December 2025 Featured Release - The Revolution Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us 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. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month's feature release for The Revolution, nominated by me (Shadowdoom9 (Andi)), is the 1999 debut album by Miami-based metalcore forerunners Poison the Well, The Opposite of December. I thought it would be fitting for this month, since it's December. For real though, this genre-defining masterpiece is a heavy emotional offering of glory that fans of hardcore and metal shouldn't miss out in their lives.

https://metal.academy/releases/1769

Here's my review summary:

Not often can you find something that can sound so fresh even after over 25 years following its release. As awesome as many other metalcore releases, they would be bowing down to the true groundbreaking developing albums of the genre. The title and release date fit well together, considering it was released in December 1999, one month before the new millennium (unless you wanna be technical). Already there was hope for a promising future for metal and hardcore in this millennium. There's a lot of fury from the guitar and vocals. Jeffrey Moreira has wonderful vocals as he screams well-written lyrics at the top of his lungs. Not a lot of metalcore vocalists have the same rage as Jeffrey, and he also does some clean singing that helps the band standout among other early metalcore bands. All in all, The Opposite of December is just what every metalcore fan really needs. Something so beautiful and brutal was made by this young talented group that would stand the test of time. This impactful gem is essential for all metal/hardcore fans, one that you can't go your entire life without!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "12/23/93", "Slice Paper Wrists", "To Mandate Heaven", "Not Within Arms Length", "My Mirror No Longer Reflects"

For fans of: Eighteen Visions, early Hopesfall, This Day Forward

I keep persisting with the Revolution features despite the fact that, as a general rule, they are evidently not my cup of tea. There has been the occasional gem, however, that is why I keep returning. Unfortunately Poison the Well's debut full-length is not one such nugget and is much more the angsty-teenager background noise that makes zero impact on me either emotionally or intellectually. Whilst I do admire the energy, the earnestness of the screeching vocals sounds inordinately preachy, like I am being chastised for not understanding the songs' protagonists' struggles and hardships in an unfair world (man!) Occasionally out of this seething pit of venomous vipers a nice, hard-hitting riff does emerge and makes my ears pick up, but it is soon swallowed up by the tornado of raging impotence and it falls back into ravening background noise.

Believe me, though, I am self-aware enough to know that a 60-odd year old, former stoner is definitely not the target audience for this stuff and I appreciate that there are legions of younger metalheads who lap this shit up - and good luck to em - but it isn't for me. Best track by a country mile is "Slice Paper Wrists". Oh well, there's always next month!

2.5/5