jeudi 18 Jan 2007, 13h30m

A couple of days late, but close enough. I wrote an entry on my first "anniversary" detailing all of the metal I was getting into and the nu-metal I was steering clear of. I'm sure this journal will be much the same, but not as metal. For the first time in who knows how long, I've been actively searching for bands that don't fit into any metal sub-genre. So, now that I've said the word metal too much, I'll get into the past year and the changes that have occurred within it.

I started off the year getting more into death metal. I was still listening moreso to the melodic side, ie Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Dark Tranqullity, but gave some more "straight" death metal, ie Morbid Angel, Bolt Thrower, Cryptopsy a listen and really liked it. However, the lure of power metal was very strong and I got swept up in catchy songs about dragons and such for quite a while. My obsession with Dragonforce and Sonata Arctica is still reflected strongly within my charts.

Folk/viking metal was probably what I became interested in most over the past 12 months. Starting at the beginning of 2006, I was given a CD by Heol Telwen, a French folk/black metal band. I really liked the combination of black metal vocals and instrumentation with flutes and other traditional Celtic instruments. Soon after came Ensiferum and Elvenking, two more "fun" bands of the genre. Recently I've been falling in love with the more black metal side of folk, especially Windir and Falkenbach. The instant I saw the cover art of Arntor I knew I'd love it. Incredible album. I can't forget the most pumped up music since bloody Eye of the Tiger, Turisas!

And motherfucking grind. Almost forgot all the grind I was listening to. Fuck...I'm Dead have been spammed to hell by me, but other grind(ish) stuff that's been desolating my charts with its ridiculously short songs include The Berzerker, Macabre (who I've been into for a while now, but just recently got around to getting albums other than Sinister Slaughter), Pig Destroyer, Cattle Decapitation and Blood Duster. Basically the only bands I listen to from my city are grindcore. I don't know what to make of that.

The biggest musical change for me this year, however, was the inclusion of plenty of non-metal music. After being recommended the Refused song Summerholidays vs. Punkroutine, I began looking a bit more into punk. (Note: I know fuck all about punk so don't think I claim to or anything) I started on the more poppy side with Rise Against and was infatuated with them for about two weeks. Now, not so much. Still, I began listening to basically anything that caught my eye; bands like Spazz, Outbreak, Black Flag, Cheap Sex and especially Against Me!. Re-inventing Axl Rose really works for me, at any time.

Extending from that style, I began listening to quite a bit of psychobilly stuff. Since I first heard of that genre I thought the whole idea was something I'd get into, but didn't really listen to the music. I'm glad I finally got around to it. Zombie Ghost Train, Mad Marge and the StoneCutters, Tiger Army and Mad Sin all make some awesome, catchy and fun music. Love it.

A bit of post-hardcore has caught my interest too, namely HORSE the band and The Blood Brothers, as well as My Chemical Romance's first album (yes, I feel like a cock for enjoying it, but tough shit). I'm used to music which isn't predictable and doesn't follow a traditional structure, but post-hardcore just seems so chaotic. I guess that's part of the appeal, but I find myself loving the more "relaxed" tracks, like Laser Life.

And then, there was post-rock. Explosions in the Sky are pretty much my favourite find in 2006. It's excellent music that can sound awesome lost in the background, but just gets better once you sit, cloes your eyes and listen. This Will Destroy You are fast doing the same thing for me.

I don't think I can finish this journal without mentioning my "guilty pleasures" either. Bloody Panic! at the Disco really got me interested. I first listened to "The Only Difference Between blah blah blah", whatever, pretentious long name bullshit, and enjoyed it but only recently did I realise that I like the rest of their stuff too, especially Time to Dance. Then there's the bloody cake song, Cooking by the Book. Fucking hell, I wish I could say I didn't enjoy that song. I blame this bitch.

And I'm kinda drunk now, so like… don't shit me about bad grammar and poor writing, coz I'll have a heart attack. Or something, I dunno. Fuck you.

EDIT: GIVE ME RECOMMENDATIONS, YOU BASTARDS