Trollheart Listens to Every Album on Wiki's List for 2017

Trollheart · 01-24-2018, 10:46 AM

Album title: Anti-Melody
Artist: American Standards
Genre: Metalcore/Harcore Punk/Post-Hardcore/Hard Rock (seriously?)
Nationality: American
Release date: April 28
Position in Discography: Second
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 3.25
I certainly don't like the look of the title! If there's one thing I look for in my music it's a decent sense of melody, so this could be pretty raw, I don't know. Or the title may have nothing to do with the music. Okay, well, that seems to be the case indeed, as this certainly has plenty of melody as it starts. Even the vocal, at least on the first track, sounds better to me than on the previous album. Good start. And then the vocal gets growly and guttural for the second track, but it's still really good.

Well that's just great! I've been listening to the next album from All That Remains all this time!

No wonder it sounded so good! Jesus Christ! So, begin again: this opens with what would be more in line with hardcore punk as I would have expected, and this time I really don't like it though I don't exactly hate it. Very raw indeed, very aggressive. Don't appeal to me at all now.

Check out more from this artist? No
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Some, yes; others, no

Actual Rating:

Trollheart · 01-24-2018, 05:16 PM

Album title: The Source
Artist: Ayreon
Genre: Rock Opera/Progressive Metal/Progressive Rock
Nationality: Dutch
Release date: April 28
Position in Discography: Ninth
Estimated Rating:

Familiar with this artist? A little yes
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Very
Average RYM Score: 3.46
Another one recommended (highly) by Mord, though his championing of Mastodon's Emperor of Sand didn't do much to sway me. Ayreon I have heard all right, but any time I've listened to them it's been mostly just ok, nothing that really impresses me. Maybe this will be the one. It's a big project, a double CD running for over eighty minutes, and featuring many guests from the prog rock/prog metal world, such as Dream Theater's James LaBrie, Nightwish's Floor Jansen and Kamelot's Tommy Karevik, among others. The trouble I find with Ayreon's music in general is that it tends to be too involved, too much of a storyline running through each album, and it certainly takes itself far too seriously. Not only that, but the plot on this one, apparently, relates to the plots running through other of their albums, so to fully understand it, perhaps you need to have heard those, and I haven't.

However this is not an in-depth review by any means, so I'll be ignoring all the plot/storyline element and just concentrating on the music, which I have to say right from the beginning is terribly overblown and pompous. Anyone expecting to get into Ayreon through this album would, I feel, be disappointed and might try some earlier albums. I suppose an album like this is a hard one to get a feel for on your first listen, but my initial impression is that, again, it's too complicated and intricate and I'm feeling both a little overwhelmed and also bored. “Everybody Dies” has at least some sense of energy about it, but it's going to be stupid to try to review such a behemoth here, so I'll just say it sounds like it has a whole lot of potential, and I'll give it more time at some point. Still, I could see how someone like, oh say Batty, might listen to a few minutes of this and then throw his hands up in disgust. You really got to be either a big Ayreon fan or into prog to enjoy this, and to take the time to go deeper into it. I will, later. Much later.

Check out more from this artist? Yes
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Always

Actual Rating:

Trollheart · 01-23-2018, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rubber soul

I have a feeling Frownie or Occult might like them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

Nah they suck.

The Batlord · 01-23-2018, 12:58 PM

I feel like I liked some Animal Collective at some point but don't quote me on that.

Trollheart · 01-23-2018, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

I feel like I liked some Animal Collective at some point but don't quote me on that.

So this is off the record?

The Batlord · 01-23-2018, 01:03 PM

Are you a cop? I know "off the record" with cops is just a scam to get you to confess.

Trollheart · 01-23-2018, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Are you a cop? I know "off the record" with cops is just a scam to get you to confess.

No, no. I ... I just wear this uniform for, um, ah ... sexual perversion. Yes yes! That will do!

The Batlord · 01-23-2018, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

No, no. I ... I just wear this uniform for, um, ah ... sexual perversion. Yes yes! That will do!

Pretty sure that's accurate tbh.

Trollheart · 01-23-2018, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Pretty sure that's accurate tbh.

Sssh! I told you that in confidence, you bastard!

The Batlord · 01-24-2018, 10:57 AM

You think that's "Very raw indeed, very aggressive"? That **** is bland as hell. No wonder you like Genesis.

01-24-2018, 10:46 AM	#1 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Album title: Anti-Melody Artist: American Standards Genre: Metalcore/Harcore Punk/Post-Hardcore/Hard Rock (seriously?) Nationality: American Release date: April 28 Position in Discography: Second Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist? No Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No Average RYM Score: 3.25 I certainly don't like the look of the title! If there's one thing I look for in my music it's a decent sense of melody, so this could be pretty raw, I don't know. Or the title may have nothing to do with the music. Okay, well, that seems to be the case indeed, as this certainly has plenty of melody as it starts. Even the vocal, at least on the first track, sounds better to me than on the previous album. Good start. And then the vocal gets growly and guttural for the second track, but it's still really good. Well that's just great! I've been listening to the next album from All That Remains all this time! No wonder it sounded so good! Jesus Christ! So, begin again: this opens with what would be more in line with hardcore punk as I would have expected, and this time I really don't like it though I don't exactly hate it. Very raw indeed, very aggressive. Don't appeal to me at all now. Check out more from this artist? No Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Some, yes; others, no Actual Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

01-24-2018, 05:16 PM	#2 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Album title: The Source Artist: Ayreon Genre: Rock Opera/Progressive Metal/Progressive Rock Nationality: Dutch Release date: April 28 Position in Discography: Ninth Estimated Rating: Familiar with this artist? A little yes Familiar with the genre or subgenre? Very Average RYM Score: 3.46 Another one recommended (highly) by Mord, though his championing of Mastodon's Emperor of Sand didn't do much to sway me. Ayreon I have heard all right, but any time I've listened to them it's been mostly just ok, nothing that really impresses me. Maybe this will be the one. It's a big project, a double CD running for over eighty minutes, and featuring many guests from the prog rock/prog metal world, such as Dream Theater's James LaBrie, Nightwish's Floor Jansen and Kamelot's Tommy Karevik, among others. The trouble I find with Ayreon's music in general is that it tends to be too involved, too much of a storyline running through each album, and it certainly takes itself far too seriously. Not only that, but the plot on this one, apparently, relates to the plots running through other of their albums, so to fully understand it, perhaps you need to have heard those, and I haven't. However this is not an in-depth review by any means, so I'll be ignoring all the plot/storyline element and just concentrating on the music, which I have to say right from the beginning is terribly overblown and pompous. Anyone expecting to get into Ayreon through this album would, I feel, be disappointed and might try some earlier albums. I suppose an album like this is a hard one to get a feel for on your first listen, but my initial impression is that, again, it's too complicated and intricate and I'm feeling both a little overwhelmed and also bored. “Everybody Dies” has at least some sense of energy about it, but it's going to be stupid to try to review such a behemoth here, so I'll just say it sounds like it has a whole lot of potential, and I'll give it more time at some point. Still, I could see how someone like, oh say Batty, might listen to a few minutes of this and then throw his hands up in disgust. You really got to be either a big Ayreon fan or into prog to enjoy this, and to take the time to go deeper into it. I will, later. Much later. Check out more from this artist? Yes Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Always Actual Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018