February 2023 "The Infinite" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Wtb5QsNObO9w62f7ThQNF?si=7ddce1e176484d37

1. Mastodon – Ghost of Karelia (2009)

2. Periphery – Wildfire (2023)

3. Caligula’s Horse – Into the White (2013)

4. Sikth – Tupelo (2002)

5. Riverside – Hyperactive (2010)

6. Symphony X – The Accolade (1997)

7. The World Is Quiet Here – Writhing Gate (2023)

8. Andromeda – Extension of the Wish (2001)

9. Converge & Chelsea Wolfe – Lord of Liars (2021)

10. Haken – Taurus (2023)

11. Ihsahn – Unhealer (ft. Mikael Åkerfeldt) (2008)

12. Entheos – I Am The Void (2023

13. Enslaved – Havenless (2003)

14. The Ocean Collective – Preboreal (2023)

15. Plini – The Glass Bead Game (2020)

16. Animals as Leaders – Red Miso (2022)

17. Dan Swanö – Uncreation (1999)

18. In Mourning – Isle of Solace (2012)

19. Ne Obliviscaris – Graal (2023)

Here are some of my track thoughts:

Caligula’s Horse – Into the White (2013)

4.5/5. Yo. Check this song out, Infinite members. Period.

Sikth – Tupelo (2002)

4.5/5. This is a cover of a song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, doing the original justice while keeping Sikth's identity.

Symphony X – The Accolade (1997)

4.5/5. A story is told through the vocals, a bit like the scenario of a medieval knight. It's quite excellent, and back when I was still listening to this band, I agreed that this is their best album. I love the Pantera-like riffing, balanced out with the mystical keyboards that especially appear near the 8-minute mark. F***ing powerful vocals from this man, Russell Allen ("A LEGEND FOREVER!!"). However, as I go into my own heavier direction, I've had enough of the Dream Theater-like melodic sound.

The World Is Quiet Here – Writhing Gate (2023)

4.5/5. Well it ain't gonna be quiet in this song! Holy f***, that breakdown midway through is a hard-hitter with psychotic vocals. This is something I would recommend to fans of Sikth, Dir En Grey, BTBAM, and pretty much any progressive deathcore band.

Converge & Chelsea Wolfe – Lord of Liars (2021)

4.5/5. This anguish-filled song has a bit of strain, but Kurt Ballou takes the strain out on his guitar with cool results.

Haken – Taurus (2023)

4/5. Based on the singles from Fauna that have come out so far, you can hear the best this band has to offer, staying melodic with occasional electronics and nice rhythm, while having the slightly more extreme djenty riffs they've been using since Virus. The chorus can be a throwback to Affinity. The ending is quite beautiful, complete with a change of chord. No chance that I'll completely return to that band anytime soon though...

Ihsahn – Unhealer (ft. Mikael Åkerfeldt) (2008)

4.5/5. Ihsahn is known as the frontman of black metal band Emperor, and Mikael Akerfeldt is known as the founder of deathly progressive metal/rock masters Opeth. It's great hearing both of those men's work here, alongside the bass of Lars Norberg. You might just wake up with great inspiration for progressive metal creativity. Holy sh*t, both of their growls are fantastic! The year of this album's release is 2008, and that was one of the last years Mikael could channel his f***ing incredible growls from as early as Still Life. Absolute genius!

Enslaved – Havenless (2003)

4.5/5. I'm sure every fan of progressive black metal would like this song, but I feel slightly more comfortable focusing on the former than the latter. You can also consider this epic viking metal that's worth giving respect. This really works well for a march into battle, and if anyone's up for that kind of scenario, you can find it in that song. There's still some old-school Norwegian in the chanting vocals, while the band was already moving into writing lyrics in English. A little weird, but works greatly.

The Ocean Collective – Preboreal (2023)

4.5/5. The Ocean continues to rise, still shining as one of the great progressive/post-sludge metal bands. And f*** yeah, I think we found the missing link between the Phanerozoic and Heliocentric/Anthropocentric concept eras! I love this atmospheric tune despite sounding a bit different.

In Mourning – Isle of Solace (2012)

4.5/5. This song is amazing, especially the intro. I really need to get progressive melodeath back into my life.

Ne Obliviscaris – Graal (2023)

5/5. The soloing by Benjamin Baret will really blow your mind. What's more impressive is, violinist/clean vocalist Tim Charles let his daughter guess appear on violin during the last few minutes. There's not a single bad song from this band, and I'm glad this amazing playlist ended in a bang. I look forward to that album Exul!