how much better things used to be, but when a band comes along that tries to be innovative, they tear it to shreds in a wild frenzy. Either stop attacking people every time they try to answer your complaints about nothing current being as good as it used to be, or stop complaining and just listen to the stuff you already own.

@Kvlt: The rant's not really directed at you, just a segment of the internet that's been frustrating me for a while, so please don't be too offended by it. A little offense is okay though, 'cause you did chose the name Kvlt. While you might be a smart, well-adjusted guy, you associated yourself with hordes of unwashed 20-30 somethings living in their parent's basement listening to inane groups like Aschmicrosa by picking that name.

On an aside, it's not really Swedish Death Metal, although it owes much to it. Anybody like Blut aus Nord? I'm becoming increasingly fond of them, although since they're stuff is becoming increasingly less orthodox, it's only a matter of time before they've "sold out."

I don't subscribe to the "if more than 50 people listen to it, it's mainstream". The problem with a lot of these record that you might not notice is, they have sold out their sound. Along with the better production, they change their sound to achieve a larger consumer base. Metal, especially extreme metal will never be mainstream, so there is no point.

It is true that rarely anything good is being made these days. The golden ages for both death and black metal are over.

Blunt Aus Nord is pretty Kvlt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWTkJXl-K_I

[redox]

I must love all things from Sweden: Snus, death metal, their older cars, and especially their women!

Snus regularly, have had 5 Volvos and 1 Saab, most of my metal is Swedish, but yet to get a Swedish gf

Thing is I'm Irish and English.

Hmmm

[deadohsky]

I didn't think of them as metal for a while, because the only Opeth CD I had was "Deliverance," I believe. All very soft, acoustic based songs. Recently grabbed "Damnation" off eMusic expecting more of the same. Was rather surprised.

Those two albums were actually meant to be released as a double album, one showcasing their heavy side, the other showing the melody driven side. All of their albums travel a wide range of sounds from very heavy, to beautifully soft and 'haunting'. If you enjoyed Deliverance, the heavier of the two, i'd suggest checking out some of their other releases as well. All top notch stuff in my opinion.

[shikitohno]

@Kvlt: I could have enjoyed The Red in the Sky is Ours, but the production on that was crap. I've listened to it on several different pieces of equipment, and even playing FLAC files of it through a high end (when I got the computer Aug. 2008) sound card with Klipsch speakers, it still sounds bad. The vocals are way too far up in the mix, and the instruments sound washed out. If it was done better, it would have been a decent album for me. I don't really see the connectio between Slaughter and metalcore, though. To me, it sounds more like the crossed Slayer (from when I actually cared about Slayer) with a black metal act. To me, metalcore was just a merging of punk and thrash. They were both influence by thrash, but I don't really hear much of a similarity between At The Gates and Lamb of God. Just my opinion, so take it as you will.

I'll agree that not much good metal is coming out today, although I don't necessarily think black and death metal are dead. Pretty much every metal subgenre starts out small, becomes a bit popular, and tries to go mainstream. That whole trying to go mainstream phase puts it in the crapper for 5-10 years. Then it retreats, and things get decent again. Personally, I like a few bands that are fairly recent. Wolves in the Throne Room is one, along with Blut Aus Nord, and Deathspell Omega. I think when more bands start making black metal and death metal because they like the genres, rather then to try and make a career out of it, things will get better.

Of course, I get bored with metal fairly quickly now. It's fun, but I'll come back to it, find a couple of bands I like, and after a while release how much of it sounds the same. That's why I keep tons of other music in my collection. At around 400+ CD and 75+ records, along with whatever I download, I've got plenty to fill in the gaps.