Music thread

@Dashie41 YT
Ooh, A7X dropped their latest album? Will have to check it out later today.

@Mellow Rhythm
I have! It’s a pretty good arrangement, IMO. The blending of metal instrumentation with occasional lapses into the original beat of the song makes it feel very Van Halen, and that’s a good thing.

@TheHappySpaceman
Yeah, Megadeth’s cover does give off a bit of a DLR-era “Van Halen cover of another artist” vibe, if that’s what you’re getting at

A version of “Pumped Up Kicks” that used the chord progression from The Who’s “Bell Boy” is stuck playing manually in my head.

Halfway through listening to Life Is but a Dream…

You know what this album is reminding me of more than anything so far? Pinkly Smooth, Synyster Gates and The Rev’s avant garde metal side project from the early 2000s. Like Pinkly Smooth if it had better production.

So… Life Is but a Dream… is really out there and weird, but it’s actually surprisingly good? But it goes into some strange places, from Frank Zappa to Frank Sinatra, funk to classical to prog.

Gonna have to sit with it a few more days, for sure…

@Mellow Rhythm
Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking. Like when they would cover songs but give it their own spin. Plus that whole jazzy metal sound on the first few albums.

This is why I’m starting to like experimental bands alot that no one really bother respect at all. They’re their own league.

@TheHappySpaceman
True! Amazing technical playing on those albums

@Shavkat Rakhmonov
Listening to experimental bands can be a lot like taking a gourmet chocolate from its box - A real treat

Indeed, still one of my favorite bands to this day

@Mr.Myoozik
And one I dig as well, as you can see!

@Mellow Rhythm
It’s funny that Desperado is a classic rock staple despite it never being released as a single

@Mr.Myoozik
Yeah, also funny how many other great songs in general tend to be skipped as singles as well!

It’s allegedly better to listen to Life is but a Dream while on DMT.

I will say, if you’re already not a fan of A7X, then Life Is but a Dream… won’t win you over. And if you’re expecting it to be like their classic period, then you will be disappointed.

Let’s face facts: We will never get a City of Evil Part 2.

There are definitely problems you can have with LIbaD on its own merits. As soon as you accept the fact that we will never get a return to “old A7X,” you can learn to look at this album as its own piece rather than comparing it with others.

@TheHappySpaceman
For me, Hail To The King was peak A7X. I’m sure that’s not a terribly popular opinion, but I’m going by the fact that it’s my favourite album of theirs

So many great releases in 2023 I’ll do a list soon

Made sure my links are intact and correct, Music for the Dead displays as active but their bandcamp appeared to be down.

Well that new Avenged Sevenfold album sure was a thing. Not sure I like it (though I don’t hate it like that reviewer in Spaceman’s link), but it was entertaining and interesting for the most part.

The G / (O)rdinary / (D)eath trio was probably the highlight, Nobody sounds better in the context of the album than it did as a single. We Love You has grown on me too.

@SNESChalmers
Cosmic?

@Dashie41 YT
“Cosmic” was my highlight for the album. The rest of the album is good, and the G/O/D trilogy is way better than it had any right to be, but Cosmic really makes me emotional, for some reason.

I don’t know how to review music constructively anymore but Cosmic is their most ascended and multi-dimensional song they’ve ever written.

Here’s a take: A huge part of why Life Is but a Dream… is good is the fact that, by all means, it should have been a flop.

After The Stage, Sevenfold got into a lengthy legal battle with Warner, their previous record label, since they’d signed on for a five-album contract but technically only recorded four albums (City of Evil to Hail to the King), and The Stage had been released under Capitol Records instead of Warner. Not only was LIBAD an album released after a seven-year hiatus, not only was it them experimenting with new styles even more so than they did with The Stage, not only was it released amidst all kinds of public turmoil with the label, their fans, and other bands… it was literally a contractual obligation record. They did this to fulfill the final album required by Warner and plan to go independent now. This album should have tanked.

Instead, it’s one of the best albums I’ve heard recently. I don’t get it.

@Dashie41 YT
It’s fine, might take a few listens for me to really get a feel for it though (much like the rest of the album).

Spotify has a awesome new thing called DJ it’s on beta so far really been into it playing songs i listened in the past and also tracks i never heard of