Ben's Forum Replies

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 2nd to the 7th May, 2020:

1. Психея [Psiheya] (GATEWAY)

2. Senser (GATEWAY)

3. Manigance (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

4. Dol Ammad (GUARDIANS)

5. Saratoga (GUARDIANS)

6. Эпидемия [Epidemia] (GUARDIANS)

7. Phyllomedusa (HORDE, FALLEN, NORTH) - requested by Daniel

8. Vehemence (HORDE)

9. Anal Vomit (HORDE, PIT, NORTH)

10. Velnias (NORTH, FALLEN)

11. Lugubrum (NORTH, INFINITE)

12. Countess (NORTH)

13. Seed of the Sorcerer, Womb of the Witch (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

14. Satyrus (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

15. Vinnum Sabbathi (FALLEN)

16. A Perfect Murder (PIT, REVOLUTION)

17. M.O.D. (PIT) - requested by Daniel

18. Intruder (PIT) - requested by Daniel

19. Cea Serin (INFINITE)

20. Takaru (REVOLUTION)

21. Martyr AD (REVOLUTION)

22. Diecast (REVOLUTION)

I'm not the best person to judge an album like this one, as I struggle with crossover thrash in general. I also struggle with humour in my metal, although for some reason Mr Bungle is an exclusion to that statement. I find all the silliness in SOD to be immature and a distraction from the admittedly good riffs that pop up throughout. I rated it 2.5 stars on RYM when I last paid it any attention, but I see that was 12 years ago!

I may have to check this one out, especially as even Daniel likes it! 

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 29th of April to the 1st of May, 2020:

1. Amatory (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION, PIT)

2. Black Bomb A (GATEWAY)

3. Exilia (GATEWAY)

4. Genius (INFINITE)

5. Wastefall (INFINITE)

6. Eldritch (INFINITE, GUARDIANS)

7. Dö (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

8. Goblinsmoker (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

9. Funeral Leech (FALLEN)

10. The Great Redneck Hope (REVOLUTION)

11. The Showdown (REVOLUTION)

12. Remembering Never (REVOLUTION, GUARDIANS, PIT)

13. Abigail (PIT, NORTH)

14. Witchmaster (PIT, NORTH, DEATH)

15. Clandestine Blaze (NORTH)

16. Veil (NORTH)

17. Darkestrah (NORTH)

18. Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus (GUARDIANS)

19. Celesty (GUARDIANS)

20. Brodequin (HORDE)

21. Yyrkoon (HORDE)

22. Symbolik (HORDE)

There's an obvious flaw in your system shadowdoom9, and that's your Katatonia score. You've included all of their Alternative Metal albums in that score, none of which you seemed to enjoy. If you only included the gothic / doom metal albums, your average score would have been 4.25.

I don't suppose you included ratings for all the Anathema and The Gathering albums that don't meet the criteria to be included on the site, so it's only fair that you compare apples with apples.

Ben, please add Phyllomedusa (USA).

You're a bastard! You know that, right!?

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 26th/27th/28th of April, 2020:

1. Thurisaz (NORTH, HORDE, INFINITE)

2. Lunar Aurora / Paysage d'Hiver (NORTH)

3. Nargaroth (NORTH)

4. Eighteen Visions (REVOLUTION, GATEWAY)

5. Full Blown Chaos (REVOLUTION, PIT)

6. Premonitions of War (REVOLUTION)

7. Frontside (REVOLUTION)

8. Dead to Fall (REVOLUTION)

9. Tub Ring (GATEWAY)

10. Rootwater (GATEWAY, PIT)

11. Breed 77 (GATEWAY)

12. Imperanon (HORDE)

13. Caninus (HORDE)

14. Visceral Bleeding (HORDE)

15. Apocalypse (PIT) - requested by Daniel

16. Meliah Rage (PIT, GUARDIANS)

17. Chris Caffery (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

18. Moi dix Mois (GUARDIANS, FALLEN)

19. Twilightning (GUARDIANS)

20. Time Requiem (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

21. Altaria (GUARDIANS)

22. Eldritch Rites (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

23. Beggar (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

24. Planet of the Dead (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

25. Dreamscape (INFINITE)

You play My Dying Bride at 1.5 speed? Please reconsider joining The Fallen! 

I do enjoy Type O Negative, but My Dying Bride are one of my favourite bands. The Light at the End of the World was their return to death doom after some years of experimentation, and while it wasn't the five star classic I was hoping for, it's still a great album with some truly monstrous tracks. It's My Dying Bride for me!

The Light at the End of the World - 2

World Coming Down - 1

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 24th/25th of April, 2020:

1. Burmese (FALLEN)

2. Entwine (FALLEN, GATEWAY)

3. Forsaken (FALLEN)

4. Chylińska (GATEWAY)

5. John 5 (GATEWAY, GUARDIANS)

6. Axxis (GUARDIANS)

7. Spell (GUARDIANS)

8. Magic Kingdom (GUARDIANS)

9. Occult (PIT, HORDE, NORTH)

10. Altered Aeon (PIT, INFINITE, HORDE)

11. Witchburner (PIT)

12. Ripped to Shreds (HORDE)

13. Krohm (NORTH)

14. Horna / Behexen (NORTH)

15. Atooishinjuu (INFINITE)

16. Ainsoph (INFINITE)

17. Magnitude 9 (INFINITE)

18. I Killed the Prom Queen (REVOLUTION)

19. Reflux (REVOLUTION)

20. 100 Demons (REVOLUTION)

Certainly! Nice to have some more requests. 

Note that The Mourning Beloveth / Ruins of Beverast split has already been added.

https://metal.academy/releases/18827

If any of you are thinking of bands that started as gothic death-doom but slowly (d)evolved into alt-prog rock, here are a couple of them; Anathema and The Gathering. While both of these bands disappoint heavier fans by not having their darker metal sound anymore, you know who might like their lighter rock sound? MY MOM!! Seriously, my mom's never really a fan of metal, but she's OK with softer rock sounds.

Unlike Daniel, I stopped really enjoying Anathema's work quite some time ago. I've always had time for The Gathering though, at least I did while Anneke was still part of the band. I think I listen to their non-metal albums more than the metal ones, simply because they can be played while the family is around.

Ulver are another one that springs to mind. They've made a reasonably good fist of all of their undertakings although I have to admit that I don't truly love anything I've heard from them since their metal days.

I can't say I like everything they've done, but occasionally they still create releases that really work for me. I've a huge fan of Perdition City and A Quick Fix of Melancholy in particular.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 22nd/23rd of April, 2020:

1. Tetsuo (FALLEN)

2. Sasquatch (FALLEN)

3. Loss (FALLEN, HORDE, NORTH)

4. Thunderstone (GUARDIANS)

5. Nemesea (GUARDIANS)

6. Kotipelto (GUARDIANS)

7. 7 for 4 (INFINITE)

8. Derek Sherinian (INFINITE)

9. Canvas Solaris (INFINITE)

10. Hatesphere (PIT, HORDE)

11. Ektomorf (PIT, GATEWAY)

12. Sauron (PIT, NORTH)

13. Deathwish (PIT, GUARDIANS) - requested by Daniel

14. Cans (GUARDIANS)

15. Earshot (GATEWAY)

16. Rishloo (GATEWAY)

17. Eths (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

18. Moja Adr enalina (REVOLUTION)

19. Breather Resist (REVOLUTION)

20. The Secret (REVOLUTION, NORTH)

21. Krieg (NORTH)

22. Axis of Advance (NORTH, HORDE)

23. Iskra (NORTH)

24. Mistigo Varggoth Darkestra (NORTH) - requested by illusionist

25. Vreid (NORTH)

26. Capharnaum (HORDE)

27. Internal Suffering (HORDE)

Good topic! I'll have a think about this one, but my immediate reaction is to talk about Burzum. Sure, Varg's initial transition from black metal to dungeon synth was forced, due to his incarceration, but he's ended up moving on from metal anyway. I find all of his non-metal releases to be fairly unlistenable. They swing between utterly boring and grating on the senses, with only the occasional hint of the genius that produced such incredible albums in the mid-nineties.

On a side note, isn't the new Oranssi Pazuzu still metal though? I see that most people would select Psychedelic Metal if it were indeed a thing. Who knows, it may become a thing after the band's success.

I love that this discussion is being had by members of The Guardians. I can't comment in any way as I haven't heard a power metal album released in the last few years, but then a quick look at the clan icons above this post confirm that any comment I make shouldn't be given all that much credence.

Carry on! 

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 20th/21st of April, 2020:

1. Lunatica (GUARDIANS)

2. 200 Stab Wounds (HORDE)

3. Caustic Wound (HORDE)

4. Live Burial (HORDE)

5. Alarum (INFINITE)

6. Mechanical Poet (INFINITE, GATEWAY)

7. Saliva (GATEWAY)

8. (həd) p.e. (GATEWAY)

9. Nortt / Xasthur (NORTH, FALLEN)

10. Consummation (NORTH) - requested by illusionist

11. Lutomysl (NORTH) - requested by illusionist

12. VHOL (NORTH, GUARDIANS) - requested by illusionist

13. Amaran (GUARDIANS)

14. Svartgren (NORTH) - requested by illusionist

15. Aara (NORTH)

16. Flowing Tears (FALLEN)

17. DRAIN (PIT)

18. Kayser (PIT)

19. Bury Your Dead (REVOLUTION, GATEWAY)

20. The End (REVOLUTION, GATEWAY)

I totally get what you're trying to say there, and it's something I myself might have said once upon a time. But one of the reasons Daniel and I created Metal Academy was to create a site that's inclusive for everyone, no matter what they're into. Sure, we kind of expect that attendees will be mostly into varying sub-genres of metal (there's no clan for pop after all), but we feel like the message of inclusiveness doesn't really hold up if we're condescending to other people's tastes.

Personally, I really don't like country music, hip-hop or R&B, but if I don't want fans of those musical styles to talk shit about my passion for metal music (which they generally know next to nothing about), I really shouldn't talk shit about whatever music they're passionate about (which I very likely know next to nothing about too).

I didn't mean to get all preachy here, but I guess if there was going to be a slogan for Metal Academy, I'd want it to emphasise this inclusive aspect of what we're trying to achieve. Whether your favourite band is Incantation or Boris or Slipknot or Exodus or Blind Guardian, it doesn't matter. All metal fans are welcome here. Maybe an attendee can come up with a good slogan that represents that message.

This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.

This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.

This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.

This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 18th/19th of April, 2020:

1. Aarni (FALLEN, INFINITE) - requested by illusionist

2. Alabama Thunderpussy (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

3. Asunder (FALLEN)

4. Tony Iommi (GUARDIANS)

5. Armory (GUARDIANS) - requested by illusionist

6. Jon Oliva's Pain (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

7. Diablo (HORDE, PIT)

8. Torsofuck (HORDE)

9. Norther (HORDE)

10. Demonoid (HORDE, PIT)

11. Farmer Boys (PIT, GATEWAY, SPHERE)

12. Nocturnal (PIT, NORTH)

13. Glass Casket (REVOLUTION)

14. It Dies Today (REVOLUTION)

15. Atreyu (REVOLUTION, GATEWAY)

16. TMK (SPHERE, INFINITE)

17. Drowning Pool (GATEWAY)

18. Orgy (GATEWAY)

19. Abydos (INFINITE)

20. The Black Mages (INFINITE)

21. Mortifera (NORTH)

22. AEBA (NORTH) - requested by illusionist

23. Velvet Cacoon (NORTH)

24. Armagedda (NORTH)

25. Carpe Noctem (NORTH) - requested by illusionist

Welcome back illusionist! I'll add these in the next few days.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 16th of April, 2020:

1. Dead Kosmonaut (GUARDIANS, FALLEN)

2. Throne of Iron (GUARDIANS)

3. Ross the Boss (GUARDIANS)

4. Guilt Dispenser (HORDE)

5. Slave One (HORDE)

6. Hyperdontia (HORDE)

7. Sofiya (INFINITE)

8. Their Dogs Were Astronauts (INFINITE)

9. Morto (INFINITE)

10. Moloken (FALLEN)

11. Erythrite Throne (NORTH)

12. Vaeok (NORTH)

13. DBC (PIT) - requested by Daniel

14. Quasarborn (PIT)

15. Omerta (REVOLUTION, GATEWAY)

16. Typecaste (REVOLUTION)

17. Great American Ghost (REVOLUTION)

18. Cauldron (REVOLUTION)

19. Projected (GATEWAY)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 14th/15th of April, 2020:

1. Enchantment (FALLEN)

2. Mourning Beloveth / The Ruins of Beverast (FALLEN)

3. Sea (FALLEN, INFINITE)

4. War Dogs (GUARDIANS)

5. Serious Black (GUARDIANS)

6. Stream of Passion (GUARDIANS, INFINITE) - requested by Xephyr

7. Phalanx (HORDE)

8. Invocation (HORDE, NORTH)

9. Oceans (HORDE, INFINITE, GATEWAY)

10. Wake (HORDE, NORTH)

11. Nekrovault (HORDE)

12. Five Finger Death Punch (PIT, GATEWAY)

13. Lost Society (PIT, REVOLUTION)

14. Surgical Strike (PIT)

15. Hollywood Undead (GATEWAY)

16. In This Moment (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION, SPHERE)

17. Reflections (REVOLUTION, INFINITE)

18. Orthodox (REVOLUTION)

19. Bodysnatcher (REVOLUTION)

20. Lychgate (NORTH, INFINITE)

21. Whoredom Rife (NORTH)

22. Taake / Whoredom Rife (NORTH)

Both sound intriguing to me, although I must admit that Olhava sound more up my alley. You've reminded me that I really need to devote some time to Panopticon. I think I'll need to give it a few distraction free listens to give it every opportunity to click.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 12th/13th of April, 2020:

1. Graveyard Rodeo (FALLEN, PIT)

2. Orphanage (FALLEN, HORDE)

3. Darzamat (FALLEN, GUARDIANS, NORTH)

4. Radakka (GUARDIANS)

5. Thy Primordial (NORTH)

6. Menhir (NORTH)

7. Abyssos (NORTH)

8. Wode (NORTH)

9. Puncture (SPHERE)

10. Atrophia Red Sun (SPHERE, HORDE)

11. Iniquity (HORDE)

12. Krabathor (HORDE)

13. Mercyless (HORDE, PIT)

14. Power of Expression (PIT, REVOLUTION)

15. Verbal Abuse (PIT)

16. Release (PIT)

17. Insult II Injury (PIT)

18. Hostility (PIT)

19. Assorted Heap (PIT)

20. 454 Big Block (GATEWAY)

21. Chum (GATEWAY)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 10th/11th of April, 2020:

1. Crows (GUARDIANS)

2. God Is LSD (SPHERE)

3. The Interbeing (SPHERE, HORDE, INFINITE)

4. David Maxim Micic (INFINITE)

5. Comecon (HORDE)

6. Lemming Project (HORDE)

7. First Fragment (HORDE)

8. Mucky Pup (GATEWAY, PIT)

9. God in the Schizoid Mind (PIT, GUARDIANS)

10. Speedwolf (PIT)

11. Liar (PIT, GUARDIANS)

12. Rumble Militia (PIT)

13. Despair (PIT)

14. Poltergeist (PIT, GUARDIANS)

15. Hexx (PIT, GUARDIANS)

16. Messiah Force (PIT, GUARDIANS)

17. Stormwarrior (PIT, GUARDIANS)

18. Black Viper (PIT)

19. Chapel (PIT, GUARDIANS, NORTH)

20. Csejthe (NORTH)

21. Eye of Solitude (FALLEN)

22. Cauldron Born (GUARDIANS)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 8th/9th of April, 2020:

1. Red (GATEWAY)

2. Dynazty (GUARDIANS, REVOLUTION)

3. Ruin Lust (HORDE, NORTH)

4. Escuela Grind (HORDE)

5. WVRM (HORDE, FALLEN, REVOLUTION)

6. Lifetaker (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

7. Aronious (HORDE)

8. Molested Divinity (HORDE)

9. Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs (FALLEN)

10. Angellore (FALLEN)

11. Sons of a Wanted Man (FALLEN, INFINITE, NORTH)

12. Jason Kui (INFINITE)

13. Ovid's Withering (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

14. Kassad (NORTH)

15. Olhava (NORTH)

Just saw that the new Vader album will be called Solitude in Madness. Has there ever been a more fitting album title for the times? Was it an intentional last minute decision?

It drops on the 1st of May on Nuclear Blast.

Well now you're talking album titles, not band names. That opens up a whole other world of silliness. It's a hip hop album in case you're wondering.

Yeah, kinda like Eagles of Death Metal.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 6th/7th of April, 2020:

1. Nonoyesno (FALLEN)

2. The Skull (FALLEN)

3. Deathcore (HORDE, PIT)

4. Speckmann Project (HORDE)

5. Mortification (HORDE, PIT, GUARDIANS)

6. Revenant (HORDE)

7. Afflicted (HORDE, GUARDIANS)

8. Resurrection (HORDE)

9. Divine Eve (HORDE)

10. Detest (HORDE)

11. Konkhra (HORDE, PIT)

12. Warlord U.K. (HORDE)

13. Fetish 69 (SPHERE, PIT)

14. Dead World (SPHERE)

15. Decree (SPHERE)

16.Pure Wrath (NORTH)

17. Amnesia (PIT)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 4th/5th of April, 2020:

1. Beast of Revelation (FALLEN, HORDE)

2. Soliloquium (FALLEN)

3. Dexter Ward (GUARDIANS)

4. Macbeth (GUARDIANS, PIT) - requested by Tymell

5. Disharmonic Orchestra / Pungent Stench (HORDE)

6. Defecation (HORDE)

7. Righteous Pigs (HORDE, PIT)

8. Sutrah (HORDE)

9. Hræ (NORTH)

10. Asarhaddon (NORTH)

11. Sacred Denial (PIT)

12. Impulse Manslaughter (PIT)

13. Inhuman Conditions (PIT)

14. Rostok Vampires (PIT)

15. Abomination (PIT)

16. Chronical Diarrhoea (PIT)

17. Toxic Shock (PIT)

18. Bog Wraith (REVOLUTION)

If you’d asked me back in the 90s, I might have said Dark Tranquillity, but there’s something about The Gallery that hasn’t aged as well as At the Gates’ classic. I might even prefer other Dark Tranquillity albums these days, like Character. The power of Slaughter of the Soul still hits hard though, so that’s my choice.

Slaughter of the Soul - 3

The Gallery - 0

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 3rd of April, 2020:

1. Sinamore (FALLEN)

2. Syrach (FALLEN)

3. Midnattsol (FALLEN, NORTH, GUARDIANS)

4. Rotting Kingdom (FALLEN)

5. Naio Ssaion (GATEWAY)

6. Fightstar (GATEWAY)

7. Intense (GUARDIANS)

8. Fairyland (GUARDIANS)

9. Fission (INFINITE, HORDE, PIT)

10. Mehida (INFINITE)

11. Christian Muenzner (INFINITE)

12. Vesania (NORTH)

13. Black Curse (NORTH, HORDE)

14. Svartsot (NORTH)

15. Necrobode (NORTH)

16. Wolfpack Unleashed (PIT)

17. Hurtlocker (REVOLUTION)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 1st of April, 2020:

1. Stallion (PIT, GUARDIANS)

2. Fusion Bomb (PIT)

3. Shadowkiller (GUARDIANS)

4. Mamaleek (NORTH, INFINITE)

5. Saltatio Mortis (NORTH)

6. Grift (NORTH)

7. Golden Dawn (NORTH, FALLEN)

8. Devlin (FALLEN)

9. Erben Der Schöpfung (FALLEN)

10. Stephen O'Malley (FALLEN)

11. Elis (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

12. Dwaal (FALLEN)

13. Solothus (FALLEN)

14. Temple of Void (FALLEN, HORDE)

15. Collapse 7 (HORDE)

16. Warp Chamber (HORDE)

17. Perdition Temple (HORDE)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 31st of March, 2020:

1. Wretched End (HORDE, PIT) - requested by Daniel

2. Weapon (HORDE, NORTH) - requested by Daniel

3. Whoretopsy (HORDE) - requested by Daniel

4. Outer Heaven (HORDE, FALLEN)

5. Druid Lord (FALLEN)

6. Aorlhac (NORTH)

7. Taramis (PIT, GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

8. Zoetrope (PIT, GUARDIANS)

9. Masi (GUARDIANS)

10. Dead End (GUARDIANS)

11. Nils Patrik Johansson (GUARDIANS)

12. Banshee (GUARDIANS)

13. Viking (PIT)

14. The Motion Mosaic (rEVOLUTION

15. Indestroy (PIT) - requested by Daniel

Congratulations (again, again)!! 

We all look forward to seeing which clan you'll go for.

I've given Sarcofago's debut album I.N.R.I. several goes over the years and have always felt that it's overrated. The production isn't great, the musicianship is lacking, and for all the apparent darkness and evil, it's just never fully connected with me. It's follow-up is a totally different story, and I don't really understand why it rates lower than the debut on RYM. Everything is improved here! Each of the five tracks are enjoyable, and all of them offer something a little bit different. There really is something for every extreme metal fan here, with black metal, thrash metal and even death metal aspects found throughout. I've finished working my way through all 80s black metal releases on the site, and Rotting is now comfortably positioned behind only Bathory's Under the Sign of the Black Mark and Blood Fire Death.

I challenge any black metal fans in the Academy to listen to Sarcofago's first two albums and then tell me why the first one is better, not because I think my opinion is the correct one, but because I think it makes for a very interesting discussion. Do I have too much appreciation for production and musicianship when critiquing these albums?

4/5

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 29th/30th of March, 2020:

1. Ocean of Grief (FALLEN)

2. Heretic (GUARDIANS, PIT)

3. Warfare (GUARDIANS, PIT) - requested by Daniel

4. Krank (GUARDIANS)

5. Exxplorer (GUARDIANS, GATEWAY)

6. Cities (GUARDIANS)

7. Deaf Dealer (GUARDIANS)

8. Vomitory (HORDE) - requested by Daniel

9. Visceral Throne (HORDE) - requested by Daniel

10. Vulture Industries (INFINITE) - requested by Daniel

11. Alghazanth (NORTH)

12. Diabolic Night (PIT)

13. Black Tongue (REVOLUTION)

14. Legend of the Seagullmen (GATEWAY)

15. Keygen Church (SPHERE)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 28th of March, 2020:

1. Black Royal (FALLEN, HORDE)

2. Mark Edwards (GUARDIANS)

3. Bloodlust (GUARDIANS, PIT)

4. Predator (GUARDIANS)

5. Sound Barrier (GUARDIANS)

6. Ambush (GUARDIANS, PIT)

7. Vectom (PIT) - requested by Daniel

8. Meth Leppard (HORDE)

9. Valtari (HORDE) - requested by Daniel

10.Target (PIT) - requested by Daniel

11. Vildhjarta (INFINITE) - requested by Daniel

12. Medico Peste (NORTH)

13. Valkyrja (NORTH) - requested by Daniel

14. Malist (NORTH)

I don't know what made you choose Consuming Impulse to go up against the mighty Altars of Madness, but it's hardly a fair fight. On the one hand you have the album that took what the likes of Death and Possessed had formed and pushed it to a previously unfathomable extreme without sacrificing quality musicianship or songwriting, while on the other hand you have a very solid if not-particularly groundbreaking slab from an at the time second tier band. Consuming Impulse is good, but Altars of Madness is truly great!

It's Pagan Altar for me, for one simple reason...atmosphere! There's something about Witchfinder General's Sabbath-worship that doesn't click for me. Zeeb's dodgy vocals certainly play a role, but there's also a silliness that pops up occasionally that bothers me. I mean, there's a whole section in Invisible Hate where he endlessly demands beer. Compare that to Pagan Altar's surprisingly Satanic black mass feel, and there's no doubt in my mind which band took the Sabbath doom blueprint and raised the bar. The title track and Judgement of the Dead are perfect examples of why Pagan Altar crush Witchfinder General into the dust (in my opinion).

Congratulations MacabreEternal, you have achieved what no other Academy attendee has achieved to date. You have earned yourself a 4th clan! The Guardians stand aside to allow you entrance into their fortress.

Since I love stats so much, I thought I'd throw together some averages for each of your challenges, to see where your metal heart really lies.

Challenge 1: Death Metal - The 2nd Decade

Your average rating for this challenge was 3.5. This was dragged down a bit by low ratings for the list's few melodic death metal releases, which suggests that you like things more brutal. Oh, and it's clear that you don't want any power metal in your death metal thank you very much Wintersun.

Challenge 2: Thrash Metal - The 90s

Your average rating for this challenge was 3.4. Once again it's clear that you like things brutal, with Demolition Hammer gaining the only 5 star rating. Your 3 stars for Rust in Peace show that you're not afraid to stand by your opinion, even when it goes against the grain.

Challenge 3: The North - The 2nd Decade

Your average rating for this challenge was 4.1. This list seems to be where your heart lies (right next to mine), with no less than 7 five star ratings. Your love for Lurker of Chalice and Blut aus Nord clearly display your attraction to the dark side.

Challenge 4: The Guardians - The 1st Era

Your average rating for this challenge was 3.6. Given that's your second highest average rating, it appears you've made a decent choice for your pioneering 4th clan. Your 5 star rating for Crystal Logic proves that you've spent adequate time within the walls of Necropolis (with Skeletor).

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 27th of March, 2020:

1. Sentient Divide (HORDE, NORTH)

2. Unfathomable Ruination (HORDE) - requested by Daniel

3. Sweven (INFINITE)

4. Malokarpatan (NORTH, GUARDIANS)

5. Faidra (NORTH)

6. Sye (GUARDIANS, PIT)

7. Tyrant (GUARDIANS)

8. Dark Heart (GUARDIANS)

9. Thrust (GUARDIANS)

10. Attacker (GUARDIANS)

11. Mortal Scepter (PIT)

I made the choice to include a Kyuss album in the challenge, even though it seems controversial as to whether they really should be considered metal. They're hugely popular, and have been attached to the scene (whether rightly or wrongly) for a long time.

That being said, I don't think other "legit sources" classifying an album as a particular genre is reason enough to add a release to the hall. Unless someone well versed in stoner metal, and Kyuss in particular, makes that request, and gives specific reasons as to why they think one or more of their releases should be labelled as Stoner Metal, I'd prefer to follow the Metal Academy criteria and leave them where they are.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 25th/26th of March, 2020:

1. Weedeater (FALLEN)

2. Lento (FALLEN, INFINITE) - requested by Daniel

3. Ufomammut/Lento (FALLEN, INFINITE) - requested by Daniel

4. Stoned Jesus (FALLEN)

5. Dark Buddha Rising (FALLEN, INFINITE)

6. Fostermother (FALLEN)

7. Pandemonium (GUARDIANS)

8. Tysondog (GUARDIANS, PIT) - requested by Daniel

9. 3rd Stage Alert (GUARDIANS)

10. Silver Mountain (GUARDIANS)

11. Mad Max (GUARDIANS)

12. Novelists (REVOLUTION)

13. Asgrauw (NORTH)

14. Aggression (PIT) - requested by Daniel

15. Razormaze (PIT)

16. Brand of Sacrifice (REVOLUTION)

17. From Ashes to New (GATEWAY)

18. Gruesome (HORDE)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 23rd/24th of March, 2020:

1. Trepalium (HORDE, PIT, INFINITE) - requested by Daniel

2. Tombthroat (HORDE) - requested by Daniel

3. Slaughter Messiah (PIT, NORTH)

4. Tombs (FALLEN, INFINITE, NORTH) - requested by Daniel

5. Blind Dog (FALLEN)

6. Bongzilla (FALLEN)

7. Sons of Otis (FALLEN)

8. The Mystick Krewe of Clearlight (FALLEN)

9. Demon Flight (GUARDIANS)

10. Witchkiller (GUARDIANS)

11. Bitch (GUARDIANS)

12. Obsession (GUARDIANS)

13. Mobius (INFINITE)

14. Vananidr (NORTH)