In The Pit #35 - JBnaglfar

Malice wrote: »

What got you into Rock & Metal in the first place and what keeps you interested in it?

I got into rock from a young age. My dad listened to Pink Floyd, Queen, Deep Purple etc. which I liked pretty much as long as I can remember. Around 12/13 I got into metal gradually. I think it started with an Iron Maiden song on a compilation cd and grew from there.

How did you come across the Rock & Metal forum on Boards?

I was vaguely aware of boards as a website for a while. I decided to check out the music section at a time when I was thinking about buying an electric drumkit. While looking around I spotted this forum, and signed up.

What keeps you coming back to the forum?

In part I keep visiting to help keep up with new releases and gigs, but in general I find it a good place for discussion. In my opinion, its one of the more 'open to differing opinions' forums on the internet. It avoids elitism, and there's generally some good discussion.

What do you do when you're not rocking out?

At the moment, looking for work. I attended the auditions for the extras for The Vikings tv show this week, so hopefully will be doing that this summer. I have quite a few non-music hobbies, computer games, table-top games (think D&D), and juggling. Mostly I rock out. :pac:

What album do you feel had the greatest impact on you?

It was definitely Still Life by Opeth. It absolutely blew me away when I first heard it. A friend played it for me when I was still in my early days of listening to metal, and Opeth instantly became my favourite band. I had never heard prog with that heaviness, or metal with that technicality and creativeness before.

Where did your username come from?

It comes from these guys.


I tend to go through phases every now and then of listening to one band constantly for a few weeks. At the time I signed up to boards, that band was Naglfar.

Dr.Poca wrote: »

Do you listen to any music outside of rock/metal?

I listen to a fair bit outside of rock and metal. Although I don't know enough about the genre as I would like, I love jazz. Dave Brubeck is one of my favourite jazz artists. My favourite contemporary jazz artist is Hiromi Uehara, who I mentioned in the previous post. I listen to bits and pieces of a few other genres, such as Electronic, blues, and classical. I like funk and some old school hip hop as well, but don't listen to them very often. Rather than list a bunch of artists, I'll add a few videos.

Do you play any instruments, and if you could instantly play any instrument what would it be?

I play guitar and drums. Although I started out on guitar, I would think of drums as my primary instrument. I haven't really practiced guitar for a few years and rarely learn anything new, but still play every now and then.

I would love to be able to instantly play the piano. There's so much jazz and classical music that would be a lot of fun to play, and its a beautiful instrument. Honorable mentions for other instruments go to cello and banjo.

Underrated albums by well known bands?

Off the top of my head, I can only really think of albums that are underrated by some sections of some bands fanbases. For example, although Rush's 80's period is loved by some, plenty of people seem to hate it. There was lots of good stuff in there, and I would rate Grace Under Pressure as one of their best albums. I'm not sure if this counts well enough, so I'll come back to this if I think of a better answer.

LordChessington wrote: »

Imagine if a previously undiscovered island was found in the middle of the Pacific ocean that had a large indigenous population. Only a certain number of emissaries were allowed be sent to interact with and build relations with the natives and you were chosen to bring culture, specifically music to the island to show what has been happening outside their world.

Last thing you want is for this population to suddenly appreciate jedward and rihanna and want to get them a healthy start by converting them to rock and metal. What 5 rock/metal albums would you consider best to play to them, bearing in mind the only music they know is their own tribal beats? Blasting out Annihilation Of The Wicked would only scare them, so where would you start?

Protecting a civilisation from the perils of jedward and rihanna eh, glad to do it. I guess what I select has to be accessible and igood enough to leave these people wanting more. Despite my love of prog, I'll leave King Crimson etc. at home.

I think its important to begin with something uptempo, that's got groove. If they only know tribal beats, then maybe some cool rhythms will help as a starting point. First album to be played is Fear of Music by Talking Heads. From the opening tribal beats, through the groovy bass of Cities I figure it could work as a point of entry.

Next up I'll go with what I consider to be the best album by one of the most popular bands from rock's early days, The Beatles and Rubber Soul. The Beatles had a mass appeal, their music was catchy, and relatively simple (perfect for an introduction to rock). Again there is uptempo music, but focusing more on a solid rock back beat. This band and album is possibly the perfect safe introduction to rock.

For the third album, it is time to move forward a few years. At this point, I'm looking to begin a transition towards metal. I still want something with groove. The obvious choice of band to me is Led Zeppelin, in particular I'll go with their IV album. John Bonham is an iconic drummer, the driving beat of Levee is a strong closer on this album and a signature of Rock in my opinion. The tempo of Rock n Roll, Page's guitar throughout the album, and Plant's vocals are all fantastic. If they like this album, I would consider my mission a success.

With the fourth album, I think its time to move firmly into metal. Iron Maiden were one of the first metal bands to get me interested in the genre, so here's hoping they work as well here. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is my choice. It's full of great songs, and great musicianship throughout. As a metal band, Maiden are quite accessible, and have plenty of catchy choruses. Also, as it is a concept album, I would hope that they would eventually become interested in albums as a whole work. Maybe this could serve as an introduction to prog if I ever returned for a second mission. :pac:

Finally, an iconic metal album is needed for the fifth choice. Metallica are about as iconic as it gets, and the black album is probably the best choice here. Overplayed as it may be, Enter Sandman is an undeniably powerful song. It demands attention from the opening riff, and damn well keeps it. The riff repeated throughout the song is almost hypnotic. The album mixes this catchy style with some quality thrash too, so this would ideally open up the door to the earlier Metallica albums, as well as everything else that Metal has to offer.

viadah wrote: »

What was the most confusing moment in the history of rock/metal for you?

The most confusing moments for me are some particular things that people have done, but aren't actually music related. For example, Keith Richards snorting his dead father's ashes confuses the hell out of me. Not sure why anyone would possibly do that.

The most confusing moment in that vein is the story of Per "Dead" Ohlin's suicide - if anyone doesn't know who he was, he did vocals for Mayhem for a while in the early 90's. There are lots of odd stories about these guys, but this one always stuck out to me. It's, well, bizarre.

On 8 April 1991, Dead committed suicide in the house owned by the band. He was found by Euronymous with slit wrists and a shotgun wound to the head. Dead's suicide note notably read "Excuse all the blood, cheers." and included an apology for firing the weapon indoors. Instead of calling the police, Euronymous went to a nearby store and bought a disposable camera to photograph the corpse, after re-arranging some items.[9] One of these photographs was later stolen and used as the cover of a bootleg live album Dawn of the Black Hearts.[10] Rumors later surfaced that Euronymous made a stew with pieces of Dead's brain, and made necklaces with fragments of Dead's skull which he gave to musicians he deemed worthy.

What's your favourite album artwork?

Malice wrote: »

Who's the most famous musician you've met?

I haven't really met anyone other than briefly after a gig. I met the guys from Anvil after they played at a showing of their documentary in Cineworld a few years ago, and Turisas last year. Just a quick handshake, photo, autograph and brief chat. They all seemed cool though.

Who do you think is the biggest idiot in metal and why?

I mentioned Axl Rose as someone I can't stand, and it would definitely be him. He is probably the biggest prima donna in metal. I think he threw a hissy fit and tried to sue Activision a couple of years ago when Slash appeared on their Guitar Hero game and one of GnR's songs was used in the same game. As far as I remember, his problem was Slash's inclusion. Just one example, but illustrates his attitude nicely.

Who would be your favourite metal babe?

Probably Cristina Scabbia in a strictly metal sense. If I can get away with it, I would say Ann Marie Calhoun, who played with Steve Vai, among others, for a while.

Do you dress like a metalhead?

Well I have the facial hair and long hair, and a decent amount of band tshirts, so I'm probably quite recognisable as a metal head.

What was the last album that you bought?

Rush - Clockwork Angels.

Any sub-genre within metal that you just cannot stand?

Nu metal, but there's not so much of that these days. At least not that I am exposed to. More recently, I don't like/get Djent.

What was your favourite gig this year?

Unfortunately, I haven't made it to any metal gigs yet this year, although there were a couple I am disappointed to have missed out on. I rarely find myself going to gigs in the first half of the year, for some reason the bands that I really want to see tend to play in the later half. My favourite gig this year was Bela Fleck at the national concert hall.

Any upcoming gigs you're looking forward to?

Sure, there's a few I'd like to go to. Gama Bomb and Mael Mordha have gigs coming up which I hope to go to if I get the chance. Ensiferum are playing in September (I think), which I will definitely go to.

Do you keep up to date with the Irish rock/metal scene and, if so, any bands we should watch out for?

I don't keep up with the scene as much as I probably should. There are some fantastic Irish rock and metal bands, such as Gama Bomb, Primordial, God is an Astronaut, The Redneck Manifesto, Adebisi Shank, and And So I Watch You From Afar. I'd say a lot of people here know these bands, but if not I would recommend them.

Could you name your all-time favourite band?

It has to be Rush. With 19 studio albums between 1974 and 2012, there's obviously a lot of musical variety throughout their back catalogue. Their albums have been consistently top class (despite the odd overly cheesy lyrics) in both songwriting and musical technicality. If I could only listen to one band for the rest of my life, I would be happy to listen to Rush.

What is your favourite aspect of the rock/metal scene and, conversely, what is your least favourite?

I guess my favourite aspect is the way it crosses national barriers. Despite other cultural differences, I often find that metal heads are quite similar in some ways. The first time I ever went to a metal bar was in Oslo a good few years ago, on holiday with some friends. I remember as soon as we walked in we immediately felt at home, in a bar with likeminded individuals listening to great music. We went back to that bar each night. Whenever it was quiet, we'd sit with the locals and discuss metal. I've had similar experiences with people from other countries so I wouldn't say its just a Norway/Ireland thing.

My least favourite thing is the elitism that can exist, but that's rare in my experience.

Is there a rock/metal band out there with loads of fans that you just don't get?

Deftones never appealed to me at all, yet lots of people like them. Not much to say, I just don't get it.

What in your opinion is the best debut album of all time

It's so tough to pick a best debut album. I'd say the most impressive is Decapitated's Winds of Creation. It's a beast of an album. I still listen to it and can't believe that those guys made that album when they were so young. I think Vitek was 16 when he recorded that.

If you could erase one band from existence, who would it be?

I mentioned Nickelback as having no redeeming qualities earlier, so they are a strong contender. For the sake of saying another band though, I would say Killswitch Engage. I'm not a fan of theirs at all, and their cover of Holy Diver is enough to make me happy to erase from existence.