Metal and Psychedelics.

[Psytex]

BEFORE I START I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT ITS COMPLETELY FINE IF YOU WANT TO TALK A BIT ABOUT ROCK MUSIC, SINCE MOST PEOPLE THAT LIKE/ARE FANS OF METAL ALSO TEND TO BE FAN OF ROCK MUSIC AS WELL.

I've wanted to talk/discuss with other people that share my love for metal for quite some time now, and since I'm still a New Member I won't be able to participate in the thread that made me discover DMT-Nexus.
So please feel free to mention bands you like to listen to while tripping, talk about your experiences listening to metal while on a trip, say what you like or dislike about combining metal and psychedelics etc etc.

I'd like to begin this thread by talking a bit about myself and my experiences with metal, just to start this thread somewhere:

Well where should I start? I've always loved metal, and even though I like a wide range of music, metal has always been the type of music that has appealed the most to me, so after my first acid trip I noticed how a lot of the Metal bands I like sounds like could be a good alternative for psychedelic music (which bands I listened to at the time I don't remember, but I think it was bands like Tool, Alice in Chains and Mastodon), so I started digging and quickly developed a huge interest for Technical and Progressive Metal.
My second time doing acid was the first time I ever played metal while tripping, and to my surprise it was some of the most amazing music I've listened to, I don't remember which bands I played except the first one which was Devin Towsend Project/Band, it was like I became part of the music, I felt like I was in heaven and the music I listened to sounded like the music of angels, it was truly an amazing feeling, so ever since that day I've been searching for more Metal that is great for psychedelics trips (that's why I've become such a fan of Progressive and Technical music).
My third time doing acid I took a pretty large dose (for a beginner that is), I felt confident since my life is free of drama and stuff that could possibly affect me negatively, I'm also the type of guy that has good control of my mind, and I've been WAY too stoned plenty of times without it really being a problem (I like getting really high when I have nothing better to do than relax and listen to some music, that's why I sometimes end up smoking too much), its a weird feeling smoking too much weed at once but I never really feel like it is a problem, all I have to do is just relax and wait until I reach a point where it no longer feels weird.
But anyways, I took a fairly large dose for it only being my third time ever doing acid, I took 420mcg and was ready to experience what was going to be my most interesting trip so far. So when I started feeling the acid I quickly laid down on my bed and made myself ready, I had planed to start the trip with some music but was not able to since the acid hit me pretty hard, so as the acid trip got stronger and stronger I felt a euphoria I've never felt before, it was literally like having a 1 hour long full-body orgasm, the only thing I was capable of doing was just lay there and feel amazing, but It was hard laying still because of the strong euphoria.
Once I reached a point where I was able to play some music I believe I started listening to some psybient, but I was not getting the vibes I was hoping to get, the music just felt boring and uninteresting, so after a few Psybient songs I put on some Prog Metal and my trip quickly got pretty interesting, not only did I see amazing shapes and waves, it was like a psychedelic music video was playing inside my head, the music literally took me on a trip, even though I sat completely still my mind was moving in all directions, I felt my love for metal grow every second that passed, I had no idea Metal was such a great alternative.
I wish I could say more about the 420mcg trip, but my head is pretty tired atm so its hard for me to continue this story without it just sounding silly, my English grammar is not the best either so I'm not surprised if what I've already written can be somewhat hard to understand.

These are some of the bands/artists I've had some pretty amazing results with:
Opeth
CKY
Textures
Devin Towsend Band/Project (and his solo albums)
Merrow
Blotted Science
Animals as Leaders
Chimp Spanner
Xerath
Mencea
Lacuna Coil
Liquorworks
Planet X
Audioslave
Deftones
Primus
Incubus
Andromeda
Corelia

And this is only a small fraction of what I've wanted to experiment with, I've only done acid 3 times, mushrooms 1 time and 2cb 3 times, and I've only listened to metal 4/7 of those psychedelic trips, so there's still quite a lot I haven't tried yet, and my Spotify list continues to grow every week, I find something new pretty much every week that goes by, my hunger for more music never stops. :d

 

[Metanoia]

I've also been a fan of psychedelics trips and metal music. I mostly listen to instrumental stuff these days, although there are exceptions. I've just been finding myself less and less interested in the guttural vocals. I still enjoy some of those bands while sober, but definitely not while tripping. Meshuggah, Vildhjarta, Veil of Maya, The Contortionist, etc. Those bands are still very great to listen to if I'm working or lifting weights or something like that.

My last psychedelic trip I listened to this whole album during the comedown. It was absolutely amazing and took me on quite the emotional journey.
[youtube]

The lyrics are very uplifting and they're all clean vocals. More progressive hard rock than metal. A couple other progressive rock bands I like are Karnivool and Porcupine Tree.

Animals as Leaders are one of my favorite instrumental bands. I also love old Primus and Incubus and have played those albums during trips plenty of times in the past. Here are some instrumental bands I enjoy:

Scale the Summit
Polyphia
Angel Vivaldi
Basal Ganglia (guitarist from Animals as Leaders solo project)
Destinos
Intervals (their new album coming out has vocals, actually)
Modern Day Babylon
Chimp Spanner
Cloudkicker


I always like to switch it up in regards to music in my life. Sure, I love psytrance and ambient stuff. Jazz, classical, anything that interests me. It's all about diversifying your tastes and finding what speaks to you. A lot of people can't connect with the harshness of metal, but there are so many subgenres of metal now that there's something for almost anyone...if they keep an open mind

 

[Entheogenerator]

I love all kinds of music, but death metal/grindcore and hardcore punk will always hold a special place in my heart. :twisted:

My old roommate used to like smoalking DMT while listening to Radiation 4, particularly this song... Still haven't tried that combination, but I may still at some point. As much as I love Radiation 4, I'm just not so sure how well their music will synergize with such a powerful entheogen! :lol:

[YOUTUBE]

Also, this seems like an appropriate thread to leave a link to DMT Metal.

 

[Infectedstyle]

You know, @Entheogenerator.. I think i would kind of like to blast off to that one! Insane tho. I wonder how that one unfolds in hyperspace.

 

[null24]

AMPLIFIER WORSHIP!
I've been proselytizing this band for awhile, check the other metal on acid thread- BORIS from Japan,esp the album 'pink'. It's noise/doom/psych at it's most insane. The best part is like all these skull exploding riffs are shredded out by this tiny little four and a half foot tall Japanese chick. She just stands there, expressionless, burning the universe into cinders with nothing but a guitar and a wall of Orange vacuum tube amps. Stellar!
Also.
Sleep
SunnO)))
Neurosis
a band that has a free ep up on the interweb: Holy Mount

That's a start...
Yeah, I find it somewhat humorous that there seems to be some debate as to whether metal is appropriate for psych ingestion. Ever heard the term acid rock?

 

[112233]

THERION orchestral metal with songs about Lumuria and Atlantis, Sirius B and all sorts of fun stuff you don't normally hear from metal.

 

[Mariusz]

I really like listening to doom metal when tripping, puts my mind in a place where I can do a lot of thinking.

Check this out

[YOUTUBE]

 

[livinglife]

On my last mushroom trip I got a big surprise, I was on the top of the peak and I always listen to I Awake, Shulman & Shpongle and stuff, most psychedelic ambient. But some day I had a metal head friend over, and he have added "doomblade" to my playlist, something I wasn't aware off, and this song killed me , the heavy guitars and drums, and don't forget the screaming. Holy shit, what a experience, the worst part was that my mind got filled with violence and horror. I was clung to my couch under the hole song like "OH SHIIIIIIIIIT".

The song ripped me apart, the darkness, it was outstanding, the energy was so powerful.

peace

EDIT: The metal/rock scene really opened a new room in my mind, I'm pretty sure I will explore more around this genre,. I will check out the Band names you guys are sharing, thanks

 

[null24]

EARTH
SUNN O)))
Boris & BORIS
YOB
EARTHLESS
NEUROSIS
I'll add more as the coffee begins to saturate my bloodstream.

That's just a start. I find it endlessly humorous that there is some debate as whether metal is psychedelic or not.

Metal is the last great chance if analog rock. It carries the banner of balls to the wall sexdrugsrocknroll with its various sub genres through a wasteland of castrated, bearded hipster whiners. Long live metal!

 

[Orbiter]

I love metal. It can seem too 'tryhard' and dark to some, but aren't we all here because we love swimming in uncharted territories in the sea of self? I don't know.

One of the craziest experiences of my life had to be when I performed on shrooms. That was some kind of a feeling.

Once you go prog, you never go back. At least that's how I feel now.

Haken is absolutely amazing. The Mountain and Aquarius are incredible. Celestial Elixir! They pretty much make 'The Hero's Journey' in music form. Animals as Leaders are delicious robots. I can't stop listening to the Joy Of Motion. They are touring again with CHON and Conquering Dystopia. GO SEE THEM! CHON is probably my new favorite thing and Conquering Dystopia is Jeff Loomis basically.

[YOUTUBE]

Chimp Spanner and Scale the Summit are very good at dem guitars. Xerath and Textures are cool too.

Anyone listen to Cynic? I wasn't a big fan until I started my journey through the cosmos. Now I can relate very much.

[YOUTUBE]

Also Plini and Sithu Aye are just pure magic.

[YOUTUBE]

Exivious is nice when you are tripping but those guys are on a level I can't comprehend. Cosmosquad and Aristocrats are excellent tech jazz instrumental stuff.

THERION is fucking amazing. Dol Ammad is basically therion in space but made by one guy.

Girrafes? Girrafes! Angra, Heavenly, Pagan's Mind, Circus Maximus, Revocation, there are so many great metal bands!

Agree with null24, metal is the last bastion of analog rock and roll. It's more punk than punk these days too. The problem is that it's so divided. So many egos. Everyone clinging to their genres or their bands. We metal folk are already a minority, we need to unite and throw away all of our silly biases and conditioning. The next step is of course uniting EDM folk with Metal, but that task is as hard as uniting the dam human race. But who am I to say that we should even be united? Subcultures fragmenting into more subcultures.

link spaaammm
[YOUTUBE]

 

[Getinthegems]

EARTH
SUNN O)))
Boris & BORIS
YOB
EARTHLESS
NEUROSIS

Yeah! Drone Metal!
I would never want to trip to Sunn o))). One way ticket to hell.


Overall I think, if metal didn't give me a bad trip, it would be too sobering. Never tried it though.

 

[Age of pisces 333]

Well I'm about 6 years late on this topic but I would like to thank Pystex for calling attention to this subject and i hope to rekindle its momentum. Us metal heads are vastly misunderstood as an angry and hateful crew. This could not be further from the truth as a generality.
I have a good friend and fellow psychonaut who sees eye to eye with me on many levels. As was teaching her my custom tek we spoke on the traditional healing music of ayahuasca ceremony when she stated with an air of concern and confusion that it is impossible for me to achieve healing if I listen to metal whilst I venture to the inter dimensional ether to be recieved by my unworldly teachers. She referenced some scientifically "proven" study claiming that it puts a state of mind inconducive to the reception and perpetuation of the healing frequencies. Well This is of course is absurd and seeded from misinformation and conditioned rejection of that which defies the status quo. It is likely also that, like many devicive studies, it makes the assumption that anger , hate or some other negativity is the expressed and /or invoked essence of the music in question. I explained to her that metal is highly therapeutic and as music is the ultimate universal expression it is an integral part of healing to those of us seeking to purge that raw energy that seeks a path to flow to.
She still doesn't get it and it can be trivially frustrating for some of us to not be understood in our expression. It is at minimum a good exercise for the potential scenario where conjuring such an energy could be called upon to overcome a tribulation. Ultimately I must keep in mind, what moves me may not move you. And what moves you may sound like trash to me. I remain very ecclectic however in my musical vocabulary. My soul has much to say and one genre is not nearly sufficient to convey it all. Anyhow, I have a great many bands I could mention here and never come close to completing the spectrum. So for now I will mention the current masterpieces that make me move.

Revocation- The Outer Ones

The album in its entirety was conceived with inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft literature. A journey into the farthest reaches of the multi verse into realm of "The Outer Ones". The whole thing reeks of the very essence and opaque memories we return with after truly crossing over. An eloquent technical thrash death metal album masterfully composed with haunting epic progressions that resonates in every molecule of my being as I rematerialize into this worldly physical vessel.

Equipose- Demiurgus

I cannot recall how many times I stood with my mouth agape in disbelief in the impossible melodies I heard and could only utter "What the Fuck!?" I nearly picked up my guitar up and put it out with the trash because I can't afford the bionic modifications necessary to pull off a fraction of their talent. They are not human and I hate them for being so good. And it's not a one member talent band. Each member is a bad motherfucker on their instrument . I got the distinct impression that the bass player could blow me out of the water in a lead guitar solo battle. And I'm no slouch by any means. Amazing classical guitar and piano phrases and a fretless bass that holds it's own weight. These guys are what I think manifested when Obscura, Beyond Creation, Vale of Pnath, Revocation and Buckethead. Joined together like Captain Fucking Planet to do battle with a mainstream music scene pollution monster.
Update: the music pollution monster now eats through a straw and gives hand jobs behind the 7 eleven for scraps of half used condiment packets

So many more to mention but I got shit to do so some honorable mentions here of which are only a minuscule fraction of the talent out there.....

Vale of Pnath
Beyond creation
Algebra
Soreption
Obscura
Rings of Saturn
Centaurus A
Skeletonwitch
Dungortheb
Nervecell
Arsis
Archspire
Opeth
Shadow of intent
Tesseract
Perfect
And etcetera, etcetera
Et-fucking-cetera




Blessings, love and respect.
May we be guided and well recieved in the presence of or multidimensional benefactors

 

[AiL762]

Lol I remember first time I took MDMA and a very high dose at a party and was incredibly shitfaced.

People blowing me up or whatever to electronic music. In amazement, I said fuck this let me see something.

I put on Megadeth's In My Darkest Hour. Holy fuck incredible was an understatement and the laughs I got as everyone else was wondering how can I enjoy such aggression.

Lmfao imagine if I put on Cannibal Corpse, Death, or countless others at that time.

 

[metta-morpheus]

Put on some ole Hatebreed or Slipknot or some Lamb Of God :twisted:

Side note AiL762: I enjoy your enthusiasm, but if you could try to tone down the f-bombs a little, it would be appreciated. See the above note when you make a post about keeping your language civil, or the attitude page- Attitude Page - DMT-Nexus Wiki

Thanks, and keep on rocking!

 

[burnt]

Love extreme metal like death metal, black metal, etc. Been to many live shows over the years. But never really liked to combine psychedelics with metal. Except Tool of course. Also ketamine has been an exception to this. For some reason ketamine goes well with live black metal I don't know why it did for me though. Other then that metal is more alcohol, weed, and occasionally stimulants. A friend and I decided to listen to NIN 'the downward spiral' on pharmahuasca once. He made it a couple songs in and wanted to stop. I was digging it though. A friend I grew up with who is a musician was all about metal when on lsd or mushrooms. He said it made him envision how he could make the music even heavier. I always found that perspective interesting and I can get it but I'd rather listen to more peaceful music when I'm tripping personally.

 

[AiL762]

Put on some ole Hatebreed or Slipknot or some Lamb Of God :twisted:

Side note AiL762: I enjoy your enthusiasm, but if you could try to tone down the f-bombs a little, it would be appreciated. See the above note when you make a post about keeping your language civil, or the attitude page- Attitude Page - DMT-Nexus Wiki

Thanks, and keep on rocking!

Ahh yeah my bad. I dont catch it and do it subconsciously. Vulgar is an understatement lol no means to be that way on purpose was just reliving that moment in my mind and saying as went naturally as that was when a lot younger aboutn13 years ago.

But yeah, just saw Lamb of God for the 3rd time. they're in my top 5. Saw them last year on the Slayer tour with cannibal corpse and amon amarth.

I had got lawn tickets and sweet talked my way into the pit as got one of the security to give me a wrist band haha. Mind blowing show

 

[metta-morpheus]

I’ve seen LOG 4 or 5 times, slipknot twice. Disturbed has been at a almost every metal festival I’ve been to, so I’ve seen them like 7 or 8 times. Was a straight metal head all thru high school and my early 20s. I listen to mostly electronic nowadays, but I’m always down for a good rompus in a mosh pit!

 

[null24]

I’ve seen LOG 4 or 5 times, slipknot twice. Disturbed has been at a almost every metal festival I’ve been to, so I’ve seen them like 7 or 8 times. Was a straight metal head all thru high school and my early 20s. I listen to mostly electronic nowadays, but I’m always down for a good rompus in a mosh pit!

Might not be your cup o tea judging by the bands you mentioned, but Gravetemple does some interesting ambient electronic metal you might dig. It's pretty evil shit, just to warn you... Think they are part of Southern Lord's black label, it's Stephen O'Malley of Sunn0))) and Atilla Csihar of Mayhem.

EDIT: Oren Ambarchi plays guitar as well. I hadn't thought of him for a decade. He is a guitar composer who often plays with O'Malley and other metal dudes on the S.L. and Drag City labels. I looked him up on the unmentioned music app, and he has a pretty good presence. It qualifies as metal because it ####ing is, and that is why metal is such a great "genre". Try him out, maybe Shade Themes from Kairos, and see if it doesn't change your mind about mixing metal and psychedelics. No lyrics, just serene pastoral spaces and mind-melting tube amp awesomeness. The inneffable name of God is in there somewhere too, I think....

 

[AiL762]

Okay, strictly metal bands, let's see if all I can remember them all.

Megadeth x2, Lamb of God x3, Iron Maiden, Cannibal Corpse x2, Slayer, Amon Amarth, Machine Head, In Flames, Hell Yeah (rip vinnie), Between the Buried and Me, August Burns Red, Veil of Maya, Oceano, Revocation, Obituary, Marty Friedman, Cryptopsy, and a number of openers that don't remember the names.

Oh and Primus. #Primussucks

 

[null24]

Marty Feldman did a metal album? I bet Pat Boone's is still funnier...:?