the f*ucking champs

Executive Steve

"starlight on the barrow downs" is the first piece of dead tree music i have enjoyed in many many years. can anybody recommend any other bands in a similar vein?

Karl Hungus

I can't say I've actually heard The ****ing Champs, but what exactly would you call Dead Tree Music?

Executive Steve

music chiefly characterised by people physically striking or manipulating bits of dead tree, [guitars violins pianos drums etc]

Karl Hungus

That's quite a broad and sweeping categorization you've got there... Could mean anything from Buddy Rich to Rachmaninoff to Limp Bizkit.

Don't suppose you'd care to narrow it down any more?

Executive Steve

dont know if i really could to be honest... the f*cking champs are 5 geezers with a guitar each, no vocals and only minimal percussion on most of the tunes.... and yes i know that "dead tree music" covers pretty much everything from bach to the beatles and back, thats why i used those words.... i dont generally like most music made that way, unless you have a very competent producer you get all kinds of undesirable midrange frequencies and messy harmonics...... inconsiderate if you ask me :rolleyes:

Karl Hungus

Well, I won't exactly recommend Darkthrone to you in that case...

But seeing as you've mentioned you like Tool on the other thread, and going on your discription or The ****ing Champs, I'd say you're into the more experimental side of 'Dead Tree Music' and therefor a problem or two could arise in recommendations.

Experimental bands are quite few and far between, so I couldn't probably mention anything that's anyways close to what the ****ing champs do, but I'll name a few bands that you might find interesting, and that are quite original and experimental. Whether you like them or not, is another thing, but I'm sure you'll appreciate the eclectic music.

First off, try listening to Arcturus.
The last album, The Sham Mirrors is probably one of the most interesting albums in recent years. The music isn't 'Dead Tree' per-se, more a mix of electronic and traditional instruments, and sequencing. That isn't to say that there's a lot of bleeps and whizzes thrown into what would otherwise be pretty dull music, like quite a few other bands that could be mentioned do. Arcturus are quite masterfull songwriters, and it's incredibly interesting to hear the way they structure things, and introduce different elements to a song.

The singer, Kris Rigg is possible one of the finest vocalists you'll ever hear, so you should be safe in the knowledge it wont be the usual 'Dead Tree' vocals. He's credited on the album as Trickster G. Rex: Voices Of Ghosts And Monkeys And General Manipulation.

It's also of note that the drummer is one Jan Axel Von Blomberg, AKA Hellhammer. He plays with just about 50 different bands, and once held the world record for fastest drumming, but while you'd normally hear him thundering out the usual gattling gun style of drumming, with Arcturus, he really does something very different altogether with some absolutely stunning hi-hat and cymbal techniques. And there's a few snipets of 'Gattling Gun' drumming, but the album isn't full it constantly, so when he does fire off, it's all the more effective.

Check out the songs Kinetic, For To End Yet Again and Ad Absurdum.

I hope you won't be dissapointed.
But it might take a few listens for it all to sink in.
I didn't like Arcturus at all first time I heard them.


Here's some other bands who take more intersting, experemental, progressive and eclectic aproach to song-writing, and song structure...

Spiral Architect
Godspeed You Black Emperor
Opeth
Enslaved
Madder Mortem
Porcupine Tree
Ephel Duath
Ulver
Emperor
Green Carnation
Bethlehem

Now, I've tried to avoid name-dropping every band I can think of that uses different timings for the sake of it, otherwise I'd be mentioning a horde of 'Crazy' Grindcore bands. Similarly I've also avoided mentioning every band that just throws in some keyboards, or electronics.

But keep in mind, some of the bands I've mentioned are very heavy, like Opeth, Emperor, Enslaved... And some bands earlier output, while certainly brilliant, isn't exactly that experimental or progressive, such as Ulver, Emperor, Enslaved or Bethlehem.

Anyway, enjoy.

K!LL!@N

Originally posted by [cm]tyranny
dont know if i really could to be honest... the f*cking champs are 5 geezers with a guitar each, no vocals and only minimal percussion on most of the tunes.... and yes i know that "dead tree music" covers pretty much everything from bach to the beatles and back, thats why i used those words.... i dont generally like most music made that way, unless you have a very competent producer you get all kinds of undesirable midrange frequencies and messy harmonics...... inconsiderate if you ask me :rolleyes:

Eh, there's only 3 of them.
And they generally play with 2 guitars and drums.
You mustn't have listened to much of their stuff if you didn't hear much percussion.
IV is probably my favourite album of their's, though i like V too.
Saw them live in Limerick when my mate supported them a few years back.

Killian

Executive Steve

yeah i remember my crazy metal housemate banging on about hellhammer years ago! arcturus and opeth i think ive heard... thats the really deep atmospheric metal buzz isnt it? if either had an album that was like whiteish greyish and had lots of haunting instrumentals on it then that wa good stuff... is the sound cellar still the best place for buying metal? i hate downloading stuff apart from clips and dj mixes etc and i only really buy vinyl, dont even own a cd player but i really want to broaden my horizons a bit.. i realise experimental is all too often an excuse for "no quality control" but i just really want to hear someone doing something a bit different from the usual "three chords three geezaers lyrics about having a bad day at school" crap, so if anybody has any recommendations whatsoever please hook me up!

speaking of insanely talented metal drummers, did anybody hear any of mick harris solo stuff??? he's done some deadly electronic stuff on hymen under the name scorn... he's supposedly the guy who first gave uk techno legend surgeon the encouragement to make music [he locked him in his studio for 18 hours and shouted "GO MAD!" through the keyhole!]

Karl Hungus

Originally posted by [cm]tyranny
yeah i remember my crazy metal housemate banging on about hellhammer years ago! arcturus and opeth i think ive heard... thats the really deep atmospheric metal buzz isnt it? if either had an album that was like whiteish greyish and had lots of haunting instrumentals on it then that wa good stuff... is the sound cellar still the best place for buying metal? i hate downloading stuff apart from clips and dj mixes etc and i only really buy vinyl, dont even own a cd player but i really want to broaden my horizons a bit.. i realise experimental is all too often an excuse for "no quality control" but i just really want to hear someone doing something a bit different from the usual "three chords three geezaers lyrics about having a bad day at school" crap, so if anybody has any recommendations whatsoever please hook me up!

Yes, the 3-Chord stuff is insanely bad.
Hence my dislike of Greenday.

Neither Opeth nor Arcturus had an album that was filled with haunting instrumentals, but Opeth's Blackwater Park album was a whiteisg grey looking one. Not too sure what you're thinking of, but could conceivably be Burzum.

Executive Steve

wasnt burzum.. i had one of their albums on tape once and it certainly wasnt them... did any of the arcturus people ever have a one man side project?? sorry this is years ago and my brain has been absolutely fried since...

Karl Hungus

Well, it could be any of the guys from Arcturus, for that matter...

Singer Kris Rigg is also in Ulver, and used to be with Borknagar.
Hellhammer is in too many bands to even bother mentioning.
Steiner Sverd Jonsen played with The Covenant, and others I'm sure.
Samoth played with Emperor, and is now playing with Zyklon.
And god knows how many others that have worked with Arcturus in the past.

To be honest, you'd nearly need a join-the-dots chart for the band members.

I dislike to be pedantic, but I'm still thinking Burzum, as that was a one man project, and despite you having a tape of one of the albums, the older stuff is radically different to the more recent outputtings. In fact, the last Burzum album was pure atmospheric electronica, so one tape couldn't possibly give you an idea of the rapidly changing sound of Burzum.

Though, it could possibly be Ulver's "Perdition City" album you could be on about, but I kinda doubt it.