Who listens to heavy music?

Glacialpath

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Hi guys. I'm curious as to how many of you listen to such genres as Heavy Metal, Death Metal, Black Meatal, Power Metal? You get the idea. Anything from Alter Bridge to Cannibal Corpse, from Delain to Dimmu Borgir.

I've been listening to Metal since 1992. I've done plenty of catching up regarding the older bands and am myself a musician.

I challenged What Hi-Fi to find me a system that would bring out all the detail and strip away the fake sounding nature most new heavy albums have. While I'm waiting for the guys at the Magazine to come up with their answer I have been finding out for myself some things that have unlocked the kind of detail and musicality I know the CDs contain

An example: Iron Maidens Seventh SOn of a Seventh Son album on most systems has that 80s polished sound to it. The follow up album No Prayer For The Dying is a bit more raw and clean sounding. The fact is they were both recorded in the same studio and with the same producer. Nicko even used the same drum kit, cymbals and heads. The guitar sound and bass sound are relitively the same to with the he one new edition of new Guitarist Janick who I'm sure brought a slightly different sound to the band. The rest sounds basically the same.

Of course slightly different techneques may have been used, the air different and the band would have played slightly differently but if you listen through the 80s polished mix of 7th Son the source sounds are basically the same that you hear very easily on No Prayer.

I have an original pressing of both albums on CD. I imagine the Mastering process was different for both albums. I wanted to know if there was a Hi-Fi that would alow them to sound much closer together.

I have found that as I've upgraded my cables certain elements of the sound have gone to reveal what is actually there on 7th Son and that the polished glossy sound is no way near as much as I first heard on older systems and earlier versions of my current set up.

Basically changing one cable will opened the sound stage of Seventh Son Of A Seventhand alowing the instruments to sing thus it now sounds much more like No Prayer For The Dying does"

This however can't be said for even more modern CD albums like "One Day Remains" by Alter Bridge which only half opened up. Until I got to add a Chord Company Anthem Reference cable between my DACmagic 1 and C500 control amp. Now that album has really started to sing. There is still a long way to go.

I have started a thread in Hi-Fi called "Death Metal HiFi getting the most out of your CD players and Streamers". So head on over there and I'll be happy to share what I have unlocked in the albums I listen to. Tell me what you listen to and what your system is and maybe together we can realise the overly compressed CDs don't sound as bad as first though.

My research is on going and I would love to get involved with What Hi-Fi to help them not only help me but you guys too.

Cheers :cheers:

The Cable Madman (Glacialpath) :rockout:
 

richardw42

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I like music from pretty much any style, but metal is my favourite. It does vary so much.

Ive seen Rammstein a few times and quite a few others, including Iron Maiden 20+ years ago.

I went to to see Delain & Within Temptation a few weeks ago. Are they metal ?

im going to see Nine Inch Nails on Sunday, and have just got tickets for Kreator and Arch Enemy.

im listening to that Dimmu Borgir album you mentioned on your other. Sounds great on my ADM40s.
 

jjbomber

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Certainly Alter Bridge, though I was a bit disappointed with the last tour. They looked far too tired and need a break. mark tremonti is already in pre-production for a new album while Myles is away with Slash. Both need a rest.

Dio tops the list for me. I was sent another 10 Black Sabbath concerts this week to feed my habit. I've got about 1,500 Dio CDs now, from Rainbow through to Heaven and Hell.

As for a system, try and listen to an old Olive Naim system with a power supply. That is the closest you can get to a real rock feel.
 

omnibeard

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Sheesh, heavy is a pretty broad term...

Sure, crushing guitars and a double bass kick can be pretty heavy, but that's not the be all and end all.

Electronica can end up being pretty darn "heavy" - try Venetian Snares, Kid 606, Matmos, Micronauts etc.

Then there's out there heavy, Coil, Astral Social Club, Merzbow, Wolf Eyes, Nurse Woth Wound.

And the Japanese stuff - Musica Transonic, High Rise, Incapacitants, Boredoms etc.

Neu, Harmonia, Faust can be pretty heavy too in the right/wrong state of mind.

Heavy **** indeed man.
 

survivor

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Hi Glacialpath,

Of all the genres of music I listen to I would say that Heavy Rock/Metal is the most difficult to `finely tune` on a hi-fi. The genre is so vast and varied you`d be hard pressed to find one system that `fits all`.

I wish you luck on your quest though!

p.s. Been listening to quite a lot of Amon Amarth on my mp3 player lately which actually sounds pretty good as it happens. As I write this I can hear from upstairs my son is listening to Darkthrone again! (on vinyl) Might be a little dark for me but whilst saying that I rather like Bathory.
 

MrReaper182

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I love all styes of music so of course I love metal music. I love everything like Opeth, Papa Roach, My Dying Bride, Type O Negative, Arch Enemy, Rammstein, Slipknot, Korn, Lacuna Coil and so much more. All sub styes of metal are very awesome sounding to my ears.
 

survivor

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jjbomber said:
Certainly Alter Bridge, though I was a bit disappointed with the last tour. They looked far too tired and need a break. mark tremonti is already in pre-production for a new album while Myles is away with Slash. Both need a rest.

Dio tops the list for me. I was sent another 10 Black Sabbath concerts this week to feed my habit. I've got about 1,500 Dio CDs now, from Rainbow through to Heaven and Hell.

As for a system, try and listen to an old Olive Naim system with a power supply. That is the closest you can get to a real rock feel.

Wow that`s a lot of DIO cds! Almost bought the fairly recent double disc editions of his studio albums but struggling to jusfify the purchases. I assume you have them? I`m especially interested in Holy Diver, The Last In Line and Sacred Heart. What do you think of the remastering and bonus tracks?
 

jjbomber

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survivor said:
Wow that`s a lot of DIO cds! Almost bought the fairly recent double disc editions of his studio albums but struggling to jusfify the purchases. I assume you have them? I`m especially interested in Holy Diver, The Last In Line and Sacred Heart. What do you think of the remastering and bonus tracks?

Holy Diver extended is just interviews, so I wouldn't go for that one. The Deluxe version has the King Biscuit live show and is worth the extra. The Last In Line is the pick of the bunch, as disc 2 is mainly Live From Pinkpop 1984, which is not available elsewhere. Sacred Heart disc 2 is basically Intermission plus a couple of live B-sides. If you have Intermission, then it may be a waste of money. Of course, if you can pick them up for a bargain price, that changes it..
 

fr0g

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Don't listen to metal much these days. I seem to have gone softer in my old age.

But I do still play some of my old stuff and some newer.

Sepultura, Morbid Angel, Pestilence, Malevolent Creation, Slayer, Sabbat, My dying bride, Pantera, etc.

I watched Sepultura play live at what was Manchester International II, and I had to retreat to the back as it was far too loud to be comfortable. And according to the iPhone SPL meter I generally listen at around 90-100 dB.

As for systems that play it well...My experience is that none do. Recordings are generally shyte. The best you'll get them sounding IMO, is on a mushy sounding bass-heavy system (Cerwin Vega maybe?). The best example is one of Sepultura's finest songs (Troops of Doom)...Sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom...

I like alot of the nu-metal bands too. I like most genre's really, aside from baroque classical, opera and trad jazz.
 

fr0g

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omnibeard said:
Ha, I have a pair of Cerwin Vega VS10 that I hook up to my Pioneer A400 occasionally - this def works for metal!!

A friend of my brothers had some 1515s which would have suited too :)

If I was into metal as much as I used to be, I'd buy some. :)
 

Tear Drop

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Saw Vader many years ago in Nottingham - a fairly extreme night of music. Napalm Death too when they performed at a pub in Derby. Much as I love extreme metal I couldn't go to too many gigs as it would just destroy my hearing.
 

survivor

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jjbomber said:
survivor said:
Wow that`s a lot of DIO cds! Almost bought the fairly recent double disc editions of his studio albums but struggling to jusfify the purchases. I assume you have them? I`m especially interested in Holy Diver, The Last In Line and Sacred Heart. What do you think of the remastering and bonus tracks?

Holy Diver extended is just interviews, so I wouldn't go for that one. The Deluxe version has the King Biscuit live show and is worth the extra. The Last In Line is the pick of the bunch, as disc 2 is mainly Live From Pinkpop 1984, which is not available elsewhere. Sacred Heart disc 2 is basically Intermission plus a couple of live B-sides. If you have Intermission, then it may be a waste of money. Of course, if you can pick them up for a bargain price, that changes it..

Cheers.
 

survivor

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richardw42 said:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61vXYPNM33L._SY355__PJautoripBadge,BottomRight,4,-40_OU11__.jpg

I love Ghost! Got both albums on vinyl and the first one on cd also. Funny you should mention them because the band who toured with them, The Oath, their debut album arrived today on vinyl from Rise Above Records along with the debut album from Purson (but from a different seller). My favourites from this genre are The Devils Blood who sadly split up. I also like Blood Ceremony (new single on pre-order vinyl), Jess and the Ancient Ones, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats (great name for a band!) and Electric Wizard. Another band more or less within this genre is Pagan Altar who are great. Listen to first track on their `Lords Of Hypocrisy` album which is a real cracker and one of my very favourite intros of all time. Actually come to think of it I heard The Oath have split already but I haven`t seen concrete confirmation.

Favourite ghost song is `Ritual`. Never get bored of this track!
 

MrReaper182

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survivor said:
richardw42 said:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61vXYPNM33L._SY355__PJautoripBadge,BottomRight,4,-40_OU11__.jpg

I love Ghost! Got both albums on vinyl and the first one on cd also. Funny you should mention them because the band who toured with them, The Oath, their debut album arrived today on vinyl from Rise Above Records along with the debut album from Purson (but from a different seller). My favourites from this genre are The Devils Blood who sadly split up. I also like Blood Ceremony (new single on pre-order vinyl), Jess and the Ancient Ones, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats (great name for a band!) and Electric Wizard. Another band more or less within this genre is Pagan Altar who are great. Listen to first track on their `Lords Of Hypocrisy` album which is a real cracker and one of my very favourite intros of all time. Actually come to think of it I heard The Oath have split already but I haven`t seen concrete confirmation.

Favourite ghost song is `Ritual`. Never get bored of this track!

I have never heard a Ghost album before. My girlfriend is going to see them live in New York with her father this Saturday. I will not be going with her because I live in England and I'm not due to go to America untill August. I should buy a Ghost album because I would probably love them. Which album do you recommend? I love Electric Wizard. Dopethrone is my favorite album by Electric Wizard.
 

richardw42

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I've heard bits and pieces of Ghost before, but it's the first time I've really sat down and listened properly.

Ive just listened to their first album Opus Eponymous, which might be even better. Both albums are very good.

On a spotify recommendation I've just started listening to Blutengel - Monument. Sort of heavy electronic. The track You Walk Away definitely has some Mortiis about it.

In parts a heavy version of 2 Unlimited :)
 

survivor

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MrReaper182 said:
survivor said:
richardw42 said:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61vXYPNM33L._SY355__PJautoripBadge,BottomRight,4,-40_OU11__.jpg

I love Ghost! Got both albums on vinyl and the first one on cd also. Funny you should mention them because the band who toured with them, The Oath, their debut album arrived today on vinyl from Rise Above Records along with the debut album from Purson (but from a different seller). My favourites from this genre are The Devils Blood who sadly split up. I also like Blood Ceremony (new single on pre-order vinyl), Jess and the Ancient Ones, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats (great name for a band!) and Electric Wizard. Another band more or less within this genre is Pagan Altar who are great. Listen to first track on their `Lords Of Hypocrisy` album which is a real cracker and one of my very favourite intros of all time. Actually come to think of it I heard The Oath have split already but I haven`t seen concrete confirmation.

Favourite ghost song is `Ritual`. Never get bored of this track!

I have never heard a Ghost album before. My girlfriend is going to see them live in New York with her father this Saturday. I will not be going with her because I live in England and I'm not due to go to America untill August. I should buy a Ghost album because I would probably love them. Which album do you recommend? I love Electric Wizard. Dopethrone is my favorite album by Electric Wizard.

Oh definately the first album. Second one is good but the first is stronger. I do need to spend a bit more time with the second one to be fair. When the first album came out it was released in several different coloured vinyls and someone sold a complete set on ebay for £1,500! I`ve only got the one colour and won`t be selling it anytime soon! The song `Ritual` is one of those rare ones that I can play any amount of times and not get bored of. The outro guitar solo is great! My vinyl copy of `Dopethrone` is a treasured possession. You may already be aware but to get all the best vinyl editions of these type of bands you have to keep a regular eye on the Rise Above Records website.

P.S. Jealous of your girlfriend! Hope she enjoys the gig.
 

MrReaper182

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survivor said:
MrReaper182 said:
survivor said:
richardw42 said:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61vXYPNM33L._SY355__PJautoripBadge,BottomRight,4,-40_OU11__.jpg

I love Ghost! Got both albums on vinyl and the first one on cd also. Funny you should mention them because the band who toured with them, The Oath, their debut album arrived today on vinyl from Rise Above Records along with the debut album from Purson (but from a different seller). My favourites from this genre are The Devils Blood who sadly split up. I also like Blood Ceremony (new single on pre-order vinyl), Jess and the Ancient Ones, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats (great name for a band!) and Electric Wizard. Another band more or less within this genre is Pagan Altar who are great. Listen to first track on their `Lords Of Hypocrisy` album which is a real cracker and one of my very favourite intros of all time. Actually come to think of it I heard The Oath have split already but I haven`t seen concrete confirmation.

Favourite ghost song is `Ritual`. Never get bored of this track!

I have never heard a Ghost album before. My girlfriend is going to see them live in New York with her father this Saturday. I will not be going with her because I live in England and I'm not due to go to America untill August. I should buy a Ghost album because I would probably love them. Which album do you recommend? I love Electric Wizard. Dopethrone is my favorite album by Electric Wizard.

Oh definately the first album. Second one is good but the first is stronger. I do need to spend a bit more time with the second one to be fair. When the first album came out it was released in several different coloured vinyls and someone sold a complete set on ebay for £1,500! I`ve only got the one colour and won`t be selling it anytime soon! The song `Ritual` is one of those rare ones that I can play any amount of times and not get bored of. The outro guitar solo is great! My vinyl copy of `Dopethrone` is a treasured possession. You may already be aware but to get all the best vinyl editions of these type of bands you have to keep a regular eye on the Rise Above Records website.

P.S. Jealous of your girlfriend! Hope she enjoys the gig.

I will pick up the first album first then. I love Rise Above recoreds, they are one of my favorite record labels along with Southern records. I love the band Cathedral (Rise Above records was started by their lead singer Lee Dorrian if you did not know).
 

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