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Interactive Poll # -45 (or something)

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Poll Question: Which three are your favorites?
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
5 [20.00%]
2 [8.00%]
2 [8.00%]
2 [8.00%]
1 [4.00%]
4 [16.00%]
1 [4.00%]
4 [16.00%]
3 [12.00%]
1 [4.00%]
0 [0.00%]
0 [0.00%]
0 [0.00%]
0 [0.00%]
0 [0.00%]
0 [0.00%]
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rushfan4 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rushfan4 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 02 2020 at 16:00
I am going to drop in and per usual take the thread to a heavier place.  I present to you a selection of songs from German power metal band Helloween.  Honestly, I could have taken all of the songs from their Keepers of the Seven Keys Part 1 and 2, which are truly their best releases in my opinion, but they have some favorites of mine from some of their later albums so I instead present 6 songs from 6 separate albums.  I reviewed my top 50 played artists on Last.FM and Elton John, Billy Joel, Judas Priest were the non-PA bands that I've listened to more than Helloween so I figured that they were kind of lesser known....at least maybe amongst PAers.  My apologies to the metal adverse but these are 6 songs that I really like so there you go.  :)
 

1. Future World from Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1


2. I Want Out from Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2


3. Perfect Gentleman from Master of the Rings


4. Forever and One (Neverland) from The Time of the Oath


5. Are You Metal? from 7 Sinners


6. Heroes from My God-Given Right

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Cristi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 02 2020 at 16:12
^ I thought of Helloween as well, just something with Kiske. I wanted to ask if I could have a musician here with songs from different bands and projects, Kiske would have fit perfectly. But I gave up asking and came with something dofferent. 

Also thought of Casiopea, Fourplay, AWB, Solitude Aeturnus, even something like Alphaville and a-ha, Depeche Mode, Paradise Lost, Erik Truffaz, Europe/Joey Tempest/John Norum, Richie Sambora, Heart, Warlock/Doro, Glenn Hughes and so on. Tongue LOL


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Anders Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 02 2020 at 16:18
Shawn Smith: I admit I am not familiar with that name, but have heard of Mother Love Bone, and of course I know Pearl Jam (though, admittedly, it is not something I particularly like).

The first song, "Wrapped In My Memory", sounds promising. Very down-to-earth piano ballad with some nice chord changes, especially in the bridge or middle eight, or whatever you want to call it. "20th Century" (Brad) is very different with a funk bass and a drumbeat that could have come from, say, a Red Hot Chili Peppers album. The harmonic pattern is however much darker than you would expect from the above. Personally I miss some more dynamic variation; it feels like the song is building up to something that doesn't come.

"Suffering" (Satchel) is another piano ballad and probably closer to my personal taste than "20th Century", especially as it has more direction. I like the discreet ooh's in the backing vocals, and then there is the electric organ in the background which is very tasteful (or is it just a synth?). Melodically it is perhaps a bit monotonous.

"Battle Flag" (Pigeonhead): We're in funk and soul-land here, with the addition of a very 90's sounding electronic beat. I really like the guitar too. The cursing is a bit comical to my ears though. But it sounds like a song that may grow on me. The last song, "The Day Brings", is back to the piano. Fine song overall that probably requires a couple of listenings.

My favourites are Wrapped in My Memory" and "Suffering".
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Anders Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 02 2020 at 16:24
Radian - "tg11" sounds like a loose connection, as if a cable has not been plugged into the amp (and I guess we actually hear something like that). There's some feedback noise too. I really like the minimalism of it. Very much up my alley.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rushfan4 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 02 2020 at 16:29
Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

^ I thought of Helloween as well, just something with Kiske. I wanted to ask if I could have a musician here with songs from different bands and projects, Kiske would have fit perfectly. But I gave up asking and came with something dofferent. 

Also thought of Casiopea, Fourplay, AWB, Solitude Aeturnus, even something like Alphaville and a-ha, Depeche Mode, Paradise Lost, Erik Truffaz, Europe/Joey Tempest/John Norum, Richie Sambora, Heart, Warlock/Doro, Glenn Hughes and so on. Tongue LOL


I suppose that they are probably too well known and also outside the realm of what most participants in this thread would like to listen to.  That might be a good idea for a thread.  Taking a musician/vocalist and creating an album side from his/her various projects.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote The Anders Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 02 2020 at 17:24
Giovanni Lindo Ferretti and Ambrogio Sparagna is a journey into traditional Italian folk music, but with a modern touch, like with many other folk artists of today - which is how I usually appreciate it the most.

I wrote more detailled on each song while listening, but unfortunately I did something wrong at the end of the last song, meaning that my words vanished out into the blue, and I don't remember the exact words.

But I really like the combination of instruments and the singing style of many of the songs, especially when we get these half speach-like vocal phrasings that I recognize from other parts of Italian music. Ironically, some of the songs sound more secular to me than sacred, and that includes "Santo", but I guess that is because I don't normally connect religious music with folklore. Sadly, for the last two songs, "Madre Maria, il Lamento" and "Intimisto", my enjoyment is somewhat affected by their use of a chord progression that has been very overused in pop music within the last 30 years; this is hard for me to abstract from, regardless of the quality of the songs.


Edited by The Anders - December 02 2020 at 17:37
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Anders Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 02 2020 at 17:34
Originally posted by TCat TCat wrote:

Anders:  C.V. Jørgensen:  This is also an excellent representation of an over-looked artist.  His vocals from time to time are reminiscent of Dylan, and I say that as a big compliment because he can do it very convincingly, and it also matches the music.  It's a nice variety of tracks that also piques my interest.  I also appreciate the English translation of the lyrics, thank you for that.  I listened to this both ways, with and without lyrics and I enjoyed the music either way.  I can't really pick favorites out of your selections because they were all good.  Easy going, instantly likeable.


Thanks for the words. There's no doubt Dylan is one of his influences. I don't know if he deliberately tries to sing like him, but I can hear the parallel. A song like the one below sounds very Dylan'ish indeed, especially the melody:



Edited by The Anders - December 02 2020 at 19:26
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Snicolette Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 02 2020 at 18:12
First thoughts on Cristi's and Scott's entries:  

Cristi: Dara “Aur” Begins with some repetitive chords and washes and sways of guitars, drums very pronounced and solid.  A sort of rustic voice comes in, this sounds like perhaps a dirge, in a way, a song of grief?  Goes into full-on angry sort of vocal.  “Trei peceti”  Again, drums near the fore, with some really pretty arpeggiated electric guitar notes and some keyboard underpinning.  The singer is certainly expressive, kind of reminds me of Mike Scott of The Waterboys, in his delivery, only gets much more intense, as this has a lot more metal in it.  I like the breaks in this, being not too much of a metal fan, per se, although I do like heavy elements sometimes.  “Bocetul Firii”    More of the similar sound, this one has also an apocalyptic feel.  “Unde Desarte”  This one begins with some really beautiful sustained guitar notes.  Vocalist comes in whispering, about a third of the way in, continues in his more characteristic style.  More sustained guitar kicks in again eventually winds down into a whisper.  Probably unsurprising, this is my favourite one of the selections, as it’s very moody. 

Scott:  Helloween “Future World”  Some more metal, this one is more in the vein of story-telling, moving right along with heavy, pounding drums and a conventional verse/chorus approach.  There is an odd break in the middle with funny noises and laughter (probably part of the story) and lots of guitar lead pyrotechnics.  “I Want Out”  Continuing with blazing guitars, big drums and layered vocal choruses, and repeat.  “Perfect Gentleman” Rougher vocals this time out, this time a bit lighter in musical tone, with some synth/keys in the production.  “Forever and One”  Keyboards start this one, the metal ballad of the bunch, this one has some bluesy touches to it.  Nice, effected lead about halfway in, reprising the melody.  “Are You Metal?”  This is back to the heavy stuff, some more keys in this again, but essentially fast-moving and in-your-face, as should be expected from the title. “Heroes”  This one begins with some driving guitar, then driving drums join in the fun.  More of a story here again, another dark vision, but with the admonition that we all are heroes. 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote suitkees Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 03 2020 at 09:50
And my impressions:

Cristi: Needless to say that Dara is a band I never heard of, so I discover them with these tracks. Now, what is it? Heavy prog, post-rock, metal, straight rock...? An interesting mix of them all. Another obvious thing, imo, is that they don't have the most skilled singer: he seems to struggle to keep up with the pitch and/or the tune. That said, his voice actually goes quite well with the songs: they convey some kind of fragility and distress. I quite like that kind of minimalism and repetitiveness in the first song, Aur, untill they feel the need in the last part to throw some metal in and when he starts to growl (which he is not very good at either...). It has some post-rock flavor that we hear again in the third song, Bocetul Firii, but which I find less convincing. The second track, Trei peceți, is the most interesting to my ears: great guitars (I like those flageolet tones) and a solid rhythm, the vocals suit the song well and even his screaming remains closer to singing than it comes to growling (good point for me). Nice build up until the break half-way where we're getting again into the more melodic side of the band, before we're switching between the two styles again. The last track starts very nicely with that floating-singing guitar before getting into what seems their signature sound, the mix of voice, guitar melodies and a minimalist but solid rhythm section. Nice track too, but I think I prefer the first two ones of these.

Rushfan4: Now, I'm not much of a metal fan but I like some hard rock. I know Helloween from their 80s stuff, a friend of mine had a couple of their albums. The first songs, from the Keeper of the Seven Keys albums, are very great hard rock songs: great singing, rocking and melodic guitars, solid drumming - this is just high quality hard rock or power rock to my ears that makes me think of Queensrÿche - especially the singing makes me think of Geoff Tate - and Dream Theater (but those came later!!). Glad to hear them again! This is classic 80s power! Perfect Gentleman sounds a bit more conventional but they add a kind of Van Halen fun to the music, which makes it catchy. The - obligatory - ballad Forever and One is nice (and very welcome after three power tracks), but not very surprising. The next two songs, Are You Metal? and Heroes from My God, sound as if they were made much later (which is the case, I guess. And, did they change the singer?) and unfortunately they adopt everything I detest in nowadays metal: the djent and the need-for-speed in the double bass drum. The first one still has some kind of a fun aspect in it, but my answer is no. They keep up the good playing in these songs, but this is not my cup of tea. I largely prefer their 80s (and 90s?) sound, style and songs.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote jamesbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 03 2020 at 18:11
TCat - My Morning Jacket


FIRST LISTEN.
The beginning, in which the drummer beats on the cymbals, reminded me of Springsteen's "Candy's Room", one of my fave songs, but here comes not the voice but a first electric guitar, then the bass and a second electric guitar, for a really exciting intro, which becomes a bloody and dirty roots rock as much as you want. Very American, I would say, a mix between roots rock, power pop and an almost jam session in the ending. Great song, very energetic, powerful. This is a real enthralling and moving song.

The second song is very different, it prefers delicate and refined sounds, and the drums only arrive around two minutes, it is a ballad dominated by vocals and percussion, in the end it seems to take flight, but the crescendo is stopped immediately. It is performed very well but in my opinion being a ballad it would need a clearer melody to excite. 

The third song, where in fact the singer seems to imitate Prince who sings Kiss, has an even different mood and is dominated by the choirs, but the most interesting part in my opinion is the noisy instrumental one, which is a bit stifled by the choirs. 

So far I've heard three songs that could be from three different bands so different is the style. The first impressed me, the second and third I appreciated them more cerebrally. 

The fourth song is another ballad but with a strong presence of percussion. I'm starting to think that the bass player is the most gifted of the group. The song is very light, almost ethereal as an arrangement and it is the one that has struck me less overall so far. 

The fifth song is another ballad where the vocals reminds me of John Lennon's both in the timbre and in the use of the voice (in particular in the Plastic Ono Band album) especially when it goes on the high notes. The piano phrase is hypnotic and percussive, the melody is made by the voice and the guitar, also in this case it is a percussive ballad, not airy and melodic, but in this case it touches a greater intensity than the ballad represented by the song number 2. Overall it's the best song after the first one. 

Podium? I don't know, if the songs were all like the first one My Morning Jacket would surely take place on the podium, but I liked the other four songs in a more measured way. We will see after other listenings, and after hearing the fierce competition as well.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jamesbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 03 2020 at 18:18
Originally posted by The Anders The Anders wrote:

Giovanni Lindo Ferretti and Ambrogio Sparagna is a journey into traditional Italian folk music, but with a modern touch, like with many other folk artists of today - which is how I usually appreciate it the most.

I wrote more detailled on each song while listening, but unfortunately I did something wrong at the end of the last song, meaning that my words vanished out into the blue, and I don't remember the exact words.

But I really like the combination of instruments and the singing style of many of the songs, especially when we get these half speach-like vocal phrasings that I recognize from other parts of Italian music. Ironically, some of the songs sound more secular to me than sacred, and that includes "Santo", but I guess that is because I don't normally connect religious music with folklore. Sadly, for the last two songs, "Madre Maria, il Lamento" and "Intimisto", my enjoyment is somewhat affected by their use of a chord progression that has been very overused in pop music within the last 30 years; this is hard for me to abstract from, regardless of the quality of the songs.

Thanks a lot, The Anders.

"Madre Maria il Lamento" is a traditional, but I had never heard it before "Litania", while "Intimisto", the original one, is a melodic pop ballad (written by the CSI in 1994), that Ambrogio Sparagna has transformed into a vocal folk prayer. If you are curious, this is the original one:



I prefer the Litania's version.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote jamesbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 03 2020 at 18:38
Nickie - Azam Ali

FIRST LISTEN

First song. Hypnotic music, which could be related to New Age, where the melody is mainly left to the very beautiful soprano voice, which outlines opera arias over a carpet of electronic percussion. However, the arrangement has many subtleties. 

The second song, in which I distinguish a "Santa Maria", is sung in various languages, and has the trend of the litany to the Madonna. This has a more lively music thanks to the acoustic guitar. Personally, but that's my taste, I would have preferred a more folk and less electronic arrangement. 

The third song begins a lot with electronic music and only towards two minutes an oriental atmosphere is created thanks to guitars and percussion. His vice continues to hover high, singing in prayer style, distinct from the musical background. Here, however, when the music becomes more interesting, the voice plays in the background and it's a pity. 

The fourth song, on the other hand, is the one that requires a great job from the voice, and again a mix of West and East, this song seems to me the best balanced between vocals and music, where the vocalizations of the singer and the acoustic guitar dialogue in a sublime way. I would say it's my favorite, maybe because it's the least electronic?? 

The fifth, live, is the most static and dreamy, it has a tension that never explodes, it leaves you in suspense until the end, you wait for the song to take off, for the cello to get busy, and instead you stay there tense, like a cello string.

Candidate to the podium? Maybe. Anyway thanks to Nickie for this angelic atmosphere.


Edited by jamesbaldwin - December 03 2020 at 18:39
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jamesbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 03 2020 at 18:48
The interesting thing in this poll is that you don't just vote for a song, but a first side of an album that is how the songs fit together. In some cases, some of us will have compiled a greatest hits side, with songs each in its own unique way, different, while in other cases some of us (this is my case) have chosen some songs as support to other major ones, thinking about the sound overall but just as you can like the homogeneity of songs designed to be together in a precise sequence, you can like the heterogeneity of styles and production of a greatest hits.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Snicolette Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 03 2020 at 18:53
Originally posted by jamesbaldwin jamesbaldwin wrote:

Nickie - Azam Ali

FIRST LISTEN

First song. Hypnotic music, which could be related to New Age, where the melody is mainly left to the very beautiful soprano voice, which outlines opera arias over a carpet of electronic percussion. However, the arrangement has many subtleties. 

The second song, in which I distinguish a "Santa Maria", is sung in various languages, and has the trend of the litany to the Madonna. This has a more lively music thanks to the acoustic guitar. Personally, but that's my taste, I would have preferred a more folk and less electronic arrangement. 

The third song begins a lot with electronic music and only towards two minutes an oriental atmosphere is created thanks to guitars and percussion. His vice continues to hover high, singing in prayer style, distinct from the musical background. Here, however, when the music becomes more interesting, the voice plays in the background and it's a pity. 

The fourth song, on the other hand, is the one that requires a great job from the voice, and again a mix of West and East, this song seems to me the best balanced between vocals and music, where the vocalizations of the singer and the acoustic guitar dialogue in a sublime way. I would say it's my favorite, maybe because it's the least electronic?? 

The fifth, live, is the most static and dreamy, it has a tension that never explodes, it leaves you in suspense until the end, you wait for the song to take off, for the cello to get busy, and instead you stay there tense, like a cello string.

Candidate to the podium? Maybe. Anyway thanks to Nickie for this angelic atmosphere.
  Thank you so much for your thoughtful listen and responses, as always, Lorenzo.  Her voice, to me, is just exceptional, plus I love that she combines many elements of styles that I enjoy in one place.  And obviously, has wonderful musicians to accompany her, no matter what style she is performing.  And I am always impressed by polyglots.  Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Anders Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2020 at 14:07
And now for the last two Radian tracks.

"Scary Objects" is kind of beautiful in all its dissonance. The dark hypnotic drone in the beginning is building a tension. I don't know what to think of the drumbeat that comes in after the first minute. There's no reason to make it more accessible than necessary.

"Subcolors" is a sort of electronica for non-electronic instruments. With its slow evolving it keeps me interested. I also love the small discreet sounds that are only just audible. It's a pleasant listen, but in the end I think I perfer the more radical tracks.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Anders Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 04 2020 at 15:27
First impression of Dara.

Already the visuals used for the audio clips say metal to me, but compared to many other bands in that area, they don't overuse the distorted guitars which I appreciate. The first song also has a touch of folk music which is less outspoken in the second and thrid song. The final song somehow reminds me of some types of electronic music (later it adapts an almost funky groove), and it is probably the one that intrigues me the most.

Since I am not much of a metalhead (I know this is not strictly metal), it is not a type of music I listen to very much, and I don't think I can really judge it properly. But there are clearly elements that catch my interest. I'm not a fan of the singing style which is a bit shrill at times, especially during the screaming parts. At other times he sounds a bit like Tom Verlaine from Television. Everything is also very dark and depressive. I do like dark music too, but perhaps a bit of counterweight would make it more edible for me.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jamesbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 05 2020 at 10:38
Logan-Greg: Pram

1) Radio Freak. The first song is post psychedelic, dazed, lopsided, vulnerable, soft, it may have been written and sung by Syd Barrett. We are however in a prog territory and it amazes me that this group is not part of Progarchives. 

2) Blue. Soft music, with singing that gets lost in the midst of complex arrangements, long instrumental piece in free-jazz style with trumpet, bass that goes on its own, various sound effects, this group gently takes you into free jazz without you notice, because of the velvety pop production. Maybe their masterpiece in this selection.

3) Serpentine is a more linear song, an irregular ballad with a background that mixes acrobatic psychedelia and jazz. The singer's intonation is always dazed and estranged. 

4) The Doors. It is another ballad, more flowing than the previous ones. By now it seems clear that we are listening to free jazz with original, delicate and dissonant arrangements, with the result of giving the feeling of listening to a pop format. 

5) Mother of Pearl. Tinkling song with a more marked rhythm than the others, is the one that convinces me less, but the underlying arrangement and the sound of the trumpet is like a trademark 

6) Penny Arcade like the previous one has a more rhythmic and modern sound than the other songs and in my opinion these two or at least one of the two could be cut from the list. 

Conclusion: band with a very characterized and original sound, soft, sweet, refined enjoyment, with pastel-colored emotions. Very original group, candidate for the podium.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Anders Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 05 2020 at 11:35
First reaction to Helloween

"Future Word": Obviously, this is another band in the area of metal, but this time it's clearly 80's sounding, and I guess it is indeed from the 80's, judging on the production, the high-pitched singing, and the guitar duets. Again, this is not a genre that appeals to me, but it sounds like they know what they are doing. I can't help but notice that the vocals are not always pitch-perfect, but I guess it is from their first album, and that they didn't have enough time and money in the studio to fix it (the production is generally very basic). On the other hand, it also gives the music an aura of spontanity.

"I Want Out" must be recorded later, because it sounds like they have improved both instrumentally and vocally, and it lacks the vocal fluffs of the first song. Clearly they have put more effort in the production here. Sadly, this type of music still leaves me indifferent, but tastes differ.

"Perfect Gentleman". This is clearly from a later album, they continue to improve musically and production-wise. My favourite part is probably the breaks with only bass and drums. "Forever and One (Neverland)" starts as a piano ballad, but it turns heavy again in the chorus. The production is very grandiose, espcially compared to the more sparse early tracks.

"Are You Metal?" shows, if anything, that they also have a bit of self-irony. The video is rather tongue-in-cheek, and the drummer is using his double pedal in a way that is almost comical. I guess we're in the 90's here (or the 00's?). This is my favourite song so far, especially as they have distanced themselves a bit from the 80's sound. "Heroes" must be relatively new, because the sound production is very contemporary. It's still not something I would normally listen to, but by no means a bad song, and it has a strong chorus that you can remember afterwards.


Edited by The Anders - December 05 2020 at 11:37
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lewian Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 07 2020 at 03:37
Thanks to all who commented on Radian... I have listened to everything once and would like to give it some more time, but anyway, great topic! Alas, listening is so much easier than writing...
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Cristi View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Cristi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 07 2020 at 03:51
Originally posted by The Anders The Anders wrote:

First reaction to Helloween

"Future Word": Obviously, this is another band in the area of metal, but this time it's clearly 80's sounding, and I guess it is indeed from the 80's, judging on the production, the high-pitched singing, and the guitar duets. Again, this is not a genre that appeals to me, but it sounds like they know what they are doing. I can't help but notice that the vocals are not always pitch-perfect, but I guess it is from their first album, and that they didn't have enough time and money in the studio to fix it (the production is generally very basic). On the other hand, it also gives the music an aura of spontanity.

"I Want Out" must be recorded later, because it sounds like they have improved both instrumentally and vocally, and it lacks the vocal fluffs of the first song. Clearly they have put more effort in the production here. Sadly, this type of music still leaves me indifferent, but tastes differ.

"Perfect Gentleman". This is clearly from a later album, they continue to improve musically and production-wise. My favourite part is probably the breaks with only bass and drums. "Forever and One (Neverland)" starts as a piano ballad, but it turns heavy again in the chorus. The production is very grandiose, espcially compared to the more sparse early tracks.

"Are You Metal?" shows, if anything, that they also have a bit of self-irony. The video is rather tongue-in-cheek, and the drummer is using his double pedal in a way that is almost comical. I guess we're in the 90's here (or the 00's?). This is my favourite song so far, especially as they have distanced themselves a bit from the 80's sound. "Heroes" must be relatively new, because the sound production is very contemporary. It's still not something I would normally listen to, but by no means a bad song, and it has a strong chorus that you can remember afterwards.

I Want Out and Future World were recorded around the same time, The Keepers sessions, 87-88. Michael Kiske is the singer here and my favorite era of Helloween, call it nostalgia if you will. 

Perfect Gentleman is from 1994, the year they got their new (then)vocalist, Andi Derris. 

Heroes is the newest, from their last album, 2015.

Are You Metal, my least favorite from all of these, not bad definitely, is from 2010 if I remember right. 
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