.

It's got a good beat and melody, but the lyrics are too preachy for my tastes.

I was in the US Army in the early 90s, and was stuck on a training exercise in the middle-of-nowhere, Texas where all I had was the new DM album, so I listened to "Violator" on CD for days, on a cheap boombox stereo.

Overall, my favorite album is "Music for the Masses", but my favorite song is "Everything Counts."


Violator was such a crucial step on my music journey. I was a freshman and spun that cd on repeat many a time. Still a fave of theirs but i like their early-mid 80's shizz a whole lot too... and DM is still influencing me,my current music collab borrows a lot from synth-darkwave styles.

post-blackmetal playlist. enjoy. follow

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/65YXmAX0w3KD6kYIeGqiwK?si=ebd6c5b262a149f2

Thoroughly. And often. Like their stuff up through Violator the best, but all of it is great.

edit: and now Blasphemous Rumours in all it's industrial goodness is blasting thru my speakers.

Derped on sharing this on Monday.... Deafheaven dropped the first single from their upcoming album. It'll be their first on Roadrunner Records.. I've always felt that this label has an uncanny way of taking bands in their prime and finding the perfect way to simplify the sound and make them boring. The also turn bands that have maxed out their underground potential and bringing them to the mainstream by doing that. Luckily, todays band is a decade past their (imho) prime, and also my humblest of opinions, was due for idk, something. I have a love/hate/love again thing with these guys. they've done some great stuff, they've completely stood on the shoulders of giants, their bassist once gave my date some ear plugs upon noticing her covering her ears but singing along (they're fkn loud, prob 2nd loudest show i seen). Like i said, this band has made me feel stuff loloololol.... currently, that feel is happy, this single is the most blackmetal shizz they've ever done, and they were a blackmetal band before hitching rides on giants...

https://open.spotify.com/track/4NplbKZO0lLEZ3obzxWBpt?si=ba70b92dd8564e67

I love that some. Prob the first song of theirs that I remember getting into back in the day. My fave of theirs tho has to be "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" off of the Wish record "Pictures of You" and "Fascination Street" off Disintegration are right up there too. Such classic Rob Smith guitar and lyrics in all three of those tracks.

Is a good band. They released a record in November of 2024 that hit number one on the charts a week after release and had 4 top 20 singles almost immediately... they're currently on a global tour supporting it. I'll link it beneath this. Personally I think it's a decent record, on r/thecure sub on Reddit, some were anointing it as the best they've ever done.. it's far from that, despite the critical acclaim and sales #'s. But it's a very impressive album for a band at their age, and given it's undoubtedly their last studio recording. if you're into 'em, i'd def give it a spin. i'd say its at least their best since Bloodflowers

https://open.spotify.com/album/4wjxmqXnSQvBZWL3IbYngX?si=VTuhmhA0TPi1RwcvAnOfow

Sure is swell having so many kind gatekeepers in this community, whatever would we do without them.

As for old time rock, sure, i like some classics too. was listening to The Velvet Underground earlier, great band. Shizzz, my fave band ever is The Cure. next year they'll celebrate 50 yrs... and have a record and several singles atop the charts going into this year... but i'm pretty sure Ol' Bob n his Sliver Bullets were aimed at such bands in that song, huh. Funny how relevance, creativity and the passage of time works. Besides, ppl like me have far too short an attention span to stick to just one thing. Similar to the artist i'm bout to link, one of my faves over the last several years, my '...heart is wide and i'm ready to pounce...wanna share my life with the freaks'.

https://open.spotify.com/track/5euzbCyw5KTEjHpD66tTMd?si=036d8caa50024476

Hi. I'm in the Twin Cities and would like to connect with someone around my age (a very young 45) who lives close enough to actually spend time together if we decided to take that step. Ideally, I'd like to make a connection that makes sense to both and leads to something longterm. I want to fall in love again, and be in love... those are amazing things to share with someone. Though I am not one to typically do that right from the jump, I need to know someone, and want them to know me. I've made mistakes in judgement and just mistakes, and been broken in the past. I want anything to be real, safe and loving and getting there takes a bit.

There's a bit about me on my profile here and all of the photos i've uploaded are no older than 2023 and most are last summer-autumn, I just don't look my age. I am not one who's afraid to open up about anything either, so feel free to DM me if you'd like to know more. I feel like I have many positives to bring to a friendship or relationship, and been told as much.

Thanks and Happy FriYAY!!!

Latest from Harakiri for the Sky dropped today. i felt it was pretty good after one time through. Couple tracks were great, no skip-overs either.


https://open.spotify.com/album/3bPrk5eZSMIHL5uIS2ESe6?si=WJqm7KvWQOmPGd6-JXC1Rg

I'm starting this thread as place to share and discuss all things extreme music, heavy music, metal informed music. It really don't have to be metal based music cuz lotsa other music can be heavy. and I know theres some dark, heavy no metal anything stuff that I love and will post sometimes. All of it is welcome, but there is another Heavy Metal thread here that looks more geared to the traditional heavy metal styles and bands, and those are great too, like many who get into non mainstream/radio music, I am always seeking the next thing and diving deep into one of the 84.2 quadrillion sub and fusion genres that make metal/extreme music the best music to be a fan and creator of. That too, if anyones in a band or makes music, share it, plug your shtuff, I for sure will listen to it and tell others to too.

But yeah, I'm gonna start it with a list of what's been on my Spotify regularly in 2025 along with a link to my Spotify profile that has some (i feel) very worthy playlists (not all metal, fight me ) Please feel free to not just post what you're spinnin', but new shizz you find, stuff you feel everyone should hear, and any topics worth discussing... if this gets interest, I may start up the topic my bandmate and I have been having an ongoing dicussion on.. like full rabbit hole but it pertains to what our music is informed by, plus nerds.

So a lot of my tastes lean to the blackmetal and blackmetal informed side, blackgaze is real and it's spectacular, genre bending gives me a semi, heavy isn't always metal-type heavy. and yes, even hair metal is metal (but likely more of a fit on the other thread)

White Ward - from Odessa, Ukraine performs intensely deviant metal music of a noir shade according to their bio, meaning their based on the eastern european modern style of blackmetal. But they have a saxophone player in their lineup and embrace dark jazzy elements and fully incorporate it into dark, haunting metal. Cannot get enough of them. All their records are great, and they aren't ones to make the same record, or song twice. 10/10 will bang my head

Show Me a Dinosaur - a heavy post-rock/blackgaze act out of St. Petersburg, Russia. I adore these guys, def the band i've listened to the most over the last 5 yrs. They are literally what they claim; taking they best of post-rock delay-ay-ay-ay heavy melodic progressions and genetically stitching that to a very Sunbather informed style of blackened shoegaze and honestly doing it far better than Deafheaven-type bands ever did. (think of If These Trees Could Talk & MØL has a music love child.... that's SMaD) ratings system only goes to 10, SMaD is a 12 - Banger!

A Light in the Dark - Podolsk, Russia (i may be a bit geo-focused lately, for good reasons) the brains and talent behind the gem of a **post-rock/blackgaze works, and is less redundant. And a fitting way to describe ALitD. But like all of the artists projects, it's expansive in it's use of other sounds and fx that lends to a feel that the typical blackgazers don't, much in the same way (but not in sound) as the prolific and mysterious band next on the list. I slept on ALitD for years, and no clue how as their sound is clearly informed by at least a few bands and many of the genres i love most. oh well, better late than never. 9/10 am banging right now

An Autumn (for Crippled Children) - Freisland, Netherlands went by the name inspired by the Ebonylake song "An Autumn to Cripple Children" from '09-'24, only their latest LP is under An Autumn, the rest can be found under the long name. this band is absolutly stunning in so many ways. they've consistently put out relevant, unique, thought provoking atmospheric post-blackmetal they get the shoegaze tag a lot, but I feel the only element of that genre they have is the vocal are low low in the mix, i've always felt that the big open-note chord voicing alone doesn't denote one's shoegazing as. AA is a big sound, best played dial cranked to 11, thick layers of buzzing guitar riffing, prominent and haunting keyboards, blastbeats that fire like the cannon on an A10 Warhog pummeling yet melodic bass-lines and vocals so shrill and icy that you may want a jacket. So there's this band in the blackgaze area of music, may have heard of them, Deafheaven.. their 2013 release Sunbather made critics around the world shizzzz their pants and things like "paradigm shift in heavy music" and "groundbreaking" or the ignorant "genre defining" were used to describe it and it made almost (how dare you, Stereogum) every major publications 'album of the year'? And great record for sure, not a paradigm shift, unless you ignore 5-7 yrs of music before it. it also defined nothing, that genre was defined by a band Deafheaven had toured with in 2012. it was goundbreaking in bringing blackgaze into the mainstream and drawing in more jock bro fans than any metal act since Pantera. Meanwhile,AAfCC released a record the same year that not only had cohesiveness and direction, it is haunting and depressing, like blackmetal should be. it's also so full of noise yet melodic and beautiful enough to epitomize either genre bucket it resides in. With hipster fans and critics all over blackmetal, especially post-blackmetal (lookin' at you Wolves in the Throne Room) thanks to the portland, OR ABM scene blowing up the real groundbreaking thing is that Try Not To Destroy Everything You Love wasn't at least in contention. An Autumn is always in my rotation, with twelve long players and 4 or 5 Ep's in 15yrs, there's alot to hear without repeats... you'll want some repeats tho. this band goes up to 11 outta 10 and i am always banging them, especially while driving (wait what?)

I'll leave my list there even tho there are like 3 other great bands that have been dominating the month. It's a given that french art rockers and the definers of blackgaze since '05-'07, Alçest are in my rotation. Without question my favorite band that isn't the Cure (fight me,they're dark n heavy and have been a massive influence on my playing and writing for 30 years or so)

Where's your journey got your music player right now?

IDK,that looks alot more like a cheap plastic hollow mold ( ya know like you used to get for $0.25 out of a machine that let you watch it being made?) with a couple coats of metallic gold rattle can paint. More fitting than fools gold. at least in value, ya know.... fool works for his doting fanboys tho, for sure. Tho i think words like vile, hateful, amoral, etc., is more accurate and less likely to diminish the reason they worship that guy the way they do. Cuz, we all know working class white boys aint benefitting a bit from any admins policies. And like in this thread, ya dont even have to assume the actual they love trump cuz 9/10 of these not quite completely formed thoughts will reantend up close with a xenophobic or otherwise ism'd rant stating what the catchphrase means to them.

Hmmmmm, what does this magical New Golden Era entail? Sounds like a campaign slogan thought up by an uninspired staffer who resorted to political op-eds. "Oh, New Deal? New World Order? Hey guys, I got it, I got it!!! Think of this, open tomorrows campaign speech with Herr Trump's always anticipated word salad being about a NEW GOLDEN ERA? Genius. amirite?" That or 2023 annual father son day on the links and Donny n Barron are in a tense brainstorm sesh while awaiting their turn on the tee.... Don's like "Son, my new merch, those red hats, they're great everyone says they're great. they love em, everybody love em, cuz they love me. My friend Vlad, great man, outstanding human, he told me how much every one in his country loves my hats, they're great hats over there. great people wear them...." Barron chimes in "ok Dad, your hats are great, but don't you think a new, flashier slogan is the way to go for your second term? Maybe borrow from the 'MAGA' slogan but the way Barry O did it? took the "a choice to believe in" and went with the simple "Believe." Donny's pink hue becomes red with rage "Barak? That Kenyan socialist surfed out of a vocano in Hawai'i, he's the devil himself and I know Hawai'i, son, I own hotels there. They're uge, uge they're the best hotels. My friend Jung Un likes them, loves them stays in 3 each time he goes to Hawai'i. I don't know why 3 he just thinks there that great. and that's why my catchphrase is that we have to make ame.." Barron "DAD, just go with "again" like mom said. it fits the current visuals, you and Eric "again"....." "you're mother didn't say that was a good slogan, she said that when i told her I wanted to be president one more time, Yuri, my russian friend who always brings me messages from Vlad asking for me to take all these pictures for him? those high quality pictures of all the buildings he wants t buy...."

Yeah, it was more likely the staffer. to save ya'll from the rest of that convo and from wondering how true the documents from our own intel services actually are.... uhhhh, I'll just tell ya, Don wanted to go with "Make America Great Again, Again" it took several long explanations that saying that implies that he did MAGA and that might come off as arrogant to the American people and that arrogant just isn't the image he should be going for..... idk, is it just me or is everyone surrounding Trump oblivious af? Mean while a phone rings, Don answers his shoe and indicates he needs to excuse himself to take a call. "Comrade Yuri..." he answers before rattling off something is fluent accent free high Russian.....

ehhhhh, our three letter agencies are prob wrong, right?

right! seems oddly vague yet specifies something also vague.... i'm pale complected and mostly of anglo-saxon/celtic heritage but my Lakota heritage makes me a tribal member as well. My morals & beliefs are more akin to first nation ways than Eurocentric, yet i'm white and exist being seen as just that to people who don't know me. I know if white culture is the desired trait of someone, likely i don't fit that completely. If it's an attraction to white ppl physically, i mostly do fit that aside from my nose, cheeks and jaw and the mechanics of my stride (europeans have a waddle, feet remain apart and heel usually hits first. Ndn's it's more of a balance beam pattern often on the balls of the feet unless being stealthy. makes me chuckle in the winter cuz you can see the diff big time)

Notes From the Underground - Fyodor Dostoevsky

Been trying to reread some of the mandatory classics and dig a bit deeper into the authors, the is of the latter. I enjoyed Dostoevsky back when Crime & Punishment then Poor Folk were assigned in college lit classes, and enjoyed them even more rereading recently. But I read The Idiot for the first time and fully realized the genius of Dostoevsky's character writing, those C&C opened my eyes to it. This, being more of a personal, somewhat autobiographical, was different but I rather enjoyed it. I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

classic. loved them. loved rewatching it all when my boys hit their teens/preteens. aaand, love lookin' across the room to the 2 framed animation cells hanging on the wall over my desk, one for Bevis, one for Butthead.

Bosses Hang, Pt. II by Godspeed You, Black Emperor

A Brief Moment of Clarity Broke Through the Deafening Hum, But it Was too Late by Red Sparowes



side not, if unfamiliar with this band and are a fan of instrumentals or just interesting hard rock, I strongly recommend a listen. an underground "supergroup" with sprawling guitars, ample use of a pedal steel guitar, employing odd time signatures and unexpected time and key changes. One of my favorite post-rock outfits. sadly they ceased to continue before I was able to catch them live.

Rite of Passage by OH HIROSHIMA




shuffle ain't mixin muh playlist that mixy....

Darkroom Asthetics by OH HIROSHIMA

hmmm, totally unfamiliar but love trying new flavas.... so i take it this new name is a lil high school boy giggle and is said "a hole nation" OR "a whole nation". right....? without knowing the style yet, would say it's a poor call unless you're shooting for the audience that thinks it's not... hey, i like the ******** Surfers and think their name is terrible. gonna check these a holes out now, ASSuming they're posted on Spotify.

Edit: duh I totally know this. Couldn't get away from that song "Sail" if ya tried hard. Totally not my thing but I get the appeal and see how a party playlist for a bbq or tiki party would need "Sail" cuz everyone would def stop their convos to be goons and singalong, even those of us who aren't into this realm of music. And gotta love the all in one artist band, big thing in the genre spectrum I write music in and for the last 5 yrs it has been all me and I think I prefer that in todays world of ez af to do it that way world of tech and steaming platforms