Help identifying metal band (1 Viewer)

[Mike Broadman]

I saw this video on MTV 2 once and I fell in love with the song. The band also seemed like they would be consistently good, so I want to get their album. Of course I didn't catch their name or anything, so here is a description of the video and music:

The music is kind of prog-metal, emphasis on metal. Very bombastic with lots of keyboards and big accents. In fact the keyboards is the thing I remember the most. I think the singer mostly did the growling thing, but not extreme.

The video used lots of green and a couple of well-placed explosions. The singer's face was painted, remeniscent of King Diamond (though I don't think he had a cape).

The band's name was 3 or 4 words, none of them English, though they sang in English.

 

[Bob Turnbull]

Going out on a limb here Mike, but the only band I found that "might" even come close to your description is Solitude Aeturnus. They had an album called Beyond The Crimson Horizon and were big fans of King Diamond.

I know this only from a quick search of Allmusic.com and not because I've heard them.

Is it obvious that I'm between meetings at work and killing some time?

 

[Don Giro]

I liked Solitude Aeturnus, but I don't remember any keyboards or facepaint...they were doomy like Sabbath or Candlemass.

Mike, how long ago did you see this video? It might help to narrow it down for me.

If they were thrashy but melodic like Helloween, but with keyboards, my guess would be that it was Children of Bodom.

I'll keep on thinking about it...the facepaint thing is throwing me off, though.

 

[Mike Broadman]

No, it wasn't those bands (and I've heard of Children of Bodom, but haven't heard their music), because their name wasn't any words I recognised. It was like three or four short words, not English. Maybe German?

I saw the video a few weeks ago. I think it was Headbanger's Ball, but I don't know if they only show very recent stuff.

Thanks for trying, guys.

 

[Don Giro]

I'm not giving up...I LIVE for this kind of stuff. BTW, you REALLY should check out Children of Bodom...I've been praising them for months now.

The search goes on....

HEY!!! Could it have been RAMMSTEIN? German,lotsa keyboards, heavy as hell, singer often paints his face, recent album "Mutter" was VERY green (as was stage show), with LOTS of pyro

 

[Mike Broadman]

I was actually thinking of recording hours and hours of Headbanger's Ball and fast-forwarding through them until I find it again. But that's a bit geeky-obsessive...

 

[Don Giro]

I'll be mulling over this one at my local saloon tonight...someone will know...but it could be RAMMSTEIN

 

[Tony-B]

OH OH! I think I have figured it out!

Is it Dimmu Borgir? The song was probably Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse. Check out this video and see if I am right...

http://www.nuclearblast.de/media/video/NB_1047.ram

They have just about every element that you mentioned. Let me know if I got it right. If not, then I'll keep looking.

By the way, the album that song is on is called Death Cult Armageddon.

 

[David_Stein]

either way listen to both children of bodom and dimmu borgir. somehow children of bodom is able to take cheesy ass keyboards parts and just make them awesome and metal as hell.

 

[Mike Broadman]

cheesy keyboard parts are awesome, says this ELP fan.

 

[Tony-B]

Great! I'm glad to hear that I got it right!

 

[Don Giro]

Just for the record, the general consensus at my local tavern was that it was indeed Dimmu Borgir Mike had seen on Headbangers Ball. I like Children of Bodom better, though, those keyboards KILL Me! I was looking forward to seeing them on the Iced Earth tour next month, but the NYC show's sold out, it seems...

 

[Mike Broadman]

I picked up Dimmu Borgir's Death Cult Armageddon- it's quite fun. Though lately I can't dig metal for more than half an hour, so I have to listen to this hour+ monster in pieces.

I also picked up Children of Bodom's Follow the Reaper, but haven't listened to it yet.

 

[Tony-B]

Cool! Let me know what you think about it.

 

[Don Giro]

I haven't heard that one yet...the only COB I have is the recent "Hate Crew Deathroll," and I'm nowhere near tired of it yet. But I plan to buy more...

I heard TIAMAT for the first time yesterday, and that's aroused the Sisters of Mercy fan in me (they used to be death metal, now they're a beautiful amalgam of Sisters of Mercy, Type O Negative, and Pink Floyd). I'm probably gonna order directly from their label, because it's cheaper than my local brick-and-mortar CD store, and they ALWAYS enclose two or three sampler CDs with your order...which was how I got to hear Dimmu Borgir in the first place!

I also recommend LACUNA COIL...heavy and atmospheric as hell, dripping with keyboards and soaring vocal interplay between the dual male and female vocalists...Evanescence without the religious and nu-metal posturing.

 

[Sheldon C]

Don,

you may want to try out a band called After Forever. They are similar to Lacuna Coil as far as having the female singer with male growls but the female has a better voice and the molodies this band comes up with are incredible. I got into Lacuna Coil first, but they are not near as talented IMO. This is the most I've been into a newly discovered band since I first heard Iced Earth in the late 90's and Dream Theater in the early 90's.

Check out Prison of Desire and Decipher.

 

[Mike Broadman]

The Bodom CD is a lot of fun. Listened to it last night. The keyboards are kind of cheesy but they make the sound. It was more melodic than I expected, which is nice. I have it in my car an look forward to cranking it on the road.

I've heard Lacuna Coil and saw them open for Opeth a year ago. Pretty cool band.

Speaking of metal bands with chick singers, what do you guys think of Arch Enemy?

 

[Don Giro]

"We Will RISE..RIIIIIIIIIISE....ABOOOOOOOOOOVE!"

I love Arch Enemy. I saw 'em open for Slayer back in October, and man, can Angela Gossow growl!

 

[Sheldon C]

I have Arch Enemy's new one. I like it ok. They are one of those bands that you enjoy listening to while the disk is playing but you don't feel the need or desire to listen to them otherwise. Some of their songs are kind of similar, but they do have a lot of nice heavy riffs and you can tell the guitarists have a lot of talent.

 

[Don Giro]

Check out the guitar solo on the song "Burning Angel" from ARCH ENEMY's "Wages of Sin" if you get a chance...in fact, you can download an MP3 (legally) from the Century Media website. The song is heavy as hell, but has possibly the catchiest guitar solo I ever heard in a "death metal" song.

BTW, one of the guitarists in ARCH ENEMY used to be in CARCASS, one of the noisiest, most incoherent bands I ever heard in my life. Who knew he was actually this talented?