#9: GOJIRA – FROM MARS TO SIRIUS
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 at 5:00pm by MetalSucksSPECIAL GUEST BLOGGER D.X. FERRIS, AUTHOR OF 33 1/13: SLAYER’S REIGN IN BLOOD
We recently polled a wide array of musicians, managers, publicists, label reps, and writers from within the world of metal to find out what they thought the 21 Best Metal Albums of the 21st Century So Far have been. Eligible albums were released between January 1, 2000 and April 1, 2009. Each panelist turned in a ballot, with their #1 album worth 21 points, their #2 album worth 20 points, and so on and so forth. The ballots are now in and we’ll be counting down one album a day until we reach #1. Today we present the #9 album, coming in with a total of 166 points…
Gojira, From Mars to Sirius (Listenable/Prosthetic, 2005)
Joe Duplantier – Vocals/Guitars
Christian Andreu – Guitars
Jean-Michel Labadie – Bass
Mario Duplantier – Drums
Produced by Joe Duplantier
In modern metal, water is the new fire. Mastodon, Isis, Gojira. Especially Gojira. Who knew that environmental concerns could be metal as fuck? Sure, Kreator, C.O.C., and others grazed on some eco-friendly themes back in the day. But these four French dudes make a full meal of it. And it’s not feel-good hippie shit. In Gojira’s threatened world, nature’s green is splattered with red blood. Metal is best when it’s elemental. From Mars to Sirius is a concept album that – if I follow correctly – relates an interplanetary quest to resurrect a dead planet. We’re talking life, death, and rebirth on a grand scale.
Released in 2005, Mars was Gojira’s breakthrough album, the band’s third LP, and their debut for the always-reliable metal foundry Prosthetic Records. Nearly a decade into their career, the group was ready for the world. They weren’t just another prog metal sqaud with blazing chops and nothing to say. From Mars to Sirius established them as a band of substance. And contrary to stereotypes, us metal doodz like some substance. As they’ve continued growing, Gojira now represents a dizzying postmodern mythology, an amalgam of classic pagan images like the self-swallowing snake Oroborus, unicorns, dragons, and goddamned Godzilla (or, as our Japanese cousins call the radiation-spawned beast, Gojira). And flying whales, too. To me, it all comes down to “Flying Whales.”
Here’s the problem with metal in this day and age: Everybody can pull off what used to be skill tricks. Everyone can ride double-bass kicks for a solid minute. Everyone can shred. Everyone’s mastered the same default vocal styles that excuse you from actually singing. Everyone can kick ass. All most bands do is kick ass. But that’s like pro wrestling without promos and plotlines. Metal’s better if you can slow down, take a breather, and actually say something. Which is what Gojira do in “Flying Whales.”
The eight-minute epic opens with a full two-and-a-half minutes of simple, resounding notes in a virtual call-and-response with whalesong. Then the tune kicks in with some real dramatic tension that’ll make you bang your head. By the time drummer Mario Duplantier – great name – explodes into the mix, forget about it. Your average trigger-happy drummer’s double-bass kicks are like so many uzi rounds fired aimlessly into a dark jungle. When the brothers Duplantier let loose, they take you somewhere. Like, all the way from Mars to Sirius.
Sure, there are groups that can out-tech Gojira. Who cares? For my money, what distinguishes a band now are its quiet moments. Like the Frankenstein-monster stomp that leads into the seven-minute “In the Wilderness.” And Christian Andreu’s bluesy solo in “World to Come.” And singer-guitarist Joe Duplantier’s deep, throat-rending vocals that – like the band’s music – generally stop just short of the death-metal extreme zone (but can totally go over the edge into it, too). You can tell what he’s talking about. And, hell, you can feel what he’s talking about. Gojira presents metal with emotional content that’s not pure rage. And unlike most metal that strives to show a side that’s softer than steel, there’s nothing sissy-fied about it. Real content, real style.
Most of Mars’ songs are over five minutes, many closer to eight, but they’re all real songs. Songs that stick in your head. Songs that don’t feel like they’re lasting eight minutes.
From Mars to Sirius represents metal’s new evolutionary peak, a damn-near-perfect confluence of extreme musicianship, thrash-style epic songwriting, narrative coherence (well, narrative content), and genuine dynamics that contribute to propulsive structures – all shot through with feeling. As a longtime metalhead, I spend a lot of time wondering whether it’s possible to do anything new in the genre. But under Gojira’s reign, the kingdom is fertile once more.
-D.X. Ferris
D.X. Ferris is the author of 33 1/3: Reign in Blood, the first English-language book about Slayer. Learn more at MySpace.com/SlayerBook, or e-mail slayerbook [at] gmail.com for a free chapter.
Buy D.X. Ferris’ 33 1/3: Reign in Blood from Amazon!
THE LIST SO FAR:
#13 – Mastodon, Blood Mountain
#14 – System of a Down, Toxicity
#15 – Nachtmystium, Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1
#16 – Machine Head, The Blackening
#18 – Lamb of God, New American Gospel
#20 – Shadows Fall, The War Within
#21 – Slipknot, Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses
THE PANEL OF VOTERS
Chris Adler, Lamb of God
Dan And, Bison B.C.
Ben Apatoff, Apatoff for Destruction/Metal Injection
Jason Bittner, Shadows Fall
Tim Brennan, Ferret Music/Channel Zero Entertainment
Freddy Cai, Painkiller Magazine
Ian Christe, Bazillion Points
Reverend David J. Ciancio, Yeah! Management
Betsey Cichoracki, Relapse Records
Paul Conroy, Ferret Music/Channel Zero Entertainment
J. Costa, Thy Will Be Done
Dallas Coyle, ex-God Forbid/Coyle Media
Doc Coyle, God Forbid
CT, Rwake
Anso DF, MetalSucks/Hipsters Out of Metal!
Vince Edwards, Metal Blade Records
Charles Elliott, Abysmal Dawn/Nuclear Blast Records
Brian Fair, Shadows Fall
Leo Ferrante, Warner Music Group
D.X. Ferris, author 33 1/3: Reign in Blood/Freelance Journalist
Mike Gitter, Roadrunner Records
Nick Green, Decibel
Matt Grenier, August Burns Red
Anthony Guzzardo, Earache Records
Kevin Hufnagel, Dysrhythmia
Mark Hunter, Chimaira
Steve Joh, Century Media
EJ Johantgen, Prosthetic Records
Kim Kelly, Metal Injection/Hails & Horns/Freelance Journalist
Josh “The J” Key, Psychostick
Jason Lekberg, Epic Records
Eyal Levi, Daath
Bob Lugowe, Relapse Records
Matt McChesney, The Autumn Offering
Jake McReynolds, Psychostick
Marc Meltzer, The Syndicate
Josh Middleton, Sylosis
Matt Moore, Rumpelstiltskin Grinder
Vince Neilstein, MetalSucks
Sammy O’Hagar, MetalSucks
Anton OyVey, MetalSucks/Bacon Jew
Rob Pasbani, Metal Injection
Alex Preiss, Psychostick
Carlos Ramirez, NoiseCreep/Universal Music Group
Brian Rocha, Fresno Media USA
Jeremy Rosen, Roadrunner Records
Axl Rosenberg, MetalSucks
Satan Rosenbloom, MetalSucks/Cerebral Metalhead
David Bee Roth, MetalSucks
Jason Rudolph, Heavy Hitter, Inc.
Amy Sciarretto, Roadrunner Records/NoiseCreep
Carl Severson, Ferret Music/Channel Zero Entertainment
Gary Suarez, MetalSucks/No Yoko No/Brainwashed
Geoff Summers, The End Records/Crustcake
Bram Teitelman, The Syndicate/Metal Insider
Alisha Turull, Heavy Hitter, Inc.
Christopher R. Weingarten, 1000TimesYes/Freelance Journalist
Good choice !
Great fucking album
Hell Yeah!
no arguing should occur about this album
Haha, about fucking time.
Saw this one coming. I still found this album to be incredibly boring though. The Way of All Flesh is far better.
yea i love that album. this one is ok…
Yup.
I really like this album. Not sure it should be this high, but I’ll go with it. It is a very good album.
Two albums that inarguably should be on this list, but probably won’t be: Wintersun – Wintersun (2004) and Unearth – The Oncoming Storm (2004). It would also have been cool to see something like Sleep – Dopesmoker or Electric Wizard – Dopethrone.
god, Wintersun’s album is so goddamn amazing. WHEN IS TIME GONNA COME OUT??!?!?!
never.
YES. UNARTH -ONCOMING STORM!!!!!!!! I HAD A CoNVERSATION THE OTHER DAYABOUt HOW great that album is.
Not even. My friends have tried to get me into Wintersun over the course of YEARS, but I’m always gonna be with my original verdict: it just sounds like Bodom with more pretensious assholery.
dude oncoming storm…what a fucking great album….
defintly one of the best metalcore albums of all time…
BYD cover your tracks should be on here to….but i guess thats more hxc isn’t it?
It only took until #9 to get one right. This is a pretty good album.
I’m glad this is seeing the respect that so many of us feel it deserves. Gojira is, along with Mastodon, the best metal band in the world today.
Excellent write-up Mr. Ferris.
Merci beauxcoup.
beaucoup doesn’t take an x… a bit of a fail to try to speak french
Well, considering I *don’t* speak French, I’d say I did pretty well (it could easily have been “boocoo” or something, no?).
Thanks for setting me straight though.
As for your reply, “French” should be capitalized, as it is a proper noun, as well as “beaucoup” needing to be capitalized for being the first word of your sentence. You also need a period at the end of your sentence, indicating its conclusion.
A bit of a fail to try to type in English…
Owneth.
OK, je vais te parler en français, comme ça tu vas rien comprendre quand j’vais te dire que t’es un estie de trou de cul de merde qui s’la pense bonne parce qu’il est capable de dire “Merci beaucoup”. Sérieux, quand tu te fais owned pis que t’as rien à dire, dis rien, ta mère va être plus heureuse ce soir. Mon but, c’est pas de bien taper, parce que ça je m’en fous, mais au moins j’suis capable d’orthographier mes mots. T’as rien compris, mon p’tit crisse de tabarnak, hein?
You betcha!
What he said. …
Oooh, “your mom” jokes in a different language…edgy. I’d say I’m surprised, but then again, you *did* put up a douchey note correcting someone’s spelling.
FUCKING GOJIRA! YEAH!
Their best album IMO.
i concur
I haven’t really listened to this album all that much… I preferred The Way Of All Flesh, but it’s not really a bad choice. I know Zilty’s not a fan of Gojira, but at least we don’t have to worry about genre arguments here.
Not a bad pick, I suppose.
I remember first hearing “Ocean Planet” and just being mesmerized at the sheer brutality and heaviness. It was like being kicked in the balls in the best way possible.
You mean like getting kicked in the balls with a chicks tongue? Thats the only way I could imagine that being positive…
Hahahhahahaha
Once again, another expected, trendy album. This album bored me quite a bit, though not nearly as much as their latest piece of shit. The riffs are uninteresting, the vocals sound emotionless and weak, and the drumming is a bit too high in the mix. At least they tried some quiet parts on this album, as opposed to their recent one, which is completely void of any dynamics whatsoever. There is a bit more variety here, but even when they try new things, it sounds very boring (e.g., World to Come).
Hey, at least it’s a metal album.
How the hell is this trendy? I bet if you pulle ten random people off the street maybe one of them would know who Gojira is. And that’s a conservativew guess
Gojira has gotten a lot more popular over the past few years. They even toured with In Flames. If you polled ten random metal fans (any type of metal fans–one that listens to good metal or bad metal), most of them will have jumped on the Gojira bandwagon since this album was released.
So, trendy with metal fans, but still not known by at least 90% of the general population. I don’t personally think they’re ‘trendy’, but hey, whatever floats your boat. In Flames? Trendy in the metal scene, no doubt.
Being popular among metal fans does not make something trendy. Metal is not trendy by nature. Something is trendy when EVERYONE is into it, not because of the music but because it’s popular. And hearing about a band’s first critically acclaimed album and then listening to it and enjoying it is not “jumping on a bandwagon”. Bandwagon jumping is when people hear and claim to love an established band after hearing their newest album, without realizing that they made earlier albums that are probably better. Like what happened with Avenged Sevenfold when they released City of Shit. Some of us actually like metal because of how it sounds, not just because it’s supposed to diverge from the mainstream. That being said, for some reason I could never really get into Gojira too much. They have a very original and pretty cool sound, just not one that really appeals to me. I can’t complain about this being on here though, it’s definitely a good album and I agree about it being better than their last one.
Being trendy can also be relative. That is, relative to other music in metal, yes, Gojira is trendy. Not as trendy as Opeth (then again, Opeth is trendy, yet still good), but getting closer. I don’t see too many people going into Gojira’s back catalog. They have two other albums that nobody even mentions the existence of.
Ziltoid, I have The Link, and it’s meh. Couple of good tracks, but it only hints at what they were striving for, and achieved, with FMtS. It’s the same reason why I don’t usually mention Opeth’s ‘Orchid’ or ‘Morningrise’. I own them because I’m a completist, but I rarely reach for them.
Here’s the problem with the “trendy” label: it labels either the band in question or its listeners as people who follow trends for the sake of garnering popularity. Given your posts on the subject, I’d say you’re choosing the former as your definition…in which case, I don’t see how your argument holds any water. Opeth, Mastodon, and Gojira are all at the forefront of a trend in metal where including progressive elements in the music is considered a good thing…but all of those bands happened to be doing that very thing *before* that trend became popular, not *because* it became popular.
off topic here, but i love orchid and morningrise– better than their post-BWP albums.
Wow… it’s like I summoned you out of the æther.
Haha, I guess so.
This is unrelated to the current topic, but I listened to a couple of your top 21 (Mercenary – The Hours That Remain, Ne Obliviscaris, and Vortech). Of the three, the Ne Obliviscaris album I found was the most interesting… Mercenary was pretty good, although kinda standard power metal (plus the occasional harsh vocal), and Vortech was alright, but could’ve done with a bit more industrial flavor in my opinion.
Anyway, that’s my thoughts. Now, I need to grab my mp3 player and go do some yardwork.
Yes, NeO is the most sonically diverse and interesting off the bat. I can’t wait to hear their next release, whenever they get to it.
If you thought that that Mercenary album was too standard (even though they’re really not standard power metal–that would be moreso something like Edguy, Kamelot, or Blind Guardian), try the one before it, “11 Dreams”. It’s a bit more harsh than THtR (much more harsh vocals). The vocal melodies aren’t nearly as memorable, but the composition is really great. Hell, the second track (and first actual song) is catchy and heavy enough to convince you to listen to the whole thing through. The album probably won’t click for you right away (only tracks 2 and 3 did), but give it time and you’ll realize how great it is.
Vortech is a bit odd in the industrial realm. Uncompromisingly heavy, yet in a way totally different than bands like Godflesh (check out the album Streetcleaner if you want more industrial–fucking great album). It is a bit difficult to balance industrial parts with the speed that Vortech implements, but I felt that they did it very well (especially in the title track). To each his own, however.
Try at least some of the others as well. They’ve all got something brilliant to offer.
GODFLESH! Fuck yes. Streetcleaner, the Slavestate EP, and Pure are a holy trinity to me.
I’ve got most of the others that you recommended… they’re in queue along with a whole bunch of stuff I’ve had backlogged for a while. (Up next… Abysmal Torment, Ceremonial Castings, and Communic.)
haha
ziltoid is one of those internet winners where only his opinion matters, obviously this is a more mainstream top 21 list, try be a bit more diplomatic. your opinion isn’t the only one that counts
I still fail to see how “trendy” (read: popular) music automatically equates it to being bad music. Can’t it just be liked/disliked on its own merits as opposed to how many other people (and which other people) like it? Again, I refer you back to Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Rush, Hendrix, etc, etc, etc – all “trendy.” However, I hardly think said popularity automatically relegates Led Zeppelin to the shit-heap.
Grow up. You’re the least “metal” person here.
And I fully recognize the potential irony in my last two sentences there.
I never said that trendy meant that it was bad (if you actually read my posts, I’ve mentioned Opeth being trendy, yet still good). I go into full detail as to why I hate Gojira (this album and the new one), actually substantiating my argument instead of saying “omg dis suxxx!!11!1!” or “wow dis is great!!!”.
No, but it certainly seems to be strongly implied. In fact, I would argue that your dropping the word “trendy” in there at all (much less as one of/the first negative atributes mentioned) supports my argument.
I did read your post. Your mentioning Opeth actually only reaffirms my point – you think they’re good *despite* being trendy. So in other words, by all rights they should be terrible – due to being trendy, and not, “I tend to find that dramatic style of death metal to be boring/pretentious/repetitive/etc, and therefore do not find it to be good except for Opeth.”
I like your logic here, BucketOChicken. Well done.
Trendy implies that they have something appealing to a mass audience. That usually happens as a result of an artistically simple product. Of the trendy bands you listed:
Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Rush, Hendrix,
You can basically cancel out all of them except Metallica, since the others came around when rock and metal music wasn’t nearly as diverse as it is now. Also, Metallica is the best example since they were literally part of an era for a certain genre–thrash metal–so they can be compared to toher bands of their genre and time. As for Metallica, they perfectly fit what I just said. They had a bland, slower style of thrash that eventually turned into a simple style of heavy metal, and eventually into a simple style of rock.
So yes, trendy usually means that the music is artistically compromised in some way. That is why Opeth is a bit of an anomaly. But Gojira just caters to fans of bland, simplistic chugging.
whats wrong with simple? maybe simplicity leads you to a different headspace than overstimulation. maybe its less metal, but its a line that every good metal band walks.
lol….oh man, i bet your reeeeeeeally fat..hahahaha zoltan. lemme guess..you play world of gaycraft, donrt you?
Get a fucking heart and a soul. Because if FMTS, don’t do anything to you, then sure as fuck don’t have either of them
So if I don’t like a boring ablum, I don’t have a heart and soul? If I want to hear about the environment, I’ll listen to Atheist’s “Elements.” Not their best album, but so much better than FMTS that it’s not even funny.
PLEASE KILL YOURSELF, THANKS
CAPITAL LETTERS ARE SO COOL!
Thank you for adding such great insight to this discussion.
I don’t know why Atheist fans like to hate on Elements. I’ve read absolutely horrendous reviews of that album, and I just don’t get it. That album kicks ass, just like the other 2 Atheist albums.
I really like Elements, but their other two are much better. Elements has more groove-ish riffs (the antithesis of prog), yet less memorable songs. That is probably why opiniongs are really split on the album. Even though the song structures themselves are quite fantastic, it’s hard to appreciate when nothing really sticks out as individually amazing.
I’ve had Elements for over a year, and UP and PoT for a few months (yes, I’m pretty new to Atheist), and I can easily remember songs on the latter two better than on Elements.
Regardless, I can’t wait until their new album this year (even though Gnostic’s debut, with a few Atheist guys in it, was utter crap).
Hey look…the most hated man on this site decided to talk shit once again! Have fun in your basement tonight Ziltoid. You should film your life and release it as the 40 Year Old Metal Virgin!
OH SHIT! FUNNY JOKE ALERT!
You’re so funny!
The musical is back.
A musical about a 40 year old metal virgin would be something I’d be willing to see live
holy shit that was the longest train off of one comment i have ever seen
A band is trendy when you can buy their band shirt at walmart
“The cult aesthetic of only liking what’s obscure it just as sick as being led around by the nose.”
Totally fucking boring, dont understand their appeal. WIDILY WOODILY DOODILY Fucking terrible.
Nice, two in a row that I love. ‘The Way of All Flesh’ is a good disc, but this is the one that put them on the map, and I think it’s more consistent. And I finally saw these guys this year (opening for In Flames) and they fucking killed.
I guess it was only a matter of time.
i saw them open for lamb of god machine head trivium on st patricks day a couple years ago! i was like wow what better way to celebrate st pattys day and what better way to get a crowd moving then to have gojira open!! it was bloody violent and drunk in there that night!!!\m/
my favorite album sofar
First time I heard these guys was watching the video for “To Sirius” and I just went, “holy shit.” The production on this record has a very “live” feel to it, unlike the somewhat contained sound on “The Way of All Flesh” (which is still an awesome record, by the way). Their first two albums “Terra Incognita” and “The Link” are monsters, too — the former displaying a prominent Sepultura influence.
Metallica meets Morbid Angel meets Greenpeace. Fuck YEAH.
Fantastic album. They even had it free to stream on their site for a while. Glad to see it made the list.
God this album is fantastic. One of my favorite albums in the last 5 years. Into the Wilderness just blows me away every time.
Meh. Just like Opeth, I have a no opinion on this either. Both bands are okay, but not my style of metal. But I can see why it made the list.
Good choice very cool album
I cant get into this band, its not bad but does nothing for me
same here
great fucking choice
this band is far from trendy once again Ziltoid lets his ignorance shine
stoked to see whats next on the list
Anyone who doesn’t get a boner while listening to Flying Whales should go to the doctor and have themselves checked for impotence.
If all these great albums have already been used up then what could possibly be #1?
Is there going to be an awards ceremony for the top 5?
Clearly Hollywood Undead will be #1.
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Wonderful.
Fucking Great choice, Gojira are a fantastic band and this album is epic, HEAVIEST MATTER OF THE UNIVERSE!, the new album is awesome 2 as are the first 2 albums. they arnt trendy, wtf they didnt even sell out a 500 venue, they arnt that well known yet…..
i was wondering when gojira would appear… anyway, this album deserves it.
Excellent album, had expected it to be slighter higher than #9 however – Well written review, if you weren’t aware of this record before now it should entice people to check it out – It’s also much better than The Way of all Flesh, which was ok, but nowhere near as absorbing as Mars – And as for the trendy metal arguement Ziltoid is persisting with, aren’t you tired of repeating the same thing over and over? You don’t like the bands featured on this particular list, fine, point made – Are you planning to continue with the same comments when Opeth, Mastodon, Meshuggah appear on the list again? What if Between the buried and me/Dillinger escape plan/protest the hero feature, are they further away again from what you consider to be ‘metal’?
I actually don’t mind (or particularly like) Opeth, Mastodon, or BtBaM. I really like Meshuggah, and I don’t really see them as trendy, since they’ve just been gaining popularity since DEI all the way in the mid 90s (i.e., they’ve been successful for virtually their whole career). PtH is perfectly fine by me (I like both albums). Dillinger…not metal.
Actually, Meshuggah were pretty trendy for a while, back when they were on Ozzfest and Jack Osbourne was playing them on that horrendous reality show the Osbournes did. I can remember how all the metal magazines that I read in the grocery store were all over them. I don’t know if they’re still trendy… the mass media tends to have a short attention span, by and large, but they were indeed trendy for a while.
protest the hero won’t be on there..or shouldn’t be at least
Ziltoid- since you are the genre king, where does DEP fall that you don’t consider them metal?
fagcore
alternative rock. and they’re not very good at it either.
hahaha alternative rock?? no.
How the hell is Dillinger not metal, but Kamelot is?
If you don’t know how Kamelot is metal, then you simply don’t know what power metal is. Kamelot is basically archetypal power metal, and leaning towards the more melodic side of that.
That’s not the question I asked, dumbass.
What I asked is what basis do you have for claiming Dillinger Escape Plan is not metal, but alternative rock, but also for claiming Kamelot (which I recognize is power metal, that cheesiest, dumbest genre in the cosmos) is metal? What’s your basis for recognizing what metal is in the first place? I asked this before to you, but my question was ignored. BTW, I want a musical reason.
The musical composition is why. I have mentioned this MANY times in previous days of this list, so if you want to go back and read those, feel free. DEP’s riffs sound more mathcore on CI (i.e., closer to hardcore and not metal), and mroe alt rock on Ire Works. Kamelot write distinctly power metal music. Lots of their riffs are based around consistent, repeating 16th notes, sometimes with a lead guitar melody played over it. That’s basically a staple of power metal since Blind Guardian. DEP just plays more technical hardcore music.
I’m asking for a specific musical reason, but this has turned into an argument of genre. Do you not believe mathcore is derived from metalcore, which is a combination of metal and hardcore?
Mathcore is only derived from hardcore, not metalcore. You’d hear much more At the Gates-styled riffs if it was metalcore or derived from it.
Furthermore, what’s your basis for genres anyway? Isn’t it just your opinion?
And I mean shitty Slaughter of the Soul-era At the Gates.
Genres are not based on opinion. Even if I somehow honestly thought (for example) that Kreator or Testament were power metal, that would be objectively incorrect.
So your entire argument is that it doesn’t contain riffs from At the Gates, so therefore mathcore is not derived from metalcore.
Genres are objective how? Aren’t they just names to classify similarities among bands after the fact? Even music theory is that way.
Who decides what genre is what? And on what basis?
“Even if I somehow honestly thought (for example) that Kreator or Testament were power metal, that would be objectively incorrect.”
Objectively incorrect based on a subjective definition of a genre anyway.
listen to calculating infinity and tell me where alternative rock fits in. find me a single riff on that album.
I was mainly referencing Ire Works (Black Bubblegum is a perfect example of why DEP is alt rock), but Calculating Infinity (from the song I just youtubed) sounds like mathcore.
Which clearly shows your limited view of their entire catalog.
You don’t need to view an entire catalog to just find a genre tag.
Which is a stupid view, considering that Black Bubblegum is the only song like it on the album. If we were talking about a Suffocation album, I’d buy that argument.
Ah…the arrogance of youth….
I think the resistance that you seem to consistently find yourself on the recieving end of stems from one thing…you don’t have any perspective.
I personally don’t care for power metal or folk metal ( I find them cheesy) I also don’t care for grind…but I would never argue that any of them fit into the grander dichotomy of “metal” as a whole.
The thing is, while you were doing your heavy metal homework at metal-archives.com, a lot of us were at the shows and living it.
You are a heavy metal archeologist trying to make sense of artifacts from another culture… and if you can’t figure out how they fit together, you simply force them into your preconcieved notions of where they SHOULD fit according to your “research.”
You’ll never understand how those first 5 seconds of “hit the lights” changed EVERYTHING, because you weren’t there and all the internet research in the world will never give you that feeling.
Jason, your entire post had no substance whatsoever. For so many words, you said so little.
You think that I haven’t been to shows? Of course I’ve been to shows. If anything good is in my area (which happens occasionally), I’m there.
And artifacts from another culture? Shitty metaphor, but I can “figure out how they fit together.”
Also, Hit the Lights didn’t change anything. Many other bands were playing much better thrash back then.
Dildoid…you are an outsider looking in, and always will be. Unlike your moniker, you are far from omniscient. You are a nerdy little prick …and yes it DID change everything..I was there.
Dildoid? Prick? Seriously? Wow, that is just stupid, and continues to reinforce my opinion that this site’s readers (with a few exceptions) are idiots.
And if you were “there,” and you were old enough for it to “affect you,” then that means that you are around 40 years old, posting on a metal blog, complaining about other people on the internet, making juvenile insults, and hiding your own insecurity. Did you ever think that maybe you just like bad music, since that’s what Metallica is?
At your age, don’t you have a job to worry about? Then again, maybe people don’t want to employ people with your intelligence. Way to waste your life away.
well, as much as i hate to admit it, you’ve got me there. Sophmoric insults are probably best left to people who are better at it than I am. Just a defensive knee-jerk I guess. As far as being old goes…I was still a little kid when that album came out but I had the advantage of being exposed to a lot of bands by older siblings. My point is that it is impossible to understand the gravity of certain things if you weren’t there.If you take the time to talk to people who have been around longer than you have (and I say “you” as a generality) you soon realize that there is a common thread that tie all of these bands together,whether you like the music or not. I’m not trying to start a flame war with you here, I just think that your absolute way of stating things sometimes comes off as arrogant and tends to rub folks the wrong way.
I dont know why but I always agree with you. The Link IMO floors this album.
Ocean Planet wins in my book.
Ugh, this is some dull ass metal. I won’t argue that it’s metal, but it’s certainly not any good.
110% agree with this one. Such an awesome band. Fuck yes.
Great band, great album, great choice.
Amamzing band, amazing album and did someone just say trendy???? LMAO, wtf??? If Gojira is trendy jesus christ I don’t want to hear with this guy is listening to. This album for me is definitely top 5 though a long with The Way of All Flesh.
No kidding, They aren’t touring around selling out arena’s they are just a good fucking band.
The only thing more annoying then actual things that are “trendy” without good reason, are people (ziltoid) who purposefully wont like an album that has a slight chance of making a few bucks.
I completely agree with this pick, great album, great band, and yet another band that doesn’t sound like any other band on this list, representing yet another genre of metal.
“…are people (ziltoid) who purposefully wont like an album that has a slight chance of making a few bucks.”
You’ve seen my top 21 list. Those are not basement black metal bands in Norway. They all have a “chance at making a few bucks” (except for Vortech, since the guy gives away his music).
Your right I have seen your list, all it does is prove your narrow definition of metal. You have shown your pointless to argue with over and over. Some of your list is good tunes, not all of it is my cup of tea. Open your mind up a bit, Go listen to a good solid american metal band with a big breakdown in it, smoke a joint, and just chill out.
But big breakdowns are almost universally awful. Absolutely lazy songwriting IMO.
and thats where your fault lies, dude there is nothing wrong with a nice big breakdown or certain other things that are cliche in specific genre’s of metal music. The fact that you actually go to the point where you say that, shows your attitude towards music, Its hard to believe that you can even enjoy it while your thinking of all the things that are wrong with it at the same time. Music cant be 100% original, SOMETIMES you just have to do something cause its fun.
Remember…the band is not trying to do something to make your god complex happy.
Every time I hear a crappy breakdown, I can just see some Emmure fan going “AWW YEAH, HERE COMES THE HEAVY PART BRO!”
If you don’t see the problem in a band taking the easy way out and doing a simplistic, chugging, uncreative breakdown (and usually abusing it and making it the center of the song) that you would even admit is cliche, then maybe you’re not thinking hard enough. My attitude towards music is that an artist should do what they want, do it very well, be original, and never compromise. Breakdowns, for the most part, violate the last three parts of that. Being original can just mean taking an idea and messing around with it, making it your own. Look at Meshuggah’s breakdown after the solo in Future Breed Machine. THAT is a well done breakdown. The time signature is more complex, well written, and original, it fits the music, and the song is not centered around it. Even the speed isn’t really changed that much (like msot slow, chugging crap). It’s not some Victory Records “lolz time 4 teh breakdowns PLZ BUY OUR CDS KIDDIES!” It’s a perfect contrast to the otherwise peaceful solo section. That is how a breakdown can be done correctly.
I completely agree with you on how they should be done and in the context of the music. My point was just try and have a little fun when your jammin out.
YES great album
we need hostility damnit throw up a curve ball!
Two halfway decent picks in a row? Is it true that Metalsucks isn’t run by a bunch of slackjawed faggots?
It’s funny how even this far into the list, people still assume that the MS guys are solely responsible for the pickings on this list.
They were solely responsible for picking the faggiest group of voters possible. 9/10 of them run shit websites or are in a shitty band.
Yo, watch out. The mighty Rob from Metal Injection might call you out for insulting them like he did to me a few topics back, and then tell you to make a difference in life and become a mighty intern for them. Just giving you a warning, man.
my bad, zitload. i tried to get somebody to hire you so youd have less free time.
Great band/album/choice. Prolly a little higher on my personal list (maybe 6 or 5) with The Way of All Flesh sitting at number 3.
Most important bands in metal right now are Mastodon and Gojira for their dedication to stretching the genre beyond its limits, Opeth for bringing just absolute beauty to such an “ugly” genre, and Machine Head for making the most balls out straight up metal album of (IMHO) the last 10 years.
I love this record. I’d fuck it and then sleep in the wet spot.
Fantastic comment! I entirely agree, especially since I’d consider myself a tru fan of Gojira for the past 3 years! Seen ‘em three times, met them once, and I blast their shit constantly. If anyone deserves a sold out arena, it’s these guys.
Very good album. Not worthy of a top 20, but in the top 100 for sure.
It is indeed a great album, but the thing that deserves kudos on THIS message board is the masterful job Mr. Ferris did at encapsulating WHY it is a great album. I kept thinking, this guy is a pro, and low ‘n behold… 33 1/3. Great series of books. Great write-up. Restored a bit of faith in the list for me. Reading about music is, as I’m sure everyone visiting a music blog would agree, a close second to actually consuming it (assuming you’re no good at creating it), and it is more fun when done well.
Even though I completely disagree with him, it was a rather well written piece. I’ll certainly give him credit for that.
we care deeply
This album is a modern classic in my opinion. great choice
Global Warming fucking rules on this cd.
Well its about time!!!
I love this band, but wouldnt put this record on any top 20 lists. The Way of All Flesh is better and that still wouldnt be on my list.
I guess you have to be high to enjoy this album
I LOVE Gojira.
I suffered from chronic insomnia for years, until I happened to stumble upon a copy of ‘From Mars to Sirius’. Needless to say, it was a life-changing experience.
When it comes to inducing a profound slumber, those boring and predictable riffs are more potent than booze and pills combined.
Thanks, Gojira!
Take note kids… THAT is how you slam a band:)
Haha, nicely done.
Well done.
gojira and ganja combined ftw
Oh Yeah mama
If anything…this one is too low.
Holywood Undead!!!
Perfect choice. Gojira are easily my favourite metal band of the last ten years.
Yeah this is a pretty good album. Too bad Lamb Of Trend, and Machine Tera fans eat this band up nowadays. I hate to say it, but this band might be going in the direction that In Flamers has gone in. Touring with shitty, really really gay bands will make you change up your sound and become like Machine Head.
Great fucking album.
Whalecore ftw.
I counter your whalecore with Attack Attack!’s CRABCORE!
ooh, low blow
+1
I think they’re ok, but I never really gave them them a chance. I’m going to listen to this album again, hopefully I get more out of it this time.
decent album, better than all this numetalcore.
good band
good choice
Ziltoid,
Quick questions. How old are you.? What do you do for a living (and you can’t say make replies on Metal Sux)? What state do you live in? Did you graduate college? Have you ever had sex with a female human being? Answering these questions will help me begin to understand you.
Age: 20 (I’ve stated this already)
Job: College student (including summer research work)
Location: Hell no.
Did you graduate college: Not yet
Sex with a female: Yes
20 year olds have no business having an opinion on anything. And especially ones in college, where they constantly ask for opinion and analysis, thus inflating the students self ideology, despite having no idea how the real world works. Enthusiastic Ignorance! (or is is Ignorant Enthusiasm?) All opinion with no first-person experience to base it upon whatsoever, only researching things that others have done. College kids are the worst.
Zilty could’ve just as easily gotten into the Free Tibet movement, or modding cars, or smoking dope, or politics, or Dance Dance Revolution… it could’ve been anything. But it just turned out that he’s enthusiastically ignorant about metal. Such is our misfortune, but at least he’ll grow out of it.
If I met my own 20 year old self today, I probably wouldn’t want to hang out with him. He was a delusional moron, and his taste in music was limited. And today, while I make no subjective claim of intelligence, I can at least say I am not delusional. Because a 20 year old calling Mastodon and Gojira trendy because of a mention in Rolling Stone (or whatever), deserves a roll of the eyes, a sigh, and not much else in the way of a response.
It’s like the Nickelodeon special where “Kids Pick the President”… who fucking cares? Eat your vegetables and shut the fuck up.
O wise Sven, tell us young ones, how does the real world work?
You have very eloquently stated what I tried to and failed. I made the mistake of getting irritated…and shrug would have been the appropriate reponse.
As Molly Ivins (rest in peace my dear, we miss you) would say, Ziltoid is all hat and no cattle.
But, he is 20. And for that, I will cut him some slack for his glaring lack of perspective. At least we can see why said perspective is lacking now.
Excellent post, Sven. Well-said. I wouldn’t want to hang out much with my 20-year-old self either. Hell, I’m not sure how much I’d want to hang with my 27-year-old self. After that, I think it would be ok.
Free Tibet… god. That takes me back.
Just because you sucked at being 20 doesn’t mean we all do. My closed-minded self was 16, so I’m very happy with where I am now. Not trying to enforce my worldly-know-it-all wisdom on anyone, yet I like what I like and will argue for it.
Gojira rules.
Just as a small observation, I’m noticing Ziltoid here stating his opinions on an album, perfectly acceptable its a blog after all. So what, he’s younger than most of the people commenting right now, or so its implied by the comments regarding your ages at 20. Now what I’m noticing is after Ziltoid states what his opinion of the album is; all these other user who claim that they are older therefore wiser start the insulting matches, demonstrating ignorance, and generally acting like kids. I find this slightly amusing. Now I maybe going out on a limb but it seems that the 20 year old is responding more unchild-like than others. Everyone’s entitled to an opinion, however it’s the user’s responsibility to not make themselves look like a total dumbass. I’ll part on the note from the editors about this blog itself.
Thanks so much for visiting, being a part of our community, and breaking the stereotype that metalheads are a bunch of ignorant neanderthals
You’re absolutely right. Looking back, I have to say that I am embarrassed to have engaged in this level of discourse. In doing so, I have contributed to, and thereby perpetuated the stereotype that metalheads are some sort of intellectually inferior social group, which we all know is bullshit. Suffice to say, I regret engaging in such juvenile discussion and childish name calling. I guess it was borne of my disdain towards ridiculous comments posted here by certain users.
Ziltoid, if you’re listening, I apologise. I still think you are a small minded idiot, however, that does not warrant such rude and hostile dialogue as I have directed towards you. Please continue posting your very limited points of view.
PS: Your use of the moniker ‘Ziltoid’ is a misnomer. The irony is that you lack the cognitive capacity to recognise this, and the stones to admit it.
Just imagine how smart he will be when college is finished and all of his research is done. He is only 20 years old right now and he already knows 100% of everything about music and 95% about everything else.He is pretty close to having figured out everyting there is to figure out before he is even legal to drink. Kinda hard to understand how a person gains this much knowledge in only 20 years of living.
Jest if you must but some day his epic knowledge will lead him to rule all of us…I’m 24 and I’m light-years behind in knowledge of metal. Repent your insults and verbal barbs lest ye be smote by his righteous trident of douche….and crappy metal…dude seriously i just went back and looked at your list…barf
Care to elaborate on what you didn’t like, or are you just going to leave it unsubstantiated like a child?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA you’re a fucking bell-end, Zilturd!
You just just got repeatedly owned, but you chose to ignore all of that, and try to give shit to someone else because they didn’t justify why they thought your list was shit (Hint: your list is shit…because it’s yours!).
That is proof right there of the type of little loser that you are. That and the fact that you think ‘Load’ was Metallica’s best album.
Ziltoid’s Profile:
Age: 20 (I’ve stated this already. Pay attention to me, dammit!)
Job: College student (including anal research work)
Location: Hell no – too many peolpe want to dismember me.
Did you graduate college: Not yet – but I already know it all.
Sex with a female: Yes, Mummy.
I know it’s childish (about 20′ish), and I shouldn’t do it…but…
Ziltoid, you’re a cunt!
Nah i’ll leave it at that..i don’t feel the need to justify anything to you or anyone else here..for that matter it wouldn’t matter what i put because you wouldn’t like it anyway. I will say this some of the bands I agree with, album choices not so much..and WAY to much power metal
Sven made way too many assumptions in his “WOWZORS, I”M OLD LOOK AT ME, U YOUNG PEOPLE CANT HAZ OPINIONS” post to warrant any decent response. He assumes that my life is just like his, and that I’ve had “no first person experience.” He assumes that we college folk do nothing but analyze other old things and other people. We analyze everything, even the present day (where we don’t even know the right and wrong answers yet in some cases). We learn for ourselves and create our own studies and research. We certainly know what the fuck we’re doing. He thinks his 20 year old self is an idiot, and that therefore, every 20 year old is an idiot. That is horrible logic. Also, I act and think in a manner more mature and sophisticated than the average 20 year old.
“(Hint: your list is shit…because it’s yours!)”
Ad hominem arguments are only used by people who can’t grasp logic. (Go ahead, look up what that means.)
Load is a very flawed album, but it’s better than they other awful shit they did. It’s not more than a 6-7/10 album, but the others are around 0-2/10 IMO (if I must use such a silly rating system to illustrate my opinion).
And now you at least know that your antics are childish, but for some reason you keep repeating them. Maybe because you have the mentality of a child. Yep, that must be it.
TrapThem
Kamelot, Symphony X (power/prog), and Theocracy are the only power metal bands on my list. Mercenary is more melodeath than straight up power metal (i.e., they’re closer to Dark Tranquillity than Kamelot).
3/21 = too much power metal? And I’m interested in hearing your new album choices.
Anyone who dislikes this album die.
YEEEEEAH ZILTOID IS GONNA DIE! no just kidding, we ALL love you Zilty…
Band sucks. They’re talented, but they have boring music. Sorry.
One of my favorite of all time records. The only other thing i have to say is that self professed Genre experts/nerds stink in a way that’s almost impossible to fathom.
love this album. i didn’t think much of the new one though. i dont have a problem recommending this album to people.
I liked this album, but not as much as The Way of All Flesh.
Weak. Listen to the br00talz. Not these fags. I saw them live, they sucked huge dicks. Learn music or die. I am the ultimate troll machine. I will troll until the day i die. You will listen while I decimate your very existence. You are a waste of molecular structure.
Failure.
God dammit I am cool.
Fuck ya you are.
that’s pretty fuckin’ funny
Dam right goof tits!!
Fuck I love your posts man…
BIG TIME!
You suck man
FUCK PROG AND FUCK YOU FAGGOUT
Kurt Bachman said it best:
“I think subdividing metal is lame. If you like what you hear, then listen to it.”
But then how will you know if what you’re listening to will be thought of as cool by others?
But what if you want Immortal, and ask someone for a metal band (since you only want Immortal to be called metal), and you get Waking the Cadaver (since you only want WtC to be called metal)?
I said it best:
“You are extremely gay. Aids has infested your entire being!”
You are all so st00pid
I AM VERY GAY FOR GOJIRA
SHUT UP FAG. WE DONT TAKE KINDLY TO YOU ROUND HERe
TOO BAD BECAUSE GOJIRA MADE THE LIST AND I AM VERY GAY FOR GOJIRA
SUCK IT GOOF. LEAVE THE SITE NOW. PUSSY.
FRENCH MEN MAKE MY WEENIE HARD. I THEN KISS IT.
GOD DAMMIT GOJIRA, YOU PUT MAYONNAISE ON MY FACE
You are what you eat, and you’re also being a dick.
Who is the faggot now faggot!
This is one of the best albums on the list, I would think. The vocal style is what makes this band. Screams and melodic shout/singing at the same time. Amazing. And awesome riffs.
Great Band.
Great Album.
..and please STOP feeding the troll(Ziltoid).
He’s not a troll
SHUT UP FAG. LEAVE THE SITE. NOW. OR I WILL DO SOME SERIOUS DAMAGE.
If you say so
Thanks. Homo.
Can we ban ihateyou from commenting?
Why would you want to? I am a dedicated troll. I bring joy to this otherwise geeky site. Seriously dude, you are wasting your time. I know more about anything than you ever will. You are nothing.
“I am a dedicated troll.”
That is precisely why I want you banned from commenting here.
“I bring joy to this otherwise geeky site.”
Sure you do, because sophomoric, homophobic insults are so innovative and funny.
I much prefer ihateyou to Ziltoid.
Let’s take a vote on who to ban…
Maybe the Metalsucks guys can poll a wide array of musicians, managers, publicists, label reps, and writers from within the world of metal to find out what they think.
I vote to ban Ziltoid – he smokes a plethora of pole.
It will not happen. I am better than you. That is the only reason you are angered. You should just continue listening to stereotypical ‘weak’ metal. That is all you are good for. You don’t deserve to listen to anything solid. Im sure waking the cadaver is in your top 3. Lol. Are you an I.B.O too? That may help supplement your current ‘professional cock-sucker’ income.
And hahaha homophobic? You are super sensitive to gays huh? Hmmmmmmmm.
maybe i have no life… cause i just read the 150 or so comments on this subject… and my opinion is, i just listened to the album, and i agree that it’s a bit boring…
A bit is an understatement. I might as well play a wal-mart guitar with my limp cock. That would sound better than this record.
I LOVE THIS ALBUM AND BAND.
And I still appreciate Ziltoid.
i’ve never listened to gojira before.
First album that I heard from them, like many. So glad I did, I’d hate to be missing out on these guys excellent metal offerings. Original and creative where it’s hard to be so.
Maybe I’m retarded, but i like The Link better. Indians is the most br0000talest song evar. Feels like a big elephant stepping on my nards.
no disrespect to the song but is that fealing a good thing xD ?
Wow these board’s are hilarious. I’m so ready for this fucking list to be done so we can get back to decent internetzing instead of youtube board inspired, close minded, insensitive trolling.
this album is fucking sic!!! the way of all flesh is also an amazing album,,, and anyone who hasn’t seen this band live yet, really should!!! i saw them with lamb of god and machine head, insane show!!!!
Greta album! props!
still don’t see Ashes of the Wake on the list
We should expect that one soon. Or else….
Randy will get pissed and hit Mark lol
Actually I like Terra Incognita the most…if it was better produced it’d be a masterpiece.
Pretty much, I think Mars is there weakest album because its so all over the place. Terra SHREDS. The last song In The Forest has blown the speakers in my jeep twice. That is metal.
Opinions.
see i don’t agree with the very first lines. it’s not the water as it were that makes Gojira heavy and awesome, it’s anger and fury. it’s how he expresses himself, the symbol/message is secondary. well that’s what i find compelling about them. could be wrong.
Meh…this list is starting to get boring. The boringness of this list is making the discussion relatively unexciting. I’m going to go back to lurking for awhile starting tomorrow. Maybe it’ll last a day, maybe it’ll last a week, but this has been boring, and I’m not really interested anymore.
INDEFINITE HIATUS!
I don’t agree with your musical tastes, but I love how you piss metalheads off. Don’t go changing.
Well, it’s not that hard to piss metalheads off, really.
Not to worry, there will be no changes. But after today, I’m just a bit bored of this. I will lurk for awhile (maybe a week), and then make my triumphant return to stardom!
never heard this album…
only heard their ‘The way of all flesh’ and i liked that one alot…
gotta check this one out pronto…
but seriously meshuggah should be on here…
First one on this list I like. This was the first Gojira album I listened to, and it blew me away with how HUGE it sounded. The way of all flesh was a let down in comparison.
i´m gonna be pissed if bloodbaths the fathomless mastery isn´t on the list, almost know for sertain that it isn´t but it really deserves to be on it…
I’m more of a Terra Incognita-guy, but this album is fucking amazing also. I’m kinda excited about the top 5, as it seems they are starting to get it right.
Gojira have always sounded like a not very interesting combination of Meshuggah and Domination-era Morbid Angel.
Meh.
Gojira is the shit, their discs blow away just about everything this decade with a few exceptions. Glad to see them on the list, I hope they have another on.
10 bucks Korn will be next.
Ziltoid for President!!
If Bush could get voted in twice, this should be easy…
This is my pretending to be surprised post.
Metal for the soul!!!!
I had this dream, our planet surviving
The guiding stars always growing
And all the worlds
The fates all the countries
They’re all rebuilding at the same time
I never fell and always believed in
We could evolve and get older
Open your eyes and let all this flow
Now see a new hope is growing inside
We will see our children growing
ZILTOID. ………..get fucked.
Gojira totally deserves a mention on this list for writing some of the most ammazing riffs that I’ve ever heard in my life. All four of their albums are incredible but this album has what the other three don’t… a BACKBONE!!!
@ Ziltoid for earlier comment….like i said WAY TO MUCH POWER METAL. none of it deserves to be up there.
im likeing this whole list its awsome so far it contains alot of my favorite albums epseciallyfrom mars to sirius. meshuggah and textuers bettter be in it!
Solid. Gojira needs to put out a new live DVD asap with all the newer shit on it.
has it become obvious enough to everyone that ziltoids opinion means nothing, he’s biased, and doesnt understand what this list is about. his comments are hilariously embarrassing.
what a boring shit album. weak as fuck.
FUCK THIS GAY-ASS FRENCH POSER BULLSHIT.
I think The Way of All Flesh was better personally.
what the hell? what kind of list is this? no king diamond = no good. this is probably the worst list ever made.
I have always appreciated Gojira. After this list, I actually DID go and listen to the full album. And then I read most of Ziltoid’s comments and arguments. I have to say, I find him quite right about Gojira about 60% of the time. Especially on their first two albums, it sounds like a mashup of boring, chugging, unimaginative guitar work, with some drum skill. But the vocals of this band have always intruiged me. Ziltoid, I don’t know quite how you don’t at least appreciate what M. Duplantier does with his voice. I can understand if you don’t like it, because at times it does get reptitive. But I believe this album does deserve to be on the list.
Gojira implemented an amazing stutter-stop-go-soar-repeat riff in Ocean Planet. Duplantier’s vocal style sounds as if (and I believe he is) using his voice and screaming at the same time. Ever since youtube suggested I watch the “To Sirius” video, I was hooked on that vocal style. The drum work sounds appropriate, though sometimes if feels there could be more. Not often, but sometimes.
Musicaly speaking, Gojira can admittedly be very boring, slow, and unimaginative. But on songs such as Ocean Planet, Where Dragons Dwell, Into the Wilderness, and To Sirius, they prove they have some musical genius deep inside of them.
Also, TWoAF, wasn’t horrible, like The Link. All The Tears, Vacuity, and Oroborus were decent (actually Vacuity, despite the fact the whole song feels like a breakdown, might be my favorite off that album. If not, it’s All The Tears.)
Ziltoid’s just got his specific, stubborn opinions people. Don’t we all? I respect his opinion, even if I disagree with it. I’m curious, Z, if you read this. Do you happen to listen to Iced Earth at all? I’d like to hear your opinion on them.