The Hold Steady

[TJ_98370]

Okay, I bought the CD "Stay Positive" recorded by the band "The Hold Steady" for reasons I do not wish to disclose.
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Wow! The lead singer sounds a bit like Bruce Springsteen, the lyrics are funny / ridiculous and the band does stuff that sounds like a cross between thrash and the latest REM CD. These guys really are different and engaging IMHO.
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Please no flaming. I'm an old fart trying to understand. Is this band anything special?
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[Lake Hills Renter]

Never heard of them, but then all I've listened to in the last 2 years is metal from Europe and Scandinavia, particularly folk and viking metal. No, I'm not joking. I'm an aging heathen metalhead.

[WestSideBilly]

Viking metal is a genre?

AWESOME.

[Lake Hills Renter]

Oh hell yeah it is: . Some of my favorites:

[TJ_98370]

LHR a self-admitted metalhead? Wow! I never would have guessed.

Viking Metal? I'll have to check it out.

There is something I've wondered about with regards to Vikings. They were famous for plundering and pillaging, yet I have yet to find anyone who can explain the difference between the two terms. To plunder AND pillage seems rather redundant.

[WestSideBilly]

TJ, the proper phrase is rape and pillage. Pillaging, plundering, and looting are all the same basic thing - take over the town, take everything of value, leave. Sacking is sometimes used, particularly amongst the British, though that doesn't imply spoils of war so much as victory.

And if you're going to be a viking, the order is important - rape first, then pillage. (this needs a smiley to convey the tongue-in-cheek factor, but phpBB's smileys are no good)


Also, I hope Pandora has Viking metal.

[Lake Hills Renter]

TJ, I'm indeed a metalhead and proud of it. Always happy to spread the gospel.

Pandora and Last.fm both have quite a bit of viking metal. Good stuff. I also highly recommend folk metal. I'm happy to throw out some band names if anyone is interested. There's also these:




These are pretty obscure subgenres for the US, so finding physical copies of the albums can be pretty tough. If you're the downloading sort, bittorrent is full of this stuff. It's about the only way I've found to sample the bands to see what I like. YouTube is also a good place to sample.

[WestSideBilly]

Pandora had 2 of the 5 bands LHR listed, and I seeded off those.

I'm not a metal head, and to me, what played sounded vaguely similar to the other genres of metal that my metalhead friends listened to in the 90s. Of course, that may be because Pandora can't distinguish between Viking metal and other forms.

[Lake Hills Renter]

If you're not a metalhead, it may all sound the same -- I know country all sounds the same to me.

Both viking and folk metal were "invented" in the mid to late 90s, but were pretty obscure untl the last 5 years or so. Good stuff and pretty unique -- particlarly folk metal -- but certainly not everyone's cup of tea. I'm pretty much the only one I know that listens to most of the bands I like.

Which bands did you check out? Let me guess -- Amon Amarth and Ensiferum? Those are the most popular bands in the list.

[WestSideBilly]

Yeah, those were the 2 bands that Pandora had.

I'll play around with it some more when I'm in a metal mood. Middle of the day at work isn't a metal mood. Well, not most days.

[Lake Hills Renter]

Ensiferum is the epitome of viking metal IMO, very epic and grandiose, but heavy at the same time. Amon Amorth is abou half viking metal and have melodic death metal. YouTube usually has a good selection even from obscure bands.

Some Ensiferm songs I recommend:

* Blood is the Price of Glory
* Little Dreamer
* Lost in Dispair
* Iron
* Token of Time