Vinny's Forum Replies

Feb submissions from me:

Dust Bolt  - "Mass Confusion" (from "Mass Confusion", 2016) 04:43

Iron Reagan - "Grim Business" (from "Crossover Ministry", 2017) 02:30

Steel Bearing Hand - "Command of the Infernal Exarch" (from "Slay In Hell", 2021) 03:30

Vomit Division - "Demons Come Back" (from "Hell in a Bottle", 2021) 03:12

Destruction - "Diabolical" (from "Diabolical", 2022) 04:09

Voivod - "Overreaction" (from "Killing Technology", 1987) 04:44

Megadeth - "Hangar 18" (from "Rust in Peace", 1990) 05:14

Run Time = 28:02

Great choice this month Ben.

Seeing this album come up for feature this month immediately took me back to my wranglings with their sophomore release (and gateway record into the band) The Olden Domain and how I had to work hard to come to terms with Maelstrom’s vocals. Had I realised that on the debut they had a completely different – and much more appealing style of – vocalist then coming to that sophomore release after this would have been even more of a challenge.

Like the follow up, Borknagar’s debut album is a richly rewarding experience albeit the appeal with the debut is more immediate for me. A mix of melodic Viking and black metal that retains a rawness to it that does not intend to alienate as does the sound of other black metal bands of the time. This retention of authenticity in terms of the movement that started the whole second wave sound is key to my enjoyment of the album, just as is the more melodic leanings of the music also.

Having amassed the collection of famous names we all know by now, Brun’s determination to move beyond the brutality of his death metal roots was destined for success. Whilst not all the musicianship is perfect by any means it is a well-executed album still. Full of variety in terms of instrumental interludes that hold the attention and add a lush depth to proceedings without distracting from the more intense black metal sounding tracks that are spread over the album.

With me slowly developing issue with Viking metal over recent years (Bathory’s efforts being of challenge nowadays) I find the aggressive take here quite refreshing and much more cohesive; even in the cleaner vocal sections the tracks still retain real heart. This successful marriage of the epic with the baser credentials of black metal and the earthy acoustics of the instrumental passages needs acknowledging even if not all of it is top-drawer musicianship (Grimskalle Trell needed re-recording surely). The production job plays no small part in the victory of the album. I cannot recall many albums that blends these sounds as well allowing all elements to breath so easily without continuously sounding like they conflict with each other.

No question if I had heard this album first, I might never have been able to get my head round the future sound of Borknagar as they went off into more progressive leanings. As the album draws to a close each time I listen I find I just want to put it straight back on or dive off into the discographies of the various artists involved. As such Borknagar’s debut is a real gateway album to the wider scene.

4/5

Must be due a new album from Leviathan.  Predictable darkness here from Wrest.

Classic, clumsy and clunky death metal from the master of ugly, Autopsy.

Feb 22:

Whoredom Rife - "Curse of the Moon" (from "Winds of Wrath", 2021) 07:54

Nordicwinter - "La mort des amants" (from "Le Dernier Adieu", 2021) 06:30

Archurahl - "Pig Slaughter" (from "Goedendag Injury", 2021) 02:46

Gaerea - "Absent" (from "Unsettling Whispers", 2018) 05:12

Run time = 22:22

Feb 22:

Tower - "Blood Moon" (from "Shock to the System", 2021) 03:13

Armoured Saint - "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants" (from "Punching the Sky", 2021) 06:47

Eternity's End - "Bane of the Black Sword" (from "Embers of War", 2021) 04:50

Heavy Sentence - "On The Run" (from "Bang to Rights", 2021) 03:12

Ross the Boss - "Denied by the Cross" (from "Born of Fire", 2020) 03:36

Rage - "Virginity" (from "Resurrection Day", 2021) 03:42

Bombus - "Abonimation Rock 'n' Roll" (from "Abonimation Rock 'n' Roll", 2021) 04:18

Run time = 29:38

Feb 22:

Autopsy - "In the Grip of Winter" (from "Severed Survival", 1989) 04:07

Cannabis Corpse - "Mummified in Bong Water" (from "Tube of the Reinstated", 2008) 04:02

Abysmal Dawn - "In Service of Time" (from "Levelling the Plane of Existence", 2011) 04:48

Krisiun - "The Will to Potency" (from "The Great Execution", 2011) 06:23

Undergang - "Hjerternes Tid" (from "Christmas Split", 2021) 05:15

Genocide Pact - "Led to Extinction" (from "Genocide Pact", 2021) 04:03

Run time = 28:38

Revisited this earlier and recalled my feelings on the album more or less immediately.

The album that allegedly got the band signed to Roadrunner after shifting some 7,000 copies is to all intent and purpose pure unadulterated violence. Now, I will not go off and join my peers on the site in lavishing praise on Illusions. In fact, I will highlight that this is some sloppy sounding thrash metal even by late 80’s standards. Yes, I get that this is a massive part of the appeal and I enjoy some raw and energetic thrash / proto-death metal as much as the next man or woman, the fact is though that there are a couple of major distractions on the sound on some tracks here.

The drums start to sound like claps as album opener Certain Death gets to around halfway through, just for a few moments, not for the entire track thereafter but nonetheless I find this off-putting and sort of ruins the start of the album for me. I am also not convinced that the band had their timing correct for all the tracks. Granted it is so ridiculously fast and has the pacing of a jet engine that you hardly notice but when the band get to a less high tempo pace and go a little more industrious (not technical - more on that in a minute) is where the cracks do start to show. I will put this down to the maturity levels of the band and this being their first full-length and will also caveat that when they are on point – which at times they are – they are unstoppable. I am thinking some of this is also down to the over-reliance on DiGiorgio and his bass which I am nearly sure causes flux in the rhythm and timing on more than one occasion.

This “technical” tag bothers me that I see get associated with the release also. The fact that this album has a heavy bass presence does not mean that this is a technical thrash metal record. I see DiGiorgio’s input as being almost a third guitar – most certainly a second rhythm guitar that makes the frenetic pace sound a lot meatier than it would otherwise. You could argue it gets all proggy on the opening bars to the title track but again this does not make it technical, just well-played.

Sadus’ debut is not for me in all honesty. As much as there are principles of thrash metal here that I would largely praise and defend in most circumstances, Illusions does precisely as the meaning of the title suggests and tries to distract away from its issues with pure speed and violence and it just does not work for me.

3/5

I already own it Andi, thanks.  Just never got around to rating or reviewing on here yet.

I have still never fully gelled with RYM.  Something about it just puts me off visiting with any sense of frequency.  I think it suffers from over-accessibility as simply anyone can rock up and shit words all over the page in endless lists (which I hate in case anyone hasn't noticed) and lacks any sense of community to me.  I mean, yes you all love a list here but everyone is sensible (ish) and the level of click-happiness seems to be less here due to the reduced number of members.

Think we'll find it is Life of Agony not "Life in Agony".

Feb 22:

Sevendust - "All I Really Know" (from "Blood & Stone", 2021)

Feb 22:

Employed to Serve - "Exist" (from "Conquering", 2021)

Feb 22 :

Author & Punisher - "Drone Carrying Dread" (from "Krüller", 2022)

I kept my list private for a few weeks, Vinny, then made it public with no issues. I too see duplicate entries on your list. Have you tried remaking it anew and seeing if the same happens again?

Will try it again later.  Weird morning as one of my posts on my other forum has shown up blank despite it all being there earlier.  Different browser too.  Fucking Gremlins.

Okay not just me then.  Cleared my cache and all the usual stuff I would do under such circumstances and no different.  I do recall that the top ten thread is the same as original top 30 one so chances are that's why it has ended up the same way.  Interested to see if it was the act of making it public that caused the issue?

With Daniel and Sonny again doing a sterling job with their selections this month, putting together the playlist was again really enjoyable.  I got a feel for some more blackened themes running through the list this month with the inclusion of Ketzer, Eternal Evil, Craven Idol and Sabbat all falling into their places as I built the list for the month.  Controversially perhaps, I hear very little thrash in that Craven Idol track and having listened through the album again I would say it leans more towards black / heavy metal but still a great track regardless so was happy to keep in the list.

I am still struggling to place the groove metal stuff but as my knowledge (if not necessarily my taste) for this stuff grows I expect that will become easier.  Highlight of the month for me is being able to tee-up Sadus followed by Morbid Saint as well as being reminded what a great (and sadly overlooked by myself) album The Gathering is. 

So when you click that link in my post do you guys see duplicate entries?

January 2022

01. Ketzer – “Fire To Conquer the World” (from “Satan’s Boundaries Unchained”, 2009) [Submitted by Vinny]

02. Craven Idol – “Iron Age of Devastation” (from “Forked Tongues”, 2021) [Submitted by Sonny]

03. Disrupt – “Fuelled by Fire” (from “Disrupt”, 2021)

04. Overkill – “Evil Never Dies” (from “The Years of Decay”, 1989) [Submitted by Daniel]

05. Ekulu – “Proven Wrong” (from “Unscrew my Head”, 2021)

06. Metreya – “Machines of War” (from “Machines of War”, 2013) [Submitted by Daniel]

07. Sadus – “Under the Knife” (from “A Vision of Misery”, 1992)

08. Morbid Saint– “Depth of Sanity” (from “Destruction System”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]

09. Nocturnal – “Rising Demons” (from “Storming Evil”, 2014) [Submitted by Vinny]

10. Viking – “Berserker” (from “Do or Die”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny]

11. Bewitched – “Hard as Steel (Hot as Hell)” (from “Diabolical Desecration”, 1996)

12. Slayer – “Repentless” (from “Repentless”, 2015) [Submitted by Daniel]

13. Eternal Evil – “Terror of The Sphinx” (from “The Warriors Awakening Brings the Unholy Slaughter”, 2021) [Submitted by Sonny]

14. Celtic Frost – “Jewel Throne” (from “To Mega Therion”, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny]

15. Division Speed – “Panzerkommando” (from “Division Speed”, 2015)

16. Home Style Surgery – “Necrodecoration” (from “Brain Drill Poetry”, 2021)

17. Acrassicauda – “Quest for Eternity” (from “Gilgamesh”, 2016)

18. Nevermore– “The Psalm of Lydia” (from “This Godless Endeavour”, 2005) [Submitted by Daniel]

19. Testament – “Fall of Sipledome” (from “The Gathering”, 1999) [Submitted by Daniel]

20. Sabbat – “Godz of Satan” (from “Evoke”, 1992) [Submitted by Vinny]

21. Anthrax – “Madhouse” (from “Spreading the Disease”, 1985) [Submitted by Vinny]

22. Iron Age – “Evil Ways” (from “Constant Struggle”, 2006)

23. Merauder – “Master Killer” (from “Master Killer”, 1995) [Submitted by Vinny]

24. Leeway – “Who’s to Blame” (from “Desperate Measures”, 1991)

25. Flotsam & Jetsam – “Hammerhead” (from “Doomsday for the Deceiver”, 1986) [Submitted by Vinny]

26. Blood Tsunami – “Horsehead Nebula” (from “Grand Feast for Vultures”, 2009) [Submitted by Sonny]

27. Alkoholizer – “Alkoholik Metal” (from “Drunk or Dead”, 2009)

Good thread, 5 for me:

Oranssi Pazuzu - Värähtelijä (2016)

Dog Fashion Disco - Adultery (2006)

Unleash the Archers - Apex (2017)

Blood red Throne - Altered Genesis (2005)

Paysage d'hiver - Die Festung

Completely ambient release, no black metal here whatsoever.  Good background music for work if nothing else.

So, Dad passed away in hospital this afternoon. We all did manage to get to see him on Tuesday evening when it was obvious he had taken a turn for the worse, so that was a blessing. To be honest it's kind of a relief because he was in a lot of distress and was being fed a lot of medication towards the end.

And so life takes another turn...

So sorry for your loss.  My condolences.

I first heard Cretin as part of a forum "tape swap" we did years ago on the now defunct Terrorizer forums. I was not that into their particular blend of death metal and grindcore and so found the couple of tracks from the album Freakery to be a bit too much for my listening tastes at the time. Over time, as my tastes have gotten more extreme I actually find them to be one of the more structured grindcore bands out there based on their albeit limited output over the years. I prefer them to the Brutal Truths of this world for example and benchmark their style to being more akin to Repulsion style grindcore as opposed to a Carcass style for example (indeed vocalist/guitarist Marissa was guitarist in Repulsion 2011 - 2013). Somehow Cretin manage to walk that fine line between an all out auditory assault and still giving you enough form to nod your head along to appreciatively (in years gone by that statement would have read "bang your head along to", but those days are long gone for me - oldie alert!)

The band's typical lyrical content of perversions and humorous characters continues on Stranger with tracks such as Sandwich for the Attic Angel (a woman's dead husband turns out to be living in the walls of her house), Mr Frye, Janitor Guy (one seriously pissed off and suicidal, turd-collecting Janitor) and We Live in a Cave (pretty self-explanatory - I mean it is not a tribute to Fraggle Rock) all highlighting the bizarre and dark comedy of the band perfectly. Musically the band are tight and relentlessly savage in their delivery of one of extreme music's most primitive formats. Considering Elizabeth Schall (who joins Marissa on guitar duties) is from well-established melodic death metal band Dreaming Dead, she puts in a rowdy and abrasive performance here backed up the core percussive unit of founding member Matt Widener on bass and former Repulsion and Exhumed drummer Col Jones who together create a swarming backdrop of beats and unearthly rumbles that gets punctuated by wild sonics through a wall of solid as fuck riffs.

Always sporadic with their output (the band have been around since 1992 but only released a demo in 2003 after disbanding in 1996 so Widener could join the Marines), Stranger is only the bands second full-length and this was seven years ago now so we are long overdue further nuggets of joy from the guys who are still considered to be active. Despite the gap since the release of the album, it has aged well and is just as in your fucking face today as it was back in 2014. The world needs more Cretin please.

4/5

Sprawling and dense atmospheric bm from the Cascadian masters themselves on their 2009 album Black Cascade

Bold and harrowing, with an element of doom to kick things off.  Depressive black metal from Canada's Nordicwinter on their fifth full-length (second of 2021).

Each year for Xmas / birthday / anniversary my fiancée buys me an album she thinks I will like.  This year she went all Nordic folk on me and as a result I have discovered the excellent Forndom who occupy the same label as Panopticon.  Imagine a much darker Wardruna and you are more or  less there with this. 

12 months on from this post and I am pleased to say that my office set-up has continued to grow and this has now become less of a work space and more of a den for me as a couple of swords and an axe now adorn the walls and as I have mostly bought vinyl this year I have built up a selection of posters that proudly adorn the walls like it is some teenagers bedroom.  It has become my go to place to disconnect from life and calm my soul.

I have still kept up fairly well with releases this year despite me vowing not to do so.  I am still eager to disconnect more from keeping on top of current releases as I still fundamentally believe that there is far too much undiscovered music out there that is gathering dust unnecessarily.  However, in all honesty quality releases can land from any decade and planning to stay away from the crop of new releases defeats the point of planning to stay on top of them as it just replaces one lot of planning with another.    

5 for me:

1. Kowloon Walled City - Piecework

2. Wolvennest - Temple

3. Worm - Foreverglade

4. Yith - Passage

5. Mastiff - Leave Me The Ashes of the Earth

Life is a bit tough in my home right now. My wife was three months pregnant with my third daughter when we found out that the baby had died due to a chromosome issue last Wednesday. She had to have surgery to remove the foetus the following day & has been an emotional wreck ever since.

That's fucking awful.  My sincere condolences to you and your family.

Thanks for the answers guys. One thing that  leaps out at me that we all seem to have in common is the fact we are the introspective types. Do you guys ever seem to get comments along the lines of "You think too damn much" like I do? Like Vinny I see metal very much as ""mine" and it doesn't bother me at all that no one around me has the same taste (my wife is a sixties/seventies rock fan - Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Yes etc, although she does love Wardruna, but hates metal).

Another interesting thing is that despite people hating extreme metal because of it's supposed aggression and inferred violence, I get the feeling that you guys are not at all violent people (I know I'm not). I'd rather listen to violent and aggressive music than actually be a violent and aggressive person. The rejection of commercialism is another very sound reason - I hate the rampant commercialisation of virtually everything - I never eat at McDonalds or other mass market fast food joints, I never wear clothes that make me look like a walking advert for some sportswear company and I hate Hollywood movies. Good luck to all those marketing motherfuckers getting more people to buy Autopsy, Esoteric or Blasphemy albums!

I don't get such comments because I rarely get much time to think.  There's very much two versions of me, the work type taking up most of the persona because I have a high pressure job that although pays well dominates most of my life as a result because I have to plan my work to the minutest of detail.  The home version of me gets a lot less air time and time spent with music is often so precious that I focus little on thoughts in all honesty.  I am not a violent person at all but I do have a short fuse (and this is getting worse as I get older) which can sometimes make me look more aggressive than I intend to be.  There's things in my life that need to change to make that better but not looking to go into that, needless to say that I find some of the most extreme art forms very calming in these moments.  I have the artwork to the album cover for Visions of Trismegistos by Nekromantheon on my office wall and despite the horrific images and violent red colour over grayscale I am instantly calmed by the image and can look at it for minutes on end.

I had this conversation once with my better half who listens predominantly to 80's pop and some modern pop also after I played some black metal in the car once which she thought was particularly unpleasant.  For me extreme metal is the ultimate zenith of creativity that abandons any concept of safety or normality and actively pursues the complete opposite end of those spectrums.  Now, I can listen to most music and hear creativity being done firmly in the realm of safety and familiarity and such music has its time and place in my life.  However, what I revel in hearing is a band or artist absolutely letting go of themselves, ripping up the "standard" format or structure of music and deliver truly challenging (to the point of being terrifying in some instances) music that doesn't need safety or conformity to hide behind as to these artists these concepts only stifle their creativity.

I might have said this elsewhere on here but I very much see metal as being "mine".  It is my passion and the associations it has with dark and macabre themes appeal to my increasingly reclusive nature which is the exact opposite of how I have to behave at work - extreme metal is the ultimate escape from life for me.

As for me, I've had a fairly massive project dumped on me out of nowhere, so I've had to cancel the majority of my planned Xmas leave. I'm pretty annoyed about it, but at least the project is a great opportunity for both the business and my own career. If I can nail this one, surely good things will come (at least that's what I keep telling myself while I wallow in self-pity).

This is my problem to some degree also.  My phone never really gets turned off from a work perspective and so although I am on leave already I have spent most of the morning working on an emergency at one of my customer sites and I know this is going to rumble on through the coming weekend.

Classic low production value bm from Immortal.

Classic thrash from the Seps!

Horrendously produced early 90's dm from the US.  Think Deicide or Baphomet and you are not far off. 

Unfortunately my 86-year old dad is very ill and has been hospitalised (not covid-related) and it looks unlikely that he'll be going back home as he can no longer take care of himself. To be honest, it's been inevitable for a while, but the NHS has just implemented new covid measures and we're not even allowed to go and see him, so that's a real bummer. 

Sorry to hear this.

My 96 year old gran fell earlier this year and spent weeks in hospital.  COVID measures were quite stringent at the time and we could not go to see her which was especially difficult after she developed post-operative delirium but she was soon able to come out of hospital before we knew it and although unable to live at home is now well settled in a care home.

Hopefully your father can get to the same positive place - minus the post operative delirium of course.

Glad everyone is ok at the Daniel residence.  Good luck with your book Andi.

No freak weather here thankfully although a storm brought down a fence in the back garden that I was planning on taking down anyway.  In the new year we will begin preparation for our wedding in October (third attempt due to COVID forcing us to cancel two previous dates) so that will fill up most of 2022.

Company I work for was taken over earlier this year and the changes should be starting in the new year so a little uncertainty in general on that front but the basic rules of sales is to keep hitting your numbers and you should be fine and I am on target to end the year well over target so not worried.

Ukrainian thrash metal in the vein of early Sepultura.

Malignant Altar's latest offering has some promise.  Seems a lot more mature than their last outing (which was a demo in fairness).

Making no bones about it, I fucking love Unstoppable Power. I loved it from the minute I first laid ears upon it. I immediately went and ordered a copy after one listen and am proudly blasting this CD (now some 4 years old) as I type this review. This is an album that showcases perfectly why I listen to extreme music. Condor had no fucks to give when making this record and it shows in bucketloads.

Unstoppable Power is under-produced and that is how it should be. Nobody listens to raw thrash metal for production values, do they? The barely controlled fury of Condor was a force to be reckoned with, but they had way more than just thrash metal in their repertoire to make Unstoppable Power a success. Incorporating those early Teutonic sounds with speed metal leads and tempos, throwing in blackened vocals style and a punky attitude for good measure made Condor as interesting as they were relentless. There are even occasions where NWOBHM gallops ensue on the record. Do you have to work to hear them? Yes, you do and so you jolly well should do! The clue is in the album title - Unstoppable Power – these guys didn’t come to write poetry.

Album opener Raised by the Evil sets the stall out brilliantly with its menacing intro and raging storm intensity levels. Listen to the inflection on Chris Sacrifice’s vocals and how he shapes words like “fire” for maximum dramatic effect without ever seeming to being striving at all, like it all just happens organically.

The main to riff to 83 Days of Radiation is stuck in my head for life. The rabid passages that they somehow try to pass off as verses are terrifying as if written by some severely unwell mental health patient on the walls of their room in blood. The lead work is done by players of obvious quality but again, there are no fucks given here either and for all the clear ability on show they just do not see the need to polish anything at all. The cumbersome nature of everything is all just part of the appeal for me. The beginning of album closer just sounds like it was thrown together in all honesty, and I am left wondering where we are going here yet still, soon enough we are drowning in that raging intensity that just will not relent.

In the liner notes in the CD booklet the band thank individuals for lending them bass amps, stepping in on gigs at the last minute and steering them clear of shitty contracts. That’s exactly how I would expect life to have been for these guys when the band was active and that harem-scarem ethos is worn proudly on Unstoppable Power.

5/5

Hello.  Nice to see some new blood around here.  Good to see you have already started a couple of new threads also.

I am a fan of Panopticon but have yet to get to Roads to the North, there's a couple of us here who enjoy Austin Lunn's work.  Also interested to see love for that Summoning record.  Stronghold was my intro to the band a few years back but I find it hasn't aged well but in terms of that combination of fanfare and medieval minimalism you can't deny it is interesting still.

I am not familiar with most of those Horde releases you list so I have some new listens to check out, thanks.  You have my favourite Metallica album in your Pit list though and that Anthrax album is a good choice also.

You seem to have a good handle on most genres of metal which is really good to see.  What turned you on to metal back in the day, had you experimented with other music genres?

New Author & Punisher album due in Feb 22.  The mix of the dreamy pop style with those harsh industrial tones is something this guy has come to master over his previous outings and so I am intrigued to see how harsh he gets on this release alongside how creative he is going to be also.

New Immolation album due 18 Feb 2022.  I am a bit underwhelmed by the start of it although I acknowledge it does get better and becomes exactly what I would expect from the guys.

This playlist is going to be a challenging wakeup call for me as straight up Heavy Metal is one of my least listened to genres. Anything that would be close to Heavy Metal that I seem to enjoy either falls too much on the Doom Metal side (Crypt Sermon) or is just Power Metal in disguise, plus traditional Heavy Metal isn't a genre that gets a whole lot of buzz in the modern era so I end up brushing over any notable new releases. I knew coming into this that my playlists would be very Power Metal skewed, so I'll have to see what I can do moving forward once the year end list rush is over.

I hear ya.  I am pummelling my earholes with groove metal and speed metal to try and get a better understanding of the variety needed for The Pit playlist as I am a conventional thrash fan at heart with only fleeting forays into crossover and technical thrash really.

Savatage – “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)” (from “Dead Winter Dead”, 1995) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]

An enjoyable start to the playlist considering it is an instrumental which are not always my thing this was entertaining from start to finish 4.5/5

The Lord Weird Slough Feg – “Warriors Dawn” (from “Down Among the Deadmen”, 2000)

One of my favourite tracks from this album so always on for full marks 5/5

Ravenous E.H. – “...Of Beasts & Faust” (from “Hubris”, 2021)

More than a bit over-pompous for me (which is odd considering I waxed lyrical about Majestica this month) but I did get a sense of trying to push themselves too far. As a result the track loses credibility and so I lost interest. 2.5/5

Avantasia – “Seduction of Decay” (from “Ghostlights”, 2016)

Recognised Geoff Tate from the off on here alongside Tobias on vocals. Enjoyed the track overall too which is rare for me – some serious mellowing going on with me this month. 4/5

Powerwolf – “Incense & Iron” (from “The Sacrament Of Sin”, 2018)

A band I have never taken time much time to explore, thought it got going well after a shaky start. 3.5/5

Rhapsody Of Fire – “Unholy Warcry” (from “Symphony of Enchanted Lands II (The Dark Secret)”, 2004) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]

A bit of a stretch for me in all honesty, was at power metal overload by this point. 2/5

Blind Guardian – “Journey Through the Dark” (from “Somewhere Far Beyond”, 1992) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]

Slight upturn again on this from one of my preferred power metal bands 3.5/5

Accept – “Princess of the Dawn” (from “Restless and Wild”, 1992) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]

Nice sultry and brooding number to break out of that power metal from one of heavy metal’s finest albums. 4.5/5

Primal Fear – “Eyes Of An Eagle” (from “Nuclear Fire”, 2000)

Hard to believe they considered this guy Ralf to replace Rob Halford in Priest, I am not a fan of him but this track isn’t bad musically. 3/5

Iced Earth – “Anthem” (from “Dystopia”, 2011)

Just do not like Iced Earth, vocals are terrible 1/5

Iron Maiden – “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (from “Powerslave”, 1984)

Nothing to be said really that hasn’t been said a million times before. One of the classic Maiden tracks that more than has the staying power to keep the attention over the entire 13:39 run time. 5/5

Denner / Shermann – “War Witch” (from “Satan's Tomb” E.P., 2015)

Not sure what we have going on here – heavy metal with power metal vocals. Doesn’t work. 2/5

Dragonforce – “The Last Journey Home” (from “Ultra Beatdown”, 2020) [Submitted by shadowdoom9]

Not dissimilar to every other Dragonforce track I have ever heard but entertaining, nonetheless. 3/5

Firewind – “Allegiance” (from “Allegiance, 2006)

Inoffensive but unremarkable 2.5/5

Hunted – “Misled” (from “Deliver Us”, 2021)

Interesting in an unusual sounding way that sounds polished and rough at the same time, feels a bit immature overall but tempted to listen to more before dismissing. 3/5

Metal Church – “Dead on the Vine” (from “From the Vault”, 2020)

Proof if needed of how relevant MC still are (were?) in the world of heavy metal in 2020 with this being one of 4 new studio tracks. 3.5/5

Majestica – “Ghost of Christmas Present” (from “A Christmas Carol”, 2020)

Yep, my love for this one is already known 4.5/5

Overall a great list, I was drowning in power metal at one point but the rest of the list remedied this nicely.

Pulling together this month's playlist saw me doing a lot of proof-listening of it whilst I was working out in a morning and so it took on a rather aggressive flow to suit the mood as I fucking hate doing workouts but I ain't getting any younger but I am getting fatter.

First up, I struggled massively with where to place that Bulldozer track that Daniel submitted.  It was too lacklustre to open the playlist and would take a lot of momentum out of the list if placed midway through so in the end the only logical place for it was at the end.

With Sonny and Daniel covering off the classics with Demolition Hammer, Messiah, Carnivore, Mutilator, Artillery and Sacrifice getting nominated by them both I was able to build around these choices nicely and bring in the likes of Tankard and Cerebral Fix to continue this old-school vibe.  My personal finds on the list are Scarecrow, Mortal Vision and Knife.  All three associated releases are on rotation currently.

I am still learning the sub-genres of crossover thrash, speed metal and groove metal but was really surprised to hear how much I liked the Prong track as normally I cannot get along with the vocals.  In the end I went obvious perhaps with Machine Head for one of the groove metal tracks but I do still have a massive soft spot for Burn My Eyes.

It has been a while since a listened through the debut full-length from the now defunct Wodensthrone. The sound borrows more than just a tad from Drudkh to the extent that the opening of album closer That Which Is Now Forgotten – 597 borders on pure worship of the Ukrainians. The atmospheric elements contained within Loss draw a direct line to the first four Drudkh albums and similarly the charging momentum of the Wodensthrone debut matches the same impetus. Now, to have such a comparator is without question something of merit for a band who at the time were in their fourth year of existence. However, when you struggle to be able to stabilise where the influence stops and the genuine motivations of Wodensthrone begin then it is clear I have some challenges here.

With most releases (certainly most debut releases) I am looking for a band’s identity to shine through even if a plethora of influences are obvious at the same time. On Loss, I just do not get any sense of identity overall and the band come off as just combining the best bits of WITTR, Drudkh and then hark to some Winterfylleth to round things off. What I get therefore, whilst being of good quality, just is not that interesting in the grander scheme of things. In the more pagan inspired moments is where I find the greater levels of intrigue if I am honest, and as such I want to enjoy the record more than I do.

Now this is not to say that Loss is without its moments. The thundering fury of Black Moss needs acknowledging and celebrating as it is by far the most powerful and energised track on display here. It is the only track that shows enough individuality of sound to warrant notice above the other far too obviously influenced tracks. Whilst it most certainly does stray into that Drudkh hole that they continually fall into it does still standout as an individual triumph still with an acute level of intensity that is both imposing and welcome at the same time. The tremolo riffs wail on this track and the more basic riff patterns give real life to the passages. In many ways it is the most straight forward track on the album and is one whose structure they perhaps should have embraced a little more throughout the album.

In terms of quality, Wodensthrone knew how to write and play great atmospheric bm (just not necessarily own it at the same time). The level of musicianship was up there with the likes of Fen, Saor, Fuath and even Negura Bungent’s less ambient moments. However, it all just lacked an element of responsibility for the own sound and that in so many ways is an absolute tragedy.

3/5

Classic thrash metal, done with a power metal mentality.

Wow good call Vinny, this album fucking rips. Really got off on this one. I rustled up a review in between being beaten black and blue by it's relentless aggression:

I'm sure you are all familiar with that scene in Pulp Fiction when Vincent Vega hits Mia Wallace with an adrenaline shot after a heroin overdose and she sits bolt upright with a huge gasp. That was the effect this album had on me the first time I sleepily put it on just after waking up one morning. There is no subtlety here, there is no light and shade, this is nothing more or less than an adrenaline shot to the heart that will energise you and thrill you. Condor are a Norwegian three-piece and blackened thrash metal is their meat and drink, red and raw. The songs in themselves aren't especially memorable (and that isn't a criticism) - there are no melodic hooks or riffs for your brain to cling on to, but they are aggressive and they are relentless. For thirty-six minutes this album makes you feel like you are on a runaway train without any means of braking, holding on for dear life as it hurtles along. In a way it kind of reminds me of Reign in Blood, in that occasionally the band sound like they are barely holding it together and are on the verge of it all falling apart into chaos, but somehow they manage to maintain the integrity of the songs, which makes for a remarkably thrilling listen. Lyrically the songs mirror the music in that they deal with violence, horror and evil and Chris Sacrifice's ragged shrieking vocals perfectly fit in with this aesthetic. Condor have managed to pull off the extremely difficult trick of, to a certain extent, reproducing the sound of their heroes, such as Sodom, Kreator and Slayer whilst also making it sound modern and relevant to younger audiences as well as appealing to original fans of those bands.

Apparently Condor are members of the Kolbotn Thrashers Union, a loose grouping of thrash bands from the Kolbotn area of Norway, brought together by Fenriz of Darkthrone and include Nekromantheon who have released one of 2021's best thrash albums. In my opinion blackened thrash albums like Unstoppable Power and the aforementioned Nekromantheon's Visions of Trismegistos have saved thrash metal from it's twenty-year long sojourn in the wilderness and bands playing this style are now starting to sound relevant again. Long may it continue as these albums have made me enthusiastic about thrash metal once more.

4/5

Glad you enjoyed it Sonny.  Both my Pit and Horde clan releases this month are "no fucks to give" violent and primitive releases.  Condor only have two full-lengths and I have never gotten round to their debut (or the EP that precedes it) and it is a shame they split up although I believe all members are still active in and around the death, thrash and heavy metal scene in some capacity.  My copy of Nekromantheon's Rise, Vulcan Spectre should land this week in the post so I plan a night of some blackened thrashing madness later in the week with this Condor release on the playlist.

Review done, and fair to say the outcome surprised even me.  Xephyr, credit to you for this one mate.  Completely outside of my comfort zone and I absolutely loved it.

Not being the world’s biggest fan of Christmas (or of Majestica) seeing this album come up for review this month in the Guardians clan made me shudder somewhat. These facts withstanding it is impossible to deny the unwavering commitment to their artform that Majestica display on this album. The fact that I can acknowledge this after just the first three tracks of this album bodes better than originally thought for the Swedes.

Before getting into the detail of the album proper, let me just apply some context to my opening statement about not being Christmas’ biggest fan. I do not hate Christmas as an annual event, more the fact that it is so vividly commercialised and capitalised that it feels a far cry from the true meaning of it. The side of Christmas that Majestica deliver here is the bit I don’t mind so much. The pomp and circumstance of the band’s brand of symphonic power metal is perfect for such a themed album.

The artists involved are capable musicians. With Sabaton guitarist Tommy Johansson handling the majority of the songwriting and Alex Oriz, Joell Kollberg, Chris David and Tommy all sharing vocal duties across the album, it is obvious that real thought went into this album. Yes, it is cheesy as fuck! Yes, it has a shit-ton of polish applied to it (it’s a symphonic power metal album after all) and it is so far away from my usual comfort zone that I need a compass, passport, and a few booster jabs to get back “home” safely but the point is, I DON’T FUCKING CARE! This album is like a giant yuletide hug and even if you don’t want hugging then you have no choice in the matter because it’s shiny, glitzy arms are massive and will grab you no matter how quick you try to run.

Be slightly annoyed by the way that they weave the tune of a hundred Christmas carols into the music as it ploughs through grandiose power metal structures. Feel a little uncomfortable at how infectious those over-the-top the vocals are all, hide your incessant foot-tapping under your desk and fight the urge hang some lights but you know you are loving this.

I rarely enjoy power metal nowadays, but this is how it should be done. Mercilessly contagious and fantastically theatrical, A Christmas Carol is a blueprint for a hundred wannabe power metal to study and understand that you either go hard or go home.

4.5/5