Eliminator Jr.

So I played in a death metal band for a while back when I was in high school, and right after.  We recorded some stuff, some of which I'm pretty proud of.  I think it's pretty cool, and I think some of you guys would be interested in hearing it too.  We were like, thrashy old school death metal.  Like old Morbid Angel, maybe some Possessed, crossed with some black metal maybe like late-era Immortal.  But lots of Morbid Angel   I basically wanted to be Trey Azagthoth, and didn't do a great job hiding it haha.  Those guitar solos mannnn. 

Anyway, we made 2 demos/EPs, a year apart.  The first one is from August 2003, when I was 17 and just about to enter high school.  The 2nd one is from August 2004, just after graduation when I was 18.  The first one is obviously lesser quality, as we recorded it in my garage rehearsal space with a very bootleg DIY setup.  I still love it though.
 
Both of these albums are on Youtube, but I think i'd like to highlight some individual songs first. 
 
 
 

Martin Shkreli?!

Martin Shkreli?!

Martin Shkreli?!

Jumbo Gumbo™ from Gumbo's rating system officially rated this album:
 
— "Could be longer."

When I get the other three in I will do a full, out of sleeves photo.

 

I don't have a problem. (So I keep telling myself.)

 

It happened

Saw them tonight in Chicago. Fantastic show. They sounded really, really good. They played everything from both albums but not in order. I actually really enjoyed the new stuff live, more than I expected to. Also hung around and met them and their families after, they're all super nice people. Go see them if you can. Also, Joan of Arc opened. A guy in a banana suit and mask danced around and smushed bananas up in his hands and handed them out to the audience, so there's that.
 




 

Yeah, no sweat.  It was a random idea I had, but if you'll be returning it, I wouldn't worry about it.
 
The more I think about this post, the more I feel compelled to ask you why this album failed to meet your expectations.  Not in dude, what's wrong with you? way (but really; what's wrong with you?) but in a genuine manner.  It's fine that the album isn't your cup of tea, but I'd personally love to hear what doesn't do it for you, specifically.
 
For me, this album is the cat's pajamas.  It's the bee's knees; the kingpin's ball.  It's fine that you don't agree with that or any of the following, but I personally love that Caspian showed us that they're anything but a one-trick pony.  Waking Season suggested that, but D&D confirmed it. Aside from the most prominent use of vocals that we've heard from the band, they also veered away from the soaring, shiny, triumphant tremolo on earlier material.  They've spent years showing us that they can capture the sound of hope with builds that are just as good as any under the post-rock umbrella; on Dust, though, I feel like they really flexed their songwriting muscles and showcased their ability to reach comparable heights but through other means.  There's a sort of spacey somberness woven through the whole album – even in the interludes – and a lot of the moments that hit hard manage to do so in a fashion that is notably more grandiose and well-executed than the bulk of post-rock in recent years.
 
I just recently revisited the album and I'm a little confused on why anyone wouldn't regard it as one of the strongest, most mature additions to their repertoire of incredible music.  To each his own, of course, but I'd love to hear where you'd disagree.

Oh man, oh man the show tonight was incredible.
I hadn't seen The Appleseed Cast since the LLO tour (first and only time to see them prior to tonight), so it was nice seeing them play other stuff. Lots of Mare Vitalis, which was awesome. They're so so so good. And it was nice not having to suffer through a subpar opening. Boom, right in with the TAC.
Setlist: 
Kilgore Trout
Cathedral Rings 
Here We Are (Family in the Hallways)
Sunset Drama King
Silas Knife
Fishing the Sky
Santa Maria
Forever Longing the Golden Sunsets
Steps and Numbers
 
Caspian. Jesus fucking christ, Caspian. Where to even begin? The last time I had seen them was in 2011 at SXSW, so it's been a while. Loved hearing the stuff from Waking Season--'Gone in B&B' especially is a gut check, because I remember listening to that the day that Chris passed away, and being pretty wrecked by it. I was blown away by the stuff from D&D--it all translated so well. 'Arcs of Command' was so fucking good. I know the cliche is "face melting", but my god that's not an exaggeration. That song ruled. They took a break after 'The Raven', saying that this is the part where they'd leave the stage, pretend they were done, and come back to play more. My other favorite 'Rioseco' right into 'Darkfield' again just blew my mind with their weight and impact. Everything was loud and hard hitting--just unreal. The new song 'Castles High, Marble Bright' was good--better than I thought it'd be, honestly and I thought that was the end of the show. But people in the crowd started chanting "one more song! one more song!" I thought there was absolutely no way that they'd come back out, but after a few minutes, instead of dying out, the chant was actually getting LOUDER, and eventually they came back on the stage. Phil basically said that at the beginning of the tour, they'd all promised themselves that they would only play what they were about to play in very special circumstances. And that this was one of them since the crowd was so amazing. Proceeded to play 'Sycamore'. Blew my fucking mind. I saw it back in 2011, but it didn't mean as much to me then as it did now. And I guess prepping myself/knowing that I wouldn't be seeing it, made them playing it even more special. Had a great time rocking out. Need to not wait 5 years to see them again.
Setlist:
Waking Season
Echo and Abyss
Some are White Light
Gone in Bloom and Bough
Arcs of Command
Sad Heart of Mine
The Raven
Rioseco
Darkfield
Castles High, Marble Bright
Encore: Sycamore.

FUCKING REKT!!!
Love you too, fuckface.

Excited to catch Caspian in a week.  Phil said that they're going to cancel the show and play their discography for my +1 and I if we show up early.  Also been talking with him about renaming the band but he's waiting on more input from me.  You guys can also look forward to some amazing Tertia repress variants that I'm helping the band decide on.

New pressing on what looks to be pilsner with silver splatter:

They have this on tour with them. Apparently it's in stock on Amazon as well labeled as "(2LP) (Colored Vinyl)" . I'll have mine in two days to post my own photos. I talked to Jani today and he didn't even know about it. Haha. 

I'm trying to avoid assault charges when he yells for a 3 hour set.

A week later @Polyvinyl Record Co. checks up on the thread...

Dave, you nailed it. As someone who is going through the same in my marriage, this album hit me like a ton of bricks
 
where are we now? both home alone, in the same house

(I guess this is kind of directed at the teens.)
 
It took a few years for their self titled to really sink in for me. At first listen it was ok, just another album that wasn't really that special to me. I think I was 17 at the time. Just a normal kid, with normal shit to deal with I guess. It's life experience that really made the album evolve and grow for me, just as I was starting to in my early 20s. One day I put it on and it just made sense. I finally heard what was being said. So when people say 'give it a couple years' I totally get that. That really isn't an insult. It's a simple, and accurate statement. No one said teenagers' opinions are invalid just because they are teenagers, but you need to look at the bigger picture; humans are complex. To complain when people use the variables of 'time' and 'age' as a counterpoint is ironically childish on your part, cause it's true. I can name so many albums that meant so much more to me after I had experienced heartache, loss, depression, etc. Music is emotional, so life experience comes into play A LOT. More ironic is that in a few years the ones complaining about their age will get it. There is going to be music that you can listen to at 16 and it won't mean that much to you on a personal level. Then years later you get a job, have your own place, meet a nice girl, date, fall in love, are happy, and out of nowhere the 'love of your life' rips your fucking heart out. You're in a city where everything reminds you of her, you wake up every morning with chest pain, spending all day playing it all over and over in your head trying to figure out what went wrong. Then you put on that American Football album you used to listen to all those years ago, and suddenly it all makes sense, and you remember when someone said 'give it a couple years', and what they meant becomes a little more clear, as does the album itself. Sometimes age is a legitimate reason for something. We were all in the same age as you, so it's not like it's some put down. It's just the way it is. Just how like a 40 year old could tell me 'just give it a few years', and I'll understand because it's true; time will tell.
 
Take 'I Need a Drink (or Two or Three)' for example:
[Verse 1]
I need a drink... or two or three
To fall asleep without you
I’ve had the longest day
I'm as blue as the sky is grey
[Verse 2]
I need a drink or two or three or four
To spend any time alone with me anymore
Every day, a chance to change
But the devil will find a way
As sure as the sky is grey
I’m gonna die this way
[Verse 3]
Oh, how I wish that I were me
The man that you first met and married
I’m tired of fighting
Endless thunder and lightning
I can’t break this bender
To it, I surrender
 
I especially feel connected to 'I've Been Lost For So Long', and I bet a lot of other people love this album do as well.
[Chorus 1]
If you find me
Could you please remind me
Why I woke up today?
[Verse 2]
I feel so sick
Doctor, it hurts when I exist
This isn't the pain I'm usually in
I hope it's not contagious
[Bridge]
Maybe I’m asleep and this is all a dream
I can’t believe my life is happening to me
[Chorus 2]
If you find me
Could you please remind me
Why I should wake up tomorrow?
 
To someone has experienced it, it means everything. To someone who hasn't it doesn't mean anything personally. To someone who has experienced it, it is their life, their story. To someone who hasn't it's just a story. Each of those words are like a fucking punch in the stomach for me. Without diving into too much personal shit, I've lived that song, I am that song to a degree. I need some way to be ok with who I am now, but 'I feel so sick', and isn't how I'm not who I used to be; how I wake up every morning 'blue as the sky is grey' and 'why did I wake up today' / 'why should I wake up tomorrow', knowing that 'I'm gonna die this way'. So yeah, at 16 that song wouldn't mean much of anything to me. At 29 I am that song. Sometimes you just gotta "give it a couple years". No one likes being stereotyped ( just ask Descendents), but it wasn't really a stereotype or an insult. It was just a general statement. No one is saying your opinions are invalid because you are younger, or that you've never experienced loss, pain, etc., but with life comes experience, with experience comes understanding, with understanding comes clarity. Music like this gives me solace when waking up each day is hard.
 
I didn't real mean to write all that. No one reads long shit on here.
 
/
 
Anyways, I'm glad I'm able to appreciate the follow up right out of the gate. It was still a grower for me, but after a week I was madly in love. I'm just glad the heartbreak I'm feeling listening to this is some sort of solace. So yeah, this is album of the year material for me (and that's coming from someone who doesn't care for any other of their projects).
 
As far as LP1 vs. LP2, to me they're both their own thing. I hold LP1 in very high regard, and love LP2. So I'm very happy. American Football is lovely.

Here's that 1% you're missing.

1. What do you think has caused/contributed to the vinyl resurgence and why?

 
2. What do vinyl records mean to you? 

 
3. Do you prefer the visual or aural aspects of vinyl records?

 
4. What are the benefits of vinyl records over other formats of music?

Someone please do something about this. Dereks signature being perfectly in line with his profile pic is one of the few aesthetically pleasing things on these boards and I'm getting a severe headache seeing that it's not.
 
I'm not even joking.

wut
 
So, I'm just now able to sit down and properly watch this video, tonight, since I didn't want to stream it on my phone at work.  Giving it the proper 1080 justice is absolutely worth it and I'm glad I waited all day.  Here's what I've got to say about it.
The song itself is strong enough on its own, but I wasn't expecting the accompanying footage to be so captivating as well.  Sometimes I feel like a robot on these boards, because Gumbo is posting about how he's crying over Sunbather and a lot of other users talk about how certain post-hardcore albums (pertaining to loss of family) reduce them to tears just one song in... and that's great; music is supposed to be moving and engaging.  But those posts typically leave me shrugging, rolling my eyes, or wondering what I'm missing – depending on the post and context of the music, of course.
 
But something about this video... I don't know.  I did not flood my keyboard with salty eye-water, but after being taken on a literal journey with their tour and accompanying the rises and falls of the track, there was something about seeing the finale and Phil's CMF tattoo that gave me that sensation of everything in my head and throat tightening up, with my insides aspiring to melt, concave, and vaporize all at once.  Probably the most "wow, why is this so crazy?" thing that's hit me, music wise, in quite some time, and I guess I just wanted to chime in on that.  Maybe I have a heart after all.

Purchased cause duh. 

// Castles High, Marble Bright
1) Castles High, Marble Bright | 8:53
2) 127 North | 8:05
https://caspiantheband.bandcamp.com/album/castles-high-marble-bright