Vinny's Forum Replies

When I find the time, I am going to read up on the origins of the Chilean thrash scene. Following Sonny’s sharing of not just this month’s feature release but various recommendations throughout the site, it is clear that this is a scene that needs further investigation. Although, any cursory listen to Parkcrest straight away shows the influences that permeate the sound with Sepultura, Kreator and many other classic thrash bands prevalent here.

I do find the vocals to be the least appetising element of most of what goes on here though. Although I would not describe Javier Salgado as a poor vocalist by any means, I would go as far as to say he is one of limited capacity and the record shows this. It is fair to say that he is carried somewhat by the guitars (which of course he plays alongside Diego) with those textbook loops and bloops doing a fine job. Overall though it is the sheer intensity of what Parkcrest deliver that is most impressive to my ears. Setting a solid foundation early on the band build and build with each passing track and they certainly do have a penchant for song writing that can only get better with time.

The album does run out of legs I find though as we get near the finish line and I am not sure if this is just fatigue due to the sheer quantity of material that they throw into the track listing here. There is a lot going on during this album and absolutely all of it deserves your attention, however it does feel like the old shearing scissors got left in the draw too much as some tracks could do with a trim. For example, the middle section of the record that contains largely shorter tracks, not all of these are in the same league in terms of quality and I think we could easily cut one of these out and move the seven minute track that heralds the start of the final third of the album into a more appropriate position.

Arrangement gripes aside, Parkcrest have delivered a fine sophomore release here on which they are able to display a range of styles and technical ability without becoming boring. It is good to see a young band capable of delivering the riffs and yet keeping things interesting at the same time. I will certainly keep an out for Parkcrest in the future.

4/5

Hi Ben, could you please add:

Ultra-Violence (Italy)

Battalion (Switzerland)

Amken (Greece)

Skulled (Germany)

Tumourboy (China)

Chronosphere (Greece)

Thrashback (France)

Skeleton Pit (Germany)

Raider (Canada)

Mindtaker (Portugal)

The success of the first three tracks on Spheres is their ability to constantly apply layers atop of each other for a real tense death metal experience. Although upon first listen, the stabs of synths were not a popular inclusion, they soon cemented their relevance on repeated listens. Likewise, the undulating leads need some attitude adjustment also to understand the relevance of them.

Multiple Beings has an almost jaunty tempo with enough jazzy interludes and atmospheric keys to keep things interesting. Blooping and looping leads over an audible bass line truly mark an album highlight. Vocally, the record is a total match for Schuldiner and there are a lot of comparisons to drawn with Death overall across Spheres. The synths add a level of majesty that is not present on Death’s Human or Individual Thought Patterns though. The depths they plunge proceedings to is a really refreshing angle on most progressive death metal of the time.

The tracks have a great sense of space to them, like a conscious effort has been applied to ensure that all parts have the room to contribute. Although there are many things going on at any given time things never sound muddled or conflicted. Unfortunately, after the first three tracks I start to get problems with Spheres. I am not a fan of interludes on most albums in all honesty and although there is an argument to say that the interludes on here are far from out of place, they just break up any sense of cohesion for me.

The arrangement of Soul Search is not the best to my ears either and for the first time those synths are starting to grate a bit. The palette-cleanser that is Personal Energy, is an interesting if not altogether enjoyable concept. By far the most jazz-influenced of all the tracks, this brooding piece deploys some odd chanting vocals alongside the raspy death metal ones whilst fully exploring the bands repertoire of musical talent. Clearly, there is some effort by use of the interlude that precedes and then follow Personal Energy to make a statement on Spheres. In all honesty, I am not sure what the intention was, but it ruins the album for me.

After the middle section I sense a dip in quality and the synth solo on the title track – the standout moment on an otherwise very dull track – is a push too far me. Penultimate track Changing Perspective (final track proper) is a relevant title for how I feel about this album from track four onwards. It starts so strongly but fades away quickly.

2.5/5

I have strayed into unchartered waters by drifting into The Infinite feature release and I feel I may be about to alienate the clan residents somewhat with my attempt to review this release, but I am here now so might as well use the rope in my hand. I feel that in listening to Handmade Cities that I have just watched an eighties film were the protagonist has just overcome great evil (or maybe a serial killer) and I am revelling in the joy of the end credits having somehow missed the whole film. Sarcastic comment over, I promise.

If I focus on the talent required to make this album then I cannot failed to be impressed. It might not be my bag at all but despite there being more than one "WTF" moment for me, I could not quite bring myself to turn it off. Intrigue got the better of me even though I am not a fan of instrumental tracks (let alone full releases that are all instrumental tracks). It kind of reminded me of a Joe Satriani record I listened to years ago which although inoffensive never held my interest enough for me to ever explore it enough to truly get to grips with it. I guess that I find Plini to be decent enough background music and nothing more. Occasionally it does something interesting as it chops away at the aether around me enough to break through whatever it is I am focusing on to remind me that it is still there.

Overall, I find Handmade Cities just to be too safe a record for my extreme tastes, and whilst I acknowledge its merits I am coloured a dull, pastel shade by it. If I had the patience (not something that I have vast stocks of) then I would perhaps revisit over the coming days but I have to get my head around Spheres and that Parkcrest record yet as part of the monthly reviews and at least one of those has got me ruffled already this month so I feel they will be the focus of my attentions for the coming days instead.

2.5/5

Furia are a band I only ever bothered with for one album. After the debut album back in 2007, which I enjoyed muchly, they just fell off my radar. Whenever I got round to listening to something they had just released I was never in the right mindset to digest their brand of experimental black metal and as such, they are a band whom I find very hit and miss based entirely on my mood.

This 2009 EP is the very next release following their debut and shows a band that had already developed that experimental side further. Whilst still retaining black metal at the core of their sound, Furia stretch into proggy synthesisers dropped mid-track into melodic and rich structures that maintain a real sense of urgency throughout.

I will not pretend to follow it all from start to finish as for a short format release there is a lot to take in for my aging brain and I feel it really is a release that requires more studious listening to give justice to the experience. At times there is a folk vibe to the vocal patterns as they hold a pseudo-chant aesthetic for much of the release, but the real clever stuff is in the instrumentation. That solid build to the title track is probably the highlight, even if the rest of the track feels understated by comparison. Well-spaced structures allow Furia to put lots of things into Płoń, perhaps more than I need to enjoy the release in all honesty but I cannot deny the accomplished nature to what they do and that they are an interesting concept when my mood permits them to be.

3.5/5

I genuinely didn’t know MP3 players were still a thing.  I think the challenges with quality that you allude to are because they are probably considered a dying item.  Why would I need an MP3 player when I have a phone that goes everywhere with me and can host virtually every song I could ever want, and I can still use same phone for multiple other daily life transactions?

Just finishing five days of annual leave. The first two spent looking after sick kids. The last three spent sick as a dog from whatever I caught from them. Back to work tomorrow. It never ends!!

I feel like a part-time worker at present - been away over the weekend, back into work Tuesday, off today for a trip to the vets and do some wedding related stuff and off tomorrow morning for a hospital appointment for a series of test I have to have due to abdomen pain.  Still end up sat in front of my work laptop whenever I am off though, in fact today I get more done as people think I  don't have to answer dumb ass questions/problems via phone or email.  The weekend away was the first in over two years were I left the laptop at home.  Still had the work mobile with me though.

Further work planned on the garden this weekend with more plants/flowers to go into the beds and the never-ending battle with weeds to try and get on top of.  Sneakly got the lawns done today though whilst I was off.

August =

Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult - "Mardom"  (from "Echo Zmory Mardom", 2019) 04:31

Misþyrming - "Með svipur á lofti" (from "Algleymi", 2019) 07:06

Negator - "Dignity of War" (from "Panzer Metal", 2010) 04:49

16 minutes and 26 seconds

August=

Carnal Savagery - "Torn From the Grave" (from "Zombie Infested (demo)", 2020) 03:07

Severe Torture - "Hands and Head Not Found" (from "Fisting the Sockets", 2022) 05:14

Death Breath - "Twisted in Distaste" (from "Let It Stink", 2007) 05:36

Hate Eternal - "Nothingness of Being" (from "Upon Desolate Sands", 2018) 05:02

Fulci - "Splatter Fatality" (from "Tropical Sun", 2019) 02:49

Vomitory - "Chaos Fury" (from "Blood Rapture", 2002) 03:10

Monstrosity - "Fatal Millennium" (from "Millennium", 1996) 04:35

Total time = 29 minutes and 33 seconds

Following my gaff of posting my suggestions for July in the thread but then forgetting to add them to the actual list I have moved most of them over to August:

Traitor - "Exiled to the Surface" (from "Exiled to the Surface", 2022) 03:27

Kreator - "Strongest of the Strong" (from "Hate Uber Allies", 2022) 04:01

Municipal Waste - "Grave Dive" (from "Electrified Brain", 2022) 02:31

Whiplash - "Walk the Plank" (from "Ticket to Mayhem", 1987) 04:27

Overkill -  "Devil by the Tail" (from "Kill Box 13", 2003) 05:24

The Crown - "Crowned in Terror" (from "Crowned in Terror", 2002) 04:48

Exumer - "Hostile Defiance" (from "Hostile Defiance", 2014) 03:41

Total = 28 mins and 19 seconds

Hi Vinny, my suggestions for August are:

Pestilence - " Systematic Instruction" from "Malleus Maleficarum" (1988)
Deathhammer - "Thrown to the Abyss" from "Electric Warfare" (2022)
Hallows Eve - "Plunging to Megadeath" from "Tales of Terror" (1985)
Death Angel - "Voracious Souls" from "The Ultra-Violence" (1987)
Witchery - "Witching Hour" from "Witching Hour" single (2022)
Toxic Holocaust - "Nuke the Cross" from "An Overdose of Death... " (2008)

Don’t feel pressured to do so but with Daniel having a month off I am open to you adding more than your usual allotted minutes Sonny.  Fine if you want to stick with this though.

OK Vinny. When do you want any additional suggestions in by?

15th will do fella.

Hi Vinny, my suggestions for August are:

Pestilence - " Systematic Instruction" from "Malleus Maleficarum" (1988)
Deathhammer - "Thrown to the Abyss" from "Electric Warfare" (2022)
Hallows Eve - "Plunging to Megadeath" from "Tales of Terror" (1985)
Death Angel - "Voracious Souls" from "The Ultra-Violence" (1987)
Witchery - "Witching Hour" from "Witching Hour" single (2022)
Toxic Holocaust - "Nuke the Cross" from "An Overdose of Death... " (2008)

Don’t feel pressured to do so but with Daniel having a month off I am open to you adding more than your usual allotted minutes Sonny.  Fine if you want to stick with this though.

I won't be submitting any tracks for August Vinny. My month was consumed with my Southern Metal research & the only The Pit related release I listened to was the Sabbat feature which a) isn't on Spotify & b) would be too long anyway.

no worries fella

July 2022

01. Possessed – “Fallen Angel” (from “Seven Churches”, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny]

02. Ritual Carnage – “Death, Judgement & Fate” (from “Every Nerve Alive”, 2000) [Submitted by Daniel]

03. Shakma – “Spectres of Death” (from “House of Possession”, 2018)

04. Ripper – “The Last Day” (from “Raising the Corpse”, 2014) [Submitted by Sonny]

05. Agent Steel “Agents of Steel” (from “Skeptics Apocalypse”, 1985) [Submitted by Vinny]

06. Ambush – “Don’t Shoot (Let ‘Em Burn)” (from “Firestorm”, 2014) [Submitted by Daniel]

07. Hatriot – “Hymn for the Wicked” (from “Hymn for the Wicked”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

08. Bloody Falls – “Soul Ripper” (from “Burn the Witch”, 2021) [Submitted by Vinny]

09. Trepallium – “Sick Boogie Murder” (from “Alchemik Clockwork of Disorder”, 2006)

10. Pantera – “Slaughtered” (from “Far Beyond Driven”, 1994)

11. Gnostic – “Visceral” (from “Engineering the Rule”, 2009)

12. Tenet – “Being Nothingness”” (from “Sovereign”, 2009)

13. Extol – “Thrash Synergy” (from “Synergy”, 2003)

14. Voivod – “Korgull the Exterminator” (from “Rrröööaaarrr”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

15. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – “Organ Farmer” (from “Infest the Rats’ Nest”, 2019) [Submitted by Daniel]

16. Vulcano – “Dominios of Death” (from “Bloody Vengeance”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

17. Opprobrium – “The Battle of Armageddon” (from “Serpent Temptation”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny]

18. Aggression – “Forsaken Survival” (from “The Full Treatment”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

19. Exodus – “Sealed with a Fist” (from “Tempo of the Damned”, 2004) [Submitted by Daniel]

20. Darkness – “Hate Is My Engine” (from “First Class Violence”, 2018)

21. The Accüsed – “W.C.A.L.T.” (from “More Fun Than An Open-Casket Funeral”, 1987) Submitted by Daniel]

22. Funeral Nation – “After the Battle” (from “After the Battle XXV”, 1991)

23. Witchtrap – “Midnight Rites” (from “Evil Strikes Again”, 2020)

24. Nocturnal Breed – “Maggot Master” (from “Face Your Aggressor (25 Years in the Bunker)”, 2021)

25. Indestroy – “U.S.S.A.” (from “Indestroy”, 1987)

26. Bastardizer – “Whiskey ‘til Death” (from “Dawn of Domination”, 2018)

27. Bunker 66 – “Satan’s Countess” (from “Chained Down in Dirt”, 2017)

28. Diabolic Night – “Infernal Power” (from “Beyond the Realm”, 2019)

29. Witchburner – “Follow the Slaughterer” (from “Blood of Witches”, 2007)

30. National Suicide – “Death Roll” (from “Massacre Elite”, 2017)

31. Cro-Mags – “Malfunction” (from “The Age of Quarrel”, 1986)

The crashing and bashing tendencies of some death metal bands is not something that is always done to a reasonably high enough standard. When I hold such bands as Gorguts in the highest of regard then the bar is already set pretty high for avant-garde death metal. I will go on record as saying that Flourishing never hit the dizzy heights of Obscura on The Sum of All Fossils yet at the same time they do make a thoroughly entertaining record in the process. The urgency of the tempo that is set by album opener Thimble's Worth manages to set out a consistent taster for what is to come across the rest of their 2011 offering. What the band do particularly well is vary the pacing and tempo to give the album a real sense of dexterity.

The post-hardcore elements do not always work I admit and can lead to a sense of confusion or a rush of ideas all coming to a head in one place in particular. That being said I do get a real sense of there being a lot of thought behind the album, like time has been taken in the main to measure content and space it really well in terms of the arrangements as opposed to always pile tings on top of one another. The production job both helps and hinders this I feel. For the majority of the record there is a sense of a thin layer of murk just suppressing the content a little and not perhaps letting everything breathe as organically as the band may like based on their arrangements but at the same time the slower parts are given lots of room to build and present their more subtle nuances.

Flourishing could play though and there is very little on here not to get your head around as the band vary things up more than enough. It is not exceptionally technical overall and in fact relies on some quite simplistic repetition to provide build and crescendo in all honesty. Their playing just contains a solid amount of consistency that avoids sloppiness without ever becoming overly impressive. Whilst there are no weak tracks, there are many tracks that end up at the same place making track-blur a real problem. For an album that is weighted with the opportunity to rip up the rulebook to some degree it seems to somehow set its own limitations still on far they can actually take things. In so many ways I am torn between the comfort of the familiarity of it but also the lack of full-on bat-shit-crazy, spazzing that they never quite hit. The guitar flurries that open Momentary Senses are intriguing but do not play a big enough part in the track overall to realise that initial promise. Bits of The Sum of All Fossils tend to dominate other parts all too easily and those vocals cannot always keep up with everything that is going on, despite the measured approach and the obvious sense of arrangement there is still work to be done here. Interesting but not essential.

3.5/5

A few colleagues who came to Florida have since gone down with COVID upon return (I am not among the infected thankfully).  Florida was stupid hot (95 degrees Fahrenheit at one point) but was still a blast even though I had to work. Mad busy since getting back just over a week ago as been working in Scotland this past week so had little time to shake the jet-lag before getting out on the road.  Only this coming week to go then a long weekend in cabin near Snowdonia in Wales that has a hot tub so I will plonk myself in that for four days and enjoy some long overdue downtime.

Sorry Vinny, I forgot all about you requesting them be in by the 10th. If it's too late then no worries, but if you want to use my suggestions here they are:

Possessed - "Fallen Angel" from "Seven Churches" (1985)
Incubus (on Spotify as Opprobrium) - "The Battle of Armageddon" from "Serpent Temptation" (1988)
Ripper - "The Last Day" from "Raising the Corpse" (2014)

Thanks Sonny

July submissions from me:

Napalm Death - "Scum" (from "Scum", 1987) 02:38

Bolt Thrower - "War Master" (from "Earache Peel Sessions", 1988) 04:32

Grave - "Haunted" (from "Into the Grave", 1991) 03:38

Repulsion - "Black Breath" (from "Horrified", 1989) 02:16

Immolation - "Incineration Procession"  (from, "Acts of God", 2022) 03:27

Carcass - "Wake Up and Smell the Carcass/Emptor Caveat" (from "Torn Arteries", 2021) 04:37

Disentomb - "An Edifice of Archbestial Impurity" (from "Misery", 2019) 03:36

Horrendous - "Soothsayer" (from "Idol", 2018) 04:53

Total = 29:37

July:

Black Braid - "The River of Time Flows Through Me" (from "The River of Time Flows Through Me", 2022) 06:20

Abigor - "The Saint of Murder" (from "Totschläger: A Saintslayer's Songbook", 2020) 05:20

Uada - "The Great Mirage" (from "Djinn", 2020) 06:50

Total = 18:30

Think this is in the wrong thread Sonny.

Austrian’s Abigor are a band that I have somehow missed over the years. In fact, the very existence of an Austrian black metal scene was news to me actually. Having never heard much of any praise or criticism of the band they somehow just flew under my radar for the last three decades with only the praise amongst peers that their latest release was met with to pique my interest. Hailed as a return to form in more than one quarter the allocation of this for The North monthly feature release landed at a perfect time to bump it up my to do list.

I find the content on this record to be varied enough to hold the interest and it is delivered with a level of technical efficiency that manages to impress without becoming too showy or ever overly complex. The blend of densely layered riffs and epic song writing make for a keen ear to be needed to absorb all that Totschläger… has to offer. Just as I thought I had the measure of the record on the first listen through the album went off into a storytelling mode that appeared obvious from the moment it happened having reviewed the album title, yet somehow caught me off-guard.

The orchestral stabs of Orkblut (Sieg oder Tod) are perhaps the best example of Emperor-like structures this side of Prometheus…, yet the track itself is built from layer after layer of riffs. Literally piling the guitars atop of one another in some relentless frenzy of melodic and swarming architectural madness. At the same time, the track that follows this one, The Saint of Murder, needs no such assistance from any symphonic elements. With the guitar simply being allowed to host proceedings with its wailing tremolo supported by a solid rhythm section (twangy bass noted also) with actual licks being fired on occasion in the background. Replete with rich and lush melodies, this is the standout moment of the album for me.

After this (although I would not go as far as to say the album dips) things are just less memorable for me. I find that the complex layering becomes a tad fuddled for me on tracks like Scarlet Suite for the Devil and the conscious lean towards to a more epic sound towards the end does feel like it could be dialled down a lot. It almost feels to some degree that the flurry of ideas falls victim to some rush to get them all committed to tape before the end of the record. The dungeon synth opening to La plus longue nuit de Diable/Guiding the Nameless promises more than drawn out tempo of the main body of the track delivers sadly and the folk metal chant and battering ram drumming for Tartaros Rides just loses me sadly as my senses are more than a little lost by this point.

However, negative points aside, Totschläger… is an absolute triumph of a record in terms of being a rare breed in black metal in that it sounds like it was recorded by a band who genuinely enjoyed themselves. There is a real power behind every riff and note that those guitars spit out like fire from the bellies of hundreds of dragons. Whilst, not necessarily unique, those vocals are fitting for the sound of the music and add an important layer beyond the monstrous riffing, giving the opportunity for the mind to track something else a little more dialled down in the mix.

4/5

Bolt Thrower - Realm of Chaos (1989)

In November of '89, a year on from their debut, In Battle There Is No Law, Bolt Thrower issued sophomore album, Realm of Chaos. This album shows a band who have improved hugely in professionalism and who have honed their vision into sharper detail. Gone was the sloppiness of the debut, as had most of the crust influence and we had a much tougher-sounding, more brutal and heavier release as a result. This is no all-out assault of mindless brutality however and most of the tracks display some degree of progression. First track proper, Eternal War, may be the exception with it's nod to Napalm Death-style grindcore. Typically the tracks feature a slower, medium-paced, groove-laden riff with bursts of fast-paced, grind-like aggression and howling solos and they even turn in a creeping death doom riff to open the magnificant All That Remains. In Karl Willetts they have one of my absolute favourite death metal vocalists, his rasping growl epitomising what death metal vocals are all about for me.

Often with extreme metal, I will concede, an album can become a blur of similar-sounding tracks that struggle to stick in the memory after they have ceased playing and are more about the experience of listening, but in similar fashion to Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness, Realm of Chaos consists of tracks with enough memorable riffs and even melodies to stick with you after the disc has stopped spinning - a mark of exceptional songwriting I would suggest. Tracks like All That Remains and particularly World Eater are genuine death metal classics in my opinion, but there really isn't any filler on this album and I believe that Realm of Chaos can stand toe-to-toe with most of the classics of early death metal.

Although they are well-regarded, I still don't think Bolt Thrower get the credit they deserve. This was still 1989 and yet they had written the manual on brutal, grind-influenced death metal already (and went on to become one of the select few bands with decades-long careers who never put out a bad album) yet it seems to me that they remain the preserve of death metal enthusiasts and early grind adherents while lesser lights bask in the floodlights.
4.5/5

I recall having issue with this album on a production level but have to confess to it being a while since I listened to it and I may well have ended up with a horrible remastered version on CD somewhere.  Certainly need to revisit anyways.

The version on Spotify is the "Full Dynamic Range Version". So there are at least two versions available Vinny.

I was also reading on Discogs that the licence for the artwork from Games Workshop ran out in 2002 and they refused to renew it so subsequent re-releases have different cover art. The original vinyl LP is now going for £150 - £200!!

I have got this on this afternoon and a quick look on MA tells me that I have a CD reissue, remaster (THE HORROR!!!!!) which explains why it sounds stifled and horrible.  I really do not know off the top of my head of any remaster that has improved or benefited the sound.  I think I got this CD because it is a two disc affair with live footage on a DVD on disc two (which I have never watched) so after this spin I am going to get on the digital version and see how that measures up.  Familiar with FDR versions (have Altars of Madness and a couple of other classics on vinyl with that versioning) so be happy to check that one out.

I quite like this, more from the fact that the position in a fellow member's top 20 is visible on the release page.  My top 20 is pretty fluid outside of the top ten I find as number's one to ten are more or less locked in by now.

I think this approach works very well Xephyr. Like I said, the first hour or more worked extraordinarily well for me, more than I expected, but if the symphonic/power tracks were more randomly spread it may not have done so. I went into this playlist knowing full well that there would be stuff well outside my comfort zone, but I remained engaged throughout most of the runtime, so I would say a job well done 👍.

I actually use a similar method with The Fallen playlist, usually kicking off with more conventional doom or stoner metal and becoming increasingly extreme as the playlist proceeds, trying to end with the heaviest of the sludge/drone/funeral doom tracks. Hopefully this approach wouldn't scare off any casual listeners (not as I'm sure if we get any) before they get too far into it!

It's an interesting discussion as I consciously do the opposite on The Pit list, mainly because I fear people will get tired if I stack all speed together for example.  Now it is being touted in black and white on here I may switch up to follow the model you guys operate and see how that works when I do my initial run throughs.  Food for thought most definitely.

Heard positive things about this one and my first listen has proven these sentiments correct.  Not even a big fan of Abigor to begin with - they somehow just morphed into most of what was also coming out in the early to mid-nineties even though they were part of the Austrian scene.  That trademark heavy layering of guitars really hits home without smothering proceedings so I am looking forward to enjoying some more before committing to a review.

June 2022

01. Hexen – “Blast Radius” (from “State of Insurgency”, 2008) [Submitted by Vinny]

02. Nuclear – “World Depletion” (from “Jehovirus”, 2010) [Submitted by Sonny]

03. Sepultura – “War” (from “Morbid Visions/Bestial Devastation”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

04. Sodom – “Deathlike Silence” (from “Obsessed by Cruelty”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

05. Slaughtbbath “Amulets of Carnage” (from “Alchemical Warfare”, 2019) [Submitted by Sonny]

06. Madrost – “Charring the Rotting Earth” (from “Charring the Rotting Earth”, 2020)

07. D.R.I. – “Broke” (from “Full Speed Ahead”, 1995) [Submitted by Daniel]

08. Anthrax – “Indians” (from “Among The Living”, 1987) [Submitted by Sonny]

09. Metallicca – “Master of Puppets” (from “Master of Puppets”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

10. Strike Master – “Strong As Hell” (from “Death Based Illusions”, 2019) [Submitted by Vinny]

11. Whipstriker – “Mantas’ Black Mass” (from “Merciless Artillery”, 2018)

12. Hirax – “Black Smoke” (from “Immortal Legacy”, 2014)

13. Megadeth – “Five Magics” (from “Rust In Peace”, 1990) [Submitted by Sonny]

14. Slayer – “Angel of Death” (from “Reign In Blood”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

15. Hellish – “Souls of Destruction” (from “The Spectre of Lonely Souls”, 2018) [Submitted by Sonny]

16. Atrophy – “Violent by Nature” (from “Violent by Nature”, 1990) [Submitted by Vinny]

17. Sonic Assault – “Intellectual Singularity” (from “Neon-Lit Metropolis”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

18. Tankard – “(Empty) Tankard” (from “Zombie Atack”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

19. Go Ahead and Die – “Toxic Freedom” (from “Go Ahead and Die”, 2021) [Submitted by Vinny]

20. Lonescar – “Images from Mauthausen” (from “Lust for the End”, 2021)

21. Reign of Fury – “Infernal Conflict” (from “World Detonation”, 2012)

22. Hazzerd – “The Tendencies of a Madman” (from “Misleading Evil”, 2017) [Submitted by Vinny]

23. Possessed – “March To Die” (from “Beyond the Gates”, 1986) [Submitted by Sonny]

24. Num Skull – “Ritually Abused” (from “Ritually Abused”, 1988) [Submitted by Vinny]

25. Blood Feast – “Kill for Pleasure” (from “Kill for Pleasure”, 1987)

26. Terminalist – “Invention of the Shipwreck” (from “The Great Acceleration”, 2021)

Thanks for the warm welcome and the info. Feel like more websites should have a rating of covers.

Welcome, nice to see a new member, especially with Pit clan membership.

Maybe even reviews of album covers...

It isn't a artwork review site though is it Andi and you have raised that before and I see no reason for this to be changed.  I speak as someone who spends a fair old portion of his time rating album covers as the 12 year old boy in me just likes to look at album artwork and rate it.  I find my brain copes better with the visual aspect of rating an album cover much easier than the listening aspect of rating an album, and it is also easier to do when sat in fucking endless conference calls at home when working.

Speaking as someone who is not massively interested in numbers I find the two decimal places a push too far and frankly bordering on the excessive (obsessive??).  I am a simple man of simple means and I largely came here to just review releases and shoot the shit generally.  I don't care about charts to the degree proposed here - not knocking anyone who does care - just like I find I have fallen out with the Hall feature because having been here for a while now I trust the judgement of Ben and Daniel to simply move releases that are misfiled or need extra tagging. Although the interactive nature of the Hall looks good on paper logging into the site and looking at the forum page to see all "hot" posts are just "...should be moved to.." is just a switch off for me.  Different opinions of course and I am not having a rant, just has struck me over the past week or so and thought I would share my thoughts.

Far from being regular in appearing on my thrash metal rotation, Every Nerve Alive is one of those albums that whilst I recognise the functional quality of, I find very little in the way of need to revisit it.  There is much to enjoy on this the bands sophomore release as they hack their way through eleven tracks of rampant thrash metal.  Capturing the very essence of thrash metal throughout this record is an absolute joy to listen to whilst it is on.  This sounds like a dumb statement I know, however I feel this is relevant as to why I rarely revisit the album.  I put it on the other week for the first time in a while and was instantly caught up in how aggressive and utterly relentless it was, how it did not necessarily do anything new and simply did an established blueprint really well.  However, unlike Slayer or Kreator, as soon as the record was done, it was gone from the memory banks more or less instantly.  A right romp it may be for forty-three minutes but its longevity is really short and is the kind of album that I can only enjoy in the moment as it leaves no distinct aftertaste that makes me savour any of the content beyond the duration of the meal.  There may well be a period of me patting my stomach after this meal but certainly zero recollection of why it was so good until I go back and order the same thing again.  For this reason I am knocking my score down to a 3.5/5 from the 4 I previously applied to it.

Bolt Thrower - Realm of Chaos (1989)

In November of '89, a year on from their debut, In Battle There Is No Law, Bolt Thrower issued sophomore album, Realm of Chaos. This album shows a band who have improved hugely in professionalism and who have honed their vision into sharper detail. Gone was the sloppiness of the debut, as had most of the crust influence and we had a much tougher-sounding, more brutal and heavier release as a result. This is no all-out assault of mindless brutality however and most of the tracks display some degree of progression. First track proper, Eternal War, may be the exception with it's nod to Napalm Death-style grindcore. Typically the tracks feature a slower, medium-paced, groove-laden riff with bursts of fast-paced, grind-like aggression and howling solos and they even turn in a creeping death doom riff to open the magnificant All That Remains. In Karl Willetts they have one of my absolute favourite death metal vocalists, his rasping growl epitomising what death metal vocals are all about for me.

Often with extreme metal, I will concede, an album can become a blur of similar-sounding tracks that struggle to stick in the memory after they have ceased playing and are more about the experience of listening, but in similar fashion to Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness, Realm of Chaos consists of tracks with enough memorable riffs and even melodies to stick with you after the disc has stopped spinning - a mark of exceptional songwriting I would suggest. Tracks like All That Remains and particularly World Eater are genuine death metal classics in my opinion, but there really isn't any filler on this album and I believe that Realm of Chaos can stand toe-to-toe with most of the classics of early death metal.

Although they are well-regarded, I still don't think Bolt Thrower get the credit they deserve. This was still 1989 and yet they had written the manual on brutal, grind-influenced death metal already (and went on to become one of the select few bands with decades-long careers who never put out a bad album) yet it seems to me that they remain the preserve of death metal enthusiasts and early grind adherents while lesser lights bask in the floodlights.
4.5/5

I recall having issue with this album on a production level but have to confess to it being a while since I listened to it and I may well have ended up with a horrible remastered version on CD somewhere.  Certainly need to revisit anyways.

Hi Ben,  please add Finnish groove/melodic death metallers Bloody Falls to the site

Guys, for next month's playlist submissions (for July) could I ask that they are in by the 10th June if possible please?  I am away for the week after that and coming back to a hectic diary both with work and socially so I want to get the list built before I head over to the states then can just tweak ahead of publishing.  No need to see them before start of next month mind - I am not an animal.

Another fortuitous by-product of this exploration of early death metal I have been undergoing is that it is helping to plug some of the gaps in my physical collection and today's subject is one of my most egregious omissions, which I am now pleased to say i have now resolved (thanks to Mr. Bezos and his extremely convenient online shopping experience!)

Said subject is, of course, one of the most important albums in the history of death metal:

Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness (1989)

OK, so I am quite reluctant to comment on Altars of Madness as it is undoubtedly one of the most highly-regarded of all death metal releases and I am not sure I can do it justice, but as it is a seminal release in the death metal canon I will have to try and do my best. I came to it quite late in the day, early on in my reintroduction to metal, around the turn of the millenium via a work colleague who was into Morbid Angel and Deicide and was kind enough to lend me a few of his CDs, Altars of Madness among them. So does it merit all the praise that is heaped upon it? Yes it absolutely does as this sets a whole new level of evilness and intensity for metal at this point in it's evolution and pretty much writes the manual for death metal going into the 1990s.

Firstly the songwriting is phenomenal, each track being immediate and vital and yet each retaining an individuality and identity that is rarely maintained to such a level in extreme metal, making each a memorable classic that doesn't just become part of the overall album's morass of sound but which stand out in their own right. Next, the guitar sound is phenomenal - I swear there are four or five guitars playing sometimes, such a sweeping hurricane of sound are we faced with. The riffs are fantastic and the solos, whilst being rooted in the example set by Slayer's Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, take this tortured style of soloing to a new level. Pete Sandoval's drumming is relentless and is technically brilliant as he employs every weapon in his arsenal to take metal drumming to a new heights with superb fills and proto-blastbeats that more than just keep time. Bassist/vocalist Dave Vincent snarls and growls his way through the unholy and blasphemous lyrics (which are probably the most predictable part of the whole album) with a demonic-sounding relish.

Even with all this amazing songwriting and musicianship, that still isn't the whole story of Altars of Madness. The cover art is fantastic with the leering mass of demons that seem to be forming and reforming from some kind of primordial protoplasm, some looking evil and savage, others looking mischievous and humourous and yet more looking merely demented. It is the sort of album cover you could study for ages and still find something new hidden within - a bit like the album itself. The details are also where it's at with AoM, the backwards-playing riff that introduces the album opener Immortal Rites and the demonic laugh Dave Vincent unleashes at the start of Maze of Torment both add to the immersion of the album and these small details help to elevate Altars of Madness in the minds of it's advocates.

All in all I would definitely agree with those who claim this as one of the greatest and most influential death metal albums of all time and I must concur that it more than deserves it's position on the highest pedestal of extreme metal classics.
5/5

I agree with everything you say here.  The first two MA albums are so huge in their importance to the genre overall and the bands work ethic second to none.  Hard to believe Pete Sandoval couldn't actually play double bass when he joined MA in 1988.  He figured it out in about two months with the guidance of Trey and Vincent and had developed mental skills in that short time.  Ross Dolan from Immolation is noted as remembering talking to the band to set up some New York shows and all he could hear in the background on the phone was Sandoval practising his double kicks.    

Safe to say that I am not as enamoured with this release as Daniel.  Whilst by no means a bad album it is very much reminiscent of everything else I hear on the Polish death metal scene.  Whether it is the more blackened acts or more traditional bands like Vader, I just find it all a bit "meh" as a scene.  Those vocals might as well be Nergal doing them for me and although I would not imply it to be a conscious effort there does appear to be some elements of Behemoth worship here.  

The drummer's performance is outstanding though and he easily takes the award for the most impressive work here.  The production job seems to stifle the guitars for me and that urgent, stabbing tone to the riffs just does not come over well as a result.  At times I find songs blur into one another and I am not sure where one has finished and another started unless I pay track by track attention and there's not enough going on here to keep me interested in that level of detail.

The Satanist reference is a good one, but without the theatricals this album just doesn't bite the same as their counterparts finest hour (in my book at least) from 2014.  A solid three for me, not awful but not earth-shattering at the same time and probably unlikely to be revisited.

3/5

I just do not think that Quorthon was that good.  I get the kvlt love for them but he really overshot himself and tried to be a lot more mature a performer than he actually was ever capable of becoming.  As I have gotten older I have less and less time for Bathory and actually cringe when I try to listen to pretty much anything beyond 1988.

Edit to the above:

Removing

Desolate Shrine - "Cast to Walk the Star of Sorrow" (from "Fires of the Dying World", 2022) 06:41

Replacing with

Nihilist - "Severe Burns" (from "Drowned", 1989) 05:38

Another sterling playlist that I found matched my current listening habits nicely (I am on a grindcore kick of late).  I am slowly coming round to Nasum and was looking for a track to draw me to a release and that track might have done it and Enemy Soil are new to me so are a neat and timely find.  Not as keen on that Napalm Death track but I am still spinning Scum intermittently at mo so perhaps one to build up to.  Forgot how fucking sick Infester were and that Cryptworm track was absolute filth as well.  Always good to see a bit of Gorguts on here also.

Was not at all into Aeviterne (who essentially are Flourishing, right?) or Father Befouled who always stray too close to Incantation worship for my liking.  Finding my own personal favourite in terms of sick humour, Macabre was a pleasing moment though.

I re -read my review and laughed out loud at me describing it as having just "an industrial tinge".  Great record and fine choice for the feature of the month.

I don't have much to add to my existing review for this.  Since I got this on vinyl earlier this year it has occupied my headspace a lot and is an album that plays well away from the turntable by simply having gouged a place in my brain over repeated listens.  I do keep meaning to check out more of his work but never quite seem to get around to it despite my obvious liking of this album.

Highlight for me this month was me getting to remember how good that Dawn album is and that I need to revisit it immediately.  That Enslaved track is from a great album also. Always nice to see a bit of Xasthur on here too but not taken well to the new BAN album they are definitely moving to far away from their core bm sound for my liking and I think Deathspell Omega have had their day as well.

Woods of Desolation were not an instant hit for me - a little too gazey.  Ultha however offered an interesting end to the playlist this month.  A big atmo-black ending that rounded the tracklist off nicely.  

Find of the month = Black Fucking Cancer - I am all over that shit like a fat lass in a cake shop!

I think on reflection that the short review writer is the more adept reviewer.  Having read Zero Tolerance mag for a number of years now I am always impressed by how the writers there get the review done in what seems like an impossibly small space.  I used to be on the "reviews must be lengthy" bandwagon for a while but as my own time to do reviews continues to decrease with my ever increasing workload, a wedding to organise and a new interest in gardening (when will the adrenaline levels drop I wonder) I just play my reviews by ear and they are simply as long as they are at the time of writing. 

For me personally I have never seen my involvement in the site as a chore.  I moderate on another forum and have never seen this as a chore either to be honest as the responsibility is shared across four of us and everybody is relatively well behaved.  If anything, I see the MA site as a place to come and stretch my wings and focus my energies into something I am passionate about without necessarily having to read everything new in the forum.  I don't partake in a lot of threads and I am far more active rating artwork/releases than I am at keeping up with the forums and that is a conscious effort on my part.  I am genuinely excited to see the features and playlists each month even though I might not get time to comment/review all of them, they usually still form some part of my listening habits for the month.

I'd just like to open up a discussion around the monthly clan playlists to see whether you're all enjoying the current format or would like to see some changes. Here's a few questions to consider:

1. How are you all enjoying them? Do you look forward to listening to & compiling them?  Yes I enjoy them and do pick up on bands to check out from listening to them and compiling them is a task I enjoy.

2. Is the two hour length appropriate? If we are to cover the various sub-genres appropriately I think no more than 90 mins

3. Do you think monthly is the right release schedule? Would bi-monthly or quarterly be more suitable & encourage a higher quality of submissions? Could it be different for different clans? I think it should be a rotational playlist - so a different clan each month (or even quarter).  Not sure how we measure "quality" of submissions as it is just down to what people have been listening to surely?  However, if we are open to changing the frequency then I think the scope of the lists changes also.

4. Should we consider dissolving a couple of the less popular playlists altogether or would that potentially confuse things? It all comes down to what is sustainable I think.  Do we have any stats on the number of plays the lists get on Spotify each month?  Personally I think only the Sphere playlist is expendable based on there being no active MA members regularly contributing

5. Do we have the track submission limits right? Is there a better way to manage the compiling of the lists?  Speaking for The Pit, I think it is right, submissions give me a solid base to work from and allow me to focus on the lesser sub-genres

5. Any other suggestions or comments? Overall who is the target audience for the playlists?  Site members or the means to attract wider an audience to the lists and the site (all due respect if it is the latter I don't think we have a high hit rate).  I never get the time to listen to all the lists in my chosen clans though so I am of the opinion that there's just too much to focus on in a mere 4 weeks before they change again so the effort is not always appreciated.

My responses in bold in the above quote.

I am off to Florida for a few days in mid-June to "work" - which in effect is just a conference my company (new owners) put on each year to launch the coming year.  9 hour flight - I hate flying - but someone else is paying for me to fly business class and get at least one free day to myself in Orlando so I will take it.  Could be the new norm with us having US owners now so best keep my passport and US visas up to date.

That's a very interesting explanantion Daniel. I don't personally know any DJs (although I do have a friend who is a brilliant graffiti artist!) so I wasn't aware that is what they do. It must certainly help in forming an opinion if you have trained your mind to pick up on things so quickly.

Tne "active listening" thing is a good point too. This is partly what I mean about having to "work" at listening to music because, for various reasons, I find it hard sometimes to concentrate. The first couple of listens I tend not to even try and just sort of let it wash over me to get a handle on it and how it chimes with me emotionally. A further listen or two are then when I try to form an opinion of the music and then I will try to put it into words, usually while listening to it again at the same time.

Of course if I don't much care for it after a listen or two then I won't bother delving further. This is sometimes where I will later pick up again on releases I have previously dismissed and reassess them more favourably.

Coming late to this debate I know but essentially I am in the Sonny and Ben camp here.  Rare that any release grabs me the first time and as I get older it gets harder for me to formulate opinions after sometimes even three listens.  Learned to take a step back now and realise that an album takes as many listens as it takes for me to really get a grasp of it.  Yes, I can still dismiss utter drivel after a few tracks but at the same time I can revisit albums I previously dismissed and find them much more palatable.  A lot of album ratings are influenced by mood and I do find that if I am in a stinker of a mood or really down then this is not the time to review something as my attitude towards it is tainted no matter how many times I have listened to it in a more calm or positive mindset already.

As for the debate around what started death metal I think we have already drawn various conclusions in the thread and I lean more towards Scream Bloody Gore than I do Seven Churches.  Reading Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal & Grindcore at the moment and I am still in the early grindcore section of the book but one quote that made me think was from original Napalm Death vocalist Nik Bullen.  When asked why he quit the band he said "I got a bit bored with it...because at that point as people were in the audience just shouting 'Faster, faster!' I was thinking, ' Well, if everybody just wants us to play faster and faster, it is a bit like a novelty act, and they're not really understanding on some level why we wanted to play fast in the first place, which was just to mirror their kinds of emotions and to bludgeon, really.'"

My point here is that in the early years a lot of shite got released and just because something sounded more extreme than thrash or punk at the time then it did not make it death metal by proxy.  Although not glacial in pace the establishment of death metal came after both Seven Churches and Scream Bloody Gore and both albums are very important to the history of the genre.  Now I will probably never be able to pinpoint when it became death metal for me.  Some days I think Altars of Madness others Slowly We Rot but I think the point is that no album selection is wrong or right as music for me is very personal and I believe that it is for everyone.  I will never experience an album again like when I first took in Slowly We Rot back in my teenage years.  The environment, the events leading up to that purchase, the journey home with it, the circumstances of how I couldn't listen to it at home and had to go to my grandparents house are all part of that first listen.  At the time I had no idea what any other death metal album sounded like and at that point in time, for a precious few days (maybe even weeks) that album was death metal, the be all and end all to me because I had no other reference point and the internet was not a thing for me.  I have since gone on to discover Colored Sands, Stare Into Death and Be Still, Pierced From Within, Onward to Golgotha, Close To A World Below and countless other great death metal releases - none of which I will ever enjoy like I did Obituary's debut.  So whilst immensely important for residents of a site like this, where death metal truly began is a debate that is to some degree futile as my moment happened and nothing I will find now will change that or rival it.  It will give me timeline and the all important context though and it is interesting to view Sonny's journey and here other members experiences.

Thank you gentlemen

I will add:

HeXen - "Blast Radius" (from "State of Insurgency", 2008) 04:08

Go Ahead And Die - "Toxic Freedom" (from "Go Ahead And Die", 2021) 03:26

Strike Master - "Strong As Hell" (from "Death Based Illusions", 2019) 04:19

Num Skull "Ritually Abused" (from "Ritually Abused", 1988) 04:27

Sonic Assault - "Intellectual Singularity" (from "Neon-Lit Metropolis", 2022) 03:23

Hazzerd - "The Tendencies of a Madman" (from "Misleading Evil", 2017) 04:15

Atrophy "Violent by Nature" (from "Violent by Nature", 1990) 03:54

Total = 27:52

June =

Artificial Brain - "Celestial Cyst" (from, "Artificial Brain", 2022) 04:31

Inhuman Condition - "Recycled Hate" (from "Fearsick", 2022) 03:26

Wormrot - "Behind Closed Doors" (from "Hiss", 2022) 01:28

Undeath - "Necrobionics" (from "It's Time To…Rise From The Grave", 2022) 03:31

Massacre - "The Eldritch Prophecy" (from "Resurgence", 2021) 06:24

Massacra - "Enjoy the Violence" (from "Enjoy the Violence", 1991) 03:39

Desolate Shrine - "Cast to Walk the Star of Sorrow" (from "Fires of the Dying World", 2022) 06:41

Total time = 29:40

June =

Inquisition - "From Chaos They Came" (from "Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zentih", 2016) 04:39

Mistur - "Downfall" (from, "In Memoriam", 2016) 07:15

Watain - "We Remain" (from "The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain", 2022) 06:14

Total = 18:08

I don't think it is fair to publicly call out another member of the forum in this manner Andi.  If it bothers you that the thread was not there then I think it would have been nicer to drop Xephyr a PM to see if everything was ok rather than create the thread and then publicly remind him of how and when things need to be done.

That kind of behaviour makes me uncomfortable and I will not just let that go unchallenged.  I am not speaking for Xephyr here but the fact that you have made him feel like he has to explain himself to you is not what I would expect from anyone in this community.  

I am not looking to pick a fight either I just unhappy with how this has been done.

May 2022

01. Metallica – “…And Justice For All” (from “…And Justice For All”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny]

02. Nuclear Assault – “Nuclear War” (from “Game Over”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

03. Sepultura – “Inner Self” (from “Beneath the Remains”, 1989) [Submitted by Vinny]

04. Watchtower – “Instruments of Random Murder” (from “Resistance & Control”, 1989) [Submitted by Vinny]

05. Pariah “Puppet Regime” (from “Blaze of Obscurity”, 1989)

06. Razor – “Grindstone” (from “Malicious Intent”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

07. Thrasherwolf – “A Thousand Eyes” (from “A Thousand Eyes”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

08. Pissing Razors – “Cursed” (from “Where We Come From”, 2001)

09. The Bleeding – “Storm of the Hellspawn” (from “Morbid prophecy”, 2019) [Submitted by Sonny]

10. Vio-lence – “Let the World Burn” (from “Let the World Burn”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

11. Sarcofago – “Screeches from the Silence” (from “The Laws of Scourge”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

12. Power from Hell – “Old Metal” (from “Devil’s Whorehouse”, 2015) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. Demoniac – “RSV – Fool Coincidence -Testigo” (from “So It Goes”, 2020) [Submitted by Sonny]

14. Suicidal Tendencies – “Go’n Breakdown” (from “Lights…Camera…Revolution...”, 1990)

15. Anthrax – “Fueled” (from “Stomp 442”, 1995)

16. Possessed – “Séance” (from “Beyond the Gates”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

17. Kreator – “Under a Total Blackened Sky” (from “Enemy of God”, 2005) [Submitted by Sonny]

18. Eradicator – “Einflussnahme Abgelehnt” (from “Einflussnahme Abgelehnt”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

19. Holy Terror – “Do Unto Others” (from “Mindwars”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

20. Grinder – “Hymn for the Isolated” (from “Nothing is Sacred”, 1991)

21. Cryptosis – “Transcendence” – (from “Bionic Swarm”, 2021) [Submitted by Sonny]

22. Meshuggah – “Paralyzing Ignorance” (from “Contradictions Collapsed”, 1991)

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

24. Ektomorph – “Shalom” (from “Hangok”, 1996)

25. Sadistic Ritual – “Murmur” (from “The Enigma Boundless”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

26. Vulture – “Clashing Iron” (from “The Guillotine”, 2017)

27. Sentinel Beast – “Phantom of the Opera” (from “Depths of Death”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

28. Hellfekted – “Woe to the Kingdom of Blood” (from “Woe to the Kingdom of Blood”, 2020) [Submitted by Daniel]