DIS vs DAT - Genre vs Genre - The Horde Edition

Inspired by Chris Van Ettan splitting hairs over which genre an album from a different clan has (thrash or speed metal, death metal or grindcore, power metal or trad metal and sludge vs. stoner vs. doom), I decided to continue the DIS vs DAT activity with an interesting twist; instead of voting on which album has the greater edge, we do it with genres from one of the clans instead. Single-genre clans (like The Gateway and The Sphere) would be divided into hidden subgenres that some of us have heard of but are never listed in the site (for example, alternative metal vs nu metal, industrial metal vs neue Deutsche härte). This should be a nice interesting challenge for Chris and other members of the site. Got two or three albums from a different genre in the same clan and same release year but can't decide which one has the greater edge? Share them here!

Let's starts off with two Horde albums released in 1989. I haven't listened to any of these albums myself, so this is up to listeners of these albums to decide. Which one of these albums with a different genre has the greater edge? Choose one and explain the reason!

Death metal:

Grindcore:

This is a difficult one. Personally I favour Consuming Impulse, it’s just more my thing, and Martin Van Drunen’s vocals on that album are harsh in the best possible way. I know Horrified is an important, early album for grindcore, and potentially had more influence (it certainly has a greater cult following from my experience) than Pestilence, but I don’t really return to it as often (plus I’m not the best person to ask about grindcore). 

Update due to Chinese Whispers' vote:

Consuming Impulse - 1

Horrified - 0

I might give both releases a listen myself to vote which one I think is greater to carry on with the game, but not right now because I'm still doing The Fallen Gothic Metal Modern Era challenge and plan on doing another one of my own extra credit review challenges afterwards. I'll be able to listen to and review those two Horde releases in a week or so.

*shudders at the obscene blasphemy I might soon face*

I am with Chinese Whispers here.  That Repulsion record is a biggie but it gets little rotation nowadays.  By comparison Pestilence’s sophomore is one of my go to records for death metal because it’s just so fucking nasty sounding.  Grindcore generally is a very mood specific genre for me one which I find marries up well with working from home and needing to expel lots of pent up frustration during the day.

Update due to Macabre Eternal's vote:

Consuming Impulse - 2

Horrified - 0

I agree with the consensus thus far & have to go with Pestilence. They’re both great records in their own right but death metal is my primary metal subgenre & “Consuming Impulse” was released right at the time that Chuck Schuldiner had drawn me across from thrash so it was an exciting time to be discovering extreme metal. Pestilence essentially took the sound I’d loved on “Leprosy”, beefed up the production & added a little more complexity. What’s not to love about that??

Update due to Daniel's vote:

Consuming Impulse - 3

Horrified - 0

WOW, 3 points already!!! That was fast and easy! I guess I won't have to listen to those two albums for my own vote after all (Whew!!). I'll give it another 24 hours in case someone else here wants a chance to vote, then I might announce the winner of round 1 and then start round 2. Stay tuned for tomorrow...

And the winner of part 1 is... Consuming Impulse, three to zero! So for part 2, let's take Pestilence further into the tournament and pair it up with a different album from a subgenre I'm more familiar with. That's right, we're gonna do unlisted death metal subgenres for this round! So here are two Horde albums released in 1993. Which one of these albums with a different death metal subgenre has the greater edge? Choose one and explain the reason!

Technical death metal:

Melodic death metal:

They're both very underrated records. "Spheres" was extremely divisive upon release. Ben & I loved it but it seemed like the rest of the death metal scene seemed to hate it. It's gained in popularity over the years but it still deserves more credit than it receives. "Skydancer" really stands out in Dark Tranquillity's back catalogue as it sounds noticeably different to the sound they'd make their trademark on subsequent releases.I think that's put off a fair few melodeath fans whose introduction was through their later material but I liked it at the time of release & I don't think that will have changed. As for a winner, I'm gonna go with Pestilence as it's clearly a cut above in my opinion.

For me, definitely Skydancer. It is one of the very first melodic death metal albums, though The Gallery would receive more credit. I agree about the noticeable differences in the melodeath sound they started to develop at the time that might put off later Dark Tranquillity fans, but I like it, just not in the same "classic" kind of level as some of their later albums. And of course, you know me as that guy whose favorite death metal genre is melodeath and wouldn't listen to technical death unless it's more technical than death (Cynic (1993), Anata, River of Nihil), not the other way around (Dying Fetus, Nile, Pestilence). I’ll add in my vote along with yours, Daniel:

Spheres - 1

Skydancer - 1

To be fair, “Spheres” sits far closer to Cynic than it does to Dying Fetus or Nile. It’s a legitimate progressive death metal record, 

Spheres for mine. It was actually the first Pestilence album that I owned, bought second hand, which I’ve never thought about, but it may attest to just how unpopular/divisive it might have been. It’s an odd mix, but given the general trajectory of the band it’s not really as surprising as it may seem. I’ve always been a bit surprised that Cynic’s Focus was received a lot better out the gate considering some of the similarities they share.

Update due to Chinese Whispers' vote:

Spheres - 2

Skydancer - 1

Spheres.

Look, I haven't heard one Dark Tranqulity record I like and melodeath is not really my bag either so this is actually quite easy for me even though I don't revisit Spheres that much.

Update due to Macabre Eternal's vote:

Spheres - 3

Skydancer - 1

Wow, you guys really like some of Pestilence's albums! That was another easy round! I'll give it 24 hours since the last vote in case someone else here wants a chance to vote, then I might announce the winner of round 2 and then start a new round with two different bands. Stay tuned for tomorrow...

And the winner of part 2 is... Spheres, three to one!! Pestilence wins the tournament!