Vinny's Forum Replies

For October please:

Blood - "Dogmatize" (from "Impulse to Destroy", 1989)

Undeath - "Brandish the Blade" (from "More Insane", 2024)

Dehumanized - "P.C.C.R." (from "Beyond the Mind", 2016)

Dying Fetus - "Unbridled Fury" (from "Make Them Beg For Death", 2023)

Grave - "Harvest Day" (from "Soulless/Hating Life", 1997)

Putrid Pile - "Severed Head Memento" (from "Collection of Butchery", 2003)

Brodequin - "Of Pillars and Trees" (from "Harbringer of Woe", 2024)

Necrot - "Drill the Skull" (from "Lifeless Birth", 2024)

Spawn of Possession  - "No Lght Spared" (from "Incurso", 2012)

Inferi - "No Gods But Our Flesh" (from "Vile Genesis", 2021)

For October please:

Trelldom - "Fra Mitt Gamle" (from "Til Minne…", 2007)

Winterfylleth - "Upon This Shore" (from "The Imperious Horizon", 2024)

Necrowretch - "Total Obilteration" (from "Swords of Dajjal", 2024)

Testament – “Urotdukidoji” (from “Low”, 1994)

Benediction – “Wrong Side of the Grave” (from “Transcend the Rubicon”, 1993)

Coroner – “The Lethargic Age” (from “Grin”, 1993)

Sadist – “Sometimes They Come Back” (from “Above The Light”, 1993)

Thanks Daniel, that Benediction track is an absolute banger.

September 2024

1. Cavalera Conspiracy – “Inquisition Symphony” (from “Schizophrenia”, 2024) [Submitted by Daniel]

2. Dead Head – “Litany of the Weak” (from “Shadow Soul”, 2024)

3. Exhorder – “Ripping Flesh” (from “Mourn the Southern Skies”, 2019)

4. Sadus – “Certain Death” (from “Chemical Exposure”, 1988)

5. Bulldozer – “We Are Italian” (from “Neurodeliri”, 1988) [Submitted by Vinny]

6. Iron Age – “Dispossessed” (from “The Sleeping Eye”, 2009)

7. Hellripper – “Spectres of the Blood Moon Sabbath” (from “The Affair of the Poisons”, 2020)

8. Mortal Sin – “Voyage of the DIsturbed” (from “Face of Despair”, 1989)

9. Slayer – “Haunting the Chapel” (from “Haunting the Chapel”, 1984)

10. Torniquet – “Dysfunctional Domicile” (from “Psychosurgery”, 1990) [Submitted by Daniel]

11. Grip Inc. – “War Between One” (from “Nemesis”, 1997)

12. Pro-Pain – “The Beast Is Back” (from “The Truth Hurts”, 1994) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. The Offering – “Ultraviolence” (from “HOME”, 2019)

14. Anthrax – “C₁₁ H₁₇ N₂ O₂ S Na” (from “The Sound of White Noise”, 1993)

15. Mr. Bungle – “Spreading the Thighs of Death” (from “The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo”, 2020)

16. Pizza Death – “Pizza Row” (from “Reign of the Anticrust”, 2023) [Submitted by Vinny]

17. Grove Street – “Shift” (from “Path to Righteousness”, 2023) [Submitted by Vinny]

18. Skeleton Pit – “Violent Raid” (from “Lust to Lynch”, 2020)

19. Project Pain – “Primator” (from “Brothers in Blood” 2018)

20. Diamond Plate – “At the Mountains of Madness” (from “Generation Why?”, 2011)

21. Aphrodite – "Dance Wild and Free" (from "Orgasmic Glory", 2021)

22. Wraith – “Fuelled by Fear” (from “Fuelled by Fear” 2024)

23. Knife - “No Gods in the Dark” (from “Heaven into Dust”, 2023)

24. Possessed – “Confessions” (from “The Eyes of Horror EP”, 1987) [Submitted by Vinny]

25. Merciless – “Branded by Sunlight” (from “The Treasures Within”, 1992)

26. Sarcofago – “Crush, Kill, Destroy” (from “The Laws of Scourge”, 1991)

27. Warfare – “Abortion Sequence” (from “Mayhem Fuckin’ Mayhem”, 1987)

28. Mekong Delta – “The Principle of Doubt - Chapter 3 Taken From 'The Chronicle of Doubt” (from “The Principle of Doubt”, 1989)

29. Voivod – “Nuclear War” (from “War and Pain”, 1984)

Sepultura -"Chaos A.D." (1993)

Continuing my Groove Metal List Challenge (finally) and time to go back to my youth with the fifth full length release from a band who had a hard act follow as I simply adored their previous offering, Arise from two years earlier. Arise had it all for me, solid structures, great production and still that fantastic hunger to it that exemplified the fathomless appetite for thrash metal tat the band clearly had. I do not recal that I had heard any other albumby the Seps at that time even so I had no idea of the murkier beginnings from which they came. To me, the bar was set high by Arise at the time and only coming to their early releases many years later actually enhanced my enjoyment of the album as it was clear throughout all of the releases, up to and including Arise, that Sepultura had grown with each release. Inevitably, that progression would slow down and be replaced by some new influences. The tribal trappings of Roots which was still some three years away at this point were more than clear when Chaos A.D. dropped. Instrumental track, Kaiowas clearly showing the tide that was growing behind the more groove orientated direction the band deployed overall on Chaos A.D. and whilst I would not say the intensity levels dropped too much as a result, the quality levels unfortuantely took a hit.

Despite giving it many chances, even buying it on CD the second it came out, I could never shake the feeling that Chaos A.D. was a huge let down. A top heavy record to my ears, by the time we get to track seven there is a noticeable dip in quality from what has come prior. Despite flashes of promise from the likes of Nomad, there is little comparable quality to the likes of Refuse/Resist, Territory and Slave New World that open the record so strongly. Tracks such as We Who Are Not As Others just come across as lazy by comparison and ultimately the album feels like it is made by a band who ran out of steam very quickly. The inclusion of the New Model Army cover of The Hunt is the only other real high point of the album for me. The politcal machinations of tracks like Manifest just feel like immature musings and Biotech is Godzilla should have been left on the cutting room floor.

It is disappointing when a band's golden run comes to an end, even though in this case, Arise is a real high point to finish theirs on. With Chaos A.D. I get the sense that the growth of groove metal became something of distraction for the band and the song structures just became a tad quirky as a result. I have listened to little if any Sepultura records after this one in all honesty and each time I approach it, I sort of want to like it more than I know I am going to. My score has remained consistent over the years though and there is little chance some three decades after first hearing it of that changing I am afraid.

3/5

I don’t look at these posts.

My review:

Low remains a bit of a mystery album to me as I write this review. As I stated in the forum thread for this feature release, I instantly recalled (virtually track by track) this album the very instant I began to listen to it. It is not that it is even an album that contains many singles (in fact just Dog Faced Gods) or overly popular tracks in general, so at some point in the 90’s, in the chaos of bought physical copies of albums and an equally large (if not larger) tape collection of what I had recorded from lent or library copies, Low was clearly in rotation for some time.

1994 saw the furthering of the thrash off-shoot that was groove metal. With Machine dropping their debut four months before this Testament release and Pantera delivering the darker and molesting Far Beyond Driven before either of the above, it was a year that saw Testament experimenting also. Just as Anthrax, Sepultura and Prong had done already, Testament allowed elements of groove into their music. Adding in a ballad as well as two instrumental tracks, there is a lot to catch the ear on Low.

Whichever element you target on Low, the fact is that this is a catchy record. It retains those thrashing chops in the riff department and Chuck Billy puts in a sterling performance as we would all expect. However, James Murphy is almost redundant here in terms of obvious contribution and when he does shine it is all too briefly to leave any real sense of a mark on the record. Add to this the fact that Tempesta is all but drowned out in the mix (Dog Faced Gods – are you even present John) and their soon emerges some challenges for me with this record that are only partially resolved with this unexpected nostalgia.

As a ballad, I don’t find Trail of Tears as cringey as some of my peers (I have heard a lot worse) and the instrumentals are entertaining enough but are arranged poorly in the running order as they could be used much better to disrupt some of the average parts of the album. It is good see Greg Christian treading the boards on Urotsukidōji though with his bass being an integral part of the track. Overall though, the fondness I had for Low is not enough to push the ratings into the higher echelons of the scoring spectrum.

3.5/5

I would echo this.  I listened through the whole list yday whilst working from home and enjoyed it thoroughly  Karl's choices in particular stood out in fact.  Picking anything from Slowly We Rot which was my death metal gateway album is a sure winner for me, and then something off the latest Ulcerate to boot.  Impressive stuff from the newbie.

I am having my first listen to this now, at least I thought it was my first ever listen but the record is so familiar virtually track by track that I must have owned this at some point back in the 90s and completely forgot.  Review to follow.

Cheers

Again open to more if you have them but can see where your listening has been this past month so fine if you can only add the above.

Ymir - "Silvery Howling" (from "Ymir", 2020)

Korgonthurus - "Syyttäjäenkeli" (from "Kuolleestasyntynyt", 2020)

Hulder - "Hearken the End" (from "Verses in Oath", 2024)

Can stretch to roughly 40 mins at present (not listening to a lot of The Fallen releases of late:

Deathchant - "Thrones" (from "Thrones", 2024)

My Diligence  - "Horses." (from "Death.Horses.Black.", 2024)

Cough - "Crippled Wizard" (from "Ritual Abuse", 2010)

Conan - "A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots" (from "Evidence of Immortality", 2022)

Belzebong - "Bong Thrower" (from "Sonic Scapes & Weedy Grooves", 2011)

Hi Daniel, you can throw my name back into the ring on The Pit and The Horde if that's okay?  I can't stretch to my other two clans right now but will let you know if that changes.

Good job I forgot about the 30 mins and got nearly 40 mins worth then:

Corpse Pile - "Fuck Your Life" (from "Hardgore Deathmetal", 2024)

Bolt Thrower - "Return from Chaos"  (from "Mercenary", 1998)

Pig Destroyer - "Trojan Whore" (from "Prowler in the Yard", 2001)

Blood Red Throne - "We All Bleed" (from "Imperial Congregation", 2021)

Creeping Death - "Relics From the Past" (from "The Edge of Existence", 2021)

Decapitated - "Kill the Cult" (from "Anti-Cult", 2017)

Misery Index - "New Salem" (from "Rituals of Power", 2019)

Obscura - "Noospheres" (from "Cosmogenesis", 2009)

Abominable Putridity - "A Burial for the Abandoned" (from "The Anomalies of Artificial Origin", 2012)

Necrophagist - "Symbiotic in Theory" (from "Epitaph", 2004)

August 2024

1. Annihilator – “Set the World on Fire” (from “Set the World on Fire”, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]

2. Forbidden – “Step by Step” (from “Twisted into Form”, 1990) [Submitted by Vinny]

3. Death Angel – “Thrashers” (from “The Ultra-violence”, 1987) [Submitted by Vinny]

4. Destruction – “Mad Butcher (1986 version)” (from “Mad Butcher”, 1987) [Submitted by Vinny]

5. Dark Angel – “Hunger of the Undead” (from “Darkness Descends”, 1986)

6. Beatrix – “White Phosphorus” (from “Sacrificial Black Metal Bitch”, 2024)

7. Motörhead – “Burner” (from “Bastards”, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]

8. Anthem – “Voice of Thunderstorm” (from “No Smoke Without Fire”, 1990) [ Submitted by Daniel]

9. Anthrax – “Deathrider” (from “Fistful of Metal”, 1984)

10. Nifelheim – “The Bestial Avenger” (from “Servants of Darkness”, 2000)

11. Sodom – “Outbreak of Evil” (from “In the Sign of Evil/Obsessed by Cruelty”, 1985)

12. Kreator – “When the Sun Burns Red” (from “Coma of Souls”, 1990) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. Cavalera Conspiracy – “Septic Schizo – Re-Recorded” (from “Schizophrenia – Re-recorded”, 2024) [Submitted by Vinny]

14. Obliveon – “Frosted Avowals” (from “Nemesis”, 1993) [Submitted by Vinny]

15. Overkill – “World of Hurt” (from “I Hear Black”, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]

16. Corrosion of Conformity – “Consumed” (from “Animosity”, 1985)

17. Cryptic Slaughter – “Money Talks” (from “Money Talks”, 1987)

18. Municipal Waste – “Sadistic Magician” (from “The Art of Partying” 2007)

19. Sacred Reich – “Product” (from “Independent”, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]

20. Sepultura – "Drug Me" (from "Third World Posse EP", 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]

21. Hemotoxin – “Morbid Reflection” (from “When Time Becomes Loss” 2024) [Submited by Vinny]

22. Ripping Corpse - “Anti God” (from “Dreaming with the Dead”, 1991) [Submitted by Vinny]

23. Artillery – “The Challenge” (from “Terror Squad”, 1987) [Submitted by Vinny]

24. Onslaught – “Contract in Blood” (from “The Force”, 1986) [Submitted by Vinny]

25. Exodus – “Karma’s Messenger” (from “Shovel Headed Killing Machine”, 2005) [Submitted by Vinny]

26. Kittie – “I Still Wear This Crown” (from “Fire”, 2024) [Submitted by Vinny]

27. Legion – “Lethal Liberty” (from “Legionized”, 2022)

I had a listen also:

With industrial metal being one of the least listened to sub-genres for me, this month’s feature release risked passing me by like most others often do. Two things drew me to Revelator in the end. Firstly, the strange looking album artwork. Secondly, Daniel’s high praise for the band (borne out in his excellent review). Now, clearly, I have no reference point for Revelator in terms of a comparison to other The Amenta releases and as such, I can judge it solely on its merits as a standalone release. After several listens, I am not totally sold on it still but that is not to say that this about to open into a negative review, more that I have a lot learn still about this record.

Since my first listen through to the album, I have been unable to get Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise by Emperor out of my head. The cleaner vocals remind me so much of that record that I had to play it again to make sure I was not making it up. Stylistically, two different sub-genres, yet (having listened through the Emperor album in piecing this review together), some definite comparators beyond even the vocals. Revelator is an explosive album. One of those that is seemingly written with eruptions of power that blast through more tempered sections. Add this sense of density in terms of the layers to each record and my early comparison holds some firm standings.

Given I have an odd affiliation with that Emperor album, I have found that my enjoyment of Revelator has grown very easily. The progressive elements to the Australians 2021 release help the record play as almost a macabre celebration of metal music when you get the occasional bit of death metal thrown in for good measure and even some ambient work to boot. I do need more time with the more post-metal moments and do find the flow of the album interrupted by this.

However, The Amenta are clearly talented guys and the musicianship here is top notch. This is not very industrial sounding to me (saying that as an already declared irregular listener to this sub-genre) and has a lot more depth to it than I first expected, clearly therefore having been written by some mature artists. I find it theatrical and challenging at the same time as being a record that can appeal to my more primitive metal needs very easily. It is a solid discovery that has helped me rediscover an old favourite also.

4/5

But who is looking at that?  I mean, each to their own Andi but this seems a tad minor. 

Nobody is going to look at a user profile and go "this person has not been active for weeks and is still listening to something according to this.  What a rubbish website!"

You say you find it confusing but then what is to say that an active/current member keeps that section up to date (they won't, because it doesn't matter).

I've noticed a lot of the more recent Metal Academy members abandoning the site and leaving on the albums that they've set to "currently listening to". I personally find that confusing because no one would ever just keep listening to a single album for a longer time than a week, like a month or even a year. I think there should be a hidden timer for the "currently listening to" feature, so after one week (7 days) for each album set to "currently listening to", it is automatically removed from that setting. Can we have that implemented please?

Sorry Andi, why does that matter?

I see no rationale for Batushka being on here, likewise Conqueror.  I am not convinced that Enslaved release holds much sway either but then again it has been a long time since I heard it.  I would argue for keeping Leviathan though as there is more depth to his particular style of depressive bm as opposed to the gloriously staid consistency of Xasthur.  For me Leviathan have more intensity overall and I would pick that album ahead of the Xasthur one.

My initial reservations around the rerecording of an already perfectly serviceable thrash metal record were unfounded I am happy to declare having listened through Schizophrenia 2024 a couple of times. Whilst I am still dubious as to the overall benefit (I mean the original needs no obvious enhancement, unlike say a Breeding the Spawn by Suffocation would do), the Cavalera family have not butchered this album thankfully. Whilst they can do nothing about the inconsistent tracklisting they had to play with they have made obvious improvements on the production and performance aspects of the record.

That hi-octane energy level sounds just as fresh as it did with a bunch of youngsters thrashing their brains out some near four decades earlier. The twin guitar attack make for chunky yet still slightly muffled at times sounding riffs that do seem to get a little murky (To the Wall) and I think Igor is sold a little short this time around in the mix also (albeit inconsistently - other times he sounds firmly front and centre). Ultimately though I find I want to listen to Schizophrenia 2024 the whole way through each time as it is still a feel good thrash metal record and I have to admit that my attention span for this record has proven far more expansive than I originally expected.

Some of this is down to the interesting lead work of Travis "Eviscerator" Stone, with the Pig Destroyer bassist showing he knows his way around more than just four strings (he also plays guitars for Noisem of course) with a level of skill and aptitude. Is he comparable with Andeas Kisser who was 19 when the original album was released? Well, no. However, that's the point really. Travis as a much more experienced guitarist coming into rerecord the album obviously adds a different perespective. The addition of a third member of the Cavalera family this time around with Max's son Igor Cavalera Jr plodding along (somewhere in the mix) in here shows the Cavalera brand is in good hands in the future.

Is it entertaining? Yes.

Is it needed? No.

3/5

For August (for now, will add to it as required around other submissions if we get any):

Ten Ton Slug - "Mogore the Unkind" (from "Colossal Oppressor", 2024)

Triptykon - "Goetia" (from "Eparistera Daimones",  2010)

Feel free to bulk your submission out to the 40 minute mark Vinny as I have a new The Fallen member that would like to contribute.

Thanks, can I please add:

Dystopia - "Sanctity" (from "Human=Garbage", 1994)

Shape of Despair - "Angels of Distress" (from "Angels of Distress", 2001)

Thanks Daniel.  With Sonny on a break if you want to top up your suggestions to a full hour then I am happy to accommodate?  No pressure though as I know you are handling other playlists also.

That's all I've had the chance to listen to over the last month mate. Might just go with that as it's clear that I've been spending most of my listening time filling gaps in my coverage of 1992/93 & I'm sure you've got enough material from that period now anyway.

No worries mate.

Sepultura – “Drug Me” (from “Third World Posse” E.P., 1992) [Can be found on the expanded version of “Arise”]

Anthem – “Voice of Thunderstorm” (from “No Smoke Without Fire”, 1990)

Motorhead – “Burner” (from “Bastards”, 1993)

Obliveon – “Frosted Avowals” (from “Nemesis”, 1993)

Overkill – “World of Hurt” (from “I Hear Black”, 1993)

Sacred Reich – “Product” (from “Independent”, 1993)

Annihilator – “Set the World on Fire” (from “Set the World on Fire”, 1993)

Thanks Daniel.  With Sonny on a break if you want to top up your suggestions to a full hour then I am happy to accomodate?  No pressure though as I know you are handling other playlists also.

For August please:

Vananidr - "The Watcher" (from "Beneath the Mold", 2022)

Nattefrost - "Primitive Death" (from "Terrorist: Nekronaut Pt. 1", 2005)

Gaerea - "World Ablaze" (from "World Ablaze", 2024)

For August please:

Gatecreeper - "Masterpiece of Chaos" (from "Dark Superstition", 2024)

Pathology  - "Archon" (from "Unholy Descent", 2024)

Coffin Mulch - "Into the Blood" (from "Spectral Intercession", 2023)

Sanguisugabogg - "Mortal Admonishment" (from "Homicidal Ecstacy", 2023)

Gravesend - "Streets of Destitution" (from "Gowanus Death Stomp", 2023)

Amputated - "Infanticidal Dysmorphia" (from "Dissect, Molest, Ingest", 2014)

Severe Torture - "Tear All the Flesh Off the Earth" (from "Torn from the Jaws of Death", 2024)

Decrepit Birth - "Symbiosis" (from "Polarity", 2010)

Death - "God of Thunder" (from "Human", 1991)

Spent Case - "Bloodsport" (from "Spent Case", 2024)

For August (for now, will add to it as required around other submissions if we get any):

Ten Ton Slug - "Mogore the Unkind" (from "Colossal Oppressor", 2024)

Triptykon - "Goetia" (from "Eparistera Daimones",  2010)

July 24

1. Metallica – “Disposable Heroes” (from “Master of Puppets”, 1986) [Submitted by Sonny]

2. Slayer – “Behind the Crooked Cross” (from “South of Heaven”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny]

3. Sodom – “Hunting Season” (from “Tapping the Vein”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]

4. Testament – “The Formation of Damnation” (from “The Formation of Damnation”, 2008) [Submitted by Vinny]

5. Aura Noir – “Caged Wrath” (from “Black Thrash Attack”, 1996) [Submitted by Daniel]

6. Lucifuge – “Gates of the Eternal Night” (from “Hexensabbat”, 2024) [Submitted by Vinny]

7. Demiser – “Infernal Bust” (from “Infernal Bust”, 2024)

8. Bed of Nails/Dysmorphia – “Blood on the Horns” (from “Skullberg”, 2024) [ Submitted by Vinny]

9. Municipal Waste – “Mutants of War” (from “Waste ‘Em All”, 2003) [Submitted by Sonny]

10. Doomsday – “Attaining Heaven by Force” (from “Depictions of Chaos”, 2022)

11. Critical Defiance – “The Search Won’t Fall” (from “The Search Won’t Fall”, 2024) [Submitted by Daniel]

12. Evil Dead – “Raising Fresh Hell” (from “Toxic Grace”, 2024) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. Exhorder – “Unforgiven” (from “The Law”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]

14. Toxic Holocaust – “War is Hell” (from “Evil Never Dies”, 2003) [Submitted by Sonny]

15. Wraith – “Heathen’s Touch” (from “Heathen’s Touch”, 2024)

16. Violator – “Addicted to Mosh” (from “Chemical Assault”, 2006) [Submitted by Sonny]

17. Annexation – “A.T.R.” (from “Inherent Brutality”, 2020) [Submitted by Vinny]

18. Solstice – “Cleansed of Impurity” (from “Pray for the Sentencing” 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]

19. Goatwhore – “Externalize This Hidden Savagery” (from “Constricting Rage of the Merciless”, 2014) [Submitted by Vinny]

20. Nekromantheon – "Thanatos" (from "The Visions of Trismegistos", 2021)

21. Violent Force – “Dead City” (from “Malevolent Assault of Tomorrow” 1987) [Submited by Sonny]

22. Vektor - “Activate” (from “Activate”, 2020)

23. Sadus – “Machines” (from “A Vision of Misery”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]

24. Exorcizphobia – “Voice of the War” (from “Disease Inside”, 2009)

25. Ultra-Violence – “Welcome to the Freakshow” (from “Operation Misdirection”, 2018)

26. Slave Agent – “Slaughter at the Gate” (from “Silent Universe”, 2024) [Submitted by Saxy]

27. Shrapnel – “Might of Cygnus” (from “Palace for the Insane”, 2020)

28. A Life Once Lost – “Vulture” (from “Hunter”, 2005) [Submitted by Vinny]

29. Znöwhite – “To the Last Breath” (from “Act of God”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny]

Byzantine - "...And They Shall Take Up Serpents" (2005)

The gritty start to this record that is provided by Justica, heralds the promise of a halfway decent groove metal. The solid riffs and lead work that make up the track are combined greatly with the rhythm and vocal sections to create an energetic if not all that remarkable opening. The Pantera influence in the vocals is obvious as are the Lamb of God similarities alongside the rhythmical structures of Meshuggah, albeit that the latter similarity is not as well delivered.

The challenge here comes from the vocals. Despite being a perfectly capable metallic hardcore vocalist, Chris Ojeda insists on interjecting with actual singing, something which he lacks the voice to achieve unfortunately. This is a massive irritation for me and one which detracts greatly from my enjoyment of the record. As the record goes on, I am increasingly convinced that this is a tale of two halves. Instrumentally strong with the vocals letting the side down overall.

These forays into John Bush-style vocals (not a fan of him at all) really do take the wind out of the sails although they do use the more progressive sounding leads to much better effect to temper the more aggressive elements of the record without disrupting the flow as clumsily. With a bit of thought and maybe even a guest vocalist, things could have panned out better on this record for my ears at least. Otherwise, …And They Shall Take Up Serpents is a consistent affair that maintains a level of power for most of the record. Attempting to trace those Meshuggah patterns on the guitar sometimes leads them astray and there is more than one occasion where I am sure they find themselves somewhere in a track unintentionally. Nevertheless, there is enough aptitude in the band to make sections cohesive (vocals aside). In the better moments of the record, we can have some interesting compositions such as Ancestry of the Antichrist, with its tribal undertones stretching the boundaries into more of a world music vibe.

At the same time, I am not sure we need the piano intro to Five Faces of Madness as the track has a vibrancy to it once it gets going that needs to be accessed more immediately. However, the record plays out much stronger than I predicted based on my initial first listen and although I would probably give it a trim if left up to me, I still find this entertaining overall if not more from just a musical perspective as opposed to the whole experience.

3/5

There's probably two that I would call out.  In terms of regular purchases it would be Debemur Morti.  With Akhlys, BAN, Selbst, Slidhr and the mighty Ulcerate, it is pretty much a candy shop and I am a fucking child!

Otherwise it would be Maggot Stomp for their roster of largely filthy and purile death metal.

Shout outs to 20 Buck Spin, Osmose and Profund Lore also.

In no order:

Alice in Chains

Deftones

FNM

Saxon

Iron Maiden

Motörhead

Judas Priest

Soundgarden

W.A.S.P.

Black Sabbath

None of the above is surprising given my spell in The Guardians clan before I switched to The Fallen.  Deftones were a gateway band back into metal after a hiatus in the early noughties, the rest are pretty much longstanding bands from my youth and all (barring FNM) have significant physical copy presence on my shelves in my lair.

Late to the party (as usual - well the fact that I am even bothering nowadays to post is an improvement for me) but have a hectic weekend ahead so a brief dismantle of this largely baffling list.

Venom - Black Metal - Used the words "black" and "metal", somehow constantly referenced as an essential black metal release for use of these words and some poor quality aesthetics.  Nonsense.

Bathory - Bathory - arguably better examples littered throughout a (for me) patchy discography

Hellhammer - Apocalyptic Raids - been a while, but this is a thrash metal record with some atmospherics from memory

Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky - first valid entry

Burzum - Burzum -  what?  I never hear this album talked about at all, let alone in dialogue about essential releases

Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas - second valid entry

Cradle of Filth - The Principle of Evil Made Flesh - never heard it

Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse - third valid entry

Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane - fourth valid entry

Dimmu Borgir - Stormblåst -  never heard it

Marduk - Heaven Shall Burn ... When We Are Gathered - at the risk of incurring the wrath of Sonny, I would argue Marduk have no "essential" releases

Ulver - Nattens Madrigal - fifth valid entry

Gorgoroth - Destroyer - never heard it

Satyricon - Rebel Extravaganza - never heard it

Weakling - Dead as Dreams - sixth valid entry

Sigh - Imaginary Sonicscape - never heard it

Immortal - Sons of Northern Darkness - good album, not an essential release, not with Pure Holocaust and At the Heart of WInter in the back-catalogue

Leviathan - Tentacles of Whorror - heard it but don't recall enough about it, certainly not essential in my mind given no immediate highlight leaps out at me

Xasthur - To Violate the Oblivious - really? I mean it is a solid 4 star record but not sure what makes it essential by any stretch

Deathspell Omega - Kénôse - again, good record, but essential?  Nah.

Enslaved - Isa - no, just no.  Below the Lights is their pinnacle for me and that came after Isa (i think)

Deafheaven - Sunbather - meh!

Lurker of Chalice - Lurker of Chalice - seventh valid entry - what a fucking record this is

Watain - Sworn to the Dark - never heard it

Behemoth - The Satanist - as good a record as this is, and with the death metal influence acknowledged I couild only see this record attracting a younger audience to the bm scene under a somewhat false pretence.

Yes, Saxy is back!

Noted and included.

A Life Once Lost - "Hunter" (2005)

A Life Once Lost posed a real quandary for me as I started my first fresh clan challenge in some months here on MA. As clear exponents of metalcore and djent alongside their groove metal elements (neither of which are my preferred sub-genres by any means) I was pensive to try and see how these all fit together. Clearly influenced by Meshuggah with those palm-muted and chunky riffs obvious alongside the polyrhythms, A Life Once Lost thankfully had enough quality by their third album to make these more convoluted elements sit well together on Hunter. Far from being an alienating experience, I soon found myself very much at ease with what I was listening to.

The groove metal elements are very much in the Lamb of God vein (based on my limited understanding of the groove metal sub-genre overall, this is my main reference point here thus far) and there is an odd sense of comfort in this as I listen through the record. Whilst never out of control as such, Hunter does have a lot going on over eleven tracks and so some familiarity to grab hold of is important for me to get my bearings every now and again. I find the groove elements to be particularly strong in the sense that they hold some real power that does not get muted by anything else. All too often with groove metal I soon find myself at odds with something even if the actual groove of the guitar is as I like. But on Hunter I have no real problem with any of what I hear in the mix. The vocals are scathing, and the rhythm section holds a real presence also, and whilst acknowledging the technical prowess on show, never does any of the drumming feel too complex for complex’s sake.

The success (for me at least) of the groove elements are largely down to how well they are allowed to breathe, with the metallic hardcore elements being clear but not oppressive enough to detract from my enjoyment of the album. In fact, whether conscious or not, A Life Once Lost manage to arrange the influences and elements of their songs with a degree of professionalism overall. It might be chaotic, but it is an organised chaos regardless. The groove metal appears to almost explode out of the aether at times without becoming a disruptive influence and as such A Life Once Lost show a talent for making the ugliness that is inherent in their aggressive and spewing style of music entertaining.

Possessing a real sense of having an engine at the core of what they were doing on this record, A Life Once Lost give a good acquittal of themselves here. I won’t pretend to love all the record though and for all my positives around the clarity of the record there is still a sense of things needing an esoteric ear to truly fathom the whole record which I do not always have the patience to lend, certainly on repeated listens/visits. However, for a record that presented me with some sense of being daunted by Hunter is a triumph over that slightly narrow-minded expectation I had set at least.

4/5

Here's a concept I quickly threw together for a Fallen-specific shading to start with, using one of my previous posts.

This looks great

I suppose such a visceral reaction deserves reasoning. I probably wouldn't leave at this stage of the game-I only have 5 albums to go.  Since the original suggestion is on a different page I'm reposting it here for easy reference.

Let's not sugar coat it, this is aimed at me and any other future members would churn out rapid reviews, conveyor belt style. I don't perceive it as an attack, it's a reasonable and genuine concern. So I will now put forth my counter argument:

The feature that sets this apart and makes it so appealing from other options is the clan system, and I personally believe the potential of that system has barely been scratched. The idea of belonging to and unlocking clans is supremely attractive.  To Unlock a 4th clan as things are right now, you are going to need to do 75 reviews. You have limited autonomy in the selections, and it is mandatory that you review every album. Now, an album is roughly an hour long, so this is 75hours of someone's time. Most people where I live work a 40hour week, so to put it into to perspective this is 2 weeks of a full time job just to hear every track. Add the time to write the sort of in-depth review that is clearly desired, even though there is no rubric, rules, or template in place to cultivate it, and you might even double that amount of time. I am blessed to have that sort of recreational time, because I am financially well-off and my job does not run through the summer time. Most people are not in that position, most people are struggling tremendously-I was among that walk of life until about 2 years ago. Even as it is you're looking at about a months time to do this if you really want people to sit down and listen to each and every single track. 

I have a couple of things that I benefit from in this endeavor; I have much more free time than most people, I have been a Metalhead for coming up on 2 decades, and I am the kind of person that reads walls of books on the subject, and had sought out most of the landmark albums of the major sub-genres. I save a lot of time because I have deep familiarity with most of the list albums going into the project. For example in the first decade of black metal list, their are 25 albums. I am already intimately familiar with 19 of them before I start. Even with these advantages its a grind. I'm trying to power through them to get to what I really came here for-Hang out with fellow metalheads, and listen to things I haven't heard before. 

What your suggesting would make this process take even longer. You want people to write quality reviews, and to interact with reviews others put forth? I agree that would be ideal, but work comes before pleasure. Let them get the homework out of the way as quickly as possible so that they can go play with you. Do the math  on this. 75 reviews at 4 per 24 hours. 75/4- would take 18 days assuming you were able to do 4 every single day. 

It isn't my style to complain without offering some solutions of my own; I'm not trying to tell Dan and Ben how to run their site-it's their time, money, and effort. It's their baby. I am just solution oriented here.

I propose reworking of the clan system and taking an all or nothing approach:

You either pick just 1 clan and lock that in-ensuring that it is a careful decision and each clan has the most devoted members (talking to Dan about this privately this seams like the desired result), and you need to do 25 reviews that adhere to some kind of clan acquisition rubric that we would develop in order to get it. 

or

You open it wide from the get go and let people choose between having anywhere from 1 clan designation all the way up to all 9. The benefits of doing that is that you give users autonomy right from the start and we get to move right into having a good time-and people reading the review would know if it's coming from an all-arounder type source, or if it's coming from a die-hard of that particular sub-genre. I obviously gravitate toward this idea, but I'm self-aware enough to know I'm in the minority with this perspective. 

or

You leave it as is it, and accept it for better or worse, but what I would absolutely not do is demand more time from people.

People do not like being told what they have to do, especially people who belong to a counter-culture. If you came to this site and were met with an assignment: You must write 75 reviews of albums you do not get to select and you must do it a way that satisfies every other user on the site. Would you agree to do this?

To clarify, whilst it was not just aimed at you (I even called myself out in the post if you had taken time to read it properly) it most certainly was not sugar coated.

Reading your post, it seems to be your opinion that people who work, or don’t work, are well off, or are not well off either way still end up without time to enjoy listening to music and writing cohesive thoughts on it - therefore they probably wouldn’t join the site to do any review just join to talk in the forums, which you absolutely can do without degrading the integrity of the clan challenges by just doing reviews “because you have to” (which you don’t).  Why try to squeeze anything out of the reviews at all?  Just don’t do them.  It doesn’t limit your activity on the site.  It is just bizarre.

On your suggestions, I think there is a lack of middle ground in your options.  1 clan is far too limiting and 9 just makes the concept of the clans pointless.  Again, nobody is demanding more of your precious time from you, in fact less of it, a lot less of it is the only “ask”.

Finally (even I am boring myself on this now), yesterday I decided to work my way through the Groove Metal challenge in The Pit.  It is my least knowledgeable sub-genre and therefore one I feel I need to gain more understanding of.  I work more than 40 hours a week and consider myself in healthy financial position (having also come from a much less fortunate position).  It might take me months to complete the challenge given I work away a lot and even when not away work still takes up to 12 hours of my day usually.  I am off work this week but I am not battering my way through the challenge to get it done.  Your choice is different and I guess I will just have to agree to disagree on the matter.

Review limit per "x" period would be my idea for submission.  How many members actually read the reviews that have been made since their last visit?  I know if I log in and there's a couple since my last visit (usually once a day as a minimum) I will take the time to leaf through what has been written to see if there's anything to pique my interest.  When I log in and the visible list is off the page and it is by the same member (and I have been that member at some point I am sure) I just leave the words to the sands of time or for someone with more patience than me to read through them.

Whilst I accept that reviews are a core part of MA there is a danger of them not really holding much influence if they are permitted to be shoved out like some conveyor belt-style operation.  I think established members are sensible about this (although not without exception either) and so it may be something to consider if the site does get busier with the additional marketing that is happening.  I think it makes the site look less active to some degree.  Personally, I have looked at many forums and thought "one person is posting here based on the last active threads" and gone off elsewhere.

Still of course nothing to stop the same problem if you have say a max of 4 reviews every 24 huors and nobody else posts once the member who last did their max returns with a fresh quota.  Still think it needs some control however.

If this becomes a thing. I will leave. 

Not seeing a negative.

Review limit per "x" period would be my idea for submission.  How many members actually read the reviews that have been made since their last visit?  I know if I log in and there's a couple since my last visit (usually once a day as a minimum) I will take the time to leaf through what has been written to see if there's anything to pique my interest.  When I log in and the visible list is off the page and it is by the same member (and I have been that member at some point I am sure) I just leave the words to the sands of time or for someone with more patience than me to read through them.

Whilst I accept that reviews are a core part of MA there is a danger of them not really holding much influence if they are permitted to be shoved out like some conveyor belt-style operation.  I think established members are sensible about this (although not without exception either) and so it may be something to consider if the site does get busier with the additional marketing that is happening.  I think it makes the site look less active to some degree.  Personally, I have looked at many forums and thought "one person is posting here based on the last active threads" and gone off elsewhere.

Still of course nothing to stop the same problem if you have say a max of 4 reviews every 24 huors and nobody else posts once the member who last did their max returns with a fresh quota.  Still think it needs some control however.

Discord sounds awful even without the risk of toxicity.  Count me out.

I hear you on that, but my approach is this; why spend a 1,000 words to say what can be said in 10? As far as pacing, I've been listening to metal for a LONG time, and like the description says; the clan lists deliberately use a lot of the bigger albums. The result being that I've already heard most of them, some of them many many times. The most common rating I give is a 2.5 which signifies average, most things are average, that's why it's the average. Along with that comes the idea that about half of the stuff is below average. 

If a piece of music is just average to me, I don't have feelings for it that warrant a lengthy response. There are only so many ways to say "This was OK."

If the music is below average to my ears, I don't think it's a cool thing to write a lengthily tirade and tear it apart. To someone else it might be very cherished. Additionally I am a bassist, and I know how difficult, time consuming, and expensive it is just to get something recorded. I don't feel right bashing another artists art simply because I don't resonate with it. 

If I had my druthers I wouldn't write a review at all for anything scoring below a 4 (If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything). However, as it stands that is the only path I'm aware of to lock in your starting clans, and make additional ones available at this time, so I try to keep my reviews of 0-3 stars fairly brief. Once I get the homework done and can freely choose what I review you will see more fleshed out takes.

The other issue is when an album has a legacy status. We are all on a metal forum, do I really need to tell you that Black Sabbath's Master of Reality is a good album? What could I possibly say about such an icon that hasn't been said since it's release 53 Years ago?

These are the questions? scenarios? I wrestle with when I write reviews. Believe me, I don't like coming away from an hour long listen (which can be a REALLY long hour if we are talking about early funeral doom) with little to say, but I can't manufacture words for words sake. 

What's more ill-conceived, a short concise statement that does the job, or a rambling for rambling sake? Especially when we all have access to the medium itself a few short mouse clicks away?

I've been thinking about all of this a lot the last couple of days. What do you think? How do you approach writing your reviews?

Thanks for the reply, but this is predominantly a "review" site. It's not a "short concise statement on some music I heard once" site.  Also, you are missing the point of a review.  A review is to tell us why you enjoy an album, not necessarily why we would because you couldn't possibly know.  Your post here shows you are an articulate guy, whereas your reviews come across as a click bait, smash and grab, social media style expression which I don't think necessarily does you justice.

Accepting the point about limited time but we have all managed to lock in our clans by going into at least some detail, which does take more than one listen over a few days (hell even weeks) around jobs, family and other commitments.  

I am not being a dick here and apologies if it comes across that way.  I am not representing the views of the site either.  As a musician I just sense there's more depth and experience you could get into your reviews to share with us.  Entirely your choice though.

Yes, yes welcome and all that fluffy stuff but dude, what's with this one sentence review stuff?  Gives absolutely zero insight into your tastes, looks more like ill-conceived comment.  Appreciate you're new here but maybe but the brakes on and try and get through less albums in an hour?

Late to the welcome party but hello and welcome.  Also found your reviews insightful, the trend of "one sentence reviews" that we are also currently seeing on the site I find utterly pointless so it is good to read some detail without getting to encyclopedic lengths.  

For July please:

Replicant - "Orgasm of Bereavement" (from "Infinite Mortality", 2024)

Atræ Bilis - "A Kingdom of Cortisol" (from "Aumicide", 2024)

Slugdge - "Slave Goo World" (from "Esoteric Malacology", 2024

Defeated Sanity - "Generosity of the Deceased" (from "Disposal of the Dead//Dharmata", 2016)

Fuming Mouth - "Timeless" (from "Daylight Again", 2024)

Muldrotha - "Red In Tooth and Claw" (from "Slowly to Forget and to be Forgotten", 2021)

Vredehammer - "From the Abyss" (from "God Slayer", 2024)

Eternal Rot - "Devouring Purge" (from "Split 2024", 2024)

Vomitory - "The Dead Awaken" (from "Opus Mortis VIII", 2011)

Satanic North - "Village" (from "Satanic North", 2024)

Warmoon Lord - "Blazing Warrior Soul" (from "Burning Banners of Funereal War", 2019)

Saidan - "Genocidal BloodFiend" (from "Visual Kill: The Blossoming of Psychotic Depravity", 2024)

Thanks Ben

Frayle - "Darker Than Black" (from "1692", 2020)

Bad Luck Rides on Wheels - "Le livre du ciel et du monde" (from "Semper Eadem", 2020)

Thanks Sonny

June 24

1. Orbit Culture – “While We Serve” (from “The Forgotten”, 2023)

2. Kerry King – “Idle Hands” (from “From Hell I Rise”, 2024) [Submitted by Vinny]

3. Xentrix – “Reasons for Destruction” (from “Shattered Existence”, 1989)

4. Tankard – “Traitor” (from “Chemical Invasion”, 1987) [Submitted by Sonny]

5. Testament – “Agony” (from “The Ritual”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]

6. Acid Reign – “Motherly Love” (from “Moshkinstein”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny]

7. Forced Neglect – “The Poison of the Fang” (from “The Poison of the Fang”, 2020)

8. Leeway – “Rise & Fall” (from “Born to Expire”, 1989)

9. Exodus – “Feeding Time at the Zoo” (from “Force of Habit”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]

10. Possession (US) – “Legion” (from “Disentombed Manifestations”, 2020)

11. Devastation – “Forsaken Hatred” (from “Idolatry”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

12. Detherous – “Gruesome Tools of Torture” (from “Unrelenting Malevolence”, 2022)

13. Heavens Gate – “Flashes” (from “Livin’ in Hysteria”, 2015)

14. Forced Entry – “Anaconda” (from “Uncertain Future”, 1989)

15. Running Wild – “Whirlwind” (from “Pile of Skulls”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]

16. Stress Angel – “Bursting Church” (from “Bursting Church”, 2021)

17. Mantic Ritual – “Panic” (from “Executioner”, 2009) [Submitted by Vinny]

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

19. Demoniac – “The Trap” (from “So It Goes”, 2020) [Submitted by Sonny]

20. Pentagram (Chile) – "Devourer of Life" (from "Eternal Life of Madness", 2024) [Submitted by Sonny]

21. Malleus – “Into the Flesh” (from “The Fires of Heaven” 2023)

22. Wild Beyond - “In the Footsteps of Mars” (from “Wild Beyond”, 2023)

23. Diabolic Night – “Sovereigns of Doom” (from “beyond the Realm”, 2019)

24. Bad Wolves – “No Messiah” (from “N.A.T.I.O.N.”, 2019)

25. Kreator – “Karmic Wheel” (from “Renewal”, 1989) [Submitted by Daniel]

26. Belushi Speed Ball – “Ripping Off Municipal Waste” (from “What Us, Worry?”, 2022)

I actually did a double-take on the "seventh full-length" thinking that Thou had a lot more.  In fact the majority of their slew of releases are EPs and splits. For some reason I find their frequency of output off-putting.  I have engaged with a couple of releases but just find them to lack memorability even though they have little else wrong with them.

A new live album from San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal legends Exodus hits the streets tomorrow. It's called "British Disaster: The Battle of '89 (Live at the Astoria)" & was recorded on the 1989 tour for their excellent "Fabulous Disaster" third album.

I don't mormally do live albums but knowing how good Exodus were around this time, I may be tempted.

Ok, so I've updated all of the playlist titles, descriptions & images & they now seem to be much easier to find in Spotify searches. With next month's The Guardians & The Horde lists, I've attempted to program them in a way that will offer immediate appeal to the casual listener with five strong tracks from the primary genre kicking off proceedings. I've also made an attempt to ensure that I had the best material from each release on The Guardians list & have picked a couple of obvious classics in order to draw in less educated audience. The Horde playlist is looking really bloody good now that it's 100% comprised of member's selections actually so I think that was a good move. I'm planning to start a social media marketing campaign for those two playlists in June to see what I can accomplish too.

All looks good Daniel.  I don't know how you find the time to do all this.  Dedication, clearly.

The above program direction sounds good and I will test this for July, although looking at the planed list for June I am not far off.

Alternative Metal Authority?

Alternative Metal Assault?

Alternative Metal Armada?

Alternative Metal Attack?

I kinda like Alternative Metal Authority. What does everyone think?

Alternative Metal Adrenaline ?