F O U R T H E Y E

As discussed previously, I am starting a new format this month (the old one still remains available for those who choose to use it) in that we will now be having a Album of the Month poll.

Rules are reasonably simple (I think). Here's an overview:

1. Fourtheye readers can suggest on album each that they feel is the best album they listened to that month.
2. Each reader can nominate up to two albums per month
3. Where possible a nomination should come with some form of stream for the album. Bandcamp is nice, but any format is fine.
4. Each nomination should come with a review. Preferably more than on sentence for you barely literate fucks out there. A description on the genre the album covers, and possibly your thoughts as to the better tracks would be nice.
5. Albums preferably should be new release albums, though don't necessarily need be released in that month. A "new release" is deemed as something released in the last 6 months, however there may be some leeway on this for little know albums/bands.
6. Once an album is nominated, it may not be nominated again in this month or subsequent months.
7. At the end of the month, I will compile the nominations and create another thread with a poll. This will stay open for a week or so.
8. Whoever wins the poll will get a forum badge or some shit.

Feel free to discuss the nominations, and of course post your own. Thread will close sometime around June 30. Who wants to be first?

Nominations so far:

• Bohren & der Club of Gore - Piano Nights (Tyson)
• Misery Index - The Killing Gods (hellboy)
• Descend - Wither (UndKieneEier)

hellboy wrote: Preferably more than on sentence for you barely literate fucks out there.

Perhaps you should take your own advice.

Anyway I nominate Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Piano Nights.

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As people cry over their NIN albums, feeling this represents their depression, there are some albums out there ready to utterly destroy them, without one emotional voice spoken, this is one such album.

I didn't choose it for feeling it would win, quite the opposite, I choose it hoping others would listen, realising melancholy has no actual words, just sustained silence with periods of song.

Thanks for being the first to nominate. I'll be posting one in the morning. The literacy comment is obviously a joke!

Not Tyson wrote: I didn't choose it for feeling it would win, quite the opposite, I choose it hoping others would listen, realising melancholy has no actual words, just sustained silence with periods of song.

I listened to the start of this when you posted it previously. I will go back.

There is a really interesting idea that some notes and cords are melancholy. That all cords have an emotional signature and that writing a song guided by this rule set might just elicit any type of response you are after.

My first nomination for June is the new Misery Index album The Killing Gods.

Unsurprisingly (for me) it's a pretty straight up metal album with elements of death and grind. The drumming of Adam Jarvis is one of the highlights of the album for me, and Conjuring the Cull and Gallows Humor two of the best tracks. While the album doesn't bring anything really new to the genre, it does bring a high level of skill and execution, as well as some great grooves. Check this shit out:

hellboy wrote:My first nomination for June is the new Misery Index album The Killing Gods.

Unsurprisingly (for me) it's a pretty straight up metal album with elements of death and grind. The drumming of Adam Jarvis is one of the highlights of the album for me, and Conjuring the Cull and Gallows Humor two of the best tracks. While the album doesn't bring anything really new to the genre, it does bring a high level of skill and execution, as well as some great grooves. Check this shit out:

I listened to this when you posted it earlier and enjoyed it. It was good, but I didn't love it. Too much Grind in the mix, I guess.

Wither by Descend



Favorite tracks: In Hours of Despair, Diabolic, Sundown

A solid progressive death metal album by a band that could be great if they didn't hold so tight to their influences. It's hard not to mention Opeth when discussing this album as the style is very much in that same vein. Not quite as progressive as Opeth's albums, this is more straight up death metal (no keyboards), the mood is very much Opeth. Acoustic guitars and clean singing also pop-up occasionally throughout the album. These guys might not be the most original band out there, but they are some talented musicians. This album is rarely boring. The last three songs in particular are excellent and are where the band really start to establish their own identity. Anyways I really dig this album, it kicks ass.

Well, this Listeners Club concept may be struggling, but here's my second nomination for the month. A reminder that entries close at the end of June 30, at which point the Nomination thread for July will open (followed shortly by a thread to vote for the June nominations).

If you have anything to nominate, then please do so over the weekend.

Anyway, here's my second choice:



The Austerity Program are a two piece math rock band who've been around a while now. They first came to my attention when they posted a somewhat humorous black metal related video on Youtube. It gave me a few cheap laughs, but upon investigating further I thought their music was quite good.

It's no secret I'm a big Albini/Big Black/Shellac fan, and this band takes a strong influence from those bands. The drum machine creates a great pummeling sound to drive the angular riffs throughout the album. The vocals are what I would considering a little different, with the vocalist largely ranting obscure, and sometimes quite humorous lyrics over the music. Somewhat of a acquired taste I expect.

Highlights for more are Song 30, 32 and 36 (the band only ever seems to give songs numbers it would appear). Check it out at via the Bandcamp embed above.