Metal maniacs - You may like Enchant and other ramblings

[3-LockBox]

Enchant is another band that comes to mind, excellent vocals, but their compositional skills and playing ability are not the level of Threshold or DT, (but then again, whose are?). They play competantly enough, they do have some killer songs; the album Tug Of War is superb. I've heard the album Break, which came out just before TOW, and I thought it was formulaic pablum - the melodies were there, but it was like they trying too hard - too emo. Tug Of War has some great stuff on it for an album that few ever heard, but it is very 80s Kansas, with the lead singer sounding like a dead ringer for a young Steve Walsh at times. I like it. They make the same mistakes other clueless retro bands make, like naming their obligatory instrumental-work-out song, Progtology :lol: (still a good song though). When others hear it, they're sure its a 20 year old CD I'm listening to, not one that came out in 2003. They just sort of fell off the map after that.

FA - Tug Of War is the album that Cryptic Vision keeps trying to put out.

I've herad a few Arena albums and wasn't overly impressed; the name of the band says it all. Pepper's Ghost is good, but the other album I heard was more metal by the numbers. Its like your favorite old metal band, with a different singer than your used to. Jadis is another band that falls into this category. Who knows, maybe one of these two bands will make their way into my rotation and I'll say to myself, "who does that song?" MP3 rotation has revived interest in a number of old bands in my collection.

[ForeverAutumn]

[
FA - Tug Of War is the album that Cryptic Vision keeps trying to put out.


That sounds like something that I need to investigate. Thanks.

N.P. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife - This is the best prog album by non-proggers that I've ever heard.

[kexodusc]

Enchant is another band that comes to mind, excellent vocals, but their compositional skills and playing ability are not the level of Threshold or DT, (but then again, whose are?). They play competantly enough, they do have some killer songs; the album Tug Of War is superb. I've heard the album Break, which came out just before TOW, and I thought it was formulaic pablum - the melodies were there, but it was like they trying too hard - too emo. Tug Of War has some great stuff on it for an album that few ever heard, but it is very 80s Kansas, with the lead singer sounding like a dead ringer for a young Steve Walsh at times. I like it. They make the same mistakes other clueless retro bands make, like naming their obligatory instrumental-work-out song, Progtology :lol: (still a good song though). When others hear it, they're sure its a 20 year old CD I'm listening to, not one that came out in 2003. They just sort of fell off the map after that.

FA - Tug Of War is the album that Cryptic Vision keeps trying to put out.

I've herad a few Arena albums and wasn't overly impressed; the name of the band says it all. Pepper's Ghost is good, but the other album I heard was more metal by the numbers. Its like your favorite old metal band, with a different singer than your used to. Jadis is another band that falls into this category. Who knows, maybe one of these two bands will make their way into my rotation and I'll say to myself, "who does that song?" MP3 rotation has revived interest in a number of old bands in my collection.
Enchant never really struck a chord with me...not bad, but nothing really great about them either.

Arena's only got 3 worthwhile albums, IMO, and I think they might be a completely different band on all 3 (I never kept up with the changes). Immortal is good, solid music, though nothing terribly original. Still, it's different enough with some catchy spots to grab your attention.. Contagion I like a lot more, and Pepper's Ghost is solid throughout.

Some of their earlier stuff is okay, a little too IQ or Marillion-ish, just not as good.

[3-LockBox]

Enchant never really struck a chord with me...not bad, but nothing really great about them either.

Arena's only got 3 worthwhile albums, IMO, and I think they might be a completely different band on all 3 (I never kept up with the changes). Immortal is good, solid music, though nothing terribly original. Still, it's different enough with some catchy spots to grab your attention.. Contagion I like a lot more, and Pepper's Ghost is solid throughout.

Some of their earlier stuff is okay, a little too IQ or Marillion-ish, just not as good.

I like Enchant's TOW and that's about it, and they put out what...4 or 5 albums? Makes it easy as I don't have to own but one of their albums. As I always stress, this isn't modern metal with '80s embellishments...Enchant tried that with their first few albums and didn't quite pull it off...so they just went out made an '80s metal album. A good one IMO, but 20 years too late. It would have been a smash in '86-'87.

Arena sounds like a band with a constantly changing line-up, just like Saga. IQ is a band that's hit or miss with me. I like Seventh House a lot, but some of their long term fans hate it. The vox are an aquired taste to be sure, but that isn't what holds me back. They try to be all dark and mysterious, and they come across too Marillionish when they do.

Speaking of Marillion - have you heard Marbles?

[ForeverAutumn]

Arena sounds like a band with a constantly changing line-up, just like Saga.

I'm not sure that I understand this. Are you implying that Saga's line-up has changed over the years? Or just that their sound has changed. I thought that they still had the same line-up that they've always had.

Although, I recently read that Mike Sadler is leaving the band. Without Sadler, Saga won't ever sound like Saga. His voice is too distinct.

[3-LockBox]

I'm not sure that I understand this. Are you implying that Saga's line-up has changed over the years? Or just that their sound has changed. I thought that they still had the same line-up that they've always had.

Although, I recently read that Mike Sadler is leaving the band. Without Sadler, Saga won't ever sound like Saga. His voice is too distinct.

I typed Saga, but I was thinking Asia.

[kexodusc]

Arena sounds like a band with a constantly changing line-up, just like Saga. IQ is a band that's hit or miss with me. I like Seventh House a lot, but some of their long term fans hate it. The vox are an aquired taste to be sure, but that isn't what holds me back. They try to be all dark and mysterious, and they come across too Marillionish when they do.

ha ha...I looked up Arena's cast, they've had the same cast for the 3 albums I like...go figure. Guess the message is consistency pays off.


Speaking of Marillion - have you heard Marbles?
Heard way back, didn't feel like I had to buy it or anything, probably only heard a few songs on web radio since.

[3-LockBox]

ha ha...I looked up Arena's cast, they've had the same cast for the 3 albums I like...go figure. Guess the message is consistency pays off.

That's OK, cuz they still sound like a band in constant transition. Which doesn't have to be a bad thing. Hard to get into them though.

[Jim Clark]

so I just popped my head around the corner here to see just who exactly the metal maniacs are around here. I gotta tell you that FA caught me a bit off guard. Guess you just never know! I've got nothing to add being clinically metal deficient myself, just looking to kill 3 minutes here at work.

carry on!!!

OH, and FA, that Crane's Wife album is prog'ish in nature? No wonder I never really got into it! Seriously though, a great many of my favorite bands seem to list the Decemberist's as one of their faves but for whatever reason it just never worked out so great for me save for a song here and there. Whatever, now I'm rambling and should get back to work.

Regards to all,
jc

[ForeverAutumn]

so I just popped my head around the corner here to see just who exactly the metal maniacs are around here. I gotta tell you that FA caught me a bit off guard. Guess you just never know! I've got nothing to add being clinically metal deficient myself, just looking to kill 3 minutes here at work.

carry on!!!

OH, and FA, that Crane's Wife album is prog'ish in nature? No wonder I never really got into it! Seriously though, a great many of my favorite bands seem to list the Decemberist's as one of their faves but for whatever reason it just never worked out so great for me save for a song here and there. Whatever, now I'm rambling and should get back to work.

Regards to all,
jc

My metal maniacness surprised you? That surprises me. I thought that my metal tendencies were well documented around here. Maybe you're just not reading the metal posts, what with your deficiency and all (I would have put a winky smiley here, but I know how much you hate them so I'll spare you and make you read this extra sentence instead).

And yeah, that particular Decemberists disk has some proggy leanings for sure. Although, I wouldn't actually call it a "prog album", that's probably why I like it so much. Although I enjoy the whole album, not just the proggy stuff.

Rock On Jim! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Jim Clark]

My metal maniacness surprised you? That surprises me. I thought that my metal tendencies were well documented around here. Maybe you're just not reading the metal posts, what with your deficiency and all (I would have put a winky smiley here, but I know how much you hate them so I'll spare you and make you read this extra sentence instead).

And yeah, that particular Decemberists disk has some proggy leanings for sure. Although, I wouldn't actually call it a "prog album", that's probably why I like it so much. Although I enjoy the whole album, not just the proggy stuff.

Rock On Jim! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!

Yeah, busted. I NEVER read the metal posts, well except for this one I guess.

I'm rocking right now - The Smoking Popes - Born To Quit. A little more my speed.

jc

[kexodusc]

Smoking Popes? Whatever happened to them?

[Jim Clark]

Smoking Popes? Whatever happened to them?

they made a couple of really bad followups and vanished from sight.

Actually, I read where they just recently released a live album. I seriously doubt it's worth grabbing at this point.

jc