Shelf pulls, random thoughts, musings and reviews

[Random Axe]

I started grabbing stuff I may not have heard in a decade or more. It got me all nostalgic and having deep musical thoughts. It's crazy that I've heard enough albums to completely and utterly forget some. Like zero memory at all. It's like discovering treasure. So here's my long-winded post about those albums and some other random shit.


Ascension Theory/Regeneration - production and drum machine aside, I love this album. It's checks most of my boxes. The follow-up I didn't care for. It's discount store Star One.

Burnclear/Lost for Life - Pagans Mind meets early Kamelot. Really strong melodies and great energy.

Dead Soul Tribe - what a strange band. Theres always two or three songs off each album I adore. The rest I scratch my head. His vibe, odd imagery and lyrics are like Rob Zombie covering Jethro Tull.

Dimebag was every bit as influential to the metal genre as Randy Rhodes. Fight me.

Vanden Plas - Much like Nightwish I slept on them for close to three decades. Andy's voice was just so out of frequency for me. Of course, if you look at some of my fav vocalists (list below)I'm a hypocrite. I was terribly wrong. I've been going back through the VP catalog and I dig the shit our of it. I've accepted the helium LaBrie vocals and now embrace it. It's so cool to make a rediscovery like this.

Alltime fav vocalists kinda in order - DeYoung, Alder, Khan, Tate, Sweet, Karevik, Lukather, Russell Hitchcock, Shaw, Emmitt.

Lydian Sea - how did I miss these guys? Really strong melodiprog, great vocals and lush melodies. I just bought all four albums this week. Love!

7 Months - I wrote them off as AOR fluff based on their logo and album cover. Wrong. Really strong melodic metal with super clean vocals. Reminds me sort of like Vox Tempus, another band I love.

I know a lot of artists and bands who aren't fans of YouTube reaction vids, but damn what a bunch of great free advertising. Charismatic Voice, Tank the Tech and Chade Carneson really break down and disseminate some of our favorites.

Twelfth Gate - here's a past blast from a former member Scott Huffman. Summoning is just a perfect combo of Maiden and Brainstorm. Powerful stuff from a cool dude.

Has there ever been a more annoying singer in the prog metal genre than Hubi Meisel? I'll never say he's without talent, but damn, dude. Allow your scrotum to drop and sing with an adult voice. Hes like a telletubby music major auditioning for Newsies.

Seventhsign - these guys will always be in my highest regards. QR meets Edwin Dare. Love, love, love!

I've tried to like post Tate QR but it'll never work for me. New songs are meh, and I'm not terribly impressed with the playing of their classics. Sure Todd can hit all the notes, but without the character and emotion Geoff brings its kinda flat for me.

I'm forever grateful for this board. Some of you were my first ever online friends, and that means a while lot to me. Through some pretty major life changes, getting married, wife dies, getting remarried, changing careers, fighting depression. This group was a safe place. I know I've never actually met any of you, but you're highly thought of and appreciated. Healthy musical debates are a lost art form, and playfully ripping on each other has been great.

Much love and respect to the group and the eight people who still post here.

[introclaus]

Great post, thanks for reminding me about Ascension Theory … been a while.

Yes, agree with everything you said;
- “too much” (nah, never) great music released and once in a while you completely forget something you have in your collection (at least if you have a huge collection as I’m sure many of us here have)
- heck yes, this place is my home away from home so to speak. It’s a wonderful place to just ramble on about the new releases, reminisce about past classics, and make new friends or keep in touch with old ones

[Sir Exar Kun]

Great post! Love these random stream of consciousness threads..... Just a few things to jump in on....

Dead Soul Tribe - what a strange band. Theres always two or three songs off each album I adore. The rest I scratch my head. His vibe, odd imagery and lyrics are like Rob Zombie covering Jethro Tull.

I always found this to be much more "accessible" than Psychotic Waltz, and I can totally here DST throughout the newest PW album, which I LOVE. Big fan of all five albums, and would love to see this band reunite.

Vanden Plas - Much like Nightwish I slept on them for close to three decades. Andy's voice was just so out of frequency for me. Of course, if you look at some of my fav vocalists (list below)I'm a hypocrite. I was terribly wrong. I've been going back through the VP catalog and I dig the shit our of it. I've accepted the helium LaBrie vocals and now embrace it. It's so cool to make a rediscovery like this.

This still feels so crazy to me..... That a regular member of this group wouldn't be ALL OVER this band. I guess I can get how the voice might rub people the wrong way, but the construction of their material is just so textbook PERFECT that I would expect it to win out. Right up through Christ-0, every album was near perfection. The last few albums have all still been GOOD, but don't hit the same way anymore.... Can't wait for the live album.

Lydian Sea - how did I miss these guys? Really strong melodiprog, great vocals and lush melodies. I just bought all four albums this week. Love!

That's a pretty deep cut band there, I am guessing many on this board are not familiar with them. I seem to recall them being on a ProgPower sampler years ago, and I bought their first two discs off that sample. Didn't realize they had more! (A shopping we will go now....) Seem to recall this being a proggier Ryche vibe?

I know a lot of artists and bands who aren't fans of YouTube reaction vids, but damn what a bunch of great free advertising. Charismatic Voice, Tank the Tech and Chade Carneson really break down and disseminate some of our favorites.

I cannot STAND these things. Partly out of pure annoyance, partly out of abject jealousy knowing that we could all be making money doing this had we just came up with the idea of recording ourselves 20 years ago whenever we discovered some brand new band.....

Has there ever been a more annoying singer in the prog metal genre than Hubi Meisel? I'll never say he's without talent, but damn, dude. Allow your scrotum to drop and sing with an adult voice. Hes like a telletubby music major auditioning for Newsies.

I guess if Andy Kuntz rubbed you the wrong way, I can CERTAINLY see Hubi hitting the same rough patch. I love his unique voice, and wish he'd come back to the scene. And the Teletubby visual is hilarious!

I've tried to like post Tate QR but it'll never work for me. New songs are meh, and I'm not terribly impressed with the playing of their classics. Sure Todd can hit all the notes, but without the character and emotion Geoff brings its kinda flat for me.

New material isn't of the highest caliber, but it's damn sure better than anything from HitNF onwards, and MUCH better than any of Geoff's solo stuff (this excludes the projects he sings on like Sweet Oblivion with outside writers....) It's definitely still a pale imitation of the golden years, but I'll take it. If they ever hit Columbus again, it's a "can't miss" concert too.

[Mardoch]

Has there ever been a more annoying singer in the prog metal genre than Hubi Meisel? I'll never say he's without talent, but damn, dude. Allow your scrotum to drop and sing with an adult voice. Hes like a telletubby music major auditioning for Newsies.

Hubi ain't got shit on Fabio Lione and Elliot Coleman. Given my druthers I would ban those two from ever being recorded or even microphone amplified for the rest of their lives.

Also 100% on The Charismatic Voice. I love her so much. Just a huge music dork.

[devomeister]

Ascension Theory/Regeneration - production and drum machine aside, I love this album. It's checks most of my boxes. The follow-up I didn't care for. It's discount store Star One.

Huh, I much preferred "Answers". I actually still listen to that one now and then. I suppose I get the budget Star One comp, but honestly, I don't like Star One, and I like Answers, so there's that.

Burnclear/Lost for Life - Pagans Mind meets early Kamelot. Really strong melodies and great energy.

I remember liking this well enough for classic-style prog metal. It had no staying power for me, though, which isn't surprising given the preference of singing style.

Dead Soul Tribe - what a strange band. Theres always two or three songs off each album I adore. The rest I scratch my head. His vibe, odd imagery and lyrics are like Rob Zombie covering Jethro Tull.

Absolutely one of my favorite bands. Devon really bridged the alt-rock that I love with prog ideas. The Tool influence is undeniable here, but he makes it his own. I think he's a really strong songwriter. The only one I didn't care for was the final one, which seemed like he was running out of steam with the concept.

Vanden Plas - Much like Nightwish I slept on them for close to three decades. Andy's voice was just so out of frequency for me. Of course, if you look at some of my fav vocalists (list below)I'm a hypocrite. I was terribly wrong. I've been going back through the VP catalog and I dig the shit our of it. I've accepted the helium LaBrie vocals and now embrace it. It's so cool to make a rediscovery like this.

Like 'em, don't love 'em. They have a great sound, I think Kuntz is a damn fine singer, and they do this style as well as anyone. I just find they start to bore me after a while. Oddly, "Far Off Grace" is my favorite of theirs.

Alltime fav vocalists kinda in order - DeYoung, Alder, Khan, Tate, Sweet, Karevik, Lukather, Russell Hitchcock, Shaw, Emmitt.

That's a fine collection of skilled singer. My tastes drift more towards an alt-rock style of singer. I was a grunge guy, and I like that approach to vocals. Sadly, not many prog metal bands went that route.

I know a lot of artists and bands who aren't fans of YouTube reaction vids, but damn what a bunch of great free advertising. Charismatic Voice, Tank the Tech and Chade Carneson really break down and disseminate some of our favorites.

These can be fun, but I definitely prefer the ones that come across more informative. Charismatic Voice, in particular, is great. She seemed to really fall in love with metal. She went to Bloodstock, has done a ton of interviews with guys like Arjen and Tommy Kaervik and Devy. I liked Beth Roars for a while as well. There is definitely an appeal in seeing someone else take joy in a thing that brings me joy.

I've tried to like post Tate QR but it'll never work for me. New songs are meh, and I'm not terribly impressed with the playing of their classics. Sure Todd can hit all the notes, but without the character and emotion Geoff brings its kinda flat for me.

Same. I generally wish bands wouldn't try to replace a departed singer with someone who sings the same way. LaTorre is a fine singer, but he sings in the same manner as Tate, which puts him immediately in the shadow of Tate. I would rather they found someone with a different vocal approach. Ah well.

Fun post!