Memes are rubbish
Jan. 9th, 2007 01:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
davidnAfter leaving a comment that stated "memes are rubbish" on my sister's LJ, I suppose I should have anticipated that I'd feel compelled to put one up on my own journal the very next day. I feel obliged to do this because of having an "awesome taste in power metal" mentioned by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kjorteo, who was on the ZZT forums a couple of years after my own era. It seems that after that, we have led something of a parallel existence without ever actually meeting each other, having had accounts at many of the same sites - it really is quite frightening sometimes.
I'm mostly into the two albums that I got recently, so these are more long-time favourites.
List seven songs you are into right now, no matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your livejournal along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to.
1. Heavenly - The Dark Memories
This is the opener on "Virus", the album that I mentioned a few entries ago by the only Japanese band from France: Heavenly. Until I saw the songs mentioned in the reply that tagged me, I didn't think anyone else would have actually heard of them. But after their mediocre start a few years ago, they suddenly came back out of nowhere and released two of the best albums ever, with just about enough energy to blast you backwards across the room with the speakers at any reasonable volume.
2. Angra - Spread Your Fire
I was sent the MP3s for "Temple of Shadows" by my brother recently, and hadn't got around to listening to any of them until this weekend. It's true that it's semi-pretentious Christian-type metal, but the best feature of this song is that it uses a full choir (or at least a very convincing illusion of one) behind the chorus instead of the usual harmony parts, creating a much bigger sound than usual.
3. Helloween - The Invisible Man
I know they're called Helloween, and I know they're now largely viewed as a parody of themselves, but this song is fantastic. I even went to the trouble of uploading the chorus a while ago to demonstrate the fact. "My memories are there to save your world - For you I'm just the Invisible Man." I think it's meant to be on the same lines as Henjo Richter's "Guardians of Mankind" idea rather than about H.G. Wells' Invisible Man himself. Sadly this and "The King for a 1000 Years" [sic] are far better than any other song on their latest album, but you can't have everything.
4. Blind Guardian - Another Stranger Me
I was never too into Blind Guardian, disliking Hansi Kürsch's scratchy voice just enough to put me off them, but I'm beginning to get into them now. This is the cryptically-titled opening song from their newest album. I'm positive that Hansi looks dangerously like Jack Black in the video for it, but no one else sees it.
5. Sonata Arctica - The Boy Who Wanted to be a Real Puppet
I think that this is one of the best songs on Reckoning Night, despite the deceptively mockable title. Even Whitney likes it, and that's saying something. It's an inoffensive mix of piano and guitars that I don't think anyone could fail to appreciate.
6. Iron Savior - Watcher in the Sky
Iron Savior is a band you either think is genius or impossibly silly, what with their continuing sci-fi storyline about the real fate of Atlantis and the self-aware orbital battle station that they originally created to defend themselves (making the whole thing literally a space opera, I suppose). This is one of their earliest songs, and even though they're improving vastly as a stand-alone band, with this song being a joint work between Piet Sielck and Kai Hansen, I don't think they've ever really equalled it.
7. Helloween - Dr Stein
Whitney always complains to me about this song being stupid. I know it's stupid. You just have to watch the video for it to demonstrate that (complete with Spinal Tap-style playing the guitar with a coathanger). It is also one of the most unashamedly fun songs that I have ever heard, and was assured a permanent place even on my squashed MP3 player. P.S. : SY-ringe.
I did find it rather difficult to stop at 7, as there are several worthy bands that I haven't mentioned yet. Kamelot Dream Theater Stratovarius Gamma Ray Silent Force. There you go.
kjorteo, who was on the ZZT forums a couple of years after my own era. It seems that after that, we have led something of a parallel existence without ever actually meeting each other, having had accounts at many of the same sites - it really is quite frightening sometimes.I'm mostly into the two albums that I got recently, so these are more long-time favourites.
List seven songs you are into right now, no matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your livejournal along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to.
1. Heavenly - The Dark Memories
This is the opener on "Virus", the album that I mentioned a few entries ago by the only Japanese band from France: Heavenly. Until I saw the songs mentioned in the reply that tagged me, I didn't think anyone else would have actually heard of them. But after their mediocre start a few years ago, they suddenly came back out of nowhere and released two of the best albums ever, with just about enough energy to blast you backwards across the room with the speakers at any reasonable volume.
2. Angra - Spread Your Fire
I was sent the MP3s for "Temple of Shadows" by my brother recently, and hadn't got around to listening to any of them until this weekend. It's true that it's semi-pretentious Christian-type metal, but the best feature of this song is that it uses a full choir (or at least a very convincing illusion of one) behind the chorus instead of the usual harmony parts, creating a much bigger sound than usual.
3. Helloween - The Invisible Man
I know they're called Helloween, and I know they're now largely viewed as a parody of themselves, but this song is fantastic. I even went to the trouble of uploading the chorus a while ago to demonstrate the fact. "My memories are there to save your world - For you I'm just the Invisible Man." I think it's meant to be on the same lines as Henjo Richter's "Guardians of Mankind" idea rather than about H.G. Wells' Invisible Man himself. Sadly this and "The King for a 1000 Years" [sic] are far better than any other song on their latest album, but you can't have everything.
4. Blind Guardian - Another Stranger Me
I was never too into Blind Guardian, disliking Hansi Kürsch's scratchy voice just enough to put me off them, but I'm beginning to get into them now. This is the cryptically-titled opening song from their newest album. I'm positive that Hansi looks dangerously like Jack Black in the video for it, but no one else sees it.
5. Sonata Arctica - The Boy Who Wanted to be a Real Puppet
I think that this is one of the best songs on Reckoning Night, despite the deceptively mockable title. Even Whitney likes it, and that's saying something. It's an inoffensive mix of piano and guitars that I don't think anyone could fail to appreciate.
6. Iron Savior - Watcher in the Sky
Iron Savior is a band you either think is genius or impossibly silly, what with their continuing sci-fi storyline about the real fate of Atlantis and the self-aware orbital battle station that they originally created to defend themselves (making the whole thing literally a space opera, I suppose). This is one of their earliest songs, and even though they're improving vastly as a stand-alone band, with this song being a joint work between Piet Sielck and Kai Hansen, I don't think they've ever really equalled it.
7. Helloween - Dr Stein
Whitney always complains to me about this song being stupid. I know it's stupid. You just have to watch the video for it to demonstrate that (complete with Spinal Tap-style playing the guitar with a coathanger). It is also one of the most unashamedly fun songs that I have ever heard, and was assured a permanent place even on my squashed MP3 player. P.S. : SY-ringe.
I did find it rather difficult to stop at 7, as there are several worthy bands that I haven't mentioned yet. Kamelot Dream Theater Stratovarius Gamma Ray Silent Force. There you go.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-10 04:35 am (UTC)I don't belong to the sky
I just follow my way
Ready to roam in the night
I hear this symphony
Running after the devil
The prince of immortals
Actually, the first four lines of that are pretty accurate, but it's worth it just to hear how they handle the words "devil" and "immortals."
no subject
Date: 2007-01-10 02:26 pm (UTC)I have to say that I'm really quite pleased to have met someone else on the planet who's heard of them at all.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-10 02:52 pm (UTC)Anyway, it all started when I was listening to Epic Rock Radio. I came for the bands I already knew ("Sweet, they have Symphony X!") and was exposed to a lot of guys with whom I wasn't familiar, but who sounded awesome when I heard them, Heavenly being the biggest example. (The one or two Highlord songs I've heard are also pretty cool.) The bad news is that for a station that sells itself as "Hey, do you like metal, but not the kind where it sounds like the guy's throat is exploding? We're different!" they do have some bands that cut it pretty close, like Battlelore, and--shockingly enough, since I loved their first four albums--new Hammerfall. Those come up pretty rarely, though, and it has definitely been worth it for the chance to get in on some new and awesome bands I was neglecting before.