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Joined: December 27 2014
Location: Norwalk, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 9319
Topic: Happy/uplifting music that is still heavy Posted: February 20 2015 at 15:49
All of the heavy music I listen to makes me happy. I find myself smiling a lot when I listen to Corrosion Of Conformity. I'm not sure if it's what they say or how they say it but I still smile.
Heavy music does not put me in a dark moody place, it actually makes me feel good.
Slower rock ballad type songs with intense lyrics will lead me to deeper thinking and contemplating the
meaning of who knows what. But hard, heavy music with obnoxious guitar riffs make me feel good.
Joined: April 12 2008
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 5898
Posted: February 20 2015 at 12:00
Polymorphia wrote:
Absolutely love Memoria Vetustaii. Blut Aus Nord are often darker than their black metal material, ironically. I'd definitely second this if you ever feel like you want to dive into some black metal, twalsh. Fen is another one. I don't think of either as particularly happy or sad in outlook. Either would be too linear a description for a lot of the Atmospheric Black Metal bands.
Their industrial albums I definitely find more disturbing than most BM, that makes them inappropriate for this thread though. I think in context the 777 trilogy is supposed to be listened to in one go, however, with the overall effect being that of first annihilation and destruction of the existing civilization's preconceived philosophical dogma - then transcendence into deeper cosmic truths connected with the cosmos, and construction of a new set of values. Basically it's Nietzschean trans-evaluation of all values and ascension to superhumanity through the will-to-power as filtered through Crowleyite esoteric occultism.
"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook
Joined: November 06 2012
Location: here
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Points: 8856
Posted: February 19 2015 at 19:57
Toaster Mantis wrote:
Concerning the post-black metal the other person posted, Blut Aus Nord's Memoria Vetusta trilogy is like ground zero for this kind of music or at least the bridge from "real" black metal to that scene. The arrangements and song structures are a step beyond most black metal groups especially in things like melodic development, the trilogy's thematic concept being some rather ambitious syncretic neo-pagan spirituality drawing upon both Norse/Celtic/Greco-Roman sources.
The other half of their discography as represented by The Work Which Transforms God, 777 etc. is some completely different material from this, having more in common with oldschool industrial/dark ambient/power electronics in the vein of Coil and NON in substance with the instrumentation just being derived from black metal. Ultima Thulée is more typical Scandinavian-style black metal halfways between Burzum and early Enslaved, not bad but I'm not sure it's quite what you are after.
Absolutely love Memoria Vetustaii. Blut Aus Nord are often darker than their black metal material, ironically. I'd definitely second this if you ever feel like you want to dive into some black metal, twalsh. Fen is another one. I don't think of either as particularly happy or sad in outlook. Either would be too linear a description for a lot of the Atmospheric Black Metal bands.
Joined: August 26 2014
Location: Vancouver, BC
Status: Offline
Points: 328
Posted: February 19 2015 at 18:14
Thanks for the choices, everyone. Loved the Alcest and Gris songs but not the other two, Polymorphia. I simply can't abide black metal style vocals. Even Cynic was a stretch for me (albeit totally worth it!). And thanks especially for Slauter Xtroyes. My teenage self would have wet himself to hear that! Somehow, it brings up a nostalgic mood despite never having heard it. I liked the Crimson glory and Anacrusis. For some reason I've always struggled to get into Fates Warning - the vocals don't work for me, I think.
The rest will give me something fun to do for the weekend!
Joined: April 12 2008
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 5898
Posted: February 19 2015 at 15:13
Concerning the post-black metal the other person posted, Blut Aus Nord's Memoria Vetusta trilogy is like ground zero for this kind of music or at least the bridge from "real" black metal to that scene. The arrangements and song structures are a step beyond most black metal groups especially in things like melodic development, the trilogy's thematic concept being some rather ambitious syncretic neo-pagan spirituality drawing upon both Norse/Celtic/Greco-Roman sources.
The other half of their discography as represented by The Work Which Transforms God, 777 etc. is some completely different material from this, having more in common with oldschool industrial/dark ambient/power electronics in the vein of Coil and NON in substance with the instrumentation just being derived from black metal. Ultima Thulée is more typical Scandinavian-style black metal halfways between Burzum and early Enslaved, not bad but I'm not sure it's quite what you are after.
"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook
Joined: April 12 2008
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 5898
Posted: February 19 2015 at 14:55
All the best metal is still positive in the sense of being about strength and power, or at least melancholy idealistic yearning for a more meaningful existence and reconnecting with the world. It's only negative so far as reacting against modern civilization and its moral norms, you might as well say punk was negative because it was angry.
The first three Fates Warning albums have a similar vibe as I've described, the first one isn't as much progressive as just a power metal album that's more ambitious than usual for the genre but still worth listening to. They might take a long time to click especially Awaken the Guardian. If you dig that, check out Adramelch's Irae Melanox and Crimson Glory's S/T plus Transcendence. Since you've got a Queensr˙che avatar, I guess it's more or less next step.
Obscurities Slauter Xstroyes might also be of interest. Not sure if they're even on PA though.
As far as more modern stuff goes, maybe Anacrusis?
Edited by Toaster Mantis - February 19 2015 at 15:02
"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook
Joined: November 06 2012
Location: here
Status: Offline
Points: 8856
Posted: February 19 2015 at 14:48
I've been going through black metal recommendations for the past month or two so all of these bands are going to be bm. With metal, the sounds involved are often expressions of emotional distress, so there is going to be a little of that involved in these recs, but that doesn't mean that it has to be morbid or completely pessimistic. Here are a few that have an element of positivity to them.
Liturgy is probably the most hated band in the metal community because of their offstage demeanor and the singer's incomprehensible "transcendental black metal manifesto" that insults all black metal past Mayhem pretty much, but I do like them, their metal stuff at least (the jury is staying far away from their upcoming based on the terrible drunk-Noah-Lennox-style single). Their first two albums are very positive even if tinged with melancholia. Good stuff.
Alcest and Deafheaven are accused of being in the Liturgy camp, but they really aren't. Alcest focuses on recreating a place that is often beautiful but sometimes dangerous.
Deafheaven isn't very positive for those that read their lyrics, though not morbid either. Their album Sunbather is just very human with themes like poverty, lust, broken families. It's more like a blackened Sunny Day Real Estate (with hefty post-rock and shoegaze influences) if anything. But it's definitely not the darkest thing ever.
Gris is depressive black metal. I haven't explored their back catalogue yet, but their album A l'ame enflammee, l'ame constellee infuses their melancholy with an air of ecstatic happiness. Sort of like the reverse of Liturgy.
Joined: August 26 2014
Location: Vancouver, BC
Status: Offline
Points: 328
Posted: February 19 2015 at 14:22
I've been on PA about six months and have discovered some great new bands to listen to, thanks to generous recommendations. So far, I've enjoyed Porcupine Tree, Riverside, Pain of Salvation, Cynic, Haken, and Edison's children.
The jury is still out for me on Evergrey, Vanden Plas and Anathema
Upon reflection, I've noticed that I'm drawn to music usually considered 'dark'; depressing, sombre, angry, maybe philosophical. Of the bands above, maybe Anathema (We're here because we're here) is least like this, but so far I find them too smooth, lacking dissonance/dynamics and consequently kind of dull.
So, does happy uplifting heavy music exist, or is this a contradiction in terms? I'm trying to stretch my boundaries here.
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Happy/uplifting music that is still heavy
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Polymorphia wrote:
Somehow, it brings up a nostalgic mood despite never having heard it. I liked the Crimson glory and Anacrusis. For some reason I've always struggled to get into Fates Warning - the vocals don't work for me, I think.
