The Pit

After sitting down with the list this morning I have finally got round to parking that latest Killer Be Killed album in my queue as it is shaping up to be interesting based on the exposure it has had in recent months on the MA lists in The Pit.  I have found Max's output to be hit and miss since his days in Sepultura but I did enjoy the last Soulfly album and Reluctant Hero appears to have the same ethos at it's core although also feels much more expansive also.  Biggest surprise was that Mr Bungle track which has got me switched onto them now after years of thinking them just some spoof act/project.  Really powerful stuff.

That Cryptosis track builds into a real epic tune, reminds me of if Vektor and Revocation slept together and had a baby.  I need more Wraith in my life definitely - very Toxic Holocaust/Midnight at the same time. Neat find.

Firm nods to classics this month with Celtic Frost,  Destruction, Onslaught and Metallica tracks taking me back nicely.  That Anthrax track too gave me a 90's blast back and it was good to see Sacred Reich in there also.  I chose that Dark Angel track with some trepidation as I don't really get on with that record at all but I find that track stands out from the rest of the output on the record.

I had stumbled across Dr. Living Dead during my research for suggestions for May's list and had already skipped them due to the vocals just not fitting my template at all well.  I just can't get on with new Sodom still and I can't specifically put my finger on why at this stage but I just am not feeling it.  I am however warming to Hexecutor although I find their instrumental passages still too lengthy for my rabid appetite when it comes to thrash.   Didn't get along with the vocals on Crucified Mortals and the popularity of Nervosa continues to evade me.

A good month overall and enjoying the opportunity to take some downtime over the long weekend to listen through a couple of playlists in one or two sittings. 

I am a huge fan of d-beat, particularly local heroes Discharge (I live in the north of the decaying corpse of the North Midlands city of Stoke-on-Trent, the town that spewed forth the punk legend genre progenitors). Sacrilege took the aggression and diy ethic of Discharge's best work and married it to the aggression and heaviness of thrash to produce a vital and immediate album of the kind that really makes me feel alive. You can keep all your technical proficiency and sterile songwriting, underground albums like this that feel like they come from the gut and with which I can make some kind of connection are, for me, what I seek most in metal music. Tam's vocals are great - I love aggressive female vocals and she is, unfortunately, one of the very few female thrash vocalists, which is another big plus for this album. This is a savage, primal, middle-finger-to-the-man type of album that we hear so few of nowadays.
I agree with Daniel's assertion that, for the purposes of Metal Academy, the album should be classed as crossover thrash despite not being what is traditionally considered such, because the punk elements are so integral to it that it needs to be differentiated from straight-up thrash metal.
And, as I've stated before elsewhere, I can't believe for one minute that Kurt Cobain had never heard Shadow of Mordor before writing Nevermind's Negative Creep.

5/5

Managed to get through this over yesterday evening and this morning before work and have picked up a couple of albums to explore more from the list (Death Angel & Overkill).  Killer Be Killed are unknown to me until this list so will check out more of their stuff definitely.  Still not getting the new Sodom album at all and even in piecemeal I find it lacking.  First ever taste of Mr Bungle and it was as bat shit as I thought it would be but enjoyable all the same.

That Pantera track took me back to my youth as did Holy Wars.... Another great list this month.

I'm glad I spent a bit more time with this one, because even though I still don't think Hexecutor is a true sleeper hit, there's definitely some cool stuff in here. I was wanting to write it off after the first two listens since nothing really gripped me and I didn't quite get what it was trying to do, but after letting it settle for a few weeks I got a lot more out of it than I thought. 

Hexecutor are really carving their own path in this record, with the jarring transitions between Thrash and more traditional Heavy Metal proving to be rather unique, at least to me. The vocals are always Thrash/Black Metal centric, leading to some...interesting portions where the Thrash riffs haven't kicked in yet. I found myself really enjoying the riffing and thrashy ideas on tracks like the opening "Buried Alive with her White Silk Dress" and the more Heavy/Speed metal oriented "Eternal Impenitence". It strikes such an interesting balance between two styles that both do and don't work together. 

The record is still extremely clumsy though, with most of the transitions being almost nonexistent and thrown together with no effort. Beyond Any Human Conception of Knowledge feels like an album with a ton of concepts it wants to explore but has no real tact on how to display those concepts in a way that makes sense. I've found I love individual parts of this album, but the complaints of those above me still hold true with how thrown together it all feels. Part of me really enjoys unfocused albums just because you never quite know where the band is going to go next, but Hexecutor doesn't exactly blow my mind with how haphazard they are with riffs coming and going after the same old drum fill for 8 tracks straight. 

Seems like I got more out of this than most, probably thanks to the non-thrash parts having some great riffs and moments, but I agree in that I'm not sure where all the hype for this one came from. 

3.5/5

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4KtS2pAnpHZItNmRY479gK?si=v_497ymQRB2BRhzVme94Ew

Tracklisting:

01. Kreator – “Enemy Of God” (from “Enemy Of God”, 2005)

02. Soulfly – “Babylon” (from “Dark Ages”, 2005)

03. Venom – “Black Metal” (from “Black Metal”, 1982)

04. Exciter – “Violator” (from “Blood Of Tyrants”, 2000)

05. Killer Be Killed – “Dream Gone Bad” (from “Reluctant Hero”, 2020)

06. Sacrifice – “Truth (After The Rain)” (from “Soldiers Of Misfortune”, 1991)

07. Hallows Eve – “Speed Freak” (from “Monument”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

08. Hellripper – “The Hanging Tree” (from “The Affair Of The Poisons”, 2020)

09. Hexecutor – “Ker Ys” (from “Beyond Any Human Conception of Knowledge”, 2020)

10. Ludichrist – “Powertrip” (from “Powertrip”, 1988)

11. Evil Army – “Realm Of Death” (from “Evil Army”, 2006)

12. Slaughter Messiah – “From The Tomb Into The Void” (from “Cursed To The Pyre”, 2020)

13. Heathen – “Dying Season” (from “The Evolution Of Chaos”, 2010)

14. Sodom – “The Harpooneer” (from “Genesis XIX”, 2020)

15. Testament – “Over The Wall” (from “First Strike Still Deadly”, 2001)

16. Warbringer – “Outer Reaches” (from “Weapons Of Tomorrow”, 2020)

17. Machine Head – “Davidian” (from “Burn My Eyes”, 1994)

18. Overkill – “Coma” (from “Horrorscope”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

19. Havok – “Prepare For Attack” (from “Time Is Up”, 2011)

20. Vektor – “Recharging The Void” (from “Terminal Redux”, 2016)

21. Expander – “Megacorp” (from “Neuropunk Boostergang”, 2020)

22. Lamb Of God – “512” (from “VII: Sturm und Drang”, 2015)

23. Viking – “Burning From Within” (from “Do Or Die”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

The last couple of days have seen my long-time feelings on "Horrorscope" being well & truly justified. It's an extremely tight, professional & well-executed piece of thrash metal that showcases a band that was right on top of their game. The production is absolutely spot on & the song structures are beautifully constructed. Bobby Ellsworth's grindier vocal delivery is easily his best yet & creates a bad-assed atmosphere that's most noticeable on the slower tracks which have a very well-received dosage of darkness about them. As with most Overkill albums of the period though, their are a couple of tracks that fall more into the traditional heavy metal camp & I definitely find these to be the least appealing, particularly the Sabbathy instrumental track "Frankenstein" which sounds pretty flat in the context of the material around it. I would have omitted that one. But tracks like "Coma", the title track & "Nice Day... For A Funeral" sit amongst the absolute cream of Overkill's career & it's hard to be critical of such a classy effort. I don't believe that Overkill have ever released a genuinely classic record but "Horrorscope" is their best work for mine.

For fans of Exodus, Anthrax & late 80's Metallica.

4/5

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.

Review is up and I stood by my original 4 star rating.  Strong debut that shows the huge potential of Chuck, Alex and Eric in particular.  Held back by a lazy mix that makes it hard to hear all the performances.

https://metal.academy/reviews/1117/1501

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3AbesXjj8jd8FUWFfhWqgE?si=EKU68OsrTZCyM_zFefzBDw

Tracklisting:

01. Kreator – “Blind Faith” (from “Terrible Certainty”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

02. Machine Head – “Halo” (from “The Blackening”, 2007)

03. Helloween – “Victim Of Fate” (from “Helloween” E.P., 1985)

04. Razor – “Deathrace” (from “Executioner’s Song”, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny92]

05. Slaughter – “Incinerator” (from “Surrender Or Die” demo, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny92]

06. Sepultura – “Refuse/Resist” (from “Chaos A.D.”, 1993)

07. Suicidal Tendencies – “You Can’t Bring Me Down” (from “Lights Camera Revolution”, 1990)

08. Anthrax – “A Skeleton In The Closet” (from “Among The Living”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

09. Heathen – “Arrows Of Agony” (from “2005 Demo”, 2005)

10. Sabbat – “Samurai Zombies” (from “Karisma”, 1999)

11. Hellripper – “Spectres Of The Blood Moon Sabbath” (from “The Affair Of The Poisons”, 2020)

12. Coroner – “Read My Scars” (from “No More Color”, 1989)

13. Deceased… – “The Premonition” (from “Supernatural Addiction”, 2000)

14. Onslaught – “A Perfect Day To Die (2020 Version)” (from “Generation Antichrist”, 2020)

15. Testament – “Night Of The Witch” (from “Titans Of Creation”, 2020)

16. Sacrilege B.C. – “Fun With Napalm” (from “Party With God”, 1986) [Submitted by Sonny92]

17. DRAIN – “Army Of One” (from “California Cursed”, 2020)

18. Hirax – “Flesh & Blood” (from “El Rostro de la Muerte”, 2009) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

19. Mortal Sin – “Hatred” (from “Psychology Of Death”, 2011)

20. Lamb Of God – “New Colossal Hate” (from “Lamb Of God”, 2020)

21. S.O.D. – “Kill Yourself” (from “Speak English Or Die”, 1985) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

22. Epidemic – “Three Witches” (from “Decameron”, 1992)

23. Sodom – “Nuclear Winter” (from “Persecution Mania”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

24. Mr. Bungle – “Raping Your Mind” (from “The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny Demo”, 2020)

25. Seprevation – “In Torment They Burn” (from “Consumed”, 2014)

26. Nekromantheon – “Cast Down to the Void” (from “Rise, Vulcan Spectre”, 2012) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

Since it's been almost 6 months and no further activity has been made in this thread, I'm gonna end it here and declare the winner of part 1, which is... Celtic Frost's To Mega Therion, two to one!! So for part 2, let's take Celtic Frost further into the tournament and pair it up with a different album from a subgenre I'm more familiar with. That's right, we're gonna do unlisted thrash metal subgenres for this round! However, I'm not gonna start part 2 just yet because (spoilers) the other release I have in mind is a Voivod album and I'm waiting for the results of a new different DIS vs DAT thread involving Voivod and another band. For more info and to vote in that thread, it's in this link: https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/591

I have to admit that I quite enjoyed "Weapons Of Tomorrow". It sees the band trying quite hard to keep enough variety in play so as not to sound completely generic & this results in a good mix of brutality & melody. There's a whole tonne of influences going on here. From the classic thrash end of the spectrum there's definitely a fair amount of Exodus worship going on & the slower, darker passages seem to draw influence from "Seasons In The Abyss"-era Slayer at times but there's also a consistent melodeath feel going on that reminds me of At The Gates or even Kreator's last couple of albums which often gave a passing glance to the Swedes in a similar way. Warbringer also have a shot at fully-fledged black metal & your classic old-school Swedish death metal sound at various points across the tracklisting so it's clear that they have a rounded taste in extreme metal. Just check out the clear ode to Bathory at the four & a half minute mark in "Heart of Darkness" for example.

As Vinny mentioned, John Kevill's nasty vocal delivery is definitely similar to Demolition Hammer's Steve Reynolds (& At The Gates' Tomas Lindberg to an extent) which can't be a bad thing & he gives it absolutely everything he's got at all times. The lead guitar work is sensational & is a real highlight of the album in my opinion. The production is excellent & compliments the natural energy of the song-writing. I can't say I agree with saxy's statement about the bass guitar being hard to pick up. I can hear it pretty comfortably throughout so maybe it's to do with our listening devices of choice. There are a couple of tracks that don't do much for me though (see chuggy thrasher "The Black Hand Reaches Out" & the epic power metal influenced "Glorious End") & these lapses generally line up with the moments that drummer Carlos Cruz goes for bouncier & more accessible beats over mid-paced chuggy riffs. I'd much prefer to be flayed by light-speed tremolo riffage & a machine gun of double kick personally (see album highlight "Unraveling" for example) but this is not really a flaw but a matter of personal taste.

Overall I find "Weapons Of Tomorrow" to be an enjoyable if inessential thrash metal release that eclipses most of the other new school thrash exponents out there pretty comfortably through pure class. It's beautifully executed & hints at some real potential but doesn't quite deliver as consistently as our 80's faves.

3.5/5

You haven't heard a lot of tech-thrash, SilentScream? Well I have some recommendations for you to start with (thrash mixed with progressive also included in my list):

5. Revocation - Existence is Futile (2009)

4. Vektor - Black Future (2009)

3. Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor (2005)

2. Sadus - A Vision of Misery (1992)

1. Annihilator - Alice in Hell (1989)

Those albums can help you start on your tech-thrash journey with some of the greatest bands of the subgenre. The list can also be my current top 5 list with the only difference being Coroner's Mental Vortex tied with that Annihilator album for #1. Enjoy this tech-pack!

Y'know, I think now that we can make our own public lists, these "lists" kind of threads are no longer totally necessary when we can just make our own lists to share and inspire other members to make similar lists. So I say we focus on doing our top 5 or 10 (or any number) releases of a year, clan, or genre in the public lists from now on. I'm gonna head out of this thread and take my top 5 tech-thrash releases with me. See ya on the "list" side! https://metal.academy/lists/single/82

Glad you liked your 15th birthday present Ben. I put a lot of thought into it.

Weirdly, despite being a massive fan of both thrash and punk, I've never really listened to that much crossover thrash. I guess if I want thrash I listen to thrash and if I want punk then I listen to punk. I do like Agnostic Front's punk material though, so maybe I'll give their album a listen. The problem I've had with crossover is that it always sounds less aggressive than my punk yardstick band, the mighty Discharge, so what's the point? By the way, Suicidal Tendencies hardcore debut destroys their thrashier albums in my opinion. Still I'm gonna spin some of your top 8 and see where we go!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Brux0Q9K58QKzRwAlazwT?si=DLZ_nWB-T6uAKzR6FyaGOg

Tracklisting:

01. Sacrifice – “Terror Strikes” (from “Forward To Termination”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

02. Sepultura – “Roots Bloody Roots” (from “Roots”, 1996)

03. Iron Angel – “Sinner” (from “Hellish Crossfire”, 1985) [Submitted by Ben]

04. White Zombie – “Thunder Kiss ‘65” (from “La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1” (1992)

05. KAT – “Łza dla cieniów minionych” (from “Bastard”, 1991)

06. Megadeth – “Liar” (from “So Far, So Good… So What!”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny92]

07. Cro-Mags – “No One’s Victim” (from “In The Beginning”, 2020)

08. Prong – “Revenge… Best Served Cold” (from “Carved Into Stone”, 2012)

09. Anacrusis – “Present Tense” (from “Hindsight: Suffering Hour & Reason Revisited” (2010)

10. The Exploited – “Beat The Bastards” (from “Beat The Bastards”, 1996)

11. Agent Steel – “The Day At Guyana” (from “Unstoppable Force”, 1987)

12. Ghoul – “Word Is Law” (from “Dungeon Bastards”, 2016) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

13. Power Trip – “Executioner’s Tax (Swing Of The Axe)” (from “Nightmare Logic”, 2017) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

14. Heathen – “A Fine Red Mist” (from “Empire Of The Blind”, 2020)

15. Testament – “Disciples Of The Watch” (from “The New Order”, 1988) [Submitted by Ben]

16. Tankard – “Die With A Beer In Your Hand” (from “Beast Of Bourbon”, 2004)

17. Destruction – “Sign Of Fear” (from “Release From Agony”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

18. Onslaught – “Angels Of Death” (from “Power From Hell”, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny92]

19. Grip Inc. – “Cursed (Of The Cloth)” (from “Incorporated”, 2004)

20. Ratos de Porão – “Aids, Pop, Repression” (from “Brasil”, 1989)

21. Revocation – “The Grip Tightens” (from “Teratogenesis” E.P., 2012)

22. Holy Terror – “Tomorrow’s End” (from “Terror & Submission”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

23. Lååz Rockit – “Too Far Gone” (from “Nothing$ $acred”, 1991)

24. Razor – “Hypertension” (from “Violent Retribution”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny92]

25. Municipal Waste – “Headbanger Face Rip” (from “The Art Of Partying”, 2007) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

26. Violator – “Destined To Die” (from “Chemical Assault”, 2006)

27. Sadus – “Certain Death” (from “Illusions”, 1988) [Submitted by Ben]

28. Deceased… - “The Kept” (from “As The Weird Travel On”, 2005)

My thoughts on some of the tracks (including my suggested songs):

Nevermore – “This Godless Endeavor” (from “This Godless Endeavor”, 2005)

9/10. Well that's interesting, adding a climatic epic right in the middle of the first half of the playlist. Either way, it's an amazing progressive thrash epic, starting with an acoustic intro, before switching to irresistible heaviness, and it has the best sweeping passage of the album right before the climactic ending.

Coroner – “Divine Step” (from “Mental Vortex”, 1991)

10/10. Oh yeah, a song I initially thought was a stinker for myself, but I now recognize as the enormous starter progressive/thrash metalheads really love. It frantically yet decently punches through the discordant verses and riffs, powerful enough to blow my mind harder than a head-shot through the temple. I also enjoy the mellow bridge that contrasts against the typical heaviness and metallic guitar strength. What I thought was too out of place is now in place again!

Annihilator – “Armed To The Teeth” (from “Ballistic, Sadistic”, 2020)

10/10. Holy h*ll, this is incredible!! This is basically ballistic tech-ish thrash similar to early Coroner alongside main founder Jeff Waters channeling his inner James Hetfield (both the vocals and guitars)! Absolutely KILLER!!!!

Lamb Of God – “Laid To Rest” (from “Ashes Of the Wake”, 2004)

11/10 (not exaggerated). My absolute favorite song from a band in The Pit, though Lamb of God is more of a groove/thrash metal band unlike the 3 progressive/thrash metal bands I've commented on. It's an awesome standout with a meaner vibe than the other songs I've mentioned. The spoken narration during the intro is a nice unique addition. The riff in the bridge as Blythe yells "SEE WHO GIVES A F***!!" is fantastic. And of course, we can't forget about the infamous long "FAILURE!!!" scream. Excellent song!

Those songs are really great, thanks Ben and Daniel! However, I won't immediately start listening to the rest of Annihilator's discography. I'm still new to thrash metal going back to the late 80s (other than early Neurosis which is more on the hardcore side), and about a week or two from now, I plan on getting a couple other band discographies, including Coroner, which would be a good starting point for me before I get to the further Annihilator side of the tech-thrash bridge that I plan on crossing a couple weeks after. I'm taking my slow time... I'm heading toward thrash metal's golden age without my taste going too deep into the old!

My review is up and largely reflects the opinion of the majority.  Clumsy drumming, hindered guitar sound and a poor production and mix job.  Ellesworth carries the record (and actually reminds me off Biff Byford at one point) with Verni being the other consistent performer.

3/5

Anacrusis have a couple of really great albums, being Manic Impressions and Screams and Whispers. Well worth checking out both.

I also enjoyed this playlist. With the exception of the crossover stuff, which never does much for me, there was a lot of great stuff. I previously didn't really appreciate Speed Metal very much, but since covering a fair few great albums in that style while doing the Metal Academy podcast, I've come around to it.

Well, for starters I’d like to state that I think Venom are one of those bands that would have had much more of an impact on me if I had of been there at the time. It was only seven years after its release that I first encountered "Welcome To Hell" however a lot had gone on in the metal world during that period & my ears were already accustomed to a more sophisticated & mature sound by that stage. To be fair, I've never really gravitated towards your more tongue-in-cheek approaches to metal either. Having said that though, I’ve always had a soft spot for Venom due to their catchy song-writing & addictive energy & that attribute has never been more potent than it is on “Welcome to Hell”. It’s an extremely consistent record & I have some time for every song on the tracklisting but I’m not sure that the highlights are strong enough to elevate the album into the higher scoring brackets for me personally though. Much the same as Motorhead, Venom don’t play a style of metal that will have them sitting in my all-time favourite albums but they do enough to give me a general fondness of the time I’ve spent with them over the years. To me “Welcome To Hell” was more of an important release in the continued maturity & development of metal than a genuine classic in its own right.

As far as its credentials for inclusion in The Pit go, I'd suggest that “Welcome To Hell” was the closest anyone had come to a genuine speed metal record up to that point in time although I don’t think it quite gets there & I'd prefer to see it residing entirely in The Guardians. Venom took the dark atmosphere of Black Sabbath, the theatrics of KISS, the proto-thrash riffage of “Stained Class”-era Judas Priest, the rock ‘n’ roll infused speed metal elements of Motorhead & the raw punk electricity of the Sex Pistols & combined them in the ugliest fashion possible. The punk element shouldn’t be underplayed. There are a couple of songs that are closer to punk than metal but the band never fail to incorporate the catchy & memorable hooks of rock ‘n’ roll song-writing & that’s really the key to Venom’s success. Even at their ugliest there is an undeniable catchiness to these simple songs. The package might not be glossy but it has an accessibility beneath it’s rough exterior. Motorhead would seem to be the primary influence & you can hear it throughout the record. The most important & influential elements of “Welcome To Hell” are a) the raw & noisy production, b) the flat out speed metal approach to the riffs & c) the more aggressive vocal approach. Those are the elements that most influenced extreme metal & why the band is so often spoken of as the root of the entire movement.

My favourite Venom release is the slightly more ambitious "At War With Satan" these days but "Welcome to Hell" comes in a close second over "Black Metal".

3.5/5

So we're going to be testing the waters with another new offering this week which is one that I'll be looking for your feedback on. The idea is to release regular two hour Spotify playlists for each clan with the tracklistings taking the listener through the full gamut of sounds each clan encompasses, both old & new, classic & underground. In putting together the initial lists I've attempted to push my personal tastes to one side by including something for everyone with all eras & subgenres receiving representation. I certainly haven't gone with your more obvious releases all the time & you will find the odd novelty track included just for a bit of fun. These will certainly give people that are finding it hard to choose their clans a good point of reference to see if a particular clan is for them too. Check 'em out & tell us what you think. If everyone enjoys these then we may look to make them a more permanent part of the site.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0DVqTnQvnS2beVyViumwHH?si=9im5vpjyTseUJPrWAFbuOw

Tracklisting:

01. Slayer – “Flesh Storm” (from “Christ Illusion”, 2006)

02. Enforced – “Skinned Alive” (from “At The Walls”, 2019)

03. Zemial – “In The Arms Of Hades” (from “Nykta”, 2013)

04. Prong – “Unconditional” (from “Prove You Wrong”, 1991)

05. Suicidal Tendencies – “Controlled By Hatred” (from “Controlled By Hatred/Feel Like Shit…Déjà vu” E.P., 1989)

06. GWAR – “The Salaminizer” (from “Scumdogs Of The Universe”, 1990)

07. Helstar – “Baptized In Blood” (from “Nosferatu”, 1989)

08. BAT – “Bat” (from “Wings Of Chains”, 2016)

09. Venom – “Witching Hour” (from “Welcome To Hell”, 1981)

10. Xentrix – “Never Be” (from “Scourge”, 1996)

11. Liege Lord – “Master Control” (from “Master Control”, 1988)

12. Meshuggah – “Greed” (from “Contradictions Collapse”, 1991)

13. Stam1na – “Kadonneet kolme sanaa” (from “Stam1na”, 2005)

14. Atrocity – “Leichenfeier” (from “Blut”, 1994)

15. Flotsam & Jetsam – “No Place For Disgrace” (from “No Place For Disgrace”, 1988)

16. Sepultura – “Iceberg Dances” (from “Machine Messiah”, 2017)

17. Mekong Delta – “Immortal Hate” (from “Lurking Fear”, 2007)

18. Sadus – “Out For Blood” (from “Out For Blood”, 2006)

19. DRAIN – “Feel The Pressure” (from “California Cursed”, 2020)

20. Mutant – “Alcione” (from “Pleiades”, 2016)

21. DevilDriver – “I Could Care Less” (from “DevilDriver”, 2003)

22. Hellripper – “Black Arts & Alchemy” (from “Black Arts & Alchemy”, 2019)

23. Possessed – “The Eyes Of Horror” (from “The Eyes Of Horror” EP, 1987)

24. Black Fast – “I Conspire” (from “Terms Of Surrender”, 2015)

25. Primal Rite – “Akumajo (Blood)” (from “Dirge Of Escapism”, 2018)

26. Angelus Apatrida – “Blast Off” (from “Clockwork”, 2010)

It really says something that no one else picked that up until now, doesn't it? I think we've all probably referred to "Cowboys From Hell" as Pantera's debut at some point (despite the fact that I quite like 1984's "Projects In The Jungle" album).

Vektor in general just absolutely rips. They've been a favorite of mine from the more progressive but still aggressive Thrash scene for quite some time now and even though they don't make it onto my normal listening rotations very often, it's always a treat when they do. I only listened to snippets of their first two albums so getting to check out Black Future in full was a fantastic, albeit drawn out experience. For me, these guys just do everything right when it comes to Progressive and Technical Thrash with only a few minor gripes getting in the way of giving this album perfect marks. The high-pitched squeals are an important element to Vektor's sound, but they're a bit too random and overused on this one compared to their next two albums which use them a bit more tastefully. The length is also an issue, with certain songs and the album itself feeling a bit too drug out at times since Vektor hardly ever give you any room to breathe. 

I would have to really buckle down and listen to all three of their albums to pick favorites and compare, but as for now both Black Future and Outer Isolation live up to Terminal Redux, the first Vektor album I heard, in terms of raw Progressive Thrash power. This band seriously hasn't missed a beat yet. 

4.5/5

I agree with that sentiment wholeheartedly Daniel. The clan-filtered charts should end up being  particularly relevant to what true genre enthusiasts view as the most essential releases and that definitely sets The Academy apart from other websites.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that "Chaos A.D." wasn't a bit of a disappointment for me at first. I mean I was absolutely crazy for all of Sepultura's previous material & picked it up on the day of release expecting more of the same. What I got was significantly different to my expectations but I gave it a chance & over time I definitely warmed to it. I'm not gonna say that I regard it as a classic or anything but I certainly consider it to be a very strong release in its own right.

I've just posted one of my longest & most details reviews on this one. I just had so much to say once I got writing. I think it's because this record came at such an important time in my formative years. Groove metal isn't really my preferred style but it's a great record nonetheless. Dimebag is puts in an almost god-like performance & the rhythm section & production are outstanding too.

https://metal.academy/reviews/16628/2876

4/5

I'm not the best person to judge an album like this one, as I struggle with crossover thrash in general. I also struggle with humour in my metal, although for some reason Mr Bungle is an exclusion to that statement. I find all the silliness in SOD to be immature and a distraction from the admittedly good riffs that pop up throughout. I rated it 2.5 stars on RYM when I last paid it any attention, but I see that was 12 years ago!

It's now May which of course means that we'll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we're asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter.    

This month's feature release for The Pit is 1993's controversial fifth album from Brazilian thrash icons Sepultura entitled "Chaos A.D.". This record saw the band moving away from their thrash metal roots into more of a groove metal oriented sound whilst continuing to further explore the traditional sounds of their native homeland. It was originally met with skepticism by thrashers everywhere however over time most people came around to its charms & it's now seen as one of the premier examples of the groove metal sound. We'd like to know how YOU rate it. Is it worthy of the legacy that Sepultura were building during the late 80's & early 90's?

Pleasantly surprised by this one, I didn't realize Helloween had such a unique sound even when they first started. This is pretty essential for over-the-top, thrashy, speedy metal that shows a ton of promise with a lot of room for the band to obviously grow into their trilogy of highly acclaimed late 80's albums. I think some of the vocal passages definitely miss their mark on "Murderer" and a bit on "Cry For Freedom", but the riffs are so good that I hardly care. It's incredible how many riffs and ideas from 1985 are still being used in Power/Heavy Metal today, whether it be the galloping rhythms from "Warrior" or the 16th note shredding coupled with aggressively over the top vocal shrieks from "Cry For Freedom". This honestly might be one of the best debut EP's I've heard, since it already sounds so refined and confident. Obviously there are issues, but there is a lot of amazing stuff here that helped to define the faster and more over the top Heavy and Power Metal genres. 

4 / 5

It's not January anymore, but I will still summarize my review here:

There's one exciting album that's so close to the thrash metal throne that it can sit right next to Metallica and Slayer. And that is...Artillery's By Inheritance! It has impressive technicality along with more accessibility and theatrical compositions. Many songs in the album encourage listeners to headbang to the excellent composition without leaving their neck strained (though it's a little close) and replay their greater catchy riffs so many times. Soft verses make sharp turns into heavy choruses. And the vocals stay in a balance of melody and high screaming. Not to mention those splintering frets! Artillery can have as much fun as they please, but not in ways to throw people off, and it sounds like most of their thrash metal fun is great shape. By Inheritance is a priceless thrash metal recommendation for many metalheads out there.

There's not been a massive amount of quality pit-related releases this year, but I'll give it a go:

#1 Possessed - Revelations of Oblivion

#2 Critical Defiance - Misconception

#3 Inculter - Fatal Visions

#4 Bewitcher - Under the Witching Cross

#5 Aggressive Perfector - Havoc at the Midnight Hour

#6 Sins of the Damned - Striking the Bell of Death

#7 Wraith - Absolute Power

#8 Possessor - Gravelands

#9 Sadistic Ritual - Visionaire of Death

#10 Mother's Tomb - Absent Not Dead

Speed Metal Rush

An infectiously fun album cover to cover. It was a pleasant surprise hearing a female vocalist on an album like this who has the pipes to really drive the act home. When I first put this on I could have sworn I was listening to an alternate universe version of Rush, which is still a compliment in my book. Maniac slows down a little too much after the two blistering openers "Max Overload" and "Maniac", with "Black Car" and "America" being noticeably less energetic. "Bottoms Up" also overstays its welcome just a bit, but any of these songs are far from being bad. All of the ingredients of great Speed Metal are here, from the tight and accurate 16th note shredding to the intense and heavy chugging of "Prince Of Hell And Fire", which turned out to be my favorite track in the end.

Although they're overlooked, Acid delivers a fantastic Speed Metal performance for its time with a unique and talented female vocalist at the front of well written Speed Metal riffs.

These two lists might also interest you members of The Pit as they include a few early thrash metal releases amongst them:

Top 10 Releases Of 1983: https://metal.academy/lists/single/7

Top 10 Releases Of 1984: https://metal.academy/lists/single/8

Thrash: I'm pretty sure Piledriver "Metal Inquisition" and Venom "Possessed" (perhaps not considered thrash) were my gateway to Thrash. That would've been around 1985. I was blown away. I did a seven hour radio show at the time that was strictly metal and hard rock. Once I was bitten by the Thrash bug, it became a huge part of my radio programming up through the early 90's.

Groove: I suppose Pantera might be the first example of this style that I can recall hearing. "Cowboys From Hell" blew me away when it exploded onto the metal scene but to me that was firmly rooted in thrash. I think the follow-up began the slow evolution towards the band's 100% groove metal approach. I slowly lost interest. I'm still not a huge fan of the genre.

Speed: I think I discovered this genre in the early 80's, mostly from the slew of comps Metal Blade were releasing at the time. Some early discoveries for me were Savage Grace, Raven and Exciter.

An excerpt from The Onion earlier today:

WASHINGTON—Saying that any further endeavors of technical skill and imagination were pointless, experts at the Smithsonian Institution reportedly questioned Monday why new art was still being produced after the pinnacle of aesthetic and creative potential was reached in 1990 with Megadeth’s fourth studio album, Rust In Peace. “As the unquestioned apex of the entire history of the creative arts, Rust In Peace is the finest and last necessary piece of human expression—but it’s almost as though current so-called artists are completely oblivious to Dave Mustaine’s blistering, transcendent guitar work on ‘Hangar 18,’” said Smithsonian curator of contemporary art Joanna Marsh, gesturing dismissively in the direction of a massive self-portrait by photorealist Chuck Close, completed in 2000. “It’s not just incredibly disrespectful to keep making art; in many ways, it’s actually quite sad. The deluded people churning out this worthless garbage just can’t seem to reconcile themselves to the fact that their pathetic little sculptures and films and novels and whatnot will always pale in comparison to the brilliantly inspired, heart-stopping tempo shift halfway through ‘Holy Wars… The Punishment Due.’” At press time, a spokesperson from the Centre Pompidou in Paris confirmed the museum’s plans to throw out the contents of an entire wing and leave a massive, pure white space where the track “Lucretia” will be played on loop at full volume.

A funny article I just spotted on the "Over The Top Metal News" website:

In 1992, Pantera released their hit album, Vulgar Display of Power, which also featured one of their biggest, fan favorite songs, “Walk.”  At the end of that song, Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo says, “Walk on home, boy.”  Well, after 27 years, the “boy” has come forward and has a message for Anselmo. 

45 year old Spencer Boudreaux told Over the Top Metal News: 

“It really hurt me when Phil singled me out in “Walk.”  I knew it was me he was singling out because he used to call me that all the time before he knocked my lunch tray out of my hand.  Fucking meathead.” 

Boudreaux also said, “From now on, I expect for Phil to refer to me as “successful 40-something” instead of “boy” and yes, I expect “air quotes” as well.  Phil may be a rockstar but I make way more money than he does and I can’t wait to buy his home and turn it into a Dollar Tree.  It’s okay Phil.  I’ll give you a job.” 

Over the Top Metal News reached out to Anselmo and told us to relay this message to Boudreaux: “He wants to do what to who?  I tell you what Boudreaux you whiney ass bitch… No way, punk.”

What do you think? Is it well done or would you rather not see Dave Mustaine's legacy harnessed in this way?

I read Dave's first book & it was a pretty decent read. Here's what he has to say about his follow-up "More Life With Deth":

It's sounding a lot like Stone Sour drummer Roy Mayorga might be the man to replace recently deceased Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul in US groove metal outfit Hellyeah. Roy has had previous experience playing in Hellyeah bassist Kyle Sanders' early 2000's outfit Medication & Stone Sour is likely to be fairly inactive for the next couple of years due to front man Corey Taylor's commitments with Slipknot so this might be a likely outcome. What ate your thoughts?

Apparently Machine Head are auditioning replacements:

MACHINE HEAD has begun holding auditions to find replacements for drummer Dave McClain and guitarist Phil Demmel, who left the band last fall. During an Instagram live stream, frontman Robb Flynn revealed that the sessions are taking place at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer Zack Ohren, who worked on the group's latest album, 2018's "Catharsis".  

Flynn stated about the musicians taking part in the auditions: "You might not know some of these guys" while "some of [them] you may." 

Among the tracks that all prospective guitar players and drummers were asked to learn are "Locust", "Old", "Imperium", "From This Day", "Halo", "Aesthetics Of Hate" and "This Is The End". 

Robb said that the audition process has "been awesome, really good; in fact, really confusing." He added: "[I] don't know where we are going. We've got some thinking to do."

The press release says:

“In celebration of the historic grand opening of the Chase Center—the new 18,064-seat arena in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood—two preeminent musical forces of the Bay Area will join together for the first time in 20 years: On Friday, September 6, Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony will commemorate this most anticipated addition to San Francisco’s cultural landscape by christening the new Chase Center stage with a one-night-only show. The S&M2 concert will also mark the 20th anniversary of Metallica and the SF Symphony’s groundbreaking 1999 S&M (“Symphony & Metallica”) concerts—and its subsequent film and album releases. 

Legendary conductor Michael Tilson Thomas completes the first week of his final season as San Francisco Symphony Music Director with a special appearance, conducting a portion of the show.”

Lars Ulrich had this to say:

“This is beyond exciting on so many fronts. The fact that San Francisco is finally getting a much needed world-class arena, the fact that Metallica get to be part of the opening celebration, the fact that we get to revisit S&M 20 years later, and the fact that we get to share the stage not only with the San Francisco Symphony once again, but with the legend himself, MTT, as he kicks off his final year as music director here in San Francisco. This is mind-blowingly awesome… bring it on ASAP!!!”

It's not sounding good for any last Big Four shows before Slayer retire according to an interview conducted with Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo on Australia's "The Music" podcast:

"To be honest, I haven't heard any conversations about the 'Big Four,'" Robert responded. "We love SLAYER — I love SLAYER; they're one of my favorite bands. And ANTHRAX is amazing. And that was great what we did a few years back. But I haven't heard any conversations about that. I mean, obviously, we're still in the middle of our tour. And I'm not sure what [the other bands] are doing. I know, yeah, SLAYER is definitely on their final tour. I'm not even sure SLAYER's up for that or what."  

He continued: "It's a weird question, because it hasn't been talked about or discussed, because everybody is kind of in the middle of their stuff right now. So I don't even know how to answer that. But I can say it was an incredible experience, and we all had a blast. And it was something that no one thought could really be done, and then it happened. And it was a beautiful thing. But, you know, I think at some point, everybody kind of moves on and they get wrapped up in their stuff, and that's kind of where everybody's at right now." 

I would agree with you, but there's one major issue with your argument. Blood Fire Death is not in The Pit. It's a pure The North release.

Here's what Lars posted on his Instagram account last Friday:

"Today 30 years ago, February 22 '89, we played the Grammys for the first time and that was quite a mindfuck!!  First time we were in front of a mainstream TV audience. First time mainstream America was exposed to whatever the hell it is we do. First time they had a hard rock/metal category on the Grammys. First time we were Grammy losers, since JETHRO TULL, somewhat unexpectedly to most people, walked away with the win.  But all was not lost. The expressions of disgust from most members of the audience (other than Iggy!) is something I will treasure for the rest of my life. And I was rocking some pretty crazy hair that was edging dangerously close to a mullet! Happy days indeed!!"

I remember this occurring when I was in my early teens but the truly ridiculous nature of this decision didn't truly sink in at the time. It wasn't just that calling Jethro Tull's music hard rock (let alone heavy metal) was a huge stretch. It was also that their 1989 album "Rock Island" (their seventeenth album to that time) was also amongst the band's poorest performing records from a purely critical point of view. To put it into perspective, it would be kinda like ignoring all of Black Sabbath's classic 70's records & awarding them a prize for "Never Say Die!" Unbelievable! But at least Lars has a sense of humour about it.

Here's a new interview from a few days ago with Phil Anselmo of Pantera/Down/Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals/Superjoint Ritual/Necrophagia/etc:

http://damnationvault.com/interviews/an-interview-with-philip-h-anselmo-by-jenna-williams/

While I'm happy to hear that Sean is healthy, I can't say that I'm thrilled to hear that he will be placed behind a microphone again.

I was just reading the below interviews with Kirk Hammett & Lars Ulrich from Metallica & was wondering how you all feel about the band's supposed return to their roots & how successful you think they've been with that approach. 

Kirk Hammett: "I think for right now, there's a little bit of a vacuum for us and bands that sound like us. There are a lot of great new bands out there, but I think people yearn for something that they know is made in a real sense. I think there's a bit of authenticity that comes with us that might not be attached to some of the more contemporary bands. We can be counted on to deliver in some form or another something that's real and authentic and something that has integrity. I think that really means a lot to some people these days, when a lot of music is just kind of like made by pressing a button… People can count on us showing up with our instruments and actually making music right there in the moment. And we deliver. Whatever you hear on our album, we can play live. I will not even try to count how many bands are incapable of that. I think that's part of it. Certainly, with 2008's 'Death Magnetic', we learned that it was okay to embrace our past with sort of a revisionist approach. That's what 'Death Magnetic' kind of started as. To an extent, it's continued with 'Hardwired' too. We like to play music from all of the different eras, and at this particular point in our lives, playing the heavier stuff just is appealing to us. It feels right to me and it feels right to the other guys in the band." 

Lars Ulrich: "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" is possibly the band's most successful record in 25 years in terms of reception. Obviously, this record isn't shipping as many units as records did 10 or 20 years ago, but the perception is that it's probably our most well-received record since 'The Black Album.' So, to have that 30-plus years into your career, and to make a record that connects at that level — still — is crazy cool. Like, we'll meet people at meet-and-greets and they'll be, like, 'My favorite song is 'Now That We're Dead'' and 'My favorite song is 'Halo On Fire'. This record is being received with the same appreciation as any of our other records. That's something that we didn't expect. And that's something that anyone who has been doing this as long as us should never take for granted." 

Personally, I haven't heard anything that's worth listening to from Metallica since 1991 with the possible exception of the "Garage Inc. compilation which doesn't really count. Even though "Load" & "Reload" left me with a very bad taste in my mouth, at least they were an example of a band taking risks & making an artistic statement. The same can said for the awful "Lulu" experiment. But I can't say the same for the last few albums. "St. Anger" was a clear attempt to jump onto modern trends while "Death Magnetic" & "Hardwired...to Self-Destruct" are the sound of a band that has accepted that they've failed with their last 25 years of recorded output & are simply happy enough to try to win back their old fans with a watered down version of their classic sound. It's an inherently inauthentic approach which seems like the total opposite of how Kirk thinks he's perceived & that really does prove that the band are completely detached from their fanbase & the modern music industry.

Your thoughts?