Maybe I'm the only one who feels like this, but lately this metal scene reminds me of the days of 1994. That year we had fresh, angry, and outstanding hard rock/metal/hardcore coming out. I'm talking the beginning of bands like Korn, Marilyn Manson, Machine Head. Rage Against the Machine and Nine Inch Nails all coming into their own. Deftones 'Adrenaline' and Fear Factory 'Demanufacture' only coming out a year later. These are all huge well known names now, although the music integrity has dwindled with a choice few of these bands. We all know who I speak of.

2004, i feel, has the same kind of energy with really good metal hitting the underground. I'm finding the same kind of excitement at live shows. Bands such as Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, Candiria, Remembering Never, Hatebreed, DevilDriver. All are brutal bands and I love it. Also new albums this year from Slayer, Fear Factory, Killswitch Engage, Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot, and Candiria. This really is shaping up to be an exciting year.

Has there been anymore information released about NiN's new album, other than the title? What direction Reznor is taking it? Etc?

Serious??

When??

SCSIMan

It's been called Visceral and "very electric." It sounds like he's getting pissed off again. Still not a lot of information about it, but basically it sounds like the songs are going to have a more harsh electronic, pissed off vibe to them. Maybe something between TDS and Broken.

I've gotten tired of all the same-sounding Nu-Metal bands and have really gotten into Progressive Metal in the last couple years. I LOVE it!

Progressive Metal ala Opeth?

Only way to fly.

I can't get into a lot of the newer bands with the "Cookie Monster" vocals. I'm a traditionalist. Give me the classics like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.

Opeth
Nevermore
Iced Earth
Dimmu Borgir
Cradle of Filth
Nightwish
Evergrey
In Flames
Dark Tranquillity
Lacuna Coil
Meshuggah


These are but a few of the reasons I'm so happy with the metal scene these days.

Check out "Dragonslayer" or "Evilized" by Dream Evil sometime. Solid metal with great vocals. Very traditional.

Another recent find which is really great is "Passage to the Other Side" by Seven Witches.

And edclem, Nightwish are amazing!

If you get one Nightwish album, this is the one to get:



And, speaking of Opeth, check out "Damnation." It's from a metal band, but it's not exactly a metal album:

Korn and NIN is Metal??? Funny you think of 1994 as a great year in Metal... as a long time metal fan I think of it as the year Metal died.

I'm with the other guy, I hate this "nu-metal" and hardcore stuff with the cookie monster singer who wears a baseball cap. I think Hatebreed is one of the worst bands I've ever heard. I'm much more into the thrash, power and hair metal stuff. Give me Iron Maiden, Overkill, Dokken, Motley Crue and Dio anyday.

I'm really looking forward to Brides of Destruction, Nikki Sixx and Tracii Guns new band.

I really like that new band Hammerfall

and of course...
THE DARKNESS = Best Metal Band in 10 Years.

There are two things I hate.

Nu-Metal - Hatebreed, Korn and other bands.
Hair Metal - The 80's.

Thank you.

Lets not forget the Halford is back in Priest.
Im sure were gonna hear some REAL METAL from those boys real soon & not none of that Sissy Ass False Metal crap they play on the radio nowdays .

There are two things I hate too...

Nu-Metal - Hatebreed, Korn and other bands.

Crap-Metal - Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park and other bands.

And two things I love.

Hair-Metal - The 80's - Ratt, Bon-Jovi, Winger, Firehouse, Poison, Quiet Riot, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Cinderella, Stryper, Britny Fox, Skid Row...

Heavy Metal - Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Godsmack, Metallica, Megadeth, Metal Church, Anthrax, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden...

Well three things I love.

Hard Rock - Van Halen, Kiss, Sammy Hagar, Twisted Sister, Def Leppard, Krokus, Dokken, Extreme, Scorpions, Fuel, Puddle Of Mudd, Creed, AC/DC, ZZ Top, Guns N' Roses, Three Doors Down, Ozzy, Dio, Rush, Triumph, Stone Temple Pilots...

Thank You...

HATE:

(c)rap metal
hair metal - except for RATT!
nu-metal (but do like hatebreed - after 5 songs though, you've heard it all)

LOVE:

thrash - slayer,megadeth, metallica
black - zyklon, emporer
swedish thrash (my fav) - corpration 187, the haunted!!, at the gates
death/thrash - morbid angel, black dehlia murder,

I know I just did not read about Creed, Fuel and Three Doors Down being "hard rock". Please, tell me I didn't read that.

How is Hatebreed nu-metal? They are one of the bands that started the whole return of real metal in America by basically mixing Pantera's sound with hardcore.

The state of metal seems to be always good. If you think it's dead then you either have bad taste in music or aren't looking hard enough for the stuff you want to listen to.

These are just a few of the bands that kept the mid to late nineties full with metal goodnes:

Opeth
Strapping Young Lad/Devin Townsend
Meshuggah
In Flames
At the Gates
Testament
Theatre of Tragedy

Converge is releasing a new album this year (hopefully), which will make this year rock. Come to think of it, the last three years or say have been a very good time to be into metal.

And just to add, Hatebreed isnt nu-metal, they are more tough guy style hardcore. I dont really understand the hype around them, pretty much all of the songs they play are based around cheesy break downs (dun...dun dun dun dun.....dun dun....)

You cant tell me those Hatebreed breakdows arent HEAVY AS HELL.
If you want a killer metal record check out the new GOATWHORE CD ,its one of the most brutal things ive heard in a long time !

WTF? Fear Factory got back together? Wholly shit! That's got to be the best news I've heard all year!

I am not a big fan of chugga chugga, breakdown, chug, etc. even if it is heavy. There are only a few bands that can pull it off well (meshugga, a life once lost come to mind).

I'm curious what are they labeled under then???

Shameless plug here.

Have you guys checked out www.metal-rules.com ? There is info on allot of these bands put up daily. The upcoming release section is done twice a month + there are monthly cd/dvd reviews. Check it out and give some feedback on what you think and what you'd like to see.
tks