May be a left-field question, but are they named for a Counting Crows lyric from Ghost Train on August and Everything After? That would be wild, but it seems so unlikely genre-wise.
May be a left-field question, but are they named for a Counting Crows lyric from Ghost Train on August and Everything After? That would be wild, but it seems so unlikely genre-wise.
Your band name is derived from a Counting Crows song, ‘Ghost Train.’ How did that come about?
Basically, when we first started our band we were just sitting around the apartment. We started going through lyrics, getting ideas, pretty much getting inspired by bands that inspire us.
Paul went over that line [‘Took the cannonball down to the ocean/Across the desert from the sea to shining sea/I rode a ladder that climbed across the nation/Fifty million feet of earth between the buried and me’] when he was reading over some of their lyrics. We thought it had a very unique message and was longer than most band names. It was different, and from day one with this band we always wanted to do something different than what was done before. We thought it had many different meanings. A lot of thought goes into that statement. For me, it has a positive message: it’s what we do between now and when we die. That’s my interpretation of it as a band name.
To add to OP’s response, they actually released an album entirely of covers ~20 years ago (link goes to Spotify) that’s a sort of deconstruction of a lot of the band’s influences, including...
To add to OP’s response, they actually released an album entirely of covers ~20 years ago (link goes to Spotify) that’s a sort of deconstruction of a lot of the band’s influences, including Counting Crows. That’s one of the best parts of their sound IMO - it’s clear how much they listen across genres and really wear some of their influences on their sleeves.
I don’t really have a favorite band, but if I had to pick one, it’d be BTBAM. Discovered them shortly after Alaska’s release. I’m happy that they continue to evolve and am excited to see where...
I don’t really have a favorite band, but if I had to pick one, it’d be BTBAM. Discovered them shortly after Alaska’s release. I’m happy that they continue to evolve and am excited to see where they go next! @DFGdanger is Automata your favorite release of theirs?
I'd have to say yes. This song and Voice of Trespass are my favourite BTBAM songs. Colors II would be my 2nd fav album. The song Memory Palace off Coma Ecliptic gets an honorable mention. What are...
I'd have to say yes. This song and Voice of Trespass are my favourite BTBAM songs. Colors II would be my 2nd fav album. The song Memory Palace off Coma Ecliptic gets an honorable mention. What are yours?
In a vacuum, I’d say Parallax II. It’s always been such an excellent example of their interconnected approach to composition while sounding like a blend of their newer sound with plenty of their...
In a vacuum, I’d say Parallax II. It’s always been such an excellent example of their interconnected approach to composition while sounding like a blend of their newer sound with plenty of their good ol’ heaviness to back it up.
But when I filter things through the nostalgia lens, I’d have to go with Colors. A buddy and I drove down to Nashville for the show where they recorded Colors Live so that one is always going to be extra-special for me.
I should revisit their later releases, for some reason they didn't pull me in nearly as much as the early ones (The Silent Circus and Alaska were huge for me). Colors and The Great Misdirection...
I should revisit their later releases, for some reason they didn't pull me in nearly as much as the early ones (The Silent Circus and Alaska were huge for me). Colors and The Great Misdirection were enjoyable too. They're yet another one of the few select bands that can mix harsh+clean vocals in a way that remains tasteful and doesn't detract from the art (in the way I think mixing them usually does).
I think the more dynamic they got / further they leaned away from the heavy parts, the balance just tipped the scales a bit too far in a way that lost my interest, but I've recently listened to a few of their songs and I think I'm ready for it again
Honestly, I need to revisit them too. I’ve given them all a few listens and really appreciate them for what they are, but post-Automata especially I have listened to them far less. To your point,...
Honestly, I need to revisit them too. I’ve given them all a few listens and really appreciate them for what they are, but post-Automata especially I have listened to them far less. To your point, I do think they sound more prog and less (death) metal with every release, not a bad thing but also not what I enjoy about them the most. I can appreciate that they’re unafraid to try new things, at least. If anything, I’m glad their core sound remains the same after 27(!!!) years of releases.
Yeah, same. Can appreciate the breadth of everything they've done and more power to them if those experiments or leaning into parts of their sound more make them happy and that's what they want...
Yeah, same. Can appreciate the breadth of everything they've done and more power to them if those experiments or leaning into parts of their sound more make them happy and that's what they want their art to be.
I recently heard Extremophile Elite from Parallax II (saw the studio video of it on YT) and ever since I've been really meaning to listen through a bunch of the discography
Most mixed harsh/clean vocals I find to be very grating if it's actual regular singing when the cleans hit, but not always. Often it's when the gap between the sound of the harsh and clean is very...
Most mixed harsh/clean vocals I find to be very grating if it's actual regular singing when the cleans hit, but not always. Often it's when the gap between the sound of the harsh and clean is very wide. From deep growls or piercing screams to a clean-sung radio-rock chorus just absolutely makes my ears bleed most of the time. It feels like a bait and switch, even, almost dishonest in a way.
What's considered "metalcore" in modern music does this enough for it to basically be a trope at this point. Some newer nu-leaning stuff does it. It just always feels like it waters it down for me, like it's trying so hard to go for a poppy hook that it's betraying itself and can't decide what it wants to be.
Chanting / monotone / etc sometimes can be an exception. I just find most bands that mix cleans in with the harshes tend to have a certain type of taste that I just have a massive aversion to- often IMO it's combined with awful writing/lyrics/aesthetics, it's forced/immature, or campy, or a very corporate/poppy/formulaic left-turn in a song, like flipping a switch, or just otherwise unpleasant in a way that I feel like makes it feel cheap.
To me personally it's difficult to do it tastefully and artfully, but some do pull it off. But I do think it's the exception to the rule. But I digress... on to the list of bands- includes anything from extreme black/death/industrial to whatever, my toplist that I can scrounge up at the moment:
Esoctrihilium - absolutely unhinged avant-garde where it just works somehow. might be a stretch calling it clean vocals, closer to chants (when he's not wildly screaming)
Anaal Nathrakh - as extreme as their sound is, somehow they nail clean-sung choruses?
Schammasch - has a nice monotone/chanting/occult-like nature to it
Cattle Decapitation - not sure if travis ryan's "goblin" "cleans" count, but if so, then that
Opeth - beautifully written, poetic, feels thematically appropriate, Akerfeldt has amazing cleans and harshes both. i do think they've failed to do it right sometimes. so some misses, but early catalogue is all hits. Songs like Ghost of Perdition? 10/10
Enslaved - the writing and lyrics and overall vibe is just good enough to make it work
BTBAM - as discussed
Dillinger Escape Plan - it just fits with Puciato's voice because his harshes have a sung quality to them already, works with the style too (a number of bands where the difference between clean and harsh isn't a large gap actually succeed at this, similarly)
Nine Inch Nails - he just earns it, the dynamics earn it, it always feels appropriate when the vocals change
Instances where I think it's borderline cheesy or sometimes trope-y, but I like it regardless:
November's Doom - works for this style of doom, at least the way they do it
Swallow the Sun - same as November's Doom, it just works here
Dimmu Borgir - a rare case of a cheesy symphonics that I am okay with (symphonic metal in general is repulsive to me for the most part, symphoblack being a sometimes-exception), and cleans work in places here. sometimes cheesy, sometimes feels artful
Fear Factory - i think this is very borderline but i feel like it works somehow, on the cheesier end though
Killswitch Engage - more nostalgia than anything, really, Howard Jones had an awesome singing voice and harshes. not really my style of music anymore and i find it a bit cheesy, but it feels genuine and can work
Deftones - one of the few bands that gets lumped in with nu-metal (more alternative than nu IMHO) that i think still holds up. i think they have some flaws but overall make it work. most other nu-metal, even stuff i've liked, i don't think generally holds up well now, and falls into most of the tropes pretty hard and is just nostalgia bait that sometimes gets me
When I was a teenager I really loved the beauty and the beast vocals of Sirenia (specifically the album "At Sixes and Sevens") with a female singer contrasting with male growls. I still like that...
When I was a teenager I really loved the beauty and the beast vocals of Sirenia (specifically the album "At Sixes and Sevens") with a female singer contrasting with male growls. I still like that album today, but I can't tell if it's because of nostalgia or if it's legit good. Heads up that it's not prog metal though if that's what you're mostly looking for.
May be a left-field question, but are they named for a Counting Crows lyric from Ghost Train on August and Everything After? That would be wild, but it seems so unlikely genre-wise.
Turns out yes.
Interesting, I always assumed it was like a person keeping secrets, like the only people that know what they've done are dead.
To add to OP’s response, they actually released an album entirely of covers ~20 years ago (link goes to Spotify) that’s a sort of deconstruction of a lot of the band’s influences, including Counting Crows. That’s one of the best parts of their sound IMO - it’s clear how much they listen across genres and really wear some of their influences on their sleeves.
I don’t really have a favorite band, but if I had to pick one, it’d be BTBAM. Discovered them shortly after Alaska’s release. I’m happy that they continue to evolve and am excited to see where they go next! @DFGdanger is Automata your favorite release of theirs?
I'd have to say yes. This song and Voice of Trespass are my favourite BTBAM songs. Colors II would be my 2nd fav album. The song Memory Palace off Coma Ecliptic gets an honorable mention. What are yours?
In a vacuum, I’d say Parallax II. It’s always been such an excellent example of their interconnected approach to composition while sounding like a blend of their newer sound with plenty of their good ol’ heaviness to back it up.
But when I filter things through the nostalgia lens, I’d have to go with Colors. A buddy and I drove down to Nashville for the show where they recorded Colors Live so that one is always going to be extra-special for me.
I should revisit their later releases, for some reason they didn't pull me in nearly as much as the early ones (The Silent Circus and Alaska were huge for me). Colors and The Great Misdirection were enjoyable too. They're yet another one of the few select bands that can mix harsh+clean vocals in a way that remains tasteful and doesn't detract from the art (in the way I think mixing them usually does).
I think the more dynamic they got / further they leaned away from the heavy parts, the balance just tipped the scales a bit too far in a way that lost my interest, but I've recently listened to a few of their songs and I think I'm ready for it again
Honestly, I need to revisit them too. I’ve given them all a few listens and really appreciate them for what they are, but post-Automata especially I have listened to them far less. To your point, I do think they sound more prog and less (death) metal with every release, not a bad thing but also not what I enjoy about them the most. I can appreciate that they’re unafraid to try new things, at least. If anything, I’m glad their core sound remains the same after 27(!!!) years of releases.
Yeah, same. Can appreciate the breadth of everything they've done and more power to them if those experiments or leaning into parts of their sound more make them happy and that's what they want their art to be.
I recently heard Extremophile Elite from Parallax II (saw the studio video of it on YT) and ever since I've been really meaning to listen through a bunch of the discography
Do you have a shortlist of bands where you think mixed vocals are good? For my taste, it's actually what I tend to prefer.
Most mixed harsh/clean vocals I find to be very grating if it's actual regular singing when the cleans hit, but not always. Often it's when the gap between the sound of the harsh and clean is very wide. From deep growls or piercing screams to a clean-sung radio-rock chorus just absolutely makes my ears bleed most of the time. It feels like a bait and switch, even, almost dishonest in a way.
What's considered "metalcore" in modern music does this enough for it to basically be a trope at this point. Some newer nu-leaning stuff does it. It just always feels like it waters it down for me, like it's trying so hard to go for a poppy hook that it's betraying itself and can't decide what it wants to be.
Chanting / monotone / etc sometimes can be an exception. I just find most bands that mix cleans in with the harshes tend to have a certain type of taste that I just have a massive aversion to- often IMO it's combined with awful writing/lyrics/aesthetics, it's forced/immature, or campy, or a very corporate/poppy/formulaic left-turn in a song, like flipping a switch, or just otherwise unpleasant in a way that I feel like makes it feel cheap.
To me personally it's difficult to do it tastefully and artfully, but some do pull it off. But I do think it's the exception to the rule. But I digress... on to the list of bands- includes anything from extreme black/death/industrial to whatever, my toplist that I can scrounge up at the moment:
Instances where I think it's borderline cheesy or sometimes trope-y, but I like it regardless:
Not too familiar with the others but agreed on Opeth and Killswitch Engage!
When I was a teenager I really loved the beauty and the beast vocals of Sirenia (specifically the album "At Sixes and Sevens") with a female singer contrasting with male growls. I still like that album today, but I can't tell if it's because of nostalgia or if it's legit good. Heads up that it's not prog metal though if that's what you're mostly looking for.