June 2021 "The Infinite" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Wtb5QsNObO9w62f7ThQNF?si=8f41328e8c5149a7
Tracklisting:
01. Gojira – “Sphinx” (from “Fortitude”, 2021) [Submitted by Xephyr]
02. Victory Over The Sun – “Alveromancy” (from “Nowherer”, 2021)
03. Waste Of Space Orchestra – “Seeker’s Reflection” (from “Syntheosis”, 2019) [Submitted by Xephyr]
04. Neurosis – “Crawl Back In” (from “A Sun That Never Sets”, 2001) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]
05. Haken – “The Mind’s Eye” (from “Visions”, 2011) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]
06. Shadow Gallery – “Questions At Hand” (from “Shadow Gallery”, 1991)
07. Fates Warning – “Point Of View” (from “Parallels”, 1991)
08. Voivod – “The Unknown Knows” (from “Nothingface”, 1989)
09. Mastodon – “Once More ‘Round The Sun” (from “Once More ‘Round The Sun”, 2014) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]
10. Enslaved – “Clouds” (from “Vertebrae”, 2008) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]
11. Turbulence – “Crowbar Case” (from “Frontal”, 2021) [Submitted by Xephyr]
12. Wheel – “Movement” (from “Resident Human”, 2021)
13. Confessor – “Condemned” (from “Condemned”, 1991)
14. Devin Townsend – “Kingdom” (from “Physicist”, 2000)
15. Chimp Spanner – “Bad Code” (from “At The Dream’s Edge”, 2010)
16. Meshuggah – “Inside What’s Within Behind” (from “Selfcaged” E.P., 1995)
17. The Ocean – “Orosirian / For the Great Blue Cold Now Reigns” (from “Precambrian”, 2007) [Submitted by Xephyr]
18. Ne Obliviscaris – “Pyrrhic” (from “Citadel”, 2014) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]
19. Jute Gyte – “The Griding Sword With Discontinuous Wound” (from “Mitrealität”, 2021)
My thoughts on some tracks (including my suggested ones):
Gojira – “Sphinx” (from “Fortitude”, 2021)
4.5/5. A great song to start the playlist, along with an eerie guitar solo, though my good times with Gojira are practically over due to my death metal departure, despite their recent albums have a progressive/groove metal sound.
Neurosis – “Crawl Back In” (from “A Sun That Never Sets”, 2001)
5/5. A hauntingly beautiful and awesome song of esoteric symbolism! Enough said...
Haken – “The Mind’s Eye” (from “Visions”, 2011)
4.5/5. A great song I used to enjoy that reminds a bit of Dream Theater gone Karnivool! But why would I move away from something so awesomely beautiful? No idea, but somehow it was part of my death metal departure, even though this band is not even close to death metal (except for a few songs with death growls). This album is what I think is closer to prog rock with metal influences, and I prefer to keep a progressive metal band's album ratings if they're entirely that genre, especially Dream Theater and their Train of Thought album for historical value. The second verse halfway through sounds surprisingly like a Seal song, but it is made up for by the Metropolis-sounding chords. I enjoy the vocals, though not strong enough in the dynamics.
Voivod – “The Unknown Knows” (from “Nothingface”, 1989)
5/5. This track starts with a short intro as you floating into the dreamy atmosphere in waves of space and time before touching down on the moon of heaviness. The song itself is progressive and heavy with an amazing chorus like no other. That song has the most detail I've heard from a sci-fi progressive metal band, more than another band can put in an album.
Mastodon – “Once More ‘Round The Sun” (from “Once More ‘Round The Sun”, 2014)
4/5. A good starter song for the more mainstream side of Mastodon, this one shows a straight Black Sabbath approach in the riffs and rhythms, but lighter and melodic resembling Rush in the sense that the band can worship Sabbath while the drummer runs wild.
Enslaved – “Clouds” (from “Vertebrae”, 2008)
4.5/5. If there's a killer song to continue this playlist, it's definitely the riff-oriented "Clouds". C'mon, give it a listen!
Devin Townsend – “Kingdom” (from “Physicist”, 2000)
4.5/5. This is a long yet mid-length song compared to the rest of this playlist. There are better verses than the chorus, along with fabulous drum kicks and great vocal lines. The song would have a more epic re-recording in DTP album Epicloud.
Chimp Spanner – “Bad Code” (from “At The Dream’s Edge”, 2010)
5/5. The song title was missing on the thread so I added it in my reply. Lol, "Bad Code" apparently seems like a bad code to add here! One of the best djent riffs ever gave me a better feeling than the previous 3 tracks I've commented. A bad-a** instrumental to make up for the sh*tty 2020s so far.
Meshuggah – “Inside What’s Within Behind” (from “Selfcaged” E.P., 1995)
4.5/5. This is a demo version of a song that would appear in the album Destroy Erase Improve. Like its later counterpart, it unleashes proto-djent chaos and fury, beginning with a pulsating rhythm then kicks in some crazy drum rhythms that would be an essential part of the band's career. Then after the midway point, a soft yet spooky break comes in before the heavy ending.
The Ocean – “Orosirian / For the Great Blue Cold Now Reigns” (from “Precambrian”, 2007)
5/5. A monstrous song that you can say is like a melodic doomy Gojira with devastating despair before a slow acoustic workout of violin and female vocals buried within the mix. The heaviness comes back again in awesome old-school-sounding sludge doom. There's some growling by Cave In bassist/vocalist Caleb Scofield who was recently killed in a car crash. RIP
Ne Obliviscaris – “Pyrrhic” (from “Citadel”, 2014)
5/5. In album of multi-track suites, this is that album's only single-part song, but it still fits the godly skills of Ne Obliviscaris. The drums are beyond incredible with seamless transitions and perfect rhythms in impressive passages. The rhythm riffing and harsh vocals give the song a violent atmosphere, while the lead melodies and violin give the atmosphere a sense of despair. After all that epic chaos, there's a quiet section with just soft marching drums and a bit of guitar. Then it carries on through an excellent transition to an emotional ending of beautiful screaming violins atop growling/screaming vocals.
Jute Gyte – “The Griding Sword With Discontinuous Wound” (from “Mitrealität”, 2021)
3.5/5. A bit like that Black Sheep Wall epic from this month's Fallen playlist, a decent long epic (this one to close this playlist), but I'm just not entirely into the whole avant-garde black metal style. It's just not entirely for me...
I was able to check this one out on an hour and a half drive over the weekend, The Infinite is definitely the wildcard Clan by design, huh? Pretty much every track on here is completely different from one another save for a few of the sludgier tracks like "Orosirian" and "Crawl Back In". I have a lot of catching up to do with Fates Warning, and that Jute Gyte track was a massive surprise that didn't really work out for car speaker listening.