Vinny's Forum Replies

We've gotten through the harmony test & the twelve week scan unscathed sao it seems that it's gonna happen. We're having a third daughter in March!

Congrats sir.

Some albums most definitely fit into a sub-genre yet at the same time manage to express an alienation to the core sound that seems to make them seem like they do not really fit at all. I cannot think of a better example of this than Dream Death’s debut release. It most certainly has thrash elements but at the same time has a real slant on doom metal. Often listening to it like you are listening to two different bands or a band that is so torn with its influences that half want to do thrash and the other half want to do doom.

It makes for an interesting album in some regards but overall, you cannot get away from the fact that Journey Into Mystery suffers from a lack of direction. The songwriting is not particularly stellar either to boot and so there is a real sense of conflicting purposes over the eight tracks. It is not that any one element is particularly awful, more that no singular piece gets chance at a full exploration or development to its full potential. Personally (even with my fledgling doom metal ears) these guys are a better doom band than they are a thrash band. In fact, on certain tracks (The Elder Race for example) there are no thrash metal elements to my ears. Indeed, post this record saw the departure of bassist Ted Williams and the remainder of the band elected to change their name to Penance and become a doom band.

As far as I can hear, their hearts were never really into thrash at all and all Journey Into Mystery did was prove this lack of conviction made the music suffer. I hear a lot of Trouble in those riffs and at times I struggle with the vocals as I do with Trouble’s debut. The vocals here are so clumsy at times that I find myself cringing. Lines get rushed through often leaving the odd word iterated in isolation and completely out of context. Accepting that this is a debut album, the vocalist is far too forward in the mix and sounds like he is deliberately shouting over everything else which just comes off as amateurish and juvenile.

Whether it simply their own version of uptempo doom or genuine attempts into thrash metal, Dream Death are all over the place here and it really does destroy any sense of flow. The best track on here is the heavily Celtic Frost influenced Hear My Screams, it deploys a consistency (barring that awful, snatchy solo) that the rest of the album is sadly lacking. Maybe back in 1987 this would have more props but come 2022 it certainly has not aged well.

2.5/5

Trouble - Psalm 9 (1984)

Trouble's eponymous debut is a tale of two halves for me. The first half is me thinking that this is why I got into heavy metal in the first place. With its big riffs and lethal threat levels of groove and doom, there is little to argue with on Psalm 9 when it comes to the bangers such as album opener The Tempter, the charging triumph of The Fall of Lucifer or the epic gloom of Psalm 9. Both tracks are examples of the band at their finest for me and are tracks that represent the very essence of what doom metal should sound like. There is a vibrancy and energy underneath that requisite level of murk that shows a band with their artform flowing through their very veins. The riffs of Wartell and Franklin are huge and yet at the same time they are clearly players unafraid to mix it up and change pace and influence to inject some variety to proceedings. The vocal talents of the late Mr Wagner are accurately logged throughout history and it is hard to find a comparable vocalist, past or present that has such a unique and equally fitting style for their chosen genre of music. He is imperious here. His piercing yet gruff musings punctuate each and every song on here.

Arguably for me, this is also where the second half of my experience of the album comes from. As much as I admire Wagner's vocals the adoption of them on some tracks (in terms of the lyrical content and their delivery) is far too preachy for my liking. This is not a criticism that I level from the aspect of their being a large Christian focus on the lyrics here. Sharing aspects of your faith in your music is not something I have a problem with. Here though, there is an underlying naivety to the lyrics. Victim of the Insane is a bleating tirade from a vocal perspective, saved only by the superb lead work and accompanying tempo change that heralds its arrival. The raging Bastards Will Pay is another example of a song with a message to deliver but not quite having the maturity to tailor it to be less overwhelming. At times the messaging feels like it is from a gothic metal album as opposed to a straight up doom record. I acknowledge of course that this was a debut release and so the most likely of a band's discography to contain the rookie mistakes.

The above does not ruin the album for me by a long chalk. It is an issue that is reflected in my rating most definitely but there is still a lot to enjoy and praise here. Even the instrumental track that I normally dread on most records is interesting and totally in keeping with the album direction overall. The drumming of Jeff Olson could be represented better in the mix overall but I would not go as far to say that it is stifled to any degree, just a little too far back in the mix. As a benchmark doom record for the "Early Days" challenge in The Fallen clan, Trouble's debut album is a superb starter for ten for anyone wanting to dip their toe in these murky yet rippling waters.

3.5/5

Not a fan of this at all.

The taster-track I heard on The North playlist this past month turned out to be more of curved ball when I sat and listened to the whole record. My levels of intrigue soon dropped after the frankly boring opening track. I don't mind drone metal in all honesty if it sets up something interesting, however here it just seems to set up the scene for a Jute Gyte record. In all seriousness, the Jute Gyte reference is probably the most relevant one I can apply here. The problem with Scarcity is that they flirt with extremity as opposed to settling upon pursuing it. Yes, there is a wall of noise and scathing vocals that essentially sticks in the head for all the wrong reasons but the more droning passages are actually much better structured than the "kitchen sink" style musings of II (for example).

I cannot knock them for the effort behind the album as its introduction of psychedelic elements is novel if not all that intriguing for me. The softer use of tremolos feels a gimmick as well though, like we are teeing up a post-metal record that never comes and so we just drop into form references to black metal for the sake of it. I would actually admire the album more if it further distanced itself from black metal as it would feel like it was a more honest representation of what it was trying to do.

Aveilut is not challenging to my ears, it is just boring and bloated and constantly suffers from a lack of identity. Push away at the boundaries of extreme metal all you like but sometimes a bit of reflection wouldn't go amiss to ensure you at least maintain some sense of direction.

1.5/5

Panzerchrist - Regiment Ragnarok (2011)

The poorly named Panzerchrist (really guys) have been stalwarts of the Danish death metal scene the mid-nineties. Their brand of blackened death, although not unique, is really well done and Regiment Ragnarok has soon grown on me with repeated listens. This, the bands sixth release, is stacked full of mining riffs, blasting drums and ghastly vocals and I can only assume this blueprint has served them well over the years as they sound tight throughout all twelve tracks which is no mean feat as only two of the band that performed on their previous album (some five years earlier) actually remained come their 2011 release.

In all honesty I found Regiment Ragnarok to be an unexpected joy. I mean, it certainly does not reinvent any wheels at all and it is very one dimensional in its themes and approach, yet it is sill entertaining. Their sound is reminiscent of Belphegor and Behemoth although it is Vader whom I find to be the best reference point for the Panzerchrist sound. At twelve tracks in length though the rinse and repeat cycle does get tiresome towards the end of the record and the album perhaps would have benefitted from a trim to make the whole thing easier to digest. However, Panzerchrist achieve a consistency to proceedings that none many others can hold a candle too and they are clearly accomplished enough musicians. Drummer Mads Lauridsen only stayed around for this one album but he is monstrous behind the kit and the twin guitar attack of Rasmus Henriksen and former Illdisposed man Lasse Bak is a tour de force at the same time. Vocalist Magnus Jorgensen (who was also only around for this album alone) spits a venomous performance on the microphone that underlines the blackened virtues of the band perfectly. With a more stable line-up I could imagine Panzerchrist could have ben more of a death metal household name (I had never heard of them before picking up this review), but with so much change seeming to occur from record to record it is hard to see how they could ever break out of this predictable cycle of songwriting.

Anyone who likes the war soaked themes of Bolt Thrower coupled with the mining sounds of God Dethroned would find Panzerchrist right up their street I am sure and Regiment Ragnarok is not a bad place to start with their discogrpahy to boot. You might not revisit it very often but each time you do the entertainment value will always be there at least.

3.5/5

My choice of ECDER for feature release is based on the fact that after many years of trying to find a Brutal Truth release that I could get on with, I had to go all the way back to their beginning to finally locate their master opus. Arguably one of death metal/grindcore's best kept secrets, I found the debut release to be for Brutal Truth what Harmony Corruption was for Napalm Death. Both albums represent the perfect fusion of that grinding chaos and abrasive death metal, done with a thrash metal riff mentality all rolled into one album. It is all here for me. The mining death metal riffs, the blitzed structures of the tracks that last mere seconds, and the all out spazzing tsunami of noise that slams over you time and time again.

Brutal Truth do range themselves very nicely on this album. The variation of tempos and pace are not predictable in any way, shape or form and I often find myself not realising the track has moved into a completely different space until I am a few seconds into the moment. My point is that this feels like a very organic and natural album that did not need to be forcibly pulled out in to the open. The experience of the artists comes though both in instrumental aptitude and the social/life awareness that bleeds through in the songwriting.

It is an album that cries out for music videos shot in post-apocalyptic parking lots with burning husks of cars behind the band who just play on relentlessly. The death metal vocals of Kevin Sharp are reminiscent of Benton in the albums more dark moments yet he possesses the perfect grindcore scowl as well. Sharp is also credited with handling all "power tool" duties on the album also I note. Standout performance has to go to Scott Lewis behind the kit though. He is nothing short of astonishing here and drives a lot of the success of ECDER.

For a debut full-length, ECDER is a real strong statement of intent that never really got realised post-release on future records. Had the band continued on this hybrid approach then they would have eclipsed the likes of Carcass and Terrorizer in all honesty as this album scratches the dual dm and grindcore itches so well for me.

4/5

Gospel of the Horns - Eve of the Conqueror (2000)

Australia's Gospel of the Horns are no longer an active band since 2018 having been around in blackened thrash circles since 1994. They are basically of the same sound as fellow countrymen Destroyer 666 or for a more further geographical reference, Desaster are also a good citation. Unlike either of the two aforementioned bands though, this is not as vicious in its delivery, almost like the low production values actually rob it of some power and presence. Now, don't get me wrong, this tries to be as grim and rough as the best of them. Howitzer's vocals are superb with their rasping (ravishing) grimness and Marauder's riffs are equally as cold and.....marauding. My only real criticism (aside from him calling himself Hellcunt) is the drummer sounds a bit lost in the background, and overall there is just a sense of there being a lack of sharpness to their bite.

As an EP, this works on a quick "smash 'n grab" level of entertainment. Just as GOTH get their hobnail boots and fist-band and chains to the bar, they sup up and are off to lay waste to some other drinking establishment. The synthy, atmospheric outro with its weird alien/subliminal devil speak is unnecessary as they do not strike me as a band who rely on pomp or circumstance to get their point across. At the same time the band certainly do not reinvent any wheels and as a result (having heard more than my fair share of this sub-genre by now) large parts of this EP just pass me by. It falls all too easily into the "Hells Headbangers" atypical trve/kvlt blackened thrash brigade - which in itself is a great place to be, but one that is well-trodden already for me.

3/5

Speaking as someone who likes Jurassic Jade, I think you're selling them a bit short. I can't tell you what to do, but judging by what you're describing, you basically listened to their first two albums, then this one, all in quick succession, which speaking from experience absolutely harms one's listening experience. Granted, I'm not going to pretend like Jurassic Jade are some musical geniuses, but I don't quite think one listen is enough even for them.

For me it is a minimum of three listens before a review.  Granted not always the case as sometimes I can do many more listens before writing a review (Borknagar's Olden Domain springs to mind as one that hit double figures), but yeah, for me the minimum of three is what is needed for my brain to get enough experience of a release.  Will vary i am sure from person to person, release to release.

A solid month.  Would go as far as to say my favourite month to date.  Even the usually drab majesty of Alcest could not detract from my enjoyment of the playlist this month.  Far and away the standout track is that Enslaved one that Daniel nominated.  It feels like it goes on forever, only in a good way.  So powerful and majestic without being polished.  That and Strid really owned the list for me this month.  I approached the Scarcity track with some trepidation following Sonny's review (I often find Sonny's descriptions to be spot on and not often far off mine) but I heard little wrong with that track and it is a straight toss up between Scarcity and Strid for whom I will move onto checking a full length release from.  My only gripe is with the Denial of God track that I chose which I found quite boring upon reflection (which sort of sums up how I feel about the album right now).  Corpse paint covered hi-fives all round North clan!

I will have a couple of suggestions Vinny. When's the latest you'll need them by?

15th please

October =

Master - "Pledge of Allegiance" (from "Master", 1990)

Jungle Rot - "A Burning Cinder" (from "Jungle Rot", 2018)

Aborted - "Drag Me To Hell" (from "Maniacult", 2021)

The Zenith Passage - "Deus Deceptor" (from "Solipsist", 2016)

Exhumed - "Necromaniac" (from "Gore Metal", 1998)

Hissing - "Meltdown" (from "Hypervirulence Architecture", 2022)

Consumption - "Suffering Divine" (from "Necrotic Lust", 2022)

October = 

Protector - "Perpetual Blood Oath" (from "Excessive Outburst of Depravity", 2022)

Sodom - "1982" (from "40 Years At War", 2022)

Fugitive - "Hell's Half Acre" (from "Maniac", 2022)

Three Dead Fingers - "Into the Bloodbath" (from "Breed of The Devil", 2021)

Tornadic - "The Capturing" (from "Awakening", 2022)

Paranoiac - "Devil's Door" (from "Morbid Psycho", 2022)

Scythelord - "Toxic Minds" (from "Toxic Minds", 2016)

Aylwin - The Arch Holder (2021)

I have listened through this release some three or four times now and I am still at the same level of understanding of it as I was after one listen. Aylwin play acceptable but unremarkable atmospheric bm, yet for some reason feel that showcasing this in one thirty-minute track is necessary to capture their sound. I am almost sure though that this track has three individual parts, so I am unclear as to why this all got put into one track.

Starting and ending with the sounds of waves hitting a shoreline (a sound which is revisited during the track also) simply pans out two-minutes of play time before they ever get to the opening riff. Although this start seems representative of the artwork that depicts some monolith-rock formation in the middle of a vast expanse of water it doesn’t really marry up with anything else. The brighter light of the artwork is carried through into the music I suppose as this is not particularly grim bm really.

It lacks quality that justifies the constant play of one track though. It never successfully combines the instrumentation and atmospherics into any triumphant pinnacle or peak. The nearest we get is a lull in the middle of the track when some melodic strings compliment the atmospheric ocean theme before we crash back into a soaring bm tremolo riff. Even as individual parts the instruments lack anything outstanding in the way that they are performed and so there is no real sense of cohesion, and these guys are not the tightest of players when it comes to being a collective. I find it hard to take The Arch Holder seriously as a release as it sounds like a rehearsal with some atmospherics thrown in for the hell of it.

There is no richness to the riffs, no subtlety to the transitions and the cavernous and gruff vocals just get lost in the maelstrom as opposed to underlining the emotion behind what is being performed. I sense that if I had four, thirty-minute slots of my life to dedicate to this in one sitting each then I might be more enamoured with it. However, without anything tangible to grasp as a high-point I struggle to see the need for such a lengthy release in all honesty. Just breakout the tracks guys.

3/5

October =

Cult of Fire - "Samhara Raktha Kali Ascetic" (from "Meditation of Death", 2013)

Hulder - "Sylvan Awakening" (from "The Eternal Fanfare", 2022)

Satanic Warmaster - "Winter's Hunger" (from "Fimbulwinter", 2014)

I have to confess to liking Dirt a lot less nowadays than I did some thirty years ago when I first heard it. Back then it was a mainstay of my listening rotation as I was genuinely enamoured with the riffs of Jerry Cantrell and his bluesy lead work. The vibrant and electric sounds of the first two tracks on Dirt do still resonate with me to this day as a perfect start to an album as they typified the fact that not all grunge had to be gloomy and melancholic. There was an immediacy back then to the opening of this record that was not often repeatable on most other releases of the time. This spontaneous and perfectly tight sounding start is actually only rivalled upon reflection by the end of the record when the tumultuous Angry Chair, followed by the initially sultry and brooding Would? (that develops into a pounding album closer over its three-and-a-half-minute run time) close out the release brilliantly.

The problem I have with Dirt is what comes between these tracks as I now find the album to have lost a lot of the overall positivity that I held for it back in the day. Arguably the more grungey aspects of the album are the ones that I now dislike the most as with the exception of Down In A Hole and Rooster I no longer enjoy the rest of Dirt. Rain When I Die now sounds as whiny as the title suggests it should, only not in a cool reflective way like it used to and I just cannot stand Sickman anymore with its chaotic and too frantic structure. It is not rare for me to find an AIC album that is frontloaded (although rarer in fact to find any album that is front and rear-loaded to such a small extent) as Facelift takes a huge dip south after the opening two tracks, so there is a consistency to their early output for me. This is not to say that they are not still hugely important to the alternative metal movement - parking grunge references to one side for a moment - as AIC were really good at incorporating other influences into their vaguely metal-like foundations in order to offer something which was the core essence of alternative music.

I just do not feel that Dirt has aged that well for me, even acknowledging the nostalgia around the release and the importance of it. I will openly acknowledge that they have never topped this release in either era of the band but the longevity of it is questionable nowadays even though there is still enough here to keep this a four star rating.

4/5

September 2022

01. DevilDriver – “Clouds Over California” (from “The Last Kind Words”, 2007)

02. Mason – “Imprisoned” (from “Warhead”, 2013)

03. Pantera – “Message In Blood” (from “Cowboys From Hell”, 1990) [Submitted by Daniel]

04. Sepultura – “Cut-Throat” (from “Roots”, 1996) [Submitted by Daniel]

05. Skeleton Pit “Drink Fast Or Die” (from “Chaos At The Mosh-Reactor”, 2015) [Submitted by Vinny]

06. Mindtaker – “Drink Beer For Thrash” (from “Toxic War”, 2020) [Submitted by Vinny]

07. Bonded By Blood – “Immortal Life” (from “Feed the Beast”, 2008)

08. Thrashback – “Night of the Sacrifice” (from “Night of the Sacrifice”, 2015)

09. Piledriver – “Sex With Satan” (from “Metal Inquisition”, 1984)

10. Gallower – “Claws and Fangs” (from “Eastern Witchcraft”, 2022)

11. Parkcrest– “Midnight Chasm” (from “And That Blood Will Turn To Red”, 2019) [Submitted by Daniel]

12. Pripjat – “Nuclear Chainsaw” (from “Sons of Tschernobyl”, 2014)

13. Satyrasis – “A Sheep In Wolves Clothing” (from “Creation of Failure”, 2008)

14. Skulled – “Eat Thrash” (from “Eat Thrash”, 2017) [Submitted by Vinny]

15. Plague Years – “Suffer” (from “All Will Suffer”, 2022)

16. Enemynside – “Devil In Disguise” (from “Dead Nation Army”, 2018)

17. Chronosphere – “Brutal Decay” (from “Embracing Oblivion”, 2014)

18. Hatriot – “Horns & Halos” (from “The Vale of Shadows”, 2022)

19. Tumourboy– “Chernobyl Devastation” (from “Damaged System”, 2016) [Submitted by Vinny]

20. Surra – “Daqui Pra Pior” (from “Tamo Muito Na Merda”, 2016)

21. Grindpad – “Sharkbite!” (from “Sharkbite”, 2017)

22. The Accüsed – “Pounding Nails (Into the Lid of Your Coffin)” (from “Grinning Like An Undertaker”, 1990)

23. Battlecreek – “Dealing Death” (from “Hate Injection”, 2015)

24. Amken– “Shattered Sanity” (from “Theatre of the Absurd” 2017)

25. Impalers – “Prepare for War” (from “Prepare for War - EP”, 2014)

26. Excruciator – “Destruction” (from “Devouring”, 2011)

27. Toxic Waltz – “Deify” (from “From A Distant View”, 2016)

28. Raider – “Urge To Kill” (from “Urge To Kill”, 2018) [Submitted by Vinny]

29. Phantom Witch – “Death As We Know It” (from, “Death As We Know It”, 2019)

30. Blind Illusion – “Blood Shower” (from “The Sane Asylum”, 1988)

31. Thought Industry – “Third Eye” (from “Songs for Insects”, 1992)

I think, Gospel of the Horns - Eve of the Conqueror sounds the most intriguing.

Over to you Rex.

Can't find Obskuritatem on any platform (least not that release) so I will go with Aylwin - The Arch Holder.

Over to you Ben.

Thanks Ben, I will pick up Panzerchrist - Regiment Ragnarok.

For my sins Ben (I can't leave them alone) can we add the latest release from Machine Head please?

I read this with interest yesterday as I had no background to the split from Kelly some three years ago so I was interested to read how this had panned out overall.  The man's a piece of shit no doubt about it, not only for undertaking the activities described but also for not following through on his promise to address the issues he has.  I don't really care from a musical perspective - I won't listen to any Neurosis album any differently and nor would stop listening either - assholes make good music just like non-assholes do.  The issue here is not how this affects some person's listening habits or how if Neurosis will carry on, it is about how Kelly's family can recover hopefully without him around.  I note Neurosis referenced charities in their post, perhaps dropping a couple of coins in their direction is the most positive influence any of us can have on this.

Hi Ben, could we have Blackbraid added please?

Count me in for The North, The Horde and The Pit Ben.

I am not as focussed on current year releases as perhaps other members are so any releases I stumble across from the current year that I like enough to retain a copy influences how "good" a year it is.  I still find far more interesting releases from days gone by and it is these I seek out ahead of staying on top of any current year releases.  Wiegedood is the only release of note (still getting to grips with Blackbraid) from the year so far.  Have not heard anything else off that list from Ben barring the odd BAN track and I was unimpressed.  Celeste are on my radar but I am still in 2017 in terms of their discography.

I can't say I agree with this approach. A member's clan assignments are intended to play a strong role in their identity at Metal Academy so I would discourage repeated swapping of clans. It's important to remember why we have clans in the first place which is to ensure that anyone that's voting on a release's clan or subgenre is well qualified & to do so & that there's an easy avenue to differentiate between a devoted & a casual listeners feelings on a release. The Hall of Judgement is such a small part of the site in the grand scheme of things so I don't think we should be diluting the fundamental intent of the site in order to better facilitate fast outcomes there (& in doing so risk the integrity of the voting just quietly too). Remember, not being a part of a clan doesn't restrict you from enjoying the releases & sharing your thoughts on the releases it contains in any way so I can't see why anyone would want to swap to a clan simply because they feel like listening to some releases from that clan. I'd suggest that I have one of the broadest taste profiles at the Academy but there's no doubt that everyone has comfort zones where they're more knowledgeable than others & I'm well aware of what mine are. That doesn't mean that I don't love a whole bunch of releases from each of the other five clans & I don't feel in any way restricted. I know perfectly well that there are people that are more qualified than I am to select the feature releases & nominate the playlist inclusions for the other clans & I treat it as an opportunity to discover new things while I can do the same for others within the context of my own clans.

I agree with all that Daniel has said here.  Not that I give two shits about the Hall of Tagging or whatever it is used for but it strikes me that the clan membership should not be driven by votes being needed in the Hall.  My understanding is that the clans (and the luxury of being afforded a fourth clan) was to develop real expertise or be given the opportunity to grow your musical experience I think this suggestion to spuriously change your clans once a month is ludicrous and seriously detracts away from the ethos of the site.  For me, to switch up clans you have to put the work in and complete the challenges required, just like you would have done in the initial qualification for the fourth clan.  I think some of us need to take a step back and be a little less excitable (although I do not for one minute doubt that this excitement comes from a genuine and passionate standpoint on metal music) and focus on the principals of why the site is here.

I ditched The Guardians after locking it in as my fourth and I am occasionally chipping in on The Fallen lists to see if there is any need for me to check out the content there.  Would do one or more challenge before asking to pick it up as my fourth as it is already a very popular clan and my tastes in the clan are more sludge-orientated with an obvious penchant for death-doom as well so the whole clan might not be for me.

I feel like part of this problem would be alleviated if this site had something like older forums where you can see which topics/forums have new posts because they're in bold. If one topic happens to dominate, like some Hall of Judgment threads, or say, this thread, well, one knows where the other posts are.

This works, as a former Tez forumite, like Daniel, I found that feature useful.

It's an interesting suggestion thanks Vinny. I assume that the idea will also encompass the polar opposite functionality so that I can filter the forums to show only my beloved genre-tag related threads? :) Would the ability to simply filter out the Hall of Judgement forum suffice?

Yes, appreciate this needs to work both ways so me not seeing endless reams of classification threads need not be at the expense of more...passionate members 

Anything that can be done to save my eyes from the horror of genre-tagging/judgement halls etc would be appreciated.

Why not start a few new threads of your own?

And this helps how?

If you haven’t got anything useful to add you can always not comment Rex.

I'm out.

I don't understand this.  Is this not just a "list some albums" thread?

Can you please add Katakomba from Sweden?

Orbital - 30 Something (2022)

Like me a bit of Orbital every now and again so happy to have found (another) compilation of remixed tracks this morning to compliment the sunny weather.  Lots of errands to run in the car today and now I have Spotify back working on my phone again I will be listening to this most of the afternoon.

I think Testament are consistent and I will spin most of their stuff over the course of a year at some point, but they never dug in and developed like some of the other artists mentioned here.  The first Sepultura releases where ugly as fuck and the path they went on up to and including Arise was amazing.  Metallica dropped the ball in latter years but that golden run of those first four albums has never been matched in my book.  Not a big fan of Anthrax having never viewed them as a total package.  Vocally they have always been poor and the fact that when Belladonna went and they somehow brought in a worse choice with Bush absolutely baffles me.

• Metallica - faded badly after the black album but that golden run across Kill 'Em All through to an including ...And Justice For All is timeless
• Sepultura - pretty much the same as above only they started from a very different (and much more extreme) place and in some ways herald more accolades from me for progressing so well over 5 releases
• Kreator - another example of a band who were pretty much flawless in terms of their progression for the first 15 years of their career.  Pleasure To Kill remains one of my favourite thrash metal releases.
• Exodus - (yes, not Slayer) and I mulled muchly over this one.  Although not in the same league as the others on the list in terms of consistency of output over a significant period, these guys still remain incredibly relevant to this day.  Last years Persona Non Grata release was a banger.  Had things turned out differently, the combination of Holt and Hammett on guitars would no doubt have been one of metal's more celebrated partnerships by now.  Also, flawed though it is, Fabulous Disaster was a huge record for me as a teenager.

You made it, nice one. 

Please can you add:

Lutto - Italian gothic black metal

Uzlaga - English atmo-black

Hi Ben, can you please add Rezet from Germany?

I have embarked on a campaign to improve my health recently.  Not that I ever had a drinking problem (which is what people who did have a problem with drinking probably say a lot) but I have successfully got myself in the habit of having 5 days out of 7 completely alcohol free.  On the two days that I do have a drink it is virtually no more than 2 bottles of beer and to be honest I am at the point of considering stopping altogether such is the improvement I have seen in some very basic aspects of life.

To begin with, I instantly noticed how much better I slept if I had no beer before going to bed of an evening.  I could guarantee waking up in the night and staying awake for at last an hour as my brain would wake up and focus on all the shit I would need to get done that week or mull over life in general.  However, now the alcohol intake has reduced I sleep through for at least 7 hours a night and have a very set routine of when I am in bed for and when I get up. With a good night's sleep I am also a lot more relaxed in my approach to work and life in general - this has been a little counter-intuitive as I have a job that demands that I am very dynamic and need to be thinking on my feet a lot and if I am honest I am a little too laidback nowadays but that can be remedied.

Over the past few months I have felt better and a lot more energetic throughout the day and my digestive system is much more placid than it used to be as I did suffer quite badly with reflux.  I am not off to climb any mountains or start running marathons or anything but I am looking to get back to daily walks in the coming fortnight before starting work.  I do need to work on my diet a bit, it is already pretty balanced but still a little light on vegetables and fruit in all honesty.

Not a million miles away from Daniel's description here.

On paper there is a fair old bit for me not to like on this record. A heavy instrumental stake in proceedings, all manner of influences from progressive through to black metal incorporated into tracks that rarely drop below six and a half minutes in length and a not always very tidy performance either. Most of these things in isolation can kill an album for me. Give me consistently long tracks and you must keep them interesting, but at the same time do not just throw shit everywhere that comes as influences from multiple sources just to mix it up especially if you do not have the necessary ability with your instruments to carry it off.

Fact is though, that for the most part at least, I enjoy Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm a fair old bit. There is an undeniable charm to the rough edges that are so obviously on show. Whether this is a conscious effort or not I would not be able to even guess but they give the album a feel of a band showing true heart in trying to expand their horizons beyond their current prowess as musicians. Admirable though this is, I can see how this is a curse to the ears of some listeners as it is a gift to mine.

Although not normally my bag the instrumentals here do bristle with energy and create a tangible sense of texture. They do not stray into the realm of being simply “showy” or grandiose (the limits to the artistry sorts that) they feel more robust and vaguely mechanical. This description probably does not do them sufficient justice as they are most definitely not boring, they are too charged with spirit for that, but they are almost like captures from a rehearsal or jam session thus giving them organic appeal.

As such I do not see the album as a regular release. It plays more like a compilation with some similarly themed tracks slotted besides each other that did not make the cut on previous releases. Not being the biggest fan of compilations, this again is a risk that somehow pays off here as I can comfortably sit through the album in one sitting. It is an album that carelessly arrives at success despite a few stumbles along the way (what the fuck is that title track about?) and the shifts of tempo on occasion sounding more like lurches. Structure of the Séance, ironically, lack’s structure and just feels like a relentless gallop with several time-changes thrown in. They might not have been the most capable musicians at this stage in their career but the gusto with which they approached this album is worth at least a nod of recognition, even if the overall product has more than obvious flaws.

3.5/5

Here's an interesting choice for the feature release.  I love me some The Chasm when it comes to Procession to the Infraworld but have never found them a band I could get on with across the rest of their discography so looking forwards to taking on this one in the coming days.

I had an unusually quiet Monday at work and so I got to listen to the whole The Horde playlist today.  Highlights for me were undoubtedly those tracks from Nightfall and The Chasm.  Had been unimpressed by the initial listens to the new The Chasm album but this track really grabbed me.  The same can be said for that Altars track as I had dismissed that album also but the track here has made me rethink and revisit.  Other standouts were the tracks from Origin, Skinless and Entombed A.D.

Less enamoured with the Six Feet Under track (WTF, Chirs Barnes - what has happened to your throat??) and Imperial Circus Dead Decadence were too melodic for my tastes.  Not feeling new Esoctrilihum either I am afraid.

September =

Panopticon - "Merkstave" (from "Collapse", 2022)

Denial of God - "Funeral" (from "Death and the Beyond", 2012)

Sargeist - "To Make Wolves of Men" (from "Death Veneration", 2019)

Amken - "Shattered Sanity" (from "Theatre of the Absurd", 2017)

Skulled - "Eat Thrash" (from "Eat Thrash", 2017)

Tumourboy - "Chernobyl Devastation" (from "Damaged System", 2016)

Chronosphere - "Brutal Decay" (from "Embracing Oblivion", 2014)

Skeleton Pit - "Drink Fast Or Die"  (from "Chaos at the Mosh-Reactor", 2015)

Raider - "Urge to Kill" (from "Urge to Kill", 2018)

Mindtaker - "Drink Beer for Thrash" (from "Toxic War", 2020)

September =

Torture Killer - "Forever Dead" (from "Swarm", 2006)

Knoll - "Callus of the Maw" (from "Metempiric", 2022) 

Asphyx - "Forerunners of the Apocalypse" (from "Incoming Death", 2016) 

Jarhead Fertilizer - "Product of My Environment" (from "Product of My Environment", 2021) 

Brutal Truth - "Birth of Ignorance" (from "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses", 1992)

Immolation - "Noose of Thorns" 9From "Acts of God", 2022) 

Terrorizer - "Storm of Stress" (from "World Downfall", 1989) 

Katakomba - "Embalmed In Concrete" (from "Katakomba", 2022) 

Daniel, Vinny, each of you guys have a good Sphere track you wanna submit? I plan to start working on the September playlist later this week.

Nothing from me thank you, Andi.

I also have done a review of this album and I largely stick by my words and rating.  Not withstanding that nostalgia plays a big part in my rating, given where I found myself musically at the time, this was a good pick me up for the hole I was digging myself out of.  Not perfect by any means but I still stand by that they have not come close to this since.

I recall a time when I had been away from the metal scene for a couple of years, away in fact from music altogether. Upon venturing back into metal one of the first albums I downloaded was Machine Head's The Blackening, the band's sixth offering. I had based my decision to buy this cold entirely based on their debut from some fifteen years earlier, an album that was very important in my metal development as well as being a widely recognised key release generally. The band had strayed off into nu-metal tinged releases more or less immediately afterwards and I had long lost touch with their output by the time I made this impulse purchase.

For an impules purchase, it wasn't too shabby. Coming back to the genre, at the time I though it was heavy as fuck, certainly closer to the original sound of the band that peaked my interest back in 1994. It made excellent gym music for my (then) regular early morning workouts and as such became an important part of my daily routine for a good number of months. Without reinventing any wheels, the album was just what I needed at that point in my life. It was a straight up, no frills , balls to the wall metal album that immediately reignited my taste for the genre.

From the opening throes of Clenching The Fists Of Dissent the album instantly began constructing a solid structure that was (largely) consistent throughout the whole album. The impact of the album went beyond just a couple of tracks, maintaining pace well for what at first glance of the tracklisting looks to be a short album, clocking in at just eight tracks but actually has a run time of just over an hour. Even when the album hits lulls or dips in quality it quickly re-establishes itself finding firm footing more or less immediately. After the lacklustre Slanderous for example, the album picks up straight away with the fan favourite Halo which then sets up a fine run of a trio of tracks that close out the album brilliantly.

Arguably Machine Heads last good album with the line-up of Flynn, Demmel, McClain and Duce the focus on more groove and thrashy elements makes The Blackening stand out from what came before. It fills in the gaps that were present on Through the Ashes of Empires and gave fans of the debut one last hope that the band were going to hark back to the intensity of what they delivered in the early nineties.

4/5

August 2022

01. Black Viper – “Hellions of Fire” (from “Hellions of Fire”, 2018)

02. Kreator – “Strongest of the Strong” (from “Hate Uber Allies”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

03. Death Angel – “Voracious Souls” (from “The Ultra-Violence”, 1987) [Submitted by Sonny]

04. The Crown – “Crowned in Terror” (from “Crowned in Terror”, 2002) [Submitted by Vinny]

05. Pestilence “Systematic Instruction” (from “Malleus Maleficarum”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny]

06. Municipal Waste – “Grave Dive” (from “Electrified Brain”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

07. Crumbsuckers – “Trapped” (from “Life of Dreams”, 1986)

08. Black Fast – “The Keep” (from “Terms of Surrender”, 2015)

09. Exmortus – “Foe Hammer” (from “Slave to the Sword”, 2014)

10. Wolf Spider – “It’s Your Time” (from “V”, 2015)

11. Deathhammer – “Thrown Into the Abyss” (from “Electric Warfare”, 2022) [Submitted by Sonny]

12. Exumer – “Hostile Defiance” (from “Hostile Defiance”, 2019) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. Hallows Eve – “Plunging to Megadeath” (from “Tales of Terror”, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny]

14. Whiplash – “Walk the Plank” (from “Ticket to Mayhem”, 1987) [Submitted by Vinny]

15. Overkill – “Devil By The Tail” (from “Kill Box 13”, 2003) [Submitted by Vinny]

16. Betzefer – “The Devil Went Down to the Holy Land” (from “The Devil Went Down to the Holy Land”, 2013)

17. Byzantine – “The Agonies” (from “To Release Is to Resolve”, 2015)

18. Fog of War – “Fog of War” (from “Fog of War”, 2009)

19. Traitor– “Exiled to the Surface” (from “Exiled to the Surface”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

20. Toxic Holocaust – “Nuke the Cross” (from “An Overdose of Death”, 2008) [Submitted by Sonny]

21. Battalion – “Thrash Maniacs” (from “Underdogs”, 2010)

22. Ultra-Violence – “Cadaver Decomposition Island” (from “Operation Misdirection”, 2018)

23. Attomica – “Deathraiser” (from “Disturbing the Noise”, 1991)

24. Toxik – “Power” (from “Dis Morta” 2022)

25. Witchery – “Witching Hour” (from “Witching Hour”, 2022) [Submitted by Sonny]

26. Speedtrap – “No Glory Found” (from “Straight Shooter”, 2015)

27. Heathen – “Death by Hanging” (from “Breaking the Silence”, 1987)

i managed to get through the playlists this month for all 3 of my clans, finally getting onto The Horde playlist today.  Highlights were Blood Incantation, Haunter and Decapitated (considering I hated the other track I heard from the new album).  Always good to have some Obituary and Dying Fetus on here although I really could not get on with that track from The Chasm.

Hi Ben, can you please update the releases for Sacred Son (UK) to include:

Levania 2020

The Foul Deth of Engelond 2022

Main takeaway from this month's list was Danish atmo-black band Sunken with their WITTR laden track Void and I have already made note to listen to that album more now I have completed the playlist.  The other standout was In Aphelion who are also now on my Trello board.  I remain on the fence with White Ward, perfectly acceptable atmo-black but that sax is irritating, although better applied than I feared it might be.  The tracklisting here is out of sync with the playlist btw, not that I noticed until now because I was just following on Spotify but that Sunken track is actually at position 15 in the list and not 2nd as above.  Good list again though.

Thornhill’s ability to replicate these Deftones-like structures landed in my rotation list at a perfect time, just as the UK basks in a heatwave of up to 40 degrees. This be lazy, hazy summer music for lazy, hazy summer days that incorporates just enough bite to remind the listener that even summer has teeth also.

Crooning vocals have a very limited place in metal, and they work well here, alternating between that nu-metal edginess and indie/alt influence. There are no bones about it, Thornhill know how to capture the less extreme side of my metal attention span, using a blend of chiming melodicism and jarring riffs to hold the earshot for almost the whole record. Whether it is the Portishead vibe of Valentine with its trip-hop beats or the drama-soaked instrumental of Something Terrible Came With the Rain, there is something different around each corner on Heroine.

Sections of songs on this album are driven by lurching riffs accompanied by rich melodies to give these slightly floundering moments real ethereal form. As such the true moments of absolute triumph on the record are the occasions when these juxtaposed elements combine with almost unexpected fluidity. The title track that closes the album is full of emotion in the vocals and instrumentation and boasts an arrangement that highlights layers for the listener to discover each time they listen.

Deftones worship? Probably to a point yeah, but there is so much more here if you take the time to pick away at the delicate skin and explore the innards of this glorious piece of alternative metal.

4.5/5