Daniel's Forum Replies

Chelsea Wolfe - "Birth of Violence" (2019)

I've intended on exploring some of Wolfe's solo material in more detail for a long time now (ever since falling in love with her collaboration with Converge "Bloodmoon: I" back in 2020 actually) but haven't gotten around to it until now, although I have skipped through her 2015 "Abyss" record on occasion. "Birth of Violence" is Chelsea's ninth full-length & sees her combining gothic country & dark folk to brilliant effect. Her voice is incredibly powerful yet super-sweet at the same time & I have to admit that I've somewhat fallen in love with her talents over the past week. This record is dark & introspective yet still devastatingly emotive & dynamic & I can't help but feel that it's been heavily underrated as I consider it to be nothing short of classic.

For fans of Emma Ruth Rundle, Jay Jayle & Darkher.

4.5/5

Hecate Enthroned - "Upon Promeathean Shores (Unscriptured Waters)" E.P. (1995)

I picked up the debut release from these British black metallers through my Neuropath circles at around the time of release & quite liked it. "Upon Promeathean Shores" was originally released as Hecate Enthroned's second demo tape "An Ode for a Haunted Wood" but ended up getting a proper release through the Blackend label shortly afterwards. There is really no doubt as to the artist that Hecate Enthroned most admire because this is very much an attempt to clone Cradle of Filth's 1994 debut album "The Principle of Evil Made Flesh" but it's not a bad effort as the quality level is quite close, even if the musicianship is not quite there yet. Future Cradle of Filth bassist Jon Kennedy's high-pitched shrieks are uncannily similar to Dani Filth's actually & one would imagine that he'd spent a fair bit of time in front of his bedroom mirror while staring at a poster of Dani. The tracklisting does tend to fade over the last couple of tracks but there's still enough decent material included here to justify a couple of listens.

For fans of Cradle of Filth, Anorexia Nervosa & Graveworm.

3.5/5

The fact that the Aussies have performed very poorly in the T20 World Cup has been more than made up for by the fact that my Detroit Pistons are now the number 1 ranked NBA team & the Sydney Kings have taken out the minor premiership in the NBL. Fucking loving my basketball right now, especially Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham who is absolutely sensational.

Just finished season 10 of "The Walking Dead" &, while I did enjoy it, I think it was a little poorly structured & a bit long. They should never have ended it with an historical episode that really didn't do anything to leave me hanging for season 11 either. It's one of the show's weaker series in my opinion.

I really enjoyed listening to this playlist this afternoon. The latest tracklisting is as follows:

01. Cruciform - "Gutter" (from "Paradox" demo, 1995)

02. Slipknot - "Birth of the Cruel" (from "We Are Not Your Kind", 2019)

03. Cryptopsy - "The Nimis Adoration" (from "An Insatiable Violence", 2025)

04. Bathory - "Sociopath" (from "Octagon", 1995)

05. Dream Theater - "The Great Debate" (from "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence", 2002)

06. In Flames - "Behind Space '99" (from "Colony", 1999)

07. The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Panasonic Youth" (from "Miss Machine", 2004)

08. Mortician - "Apocalyptic Devastation" (from "Hacked Up For Barbeque", 1997)

09. Converge - "Under Duress" (from "The Dusk In Us", 2017)

10. Gojira - "Clone" (from "Terra Incognita", 2001)

11. Invocator - "Altar of Sacrifice" (from "Slatanic Slaughter Vol. 1", 1995)

12. Rammstein - "Weisses Fleisch" (from "Herzeleid", 1995)

13. Dying Fetus - "Blunt Force Trauma" (from "Purification Through Violence", 1996)

14. Damaged - "Internal Dismemberment Conflicts" (from "Passive Backseat Demon Engines" E.P., 1995)

15. Wolves in the Throne Room - "Face in a Night Time Mirror, Pt. 2" (from "Diadem of 12 Stars", 2006)

16. Orphanage - "Weltschmerz" (from "Oblivion", 1995)

17. Wintersun - "Beautiful Death" (from "Wintersun", 2004)

18. Nails - "Imposing Will" (from "Every Bridge Burning", 2024)

19. Black Lodge - "Dissonance" (from "Covet", 1995)

20. Summoning - "A Distant Flame Before The Sun" (from "Stronghold", 1999)

21. Six Feet Under - "Remains of You" (from "Haunted", 1995)

22. Dark Tranquillity - "Silence, & the Firmament Withdrew" (from "The Gallery", 1995)

I've quite liked all of Fossilization's releases to date & I'm hearing great things about this one so I certainly have it on my radar.

Dark Tranquillity - "The Gallery" (1995)

I wasn't much of a fan of this Swedish melodeath pioneer's 1993 debut album "Skydancer" but was impressed enough by their follow-up "The Gallery" to purchase it on CD upon release. It's interesting that I thought it was pretty great at the time but haven't felt like giving it a revisit in decades which is telling really. It shows that I had perhaps overrated the album's appeal & that was proven this week as it can't compete with the most elite releases from the subgenre in my opinion. It's certainly very consistent in its quality with no week tracks included & the compositional & structural work is quite ambitious. It's just that I don't connect with the more overtly Iron Maiden-inspired melodeath as much as most extreme metal fans (at least not in modern times) & "The Gallery" is a prime example of that sound.

For fans of In Flames, At the Gates & Insomnium.

3.5/5

Here's my adjusted Top Ten Melodic Death Metal Releases of All Time list:

01. At The Gates – “Slaughter Of The Soul” (1995)

02. Stortregn - "Finitude" (2023)

03. Carcass – “Heartwork” (1993)

04. Sentenced – “North From Here” (1993)

05. In Mourning – “The Weight Of Oceans” (2012)

06. The Breathing Process - “Odyssey (un)Dead” (2010)

07. Unanimated - "In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead" (1993)

08. Amorphis - "The Karelian Isthmus" (1992)

09. Amorphis - "Tales From The Thousand Lakes" (1994)

10. At The Gates - "Terminal Spirit Disease" (1994)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/147

Pole - "2" (1999)

The second full-length from this German producer which sees him upping the ambient dub component that was hinted at on the debut for a genuine hybrid sound that compliments the glitchy soundscapes nicely. The result is an album of similar quality although I think the enhanced dub component gives "2" a slight edge.

For fans of Rhythm & Sound, Basic Channel & Deepchord.

4/5

Pole - "3" (2000)

The third & final Pole album is also his best, taking the ambient dub/glitch hybrid sound slightly further. To be fair, it's the dub material that makes up the highlights of "3", putting me into that deep, fuzzy headspace that leaves my whole body feeling warm. Unfortunately, the straight-up glitch tracks tend have significantly less impact but that doesn't stop "3" from pushing for one of my more elite ratings. Unfortunately, it couldn't quite get there though.

For fans of Oval, Jan Jelinek & Deepchord.

4/5

Six Feet Under - "Haunted" (1995)

I picked this debut album up from Neuropath vocalist Mark Wangmann shortly after it was released. The whole band was looking forward to it at the time given the star-studded lineup. Six Feet Under comprised of Cannibal Corpse/Torture Killer front man Chris Barnes, guitarist Allen West (Massacre/Obituary), bassist Terry Butler (Inhuman Condition/Left to Die/Obituary/Death/Massacre) & future Nasty Savage drummer Greg Gall so it was a bit of a who's who of the Florida scene. Now, Six Feet Under get universally slammed these days but I have to admit that I quite liked this one back in the day, even though I haven't felt the urge to return to it since. It sounds very much like Barnesy singing over Obituary's instrumentation but that can't be such a bad thing. Unfortunately, it's very, very simply in its structure & execution & Barnes' higher register vocal stuff has never offered me much appeal but there's enough groovy graveyard shit here to keep me interested, particularly the very solid "Lycanthropy" & my personal favourite "Remains of You" which might as well have been taken straight from Obituary's "World Demise" album. In fact, I'm gonna suggest that "Haunted" is still Six Feet Under's best album all these years later.

For fans of Torture Killer, Obituary & Jungle Rot.

3.5/5

Pole - "CD 1" (1998)

The debut full-length from this German producer offers a lovely ambient, dubby take on the glitch genre that's done with enough class to leave me impressed. I didn't get as much out of this record back in the day but it would seem that I'm able to cope with the lack of clear structure in some of this material these days.

For fans of Deadbeat, Porter Ricks & CV313.

4/5

Summoning - "Stronghold" (1999)

Is this the best release from Austrian epic/atmospheric black metal duo Summoning? Perhaps. Does that mean that it doesn't suck? Nup. Still cheesy as fuck. There are a couple of decent tracks here though, namely "Long Lost to Where No Pathway Goes" & closer "A Distant Flame Before the Sun" (my personal favourite). That leaves "Stronghold" feeling like a step up from some of Summoning's other popular releases like 2001's "Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame".

For fans of Caladan Brood, Emyn Muil & Elffor.

3/5

Roland Kayn - "Tektra" (1984)

Now, this release was a serious challenge given its enormous 292-minute run time which takes up 6 LPs or 4 CDs. It's taken me a full week (or more) to get through three full listens but the effort was thoroughly rewarded with one of the most forward-thinking, ground-breaking releases I've ever encountered. If you like drone then look no further because most of this material is utterly transcendent. I find it to be utterly ridiculous that "Tektra" was released way back in 1984. 

For fans of Bernard Parmegiani, Eliane Radigue & Alvin Lucier.

4.5/5

Black Lodge - "Covet" (1995)

Ben & I jumped onboard with this one-off album from an obscure Norwegian doom/death outfit back around the time of release & both really enjoyed it. Black Lodge were a six-piece band that included female clean vocalist Monica Pedersen (Sirenia), bassist Halvor Larsen (Ljå) & drummer Frode Gundersen (Twin Obscenity) among others. Their sound was quite dirty & authentic while offsetting that filthiness with the beautiful vocals of Pederson whose contribution reminds me quite a bit of The 3rd & the Mortal. My Dying Bride were clearly an influence but Black Lodge give "Covet" their own unique flavour which is contributed to by the production job which features a guitar tone that wouldn't have seemed out of place on an Autopsy record. Highly recommended.

For fans of Paradigma, Unholy & Mindrot.

4/5

Oh, nice. I might have to check this one out at some point as I thought Invictus' 2020 debut album "The Catacombs of Fear" was pretty decent.

I'm similar to Ben in that I quite like "Killers" but have always placed it behind the other classic-period Maiden albums. Similarly, I don't rate the Dianno-era anywhere near the Dickinson one but I'm also gonna suggest that "Killers" was a touched over-produced so I slightly prefer the rawer self-titled over it.

Nails - "Every Bridge Burning" (2024)

The fourth & most recent full-length from my all-time favourite grindcore band sees the Californians changing up their sound considerably, this time opting for a thrashier yet still ridiculously aggressive brand of metalcore. The grindcore aesthetic is still obvious with the guitar tone being quite similar to the classic Swedish death metal tone but there isn't much in the way of actual grindcore riffs or blast beats here. "Every Bridge Burning" may be the least impressive Nails album to date but it's still a very solid record in its own right.

For fans of Scalp, Unruh & Admiral Angry.

4/5

Abominator - "Barbarian War Worship" demo (1995)

The initial demo tape from this Melbourne war metal duo made a big impact on me back in the mid-1990's & it still holds up beautifully today. Us Aussies sit amongst the best in the world at this sound & Abominator (who comprise of vocalist/drummer Chris Volcano of Cemetery Urn/Denouncement Pyre/Deströyer 666/Ignivomous & guitarist/bassist Andrew Undertaker of Cemetery Urn/Bestial Warlust) are a fine example of that. I fucking love the out-of-control guitar solos, bestial lyrics & relentless blast beats. War metal tragics take note!

For fans of Destruktor, Bestial Warlust & Eskhaton.

4/5

Here's my updated Top Ten War Metal Releases of All Time list:

01. Infernal Coil - "Within a World Forgotten" (2018)

02. Bestial Warlust - "Vengeance War 'Till Death" (1994)

03. Teitanblood - "The Baneful Choir" (2019)

04. Teitanblood - "Death" (2014)

05. Antichrist Siege Machine - "Vengeance of Eternal Fire" (2024)

06. Abominator - "Barbarian War Worship" demo (1995)

07. Impaled Nazarene - "Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz..." (1993)

08. Damaar - "Triumph Through Spears of Sacrilege" (2007)

09. Archgoat - "Whore of Bethlehem" (2006)

10. Bestial Warlust - "Blood & Valour" (1995)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/216

These releases were some of the ones that originally got me into the genre during the late 1990's & early 2000's Vinny so they're probably a pretty good place to start:

Aphex Twin - "Selected Ambient Works 85-92" (1992)

Osamu Sato - "Transmigration" (1994)

Various Artists - "Artificial Intelligence" (1992)

Various Artists - "Artificial Intelligence II" (1994)

Wintersun - "Wintersun" (2004)

It has been over fifteen years since I last explored the debut album from this Finnish extreme metal duo but it didn't take long for me to remember why as I struggled with "Wintersun" in a similar way to that with which I did the two Children of Bodom records I revisited recently. Wintersun certainly had a little more meat on their bones though with the excellent blast beats of drummer Kai "the Grinder" Hahto (Nightwish/Cartilage/Enochian Crescent/Rotten Sound/Swallow the Sun/Trees of Eternity/Vomiturition/Wings) adding some genuine excitement to proceedings while the blackened snarl of multi-instrumentalist Jari Mäenpää (Arthemesia/Ensiferum) is also pretty gnarly. In fact, the clean power metal vocals are fairly well executed too but it's the consciously epic symphonics & cheesy Ensiferum-style folk melodies that I really struggle with though & I think it speaks volumes that the only two tracks I genuinely enjoy are those where Wintersun opt to steer away from their hybrid sound (see melodic power metal anthem "Death & the Healing" & my album highlight in melodeath number "Beautiful Death"). Unfortunately, I think I can't probably do without Wintersun in my life.

For fans of Children of Bodom, Kalmah & Norther.

3/5

Autechre - "Garbage" E.P. (1995)

The third release from Manchester duo Autechre is yet another masterpiece from one of my all-time favourite artists. It's comprised of four lengthy tracks with the A side being a very solid example of complex IDM. It's the B side where the gold can be found though as I prefer the added depth of ambient techno number "Bronchusevenmx24" & the beautiful ambient closer & release highlight "VLetrmx21", both of which I consider to be perfect realisations of the enormous potential of electronic music. "Garbage" should be essential listening for all electronic music nuts.

For fans of Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada & Monolake.

4.5/5

Orphanage - "Oblivion" (1995)

I had quite a bit of time for this debut album from Dutch six-piece Orphanage back in the mid-1990's after picking it up from one of my Blue Mountains-based tape traders. The early Orphanage sound was very original for the time & is still quite hard to categorize today, combining gothic doom/death with groove metal riffage & tossing in touches of progressive metal technicality along with the odd symphonic element. The execution isn't perfect but you can't deny the ambition which works to offset the fact that there are a few noticeably weaker tracks included. The one-two punch of doom/death monster "Weltschmerz" into progressive groove metal anthem "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" best showcases Orphanage's potential in my opinion but "Oblivion" is worth a listen overall.

For fans of Nightfall, Heavenwood & Crematory.

3.5/5

Another shitful effort by the Aussie T20 team overnight, this time being completely thrashed by Pakistan's spinners. I don't think the pitch was any sort of minefield because the Pakistani batsmen looked completely at home against our trio of spinners while our batsmen were totally at sea & made it look much more difficult than it was. It's time to get Steve Smith into the team in my opinion.

"Neverending Destiny" was always my go-to Agressor record. I used to quite like these guys back in the 1990's but I have to admit that I haven't checked them out since 1994's "Symposium of Rebirth" album. Anyone know if their later material is any good? 

A tough-fought win for my Detroit Pistons over Steph Curry's Golden State Warriors this morning sees us maintaining our five-win lead over second place at the top of the Eastern Conference. We're looking really good to win the Eastern Conference this year actually & might even give the big-name Western Conference teams a shake for the championship too. Yew!

I'm now looking forward to tonight's second Australia vs Pakistan T20 cricket match & tomorrow's Sydney Kings vs Cairns Taipans NBL basketball match with the Kings in red-hot form & now up to second place on the ladder. I was pretty pissed with the Aussies losing game one against Pakistan a couple of days ago while chasing a total that looked pretty gettable to me so my expectations are high for a swift form reversal.

I just finished season 9 of "The Walking Dead" & I think I speak for everyone who has seen it when I say that there is one scene in the second or third last episode that will haunt me till the day I die. Spectacularly chilling stuff. I really enjoyed the season as a whole too.

Scorn - "White Irises Blind" E.P. (1994)

Yet another enjoyable early Scorn record that I return to every so often. There's very little sign of the Birmingham illbient duos early industrial metal sound with only the very solid "Drained" treading that sort of space. There's an impressive consistency to the five songs on offer & it's interesting that the opening title track is clearly the least impressive of them. These days I rank "White Irises Blind" pretty similarly to 1992's "Lick Forever Dog" E.P. & their debut full-length "Vae Solis" while I'd suggest that it's a clear step up from the "Deliverance" E.P. & Scorn's 1993 sophomore album "Colossus".

For fans of Techno Animal, mid-90's Meat Beat Manifesto & "Pure"-era Godflesh.

4/5

Wolves in the Throne Room - "Diadem of 12 Stars" (2006)

It's easy to overlook the debut full-length from these highly regarded Cascadian black metallers from Washington in the wake of their much more classic sophomore record "Two Hunters" but "Diadem of 12 Stars" is still a very solid effort with a lot of high-quality ideas. I particularly enjoy the vocals & the more brutal blast beat sections. Unfortunately, the clean female vocals that appear sporadically across the album are pretty ordinary & the tracklisting starts off a little slowly, not really hitting its stride until the back third of the second of the four lengthy tracks. The B side is where all of the action is though &, even though each song contains its weaker sections, there's just enough premium black metal on offer to make "Diadem of 12 Stars" a minor treat for our The North members.  While the rumours of "Diadem of 12 Stars" being a genuine classic may be misguided, I wouldn't suggest that it's overrated either.

For fans of Altar of Plagues, Panopticon & Weakling.

4/5

Tangerine Dream - "Rubycon" (1975)

The sixth full-length studio album from these Berlin progressive electronic legends is one of their finest works. It's perhaps not as classic as 1972's incredible space ambient epic "Zeit" but it's a great listen nonetheless. In fact, I think it may just top 1974's excellent "Phaedra" & I'm a big fan of that one too.

For fans of Klaus Schulze, Vangelis & Steve Roach.

4/5

I've passed this one rather than waiting for an outcome that will never arrive Andi. I've got a very strong & long-term relationship with this release & you're clearly right.

Damaged - "Passive Backseat Demon Engines" E.P. (1995)

While I quite liked 1993's "Do Not Spit" debut album from Ballarat extremists Damaged, I'd suggest that it offered more potential than it did class. It would be their second noteworthy release "Passive Backseat Demon Engines" from two years later that would see that potential finally coming to fruition as it's a better-produced & generally more exciting effort. The E.P. is simply better able to harness unadulterated violence of a Damaged live show in my opinion with Matt 'Skitz' Sanders' insane drumming & Jamie Ludbrooke's ultra-abrasive vocals being the main focal points. The signature Damaged sound from that period is a unique blend of death metal & grindcore with a noticeable groove metal component (that's obviously been borrowed from "Far Beyond Driven"-era Pantera) & an industrial edge to the guitar work. Forget about the links with metalcore/deathcore because they're totally misguided. This is the sound of a psychotic, out-of-their-mind, mullet-wearing ice-addict ripping through a porn shop in search of their next fix.

For fans of Blood Duster, King Parrot & Fuck...I'm Dead.

4/5

Paysage d'Hiver - "Die Festung" demo (1998)

Swiss atmospheric black metal producer Tobias Möckl burst onto the underground scene in the late 1990's with a slew of demo recordings that might as well have been proper releases by the quality on offer. "Die Festung" was the third of these releases to appear in 1998 alone but this time we see Paysage d'Hiver offering up a collection of five tracks that stick entirely to the ambient/dungeon synth sound that has always been a part of Paysage d'Hiver's black metal releases. It's a damn one too just quietly. In fact, "Die Festung" is pretty much the catalyst for the entire "winter synth" variety of dungeon synth music & you can easily see why because the quality of this material in impeccable, leading me to make the unexpected claim that this may actually be the finest dungeon synth release I've heard to date. The fifteen-minute space ambient opener "Eishalle" is absolutely out of this world & is the perfect embodiment of the "Lord of the Rings" aesthetic while the beautiful "Eisprinzessin" paints clear images of dripping ice in a snow-covered landscape. This dude is an incredibly talented composer with unbelievable creativity & focus, paving a musical path that sees Paysage d'Hiver perennially sitting on top of the extreme music pile.

For fans of Jääportit, Aindulmedir & Örnatorpet.

4.5/5

I like to think so... or alternatively, we could both be decidedly uncool? Perhaps it's a bit of both. :)

Dying Fetus - "Purification Through Violence" (1996)

I picked up the debut album from this legendary Maryland-based brutal death metal act through the tape trading scene at the time of release after quite enjoying (not to mention being influenced by) Dying Fetus' two early 90's demo tapes "Bathe in Entrails" & "Infatuation with Malevolence". "Purification Through Violence" offers more of the same (as does pretty much the entirety of Dying Fetus' recording career to tell you the truth) & suffers from the same limitations & failings which contribute to me awarding every one of their successive releases the same middling rating. Yes, the silly sweep-picking flourishes are here... so are the excellent hardcore-inspired slams... & don't forget those over-the-top dual vocals. Still... I'll always have time for this band, even in this more primitive form where their technical prowess is still clearly a work in progress. These boys played a big part in developing the brutal death metal sound that I was doing my best to replicate at the time, although I'd argue that I may have been doing it a little better than they were at this point if I'm being completely honest. Regardless, "Purification Through Violence" isn't Dying Fetus' worst record. It's not close to their best either but there's so little between their best & worst that it doesn't really matter too much. If pushed, I'd probably take "Purification Through Violence" over records like 2007's "War of Attrition", 2003's "Stop at Nothing" & even 1998's highly regarded "Killing on Adrenaline" sophomore record, not to mention the "Bathe in Entrails" demo tape.

For fans of Suffocation, Misery Index & Skinless.

3.5/5

Sade - "Love Deluxe" (1992)

Ben & I grew up with the first four albums from this stunningly talented English soul singer with our father absolutely flogging them to death in our family home & on long drives, particularly her 1984 debut "Diamond Life" & this, her fourth full-length, the undeniable career high point that is 1992's "Love Deluxe". A quick look at my score below should tell you that the experience left a well-defined mark on me though as it would see me regularly reaching to Sade in isolation, even while I was still living at home with the family during my late teens. "Love Deluxe" is a beautifully produced nine-song affair that saw her openly displaying the influence of the Bristol Sound that was capturing the souls of England at the time with the cool downtempo hip hop beats & deep, dubby basslines of my beloved Massive Attack having infiltrated her smooth, sophisticated soul/pop music quite obviously. The results are stunning too with a whole slew of numbers seeing my mood changing & every muscle in my body relaxing, so much so that I've invariably placed "Love Deluxe" in my top 100 albums of all time ever since. Perhaps this takes a few points off of my metal credentials but, frankly, I don't give a fuck because "Love Deluxe" easily tops the vast majority of metal releases in my opinion.

For fans of Rhye, Julia Mestre & Marina Lima.

4.5/5

OK, I’ll bite. Is the other one Warning’s “Watching From A Distance”?

Depeche Mode - "Some Great Reward" (1984)

While I'm a big fan of later releases from these English synthpop legends (see "Ultra", "Violator", etc.), I have to admit that their first alleged classic has never really done a lot for me. I was exposed to it quite a lot at the after parties I used to attend at the completion of druggy nights out in clubs when I was DJing, particularly given that one of my closest mates is a big Depeche Mode fan, but I can't say that I've ever really understood the appeal in "Some Great Reward". The synths just sound so dated here which leaves the song-writing erring on the cheesy side at times. I certainly enjoy the couple of big hits from the album in "People Are People" & album highlight "Blasphemous Rumours" while "It Doesn't Matter" is pretty catchy as well but the remainder simply leaves me feeling a bit flat to be honest.

For fans of Gary Numan, Pet Shop Boys & Tears For Fears.

3/5

Various Artists - "Slatanic Slaughter: A Tribute to Slayer" compilation (1995)

I really enjoyed this Scandinavian Slayer tribute album as well as it's sequel back in the mid-1990's. Volume 1 features a stellar line-up with all eleven cover versions being worth listening to. The quality ranges from decent to very solid to mind-blowing with the highlights surprisingly coming from some of the lesser-known bands. My personal favourite is Invocator's brilliantly brutal version of "Altar of Sacrifice" but Seance's take on "Post Mortem" & Grope's sludge metal version of "Spill the Blood" aren't far behind. I'd probably suggest that Dissection, At the Gates & Enslaved's efforts are perhaps a little underwhelming given their status in the scene but it's hard to be critical because it's pretty damn hard to compete with the best metal band of all time in 1980's Slayer.

For fans of Slayer, Merciless & The Crown.

4/5

Basic Channel - "Q 1.1" E.P. (1993)

The second E.P. from this legendary German techno duo is almost as impressive as their first but is perhaps a touch less consistent. It sees the dub techno godfathers veering away from their dubbier sound towards more of a traditional techno one that offered me just as much appeal. I can vividly remember playing A1 & B1 (my personal favourite) in my club DJ sets & receiving very strong responses while I also took A2 along with me on occasion but are not sure I ever got around to dropping it. I love the organic drum machine sounds of old & they're masterfully layered over smooth synth stabs here which ensures that "Q 1.1" E.P. should be essential listening for any aspiring techno nuts out there.

For fans of Maurizio, Cyrus & Porter Ricks.

4/5

Gojira - "Terra Incognita" (2001)

I came to Gojira a little late given that I was well & truly in my electronic dance music hey day when their 2001 debut album "Terra incognita" was released so I didn't end up discovering them until around 2009 when Ben introduced me to the masterful "From Mars To Sirius" which I immediately fell in love with & still regard as a genuine death metal classic today. That awakening would very quickly see me making the effort to explore all of Gojira's other work & there was plenty of quality to get my teeth into too, if not any additional classics to compete with their 2005 pièce de résistance. "Terra incognita" sees Gojira at their most deathly with their sound being built around a death metal core but still being progressive enough for a progressive death metal tag. There's also a clear groove metal component that ensures that the Frenchmen are kept slightly apart from their peers &, interestingly, I feel that it's this element that sees me being unable to ever really consider a record like this one for my most elite scores, despite the clear talent in the execution. The fairly technical staccato riffs are deadly tight with extreme competence on display in the precision performances & drummer Mario proving himself to already be very competent. I tend to like Joe's vocals more when they veer further towards your classic death grunt rather than a less intimidating groove metal one which is hardly surprising as the extreme metal scene is obviously my comfort zone. It may not receive the praise that later albums like "The Way Of All Flesh" or "L'enfant sauvage" do but I think "Terra incognita" actually competes very well with them if I'm being honest & it can certainly be mentioned in the same breath as the underrated "Magma" too, although I think I'd probably have it slightly behind all three due to its inability to see me reaching for the classic card with any of the fourteen tracks on offer. Still, it's an underrated & generally overlooked part of the Gojira back catalogue that's well deserving of the attention of our The Horde & The Infinite members.

For fans of Hacride, Trepalium & Decapitated.

4/5

Ben bought me a copy of this book for my 50th birthday last month & I finished it this morning. Its structure is really unusual as it's written in a chronological bullet-point format but it works for its intention which is to highlight every significant event in the building of what we know as heavy metal, starting at the earliest hints of darkness in music & ending with 1971 when Popoff claims the answer to his question had finally been undeniably confirmed. I'd suggest that Popoff's definition of what constitutes "metal music" is different to my own & I think that's driven by his age as he was involved with heavy music that was referred to as metal throughout the 1970's whereas I came to this music when there was more definition between rock & metal in the mid-to-late 1980's (although still not nearly as much definition as we understand today). For example, he talks about late 60's records by The Stooges, Blue Cheer & MC5 as being basically metal when I feel that is stretching the friendship by a considerable margin. At the end of the day though, he ends up coming to the same outcome as my own & it was interesting journey to get there. This book is worth a read for those of you who are interested in how this music came about.

I've been wanting to get back into "The Walking Dead" for a while now but couldn't remember where I finished off so I took a guess & tried Season 8. It turns out that I've already seen it but I used it as an investment to remember what had happened up until that point before heading into new territory. Jeez, that Negan dude was a right prick, wasn't he? Hopefully I haven't seen Season 9.

Also, just finished Season 5 of "Emily in Paris" with the family. It was pretty anticlimactic & a little disappointing. I think it's lost its way a little now so I can't say that I'm looking forward to another season

Wovenhand - "Blush Music" (2003)

This was my first listen to Sixteen Horsepower front man David Eugene Edwards' other project & I've gotta say that I've been suitably impressed. He's quite simply one of the great modern day male vocalists &, when combined with some ambitious & creative atmospherics, has given us another captivating & rewarding listening experience with the three or four highlight tracks being utterly transcendent. In fact, I'm gonna go out on a limb & say that I actually favour "Blush Music" over ANY of the first three Sixteen Horsepower records that have impressed me so much. It's just a shame that Wovenhand have included the seven-&-a-half minute drone piece "Snake Bite" because it's a bit of a creative failure which has caused me to drop my rating a half point.

For fans of Sixteen Horsepower, Slim Cessna's Auto Club & Munly & the Lupercalians.

4/5

I've been really happy with the direction I've taken over the last 6-12 months whereby I've committed to ensuring that half of my listening habits sit outside the metal space. Not only has it left me feeling better about my hearing but it's also left me feeling musically reinvigorated. So, I think I'll be continuing with this approach long-term & don't think I'll be coming back to the monthly feature release roster any time soon as I'm feeling really good about maintaining complete control over my listening schedule.

Just watched great wins by Detroit Pistons over the Phoenix Suns & Sydney Kings over the Brisbane Bullets from yesterday with both teams looking really good chances at premierships this season which was a great way to kick off my weekend. Was also privileged to watch Dave Warner & Steve Smith hit supreme centuries in the Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixes BBL T20 match last night. Smith's was off just 40 balls with nine sixes!!

The family & I just finished binging all seven series of "Younger" starring Hugh Jackman's new girlfriend Sutton Foster & Hilary Duff. I quite liked it for a short, mindless quaffer of a show & the missus absolutely loved it which is probably not surprising given it came from the same dude who created "Sex & the City".

Converge - "The Dusk in Us" (2017)

It's taken me far too long to get around to exploring the latest full-length from my favourite metalcore act but better late than never as Converge simply continue to deliver & have not by rested on their laurels either because "The Dusk in Us" sees them continuing to be highly creative, even though they were a full 27 years into their existence by this point. It's rare that one of our older legacy bands can summon this much punk rock fury when they want to too. I just don't think that Converge could release anything subpar if they tried given how skilled all of the individual band members are. Perhaps this isn't gonna challenge their elite releases at the very top of my pile (see "Bloodmoon: I" & "All We Love We Leave Behind") but it compares very favourably with the solid also-rans like "Axe to Fall", "You Fail Me", "When Forever Comes Crashing" & "Jane Doe" in my opinion, if perhaps sitting just a touch behind all of them.

For fans of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Botch & Every Time I Die.

4/5

Cancer - "Black Faith" (1995)

I picked up a CD copy of this much-maligned stylistic diversion at the time of release & felt considerable shock to find the English death metallers' signature sound had been completely dropped. "Black Faith" has generally been absolutely slammed ever since but those criticisms are totally unfounded in my opinion. Sure, the third-tier, meat-&-potatoes death metal of the band's early days is nowhere to be found here, having been replaced with a groove metal sound that incorporates thrash metal, alternative metal, industrial metal, progressive metal & even metalcore influences. But if you can separate yourself from your expectations for a few listens, you'll soon find that the quality of the metal on offer here isn't any weaker than records like "Death Shall Rise" or "The Sins of Mankind". In fact, I'd probably take "Black Faith" over the latter if I'm being completely honest. Don't expect anything terribly essential but this is certainly worth a listen, despite the inclusion of a dodgy cover version of Deep Purple's "Space Truckin'".

For fans of Pantera, Prong & post- "Arise" Sepultura.

3.5/5

Here's my updated Top Ten Groove Metal Releases of All Time list:

01. Coroner – “Grin” (1993)

02. Grip Inc. – “Nemesis” (1997)

03. Nevermore - "Dead Heart in a Dead World" (2000)

04. Gojira - "Magma" (2016)

05. Pantera – “Vulgar Display Of Power” (1992)

06. Pantera – “Cowboys From Hell” (1990)

07. Mnemic - "Mechanical Spin Phenomena" (2003)

08. Sepultura – “Chaos A.D.” (1993)

09. Pantera – “The Great Southern Trendkill” (1996)

10. Anthrax - "The Sound of White Noise" (1993)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/175

Zbigniew Preisner - "Trois couleurs: Blanc" soundtrack (1994)

The second film in the "Trois couleurs" series once again offers a beautiful classical score from Polish composer Zbigniew Priesner. It's perhaps even more stripped back & minimal than its more popular predecessor "Trois couleurs: Bleu" although, if pushed, I'd suggest that I slightly prefer this one. Neither are on the same level as Preisner's classic 1991 "La double vie de Véronique" though which remains my favourite of the Preisner work I've heard to date.

For fans of Arvo Pärt, Yann Tiersen & Michael Nyman.

4/5

Eric Clapton - "Unplugged" (1992)

My father picked this live album up on cassette when I was 16 or 17 years old & played the absolute shit out of it in the car & around the house so it was interesting to discover just how well I know the songs this week. It was also interesting to find that, despite his imposing legacy as a guitarist, Clapton's smooth voice is the main source of appeal with this MTV unplugged session. There aren't all that many genuine highlight tracks but there are only a couple of duds amongst the fourteen tracks included too (see "Alberta" & "San Francisco Bay Blues") so I've come away feeling fairly positive overall. The acoustic rock of "Lonely Stranger" & the stripped back acoustic blues of "Walkin' Blues" are my clear picks of the bunch. It's quite a nice release but isn't something that I connect with enough to see me returning again in the future. I think it's a little too unintimidating & vanilla for that to be honest.

For fans of Joe Bonamassa, John Mayer & JJ Cale.

3.5/5

Mortician - "Hacked Up for Barbecue" (1996)

I'm a minor fan of the early 90's releases from New York's Mortician which led me to pick up their 1996 debut album through the tape trading scene as soon as it was released. "Hacked Up for Barbecue" sees the duo continuing on with the drum machine-driven sound they'd adopted for 1995's "House by the Cemetery" E.P. which upped the brutality on their early 7" singles (i.e. 1990's disappointing "Brutally Mutilated" & the entertaining "Mortal Massacre" from 1992) & gave Mortician more of a unique edge. The vocals of bass player Will Rahmer (Incantation) are ultra-deep & highly effective while his powerful & overly distorted bass sound combines beautifully with Roger J. Beaujard's (Malignancy) deep, down-tuned guitar tone to give Mortician a thick yet strangely accessible graveyard atmosphere that's complimented beautifully by the often unnerving horror movie samples. Most of the material from those early singles has been re-recorded for this release which is really quite long for such an extreme release at over 50 minutes in duration. I'd suggest that we'll be best served by utilizing a dual brutal death metal/goregrind tag here as it's hard to overlook the influence of early Carcass. I think this is a better record than Mortician's slightly more well-known sophomore album "Chainsaw Dismemberment" but there's not a lot in it. If pushed though, I think I still favour the "Mortal Massacre" single over both, however it's worth noting that these releases are all more fun than they are essential if I'm being completely honest.

For fans of Fluids, Torsofuck & Impetigo.

3.5/5