What are you looking forward to in 2014?

I've already got Alcest's Shelter which was one of the biggest albums of 2014 for me. I just picked up the new Bruce Springsteen album High Hopes which I've yet to listen to, but it should be good.

For albums in general, I'm looking forward to the new Fleet Foxes, Broken Bells, James Vincent McMorrow, St. Vincent and Imogen Heap.

As far as metal goes, I'm looking forward to the new Agalloch, Cynic, Wintersun and Insomnium. Is it me, or does it seem like metal is kinda slow with announcements this year?

Devin Townsend's got another comin out in May. Steven Wilson's writing a new album right now. Tom Petty has something coming out soon. Led Zeppelin is reissuing their albums with a shit ton of bonus material. Blind Guardian, Anathema, & Opeth are all writing stuff. A Truckfighters album comes out tomorrow or the day after. Lotsa fun stuff

If there's a new Hanging Garden effort in the works, I'll be on that as soon as possible. I doubt it considering they released not only an album but an EP just 9 months later. They really are the modern masters of death/doom.

From what I gather, Les Discrets are recording this month and next for a new record. Anathema and Agalloch have basically left my sensibilities behind but I'll give them a shot and see if they're actually doing anything worthwhile beyond mucking about in genre limbo.

The Sunn O))) and Ulver split looks incredibly promising and I'll be upon that as soon as it releases. I think it's in February - not completely sure, but it comes out soon. Current 93 also have a new release, to which David Tibet's usual fly-by-night collaborators actually interest me more than the man himself. Let's see if he can shake the dust off of the failure his last record was and pull off something memorable. There will be no second coming of the Thunder Perfect Mind, yet I cannot help but hope.

Arcturus dropped the ball to release a record in 2013. Perhaps the fallout from that Dimmu Borgir debacle still haunts them, or they're desperately clamoring for Kristoffer Rygg's sage vocal ability. If they somehow landed him on board again, that would be the return of the one metal band to end them all. Hope they release something this year.

Backworld - an absolute necessity if you're into esoteric records - may be releasing his opus The Hound of Heaven: A Paraliturgical Opera in One Act, reflecting upon his inability to shake divine intervention while Joseph Budenholzer dons the mask of one Francis Thompson, mirrored lives in different times. Everything the man touches turns to gold.

Metal is indeed slow these days, or my preferred haunts are slow to receive information.

Wintersun, though? You might want to research a method to augment your lifespan by about 200 more years.

yeah I've been thinking the same thing. Not alot has caught my attention. I'm looking forward to everything you guys mentioned so far though I think. Sonata Arctica is releasing a new album too, a return to form with more variety and symphonics...which sounds awesome considering I really didn't like their last effort...at all.

Gotta say, I havent listened to Shelter yet... but I heard the single...and it wreaked of meh for me. Just super bland and generic. Despised the video too. Wintersun is a year late again but Im looking forward to it.

Blind Guardian I'm OMG HOLY SHIT looking forward to (as always)

Opeth i'm interested in seeing what they do this time.

townsend apparently has 6 albums done already. so whenever he decides to release those I'll be excited to hear what he does as well. New ziltoid album also. should be fun

Sonata Arctica returning to form might be cool. Hope they do shit like Silence and Ecliptica - more speed and melody, less chorus wankery. The Days of Grays didn't really hook me well and Unia was passable at best. It's a dark year for the power metal genre, but Blind Guardian always comes through with something outstanding. Here's hoping.

I agree about Opale - it didn't stand out. They could have replaced the video with anything from Sonic Youth or Radiohead and it would have made as much sense. The song's trying to do what's already been done before by the cameos made on this same record. It's a bit of a miss to me. There's a few songs on it that are really great. Voix Sereines and La Nuit Marce Avec Moi have some catchy leads, but as a whole the record doesn't say "Alcest" as much as it says "pop music by Neige." A shame he's getting away from metal, but that's my silly preference talking.

I'm sure plenty of people accept this more mellow, somewhat smiley-face inducing music. It's girl rock. Maybe Neige is picking up all the chicks now.

thats exactly what irked me about the video too. you could just put any hipster/indie band music over it and it would still work.

sonata arctica i think is supposed to me more fast and speedy but with the orchestral sensibilities of later. which is awesome for me, because I'm a fan of the latter stuff as well

i also agree about the power metal releases. nothing really is coming out thats exciting me. Equilibrium's new album I'm hoping will be good as well

How was that Sonata Arctica album after Unia? I thought that album was such a dud.

"Paid in Full" as the single was just...I don't know the word I'm looking for - I just pop. It wasn't really a power metal album it was sappy

I am clueless, I'll figure it out as the year goes on. Hopefully Mitochondrion releases a full length this year.

breakyoudown wrote:

How was that Sonata Arctica album after Unia? I thought that album was such a dud.

"Paid in Full" as the single was just...I don't know the word I'm looking for - I just pop. It wasn't really a power metal album it was sappy

The Days of Grays was good. I really enjoyed it. It was much a long the same lines as Unia, but done a lot better. Stones Grow Her Name, their most recent, was just... no.

That's what I meant, not The Days of Grays. I apologize. I could give a fuck less about Juliet on that record but everything else was all right. Still not as memorable as Ecliptica or Silence, but hey - it was an honest try at their core. The highs and lows were there and Tony Kakko was pulling his A game out. I just want that 80's hair metal influence back. They would do well to learn from the cheesy yet bizarrely successful Silence.

True, although Breathing, As If the World Wasn't Ending, Flag in the Ground and the Days of Grays are all stellar tracks. Some of the others were kinda lackluster. Deathaura was pretty cool too.

Stones was just... ugh. I dunno. The Days of Grays had some great sense of melancholy to it. I loved their fast power metal of the first 2.5 albums but I think they could make some really fantastic melancholic melodic metal if they tried.

Also, I forgot. The bonus track In the Dark is one of the greatest tracks they've ever put out.

That was pretty decent. Probably grows on you with repeat listens

days of grays I think is pretty great. Dethaura is pretty majestic- has so many sides to it, love that song. Also like Axe mentioned, flag in the ground is amazing. Its a good album. I think I like days of grays more than Unia, but I don't hate unia either. That had some cool tracks on it as well.

whats bothering me a little more about them (on a non-musical level) is the image. Looks like management is REALLY trying to make them look like "rock stars" now. bothers me a tad, its like they are trying too hard now. Hell with it though if the album is fantastic. Going to there show in September regardless though I need to listen to that song when Im with headphones