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Live Report: The Klash of the Titans

Kreator/In Flames
Klash of the Titans
EX Theater Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan
February 1, 2024

The Klash of the Titans is a co-headlining package featuring Kreator and alternating partners that began in 2023. The Japan edition features In Flames as the opening co-headliner, and they did not disappoint. I honestly got the same impression from their live performance that I did from their latest album Foregone: This is a revitalized band that, despite having experienced so many line-up changes, still has something worthwhile to say.

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Live Report: Candlemass

Candlemass
Club Quattro, Tokyo, Japan
January 26, 2024

After having complained about the layout of this cramped and poorly-designed venue in past reviews, I have to admit it was a sight for sore eyes for me on this night after having been so long away from live music. With no opening act, Candelmass started its 90-minute show on time and moved smoothly through a set list that heavily favored the first two albums, broken up only by a couple songs from Ancient Dreams and one from their new album.

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Re: Re: Blackened 2020

Cool. Just got a break from the endless childcare/online university education so I could watch it. Damn, we’re all getting old! Lars is starting to look like Harry Dean Stanton.

I really enjoyed catching up with you guys and watching that doc. Can we do it again sometime soon? How about a concert video?

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Re: Re: The Arsies: A Reflection

I think there are actually two amazing things here:

1) “[Y]ou somehow have managed to avoid the calcification of musical tastes that is a basic biological fact of age. How did you do that?”  I agree, this is truly exceptional.  In case you want to know what the near opposite of what you have been able to achieve is, here is a list of the ten albums I have most recently purchased:

  • Candlemass — The Door to Doom
  • Dream Theater — Distance over Time
  • Overkill — The Wings of War
  • Visions of Atlantis — The Deep & The Dark Live @ Symphonic Metal Night
  • Avantasia — Moonglow
  • Beast in Black — From Hell with Love
  • Evergrey — The Atlantic
  • Within Temptation — Resist
  • Ancient Bards — Origine: The Black Crystal Sword Saga PT.
See the rest here
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Before the Arsies Begin…

Dear Arse & Ziggles:

As always, I can’t wait for the Arsies to begin. As the suspense builds, I thought I should point out something you may already have noticed: The Arsies is anti-establishment. And that’s not just an opinion statement, I can prove it. Nick Cusworth at Heavy Blog Is Heavy aggregated the best-of metal lists from major metal websites (Stereogum, Loudwire, Rolling Stone, Consequence of Sound, SPIN, Decibel, LA Weekly, Apple Music, Metalsucks, Metal Injection, Metal Hammer, and Pitchfork) to produce one mega list representing the views of the “metal establishment.”

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Re: Metal?

Although I suppose we could come up with a definition of metal based on some combination of objective musical criteria (e.g. double-bass drumming, de-tuning, distortion, etc.) or some common sense standard like the Supreme Court’s definition of pornography (i.e. “you know it when you hear it”), I have a nagging suspicion that metal is best defined by the particular emotions it most commonly expresses.