Jakehammaren

Name: Thorkell Age: 32 winters. Sex: Male Race: Thuma Alignment: Acolyte Class: Viking (Warrior) Weapon of Choice: Thorkell's main weapon of choice is a battleaxe, but occasionally he'll use a sword or a spear. Weapon Style: The "I've got an impossibly huge battleaxe that I'm gonna PWN you in the face with" style. Personality: Thorkell. 'Nuff said. Appearance: Thorkell is a large man, thanks to his Thuma heritage. He has long, wily blonde hair and a beard that he's quite fond of. His eyes are ice blue. Thorkell is almost always wearing his battlegear, and said battlegear consists of leather and steel. He is clad in leather shoulderpads, leg bracers, belt (with steel studs), and gauntlets (which are adorned with steel spikes), as well as steel leggings, boots, and a steel chestplate. The detailing on his steel equipment is laguered crimson. A crimson wolf's face graces his chestplate, and a billowing crimson cape tops it all off. Here's a little representation I made with [URL=http://www.ugo.com/channels/comics/heroMachine2/heromachine2.asp]HeroMachine 2.0[/URL]. He [I]should[/I] be holding a sweet battleaxe, but the only axe option was kind of shmeh, so I opted for the sword as far as this picture goes: [IMG]http://myspace-196.vo.llnwd.net/00374/69/17/374817196_l.jpg[/IMG] Bio: Thorkell grew up in the grim and frostbitten North. The wilderness had as big a part in his upbringing as his parents and mentors. The frozen winds and rugged mountains shaped him into a hardy man and a powerful warrior. The woods imbued him with a strong connection to nature. The seas gave him a sense of adventure. Eventually, Thorkell's adventurous nature led him out of the North. He wanted to explore the exotic lands of the Not-So-North and the Not-Quite-As-Grim-And-Frostbitten. Off he went, trusty battleaxe and bastard sword by his sides. As the story of the Runes was revealed to him, he couldn't help but be intrigued. The runes did, after all, originate in the North - thus he felt an attatchment to this Runic business. He aligned himself with the Acolytes, as he relies greatly on strength in battle, thus the Runes of Might would obviously help his cause.

[QUOTE=DeadSeraphim][color=indigo][size=1][font=arial]zOmbëe. Nu-metal stereotype through and through. :p[/font][/size][/color][/QUOTE] :laugh: That actually made me laugh out loud. But in all seriousness, I wouldn't use Ebony Sky or Everblack because they sound too Metal. I'm not saying this is bad, I'm just saying that Ebony Sky and Everblack seem a little too mystical/whimsical to be Shock Rock. Plus there's already a Prog Metal band by the name of Evergrey. I actually really like the name Dead Hand (or Deadhand), as suggested by Baron Semedi. I'd go with that. If all else fails, here's some ideas from me: Zombie Engine 13 Stitches Bloodbucket (or The Bloodbuckets) Graveyard Shift Of those, I like Zombie Engine the best.

See, I liked Colony better. But to each his own, eh? My favorite songs on Whoracle are Gyroscope, Dialogue With the Stars, and The Hive. I really encourage you to keep exploring In Flames. Every album is great. Even Soundtrack to Your Escape, heralded as the death of the band, has some really good songs on it. BoxHoy, I suggest Clayman as your next purchase. It's the album that followed Colony. You can[URL=http://everdying.com/main/media.php]click here[/URL] to check out all their music videos. Watch "Only For the Weak", "Pinball Map", "Cloud Connected", "Trigger", and "My Sweet Shadow" in particular. The videos for "My Sweet Shadow" and "The Quiet Place" will provide you with a good look at how their newer stuff sounds. I'm not a huge fan of it, but it's not bad. As for your post, Gothic InuYasha: I don't think I was very clear on this. "Golden Era" isn't an album. I was referring to the albums including and between the Jester Race and Clayman. Here's a discography (not including EPs and MCDs): Lunar Strain Subterranean The Jester Race Whoracle Colony Clayman Reroute to Remain Soundtrack to Your Escape Come Clarity The best albums in [I]my[/I] opinion are The Jester Race, Whoracle, Colony, and Clayman. My favorite overall album is Colony, but I can see you enjoying Whoracle the most. I guess your best bet is to sample each album and decide for yourself. And I STRONGLY SUGGEST TO EVERYONE to buy their DVD, "Used and Abused: In Live We Trust"!!! They have a live set in which they play every song from Soundtrack to Your Escape straight through, and then proceed to play stuff from the older albums. Even if you're not a fan of STYE, it sounds great live, and the old stuff is absolutely sublime. I was absolutely giddy when Moonshield kicked in... it's a religious experience.

Sonata Arctica is definately not a Folk Metal band. I really don't think they're symphonic either. But that's beside the point. The way to tell if a band is Folk Metal is this: folksy riffs. Some Folk Metal bands don't even use folk instruments (Nomans Land for example), but the riffs have that folksy swagger to them. This "Folk" refers to Celtic and Scandinavian folk music for the most part. And as for your list Amorphous... I was thinking of putting Cruachan on my list, but they really seem to be lacking. I can't put my finger on why, but it just seems like they're missing whatever would have made them good. And I can't believe I didn't mention Wintersun! Although I like Ensiferum a lot more, Jari's efforts in Wintersun are classic nonetheless. He is a criminally overlooked guitarist, and his compositions never fail to inspire.

A lot of the time, companies throw on a "sounds like (insert a really popular band at the time here)". And All That Remains is a Metalcore band.

It's called Nu-Metal. "Mallcore" is a much more degrading word. I mean, just look at it! It's much more sarcastic than "Nu-Metal", which is now simply the official term for that kind of music. The term "mallcore" is simply a degrading way of saying nu-metal. Actually, the term "mallcore" can refer to the music [I]or[/I] the actual people (Hot Topic pants, lots of plastic bracelets, etc.). But the answer to your question is, again, Nu-Metal.

Yeah, Episode 666 is a great song. It's from their "Golden Era", which ended with the release of the album Reroute to Remain (which was still, in my opinion, a great album - but it did send the band in the direction that landed it with the greatly detested disaster Soundtrack to Your Escape). If you like Episode 666, check out more songs from the album Whoracle. Actually, based on what I know of your tastes, you'd probably love the album Soundtrack to Your Escape. Most diehard fans of In Flames mark that album as the death of the band, but I'd bet money you'd love it. Give a listen to the songs The Quiet Place, My Sweet Shadow, and Like You Better Dead and and tell me what you think.

Actually, you're right. The term "Nu-Metal" actually originated in the undergroud Metal community as a title for bands like Slipknot, Korn, Coal Chamber, etc. that the media and ignorant fans of the aforementioned bands were calling Metal, therefore giving the general public an extreme misconception of the music that Metalheads lived for. They called this music Nu-Metal for a couple of reasons. First of all, it was the new (nu) fad that kids were just eating up because TV said so. Second, it's spelled with "nu" with an umlaat over the "u", which was a way of insulting purposeful mispellings such as KoRn and Limp Bizkit. Unfortunately, more and more kids thinking this was Metal wandered their way into online Metal forums and such, discovered the term, and thought it was the actual title. Thus "Nu-Metal" was brought into the light of the mainstream and caught on as the official term for the genre. A similar term that's become just as common but is clearly known as an insult is Mallcore, which is a way of denoting how many bands these days have "-core" slapped onto their genre. It also allundes to the fact that "mall goths", a much detested subculture, cling to this type of music because stores such as (and mainly) Hot Topic market them relentlessly, knowing that the image and lyrics of such bands are something that immature, angsty youths are likely to gravitate to.

If you think that folk music and Metal are contradictory, I think you're going to be quite pleasantly surprised at how well they compliment each other. Keep in mind, this is not American folk music that's being blended with Metal - it's mostly Scandinavian and Celtic folk music. Some great places to start as far as Folk Metal is concerned are as follows. The first is the band title, followed by the most popular song by that band, and subsequently my favorite song by that band. [B]Finntroll[/B] - [I]Trollhammaren[/I] - Det Iskalla Trollblodet [B]Ensiferum[/B] - [I]Iron[/I] - Lai Lai Hei [B]Moonsorrow[/B] - [I]Pakanajuhla[/I] - Pakanajuhla [B]Korpiklaani[/B] - [I]The Hunting Song[/I] - Pine Woods [B]Mago de Oz[/B] - [I]La Voz Dormida[/I] - La Voz Dormida Finntroll and Ensiferum are my favorite bands up there. Finntroll is a really saucy band that plays fast, fun songs that you'd expect Trolls to rock out to at a party. They're an absolute blast to listen to. For example, just listen to the opening of the song Trollhammaren. Or start the song Fiskarens Fiende at 2:57. Singing along to it is one of the most fun things you will ever do. Seriously. Another highlight is about 50 seconds into the song Det Iskalla Trollblodet. You will start doing a jig. This is not a "you will think about it". No. You will get up, and you will dance. Don't get me wrong, there's still distorted guitars and gruff Troll vocals, but there's also accordians, flutes, you name it! It's great fun. Ensiferum is a Viking band that is amazing and epic. My favorites by them are Eternal Wait and Lai Lai Hei. They're not as rambunctious as Finntroll, but they're more epic, and have some amazing guitarwork. Eternal Wait is a slower paced song, starting with some beautiful folksy accoustic guitar, then the electric guitars come soaring in with typical Ensiferum flair. The vocals are inspiring to say the least, and the chorus will bring you to your knees with it's sheer power and beauty. Lai Lai Hei is also an amazing song that changes pace multiple times, going from majestic riffery to upbeat jigs. My favorite part is a section of absolutey inspiring Viking chanting that leads into more guitar wizardry, starting at about 5:30 through the song. This is definately one of my favorite types of music, and it's an amazing world to explore. Plus you get the added bonus of mythology and history lessons as far as some of the Viking bands go :D Have fun. Tell me what you think. Oh, and by the way, I know I'm leaving out tons of great Folk Metal, but I'm doing this quickly off the top of my head. I'm sure Amorphous will be around soon to tie up loose ends and make some great suggestions.

Folk Metal is one of the coolest styles of music to ever grace the ears of the human race. I'm sure there's some followers out there - so let's hear some opinions, recommendations, etc. If you don't know what Folk Metal is, grab a battleaxe and meet us here! All of us folked up fans will help you out.

:laugh: sorry guys, my bad! They've never been on Victory Records. I was talking with a friend who's really into Victory Records bands and he said they were on it, so he was wrong, as was I.

Hahaha! See, you feel exactly how I felt! But you [I]know[/I] you had that friggin' chorus in Take This Life stuck in your head for the rest of the day. :laugh:

Yeah, Victory Records has had a huge impact on the Hardcore scene, which is definately a good thing for them. I just don't understand what the Black Dahlia Murder is doing there, that's all. And there is definately Death Metal that isn't melodic. Hardcore, on the other hand, inherently isn't a melodic style of music. This isn't a bad thing; in fact, it's one element that helps seperate it from all the other heavy music out there.

Hmm... that's a good question, BoxHoy. Slipknot, Static-X, Mushroomhead, and such bands are Nu-Metal, which is actually not a subgenre of Metal as many would believe. It's a genre of it's own that blends Grunge, Alternative, and Hip-Hop. That one's easy, but groups such as Murderdolls/Wed. 13 are more difficult to place. I just regard them as a Rock band. I guess they're almost like a modern Glam Rock band, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that's what they are.

Regarding your comment about Victory Records perpetuating the Death Metal stereotype: Victory Records doesn't market any of their bands as Death Metal. In fact, the label has only one Death Metal band on it's roster, the Black Dhalia Murder, who actually are a great group and play some seriously delicious Death Metal that offers brutality and melody. Unfortunately people write them off as another "xcore" band simply because they're on Victory Records. It's a shame, because they really are a great band with tons to offer.

There's countless Rock bands that are heavier than the Dave Mathews Band, such as many of your favorite groups. Oh, BoxHoy, just so you know, the following paragraph is not directed at you, so don't take it that way. It's just a little rant about my frusturations regarding an issue. What people seem to completely fail to understand is that what is and is not Metal is not a matter of opinion - it's solid fact. For example, if someone said that Johnny Cash is a rap artist, they'd be wrong - and I'm sure everyone can agree here. Why is it, then, that people call bands like System of a Down or Slipknot Metal bands when they're clearly not, and then argue when told otherwise? Calling Mudvayne a Metal band is absolutely, positively no different than calling the Beatles a Metal band. For some reason, people refuse to understand this. I don't get what the problem is.

Like I said, Shinji, the vocals on the Norther version aren't great. I do, however, think that all the music otherwise was done extremely well. I found the tempo pleasing, but hey - Metal's definately not for everyone. [quote name='Shi no Tenshi']The minute I saw this topic title, I thought 'It's the Final Countdown!' Memories of being in London and listening to it on the coach, much to the dismay of some scenecore kids that would have preferred to listen to some indie band. We've had some good times.[/quote] :laugh: Oh no, they were playing [I]Europe[/I] instead of [I]Suffocate My Face With My Bleeding Heart That You Ripped Apart When You Left Me OMG[/I]? The latter is obviously a much more awesomer band. How totally not scene of you.

[QUOTE=Box Hoy]Limp Bizkit. Isn't that a game that perverted teenagers play...never mind. Anyhow, I classify Murderdolls as more punkish than Wednesday 13, even though their nearly the same. I would say they're a shock rock band like Rob Zombie with a faster sound. I mean, just listen. The electric guitars and drum beat isn't meant for punk. It's a speeding shock rock band... Take the song "I Walked with a Zombie" Definetly fast, definetly hard, and definetly...shocking. I don't see a better place for him.[/QUOTE] Yes, you're right - they're a shock rock band. Shock rock is not Metal - it's Rock. While the Murderdolls, Rob Zombie, etc. are agressive, hard, and occasionally fast, but they also lack much of what constitutes a Metal band. And to DeadSeraphim, Amorphous is right. If you don't understand why we're having this debate, you obviously don't listen to Metal and have never taken the time to fathom it. I don't see the point in getting involved.

I think the only reason BDM gets that label ("skater metal band" or whatever) is because of the fact that they're on Victory Records. I don't even know why they're on Victory to begin with, seeing as Victory deals with Hardcore and Emo/Screamo. How a great Death Metal band ended up there confounds me, but alas, they have, and it gives them a bad name.

Haha! Europe. Hell yes. Come on, who doesn't love the Final Countdown? By the way, Norther does a great cover of that song, but the vocals aren't too hot.

How about this, Box Hoy: I listen to heaps of Classical music, loads of Folk music from many different countries, I love Rock music, I'm a big fan of Trance... the list goes on. Me not liking Slipknot has nothing to do with a lack of taste for variety - I just don't like Slipknot. [quote name='BoxHoy']Rapcore, metalcore, all these little subgenre's which I have no care for. Head up the line and it's all metal. [/quote] Nu-metal/rapcore/whatever are not subgenres of Metal as you stated. They are their own thing entirely. Electric guitars and screaming does not constitute Metal. Slipknot, for example, use a combination of Grunge, Alternative and the occasional Hip-Hop influence to create their sound. There's nothing Metal about them besides the [I]occasional[/I] guitar solo on Vol. III, and that's not enough to make them a Metal band. And as Amorphous said, Slipknot has publically addressed the fact that they're not a Metal band. The band [I]themselves[/I] said so. Sure, there's plenty of ignorant Death Metal fans out there, but Amorphous and myself are not huge Death Metal fanatics. Amorphous is a Black and Doom connesseur (sp), whereas I'm into Power and Viking/Folk Metal.

Do you realize that nearly every band on your list is not a Metal band? I don't want to get in a flame war here but I want to dispell any misconceotions about Metal right now. Children of Bodom and Blind Guardian are Metal bands (and great ones at that IMO), as is Cradle of Filth (for the most part...). The rest are definately not Metal bands (and no, Slipknot is not a Metal band). And maybe the Death Metal kid was saying Slipknot sucks because he really just doesn't like them. Just because he doesn't like a particular band doesn't mean he has no taste for variety. Slipknot fans have a horrible reputation because they tend to not understand that some people just don't like Slipknot. It's not that we're being closed-minded and judgemental, it's that we simply don't enjoy their music. I'm not trying to put you down, I'm just saying that the reason the Maggot community is looked down upon by so many is their lack of respect for the fact that people have differing tastes. I'm not pinning this on you, I'm just saying be careful about telling people off for not liking them, as it could be contributing to the perpetuation of this stereotype.

I think the Black Dahlia Murder's vocals are far from "just loud screaming". On the contrary, they're quite decent as far as Death Metal vocals go. Meshuggah's vocals are much more "yelly-screamy" than BDM's are (but Meshuggah's still a good band, although I really don't think they're Death Metal).

Yeah, but steer clear of the newest albums. I can see you getting really into Whoracle, BoxHoy. I'd say give that album a go. And actually I think that Come Clarity is a big step up from Soundtrack. I think you'll like Come Clarity if you didn't like STYE just because it's a better album.

I think you sort of missed what was said (by me, at least). You can certainly be Christian and play Black Metal. My only point was that the term White Metal should be used to differentiate the two, just because of the huge culture gap. White Metal is still Black Metal musically, it just denotes the lyrical content. I think this is very reasonable.