Vinny's Forum Replies
Title track from the latest Baest album. Whole album is a great listen with a consistency that makes for one energetic and varied experience. Not flawless but still very entertaining.
4/5
Quite an easy one for me. If Emperor include symphonic elements in their sound does that make them classical music and not metal, or if they include metal in their symphonic sound does that make them metal and not classical? Answer to both questions is that Emperor are a black metal band who incorporate symphonic elements into their sound.
Horse incorporate a multitude of influence into their sound (not all terrible) and as a result they are too blended to be considered metal with the electronic elements being the less dominant strain in comparison to their largely screamo sound. Don't feel they have any place in MA.
Sky Eats Airplane have a more consistent metal vocal style over some basic nu-metal riffs saturated by a more consistent electronic element which is no more alien than some nu-metal from back in the 90's. Gateway/Revolution clan/s.
Last band Daniel featured are 100% not metal, they are an alternative band with electronic and screamo elements. I know we are not supposed to comment on quality but this is fucking terrible.
Demiser - Through the Gate Eternal 2021
Blackened thrash for Saturday lunchtime. Fans of Sodom, Butcher and Destroyer 666 should dig this.
Hello Ben, please add the following releases:
Yith - Passage (2021)
Latest album from Nattverd - Vandring (2021)
And one band:
Lowered - from US (one release, self-titled, 2018)
Sonny? I would assume you are all over this black/doom outift? I have been playing it this past week after it came up as a suggestion after me battering the latest Yith album.
Cryptic Shift - "Visitations From Enceladus" (2020)
Ben & Vinny, have you checked out this progressive death/thrash debut from Leeds, England yet? It's a high quality effort that reminds me of Vektor, Voivod & Gorguts.
I couldn’t get into it, a bit too Voivod from memory and I don’t get on with them unfortunately. May well get a revisit at some point but initial view wasn’t positive.
Vreid - The Morning Red from Wild North West
Never heard Vreid before but I have been playing their latest album over the weekend after a promo track on a cover mount CD. The album takes some getting used to but on the whole I like it even if the vocals are a bit cooky sometimes.
There has to be some control and I think 3 months is fine. Anything longer than that will result in engagement loss and the lists will lose the personal element from the site users. Nobody in full time work and/or with a family to look after and spend time with can stretch to checking if a song has been used in the past 8 or 16 months Andi. That’s ridiculous.
Needless to say I am not as enamoured with Nemesis but then again I have never been a fan of Grip Inc. and just don't understand the hype around them. This album is disjointed and undulating to the point of being unpalatable for me and with me already hating Gus Chamber's vocals there's little going for Grip Inc. from the off really. Can't fault Lombardo's skin work or the guitarist fella but the song writing and compositional effort that went into this is shocking. A flurry of ideas is what I would describe this as, there's no real album here for me to listen to in all honesty.
2.5/5
A savage and aggressive new album of Norwegian thrash courtesy of three-piece Nekromantheon:
Daniel, Vinny you may both find this of some interest.
I have been spinning this recently and loved it - it matches Rise, Vulcan, Spectre in terms of consistency. Good to see the Kolbotn Thrashers Union still going strong.
Ah, I get it now! To be honest I sometimes miss details like that if I'm not realy concentrating due to my annoying tinnitus - not just metal music caused, I used to work in a metal rolling mill back in the eighties when health and safety wasn't quite as robust as it is nowadays and so I'm stuck with a continuous hissing in the ears that can block out more subtle sounds. Perhaps one reason I like extreme metal music as it drowns all that shit out!
I have tinnitus too - entirely my on doing with earphones/headphones as a young fella with no concept of the damage volume would do later in life. Not helped by a bad ear infection ten years or so back that burst my eardrum in my right ear. There's bits to records that I miss too or bits I interpret differently as a result. Getting old sucks. I want a refund on life!
Review is up. An often overlooked record that could stink of a band just throwing any old shit out to try and remain relevant some three years after they dropped one of the greatest albums of their career (of the genre arguably). Instead they pulled together 5 tracks of solid death metal, shaved off a bit of the technical edge and just let rip. There is a sadness in the fact that upon reflection this is (for me) the last great Suffocation release and the EP gets way too little attention in all honesty. It showed they had a lot still left to give but for whatever reason they split after this and although they reformed in the early noughties, they have never shown much of a hint of being able to capture this kind of form again.
4/5
Sorted it. I get this with MA intermittently where I can't load image URL's as well and I have to clear my browsing history in Chrome. Feels like some really aggressive caching that just needs clearing every now and again. Can't see it being my ad-blocker on here as there's nothing to block.
Can you please add:
From the UK - Celestial Sanctuary and their debut album, Soul Diminished
I've recently noticed that our Spotify playlists don't tend to come up in Spotify searches & a little research has seen Ben & I discovering that it's most likely because they don't have large quantities of followers. This is primarily due to the fact that we create a brand new playlist for each clan every month which essentially starts the follower count again from scratch. So in order to combat this & make everyone's lives a bit easier, I've decided that from next month we'll keep a single current playlist per clan & I will change the tracklisting at the start of each month so that you'll never have to look for the latest lost. That should see us accumulating followers over time & you'll still have access to our past playlists as I'll keep creating new lists for the previous month's material so that they can be accessed at any time in the same way they are now. Does that make sense? Any concerns with this approach or do you think it'll be a positive move?
Makes sense. Anything to get the attention levels up will be of use.
Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs (1974)
One of the greatest blues rock albums ever made. Haunting and ethereal as well as super soothing also.
June -
U.D.O - Man and Machine from Man and Machine 2002 05:40
Sabire - Rise To The Top from Gates Ajar 2018 03:55
W.A.S.P. - Chainsaw Charlie (Murders in the New Morgue) from The Crimson Idol 1992 08:43
Dokken - It's Not Love from Under Lock and Key 1985 04:59
Viper - A Cry From The Edge from Theatre of Fate 1989 05:11
Total = 28:28
June:-
Circle of Dust - Contagion from Machines of Our Disgrace (2016)
June-
Killer Be Killed - Curb Crusher from Killer Be Killed 2014 03:31
Inculter - Open The Tombs from Fatal Visions 2019 04:02
Cryptosis - Game of Souls from Bionic Swarm 2021 04:30
Havok - Interface With The Infinite from V 2020 04:02
Infant Death - Troops of Dead from Violent Rites 2016 03:30
Evoke - Demons of War from Seeds of Death 2020 04:12
Nuclear Assault - Something Wicked from Something Wicked 1993 04:42
Total run time = 28:29
June:
System of a Down - Spiders from System of a Down (1998)
This is a clever pick. I had heard this previously but dismissed it at the time due to not giving it enough time in all honesty. It is an album that needs time, both in terms of full attention during the playing thereof but also repeat spins to really understand it. I am not reviewing it yet for his very reason as I need a few more spins to fully process this. My initial thoughts are that this is BM played in Italian Prog length structures. At first what seem like four lengthy and arduous tracks are actually quite succinct pieces of the story when you reflect on the listening experience.
Review to follow when I have had chance to process more. That pesky Xeph making me think 
So, in terms of context for why I chose this as my featured release for this month, back when I was a consultant working the length and breadth of the British Isles I found myself working for a number of weeks in a place called Milton Keynes which is a short train ride out of London (for the uninitiated). Given hotel prices in London, I opted to stay the other side of Milton Keynes in a place called Northampton in a hotel near the train station. Each day on my commute to Milton Keynes on the train I would be making that soulless journey to the tune of Hammer of the North, raising my spirits with the rousing metal of one of Sweden's finest exports.
As such, this album holds a particular nostalgic place in my heart for accompanying me through a time when I was far away from home and encouraged to imagine places even further away thanks to the amazing imagery conjured by the fantastical lyrics of JB Christoffersson. As a side note I was bitterly disappointed during my research for this review to find that the digital copy I owned (?) has disappeared from my music stream and also other popular streaming services. As much as I am a fan of the physical formats of albums, my overarching experience of this album was on digital format and it is a little disappointing to see it absent from immediate access outlets due to whatever bullshit politics goes on between streaming services and record labels.
Anyway, the main thing I like about this record is that (in the main) it encapsulates everything I got into metal for in the first place. Memorable songs, hooks that bury themselves so deep into your flesh they pierce internal organs, an aggressive and gruff style that make the music seem inaccessible despite it being one of the more immediate releases I owned (shakes fist at the internet), melodic yet never flashy leads and song writing so catchy it is fucking criminal. At the same time you will notice a less than five star rating because I honestly can see the limitations of the record despite all that I love about it. It is an album that tries to be nothing other than what it is; a record made by genuine fans of heavy metal that may be more than a little guilty of flogging the same ideas more than once, yet it does this so well it is near impossible to resist it's charms.
If you read my reviews with any regularity on here you will pick up that I note the quality levels of a record by how well I can recite the tracks in my head without having to listen to the album itself. Needless to say I can do at least seven of the ten tracks here from start to finish in my head - despite all the other shit that is in there at any given time that occupies valuable brain space. The album just rewards you after one listen, balancing melody and rampant rhythms perfectly as the simplicity of tracks such as the title track, Black Sails, Mountains Be My Throne, The Lord of Lies and Ravens Guide Our Way layer themselves in your memory banks, track after track.
As I go off to buy a physical copy of the album, I leave you with the notion that if all artists recorded albums like this (you know what I mean; throw caution to the wind, fuck what's cool today and lets just do what we like mentality) then the world would be a much better place. I have increased my rating by a half star during this review, just because I can.
4.5/5
Had a very enjoyable morning blasting this playlist whilst working (which I normally avoid doing as I can't focus on the music enough as a result). I am finding that my resistance to Power Metal and the more Symphonic bands is slowly being broken down overtime as I listen to more of these lists. I am not saying that I am actively seeking out these bands discographies but I am not hitting skip as much on the likes of Epica etc.
That Týr peaked my interest too and like Andi, I have had a few failed attempts over recent years to get into them so maybe they will be one act I do explore more. I will be seeking more Cauldron and Ram as I picked up on them during my research for this playlist but didn't get much chance to explore much of their discogs.
So, on the Metal Forum (imaginative title I know) I have kept a Promo thread going since Dec 19 albeit intermittently. Currently at over 345 views in the thread but not sure if anyone (other than Ludo) has found the place from that link.
Spectral Wound - A Diabolical Thirst (2021)
What an icy cold blast this is on a bank holiday Monday morning. Previously unknown to me until this weekend, this unforgiving yet unexpectedly melodic at times album is a real treat. Need to spin a few more times before getting a review up.
Vinny, we actually included that Frozen Soul track in our March playlist. Would you like to pick a replacement?
Frozen Soul - Hand of Vengeance from Crypt of Ice (2021) 04:20
June:
Memoriam - This War Is Won from To The End (2021) 04:42
Awakening Sun - Void Silence from Into The Light (2019) 03:33
Firespawn - Heathen Blood from Abonimate (2019) 02:53
Revolting - 1888 from The Shadow At World's End (2020) 03:45
Swampbeast - 1000 Years Pestilence from Seven Evils Spawned Of Seven Heads (2021) 04:49
Frozen Soul - Crypt of Ice from Crypt of Ice (2021) 04:23
Sanguisugabogg - Gored In The Chest from Tortured Whole (2021) 02:59
Total runtime = 27:04
June:
Fuath - Prophecies from II (2021) 09:28
Ragnarok - God Is Wasted from Arising Realm (1997) 04:18
Gaerea - Null from Limbo (2020) 06:01
Wardruna - Grá from Kvitravn (2021) 03:32
Total runtime = 23:19
Another strong playlist made all the more delicious by the superb inclusion of Dark Medieval Times by Xeph. I picked up a couple of new bands to explore more of including Månegarm and Sear Bliss who have always existed on the fringes of my radar. I am undecided on Wode still - I know Sonny likes it which is usually a precursor to me doing the same based on our BM tastes but I just find it a bit distant in terms of me feeling like I am getting amongst the music all that well and it does feel a bit staid as a result.
Nice to see some Darkspace on the list too.
Incantation - "Mortal Throne Of Nazarene" (1994)
Vinny, I assume you're across this one but thought I'd check as it would appear to be your jam.
Sonny, get on it if you haven't already.
Yep - one of the ones I keep meaning to write a review of in all honesty. Would pitch it as 4/5 from memory.
Altarage - Succumb (2021)
Holy fucking mother of God. Having drawn level with the like of Portal with the last effort of squally, shifting, blackened death metal, Altarage have surpassed the aforementioned Australians with their fourth full-length. Only one listen in and I am already ordering a physical copy. What a monstrous record - including a monstrous closing track at over 21 mins. Judgement reserved for now until I spend some quality time with it but based on first impressions this is going to be on regular rotation.
I am the only one who struggled with this it seems. I just found too much to be going on at one time and wasn’t a big fan of the production (notwithstanding it is supposed to be low values). Might revisit one day but not feeling it right now.
I hope he goes down for a long time. Anyone who thinks the best route to address perceived ills in society is to join an angry mob and storm a government building is clearly a vulnerable person open to suggestion and influence of others with more gumption than them. I don't really care for much he has done musically and if I did like anything that wouldn't change my appreciation of his music in that circumstance - detachment of the art from the individual is key in metal I find. I mean there are limits of course (no Gary Glitter albums getting played anytime soon - if I owned any) but this notion that because people are in a band or media spotlight to whatever extent and so they must be wholesome individuals is nonsense. Listen to what you like, enjoy the output and stay away from the details of everyone's life.
Hi Ben,
Please add the latest Cannibal Corpse Violence Unimagined album.
Le Orme - Felona E Sorona (1973)
A rediscovery from a few years back when I was on an italian prog rock kick, listening to Osanna, Premiata Forneria Marconi and this.
P.S. Vinny don't forget BandCamp
https://martyrcanada.bandcamp.com/album/feeding-the-abscess
Cheers Sax. Did a first listen through today and found it a mixed bag if honest. Not ready for a review yet but will def post my full comments before end of month.
Necrophobic - "The Nocturnal Silence" (1993)
Vinny & Ben, you might wanna check this one out if you haven't previously.
Yep, known to me thanks. Worth a review at some point.
I need to get on this. Frustrating I can't find it on any streams but YouTube should have it covered for me.
Metallica - Master of Puppets (1986)
Got my dad to build me some add-ons to my hi-fi unit and so now I can play my vinyls without having to reach over a unit at the front that used to hold the cd player. To celebrate I am hitting up this classic.
5/5
Sadus - Swallowed in Black (1990)
Hands down one of the best albums of 1990. Scathing vocals and that fucking bass man! Hell yeah.
4.5/5
I'd go with:
Machine Head Through The Ashes of Empires - a mediocre album at best but Imperium that opens the album could easily lull you into thinking it is going to be a great record.
Sepultura Chaos AD - a massive let down of an album from its predecessor Arise but again the opening track Refuse/Resist would have you believe otherwise.
Megadeth Endgame - whilst not terrible as such, Endgame lacks spirit overall (beyond Mustaine's usual political ramblings of course) but 44 Minutes is probably one of the best tunes they have ever written.
Deicide Scars of the Crucifix - one of the more unremarkable albums in the Deicide discography has a ripping title track that attacks from the off.
I normally don't listen to too many of our playlists but I'm slowly coming around to checking them out every now and again, and yeah this was an extremely good one. Sadly I had to listen to it on shuffle so it lost a bit of its charm but looking at the listing here I can see that Daniel did a fantastic job structuring it.
I wouldn't get your hopes up for Accept or Todd La Torre Vinny, "Zombie Apocalypse" is good and is a decent showcase of how modern Accept sounds, but I personally found the rest of the album to be an awkward slog. There's still a few killer tracks in there though. Same with Todd La Torre, "Hellbound and Down" is an obvious highlight along with 2 or 3 other tracks but then it gets a bit monotonous.
The only thing I'll say on my end is that I was really surprised by "Symptom of the Universe", couldn't believe I was listening to Sabbath when it came on, and apparently I rated Sabatoge a 3.5 when I went on my short Sabbath kick? That just doesn't seem right, gonna have to go back and fix that sometime this month.
I think you're right on the TLT front. I ran through the album last night and whilst it was still of a reasonable calibre it did not stand up to the initial promise shown by the featured track. It is good to see La Torre do something on his own however as I have never been able to shake the feeling that he works for Queensryche because he is so like Geoff Tate in terms of vocal sound. His time in Crimson Glory was an unfortunate non-starter in terms of recorded output and he certainly landed on his feet with the Queensryche gig. That guitarist on the record TLT put out has promise though.
I did my review. Not a fan it's safe to say even though I can see the appeal, it just ends up coming off as an example of design over content. It feels like an album that almost forces the listener to engage with it as opposed to even gentle coercion taking place. Regurgitated ideas and a high predictability factor resign this album album to the "shot" pile.
2/5
First of all, what a stellar playlist this month. Even the bands I normally can bank on giving me cause to hit the skip button didn't stay true to form (barring Nightwish who lasted all of 90 seconds). I think the first half of this playlist is probably the strongest we have seen on MA since we begun this venture. Keen to check out that new Accept record based on that killer track that starts this list and I keep get reminders of how awesome Persuader are and how I need to spend more time with them (hence why I kind of put my own reminder on this month's list).
This month's "dust this off and play it soon" reminder is definitely the Black Sabbath track, I own Sabotage on vinyl and it was of the band's creative high points which is showcased by Symptom of the Universe . Also, who the fuck has Todd La Torre been hanging out with to get that uber-aggressive thrashing riff fest of a track together? I enjoyed him in Queensryche but it seems his solo output might suit my more aggressive tastes nicely.
Super pleased with this month's playlist overall as it reminds me why I got into metal with 2 hours of hi-octane and anthemic metal tunes. Let's all give ourselves a collective pat on the back for this one folks.
I wrote a review on this which hopefully defines my struggles with the album well? Essentially the early promise of the two promo tracks isn't realised over the course of the record as a whole and I guess for a band who have been around for 15 years I kind of expected better. Not a terrible record by any means but one that if I were writing a school report card for I would be noting "must try harder" in the general comments section. The three tracks I highlight in my review are great and for an eight track album they reduce the casualty count nicely.
3.5/5
Indulged myself in a review of my own choice of featured release. There's no getting away from the fact that I love this record. Accepting that the Mayhem influence is obvious I find it more enjoyable than the legends themselves in all honesty. I like the authenticity of the whole record, and that horror movie aesthetic is superb (those keys on The Devil Intimate). I find it like a really ugly and needy child, it clings to you, snotty nose, food crusted cheeks and shitty arse on display all the time and despite the elements of revulsion I just can't help but pick it up.
4.5/5
Managed to get a full session on this the other morning and I picked up a couple of recs to take away and investigate more. That Mago de Oz track was a curved ball but oddly stands out as one of the more memorable tracks. I still can’t get on with Subway To Sally but it was good to see Yoth Iria and Forhist on there as a couple of newer releases I have on rotation already.
Hi Ben, could you please add Königreichssaal from Poland?
Forhist - Forhist
I think Forhist was already mentioned somewhere in The North but I've been consistently going back to this one and I'm impressed every time. This is a solo offshoot of Blut Aus Nord with frontman Vindsval and it sounds fantastic, I love the subtle dynamic choices on it throughout. The blast beat snare growing and lessening in volume is something I don't think I've heard out of Atmospheric Black Metal and this makes me want to hear more of it in the future. The atmosphere is great too, with all of the classic sounding electronics blending in wonderfully. This release might grow even more on me through the year, even though the final two songs might be a bit of a letdown, I'll have to see.
Just listening through the track on the North playlist for this month. Good stuff (as expected), melodic and dark in equal amounts.