June 2023 "The Infinite" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Wtb5QsNObO9w62f7ThQNF?si=9fd067002816400e

1. VOLA – Alien Shivers (2018) (49)

2. Scar Symmetry – Chrononautilus (2023) (6)

3. Azusa – Iniquitous Spiritual Praxis (2018)

4. Queensryche – The Mission (1988) (20)

5. Oceill – Course Bottom (2023) (7)

6. Burst – I Hold Vertigo (2008)

7. DVNE – Court of the Matriarch (2021) (19)

8. Evergrey – I’m Sorry (2003)

9. Slugdge – Crop Killer (2018) (36)

10. The Ocean – Unconformities (2023) (22)

11. An Abstract Illusion – In The Heavens Above, You Will Become a Monster (2022) (12)

12. In The Woods… - The Cave of Dreams (2016)

13. öOoOoOoOoOo – No Guts = No Masters (2016) (18)

14. Arjen Lucassen’s Supersonic Revolution – Odyssey (2023) (5)

15. Ne Obliviscaris – Misericorde II – Anatomy of Quiescence (2023)

16. Animals As Leaders – Arithmophobia (2016) (10)

17. Kardashev – Snow-Sleep (2020) (18)

18. Avenged Sevenfold – We Love You (2023) (37)

Saxy, you've done an amazing job with this playlist! So much so that I have the incentive to comment on all the tracks in it. So here are all my thoughts:

VOLA – Alien Shivers (2018)

4.5/5. Now let's start with a killer discovery! Getting me pumped from beginning to end.

Scar Symmetry – Chrononautilus (2023)

4/5. I'm absolutely stunned by the strength the band has maintained after their long hiatus, in the singles that lead up to the long-awaited second part of The Singularity saga. Lars Palmqvist ascends like a neohuman angel with his enigmatic clean singing, in contrast to the demonic growls of Roberth Karlsson. Excellent!

Azusa – Iniquitous Spiritual Praxis (2018)

4.5/5. This awesome track frantically switches through different tempos and time signatures, all from different corners, in just under 4 minutes, unlike those other extreme progressive metal bands that make long epics.

Queensryche – The Mission (1988)

4/5. Now we head back to the 80s for what was considered a total gamechanger in that decade. Back when I still found this melodic heavy/progressive metal sound appealing, I thought this album was an epic mind-blowing masterpiece. But now I'm more focused on the modern heaviness of the bands from the first 3 tracks of the playlist. Still I appreciate Chris DeGarmo's might guitar work. The vocals make the song great too, and I can hear where the vocal work of Rhapsody of Fire came from.

Oceill – Course Bottom (2023)

4.5/5. A cool melodic instrumental arrangement for a heavy rhythm-focused subgenre like djent.

Burst – I Hold Vertigo (2008)

5/5. This one begins with some steady chugging rhythm that would soon lead to a roller-coaster of unexpected twists with no time to prepare. After that typical metalcore riff, monstrous melodies and electronic sound-waves start building up. My own complaint about the song is the 30-second outro riff that keeps starting and stopping after the rest of the instrumentation stopped. That's just piercingly repetitive and annoying, but doesn't affect the rest of the song's perfection. So I give it a 95% percentage rating.

DVNE – Court of the Matriarch (2021)

4.5/5. Some more solid djenty progressive metal, with the singing reminding me of Evergrey's Tom S. Englund.

Evergrey – I’m Sorry (2003)

4/5. Speaking of Evergrey... The destructive truth and reality is often something we feel f***ing sorry for and want to avoid, and Evergrey lets out those kinds of thoughts with such a beautiful song in the vocals, guitars, and drums. This is actually a cover of a song by Turkish-Swedish pop star Dilba Demirbag. Evergrey's earlier ballads have some good gold. Apologetic lyrics are sung in sheer beauty. But still I don't know if I'm up to making a full return to listening to this band's material.

Slugdge – Crop Killer (2018)

4.5/5. Now does this song title reminds you a certain controversial Body Count single? Of course, the sound is much different, being sludgy progressive death metal.

The Ocean – Unconformities (2023)

5/5. If Cult of Luna can make a collaboration album with Julie Christmas, I don't see why The Ocean can't do the same with Karin Park as they've done in this incredible song. The new Holocene album is quite epic, and I look forward to reviewing it when it appears in this site. The album is a sequel to the Phanerozoic duo of albums while throwing back to the sound of Heliocentric. As part of the Holocene theme, the track seems to center around sea turtles using the moon to guide them but avoid artificial light than can get them lost and die lonely. Probably my second favorite track there, though I'll tell what my ultimate favorite is in the review.

An Abstract Illusion – In The Heavens Above, You Will Become a Monster (2022)

4.5/5. A crushing extreme progressive death metal epic! As amazing as the first half is, the 6-minute mark starts one of the most emotional parts of a lengthy epic I've heard, all leading to a beautiful riff to start the second half and be used throughout that half. So exceptional! There's barely anything that can go wrong. The awesome riff starts near the 9-minute mark, and at one point sounds a bit like Devin Townsend Project. Then over the 12-minute point is where you can hear the climax of agony-ridden vocals. The atmosphere can remind some of Ghost Brigade. This is quite exciting, a nearly perfect masterpiece of a song! I don't know how else I can describe all that intense heaviness. Oh, and there are some female vocals too, can't forget that.

In The Woods… - The Cave of Dreams (2016)

5/5. A perfect dreamy doom-ish progressive metal standout!

öOoOoOoOoOo – No Guts = No Masters (2016)

4.5/5. As weirdly intriguing as this music is, the band name sounds like a ghost moaning. It's as experimental as Unexpect! If Heaven has room for something strange, it is this. It might fit well as soundtrack for Berserk. This is quite a creation of pure magic. Solid avant-garde/progressive metal right there!

Arjen Lucassen’s Supersonic Revolution – Odyssey (2023)

4.5/5. The mastermind behind Ayreon is back at it again for the music equivalent to a spacey journey throughout the universe. The song blends together Arjen's usual spacey vibe, the comedic vibe of Tenacious D, and the groove vibe of JC's vocals. The space-prog metal sound also has some touches of Deep Purple and Rainbow, all while worth headbanging in a cosmic sea. In fact, I might just say that this might surpass some of Ayreon and Star One's material!

Ne Obliviscaris – Misericorde II – Anatomy of Quiescence (2023)

5/5. The second half of the "Misericorde" suite is a mournful classic track, sounding beautiful while staying unpredictable. There are barely any vocals there, and that kinda makes things sound longer than should be. Still all this exceptional chemistry is what makes that part stand out.

Animals As Leaders – Arithmophobia (2016)

4.5/5. I had a trip to IKEA earlier today as of writing this post, and this track's technicality fits well for when I was assembling a table and a bookcase that we've bought. Throughout this instrumental djent ride, the beat and time signatures vary in each and every instrument, all played in mathy progressive fire!

Kardashev – Snow-Sleep (2020)

4/5. It's quite exciting hearing some more extreme progressive death metal, especially in the drumming.

Avenged Sevenfold – We Love You (2023)

4.5/5. Let's end this playlist with a solid track from the new Avenged Sevenfold album. People might think this is just experimental garbage with sudden tempo breaks, but you'll get used to it and love it. This is almost like Dream Theater, Rammstein, Trivium, and Lamb of God all formed into one. Quite a pleasant surprise! The lyrics are quite amazing here. If they ever get to submit another song to a video game, they should let Devil May Cry use this song of intricate fire for a boss fight. Anyone who thinks this band is f***ing selling out as they had in Hail to the King has been proven wrong. This kind of art can decimate those harsh opinions! Though the synths are kinda weird.