General Blog Update #5

Thank you to everyone who comes here for supporting this blog, and I hope you all have a safe and joyous time ringing in the new year. I'll be home tommorow posting up a storm, so if you happen to be lucky enough (and smart enough) to not have a hangover, stop by and take a peek.
Best Wishes,
Antonius


UPDATE JAN 1, 9:50 PM:
I apologize for not being able to update today, I'm apparently a very popular character in my town now. I only JUST got home from leaving the house at 7pm yesterday. So, to make up for it, mucho uploads tomorrow as a promise. I'll be kicking around the house doing chores, so it should be a productive day for this blog AND the cleanliness of my living environment.

Behold... the Arctopus

Behold... the Arctopus is a Technical/Progressive Metal band from Brooklyn, New York. They are not easy to digest for the first-time listener. I generally describe them as overly technical for technicality's sake. This is an extremely talented band but after a while songs start sounding similar and the complexity of the compositions can get overwhelming. Either way, they're still a decent band to check out. I wish I had more to say on these dudes, but if you've heard one tech. prog. metal band, you've undoubtedly heard them all.

SAMPLE THE MAGIC:


2006 Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning
2007 Skullgrid

Genghis Tron

DISCLAIMER: This band will be an acquired taste to most of you.

Genghis Tron is essentially a Cybergrind band hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Incorporating various types of electronica with grindcore makes their style, to me at least, extremely interesting and nearly dance-able. They have no drummer or bassist but flesh out their keyboards, vocals and guitar with various programmed drum beats and other synthesized samples. I just heard them for the first time the other day by pure chance although they'd been recommended to me quite a while ago. Thusly I pass on the magic to you.

SAMPLE BEFORE DOWNLOADING:


2006 Dead Mountain Mouth
3 EPs

Andrew W.K.

Andrew Wilkes-Krier, better known by his stage name of Andrew W.K. fronts an eponymous hard rock pop metal band he formed in New York City. First hitting big with the ever-amazing hard partying epic aptly titled 'Party Hard' his band blew up on the MTV crowd with a couple more hit singles from the debut album I Get Wet. When he released the more lush album The Wolf it got mixed reviews and Andrew slipped relatively into obscurity. He still remains widely popular in Japan and still has a dedicated army of listeners stateside. I think it goes without saying that this is the ultimate man to put in the cd player at a party.

When it's time to party, we will always party hard.

Sample some video deliciousness:


2001 I Get Wet
2003 The Wolf
2006 Close Calls With Brick Walls

General Blog Update #4

Merry Christmas to everyone. If you noticed the image at the top of the page, congrats, you're not blind! Seriously though, I finally designed (for lack of a better word for stolen from an album) a banner for the blog. You may save it, re-upload it to the photo sharing service of your choice and use it in forum signatures and whatnot to get people to come by the greatest blog in the world...enough tooting our own horn, just do it. :3

Upload wise, I have taken the liberty to do four posts of new music for you all to sink your teeth into: Fireball Ministry (Stoner Metal), Impending Doom (Deathcore), Kayo Dot (Avant-Garde) & maudlin of the Well (Avant-Garde). Thank God for Divshare, as Antonius pointed out we can now do larger album uploads so I'm not limited to 100MB files anymore. So once life slows down, expect many more exciting posts in the new year and keep coming back to us for all of your needs.

You may notice that I have also attached YouTube videos for all of the newer uploads for you to sample the artist before you decide to download the files. This way you won't have to waste time on something you may not enjoy and it will also give you something to do while waiting for those pesky downloads to finish up. Just another useful little piece of time-wasting internets that I think will help you get a feel for the bands we post if you're completely in the dark about them before spying them here.

Also, if anyone has suggestions regarding what you'd like to see pop up next, feel free to comment on this or other general blog updates and we'll see if we can deliver for you.

On another side note, if you would like to be added as a contributor you can contact me at my e-mail here.

If you've read this all, thanks for your support and the positive comments I've been getting from not only Antonius but from several other Gaiafags as well. It's always good to spread the gospel of doom and metal in general to others. Also thanks to Antonius, my library of bands grows as well. Hails to everyone.

maudlin of the Well

maudlin of the Well was an Avant-Garde Progressive Metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. They "disbanded" in 2003 and the remnants of their final album were released as Kayo Dot's Choirs of the Eye. They, like Kayo Dot now, utilized complex arrangements they 'obtained' from the astral plane using lucid dreaming and astral projection. Powerful and aggressive at times while lucid and introspective at others, motW's music commands your attention so like Kayo Dot they are not recommended for the easily bored or those who aren't into musical experimentation. You need to keep your focus and keep your mind open to enjoy them, in my honest opinion. So, if odd musical expression is your bad, you should definitely give maudlin of the Well and Kayo Dot (as posted below) a listen.

Sample some of the magic before you decide to download:

Pondering a Wall (first album)


The Blue Ghost/Shedding Qliphoth (from Bath)

1999 My Fruit Psychobells...A Seed Combustible
2001 Bath (and) Leaving Your Body Map (companion albums)

Kayo Dot

Kayo Dot are an Avant-Garde Progressive Metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formerly knows as maudlin of the Well, Kayo Dot consists mainly of multi-instrumentalist Toby Driver and violinist Mia Matsumiya and features a revolving door of guests. Complex and Calculated are just two of many adjectives that can be used to describe their sound. This is definitely a thinking-man's band and the extended compositions require patience to get through. Once the elements of this awkward band's music start clicking it usually equals a great love for their unique style. Some songs are split into various movements that you can sense while listening. As far as the Avant-Garde scene evolving in metal today, Kayo Dot and the former maudlin of the Well are my absolute favorites. Again, the casual listener is urged to keep an open mind, these songs will unlikely immediately take for you. Expect a maudlin of the Well post today or in the near future.

Sample this artist before you delve in:


2003 Choirs of the Eye
2006 Dowsing Anemone With Copper Tongue

Impending Doom

Impending Doom is a Christian Deathcore band from Riverside, California. They basically (I believe) fit in with many secular deathcore bands in terms of stylistic approach. The downtuned guitars, check. Barely decipherable pig-squeals with glimmers of death growls interspersed, check. Breakdowns, check. Grind passages, check. So if you're into bands like (now I don't know much deathcore, so bear with me) Despised Icon, Carnifex, Graf Orlock, Job for a Cowboy or early Underoath you may want to check these guys out.

Sample the band before you download:


2007 Nailed. Dead. Risen.

Fireball Ministry

Hailing from Los Angeles, California is the hard-rocking riff-machine known as Fireball Ministry. Led by the powerful Reverend James Rota III, this four-piece behemoth will make you bang your head and lick your lips (to hawt rhythm guitarist Emily Burton). If there were a small list of straight forward Stoner Metal bands I could recommend to anyone Fireball Ministry would definitely be near the top. However, I must warn that if you can't stand repetition, then Fireball Ministry may not be the proper band for you as they do use riffs over and over throughout most of their songs.

Before downloading, get a taste of what is within:


1999 Ou Est La Rock?
2003 The Second Great Awakening
2005 Their Rock Is Not Our Rock

General Blog Update #3

This little bitty post is to let you know that the Ensiferum and Novembre posts have been updated with the larger albums, thanks to Divshare, which is also unlimited download like our favorite upload site Mediafire. So, go check those albums out, and we'll have some more great stuff for ya'll soon.

Funeral Mourning

Funeral Mourning is a Black/Funeral Doom band from the island continent of Australia. Their sound is one of a very complementary nature, as surprisingly enough the oft grating and frightening sound of BM mixes very well with the plodding, sorrowful nature of Funeral Doom. Their general sound (as one might expect) is one of a very depressive nature, similar to Forgotten Tomb. Fans of that band, and of Funeral Doom, will find a very good listen with this band.
*Personal Meditations/Disclaimer: This band has become one of my staple listens over the past few months. A highly recommended listen FOR LISTENERS OF FUNERAL DOOM. If you don't enjoy Funeral Doom, I warn you against this band, as the stereotypical beefs with the genre are very apparent with this release.*

Drown In Solitude (2006)

Bishop Of Hexen

Bishop of Hexen is a Symphonic Black Metal group hailing from Israel. Playing a style that I feel is very underrated, Bishop of Hexen blends haunting melody into their powerful BM style. To truly experience this band, crank it up and turn off the lights, and let the music take you to a darker world of magic and fear.
*Personal Meditations : I have nothing bad to say about this band at all, everything impresses me. Standout tracks include "The Somber Grounds Of Truth" from The Nightmarish Compositions, and "Lure My Spelled Emotions" from Archives o/a Enchanted Philosophy.*

Archives Of An Enchanted Philosophy (1997)
The Nightmarish Compositions (2006)

Holy Blood

Hailing from Keiv in the Ukraine are the Christian Folk/Black Metal outfit Holy Blood. Yet another band who shouldn't be looked over because of their spiritual beliefs. If you are a fan of bands like Korpiklaani, Finntroll or Ensiferum you should give these dudes a serious listen. They've got a style that has been done before (Hence the similar bands listed) so I won't go too much longer on them. I highly suggest giving them a thorough listen, you'll thank me for this advice someday.

2004 Waves are Dancing

Lair of the Minotaur

Chicago's Lair of the Minotaur are a sludge band that combine elements of thrash and even some grind and hardcore influences into their brutal tales of epic monsters and heroes long dead. A very interesting band to listen to and the energy you'll gain with just one listen will have you wanting to go out and murder a hydra while battling Medusa all while trying to bang your head along with the pulverizing metal that's driven you into that state. Poetic, ain't I? While I may not be much on the history of this band (who formed from Chicago legendary grind/death outfit 7000 Dying Rats, btw) I do know how much ass they kick and how many beasts they pwn with their mythological broadswords of metal. Enjoy.

2004 Carnage
2006 The Ultimate Destroyer

Bongzilla

The mighty Bonzilla of Wisconsin are a stoner doom (emphasis on the Stoner, if you couldn't tell) band who are joined with legend "Dixie" Dave Collins. They specialize in weed-driven jams that will erupt your eardrums and leave you begging for more. These dudes have never produced a bad record and usually receive very high priase. Dude, just light up your bong and give your full lung capacity to the soothing vapors of Bongzilla.

1999 Stash
2001 Apogee
2002 Gateway
2005 Amerijuanican

Apologies for all the terrible weed puns located within this post. (Solarian)

Crimson Moonlight

Crimson Moonlight is a Christian Black Metal band from Sweden. Originally formed to record one demo and play one show they have evolved into one of the best "unblack" metal bands out there today. With Veil of Remembrance onward they have shifted toward a more blackened death metal style with fast grinding parts and have tossed out the keyboards completely. Definitely one of the best (of many others) out on the scene today playing a typically Satanic style and injecting their own faith into their music without being preachy and "Stryper-esque". Do not pass these guys up because they're a Christian band or you'll be making a huge mistake.

2003 The Covenant Progress
2004 Veil of Remembrance

Arch

Arch is a forced to be reckoned with in the Louisville, KY music scene. They've got a unique style of heavy handed stoner sludge rock that is catchy like the bubonic plague. You'll be singing along with these songs by spin number two of the record, no fucking joke. They've got a slice of Louisville music legend as well with guitarist Mark Abromavage who was in local hardcore punk legends Kinghorse. There's not much else to be said about this stellar band that they can't say for themselves...snag Uroboros, their 2005 behemoth of a debut, right here. This album will probably soon be out of print since it was released on the now defunct 4walls records.

Visit the band's website & myspace: Official Website & Myspace

2005 Uroboros
200(7 or 8) Tyranosaurus Tex (I'll put this up whenever they finally get around to releasing it)

The Glasspack

The Glasspack is another favorite band of mine hailing from the area I live in, good ole Louisville, KY. Fronted by Dirty Dave Johnson, the 'Pack play dirty down home blues rock like you've never heard before. Dave is an energetic and inexplicable frontman and guitarist, David Mancini (currently) plays the bass...err, COMMANDS the bass & Brett Holsclaw bangs his minimalist kit with such skill that you'd believe there should be more pieces to it than there really are. They're definitely a band to check out if you like raw dirty southern-fried blues rock. They fit in really well with the rest of the roster on their home label, Detroit's Small Stone records.

Check out their myspace for more songs and tour dates: The Glasspack Myspace

2007 Dirty Women (Plus out of print debut album American Exhaust)

I only have these two Glasspack albums ATM...whenever I buy Bridgeburner and Powderkeg I will place them here for you all as well.

Gentle Giant

Gentle Giant was a Progressive Rock band from Britain. They played throughout the 70's and have been hailed as one of the most experimental out of the bunch. Their sound is hard to utterly define and thoroughly enjoyable from both an artistic and a casual standpoint. A very influential band, and a must-listen for the discerning metal lover.


Gentle Giant (1970)
Acquiring The Taste (1971)
Octopus (1972)

General Blog Update #2

Hello all. I have some good news. I've found a site that will allow me to upload the larger albums I have, so this blog will be amp'd up in now time.

In other news... Well there really ain't much of that. We'll be kicking off this month just as well as we kicked off last month, and hopefully upload even more fanciness for you to learn and enjoy. Thats all for now!