Metal Academy Radio - "The Horde" Playlist October 2020

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7j0lmcDYR9UHEZyuAUVoA0?si=zXU2VOjtRzOj5O_rxOqMvQ

Tracklisting:

01. In Mourning – “Past October Skies (The Black Lodge Revisited)” (from “Shrouded Divine”, 2008) [Submitted by Ben]

02. Septicflesh – “Virtues Of The Beast” (from “Sumerian Daemons”, 2003) [Submitted by Ben]

03. Black Breath – “Feast Of The Damned” (from “Sentenced To life”, 2012)

04. At The Gates – “Blinded By Fear” (from “Slaughter Of The Soul”, 1995) [Submitted by Daniel]

05. Insomnium – “Winter’s Gate, Pt. 1” (from “Winter’s Gate”, 2016)

06. Wolfheart – “Hail Of Steel” (from “Wolves Of Karelia”, 2020)

07. James Plotkin – “Gilgamesh” (from “Phantomsmasher”, 2001)

08. Repulsion – “Radiation Sickness” (from “Horrified”, 1989)

09. Necrophobic – “Before The Dawn” (from “The Nocturnal Silence”, 1993)

10. Napalm Death – “No Metal Effort” (from “Mentally Murdered” E.P., 1989)

11. Nails – “Unsilent Death” (from “Unsilent Death”, 2010)

12. Haemorrhage – “Anatomized” (from “Emetic Cult”, 1995)

13. Pig Destroyer – “Trojan Whore” (from “Prowler In The Yard”, 2001)

14. Morbid Angel – “Maze Of Torment” (from “Altars Of Madness”, 1989) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

15. Carcass – “Reek Of Putrefaction” (from “Peel Sessions” E.P., 1989)

16. Faceless Burial – “Ravished To The Unknown” (from “Speciation”, 2020)

17. General Surgery – “Mortuary Wars” (from “Left Hand Pathology”, 2006)

18. Nasum – “There’s No Escape” (from “Inhale/Exhale”, 1998)

19. Last Days Of Humanity – “Infinitive Putrefaction In Progress” (from “Putrefaction In Progress”, 2006)

20. Disaffected – “No Feelings Left” (from “Vast”, 1995) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

21. Incantation – “Christening The Afterbirth” (from “Onward To Golgotha”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]

22. Portal – “The Black Wards” (from “Vexovoid”, 2013) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

23. Black Curse – “Charnel Rift” (from “Endless Wound”, 2020)

24. Phyllomedusa – “Graving Fleshgusset As An Art Form” (from “Drought & Misery”, 2015)

25. Cryptopsy – “Phobophile” (from “None So Vile”, 1996) [Submitted by Daniel]

26. Cytotoxin – “Dominus” (from “Nuklearth”, 2020)

27. Cattle Decapitation – “Forced Gender Reassignment” (from “Monolith Of Inhumanity”, 2012)

28. Internal Rot – “Orbiting Flesh” (from “Grieving Birth”, 2020)

29. Nile – “Cast Down The Heretic” (from “Annihilation Of The Wicked”, 2005) [Submitted by Ben]

30. Devourment – “Cognitive Sedation Butchery” (from “Obscene Majesty”, 2019)

31. Hour Of Penance – “Hierarchy Of The Fools” (from “The Vile Conception”, 2008)

My thoughts on some of the tracks:

In Mourning – “Past October Skies (The Black Lodge Revisited)” (from “Shrouded Divine”, 2008)

8/10. An excellent way to start this playlist, revisiting the epicness of its prequel, "The Black Lodge" in a great ending to one of the best progressive/melodeath albums ever! I like "The Black Lodge" slightly better though.

Septicflesh – “Virtues Of The Beast” (from “Sumerian Daemons”, 2003)

9/10. Another excellent epic melodeath tune, a majestic song with a creepy tune lurking in an old cave, followed by haunting vocals and synths that rise from the epic death-doom fires then fall back down.

Black Breath – “Feast Of The Damned” (from “Sentenced To life”, 2012)

7/10. REALLY?!? Interrupt a pleasant melodeath beginning with a death-thrash track?! Well I kinda like its Slayer vibe, but it's a little too intense for me and anyone wanting to start melodic before going extra-spicy! But I would like to say... RIP Elijah Nelson.

At The Gates – “Blinded By Fear” (from “Slaughter Of The Soul”, 1995)

10/10. Now this is the kind of intensity I enjoy, when it's mixed with melody. "Blinded by Fear" is one of the greatest melodeath songs of all time! It crashes in with some incredibly lightning fast action without ever slowing down. Guitarist Anders Bjorler and Martin Larsson make some incinerating impossible to head-bang guitar work. Drummer Adrian Erlandsson manages to blast through the blistering fast tempo. Tomas Lindberg screams with true majestic rage in his voice. Fantastic!

The first few songs are pretty great, thanks Ben and Daniel! I'm not kidding when I say that this playlist should've started a little more melodic. Starting with a few melodeath songs is a good starting point for anyone new to death metal or metal in general to begin with the more melodic stuff before digging deeper into death metal's gory brutality. However, that Black Breath track might catch them off-guard, a brutal death-thrash song in the middle of a melodeath beginning. That song probably should've been track #6 after the Insomnium and Wolfheart ones. Other than that, good playlist, Daniel!

Interestingly Andi, I originally had that Black Breath track sitting after the melodeath tracks & there was a noticeable drop in energy when it came on because the Insomnium & Wolfheart tracks are full of high-paced blast beats which makes them noticeably more intense. I tried relocating Black Breath next to the At The Gates track as they're both based on the classic old-school Swedish death metal sound & once I gave those first six tracks a re-listen I found that the playlist flowed really nicely that way. I don't pay much attention to subgenres when programming the running order of these playlists these days. It's all about the ebbing & flowing of energy & intensity. Besides... if you struggle with that Black Breath track then you're REALLY gonna struggle with the remainder of the playlist.