Let me go on the record by saying that i work at a hardware store, and if i hear one more fucking "Xmas carol" i am going to rip my hair out and go completely batshit crazy.

But anyway, i do not consider myself a Christian, however, i wish to avoid tensions within my family (my mother is not religious either, my father is somewhat, but nearly all of my immediate relatives are). My family does not frequent church during holidays, or at all (except when we have gone to Greece, my father's home, i have been to many churches there, quite well constructed, beautiful artwork as well). Rather, we treat the time as a time to come together and be a family, if not only for a few hours. We also go to my aunt's or have people over at my house.

Honestly, if there wasnt so much fucking commercialism involved with this holiday i dare say i might like Christmas.

I think i just got dumber from reading this thread.

:slobbers:

anyway, ive always had an interest in the paranormal, the supernatural, the odd, what have you. there are definite truths to the research on UFOs, and other such phenomena. there are plenty of good websites which i enjoy browsing through on the matters.

One shouldn't look to classical to find metallic aspects; one needs to look to metal to find classical elements. Classical was before Metal, and it is the basis of all music. It is great of you to undertake the task of listening to this eternal music as it will awaken you from the limits of contemporary listening. Now for my recommendations:

Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Handel are all essentials. Contrapuntal stuff is vital. You may also want to hear some Scarlatti, Vivaldi, and Purcell;  as long as you have an ear for 17th and 18th century music.
After that, move to the romantics starting with Weber, Lizst, Chopin, Schumman, Brahms, Wagner.
A bit of advice when listening to Bruckner; first listen to the First Symphony then move on. His music is very difficult to digest.
Also, advice for listening to Mahler: listen to his first Four Symphonies or the Wunderhorn series. These set the basis for his composition style.
Of course, I'm not saying avoid all of the other pieces, but for starters...
And get a book on Music Appreciation. Get a bit of perspective first.

i wasnt LOOKING to find things in common with metal, i simply stated that it happened to share several characteristics with it, and i was pleasantly suprised. perhaps you misunderstood me.

but thank you for your recommendations. i have Wagner, Mozart, and Beethoven already. i will certainly give those other composers a listen.

Maybe we can keep the plague of ego-drama out of this forum for a little while longer...

one would hope so.

You need to be specific about what you want, saying I want more classical music doesn't help much.

well i did ask you gents which works you enjoyed a lot, and from there i had hoped to get opinions of what i should seek out.

to be more specific, i suppose, i have found that i enjoy the happier stylings as well as the more direct, and seemingly "heavier" stylings. so i guess what i am saying is that i have not yet heard a composer which i have not liked.

While it's foolish of him to make such absolutist statements -- perhaps in jest, it's hard to tell whether someone's being sincere or not here -- he has a point, which you seem to miss. You should cherish silence, and avoid musical gluttony.

i understand your point, and i pretty much exaggerated when i posted my thoughts. its not enough to hear music every day, one must LISTEN to music. and i have a lot of music which i sit down and LISTEN to every day. sure i dont feel like listening to music sometimes, so i dont.

to make a serious claim such as that is an invitation for criticism, however.

im a fucking moron, according to False Profit's "logic".

what an absolutely absurd claim. let me mail you a blank tape, im sure youll find enjoyment in it.

i'll admit, i liked a few tracks off "Isa", but the album as a whole was unbelievably inconsistent. hence why i havent really checked out any of their newer works beyond that one.