January 2021 "The Pit" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/25GgQ1SyzDqt9e07pj3Fkq?si=qBMpQGmfQDWx5RPcR4BNHg
Tracklisting:
01. Hexen – “Gas Chamber” (from “State Of Insurgency”, 2008) [Submitted by Sonny92]
02. Lamb Of God – “Ruin” (from “As The Palaces Burn”, 2003)
03. The Great Kat – “Flight Of The Bumble Bee” (from “Beethoven On Speed”, 1990)
04. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – “Planet B” (from “Infest the Rats' Nest”, 2019)
05. Voivod – “Live For Violence” (from “War & Pain”, 1984) [Submitted by Daniel]
06. Hellhammer – “The Third Of The Storms (Evoked Damnation)” (from “Apocalyptic Raids” E.P., 1984) [Submitted by Daniel]
07. Rampage – “Transgression To Sin Under The Invisible Empire”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]
08. Carnivore – “Jesus Hitler” (from “Retaliation”, 1987)
09. Helloween – “Walls Of Jericho/Ride The Sky” (from “Walls Of Jericho”, 1985)
10. Bütcher – “Iron Bitch” (from “666 Goats Carry My Chariot”, 2020)
11. Deathhammer – “Black Speed Inferno” (from “Chained To Hell”, 2018)
12. Blood Tsunami – “One Step Closer To The Grave” (from “Grand Feast For Vultures”, 2009) [Submitted by Sonny92]
13. Heathen – “Heathen’s Song” (from “Victims Of Deception”, 1991)
14. Expander – “Hyper-Flesh Aedificium” (from “Neuropunk Boostergang”, 2020)
15. Hazzerd – “Waking Nightmare” (from “Delerium”, 2020)
16. Sodom – “Genesis XIX” (from “Genesis XIX”, 2020)
17. Killer Be Killed – “Deconstructing Self-Destruction” (from “Reluctant Hero”, 2020)
18. The Offering – “Ultraviolence” (from “Home”, 2019)
19. Testament – “True American Hate” (from “Dark Roots Of Earth”, 2012)
20. Pantera – “Mouth For War” (from “Vulgar Display Of Power”, 1992)
21. Havok – “Fear Campaign” (from “V”, 2020)
22. Revocation – “No Funeral” (from “Chaos Of Forms”, 2011)
23. Slayer – “Chemical Warfare” (from “Haunting The Chapel” E.P., 1984) [Submitted by Sonny92]
24. Sadus – “The Wake” (from “Swallowed In Black”, 1990)
25. Merciless – “Pure Hate” (from “The Awakening”, 1990)
My thoughts on some of the tracks:
Hexen – “Gas Chamber” (from “State Of Insurgency”, 2008)
9/10. Ooh, listen to that, a brutal thrash song to start the playlist! Well even though I'm not usually into thrash this brutal, this is still an excellent killer song with blazing blast beats and searing soloing. A nice extreme start!
Lamb Of God – “Ruin” (from “As The Palaces Burn”, 2003)
10/10. This song starts with heavy guitar and bass, then Randy Blythe lets rips one of the best screams ever in metal, lasting 15 seconds! That might be his third-longest scream behind the ones in the next album's "Laid to Rest" and Burn the Priest's "Departure Hymn". Some people think of his raspy growls as scratchy, but it sounds really cool to me. Soon the guitars sound more brutal sounding like in Meshuggah in Drop-D, followed by a more brutal slow ending part. One of the best songs in As the Palaces Burn!
Voivod – “Live For Violence” (from “War & Pain”, 1984)
8/10. For this one, it crawls into one ear, violently bursts out the other, and vice versa, back and forth. The main riff of the song is powerful, along with some parts displaying the band's future experimentation. A great heavy song!
Revocation – “No Funeral” (from “Chaos Of Forms”, 2011)
10/10. From start to finish, this song speeds through your a** and out your mouth with epic vocals in the chorus along the way. If I was in the US at the time that I'm writing my comments on this song, I would be snowboarding to this killer piece. Both the instrumentation and vocals seem to be inspired by Voivod, with the instrumentation also having some influences by both Poison and The Cure, and the vocals having the aggression of Randy Blythe. One of the best songs in their first 3 or 4 albums!
Slayer – “Chemical Warfare” (from “Haunting The Chapel” E.P., 1984)
9/10. Listen, I'm not that devoted to the classic heavier thrash stuff like Slayer (at least not right now). If you were to quiz me on some lesser-known things about Slayer, I would be useless as Gene Hoglan on roadie duty (no offense, Hoglan). This is still a killer song though!
Sadus – “The Wake” (from “Swallowed In Black”, 1990)
10/10. The kind of thrash I like is the technical thrash that sounds influenced from other thrash/death metal bands but with a technical twist. This sounds like when Obituary and Sepultura at that time unite and add some technicality that's better than death. A great underrated tune! Seriously, you read that!? This is the technical thrash I like that's underrated compared to the more popular classic heavier thrash!!
Merciless – “Pure Hate” (from “The Awakening”, 1990)
7/10. Ending this playlist is probably the heaviest thrash song I've ever heard, heavier than that Hexen track! I kinda like it, but it's too much on the aggressive deathrash side of Massacra and Agressor. Death metal mixed with thrash is just not the right style for me unless it's technical.