Vinny's Forum Replies
I recently revisited this album and this time around it stayed in my stream although just how many visits it will get is an uknown if honest. It is certainly full of hooks that probably helped it retain a fingerhold in my library but it is big step away from the Left Hand Paths of this world that it is unlikely to leave me with any overarching desire to reach for it with any regularity.
Perhaps predictably for me the only enjoyable aspects to this were Nocturnal Depression. Deathspell Omega and Mutiilation. None of he experimental, gothic or folk influenced stuff did anything for me. Incidentally, I was surprised to see Myrath on his list as they only really have "international" infuences as ooposed to any direct folk elements over their more progressive sound. Also confirmed my fast growing distatse for Bathory as i get older. To my ears he just sounded increasingly more amatuerish with each release, like the songwriter out ranked the artistic capability in so many regards.
Ash Borer show the most promise as a band I need to revisit from this playlist. Thanks for sharing.
P.s. whatever the hell is going on with Mago de Oz, I want no part of it.
This list confirmed my dislike for the guitar wankery of Malmsteen, Becker and Friedman as well as Michael Angelo. Some interesting stuff but a lot of it was already very familiar to me. Will probably explore Jaguar more and the list underlined my need to pick up more Tygers of Pan Tang stuff. Thanks for sharing.
Windir “Black New Age” from 1184
Korda “Native Land”from Cry To Me River
Blut Aus Nord “Chapter IV” from MoRT
Immortal “Withstand the Fall of Time” from At the Heart of Winter
Wolves In The Throne Room “Woodland Cathedral” from Celestial Lineage
Crom Dubh “Sedition” from Heimweh
Judas Iscariot “Gaze Upon Heaven In Flames” from Heaven in Flames
Xasthur “Kingdom of Burning Crucifixion” from A Gate Through Blood Stained Mirrors
Abazagorath “Lapse” from Abazagorath
Jute Gyte “Teeth” from The Old Ways
Keys of Orthanc “Witchking” from Dush Agh Golnauk
Cultes Des Ghoules “The Devil Intimate” from Henbane
L’ Acephale “Sovereignty (Dieu-Die Sonne Stirbt Sovereignty)” from L’ Acephale
Acherontas “Tablets of Mercury” from Amarta (Formulas of Reptilian Unification Pt II)
Cirith Gorgor “Ephel Duath” from Onwards to the Spectral Defile
That’s all I can think of so early in the morning but hopefully got something you could put into a playlist?
So, I went through this yesterday whilst working and did find I enjoyed more than expected. Some bands I will be exploring more and others will have rekindled interest such as Raunchy. Was big on that Korn track back in the early noughties and have flirted with Rob Zombie’s stuff before. Has to be said that my more extreme ears also found a fair portion of the list underwhelming (Corey Feldman, Clawfinger, Infectious Grooves to mention a couple), but was a good discovery session overall. Thanks for sharing.
Bolt Thrower “The Killchain”
Asphyx “The Krusher”
Deicide “Dead By Dawn”
Gorguts “Orphan of Sickness”
Carcass “Heartwork”
Morbid Angel “Maze of Torment”
Altarage “Altars”
Massacre “Dawn of Eternity”
Master “Funeral Bitch”
Obituary “Chopped in Half”
Hi Ben,
Can the new Incantation album be added please?
This is the one new feature I would have least interest in. I don’t care much for sub-genres if I am honest. What’s that you’ve included some depressive elements to your black metal? Great. It’s still just black metal as a title as far as I am concerned.
I am not knocking anyone here, there’s a lot of very passionate metal heads on here and if this floats your boat then sail on you classification crazy cats. As long as I can still search on Death, Black, etc I am fine.
I still can't quote so going to try and clear some cookies etc this side but I agree with all your points Ben.
Painted Doll - s/t (2018)
Chris Reifert and Dave Hill make lots of cool rock music when they get chance to. Had this in my library for a while but it is criminally underplayed. Makes me wanna sit in my lair and listen to B.O.C all afternoon.
4.5/5
I wouldn't be a fan of album cover reviews if honest, it seems a bit much and would risk further confusion or risk making a release page look cluttered.
Also, I don't think there's enough active members to warrant the 5 ratings rule you describe either.
**Ben - I tried to quote Andi for this post but each time I clicked "quote" it took me to the top of the screen?**
Number of times already that I have mistakenly rated a release I have never heard whilst trying to rate just the artwork? 8.
Was pleasantly surprised by this. A lot more riffy than I was expecting yet also quite emotive and atmospheric also. A neglected band in my music library which I will set about rectifying off the back of this. Review up (on my iPad and too lazy to link).
4/5
Sonny & Vinny, I'll be surprised if you don't dig this very solid meat-&-potatoes US thrash metal record.
Yep, probably their best.
Sounds cool.
Gorguts - From Wisdom to Hate - 2001
On the notes in the booklet, Lemay describes this record as one he is very proud of. "We were able to maintain the musical vocabulary and aesthetic found on 'Obscura' but in a less abrasive and chaotic way...Now, with a step back, it seems to me that 'From Wisdom to Hate' would have been a more natural and logical progression to 'Erosion Of Sanity'"
I agree with him on the less abrasive front, but to be honest I kind of wanted a bit more of that on this record. Compositionally it does start to lay groundwork for Colored Sands I can hear but I often used to debate that this should have been, as Lemay describes above, the album between the sophomore and Obscura. I think whichever album came after Obscura was going to be a step down in terms of that chaos that Luc alludes to in his notes. Some how though if history had been different and Colored Sands ended up following Obscura I still would have loved both records.
Holding off on my rating currently as want to get a full review done soon and just revisiting after a fair old period of time since last regular spins of this.
I spend a lot of time on the road when it isn’t lockdown so the digital format worked well enough. I started buying CDs seriously again a couple of years back after a brief flirtation with vinyl which I intend to pick up on once again when I get round to getting a better record player. I sold a load of CDs and vinyl back in the 90s and like Sonny regret this. What it means now is that only tend to go after the classics or stuff that is really important to me. I still have the majority of my collection on stream and probably always will have and since my sound card on my PC died (if honest need a whole new PC) I don’t venture onto Bandcamp as much as I used to.
I got some cool stuff off BC, like when I ordered the Heads for the Dead deluxe CD set and got the vinyl instead. Nowadays I do buy direct from labels and distros and intend to carry on doing so. I no longer pursue new releases with the fervour that I used to. There’s a handful of decent releases this year that I heard but doubt any of them will make physical copies as (like Daniel describes) I may not listen beyond a couple of times as I don’t have loads of time for music anymore and cannot listen to it when working from home as working means I can’t give the music the full attention as my brain can’t function beyond a basic level of attention.
I gave this 4 stars on my review here purely because the album hadn't stood the test of time well and needed Heresy and Shattered to be left on the cutting room floor in all honesty. A landmark album for me growing up no doubt and for a debut record it was a cracker. The darker edge to tracks such as Medicine Man are where my preferences lie on this record though even though before I had the album I played the video for the title track to death on my VCR after I recorded an episode of RAW Power with it on. More of a fan of the follow and Far Beyond Driven nowadays but the debut still holds a respectful score.
4/5
Another list thread that I know I don’t have the time or patience to complete but now that I know it is here I will lose half a day over the weekend trying to contribute without missing key and obvious releases. No rest for the wicked.
Nile - Annihilation of the Wicked - (2005)
Nile's last great record. Full of beastly riffs and herculean technicality to boot. CD copy arrived this past week to assist with some plaster that needs removing from the walls opposite the stereo speakers.
4/5
Vinny, I notice you haven't submitted a rating for this one but I would think it would be right up your alley.
Yeah, it’s my favourite of theirs in all honesty. Wanting to get a review done of it at some point so held off rating yet.
I plan on checking this out. My friend did the artwork, we had a conversation the other day about how good he is at doing hands but he is not happy with them yet. True story me.
Infernal Conjuration - Infernale Metallum Mortis (2019)
Described by one of my internet acquaintances as "the best death metal he has ever heard". Bold statement and not true for me. Competent death metal from Mexico that ticks boxes.
Gorguts - The Erosion of Sanity (1993)
One of Gorguts' more overlooked albums by me, a clear step up from the debut and yet for all the obvious and rapidly expanding maturity and technicality it is still a beast of a death metal record. Rabid and urgent stuff. My CD copy just arrived and I am blasting the fuck out of this tonight.
4/5
Blue Oyster Cult - Tyranny And Mutation (1973)
Hard rock is the flavour of the day for Sunday, as the sun is out for the first time in about a week. The sophomore from Blue Oyster Cult is a bright sounding record that is still full of their trademark shadowy allure.
Ben, Sonny & Vinny, if you haven't given this one a spin before then I highly recommend you do. High class & aggressive female-fronted Tuetonic thrash.
Yep, familiar with this. Great stuff.
Ben, I think you may well enjoy the latest Convocation album.
Epic death doom with a little extra!
I just saw your review of this. Didn't know it was the guy from Desolate Shrine (whose stuff I generally like). Added to my endless list to check out.
Cloud Rat - Do Not Let Me Off The Cliff (2019)
Dark, gazey, folkly, industrial (at times) intensity for a rainy Monday morning
Riffy death metal with chaotic sonics from Tampa's finest. Barked vocals from the throat of a demon from the sounds of it. Fantastic stuff.
Ben & I discussed the new features that are slated for this round of developments today & I've gotta say that I think we might be putting some space between Metal Academy & the competition shortly. We'll be heading into entirely new territory in some areas & will be filling the last remaining gaps we have with competitors in others. The clan concept is going to give us a clear edge in some ways & you'll see some things you've been asking for finally coming to fruition too. I'm very excited to say the least!
(made my own "like" button)
I don't have time for much of this album but this track and We Die Young are timeless for me. The tone of Cantrell's guitar on the lead section is fucking amazing and the emotion behind Stayley's vocals is raw and overt without being crass.
Blackened death metal with a nasty riff to start things off nicely before layered chaos ensues.
Deftones at their gazy and sultry best from White Pony.
Vanum - Ageless Fire (2019)
Melodic black metal that despite being quite predicatble still gets props for doing justice to the genre. Some unexpected chord progressions and tempo changes here and there to keep things interesting. Ticking all my boxes on a Sunday mornng where I have woken up to Dissection and Sacramentum tracks drifting through my head.
3.5/5
I’d also like the ability to @ other members in forum posts. For example, I recommended one of our members a release in the forum for The Revolution this morning however it’s really up to chance as to whether they’ll ever read the message. It’d be better if they were alerted to it without me having to send them a private message. Perhaps they could see a notification on their profile symbol at the top of the screen which would direct them to a notifications section in their profile?
Seconded
MadManx said that he was gonna have to confront the stalker and report them to the police in person. Also it could be possible that the stalker might've only been targeting that one guy. He can't just call the police and say "Help, someone's stalking me!" without having more info from the stalker. Reporting isn't super easy nowadays...
So he and this stalker have exchanged addresses? Sorry Andi, it’s up to you what you believe but there’s a lot of holes that can all too easily be poked in this story. If this user does become public on the board I for one will be avoiding them.
Well, I actually enjoyed it to some degree. Suffers badly from poor songwriting and shit production but I get enough from it to be able to forgive the rampant nu-metal aspects of it. Review done.
My bullshitometer is reading so far of the scale I need a parallel universe to catch the actual reading. If someone threatens to murder you, you don't wait for "a gap in your schedule" to report it - no matter how tough you are - since if it were true this "stalker" could be doing the same to multiple (and much more vulnerable) people and it would be the responsible act to report it immediately.
What utter nonsense.
Bolt Thrower - Those Once Loyal - (2005)
The eventual swan song of Bolt Thrower is arguably their best album (maybe a photo finish with ...For Victory). The album never lets up and has a relentless drive and direction to it that to be honest still showed promise of so much more to come before tragedy struck. Proud to own this on CD now and to be stripping the paint from my walls by blasting The Killchain like some teenager in their bedroom. Fuck yeah!
4/5
How bored are some people on the internet? I mean if your goal in life is to see your favourite albums ranked in your preferred order to the point where you would cheat to get the desired outcome then I would suggest that you aren't winning at life. Jeez!
Nu-metal is not my favoured genre but oddly I have a lot of time for Deftones (having the majority of their output in my library). I don't recall ever even giving the debut a try and for no good reason either other than some sub-conscious nonsense about it probably being too nu-metal or something. Anyway, I have added it to my library on stream this morning to give it some playtime over the weekend.
@MacabreEternal, I originally had Procession of the Dead Clowns, but for some reason it felt odd to have an entirely instrumental track as one of my top 10 tracks. On hindsight, I should have left it as it was. Lifechanging track!
Yep, always a top 10 for me. Gets me so focused when I listen to it.
Bell Witch - "Mirror Reaper" (I think this is cheating.)
The first "how could I have missed this?" moment just happened for me.
In no order (and I could probably write a new one of these by lunchtime):
Bolt Thrower - The Killchain - Those Once Loyal (2005)
Vektor - Forests of Legend - Black Future (2009)
Opeth - Face of Melinda - Still Life (1999)
Asphyx - The Krusher - Last One On Earth (1992)
Slayer - Seasons In The Abyss - Seasons In The Abyss (1990)
Deep Purple - Child in Time - In Rock (1970)
Blut Aus Nord - Procession of the Dead Clowns - The Work Which Transforms God (2003)
Gorguts - The Battle for Chamdo - Colored Sands (2013)
Altarage - Altars - Nihl (2016)
Sepultura - Troops of Doom - Morbid Visions (1986)
I couldn't quite get my head around the hype for Vektor when they first appeared and for some dumb reason presumed their debut couldn't ever be as good as the hype suggested so I didn't listen to it until a couple of years ago. I was wrong.
I still feel it is one of those records that you learn more about with each listen. I spent my first few listens wondering how they wrote such bewildering and involuted songs with such a random and yet flowing arrangement. Subsequent listens have my all like "what the hell is that, I haven't noticed that before!" Even though I feel I have more to learn still from this despite numerous listens I am still parking it at full marks for it being a constant challenge to listen to.
P.s. the track Forest of Legend would be on my top ten metal tracks if I ever bothered to take time to answer Andi's thread.
5/5
I recall this was my gateway record into Opeth and I was astonished from the off at how progressive and expansive it was. I wouldn't say it was my favourite Opeth record as I think Ghost Reveries would hit that spot over this one but there's no denying that this was a record released by a band who were at the very top of their game. As the album cover suggests there's lots going on beneath the gloom and atmosphere and you simply have to accept that invite from Daniel to go and explore this record if you have not heard it before. You won't be disappointed.
My only criticism is that it is a tad too long for me even though I acknowledge this was an album written by someone who had a lot to say. I really need to write a review on this record at some point.
4.5/5
Cynic - "Focus" (1993)
An absolute classic & a hhuuuggggeee record for Ben & I from back in the day. Incredible musicianship & ambition. The production could have been better but it hasn't tainted what was a creative landmark for death metal in general. For fans of Atheist, "Spheres"-era Pestilence & the second half of Death's career.
4.5/5
See I am not a fan of it. I get it had impact and there wasn’t anything quite like it until then but to me it was like they just went too far with that robot/alien voice. A few smatterings of it on one track would have done me but beyond that and it just seems intrusive. Talented guys most definitely just a tad too far for me.
Nice to see Paul Di'Anno's Maiden albums well-represented. They're both much overlooked in my opinion and show a punkier, more raw and aggressive side to Maiden that I think they lost later.
Absolutely. Di'Anno era Maiden is my preferred era most definitely I have a few vinyl 7"'s from the time also so there's a lot of nostalgia there.
I thought I'd do something interesting and list the albums I'm both thrilled and surprised to see on your list. Note that being surprised doesn't mean that I think you're wrong. It's your list after all!
Top 3 that I'm thrilled to see on your list:
- Blut Aus Nord's The Work Which Transforms God
- Deicide's s/t
- Metallica's ...And Justice For All
Top 3 that I'm surprised to see on your list:
- Obituary's Slowly We Rot at number 1!
- Death's Scream Bloody Gore, but no other Death albums
- Iron Maiden's Killers
Obituary's debut was the first vinyl I ever bought (cold) so it has massive importance for me even though I ackowledge that Cause of Death is superior in style and writing. I can't count how many hours of play that album has had in the past 30 years. I still feel like I havent fully gotten to grips with Death's discography despite owning all of their albums. I can't think of one other album that was so important for a genre overall other than Scream Bloody Gore and the only other one I was considering was The Sound of Perseverance but I feel there's more I need to learn about that record still.
In terms of the "thrilled" stuff, I can't recognise one other album that traverses the raw black metal landscape whilst constructing ambient and at times gothic soundscapes at the same time other than Blut's fourth album. It set up MoRT perfectly and you can hear the precursors to what came on that record throughout The Work...
I toiled with Deicide's debut or Legion if honest but in the end went down to which one I could pay more or less in full in my head. With Metallica I had the conflict of whether it was going to be Kill 'Em All or ...And Justice For All but in the end I chose the latter because I think it was the last great album from them and one that showcased their development and progression as a band over 4 great albums.
25. Autopsy Mental Funeral
24. Ulcerate Vermis
23. Immolation Close To A World Below
22. Danzig Danzig II: Lucifuge
21. Kreator Pleasure to Kill
20. Blut Aus Nord The Work Which Transforms God
19. Queensryche Empire
18. Skid Row s/t
17. Asphyx Last One On Earth
16. Pantera Far Beyond Driven
15. Enslaved Below The Lights
14. Immortal At The Heart Of Winter
13. Bell Witch Mirror Reaper
12. Iron Maiden Killers
11. Judas Priest Painkiller
10. Slayer Seasons In The Abyss
9. Iron Maiden s/t
8. Metallica ...And Justice For All
7. Obituary Cause of Death
6. Deicide s/t
5. Death Scream Bloody Gore
4. Seputura Arise
3. Gorguts Colored Sands
2. Morbid Angel Altars of Madness
1. Obituary Slowly We Rot
Depending on the way the wind blows tomorrow Autopsy might get bumped off as Morbid Angel's sophomore comes in at 2 and everything shuffles down a place. There's some massive records in there for me that are part of me growing up, hence there's little black metal input as that came much later in my repetoire.