Metal Academy 2022 Awards - The Horde Edition
So with the start of a new year it's once again time to have a look at the most important releases from the one that's just passed with the ultimate winner from each clan being announced in early February.
Here are the releases that are currently competing for the prestigious 2022 The Horde Release of the Year Award (i.e. they have 3 or more ratings) :
Innana - "Void of Unending Depths" [Chilean progressive death metal]
Immolation - "Acts of God" [New York death metal]
Desolate Shrine - Fires of the Dying World [Finnish death metal]
Imperial Triumphant - Spirit of Ecstasy [New York avant-garde/dissonant death metal]
The Chasm - "The Scars of a Lost Reflective Shadow" [Mexican death metal]
Schizophrenia - "Recollections of the Insane" [Belgian death/thrash]
Wormrot - "Hiss" [Japanese grindcore]
Which other releases do you think should come into contention so that our members can check them out prior to the end of month cut-off?
Playlist owners, can I ask that each of you start a similar thread for the clans you administer each month please?
Artificial Brain's self-titled deserves a spot here, in my opinion.
I have a personal bias for Allegaeon's Damnum, but I can't see it being to everyone's liking.
A few more from my own list that I think should be in contention:
Grenadier -Trumpet's Blare In Blazing Glory
Tchornobog / Abyssal - Tchornobog / Abyssal
Fallujah - Empyrean
Aeviterne - The Ailing Façade
I have to admit that the Artificial Brain record doesn't do as much for me as it does for others & I regard it as being a couple of steps down from the best material from dissonant death metal peers like Gorguts & Ulcerate. The Demilich-style vocals are over the top & I find them to be a bit annoying to be honest. They're certainly a rating-limiter for me personally. The production doesn't sound quite right either. I'd suggest that it's intentionally murky which isn't uncommon for the subgenre but it's ended up sounding a bit muted & lacking in excitement to my ears. The musicianship isn't in question as these guys definitely know their shit but when they go off in more avant-garde directions they can often miss the mark in my opinion, as seen in the inclusion of the dreamier progressive/melodic parts in the back end of the album which sound out of place to me. They're far more successful when they stay a little closer to conventional death metal paths for mine. In saying all that though, I do enjoy all of the material to some extent as there's no denying it's interesting stuff but I don't find "Artificial Brain" to be essential listening for dissonant death metal fans overall.
3.5/5
I've given the Immolation album a good crack this week & it's another high quality example of their signature sound. It's professionally written, produced & executed & possesses everything any Immolation fan would expect from the band. I'm not sure I can say that it's anything particularly classic though as it's really just another Immolation record as far as I can see. Admittedly, it's a particularly consistent & weighty one that rarely disappoints but I don't think there are enough genuine highlight tracks for my higher scores. In saying that though, I'd probably take it over more widely celebrated records like "Unholy Cult" or "Here In After" so I guess that's saying something but it's not in the same ballpark as an album like "Close To A World Below". Still... it's an excellent example of the classic old-school death metal sound even if it rarely varies from it.
4/5