Quote:
Originally Posted by Saint
Sounds like you'd probably like Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
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I very much do. They're actually my top-played artist on last.fm.
Orphaned Land - Building the Ark
Few other metal bands are making material this complex and epic right now. This album took eight years to conceive, write and record, and it shows; I really can't imagine how this album could have been improved upon in any manner, and it's rather refreshing to hear something coming out of Israel that isn't "RAWR ZIONISM ÜBER ALLES" (as this album has representatives of the three major monotheistic religions working together, as if there were nothing separating them). While religious music can often come off sounding as preachy and pretentious, that never happens here; it just adds further depth to the already folk-influenced atmosphere of the album. It doesn't hurt, either, that the songwriting is fantastic; this is some of the most emotionally evocative musical material I've ever heard, and if not for the fact that Ayreon's
The Human Equation came out the same year, this would be my runaway favourite for best album of 2004.