Vinny's Forum Replies
Nice trip down memory lane with this one Saxy.
The clean gruffness of Helmet is an acquired taste; indeed, they are a band I really must be in the mood for. Some days I find listening to them to be a very impatient experience and I find myself wanting more urgency to proceedings. Other days (like today) I am happy enough with that lurching pace and melancholic lead work delivered against that alternative rock backdrop that the band do so well.
At times I find myself frustrated by the catchiness of Meantime like it is sold short somehow by the fuzzy mood of the guitar tone and the monotone vocals which do not do the infectiousness of tracks such as Unsung enough justice. On other occasions I really click with that half-cooked nature of such tracks and recognise how well put together that almost juxtapose of elements is. In terms of consistency though it is hard to find fault with Meantime. It walks that fine line between steady and boring well on the side of the former. It is no frills metal that really feels like the band know their niche and do not see much advantage in stepping outside of it.
The slapping sound to the drums does irritate over time though and that rolling riff that sits behind most verses certainly gives value for money over ten tracks. Still though, I cannot deny how much I enjoyed revisiting this album for the purposes of this review. Noticing the clever use of the bass to add variety to the songs is something that passed me by however many years ago it was that I last sat down with Meantime.
I guess given that my moods will shift more than Helmet’s style and sound ever will I am never going to give this a high rating. Some of that is down to me I accept and not necessarily entirely at the fault of Page and the gang. I believe reviews should capture that moment in time and so today Meantime gets a worthy yet not too exuberant 3.5 stars.
3.5/5
The vocals are really cool though, for some reason it reminds me of a Thrash Metal Geddy Lee from Rush with the higher pitched, more Rock-ish screams and flourishes. Still not sure if that's technically a positive or not, but it is in my book.
This right here is why I love this place. Never heard that comparison before but now you have said it, I can kinda hear it too.
Good stuff although I am disappointed to see that not everyone on here is really a cat like me.
Unusually for me, I have listened to more than 3 records from the current year, although I still have a shit ton of stuff from this year that I will discover in 2024 and beyond I am sure. Not got around to new Panopticon, WITTR, Spectral Lore or Grima. That Nattverd is under threat along with Ungfell. I still have new output to get to from Leipa (the guy out of Kanonenfieber's more black metal than blackened death metal project), Wormwood, Odal and Ildaruni.
1. Mare Cognitum - Solar Paroxysm
2. Felled - The Intimate Earth
3. Kanonenfieber - Menschenmühle
4. Spectral Wound - A Diabolic Thirst
5. Mork - Katedralen
6. Yith - Passage
7. Fuath - ii
8. Les Chants de Nihil - Le tyran et l'esthète
9. Nattverd - Vandring
10. Ungfell - Es grauet
Ben can you please add:
Tombstoner - Staten Island, New York
Aegnitum - Portland, Oregon
Finally got around to reviewing my own nomination.
In conversations about "Top Ten Thrash Metal Albums", Nuclear Assault's debut full-length tends to get mentioned in hushed tones as being "just outside this list.." or in the honourable mentions at least. Revisiting it for the purposes of this feature review I certainly do not disagree with that sentiment and have heard no reason to change my review from my original four stars that I awarded this album on the site however many months ago off the back of this run through. Considering this came out the same year as Master Of Puppets, Reign In Blood and Pleasure to Kill it is most certainly not on the same par as those classics. However, I think what it lacks in a sense of refinement or focused aggression it more than makes up for with attitude.
What this album reminds me of is the chaotic sonics of the aforementioned Slayer with the energy and ethos of Overkill. The gruff vocals of John Connelly have a different level of intensity to a Tom Araya and a much less sneery style than Blitz has, but the sheer determination in the riffing, drumming and plodding bass suggests a band who are doggedly forging their way in a genre where the early pace setting has already been done and they are simply just here to stay slightly ahead of the chasing pack out of pure enthusiasm alone.
Tracks come thick and fast on Game Over delivered in short bursts of two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half-minute rumbling thrash metal that has the requisite political, anti-religious or social commentary running through it. This feels like an thrash album done with a grind mentality if we focus on the ludicrously rampant Hang The Pope or the tongue in cheek Mr. Softee Theme. Immature though these tracks appear to be they are certainly not out of place on an album that feels it was written just for the band themselves and anyone else getting onboard is just a bonus.
So, whilst it may not be the pinnacle of eighties thrash metal, Game Over certainly comes across as honest and authentic to the genre vibe of standing up for what you believe in and making a lot of noise whilst you do so.
4/5
Vinny and Sonny, I want to make sure that I fully understand what it is when you're suggesting improvements to the navigation. Are you saying that you want to be able to see the icons / field selectors at the bottom of the page as well as the top on the Releases and Bands pages specifically?
No Ben, I just want the buttons at the top also available at the bottom please:
First of all, I had to look up what the hell Incel meant in the first place.
Secondly, from my experience of moderating over at Metal Forum I get really pissed off with the "this is shit for no valid or substantiated reason" scenario whenever it crops up. The arrogance of other people never ceases to amaze me and this is why I don't frequent FB or Twitter in all honesty, it has encouraged a culture of explanation in a limited number of characters because of count restrictions or the knowledge by the poster that if they don't say something quick nobody will read it.
I agree that MA offers that safe-haven from such nonsense and I think that the comments section is just perfectly hidden away t discourage some of the negative behaviours we have all experienced on the internet at large. What it also manages to conversely is open up the minds of the regulars to new genres, styles, bands etc so is a rewarding place for those that value it enough to stick around. Those that choose to troll elsewhere are the ones missing out on the real opportunity to grow their palate.
Yeah I don't like "Teacher's Pet" either. It massively disrupts the flow of the album & stands out like a sore thumb in the tracklisting. In truth though, there's actually a couple of other tracks on "Black Metal" that don't do a lot for me too though, namely "Raise The Dead" & "To Hell & Back". I certainly enjoy the "Black metal" album but I actually prefer "At War With Satan" & "Welcome To Hell" over it these days.
To Hell & Back is a clumsy track for sure, feels hastily written like prime filler on the album. I mean, notwithstanding the fact that the band aren't noted for a burning level of depth in their songs it is still a poor effort by the way of comparison to the rest of the album.
I hate this fucking track, it is embarrasing and completely out of place on what is otherwise one of the most influential albums of the early 80s.
With you here. Immature and base song writing and I hate the fact that I have this on vinyl and have to sit through it.
Great work sir. You know my request already but please can we have the navigation from the bottom of the screen as well as the top?
So Christopher Bowes, the dude behind Alestorm and Gloryhammer, is back at it again with another hilariously over the top and slightly questionable band called Wizardthrone who seem to specialize in a slightly Gloryhammer-esque brand of Melodic Death Metal about mathematics, hyperdimensional space wizards, and a ton of other very long and bombastic words. It's not great, don't get me wrong, but I expected much, much worse. It's definitely fun for a few spins here and there. I want to believe this release exists in the same world as the current Gloryhammer story but there aren't any references that I've picked up on.
This came up on a playlist just now. Like you say, even though several things point to this being terrible, it is palatable enough if not instantly forgettable.
Demigod - Slumber of Sullen Eyes - 1992
Chalk me up some death metal tonight please bar tender and make it distinctly Finnish.
The Lord Weird Slough Feg - "Traveller" (2003)
Andi, I'd imagine that you'd really dig this epic US power metal record. You too Vinny if you haven't already given it a run. Think Brocas Helm, Manilla Road & Eternal Champion.
I have it in my collection already, thanks. One of the most consistent bands in terms of quality of output.
As mentioned elsewhere on here, Saxon hold a particular place of nostalgia in my heart for being the first band I ever played (but didn't own at the time) on vinyl. I am almost duty-bound to check out most of what they put out even though it usually means some level of disappointment on some of their modern output. However, like pretty much everyone else who has reviewed this so far I was caught off-guard by how good Thunderbolt is. It sounds like a band that are younger than he actual age of the participants yet at the same time exudes a level of confidence that only comes with years of experience.
The main things about this album are the consistency of the energy levels and quality of the tracks on offer. Riffs race across the record as the rhythm section maintains a pace of bash and rumble that allows for a bit of flair from the strings; the lead work being of particular note here. Quinn and Scarratt are on fire here and Glockler sounds equally imperious on the drum kit. Biff's trademark nasal vocals are distinct and almost haughty on the symphonic majesty of Nosferatu (my album highlight) and yet still have that down-to-earth twang and inflection to certain words that sound like a northerner trying to sound more eloquent than their accent permits.
I will not pretend to love all of the album, They Played Rock And Roll does not work for me as a tribute. Not that I expect lyrical genius in all honesty but the lyrics here sound naive and clumsy with the Lemmy excerpt not really ringing as authentic and nostalgic as perhaps intended. But you cannot deny the rampant battering of Predator even though the vocal effects get a little OTT for my liking, but where the majority of the quibbles arise on this record there usually is something of a much better quality not too far away.
Put Thunderbolt on for anyone just getting into heavy metal and they will lap it up. At the same time it is fully rounded enough of an album to please the more established metalhead and even raise a few eyebrows along the way.
4/5
In over six years of listening to The Dreaming I, on a near 3 monthly rotational basis, I still have to say it is one of the most impenetrable releases to grace my vinyl shelves. That having been said, it is one of the few records I can truly connect with on a spiritual level and truly feel metaphysically cleansed after listening to it. Ahead of me furthering my progress in the Modern Era challenge for the North Clan, I cannot think of a better example of modern black metal than Nas Alcameth’s 2015 release. It delivers a unique take on atmospheric black metal using a terrifying transcendence whilst at the same time offering of level of harsh and conventional black metal that is pitiless and monstrous in equal amounts.
The debut release under the Akhlys name (Supplication) was dark ambient affair – which I haven’t listened to in all honesty – and these elements are deployed here to great effect here on the sophomore which ramped up the black metal significantly. As such, you must wait for things to get going on The Dreaming I as cavernous depths are forged by the atmospherics that kick off most tracks. This can be a distraction for some but for me personally it lets me connect with the record, allowing me to sink to the depths where the main events take place and feel its stifling and fetid air against my skin. I am not a deeply spiritual person by any means, but I can truly switch off from the world around me when I listen to this album. Time ceases to be relevant, distractions become nigh on impossible and the ability to touch and sense the horrific, cloying, oozing mass that the record seems to grow in the palms of my hands is strangely soothing.
I think I notice something new with every venture into The Dreaming I (which I guess is the point). The wall of noise that greets the listener on most tracks needs taking apart slowly, blood red brick by blood red brick in order to start to comprehend the true mastery at play across these five tracks. Melodies undulate and stab into proceedings from behind the slabs of tremolos, like shrill screams at times they soar and elevate everything around them to ghastly heights of unworldly etherealness, whilst never allowing the coarse and crude darkness to release its grip overall. The bass seeps in, sloth-like at times, maintaining a subtle yet still somehow malignant presence. My only criticism of the instrumentation is that in the cacophonous fury of the mix the drums are a tad lost in places – namely on the opening track, whilst on other occasions they are clearly audible and making a definite contribution.
This inconsistency in the drums stops this album from achieving full marks, yet still this remains one of my standout records from the last decade. I do not always get on with everything Naas Alcameth records (or allegedly says), but The Dreaming I remains a pinnacle of success in terms of his output. Melinoë, from 2020 actually out does its predecessor but that is already noted by me elsewhere on MA.
4.5/5
I had already written a review for this and my views still stand to this day.
The sonic chaos that the band invokes throughout Procession to the Infraworld is blinding. The leads soar and swarm at the same time, enveloping the listener and asphyxiating any remnant of silence in their path. The riffs are equally smothering and consuming, crawling over your flesh like plague infested arachnids. Check out At the Edge of the Nebula Mortis for a great example of this.
Corchado's vocal style is different to the one he deployed with Incantation on Diabolical Conquest, having an almost Abbath like feel to them at times. Considering that this album was released a mere two years after he worked with the legends of death metal, the versatility that he is able to display is great and the performance here feels very measured and calculated to maximise the vocal's emphasis in the bigger picture of the overall music.
Between Corchado and Viterbo the guitar work here is excellent displaying variety and surety in equal measure, never flashy or showy but always entertaining in weaving the album's own particular tapestry of cosmic chaos. Antonio León on drums does a superb job also in making the percussive elements of the record sound robust and vigorous throughout, using subtlety where required and power when called upon also. The solo for Return of the Banished is a perfect example of when the guitar is allowed to breathe by the other instruments.
I have thought of a way I can avoid repeat requests which I am trialing for Oct lists. So all of my picks for a certain clan will be somehow themed. Won’t eradicate duplicates in terms of the whole time playlists have been a thing of course but helps minimise the risk and also proved a great way to discover new bands based on my initial research yesterday.
Not being at all familiar with Mr Bungle and reading the various comments across the Metal Academy forums on this month’s Gateway featured album makes me think I come to Adultery with a less influenced mind in terms of comparators with the aforementioned band. Taken as a standalone release I think that Dog Fashion Disco manage to deliver a clever, multi-faceted and disturbing selection of songs on their sixth full-length. Along the way they encompass various styles of music, both inside and outside of the realm of metal but at the same time still manage to make the release sound challenging in a very bold and distinctly metal manner.
There is an inherent seediness to Adultery both in terms of the actual concept of “adultery” but also in how the record is written and performed. With a consistent application of corny lyrics, brash riffs and dark cabaret-like arrangements, it is an album that tells its story with a well-chewed, bloody and slightly infected tongue-in-cheek narrative. Although on the surface it does not take itself too seriously, there is in fact no neglect of the requirement to interfere with the normal construct of an album and song structures to still provide a very mature themed album. I would argue it is nigh on impossible to listen to the album through once and not feel its sticky, tacky fingers on your ears for days afterwards.
Whether it is through the dark country music overtones of Desert Grave or the deviously tender and creepy pop sensibilities that seep through across most sections, DFD are constantly sharing their wares with the listener. Urgent horns and racing bass lines keep the attention levels sharp throughout the record and changes of pace to bring in sultrier yet no less threatening tempos are more or less sprung on us like they are all part of one ongoing surprise. The constant sense of theatre is so key to the success of the record as it acts as an almost constant reminder of the need for the listener to put themselves in character for full benefit of the listening experience.
The promise from the artwork of something peculiar and at the same time loosely conceptual being contained in the record is more than delivered over fifty minutes of some of the most oddly charming and humorously riveting music I have heard in a long while.
4/5
A mixed bag for me this month.
The "Oh My Fucking God, Turn It Off Now!":
Lamerror (WTF??), Anal Cunt - never been a fan and paid them very little attention over the years, this track only confirms what a sensible decision that has been. Painkiller - again just nonsense really.
The "Don't Usually Like These Guys, But...":
Vader - vocally always a challenge for me but this time around the music actually managed to distract me pretty well this time out. At The Gates - being one of the few people seemingly in the history of metal to not like Slaughter of the Soul I really enjoyed the track here. Atrocity - another band that I find very mixed in their output but today they just made a perfect fit with me on this track. Garden of Shadows - not usually melodic death metal's biggest fan but managed to really enjoy this one.
The "Ah yes! I remember this one!":
Macabre - not actually one of my favourite tracks of theirs but still just had me smiling in that way that every Macabre track does. Atheist - I mean you cannot go wrong with Atheist on their first two records. Carcass - absolutely classic grindcore from an album I was only spinning recently. Suffocation - from the album that even a terrible production job cannot kill altogether, the energy still seeps through here.
I don't know what the hell that "mix" of Fucking Hostile was aiming to achieve but it was awful. I was surprised at the Flotsam and Jetsam track as previous ones of the new album hadn't stuck with me, very catchy and memorable if not still a tad predictable. Artillery managed to not get skipped this time around but man does that album sound accessible in comparison to previous ones. Still not getting on with Bewitcher though.
I am now all but done with Bathory, just do not get the love for them overall and that Vektor track was a bit too safe for my expectations of them. On the positive side I enjoyed the dash of Kreator, Nekromantheon, Possessed, Enforcer, Antiverse, Leeway and (surprisingly) that Sepultura track also.
My inclusion of Toxik reminds me to spend more time with their discography as they get far too little attention.
September
Converge - You Fail Me from You Fail Me (2004)
September
Godflesh - Shut Me Down from A World Lit Only By Fire (2014)
September
Feared - Your Black is My White from Svart (2017) 03:15 - groove metal
Ritual Carnage - Escape from the Light from Every Nerve Alive (2000) 05:42
Metallica - Harvester of Sorrow from …And Justice For All (1988) 05:44
Hirax - Flesh and Blood from El Rostro De La Muerte (2009) 05:42
Slayer - Skeletons of Society from Seasons In The Abyss (1990) 04:40
Sadus - The Wake from Swallowed in Black (1990) 04:21
Total = 29:24
September
Staind - Something to Remind You from Staind (2011)
September:
Traveler - Street Machine from Traveler (2017) 04:40
Venom Inc. - Ave from Satanas Ave (2017) 08:33
Samson - Thunderburst from Head On (1980) 02:06
The Lord Weird Slough Feg - Sky Chariots from Down Among The Deadmen (2000) 04:50
Scorpions - China White from Blackout (1982) 08:11
Total = 28:20
Hi Ben, can you please add folk/black metallers Felled to the site?
September:
Malignant Altar - Retribution of Jealous Gods from Retribution of Jealous Gods (2019) 07:04
Drawn and Quartered - Congregation Pestilence from Oblivion Pilgrimage (2021) 02:57
Broken Hope - Mutilated and Assimilated from Mutilated and Assimilated (2017) 03:31
Witch Vomit - Purulent Burial Mound from Abhorrent Rapture (2021) 04:50
Ophidian I - Spiral To Oblivion from Desolate (2021) 03:31
Carcass - Kelly's Meat Emporium from Kelly's Meat Emporium (2021) 03:24
Blood Red Throne - Itika from Imperial Congregation (2021) 04:19
Total = 29:36
September:
Felled - Ember Dawn from The Intimate Earth (2021) 04:42
Agrypnie - Wir Etrunkenen from Metamorphosis (2021) 06:33
Pillorian - Archaen Divinity from Obsidian Arc (2017) 06:44
Blodsrit - Vanmakt from Helveteshymner (2004) 05:09
Total = 23:08
Caught some unexpected weekend downtime this morning so have been able to tuck into the North playlist earlier than planned.
I have been listening to that Ungfell album on and off since it came out and I still am yet to fully get to grips with it. It just has these weird moments that I find hard to put into words as to why they are so off-kilter to me but I am on the fence still with these Swiss black metallers.
First time of listening to Empyrium and at first I found those clean and deep vocals a bit off-putting but the track is so melancholic and beautiful that they do kinda fit on reflection. Will be exploring more of these guys based on this but I am not quite sure the folk metal is framed correctly alongside the symphonic elements based on this showing.
Violet Cold are a curved ball it is safe to say. Reading Saxy's review of this record earlier it summarises this track as the strongest. It starts far too busy for me and before I know it those female vocals are replaced by harsh black metal vocals and my mind is reeling for a few seconds. I think the female vocals kill the track in all honesty and the track would be far more appealing to me without them. There's some good ideas going on instrumentally and the overall warmth of proceedings does work for me but it just feels cluttered as a whole track and probably needed a couple of elements less to make a more positive impression on me.
Poccolus are another first time listen for me and their pagan leanings bring an energy in their delivery that is only really dampened by those fucking awful vocals. I mean, they destroy the atmosphere of the music entirely. Këkht Aräkh is an artist I keep seeing on YouTube as a suggestion but I never seem to get around to listening to. It is obvious that Mr Crying orc knows his black metal well and it shines through in the Burzum-like guitar tone and the balance of piano against riffs is skilfully done allowing a rich warmth to an otherwise cold sounding basis.
That Negură Bunget has been getting much airtime in the Vinny lair this past fortnight as I picked the album up on CD after enjoying reviewing it for the clan challenge so much. That incredible rumble to the bass is like a black metal pulse that travels through the floor into my very being and those ethereal melodies are striking to say the least. Sonny wins the playlist with his choice.
Opera IX are another previously unknown act to me and I like the death metal sound to accompany those equally deathy vocals also that make up the first three-and-a-half minutes of the track. There's a kind of doomy element to the track as it easies back to allow some build of atmosphere. I realise now that this is Cadaveria on vocals having only stumbled across her on a playlist recently with her current self-titled project. The solo work on this track is terrible though and I am not convinced all the instruments are that well arranged considering this is the opening track to the album but it is not that they are all that terribly arranged just that they meander a bit too much unfortunately.
That Shining track further cements my opinion of what a flawed genius Kvarforth is. The chug of those riffs pulls the very air around the speakers towards their sweet menace. I do need to check out more Shining as virtually everything I hear is superb. It is good to see COF get a bit of airtime on the playlist, that album being the only one of theirs that I own in physical format having come very late to the COF party just some two years ago. I love the progressive drive to Funeral In Carpathia that keeps things interesting. The theme of classic bm bands continues well with Rotting Christ and their often overlooked 2016 album, this track embodies the tribalism of that album whilst still capturing that warm melodic richness we all know to expect from them. The spoken word parts are distracting though from Danai Katsameni but I am guessing that they are essential to the subject matter of the song somehow.
If there is one band I am guilty of spending too little time with, it is Spectral Lore. I love III but I have never managed to sit down with anything else. I have heard good things about this release (despite that artwork suggesting otherwise) and the rather aggressive opening to this track is certainly evidence of great promise. **Updates Trello Board with further music to check out**
As usual with these playlists I found much to check out and also some albums to revisit. Thanks for putting together Daniel.
Well done sir.
1. Obituary - Slowly We Rot (1989)
2. Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness (1989)
3. Obituary - Cause of Death (1990)
4. Morbid Angel - Blessed Are The Sick (1991)
5. Gorguts - Colored Sands (2013)
6. Death - Scream Bloody Gore (1987)
7. Deicide - Deicide (1990)
8. Immolation - Close To A World Below (2000)
9. Ulcerate - Stare Into Death & Be Still (2020)
10. Autopsy - Mental Funeral (1991)
I managed to finally complete The Guardians, Heavy Metal - the 2nd Era Challenge tonight after about twelve months. It was a great rediscovery voyage in so many regards as I got to listen to some real favourites of mine including Danzig II - Lucifuge, Transendence, Seventh Son..., Painkiller, The Crimson Idol and The Dark.
Dokken's Back for the Attack was more just a pure nostalgia trip for me and I had already reviewed it with my two and a half stars not really needing any embellishment on this revisit. Hugely disappointed with Halford's self titled and don't really care if I never hear another King Diamond album again for as long as I live.
There were also some great discoveries on here for me too. Namely, The Chemical Wedding which I am super pissed at myself for neglecting all these years. What a fine and authentic heavy metal record that is from start to finish. Warlock's Triumph & Agony was the other real standout record for me and one that I have spent a lot more time with since discovering via the challenge.
The most underrated album by far is Slough Feg's Down Among The Deadmen, would have thought this right up Daniel's street but can't see that you have rated it bud?
Debating where I go next with the challenges. Might take a purely selfish slant on the next one and pick a challenge just for me to develop my own knowledge in one of my non-membership clans or maybe hit the Modern Era challenges for the Horde or the North. Hmmm, decisions...
Hi Ben, can you please add Finnish BM duo Ordinance to the site? Thanks.
Ordinance - in Purge There is No Remission (2020)
Riffy (endless riffing) black metal from Finland. Heavy on the Satanism as well as the non-stop wall of riffs (have I mentioned the riffs yet?)
In all honesty, I usually have my suggestions lists written for the coming month as I submit the current month's list. There's always stuff that I can't fit in to the current month that inevitably falls over and I am constantly finding stuff so find I am always in excess of tracks when I get to submitting my monthly lists. In a hectic working week I find myself listening to a lot of other playlists or individual tracks from bands when I need to take five or ten minutes breathing space away from my laptop so it serves me well for building a solid choice of tracks for the monthly playlists.
I believe I have just completed The North: Black Metal - The Modern Era challenge after a little over a year. I have definitely enjoyed this one - tough though it was - as I have discovered some great albums through it.
I've just been looking through the earlier posts in this thread and can't see if I informed Ben of my completion of THE PIT: Thrash Metal - The 80s challenge which I completed some time last year.
That's a challenge for each of my three clans completed, so now I have to determine which clan to go for as a fourth. I am still not sure and that makes me wonder if I should even have a fourth clan if I can't commit to one or the other. Of the six remaining, The Gateway, Revolution and Sphere are out for me. The Guardians, Horde and Infinite all have plenty of albums I love, but also a lot that I'm not keen on. I still intend to keep on with the challenges, but I may not seek a fourth clan at the end of it.
Bizarrely, I was torn between The Fallen and The Guardians when I was looking at a fourth clan. Despite having spent most of my life with traditional metal I was debating picking The Fallen to broaden my limited knowledge of the doom/sludge genre. Glad I went with The Guardians in the end, although I would class it as perhaps my weakest clan overall.
Really impressed with the Iron Savior track, I definitely need to branch out into more of their stuff. I found a Grand Magus track that I like that isn't on Hammer of the North, although the song itself is really rescued by the solo.
Found I could sit through the Helloween track which is unusual for me but have literally no time for Angra and I still cannot stand King Diamond. Herzel intrigue me though. Normally I don't work to well with vocals in a foreign language but there's so much other goodness going on at the same time that it is hard not to be enamoured really. I still haven't checked them out beyond playlists though but need to get some time with the album at some point.
Judicator showed promise but I can't really get on with that vocal delivery, heard it too many times before for it to be done this blatantly without any variation or particularly outstanding elements elsewhere on the song to distract me/make things interesting. Similarly with Orden Ogan; has enough bite to begin with but gets watered down far too easily to hold the interest.
I realised today that I own that Children of Bodom album but have hardly ever played it. Nothing wrong with it really just a bit pedestrian and synth heavy but the guitar does really shine still throughout although feels more melodic death than straight up traditional metal. I do need more Bloodbound in my life though.
1. Akhlys - The Dreaming I (2015)
2. Enslaved - Below The Lights (2003)
3. Blut Aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God (2003)
4. Darkthrone - Panzerfaust (1995)
5. Immortal - Pure Holocaust (1993)
6. Burzum - Filosofem (1996)
7. Panopticon - Kentucky (2012)
8. Inquisition - Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zenith (2016)
9. Drudkh - Microcosmos (2009)
10. Cultes des Ghoules - Henbane (2015)
Perturbator - Lustful Sacraments (2021)Been really enjoying Perturbator's newest album since it's a decently big style shift for him. Lot of darker, gothic elements that push him farther away from the slightly cheesy 80's Synthwave style that he's so known for. Most of the vocals sound like they could have come directly from a Gothic Metal record, minus some of the enthusiasm. Managed to write a full review linked below.
Well well, another Perturbator fan! Definitely one of my favourite non-metal artists. I have to admit I'm finding the new album to be a little hit and miss, but I'll give it time to grow on me. The Uncanny Valley has been a highly regular listen for me for the past 5 years.
Was mad into his stuff for a while but have drifted away in the past few years. New Model was my preferred spin at the time.
Thought the playlist started out a little patchy if honest with me only liking every other track until Gorguts kicked in then I thought it was flawless up until Herpes where I lost interest in the grinding slant that the list took on leading into sheer brutality. Thankfully rounded off nicely with Nile though.
Main surprise for me is how much I like that Venom Prison track as normally I find myself firmly disliking what they do but that track got thrown up on some random Spotify playlist and it stuck with me instantly. Definitely on the more death metal side of their sound but also a sensible vein of metalcore present still. My brief forays into the Revolution style bands has definitely altered my opinion on "core" in terms of softening my stance on it and being more open to it in my listening.
The first band I will check out following on from the playlist is Atvm! What an amazing track that is, not what I expected at all either. Interesting stuff indeed. On the other end of the timeline I am all over the death thrash of Psychic Possessor, never heard of them until today but will be giving that one a run through over the weekend also.
I actually took sometime out to explore The Fallen playlist this month and thoroughly enjoyed it. Great to see Wolvennest on there who are one my current preferred bands but also really enjoyed listening to some ISIS again. The Melvins, COC, Bongzilla and Witchfinder General all worked for me to and I am liking The Body the more I listen to them.
I really didn't get on with The Gathering, just sounded weird like to styles of music mashed together and sounded terrible. Beyond Dawn wasn't for me either. I have experience of Big Brave before and I find them okay without the vocals.
Winning track was that Candlemass one though. Must play that album later today.
The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from 9th to the 15th of July, 2021.
27. Lluvia (NORTH)
33. Morbosidad / Perversor (NORTH, HORDE, PIT)
Yes! Why I hadn't asked for at least Lluvia I have no idea. Both great bands though, thanks Ben.
Winners this month:
Panopticon, Darkthrone, Shining, Kanonenfieber, Evilfeast & Batushka (an album I really need to spend more time with)
A healthy mix of current releases and some more established sounds also.
If I am honest this release did at first have me more than a little torn. It is not that I do not enjoy Obliviosus, more that it takes such a monumental amount of effort to even begin to digest it that I do find myself somewhat fatigued by it after each listen. This draining effect I can put down to two factors. Number one, it is so emotionally wrought that you cannot fail to be engaged by the sorrow in this tragedy-soaked release. Secondly, it is such a vast record in terms of its influences that you do find the very fabric of its existence to be a much more detailed tapestry than the tags that get put against the release initially suggest.
Were an alien to land tomorrow and I played them his release I would probably describe it to them as follows. An album written on the scale of an atmospheric black metal album with a cacophony of sludge/post-sludge influences all over it, interspersed with some clear funeral doom (a la Bell Witch) in places – especially the opening track. I am not one usually too hot on the concept of genres/sub-genres but to describe this album without referencing thus would be a travesty.
Now, my individual take on this album (knowing its subject matter) is that the turgid nature of the tracks is a perfect representation of the artists personal battle with grief. Never having gone through a tragedy of the nature of what is described here I may well be quite far off the mark here; however, I do pick up a distinct sense of each track representing a differing stage of grief. Opening track O Brother is an angry yet confused sounding affair that cries out the soul of a person coming to terms with a loss they cannot quite process. In the complexity of this period of trying to process the situation anger takes the driving seat and what you get is a very personal insight into the human psyche during one of life’s true tests of a person’s resilience.
Second track Funus, sounds like a reversal of the opening statement and comes across as the artist trying to seek the positives from the life that is lost or to simply dwell (albeit temporarily) in a positive space. Assuming this to be a (Latin?) translation meaning funeral, the track feels like an attempt to give someone who has caused such obvious disruption to your life the best possible send-off still.
By the time track three rolls around we are back to the unenviable task of trying to process again, only this time the anger gives way to a more desolate and hopeless sound, like the inevitability of the situation simply cannot be challenged. This is one of the more draining tracks here. As an individual track it just comes across as so lost and bereft of hope it sticks with me perhaps more than its astray structure suggests it should do when balanced in the sum of all parts.
The final track here is probably one of the best closing tracks I have heard in a long time. It carries through the lost direction of the previous track initially but then slowly consolidates the emotion and energy back into the angry space the album began in, only this time taking that anger even further and giving it focus to what is a perfect culmination to the record. It incorporates so many elements during the opening ten minutes that it sounds like all the conflicting emotions and fathomless darkness are being positioned finally and to some degree accepted.
The reference to Neurosis that Daniel makes is perhaps the nearest comparator for the whole release I can think of. Whilst not identifiable as such consistently in the sound, the elements of Neurosis are present in the heart and soul that has been put into the record in terms of the writing and the delivery of this very personal and draining release.
5/5
Wolvennest- Temple
I stumbled across this by accident a few weeks back and actually really like it. The Belgian accent in particular adds to the experience, especially on album highlight, All That Black. I know Sonny is familiar with it so would be happy to take recommendations of similar artists in the occult/doom vein if you have any shout outs sir? (Or indeed anyone else of course).
8. Dare - Blood from Stone
I've never actually heard of this one before Vinny. What's the story behind that selection?
It's arguably more hard-rock but has such a blistering intensity to it that it most definitely belongs in the list. Former band of celebrated physicist Brian Cox as a point of trivia.
Also has Darren Wharton of Thin Lizzy keyboard fame as the frontman. I won't say every song is perfect but the album is end to end stocked full of impactful tracks and the only real interruption to the flow is a couple of ballads that I usually skip in all honesty. It is one of the most consistent albums in my collection and one that still gets regular plays.
1. Iron Maiden - Killers
2. Judas Priest - Painkiller
3. Grand Magus - Hammer of the North
4. Blind Guardian - Imaginations form the Other Side
5. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
6. Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law
7. Crimson Glory - Transendence
8. Dare - Blood from Stone
9. Queensryche - Empire
10. W.A.S.P. - The Crimson Idol
5. Alice in Chains - Dirt
Quoted Vinny
I thought you liked the last couple of Alice In Chains records far more than the Layne Stayley era Vinny.
I do but I don’t really see Duvall era AIC as that alternative and certainly don’t have enough value from those releases as I do from Dirt in terms of I grew up with Dirt on regular rotation. They are still more complete releases since they reformed but in an all time top 10 Dirt has more than earned its place.