Generalities:
My favorite pastime is learning.
If something is unconventional it’s typically better for it.
Music is crucial and experiencing it is mandatory - be it through listening or creating.
Reducing suffering is the best life goal I’ve come up with.
The forums on the metal archives are still active and a good resource for various different things concerning extreme metal. Bits of news, discussion, and some out of left field recommendations that I don’t find other places.
Last I saw it isn’t actually clear whether or not Fadades is parody or legitimate. Very clear in any either case that Fadades is great.
Especially within a genre like black metal where bands will make contra-conventional artistic decisions by way of course as it is, stumbling upon a vibe like this out of honest artistic expression vs. deriving it with a manifest ambiguity where the tongue seems to sprout from the cheek almost hardly matters. However Fadades came to be, it’s a monument to whatever it actually is.
The fandom in the Godzilla sub was super active on Reddit. Not much going on here really. Some chatter recently from the buzz Minus One has been getting, but I miss the daily active discussions and dumb memes from people actually plugged in to the community.
Tristania - World of Glass, and if you like that check out the two albums before it as well.
I think these all merit a mention given what you’re looking for. Whether or not they hit square is up to you.
The Fall (2006) - A bit flat in the story department, but this was clearly a film focused on being a feast for the eyes. It succeeds in that handily.
The Great Yokai War - Ever wondered what would happen if Takashi Miike directed The Never Ending Story? This is something like that.
Tuvalu - Almost like if you smashed the aesthetics of Jean Pierre Jeunet and Guy Maddin together. The dialogue is hyper-minimal, but it you can get on board with the overall approach this film is a gem.
This might actually be the most confused I’ve ever been.
My impression of squabbles after a while was more “feigned whimsy reddit”. The people who loved the quirky snu aspect of reddit found their way there. “Oh look, he’s wearing a box on his head with a face hole cut out! Ha ha!” - “He’s holding a plate with a piece of birthday cake in one hand and a saxophone in the other! What a whacky character!!!” - “He’s piloting a rocket ship! Space is amAAAAAzing!!!”
The dev seemed like he was impressively dedicated to improving the platform, but I didn’t jive with what I perceived at the time to be the emerging culture there. Nothing offensive about it, but that’s not at all what I’m looking for really. I haven’t been there any type of regularly for a couple weeks, so not sure if that’s still a thing.
Also, I don’t pay strict attention to what instances they’re coming from, but I’ve blocked many communities throughout the fediverse that spam memes like they’re running out of time or something. I don’t think squabbles exclusively lays claim to that type of behavior.
Just my opinion.
Dark Ambient/Gothic Doom from Hungary. Incredible album with quite a unique ambience. Simultaneously melancholic and stoic. The textures between the chorused guitars, the synths with their emulated strings, brass, and piano, and the narrated vocal stylings vacillating between baritone spoken word and whispered rasps weave together an aural image of a remembered sorrow or a persistent longing for something always outside one’s grasp. Slow and entrancing in its approach, not shy of sparse arrangements and repetitive passages.
It may suffer slightly from underproduction and less than perfect performances, but if you are so inclined you may find this to add to the character of the album. This was never destined for expensive studio time nor broad commercial appeal. This is niche music to fit the drear of the dark nights of a soul. A real gem for those receptive to its aesthetic.
Just think of it as an opportunity to watch something burn in the rearview mirror.
Genuinely surprised to see that Eluveitie beats out Celtic Frost.
Edit: Just looked at the stats, and wow, it’s not even close: 872,935 to 120,157. That’s a real wtf. Insert Principal Skinner "…it’s the children who are wrong."jpg