November 2022 "The Sphere" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45Xj4PCyW3LavsE8NMtncN

Tracklisting:

1. Killing Joke - "The Death & Resurrection Show" (from Killing Joke, 2003)

2. Northlane - "Clarity" (from Obsidian, 2022) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

3. Bile - "Remove the Head" (from Built to Fuck, Born to Kill, 2014)

4. Deathstars - "Explode" (from The Perfect Cult, 2014) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

5. Ministry - "Golden Dawn" (from The Land of Rape and Honey, 1988) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

6. Godflesh - "Head Dirt" (from Streetcleaner, 1989) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

7. Samael - "Telepath" (from Telepath, 2004)

8. Strapping Young Lad - "Shitstorm" (from Alien, 2005)

9. Wayne Static - "Assassins of Youth" (from PIGHAMMER, 2011)

10. Crossbreed - "Nothing" (from KE 101, 2009)

11. Pitchshifter - "Microwaved" (from www.pitchshifter.com, 1998)

12. Pigface - "Bitch" (from Easy Listening, 2003)

13. Apartment 26 - "Backwards" (from Hallucinating, 2000)

14. Gravity Kills - "Goodbye" (from Gravity Kills, 1996)

15. KMFDM - "Disobedience" (from Nihil, 1995)

16. Celldweller - "Into the Void" (from Into the Void, 2019)

17. Circle of Dust - "Outside In" (from Machines of Our Disgrace, 2016)

18. Dead World - "180" (4:06) (from The Machine, 1993)

19. Nine Inch Nails - "Reptile" (from The Downward Spiral, 1994) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

20. Dagoba - "4.2 Destroy" (from Dagoba, 2003)

21. Kong - "2.14" (from Mute Poet Vocalizer, 1990)

22. Unzucht - "Nein" (from Jenseits der Welt, 2020)

23. b.o.s.c.h. - "Mehr" (from Einsam, 2010)

24. Stoneman - "Mord ist Kunst" (from Goldmarie, 2014)

25. Trust Obey - "Hands of Glory" (from Hands of Ash, 1996)

26. Rob Zombie - "Crow Killer Blues" (from The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy, 2021)

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Killing Joke - "The Death & Resurrection Show" (from Killing Joke, 2003)

4.5/5. How's this for a Sphere playlist opener? This is part of the Killing Joke 2003 album where they had Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters beating the drums, and I heard this song is featured in the soundtrack for Need For Speed Underground 2. People following this band since their late 70s formation would have their minds blown.

Northlane - "Clarity" (from Obsidian, 2022)

5/5. This one starts optimistic-sounding, all light and gentle in the electronic without immediately starting in a bang while many other albums in a similar style would. After one and a half minutes, BOOM!! The heaviness kicks into high gear! Switching from melodic vocals and electronics to screams and technical riffs, you're buckled up for this wild ride like no other. A very strong starter track! Building through this 6-minute track, it's not until the 4-minute mark when the breakdown the more hardcore fans are hungry for strikes and gets you hooked in the remain two minutes. Every member shines with the instruments in their own ways. The drumming makes that song a standout!

Bile - "Remove the Head" (from Built to Fuck, Born to Kill, 2014)

4.5/5. It's good to hear a song by Bile released long after the previous song I've heard from them. You can tell the difference very quickly while you still hear the dark entertainment. The aforementioned earlier song "In League" is in the Strangeland soundtrack, and if there's ever a remake for that movie, they should use this song. F***ing killer song for working out in the gym!

Deathstars - "Explode" (from The Perfect Cult, 2014)

4/5. Fabulous cyber metal! The band haven't released an album in 8 years, and their most recent one still pumps me up high. The ethereal darkness actually fits well in Final Fantasy. This is like the English-singing Eisbrecher. Hail the Deathstars!

Ministry - "Golden Dawn" (from The Land of Rape and Honey, 1988)

4.5/5. This is a highly different instrumental trip. It is the first of a few tracks in the album to use samples, including from the horror-drama film The Devils ("The antichrist!!") and chanting from Aleister Crowley and Israel Regardie. An excellent loopy instrumental! I could recommend this to anyone starting out this band for the first time.

Godflesh - "Head Dirt" (from Streetcleaner, 1989)

5/5. Another awesome standout. They continue playing lower riffs that sometimes hang in the background behind bass and drums, but the guitar can never go unnoticed!

Samael - "Telepath" (from Telepath, 2004)

4.5/5. It's amazing to hear this symphonic industrial metal sound bright and clear. I didn't enjoy this band for a super long time because of their earlier black metal, but they should have much more attention than Rammstein.

Strapping Young Lad - "Shitstorm" (from Alien, 2005)

5/5. The song that many people have heard the most is surprisingly the one with swearing in the title and the lyrics. Devin Townsend sounds f***ing p*ssed and determined to stab your eardrums (already done by the music in a way I like). The entirely shouted vocals threaten you with crazy lyrics. The song is fast with good riffs and fantastic keyboards. The choirs diversify this amazing song. Can this album get better?!

Wayne Static - "Assassins of Youth" (from PIGHAMMER, 2011)

4.5/5. OK, not completely better, but this is a really great heavy industrial metal piece, from Wayne Static's only solo album and last overall album before his untimely death. The lyrics sound quite poetic. The "sheriff" intro is from the 1980 horror film Motel Hell. RIP Static...

Crossbreed - "Nothing" (from KE 101, 2009)

4/5. I still can't believe good industrial metal is hard to find nowadays. This is the kind of alt-/industrial metal blend Mushroomhead had in Savior Sorrow. Quite underrated!

Pitchshifter - "Microwaved" (from www.pitchshifter.com, 1998)

3.5/5. Any racing video game fan might hear this song in Test Drive 5 and Twisted Metal 3. The surreal bridge at the two-minute mark perfectly fits well for those games.

Pigface - "Bitch" (from Easy Listening, 2003)

3/5. Come on baby! A powerful f***er, but quite hard for me to take seriously. It's a cover of a song by Dope that would end up in that band's third album Group Therapy.

Apartment 26 - "Backwards" (from Hallucinating, 2000)

3.5/5. I was far too young to enjoy the nu metal era when it was on. I didn't hear about that genre until over a decade after that album. This song is in the soundtrack for Mission Impossible 2 and the video game Gekido. Yet another song I gotta show to my brother for some interesting car traveling. And what's more, vocalist Terence "Biff" Butler is the song of Geezer Butler, bassist for Black Sabbath! The song is not really massive for me though and is the closest in sound to Pitchshifter. Still cool in the verses!

Gravity Kills - "Goodbye" (from Gravity Kills, 1996)

4/5. Another great song from an underrated industrial/alt-rock/metal band. I don't have anyone I really hate, but for those who do, use this song against them ("I'M F***ING TIRED AND I'M SAYING GOODBYE!!!!"). Anyone who thinks The Prodigy is THE 90s electro-rock band might stand corrected. I can do without the background noises though.

KMFDM - "Disobedience" (from Nihil, 1995)

4.5/5. This is perhaps what really stands out the most in the album. It's not a ballad, but it sounds the closest to one. In saying that, it's one of the greatest highlights here.

Celldweller - "Into the Void" (from Into the Void, 2019)

5/5. Over 50 years old (around the same age as my parents), Klayton is still going super strong with his sound! He should collaborate with Mick Gordon sometime.

Circle of Dust - "Outside In" (from Machines of Our Disgrace, 2016)

5/5. I have this band and Argyle Park to thank for getting me into listening to Klayton's projects. I love this beautiful song so d*mn much. Bless the void!

Dead World - "180" (from The Machine, 1993)

4.5/5. This is a 180 from what I'm used, but I find it nicely bleak.

Nine Inch Nails - "Reptile" (from The Downward Spiral, 1994)

4/5. A well-done metallic track from the album where Nine Inch Nails began making their move from the heaviness of Broken. It's no surprise how much this band has dominated the industrial music scene. There are some bad-a** lyrics here like "Angels bleed from the tainted touch of my caress". People probably would've heard of NIN more in the 90s/2000s. This sounds so disturbing yet stellar. I might get in some more of what I'm missing in The Downward Spiral, but then again, I prefer heavier bands in the industrial metal realms. Still it's quite well done here. Who knew darkness can have light and faith!? There are 3 other songs from this album that would form the album's metallic square, and I've already shown you what they are in the Track of the Day thread. This should've fit well in a Twin Peaks episode.

Dagoba - "4.2 Destroy" (from Dagoba, 2003)

4.5/5. Lots of hardcore power in this song! Like Hatebreed would yell, "DESTROY EVERYTHING!!!"

Kong - "2.14" (from Mute Poet Vocalizer, 1990)

4/5. An older more progressive instrumental that sounds good but not the best. Next!

Unzucht - "Nein" (from Jenseits der Welt, 2020)

3.5/5. I know what "Nein" means, it's German for "No", which is my answer to whether or not this peaks my interest. Still sounds good though.

b.o.s.c.h. - "Mehr" (from Einsam, 2010)

3/5. Same with this one. Slight goodness, but I got other music to check out. If I want to find something that isn't just barely understandable sh*t, I just have to keep digging.

Stoneman - "Mord ist Kunst" (from Goldmarie, 2014)

3.5/5. A better song to rock out to, but if only they had lyrics that I can read and understand. But I guess it would be useful if I ever one day decided to learn German. The Mozart-like beginning adds a classical edge to the Rammstein-like sound, but I still find that "meh".

Trust Obey - "Hands of Glory" (from Hands of Ash, 1996)

4/5. This 12-minute epic is worth part of the CD's runtime, though not as impressive as the 12-minute epic I've submitted to this month's Gateway playlist.

Rob Zombie - "Crow Killer Blues" (from The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy, 2021)

4.5/5. A killer ending to this playlist, sounding like a mix of Avatar, White Zombie, and the Doors. The lyrics greatly match the music! Then after it's over and the apocalypse wipes everything out, during the last 30 seconds, a sinister evil is lurking around and waiting to be unleashed. To be continued...

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a few slight bumps throughout... Anyway, I sure would recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!