Needles & Grooves

I expected it to be good, but I didn't expect it to be a perfect alchemy. Truly spectacular. Moved, even.

Just curious, does Rip's Top10 live show list exist?

@musicjunkiegreg it does, but I need to edit it. Keep in mind that I am someone who didn't start going to concerts alone until I was nearly 25 in 2018, lmao

Do they play any infinite granite stuff live nowadays?

@McGlam thank god they did not lmao

@Rip_City what is the significance of going to concerts alone?

@musicjunkiegreg I guess I should mention that ~90% of the time that I go to concerts alone. Prior to 2018, I was always alongside parents/relatives.

i saw them on the IG tour and didn't love it, so that's why I'm asking

@Rip_City ahh, I gotcha now. I can definitely see how that changes the experience.

I guess I should give the new album another go then? After (2) initial listens when it first dropped, I thought it was good, but not as good as all the hype it was getting. I wasn't blown away or anything... It was a solid 7.5 outta 10. Maybe it was due to other new black metal-style albums overshadowing it at the time..

@musicjunkiegreg I really love it. After having gone through Ordinary Corrupt Human Love and Infinite Granite of which I didn't really like either (owned the former on 2xLP; traded in to a local record store two years ago), I'm elated that they've returned to the form that initially captivated me. "Amethyst" is no doubt one of my top10 Deafheaven songs now.

@musicjunkiegreg I will say that I haven't listened to anywhere near the volume of metal that you have this year and therefore don't have enough to pit it against. I wouldn't expect your opinion on this to elevate further with another retread.

@Rip_City my favorite album from Deafheaven is New Bermuda (2015). So, I, too, was disappointed in 2018 and even moreso in 2021 with those subsequent releases (which you mentioned). And that's interesting - my favorite track from the new album is also 'Amethyst'.

@Rip_City 2025 has been an excellent year for new metal releases so far, especially atmospheric black metal. With the new releases from Saor, Grima, Gráb, Sivyj Yar, Void of Hope, and Havukruunu (my tied frontrunner for album of the year right now with Messa [who is actually not atmo BM]), I had many brand new standouts in my heavy rotation. 1 of 2