Articles

NOTE: This will be a boring statistical analysis and meta-cognitive (?) journal entry. It is written for myself. You are welcome to read it, but be warned it will not be exciting.



Well it took me almost exactly five months to get another 5,000 scrobbles, so I guess I'm slowing down. I did have some major computer problems in May but I don't think that slowed me down too much (and it was certainly nothing compared to whitey25's denial of a computer). Summer is coming up so I should be playing music constantly again.

I feel like I've been mostly listening to black metal recently but I think that phase is dying off. After my first exposure to it about half a year ago, I get obsessed with it and starting acquiring all the big name bands... I'm sort of burned out now. I've also been listening to a lot of 'non-metal' recently because I've had midterms and finals and I can't study while listening to Slayer etc. In particular, I find it best to study to instrumental music so I'm listening to some video game soundtracks. There's a familiarity/nostalgia factor with them from playing the games, so I'm becoming particularly attached... I've only got a few right now but I think I will get more soon. I'm also going through a hardcore punk phase at the moment... I'm having a hard time though because my additions have been a little hit-or-miss.

TOP 50 ARTISTS
## (LAST ##) - ARTIST - COUNTRY - PLAYS
01 (NR) - The Beatles - UK - 245
02 (01) - Death - US - 209
03 (04) - Amon Amarth - SWE - 205
04 (07) - Iron Maiden - UK - 204
05 (05) - Iced Earth - US - 199
06 (01) - Edge of Sanity - SWE - 185
07 (06) - Emperor - NOR - 150
08 (03) - Carcass - UK - 144
09 (10) - Helloween - GER - 141
10 (15) - Sodom - GER - 133
11 (28) - Absu - US - 130
11 (08) - Megadeth - US - 130
13 (25) - Quo Vadis- CAN - 129
14 (11) - Morbid Angel - US - 127
15 (16) - Dream Theater - US - 115
16 (12) - Judas Priest - UK - 113
17 (14) - Bolt Thrower - UK - 111
18 (27) - Blind Guardian - GER - 110
19 (17) - Disillusion - GER - 106
20 (20) - Immortal - NOR - 104
21 (18) - Black Sabbath - UK - 100
22 (09) - Dead Kennedys - US - 99
23 (24) - Slayer - US - 98
24 (NR) - Arch Enemy - SWE - 94
24 (34) - Bad Brains - US - 94
26 (39) - Metallica - US - 88
26 (37) - Tool - US - 88
28 (21) - Atheist - US - 86
29 (18) - Angel Witch - UK - 84
30 (22) - At the Gates - SWE - 83
31 (NR) - Nocturnus - US - 82
32 (12) - Dethklok - US - 81
33 (NR) - Minor Threat - US - 78
33 (48) - Pantera - US - 78
33 (37) - Ulver - NOR - 78
36 (NR) - Demons & Wizards - US - 77
37 (NR) - Die Apokalyptischen Reiter - GER - 75
38 (34) - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - UK - 74
39 (32) - Cynic - US - 73
40 (40) - Led Zeppelin - UK - 72
41 (NR) - Wuthering Heights - DEN - 71
42 (42) - Dark Tranquillity - SWE - 70
43 (NR) - King Diamond - DEN - 69
44 (NR) - Apocalyptica - FIN - 68
44 (32) - D.R.I. - US - 68
46 (NR) - Kiuas - FIN - 67
47 (NR) - Martin O'Donnell & Michael Salvatori - US - 66
47 (30) - Soilwork - SWE - 66
49 (42) - Incubus - US - 65
50 (NR) - Kreator - GER - 63

Dropped Out: Alien Ant Farm, Amorphis, Cancer, Cream, Diamond Head, Fantômas, Ghoul, Gorgoroth, John Zorn, Opeth, !T.O.O.H.!, Vader

CATEGORICAL ANALYSIS
By Country:
United States - 21
United Kingdom - 9
Germany - 6
Sweden - 6
Norway - 3
Denmark - 2
Finland - 2
Canada - 1

By Genre:
METAL...!!! - 42
...NOT METAL?!? - 8

TOP 20 ALBUMS
## (LAST ##) - ALBUM - PLAYS
01 (05) - In the Nightside Eclipse - 94
02 (02) - Angel Witch - 83
03 (01) - The Dethalbum - 80
04 (03) - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables - 78
05 (08) - Bad Brains - 77
06 (14) - Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr I 5 Capitler - 70
07 (15) - Back To Times of Splendor - 66
07 (NR) - Demons & Wizards - 66
09 (NR) - Twilight of the Thunder God - 65
10 (NR) - Defiant Imagination - 62
10 (NR) - The Key - 62
12 (NR) - Rubber Soul - 60
13 (10) - Purgatory Afterglow - 58
14 (NR) - Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version - 57
14 (NR) - Halo 2: Original Sound Track: Volume 1 - 57
14 (10) - Walls of Jericho - 57
17 (10) - Agent Orange - 57
17 (NR) - Blessed are the Sick - 56
17 (04) - Lightning to the Nations - 56
20 (NR) - Focus - 55

Dropped Out: Alive in Athens, Awake, Heartwork, Naked City, Painkiller, Řád a Trest, Suspended Animation, Swansong, The Sound of Perseverance

Observations:
The Beatles went from unranked to #1? That'll never happen again... The Beatles are a major part of my studying playlist. It may not look like Carcass fell far, but I've only scrobbled 11 songs in five months. I'm really burned out on them and honestly, I don't think I like most of their songs. Dead Kennedys fell because they never should've been that high in the first place; they were brand-new to me last time.

Even though the album chart is fundamentally flawed -- it counts how many times I've scrobbled songs from the album, not the number of times I've played the album -- I'm going to keep it. One-album wonder bands are pretty much screwed as far as my Top 50 go but here they can dominate. I'm a little surprised about Twilight of the Thunder God; I didn't think I listed to it that much. And there's Chrono Trigger and Halo 2 representing the soundtracks I talked about earlier. I admit I've actually manipulated my Chrono Trigger scrobbles. I turned them off after one play through (yes, the album has 64 songs) because the tracks are only about 2 minutes long and I didn't want them taking over my charts.

Old Predictions:
I did a pretty good job though I guess I wasn't particularly daring in any of my guesses. Absu shot way up, although Gorgoroth fell off. Nocturnus made the cut. All five bands I targeted to fall off did so. My only misfire was on Sepultura; they still haven't made the list.

Predictions:
Arghoslent will make the list next time. They are still new to me so they have to catch up, but I can't get enough of the debut. I'll make a stretch pick this time... Dethklok (#32) will fall out. Die Apokalyptischen Reiter as well but honestly I'm surprised that's ranked in the first place. I'm feeling a death metal phase coming on... Look for Bolt Thrower to rise. Oh, and I'll make the easiest prediction of them all; 光田康典 will be ranked. To make it interesting, I'll say he'll be Top 20.

AND SINCE EVERYONE SEEMS TO KEEP TRACK OF THESE THINGS...
10000TH SCROBBLE: The Art of Shredding

Been preoccupied with my RYM restart...

Enslaved:
? Vikingligr Veldi (1994)

Gojira:
-/~ From Mars to Sirius (2005)

Hellhammer:
~ Satanic Rites (1983)

Lords Of Acid:
~/+ Voodoo-U (1994)

Ripping Corpse:
? Dreaming With the Dead (1991)

光田康典 (Yasunori Mitsuda):
+ Chrono Trigger: Original Sound Version (1995)

Various Artists (Running Wild / Hellhammer / Dark Avenger / Helloween):
~ Death Metal (1984)

Eh.

I donno... Mostly worrying about redoing all my reviews/rates now that I've wiped my RYM account.

Animal Alpha:
- Pheromones (2005)

Emperor / Enslaved
~/+ Emperor / Hordanes Land (1993)

Exivious:
? Exivious (2009)

Hollenthon:
+ With Vilest of Worms to Dwell (2001)

Intestine Baalism:
+ An Anatomy Of The Beast (1997)
? Ultimate Instinct (2008)

Merciless:
? The Treasures Within (1992)

Negură Bunget:
? 'N Crugu Bradului (2002)

Peste Noire:
+ La Sanie des siècles - Panégyrique de la dégénérescence (2006)

Vuvr:
+ Pilgrimage (2001)

I think that's everything... My RYM is a mess right now.

Don't ask about Animal Alpha, I liked their song in NHL06 and thought of them out of the blue and I dl'd it.

Intestine Baalism is really growing on me.

Hmm... A lot of 80's hardcore. Some attempts at getting into doom again. And a recommendation from Beef_Doughnut.

LEGEND:
+ = liked
~ = indifferent
- = hated
? = haven't listened yet

Bad Brains:
+ Rock For Light (1983)

Black Flag:
~ Damaged (1981)

Circle Jerks:
+ Group Sex (1980)
+ Wild in the Streets (1982)

Crisis:
- 8 Convulsions (1994)

D.I.:
~ Team Goon (1983)
~ Ancient Artifacts (1985)

Dream Theater:
- Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009)

Electric Wizard:
- Dopethrone (2000)

Intestine Baalism:
~/+ Banquet In The Darkness (2003)

Martin O'Donnell & Martin Salvatori:
+ Halo 2: Original Soundtrack: Volume Two (2006)

Pig Destroyer:
+ Terrifyer (2004)

Saint Vitus:
? Saint Vitus (1984)

T.S.O.L.:
+ Dance With Me (1981)

Witchfinder General:
~ Death Penalty (1982)

Wow, that's more than I remembered...

Like I said, definitely into the hardcore. Black Flag seemed overrated and D.I. has some really good songs but also some really boring slow ones too... Intestine Baalism reminds me of Arghoslent, which is a good thing, but I'm not crazy about the vocals. I think they'll grow on me though. Wasn't very impressed with doom metal. Finally, I don't want to hear any shit about the Halo 2 OST.

Wait, I almost forgot... The new Dream Theater sucks so hard I don't even know how to describe it.

Once again, not much this week. In fact I didn't get anything until Saturday... A physics midterm and a research paper that could collectively decide my future as a full-time student enrolled at UCR have been preoccupying me to say the least.

Still mostly into power metal, though I picked up some things at the recommendation of DaBears116.

Been on a power metal phase recently...

LEGEND:
+ = liked
~ = indifferent
- = hated
? = haven't listened yet

Abazagorath:
+ Tenebrarum Cadent Exsurgemus (1997)

Master:
~ Master (1990)
? On the Seventh Day God Created... Master (1991)

Ulysses Siren:
+ Above the Ashes (2003)

Wuthering Heights:
+ Within (1999)
+ To Travel for Evermore (2002)
+ The Shadow Cabinet (2006)

That Master album has one of the best titles I've ever seen. Wuthering Heights was good, but none of it compares to their third album (added last week).

Not much this week... Had a lot going in my life which included getting a new computer and reformatting the one I was using for music playback. I should be copying everything off the external on to the reformatted computer soon though so scrobbles should stay high.

Been on a power metal phase recently...

LEGEND:
+ = liked
~ = indifferent
- = hated
? = haven't listened yet

Haggard:
? Eppur Si Muove (2004)

Jag Panzer:
? Ample Destruction (1984)

Lost Horizon:
? Awakening The World (2001)

Wuthering Heights:
+ Far From The Madding Crowd (2004)

Sort of scared about Haggard. Picked it up out of curiosity...

Some variety this week... Thrash, death, power, melodic death... even one black. Almost all of it was "good" too.

LEGEND:
+ = liked
~ = indifferent
- = hated
? = haven't listened yet

Arghoslent:
+ Galloping Through the Battle Ruins (1998)
+ Incorrigible Bigotry (2002)
? Hornets of the Pogrom (2008)

DBC:
+ Universe (1989)

Demolition Hammer:
+ Epidemic Of Violence (1992)

Enslaved:
+ Eld (1997)

Hibria:
+ Defying the Rules (2004)
? The Skull Collectors (2008)

Infernäl Mäjesty:
+ None Shall Defy (1987)

Kiuas:
+ Reformation (2006)
+ The New Dark Age (2008)

Nile:
- In Their Darkened Shrines (2002)

Obliveon:
- Nemesis (1993)

Obliveon was too boring for tech death. I don't like Nile's vocalist. I know you are all going to hate on me for that so fuck you. I'm right you're wrong.

I'm starting a new journal series: Every Monday I'll list all the albums I've acquired in the previous week (Monday to Sunday) along with my initial reception. I'm a little behind schedule already (it's Tuesday) but it's about time I get this done because I've been meaning to for almost a month now.

LEGEND:
+ = liked
~ = indifferent
- = hated
? = haven't listened yet

Augury:
~ Concealed (2004)

Cadaver:
+ ...In Pains (1992)

Lamb of God:
-/~ Ashes Of The Wake (2004)

Mekong Delta:
? The Music of Erich Zann (1988)

Necrophobic:
? The Nocturnal Silence (1993)
? Spawned by Evil (1996, EP)

Phlebotomized:
~ Immense Intense Suspense (1994)

Stargazer:
+ The Scream that Tore the Sky (2005)

Therion:
- Symphony Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas (1993)
- Lepaca kliffoth (1995)
+ Theli (1996)
- Vovin (1998)