July 2025 Doom Metal Dominion: "The Fallen" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2rSh9MnfQo9HmPLo2W5MBa
1. Electric Wizard - "The Sun Has Turned to Black" (from "We Live", 2004) [submitted by Sonny]
2. Saint Vitus – "Trail of Pestilence" (from "Die Healing", 1995) [submitted by dk]
3. Daevar - "Mirrors" (from "Sub Rosa", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
4. Concilium - "Red Sun, Red Moon" (from "No Sanctuary", 2019)
5. Rothadás - "Vértükör" (from "Töviskert... a kísértés örök érzete... Lidércharang", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
6. Myraeth - "Monarch" (from "In Glorious Death", 2012)
7. Moonspell - "Capricorn at Her Feet" (from "The Antidote", 2003)
8. 5ive – "Gulls" (from "Hesperus", 2008) [submitted by dk]
9. Secret Cutter - "Spleen" (from "III ", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
10. Mares of Thrace - "The Fifth Stage: Depression" (from "The Loss", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
11. Structure - "Will I Deserve It" (from "Heritage", 2025)
12. Wolvserpent - "Within the Light of Fire" (from "Perigaea Antahkarana", 2013) [submitted by dk]
13. My Dying Bride - "Thy Raven Wings" (from "A Line of Deathless Kings", 2006)
14. Yith - "Madness" (from "Immemorial", 2019)
15. SubRosa - "Whippoorwill" (from "No Help for the Mighty Ones", 2011)
16. Mournful Congregation - "The Paling Crest" (from "The Exuviae of Gods: Part II", 2023) [submitted by Sonny]
Next playlist due August 2025
Some notes on this month's playlist:
1. Electric Wizard - "The Sun Has Turned to Black" (from "We Live", 2004) [submitted by Sonny]
"We Live" is one of my favourite Electric Wizard albums and is very underrated when compared to the band's earlier stuff. It marks a transitional point for the band where the songwriting tightened up as the jam-oriented approach of the original trio was replaced by a more focussed and structured songwriting team when Jus Osborne's partner, Liz Buckingham, became more involved in the process. This is probably the best track on the album with a subsonic guitar tone that may well undermine your home's foundations if played too loudly.
2. Saint Vitus – "Trail of Pestilence" (from "Die Healing", 1995) [submitted by dk]
A great illustration of the crawling, creeping riffs Dave Chandler spent a career producing. Scott Reagers was back behind the mic for this album after the band had dallied with Count Raven's Chritus following Wino's departure and the band turned in their best post-1990 album as a result. Another brilliant track that is a perfect snapshot of what you should expect from St. V.
3. Daevar - "Mirrors" (from "Sub Rosa", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
I really enjoyed Daevar's previous album "Amber Eyes" so was already well-disposed to this track. It is a catchy muthafucker that is for sure and I genuinely can't understand why a track like this wouldn't garner some radio airplay and even a break into the mainstream. Love it!
4. Concilium - "Red Sun, Red Moon" (from "No Sanctuary", 2019)
Concilium is the brainchild of Kayo Dot / maudlin of the well guitarist Greg Massi and are a female-fronted epic doom act that are very accomplished and skilled songwriters and performers. So far this EP is there only release, but with quality like this on show it would be a huge shame if we didn't hear more from them in the future. This is the closer from the EP and rounds it off in epic and triumphant style.
5. Rothadás - "Vértükör" (from "Töviskert... a kísértés örök érzete... Lidércharang", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
This Hungarian duo are a completely new one on me, but their thundering, hulking death doom that reaches back to early 90's OSDM is defintely something that will gain favour with me. I love this track and will definitely be looking into these guys further in the very near future.
6. Myraeth - "Monarch" (from "In Glorious Death", 2012)
This is from a 2012 album which is the sole full-length release from the Sydney gothic doomers. Obviously influenced by My Dying Bride, they bring the whole gothic toolbox to bear with violin strings, keys and female vocals to complement the gruff male growls, all ably provided by Samantha Kempster who now has a solo gothic doom project called Promethean Misery. A nice take on the gothic death doom templatethat doesn't overdo the gothic side and so avoids any accusations of cheesiness.
7. Moonspell - "Capricorn at Her Feet" (from "The Antidote", 2003)
Portugal's Moonspell are exceedingly accomplished producers of gothic metal and are always decidedly listenable. The Antidote is one of my favourites and this is another exceedingly memorable and catchy number that should perhaps gain favour beyond the strictly metal sphere.
8. 5ive – "Gulls" (from "Hesperus", 2008) [submitted by dk]
OK, now we have got all that tunefulness out of the way let us get on with the show. 5ive are yet another completely new one on me and are, apparently, a Boston instrumental sludge act. If "Gulls" is typical fare then I think 5ive will gain much favour from fans of Ufomammut and the likes. I am not a huge fan of instrumental doom, but this is very, very good with its driving, kinetic style appealing to me immensely.
9. Secret Cutter - "Spleen" (from "III ", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
Venomous and ascerbic sludge metal that is filled with all the anger and despair that epitomises the true spirit of sludge metal. This is proper "Fuck off you fucking fucks!"metal.
10. Mares of Thrace - "The Fifth Stage: Depression" (from "The Loss", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
Mares of Thrace are a band I have been following for some time now, since 2012's "Pilgrimage" album in fact. 2022's The Exile was actually a big step up for the duo and it appears that new album, "The Loss" sees them develop even futher. This is an incredible track with mainwoman, Thérèse Lanz, really laying it on the line with such a desperate and heartfelt vocal performance that it has you genuinely concerned for her well-being. That said, though, I suspect being able to pour yourself so fully into an artisitc endeavour is exceedingly cathartic and I am sure Ms. Lanz will be fine. If the rest of the album is this good then it will certainly feature very highly in my end-of-year list I am sure.
11. Structure - "Will I Deserve It" (from "Heritage", 2025)
Solely judging on the strength of material featured on this here playlist, 2025 looks like being a very good year for Fallen releases. "Heritage" blew me away when listening to it after Vinny nominated it as a monthly feature, leading me to compare it (in effect, if not style) to my all-time favourite "Watching From A Distance". Now maybe that was a little bit over-effusive of me - those are fucking massive boots to fill after all, but I stand by my assessment of this as being an emotionally resonant album that speaks to something inside me in a quite positive way. This opener leads us into the album with a very melodic refrain that makes the whole more accessible than may be expected from a funeral / death doom hybrid.
12. Wolvserpent - "Within the Light of Fire" (from "Perigaea Antahkarana", 2013) [submitted by dk]
I love Wolvserpent's last album, 2016's "Aporia:Kāla:Ananta" but, oddly, I have never looked beyond that album into the rest of their discography. Well this is at least one other I have to check out. I love the kind of psyched-out, ritualistic droning as typified here. It is similar in a way to the direction Oranssi Pazuzu or their Waste of Space Orchestra have taken. It has a very sinister and dark atmosphere as if the listener is overhearing some forbidden occult rite that they should never behold. Great stuff.
13. My Dying Bride - "Thy Raven Wings" (from "A Line of Deathless Kings", 2006)
This is one of my favourite MDB albums as it is more stripped-back than the majority of their catalogue. With less emphasis on the atmospherics, they get down to being a damn fine doom / gothic metal band instead.
14. Yith - "Madness" (from "Immemorial", 2019)
Yith is an act I have been championing for ages now, generally to no noticeable effect. That doesn't deter me however as a guy who is able to so effortlessly combine doom and black metal into such a coherent statement as this must ultimately win through on quality alone. Black / doom hybrids so often have doomy bits and black bits welded together but Yith genuinely takes from both worlds and serves us up examples of a distinct sub-genre. Dark and desperate stuff that is made of nightmares.
15. SubRosa - "Whippoorwill" (from "No Help for the Mighty Ones", 2011)
Another excellent, but now defunct, band that have been high up on my list of favourites for some time. There is a certain unsettling quality to SubRosa's doom metal, as if there is something in the Salt Lake City air. The strings and layered vocals over the ponderous doom riffs always sound a little discordant and never allow complacency to set in, keeping you on your guard. "No Help for the Mighty Ones" was the precursor to the immense classic that was "More Constant Than the Gods" and "Whipoorwill" gives an insight into what was on the horizon.
16. Mournful Congregation - "The Paling Crest" (from "The Exuviae of Gods: Part II", 2023) [submitted by Sonny]
MC tend to get overlooked in the great funeral doom bands conversations, but this is a little unfair to the Aussies in my book. They haven't been as prolific as some, or maybe as consistent, but at their best they are excellent purveyors of this most morose of all sub-genres. Their two "Exuviae of the Gods" EPs are examples of them on top form and although I actually prefer "Part I" to "II", "The Paling Crest" rounds off the series in fine form with a wistful introspection that feels like the protagonist reaching back through the years towards lost loves and glories.