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Thirding the love for Chthonic's new album. It's solid from top to bottom, though "Defenders of Bú-Tik Palace" stands out as one of my favourite songs of the year. But are you sure it's a concept album? I know every song tells a story, but I was under the impression that they were all self-contained. They came here as Satyricon's opening act, but their set was over almost before it began, unfortunately. At least the keyboard player actually showed up wearing the monostrosity from their recent videos. My favourite concept album that hasn't already been mentioned is probably Hyperion by Manticora, which is (loosely?) based on the sci-fi book of the same name. I don't typically go for power metal (or prog-power, for that matter), but I'm very fond of most of Manticora's output. Maybe because they mainly churn out concept albums. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seE_m_TOmRQ
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Nov 25, 2013 20:35
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Save Target As posted:If you guys want some alternative/proggish metal, Shaolin Death Squad has all their albums up on Spotify. They're one of my favorite local bands from around Dallas. The drummer used to be one of the drummers for King Diamond, plus he was one of the drummers during the first Dethklok tour for a few stops. Their stage performance is kind of like Ghost, except they dress up in Shaolin Monk robes and wear kabuki masks. The singer has a beautiful voice and a pretty good growl and most of their songs have a nice eeriness to them, especially Intelligent Design (which I would recommend listening to first). Five Deadly Venoms is a concept album about the kung fu movie, also named Five Deadly Venoms, and is pretty fantastic as well. I've only heard Five Deadly Venoms, but I liked it a bunch. The singer is basically Mike Patton with the insanity toned down. Haken's new album is my favourite prog release of 2013, and the video for "Cockroach King" is my favourite music video of the year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_e4YX73Ww4
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Dec 5, 2013 01:28
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Xandoom posted:How does Amon Amarth do live? I've never been to one of their shows but goddamn do I love their music. I haven't paid much attention to Amon Amarth for the past decade, but I saw them a couple of weeks ago and had a good time. For whatever reason, my mental image of them has always been of a stern, serious band of war-mongering vikings, but the vocalist was all smiles, and there was far more crowd interaction than I'd expected. I mainly went to see Carcass (whose new album is totally deserving of being near the top of all the metal top 10 lists.  ), though.
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Dec 20, 2013 11:43
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Gaggins posted:Yeah, the new Carcass is really good. It feels really fresh, even it's not very innovative. How were they live? Yeah, I think they did a heckuva job combining their earlier styles without making it sound the slightest bit dated. They played a short but sweet set of 45 minutes, with 3 new songs that fit in well with the classics. Nothing off of Swan Song. El Estrago Bonito posted:As far as metal concerts go this is one of the only ones I own (on blueray, it was insanely expensive when it came out) and its loving awesome. X-Japan were a really good rock/speed metal band from Japan, they went on hiatus in early 1998 and this was there last show ever with the original guitarist (who committed suicide or was maybe murdered). I thought hide's death was a case of either suicide or freak accident? Never heard the murder angle before, I don't think, despite knowing a couple of people who obsess over both X-Japan and hide's solo material. Good call, though; X were an awesome spectacle back in the day, and hardly seem to have aged. I was really excited when they got back together in 2007, but they sure are taking their sweet time putting together their new album.
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Dec 21, 2013 14:24
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symbolic posted:Annihilator released the first track from their new album, Suicide Society. I'd almost go as far as to call myself an Annihilator fan*, but I didn't know Padden was out of the band until they posted that video. Walters is a very entertaining guitarist and his vocals are okay in small doses, but I can't imagine a full album of him in 2015 is going to be worth checking out, especially if this is supposed to be the catchiest thing on there. *: Almost every album has one or two songs that are fun live tunes, so although I don't think their CDs are any good, they're one of my favorite bands to catch in concert
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Aug 1, 2015 17:47
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Roasted Donut posted:I haven't posted in here in forever but god drat the new Borknagar album is so loving good it hurts. It's really cool hearing Garm, Vortex, and Vintersorg all together on one album Don't forget about Lazare, who's underutilized but always good. Garm's only on two songs, but it's cool to hear him on a solid metal album after such a long time, even if he's basically a completely different singer than when he was in Borknagar. He's great on the title track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDrrKv2wjvk
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Jan 24, 2016 16:09
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Does he have several kids who play in rock bands? When I saw them maybe 8 years ago his daughter's band opened, and it was definitely not okay.
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Jun 16, 2016 20:38
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I really liked DMDS back when I was first getting into black metal, but I haven't been able to get into anything they've released since then. Hellhammer was my favorite extreme metal drummer for a while, but then I read some interviews with him, which isn't always the best idea when it comes to black metal musicians of that era.Tias posted:Anyone in town for Copenhell? We can pull a quick goonmeet if anyone's interested. I was on the fence about whether or not to get tickets for too long, so I didn't manage to snag any before they sold out. I'm sad about missing out on King Diamond, but since I caught Black Sabbath the last time they were here, there's really nothing else on the program that I'm dying to see.
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Jun 22, 2016 20:20
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MikeCrotch posted:Went to Bloodstock at the weekend and holy poo poo Burton C Bell from Fear Factory cannot sing any more. They played the whole of Demanufacture and the crowd were signing the songs better than him for most of the set. Even Tom Araya sounded better despite the fact he looks like he's approximately a million years old. Apparently he sung a U2 song well enough in the shower 30 years ago to convince Dino that he'd make a great frontman, but outside of that one isolated incident, I don't think Burton's ever really been a competent singer. Fear Factory was one of the first metal bands I ever heard, though, so I'll always have a soft spot for them.
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Aug 17, 2016 07:32
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homewrecker posted:That vocalist, Lawrence Mackrory, also did the vocals on the original version of Extension of the Wish, which is the debut album from Swedish progressive metal band Andromeda. Although Andromeda replaced him with the most milquetoast prog metal singer imaginable, I still think The Final Extension is a far easier album to listen to than the original Extension of the Wish. I'm not very familiar with Darkane, but that guy's singing in Andromeda, while certainly unique, is silly to the point of being distracting. Some of the songs, like The Words Unspoken, really sound like they're using joke outtakes for the vocals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lI11CiET3I&t=88s
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Mar 24, 2018 21:20
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Vintersorg posted:That too. Satyricon is probably my least favorite of the classic Norwegian BM bands, but they're the only one I've seen live. They were very serious and kinda angry during the show I saw around 2008, with Satyr kicking an audience member in the face and not saying much, but around 2012 he was shockingly talkative and jovial. Their newer stuff hasn't clicked with me, but the black and roll stuff translates well enough to a fun live show that I'd probably go see them a third time while keeping up hope that Emperor will one day play here.
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May 22, 2018 18:18
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Tias posted:gently caress yeah, I just booked these guys for my festival, come by if you're in Denmark Where? My back really hates concerts, so I stopped going almost entirely a few years ago, but I should probably make time for one every now and again so I don't feel like I missed out when my back starts hating everything I do.
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May 28, 2018 17:08
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Ah, ok. That's a ways away from Amager, but I might make the trip someday.
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May 28, 2018 17:25
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The first of the two Ghost instrumentals is good and fits in well. The second one might be good, but it definitely seems like overkill. The second half of the album hasn't really stuck with me, but the first half is fun.Vargatron posted:Insanity Alert is such a good band. Maybe I'm being whooshed here, but I'm pretty sure he was quoting Annihilator's Kraf Dinner.
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Jun 5, 2018 14:36
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At first I was just relieved that they'd moved on from the sound they tried out on Graveward, but now I find I like it more than anything they've done since Imaginary Sonicscape. Might be my favorite metal release of the year after just a couple of listens.
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Nov 16, 2018 19:00
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Yeah, that's Killing Floor. It's done no favors by being sandwiched between The Tower and Book of Thel, which might be the album highlights for me, but I think it's pretty fun to hear Bruce on a slightly Tool-like alternative metal tune. Chemical Wedding is definitely the best Maiden-related album of the 90s. Bruce himself also just sounds so much better there than on the last 3-4 Maiden albums he did before leaving.
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Dec 31, 2019 23:23
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Fear Factory and Opeth were probably the two first ones for me, too. I borrowed Obsolete and Blackwater Park from my local library constantly back then. Didn't even have a computer at home at the time. Sean Reinart only being 48 blows my mind. Dude was already sensational thirty years ago. Super bummed he's gone this early.
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Jan 26, 2020 00:43
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He can't/won't put grit into his voice anymore, but he can still sing alright. He just hasn't made more music with System because Daron insists that he's the lead vocalist too and keeps writing music Serj can't sign off on. I'm surprised they did new stuff together now that at least one of them is a Trumper who seems to be in a different place mentally than back in the day. Those two songs are no good, imo, so I'd rather they stop trying to make that happen and just keep doing occasional reunion gigs.
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Nov 10, 2020 14:39
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I really enjoyed their first album, and I liked about half of Toxicity and Steal This Album, but yeah, I don't think they were good by the time they broke up and the individual members' musical output since then gives me the impression that they will never put out anything interesting again.
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Nov 10, 2020 16:28
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I hated the first two Derrick Green albums, took an almost twenty year break from all their post early-90s material, stumbled upon a video of Eloy Casagrande being insanely good a year or two ago, and then realized I didn't hate them anymore. I thought Machine Messiah was alright, and Quadra checks most of the same boxes for me. Not sure if they're just a better overall band now than two decades ago or if I just appreciate hardcore vocals way more than I used to, though. Probably the latter, since I like Derrick's vocals significantly more than (any era of) Max's at this point.
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Dec 27, 2020 00:44
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Schaffer is just about the least surprising cameo imaginable in that situation.
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Jan 7, 2021 01:08
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Vintersorg posted:I like their singer from the 1st album - Gene Adam. I remember thinking Iced Earth (the opening track off of the album Iced Earth) was a parody song because the vocals were so odd. Then Stu Block joined a decade ago with his caricature of heavy metal voices, and I realized Iced Earth was just really into sounding silly. Gene and Jon made a new album together a few years ago where Gene sounds his goofy best, IMO. not trolled not crying posted:Couldn't resist: Amazing.
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Jan 7, 2021 19:21
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They somehow followed that album up with a 3-hour, 50-song rock opera. I like most Therion stuff up until around a decade ago, but sitting through that one made me want to never listen to their stuff again. I did check out the new one and noticed Mats Leven singing, though, so maybe they've recaptured some of their mid-2000s mojo.
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Jan 27, 2021 11:28
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H13 posted:But why? Because Christofer Johnsson is kind of a weird dude with questionable taste. That Therion album is nothing but covers of old French songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPOYtC1n5bE
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Jan 27, 2021 13:00
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I enjoyed the last couple of Sepultura albums, though they're definitely aggressively unmemorable since I can't remember a single riff or chorus off of them despite having them on relatively frequent rotation. Eloy's definitely the Sepultura MVP at the moment. Hansi just disbanded Demons and Wizards: https://www.metalsucks.net/2021/02/01/hansi-kursch-quits-demons-wizards-my-collaboration-with-jon-schaffer-is-over/
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Feb 1, 2021 22:07
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Monument is easily the most shameless band I've heard in that regard. I like their stuff alright because the riffs and melodies they rip off are good and catchy, but I'm not sure they've ever had an original idea in their life. They even had the gall to put a cover of Maiden's Deja Vu on an album where they clearly ripped off the drums and vocal melody in that very same song (and almost certainly riffs from a coupla other Maiden tunes. There's even some Kenny Loggins in there!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkmI2UII7lc&t=41s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIjPwzL_5Yk&t=83s
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Mar 15, 2021 13:21
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ultraviolence123 posted:I love Loudness so much. They are probably my favorite Japanese metal band after Anthem. Anthem are the metal gods of Japan. Bound to Break is an excellent album, total Judas Priest worship of the highest order. I've been on a huge Anthem kick lately! That their current singer, Yukio Morikawa, seems to have spent two full decade between his Anthem stints not recording metal albums is a crime. In every live video I've seen of him since his return in 2014, his ability to straddle the line between gurgling razor blades and singing powerful, clean vocal lines at almost 60 has really impressed me. They did a cool Pumpkins United-style anniversary show a few years ago where their old demo vocalist, their mid-80s (including Bound to Break) and 2000-2014 vocalist, and Yukio ('88-92ish, 2014-now) all performed mini Anthem sets individually and together. I do think they made the right decision in cutting "Tony" loose after the demo... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMo69lnIYTs
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May 17, 2021 13:33
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As far as straight up power metal cheese goes, Winterheart's Guild might be my pick, too. If prog-power records are included, I still haven't found anything in that vein that I like more than Manticora's Hyperion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJdHPZhSAFk
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Oct 26, 2021 13:33
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I like Khan far more than Tony Kakko, but Winterheart's Guild beats out all the Kamelot albums for me. Khan's better project is Conception, anyway.
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Oct 26, 2021 14:27
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It sounds 100% like Halford, since he was the singer in Fight.
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Feb 8, 2022 20:13
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punished milkman posted:behemoth put out a (bad) song about getting cancelled. Middle aged metal musicians writing godawful music about twitter has become an epidemic Disappointing, but unsurprising coming from Behemoth. Nergal's friendship and platforming of Kvarforth from Shining -- whose 'lol look at this crazy misanthrope' gimmick will hopefully one day stop being a draw to people when the way he treats women in his private life is fully brought to light -- says a whole lot about what kind of person he really is.
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May 13, 2022 18:09
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It's pretty easy to understand what he's saying (certainly in contrast to just about any extreme metal release) and extremely easy to pick up on the overall message of his music, though. Denmark already has one major metal figure who's aggressively subpar compared to their contemporaries. No reason to try to put that on King as well, especially considering he's cool and good.
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Jun 25, 2022 22:51
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Somewhere In Time and Powerslave are the best Maiden records, with the ten or so other really good ones sharing third place. The Blaze albums aren't very good, but I'd take either of those (and most of his surprisingly fun and much more voice-appropriate solo material) over No Prayer and Fear of the Dark.
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Aug 14, 2022 16:53
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symbolic posted:
It's a great live tune. The album version doesn't crack their top 50 best songs list, IMO. The production and Bruce's vocal choices on No Prayer and FotD--his singing is way grittier there than on most of his far superior solo material that followed--really drag down even otherwise decent material. Nordick posted:Childhood's End is also low key one of their best songs, and the most underrated for sure. That would probably be my first choice if I were to point to a highlight off of their two worst record (though I think we're decidedly in the minority in thinking of that one as anything special).
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Aug 14, 2022 17:38
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Can't put it above Rime, Hallowed, or Seventh Son as far as Maiden epics go, but Paschendale is definitely top 3 of all their post-reunion material. I'm partial to The Red and the Black off of Book of Souls and its near-parody Steve Harris-rear end way-too-many-words-per-line verses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F3eRabNAzI
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Aug 15, 2022 14:26
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Ouch. Missing Voivod and the best Opeth setlist I've ever seen despite it taking place a small hike from where I live is a bummer; I didn't even realize metal gigs happened near that area outside of Copenhell season. Gonna be sorting Opeth videos on Youtube by new for a while. How's the new drummer sounding? I haven't been crazy about any Opeth release since Lopez left, but the first guy they brought in to replace Axe seemed astoundingly unfit for the job.
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Nov 11, 2022 12:14
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Groke posted:Well at this point that's kind of like Iron Maiden closing with Hallowed Be Thy Name. Can't really blame them. Maiden's actually pretty good about mixing up song placement for their tours. Don't think they've closed-closed with Hallowed for well over a decade by now, although they do tend to just kinda move around the same dozen or so classics while fitting in a bit of their newest material. Surely they'll Black Rose Immortal-ize Alexander the Great any second now...
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Nov 11, 2022 15:24
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I still pretty much only listen to the same half a dozen (prog-)power bands I did when I was a young teenager, but I've considerably warmed up to the vocal style. This Galneryus song is a great tune to run to in general, but this particular live performance (at 8:35 if it doesn't automatically jump there) starts off with what might be my all-time favorite air raid siren impression: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS3Xlot49Cg&t=515s It even has visual aids!
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Feb 9, 2023 18:59
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Henrik Zetterberg posted:That new Metallica is pretty boring. Lux rips though. It's very funny that Dino apparently auditioned hundreds of people and ended up going with a guy who sounds EXACTLY like Burton, including the questionable clean vocal technique. Fear Factory was probably my key gateway band into extreme metal, so I'll always have a soft spot for them. I interviewed Burton and Dino during the Mechanize tour, and they were extremely nice and generous with their time, so I'm extra bummed to see Burton out of the band. Milo really does seem like an upgraded clone version at him at this stage of their career, though. Burton had been lip-syncing the clean vocals for the past decade or so, and they were more miss than hit even when he was at his peak, so it's cool that they can finally replicate the studio material live without having to actually have it playing in the background during the shows.
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Mar 1, 2023 23:31
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#8-#11 are not worth checking out outside of a few select tracks. But their post-reunion run has been really good! None of the albums are Powerslave or Somewhere In Time levels of incredible, and the last couple have real bad production issues at points, but it's a much better run than their '90s one.
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Jun 12, 2023 23:16
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