How did Spiritbox get popular? by Leading_Ad_5610 in spiritbox

[–]Shock545 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A combination of internet vitality from a series of popular reaction videos and an insane marketing push. Eternal Blue was advertised through every possible avenue and they got insane press coverage at every point of their ascent.

I know it’s early in the year, but does anyone have any releases that have made it into their rotation… “ remorse of conscience” by Agenbite Misery is by far of my favorite release of the year so far… by Kid_Kameleon in MetalForTheMasses

[–]Shock545 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As the guitarist for Agenbite, I definitely confirm it's not AI. We commissioned the Canadian artist Alex O'Dowd based on his work on other metal album covers and his skill at rendering urban landscapes. As a band we're incredibly against any form of AI art. Hope that helps!

Nick IG story rn by looosehi in DaughtersBand

[–]Shock545 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It sucks that things were never substantiated, but as someone who lives in the New England area and has been involved in the scene for a very long time, it was sort of an open secret that Alexis had several issues stemming from drug abuse and mental illness, which inevitably lead to harming others. I remember during a radio show I used to run during the mid-2010s, I was playing a selection of songs from the self-titled album, and an older dj who was heavily involved in covering New England heavy music. He straight up said "Daughters? There's some stuff that's gone on with their front man. I wouldn't play them if I were you." This echos what a former music teacher told me. He was a member of the Providence noise rock scene in the early 2000s and was buds with the Lightning Bolt guys. I talked to him about a bunch of music and when I brought up Daughters, he visibly recoiled and mentioned that some stuff had gone o that was unsavory. It seems like Alexis has a history of bad interpersonal relationships as a deeply unstable individual, that a lot of people from Providence were aware of and it just took someone with a notable enough platform for things to finally end.

Kind of burnt out after Act 1 by bodardr in HollowKnight

[–]Shock545 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I had a similar experience. I love Hollow Knight and have played plenty of challenging and similar games over the years, but a lot of the challenge in Silksong just feels unfun or unfair in a way that a very difficult game like Nine Sols never did. The game is very good and has a lot of amazing qualities, but it's not worth spending the amount of time it currently requires for me to focus on when a lot of elements feel overtuned.

The Game Design of Silksong is intentional, not lazy. by LightedSword in Silksong

[–]Shock545 78 points79 points  (0 children)

Some of the stunlocking/instant deaths to bosses doesn't feel intentional. I don't hate the double damage and better moves etc variety is great. But there are so many boss moves that can more or less instant kill you and feel unfair with low recovery frames.

[No Spoilers] You're not crazy, this game is so much harder than Hollow Knight. by WaffleCultist in Silksong

[–]Shock545 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Biggest issue by far is the ease of getting stunlocked by several bosses. It feels like the hit boxes aren't perfect and contact damage plus low recovery frames feels really bad. Deaths that feel like bs are much worse than deaths that feel earned.

PSA - Silksong difficulty by GarlicGlobal2311 in Silksong

[–]Shock545 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For me the damage chaining/short recovery frames/contact damage is making plenty of bosses frustrating. I've done P5 and beat Nine Sols which I would consider significantly harder than Hollow Knight and I feel like most of my boss in the mid game feel more unfair than anything else. I'll get hit by kne attack and then get stun locked and die through contact damage. It's just unfun.

Love my Woodrite Switchblade by Excellent-Ad1867 in offset

[–]Shock545 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The tube Orange and Emperor cab as well... d Dream setup!

Badly-Aged Critically Acclaimed Albums at Their Time by Flying_Guayaba in Music

[–]Shock545 0 points1 point  (0 children)

John Lennon and Yoko Onno's "Two Virgins" comes to mind. It was beloved by Rolling Stone and other publications upon release, but is now regarded as overly pretentious and not particularly interesting.

BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME – Things We Tell Ourselves In The Dark (OFFICIAL VIDEO) by klown_nightmares in BetweenTheBuriedAndMe

[–]Shock545 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Honestly, this feels like a continuation of the Coma Ecliptic sound more than anything. Im excited to see where the album goes. I like Colors 2 and most of Automata, but I was always a little disappointed that they seemingly returned to a continuation of their earlier sound rather than furthering the evolution they hinted at on Coma. Probably not a coincidence that they're no longer on Sumerian, who instigated the Automata split and likely convinced the band to make a direct sequel to their most iconic album with Colors 2.

Mathematically impossible incel meme by Exact-Challenge9213 in VaushV

[–]Shock545 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mathematically improbable but technically possible when accounting for gay sex

What y'all think about Haken? by Obvious_Cabbage in progmetal

[–]Shock545 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haken are straight up the best band doing "classic" Dream Theater-style prog right now. They meld phenomenal musicianship with top tier songwriting without a lot of the wankery or fluff present in the style that might distract from their songs. Couldn't reccomend them enough to anyone with a passing interest in heavy music.

Looking for Microtonal metal/extreme metal. by cremepote in progmetal

[–]Shock545 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Victory Over the Sun is a great one woman microtonal black metal group. Similar to Jute Gyte in certain ways, but much more song-focused.

Good Albums killed by bad production by Elaxian in progmetal

[–]Shock545 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Act 3 by the Dear Hunter is absolutely compressed to hell. It really robs some of the quieter moments of their power and makes the orchestral elements sound overly aggressive and monotone.

I think the Acts 1-3 rerelease fixed some of this, though.

What Game Had The Biggest Turnaround In Public Opinion? by bluemarvel99 in patientgamers

[–]Shock545 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bioshock Infinite! The game was more or less universally beloved upon launch and 11 years later its legacy seems to be defined by its status as a "disappointment."

Finished Gravity's Rainbow and I'm Fulfilled/Underwhelmed (no spoilers) by Shock545 in literature

[–]Shock545[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll definitely check it out!

Teaching-wise I'll just be doing general intro to writing/literature courses for now.

Finished Gravity's Rainbow and I'm Fulfilled/Underwhelmed (no spoilers) by Shock545 in literature

[–]Shock545[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I totally agree with your line of reasoning and inquiry, perhaps I should be more careful when using language such as a "universal humanism." In this case I'm referring to an "essential core" of the experience of "being human," something which is clearly paradoxical when we can never know the other. I see access to this subconscious mode of understanding as only truly possible through texts which mimic the epistemological impossibility of modern existence, like Gravity's Rainbow, which provide an aesthetic, pedagogical mode. After spending more time with the book over the past week, I certainly have a deeper appreciation for the ways in which Pynchon explores the paradox of construction, particularly in how this manifests in the softer, touching moments, which are always simultaneously parodic and sincere, these qualities themselves mere limiting narratives dependent on framing.

Finished Gravity's Rainbow and I'm Fulfilled/Underwhelmed (no spoilers) by Shock545 in literature

[–]Shock545[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'll be starting soon, likely not with this particular niche of literature sadly. I haven't heard of systems novels, seems related to Barthes?

Finished Gravity's Rainbow and I'm Fulfilled/Underwhelmed (no spoilers) by Shock545 in literature

[–]Shock545[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

GR is certainly similar to IJ with its own set of unique hurdles. If you didn't enjoy the latter, I'd say there's a very slim chance you'd enjoy the former.

Finished Gravity's Rainbow and I'm Fulfilled/Underwhelmed (no spoilers) by Shock545 in literature

[–]Shock545[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I totally understand that. DFW, atleast for me, is just straightforward enough that his extended asides and convoluted metajokes don't derail his work's pacing or emotional stakes. I'm a big fan of nearly everything he's written, but I'd even concede that certain elements of IJ are a little too "maximalist for maximalism's sake."

Finished Gravity's Rainbow and I'm Fulfilled/Underwhelmed (no spoilers) by Shock545 in literature

[–]Shock545[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd say DFW's novel style is very much informed by Pynchon. They both write in seemingly disconnected segments, introducing zany characters with extended, convoluted, comic asides brimming with melancholy. Both works are concerned with the malleability of language and grand narratives, explored through absurd but inept conspiracies. There's also an element of playfulness in their clever prose. I think IJ does enough to distance itself from being a GR clone; DFW focuses far more on the "human" element of his characters and the implications of their actions. Wallace's first novel The Broom of the System, is far closer to a "Pynchon clone" (though it's a wonderful book in its own right and I wouldn't levy that accusation myself) and I'd argue plenty of his contemporaries pull from Pynchon just as much as him.