I bought quite a bit of Japanese music including some Thee Michelle Gun Elephant on iTunes Japan and then none of it transferred to iTunes in the U.K. when I moved to London because it’s not available on iTunes here. So that was f*cking ridiculous.
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That’s a lot like how I treat harsh vocals. Especially when it’s something like black metal, where the vocals are usually incomprehensible anyway, it’s really about the texture of the music for me.
Yes, Japanese music is a problem outside Japan 
Pizzicato Five, despite having many of their albums released in the US and Europe, is barely present on streaming platforms, for example.
Also, that’s why I don’t buy DRM protected shit.
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It’s a very deep rabbit hole.
If you’re a fan of Scandinavian/Baltic metal, check out IOTUNN (Earth to Sky, The Weaver System).
If you like female-fronted bands, check out Frogg (album: The Golden Path).
If you like slimy, sludgy heavy riffs, check out Slugdge (The Spectral Burrows) and Zon (Heliacal Vessels I).
And if you like multi-genre-inspired prog awesomeness, check out the song Spore by Omnerod – It’s a masterpiece as far as I’m concerned, but like all masterpieces, it takes some time to reveal all its secrets.
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Quite an unusual thread.
- Lauren Daigle
- Casting Crowns
- Diana Krall
- Bright City
- Mozart
- Kenny G
- Brian Doerksen
- Piano instrumental - whatever I can find
- Chopin
I am sure there are more. What I am finding is that I am picky with the sound. If the quality is not good - there are times when even if the tune is good - I would let go of it.
Still enjoy my FLAC collection. Streaming is hit and miss - not entirely sold on it.
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Who says that metal heads can’t be photographers too? 
I also have the impression that metal (including the more extreme sub-genres) became more and more widely accepted over the recent years.
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Same for me. There somehow is a pretty narrow line between awesome music and unbearable noise :D.
I mostly like the higher black metal screams (note sure if that’s the correct terminology) but also there not everything.
My first contact was Equilibrium many years ago:
Unfortunately the singer left after the second album, after which the band became mostly uninteresting to me. (I think by now only one of the original members is left.)
A few years ago I happened to see Satyricon on a festival playing a 20 years anniversary “Nemesis Divina” set list, which got me deeper into black metal.
An aspect I quite like about that: Realising that I enjoy music which many people have no understanding for, made me much more accepting of other music for which I have no understanding.
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I approve of your approval 
Unfortunately, Abe Futoshi (TMGE guitar player) died in 2009 too. I really like his staccato style.
Also, Chiba appeared in many other projects: Raven, Snake on the beach, Midnight Bankrobbers, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, etc. But TMGE was the best imho.
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I’m not sure if there’s a correlation between love of metal and photography creativity, but what I do know is that metalheads are often some of the kindest and good-natured people I’ve met. I’ve always experienced lots of respect, camaraderie and acceptance at metal gigs.
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Yes definitely, although I think the beauty is definitely in the ear of the beholder. What I perceive as noise is another person’s nirvana.
I’m not sure I have a preferred type of harsh vocal. It’s more to do with the individual singer I think. I love the growls of Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth, and also the screams of bands like Hippotraktor and The Ocean. But I’m not a big fan of the shouty screams found in hardcore and metalcore. They just sound like shouting to me.
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As it happens, my RawTherapee sessions are often a time for me to listen to stuff, including metal albums that I review for a French website. I can stop midway through to take notes, etc. I also like to try out random stuff, sometimes not even really knowing what genre it’ll be before I press “Play”. I often bookmark albums on Bandcamp (99 % of my music comes from there nowadays) just because the cover art looks cool, and judge later. I like to imagine that whatever’s playing while processing pictures have a subtle impact on the “artistic” direction I choose. 
I recently watched an almost-live Amenra concert on YouTube on one monitor while processing https://www.alicem.net/photos/2025-ombres/pics/G79A2510.jpg on another one. A singular experience. (But yeah, I know, the picture is a bit cliché. ) Using a standing desk even allows you to move wildly on the music while you do your stuff – you feel like some kind of DJ while fiddling with all the sliders and stuff.
I used to note down, in text files, exactly what I’d been listening to for each processed picture whenever I thought that I had been influenced in some way, and include that in the notes of the slideshows I put online, but eventually got too lazy to do that. 
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I saw him live last Saturday evening.
“You can’t just stand there screaming at my chickens.”
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quite a “tour de force” - and for all who wonder: the rhythm is 11/8; sounds weird at first, but if count it 1-2-3-4-123 or 1231-2-3-4- it’s easy to follow
123 are 1/8 time each and 1-2-3-4- are 1/4 time each, making it 3/8 plus 4/4 or : 11/8. Piece of cake, really. Music and math …
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If you like odd meters, get some Kind Crimson – particularly early '80s. 21/16, 11/8, 7/8, you name it. Sometimes simultaneously.
Or anything with Gavin Harrison drumming.
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Another metalhead reporting in. I mostly listen to progressive metal, some power metal and a little acoustic jazz (e.g. Holdsworth, Di Meola). I don’t mind some harsh vocals, but I’m picky. I like Opeth, Gojira, etc… I was recently listening to the new Rivers of Nihil, which was great.
Ayreon is a progressive metal rock opera with many vocalists from the Netherlands. In this case a hippy and a barbarian are arguing with a very bluesy vibe. This is also relevant to me as I like astrophotography and my photography page called on “Forever of the Stars Photography” on FB/IG/PixelFeed name is inspired by a song on this album.
Prog metal with a cinematic twist from Israel.
The bass lines are great from Riverside, a Polish prog rock/metal band.
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Well you’ve just listed a load of my favourites! Love Opeth, Gojira, Ayreon, Scardust and Riverside!
Ayreon is so good, and I love most of what Arjen Anthony Lucassen has been involved in. Have you checked out his side project Guilt Machine? Also, his solo albums and Star One projects are fun.
If you like Scardust, you’ll probably like Soul Enema, which is also fronted by the singer Noe Gruman. Also, check out the cinematic prog band Ostura, as I’m sure that will be right up your alley too (I love the song Deathless)
As for Riverside, they were one of my gateway bands to prog metal along with Porcupine Tree. Mariusz Duda is super talented and I’ve enjoyed just about everything he and Riverside have put out. Have you heard his Lunatic Soul side project?
I’m very familiar with Arjen’s other works. Most of his side projects are great but particularly Star One, Guilt Machine and Ambeon. I even traveled from the US to see Ayreon live twice in the Netherlands.
I haven’t heard of Soul Enema. I’ll have to check them out! Osutra’s The Room is a great album in general.
Agreed! Riverside and Lunatic Soul are both great! He is a highly talented musician. I discovered them just a few years ago. What got me into progressive metal was Symphony X and Dream Theater. While I’m not a musician a friend who is introduced me to them along with Vai, Satch, and Di Meola. Then I discovered Ayreon, Haken and Leprous shortly after.
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I much prefer colder weather than hot weather!
Time to get less serious.
I really like the song and the rhythm is part of it.
NOT a fan of King Crimson after Greg Lake left, although Adrian Belew was and is a rare genius and made any music he participated in interesting. Harrison surely is among today’s most exciting drummers (so are Nate Smith and Louis Cole) but odd times (broken rhythms) are pretty mainstream, to be honest.
From Take Five to Money, from Golden Brown to Kashmir … even format radio plays those songs every now and then.
Then again, there’s odd music and then there’s Zappa.
But I like both ‘even’ and ‘odd’ music. Just as long as it’s interesting.