Daniel's Forum Replies
I see no reason why there should be 12 influential conventional black metal releases as some sort of minimum. In fact I think that actually goes against what I would expect for the list. I would expect it would be bands that branched out and did something other than conventional black metal, and influenced others to come along for the ride in the process, that should go in above popular black metal releases that didn't do anything particularly new.
I assumed the list was intended to reflect the market where a good half of the black metal releases are of the conventional variety & comparatively few fall into the war metal or blackgaze space for example. Apparently not.
Judas Priest's 1979 live album "Unleashed in the East" easily qualifies for the list with an impressive metal ratio of 84% which makes it the most metal release on our list to date.
Here's our updated chronological list:
I would suggest that we'd need more conventional black metal releases than just eight Ben. I was thinking around 12 of the 25 should be straight-up black metal personally.
As far as Oranssi Pazuzu goes Ben, I've never thought "Mestarin kynsi" was a black metal record as such. It feels more like blackened post-metal to me (as opposed to post-black metal). Artists like Hail Spirit Noir, Nachmystium, Njiqahdda, Shataan & The Nest have all dabbled in psychedelics over the years but I'm not sure that I can say that many of those were directly influenced by "Mestarin Kynsi" as most of them came to fruition prior to the album's release. I simply feel that "Mestarin kynsi" has opened up the world of black metal for so many people that might never have experienced it without it though so it's a different type of influence.
There's some quite sophisticated guitar work & a good pedigree in extreme metal on show there mate. Well done.
Here's my review:
Sweden's In Mourning would make my acquaintance fairly early on in their recording career off the back of this month's The Horde feature release "Shrouded Divine" which represents their initial foray into the full-length album format. The record had been floating around for roughly a year by the time I revitalized my interest in metal & began progressively exploring every new extreme metal release of any significance, at which time I discovered that In Mourning had a bit about them which would ultimately prove to be enough to see me investigating each of In Mourning's five subsequent albums as they came to fruition. There have certainly been some that appealed to me more than others as I wasn't much of a fan of 2010's "Monolith" sophomore record yet regard its 2012 follow-up "The Weight of Oceans" as one of the better melodic death metal records I've ever heard but there are few that would deny the class that these artists exude in the way they go about things. Interestingly though, I don't think I've returned to "Shrouded Divine" in the fifteen years since I first wrapped my ears around it & I was wondering whether that might be a telling fact going into this week's revisit. Let's find out.
If I'm being completely transparent then I'll have to admit that "Shrouded Divine" took me a bit of time to warm up to on this occasion, perhaps due to the fact that my first listen came immediately after the very strong Blut aus Nord The North clan feature release "Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With the Stars" which resides much further within my wheelhouse. In Mourning simply sounded a little lightweight in comparison but subsequent listens saw the album starting to open up a bit for me & by the end of my third spin I could clearly see the appeal in this professionally produced & executed extreme metal record. Despite the consistent labelling of In Mourning as a melodic death metal band, "Shrouded Divine" doesn't offer much in the way of death metal at all to be honest. In fact, I'd suggest that the ties with the melodeath sound are tenuous at best given that the tag is intended to draw together releases that share a complex harmony-driven sound. In Mourning's early sound was much more in line with the progressive metal of Opeth & if you take away the very deep & gutteral vocals of guitarist Tobias Netzell (formerly of Swedish doom/death act October Tide & progressive rock/metal outfit Thenighttimeproject) then you'll find that In Mourning have a lot more in common with Dream Theater than they do At The Gates so the album is best suited to an "extreme progressive metal" tag in my opinion. I feel that the tendency to want to find a death metal subgenre to associate with the album is mainly to differentiate it from the Fates Warnings & Queensryches more than it is to throw In Mourning in with the Dark Tranquillitys & In Flames'.
In Mourning have pulled their sound together very nicely when you consider that this was their first studio effort. The musicianship is all of a high quality & there's an impressive level of cohesion that sees the sum of the various parts amounting to significantly more than they may have in isolation. There are a couple of elements that don't sit as well with me though to be fair. The occasional use of blast-beats from drummer Christian Netzell is largely nullified by his drum sound which leaves them sounding like he's tapping away on a matchbox. The use of screamier vocals for a bit of variety was a nice idea in theory but these ones sound like they would have fit very comfortably on a generic deathcore record. Unlike Ben though, I actually think the clean vocals are a nice touch & provide some welcome variation. Despite being a progressive band, In Mourning aren't the most complex example you'll find & they don't take too many other risks either with many off their riffs sounding fairly familiar. You won't struggle to recall the signature Opeth octave chords or the rhythmic bottom-string djent riffs that were so popular at the time while listening to "Shrouded Divine". Thankfully though, In Mourning pull it all off with aplomb in what is generally a very tight, finely-honed debut effort.
Most progressive metal fans should find the tracklisting on "Shrouded Divine" to be pretty consistent once they've given the record the time to sink its teeth in a bit. In fact, I don't think there's a weak track included as such. There aren't really enough genuine highlights to see me feeling like returning to the album all that often though either & that's perhaps the record's biggest detractor for me personally. It certainly sounds very pleasant & quite accessible for an extreme metal release. It doesn't get my blood pumping all that often though & that's the difference between a release that draws me back time & time again & one that I maintain a fondness for without ever really feeling the urge to return to. "Amnesia", "By Others Considered" & (my personal favourite) closer "Past October Skies (The Black Lodge Revisited)" are my pick of the bunch & are all very solid examples of their type but I'd question whether any of them should be granted access into my Hall of Metal Glory for all eternity. They're certainly nothing to be scoffed at though & I can very easily see why a record like this one might appeal to my brother much more than it might to my blackened soul.
At the end of the day, "Shrouded Divine" was a pretty good way to kick off a recording career as it provided a solid platform for In Mourning to build & improve on over the many years since. It's perhaps been relegated to the reserve bench a bit since I heard 2012's "The Weight of Oceans" a few years later but I don't think many fans of extreme progressive metal will struggle to find the appeal in a record like this one & I'd suggest that it still sits in the top half of the band's back catalogue overall.
For fans of Barren Earth, In Vain & Persefone.
3.5/5
The 1979 "Survivors" debut album from NWOBHM legends Samson isn't a metal record. It's a hard rock release with prog rock influences. There's not a single metal tune on this one.
Rainbow's 1979 fourth album "Down to Earth" has a little bit of metal here & there but is still very much a hard rock record & shouldn't qualify for consideration here.
Checked out the 1979 self-titled debut album from France's trust this morning. It's certainly got a bit of metal about the guitar work but most songs sit better under the hard rock tag so it feels like more of an influence than a primary genre. The Van Halen influence is pretty major here.
Saxon's 1979 self-titled debut album is generally considered to be a NWOBHM record however the truth of it is that there's really very little metal on it with an AC/DC style hard rock sound being by far the dominant component. It shouldn't qualify for this exercise.
There's no metal to be found on the 1979 "Gordi 2" sophomore album from Serbia's Gordi. It's a progressive/hard rock record.
We have another successful entrant into our chronological list of metal releases in 1979's "From the Black World" one-off album from Japan's Nokemono. This was one of the more obvious candidates actually & I tagged as follows:
A1 Run Away - Speed metal
A2 Terrible Night - Heavy metal
A3 閉ざされた街 - Heavy metal
A4 失われた愛 - Heavy metal
A5 Big Wednesday - Hard rock
B1 From the Black World - Heavy metal
B2 Back Street - Heavy metal
B3 灰に消えた過去 - Progressive rock
B4 蟻地獄 - Heavy metal
B5 Run Away (Pt. II) - Folk
That saw it achieving a metal ratio of 72% & entering the chronological list at number 16.
Here are two more that I checked out yesterday:
Thin Lizzy's 1979 ninth full-length is pretty clearly a hard rock record with no metal included.
Quiet Riot's 1979 "Quiet Riot II" sophomore album is a glam/hard rock record with glam metal tendencies in parts. Nothing I'd be comfortable awarding a metal tag to though.
I'm not across Discord. Is the idea to have a written, audio or video interaction? Do you have an idea of what playlist content you see being interesting to our members?
OK, so let's really throw a cat amongst the pigeons then. I revisited Motorhead's classic 1979 "Overkill" sophomore album yesterday (my favourite of their studio albums) & can confidently say that it's got very little to do with metal. In fact, the only metal on the whole record is the double-kick drumming on the legendary opening title track which is significant enough in the way the song plays out to see it receiving a speed metal tag. The rest of the record is the very definition of rock 'n' roll though. The sheer volume of RYM votes for metal primaries on almost every track on the record is staggering to be honest. I dunno what these people think metal is but there's no theoretical basis for taking that position as far as I can see.
There is a touch of metal in “Another Piece of Meat” but nowhere near enough for a primary tag in my opinion. The pre-verse riff sounds like Guns ‘n’ Roses while the verse could well have been taken from a Whitesnake record. It’s only really a brief dalliance with bottom-string chugging at the end of the chorus that sits in metal territory so it’s just an influence rather than a senior player for mine.
I dunno where you’re hearing any metal in “Is There Anybody There?” though Andi. It’s just crunchy, open-string hard rock chords over reggae rhythms. Where’s the metal there?
Over the next few weeks you may notice some deathgrind releases losing their deathgrind tags. That's because I've finally gotten my way & will be removing the deathgrind subgenre from the database with all relevant releases being split into dual Death Metal & Grindcore tags. The reason for this is that deathgrind has never fit comfortably into our genre tree structure given that it can only reside in one genre. It's currently sitting under Grindcore but that simply doesn't sit well with me so we're gonna go with the same arrangement that's worked well for other hybrid subgenres like blackened death metal, progressive death metal & death/thrash.
*shivers at the prospect of manually adjusting over 500 releases one by one*
I revisited Scorpions' 1979 "Lovedrive" sixth album this morning & had my prior opinion validated as there's only two metal songs included here. It's a hard rock record with heavy metal influences in my opinion so unfortunately it's a "no cigar" result for yet another release from these Germans.
With a unanimous vote tally of YES 5 NO 0, I've decided to pass this old Hall of Judgement nomination & have changed the database to reflect the change. Thank you to everyone who contributed to a result that I feel is undeniably correct.
With a unanimous vote tally of YES 5 NO 0, I've decided to pass this old Hall of Judgement nomination & have changed the database to reflect the change. Thank you to everyone who contributed to a result that I feel is undeniably correct.
With a vote tally of YES 8 NO 3, my Hall of Judgement submission to have Black Sabbath's "Master of Reality" album added into The Fallen under the Stoner Metal genre has been passed. The database has been updated to reflect the change.
This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
Here's my review:
My earliest experiences with French black metal stars Blut aus Nord came through the tape trading scene of the mid-to-late 1990’s when I became exposed to their first two albums, both of which I really enjoyed. My self-imposed hiatus from the metal scene for pretty much the entirety of the 2000’s saw me almost completely forgetting about this band though & it wasn’t until Ben encouraged me to investigate their classic 2003 fourth album “The Work Which Transforms God” upon my return to metal in 2009 that my passion for Blut aus Nord was reignited & boy it was an exhilarating experience too. That record possesses a purity of darkness that few in the black metal scene can touch & it affected me on a deep enough level to see me flogging the album for months to come. Since that time though, I’ve found Blut aus Nord to be a little hit & miss with some of their releases falling a little flat & others reaching the higher stratospheres of the black metal air space. 2009’s seventh album “Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With The Stars” has always been one that I’ve taken very positively though, even if it perhaps doesn’t sit amongst my favourite Blut aus Nord records overall. I’ve returned to it several times over the years but have never afforded it the dedicated attention required for a well-informed review until now. Let’s take a look at what it’s all about.
Blut aus Nord releases inevitably possess their own unique characters & “Memoria Vetusta II” is no different in that regard. It contains some really big positives that drive its appeal but it also presents us with a couple of weaknesses that prevent the album from becoming the true classic it seems to have the potential to be on the surface. Unlike some of Blut aus Nord’s more experimental or avant-garde efforts, “Memoria Vetusta II” is noticeably more accessible & is unquestionably an atmospheric black metal record. It’s a lot more about producing ethereal soundscapes than it is about battering or intimidating the listener with its tone creating a calmer & more contemplative view of the world than a record like “The Work Which Transforms God” which was significantly darker. There’s a strong focus on melody here with the stunning guitar riffs combining with some subtly incorporated, almost angelic synthesizers to wonderful effect. In fact, the keyboard work sometimes reminds me of German ambient producer Gas with its soft, organic timbre beautifully intertwining with the guitar work to produce some quite vivid visuals. This is the real strength of “Memoria Vetusta II” as there’s an undeniable class about the way Vindsval creates his guitar parts & I find this element of the record to be infinitely impressive.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of things that detract a little from the strength of those components though. Firstly, the programmed drums sound weak & obviously artificial which goes against the more organic nature of the rest of the instrumentation. There are certainly those more industrially-tinged Blut aus Nord releases where the drum machine plays an intrinsic role in the atmosphere but here I find that it lacks the required cohesion with the rest of the instrumentation, a flaw that is only further highlighted by the fact that the bass guitar is so low in the mix that it’s almost redundant. Similarly, Vindsval’s grim black metal vocals reside quite a bit further back in the mix than I’d ideally like to see them sitting. This technique works really well for many of your more lo-fi & noisy black metal artists but here I find myself consistently wishing they were a little further towards the front so that they could compliment the clear strength in the guitar work. Sadly, this was not to be & I’ll have to take “Memoria Vetusta II” for what it is. Let’s not sit here dwelling on what-if’s though because this is still a damn fine black metal record in its own right.
The nine-song tracklisting is a wonderfully consistent collection of material that flows very nicely together, despite containing a few interesting deviations from the standard atmospheric black metal model. My pick of the bunch is actually the ambient/dungeon synth intro piece “Acceptance (Aske)” which puts me into a lovely warm & meditative state before the black metal assault firmly jolts me to attention. The more traditional black metal numbers are all very solid with "....The Meditant (Dialogue With the Stars)" & "Antithesis of the Flesh (...And Then Arises a New Essence)" being the most significant compositions in my opinion. The well-executed clean folk guitar piece “Translucent Body of Air (Sutta Anapanasati)“ works very well to break up the album while instrumental closer “Elevation” is also worth mentioning as it's comfortably my favourite of the metal tracks. I love the way that it manages to transcend the black metal genre through the use of repetitive, melodic motifs which wash over the listener. It’s a stunning way to finish what was already a highly rewarding hour of black metal.
Look, perhaps “Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With The Stars” isn’t the career-defining masterpiece that so many black metal fans seem to claim it as these days but it is a damn fine record nonetheless & one that I can’t see disappointing too many extreme metalheads, at least once they’ve given it a few spins & accepted the initially distracting drum programming. I have to admit that this was an obstacle for me on each occasion that I’ve revisited “Memoria Vetusta II” over the years but those feelings of hesitation inevitably fade once I became reacquainted with the obvious quality in the guitar hooks. There are three or four Blut aus Nord releases that I’d reach for before “Memoria Vetusta II” when I feel like a fix of high-class French black metal but there’s no doubt that it’s a record of substance that needs to be heard in an underground scene that’s so chock full of followers. These guys clearly fit into the category of leaders & their influence on not only their local scene but the international one is beyond question.
For fans of The Ruins of Beverast, Akhlys & The Eye.
4/5
Despite Lucifer's Friend, Night Sun, Scorpions & Mass all producing the odd metal track prior, this 1979 debut album is where you can find the true birth of German heavy metal. Well.... in truth it's more of a hybrid of heavy metal & hard rock but there's easily enough genuine metal material to warrant a dual tag. Here's how I tagged the album:
A1 Lady Lou (3:03) Heavy metal
A2 Tired of Me (3:14) Heavy metal
A3 Seawinds (4:29) Hard rock
A4 Take Him in My Heart (3:29) Hard rock
A5 Sounds of War (4:35) Heavy metal
B1 Free Me Now (3:00) Speed metal
B2 Glad to Be Alone (5:12) Heavy metal/Hard rock
B3 That's Rock 'n' Roll (2:53) Hard rock
B4 Helldriver (2:42) Hard rock
B5 Street Fighter (3:28) Hard rock
That amounts to a metal ration of 53% overall & sees "Accept" taking up the number 15 position in our chronological list of genuine metal releases:
Thanks for the heads up Rex. When we contemplate the addition of a new subgenre we usually ask ourselves a few key questions:
1. Are there people that like the main genre but dislike this particular strand of it & vice versa? If so, then it gives us a reason to differentiate it from other stands of the main genre i.e. allow people to isolate it in searches.
2. Is the subgenre different enough from its parent genre to demand its own tag? Is it easily identifiable?
3. Is it easy enough for us to determine which releases should reside under this new subgenre tag if we were to implement it?
I've actually spoken to Ben about wanting this subgenre for the site in the past as I think it fits the criteria for question 1 & 2. We weren't in a position to implement it at the time though as it would have been too hard to figure out which releases to add to it without actually listening to them all which is obviously not an option. I'll speak to Ben about this & we'll see if we feel like moving forwards with it. If we do, it likely won't be for some time as we'd want RYM to do the hard work for us by firming up which releases should be added & which shouldn't. We'd definitely want to see more than a couple of votes before determining a release should qualify as we don't want to be perennially changing our tagging.
One thing this move would do would eliminate the necessity for dissonant black metal releases to reside in The Infinite which seems to be quite common.
"Revelator" is on the long list of releases that I've spent some time with but haven't gotten around to rating or reviewing as yet Andi but I'm planning on taking the opportunity to rectify that this month off the back of your feature release nomination. The Amenta are arguably my favourite Sydney (i.e. where I lived my whole life until two years ago) band & have been for many years now so I've tended to follow them fairly religiously.
I revisited the 1979 self-titled sophomore album from Liverpool outfit Marseille today. There's certainly a little bit of metal here & there but I couldn't help but, more often than not, it's presented in a glam metal format. In fact, I'd suggest that this sounds so much like Motley Crue that it seems almost impossible that they didn't borrow their sound from Marseille. It's a glam metal record with hard rock influences for mine & is certainly not a NWOBHM release in my opinion.
FYI: From next month the new The Horde playlist track submission limit will be 30 minutes for each of the four nominators after irunak James-Lee has elected to take part.
FYI: The new The Fallen playlist track submission limit will be 40 minutes for each of the three contributors since irunak James-Lee has decided to take part.
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.
This week's experiences with our July The Revolution clan feature release have seen me having to reassess the top end of my Top Ten Metalcore Releases of All Time list with Unbroken's "Life. Love. Regret." album shoving its way into the top of the list at the expense of Rorschach's "Protestant" which has dropped out the bottom:
01. Converge – “All We Love We Leave Behind” (2012)
02. Unbroken - "Life. Love. Regret." (1994)
03. Converge – “Axe To Fall” (2009)
04. Converge – “You Fail Me” (2004)
05. Loathe – “I Let It In & It Took Everything” (2020)
06. Converge – “When Forever Comes Crashing” (1998)
07. Between The Buried & Me - “Colors_Live” (2008)
08. Snapcase - "Progression Through Unlearning" (1997)
09. Every Time I Die – “Radical” (2021)
10. Converge – “Jane Doe” (2001)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/178
Here's my review:
I’ve been meaning to get around to checking out San Diego metalcore outfit Unbroken for a long time now. I don’t mind me a bit of 1990’s metalcore on occasion & these guys seem to be known as one of the more prominent examples of that sound so I had a funny feeling that they might be something I’d dig. Their 1993 debut album “Ritual” seems to receive generally positive feedback but it’s Unbroken’s classic 1994 sophomore album “Life. Love. Regret.” that receives the bulk of the attention so let’s see if it warrants the lofty praise that is inevitably heaped upon it then.
Unlike many of the more widely celebrated metalcore releases, “Life. Love. Regret.” doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, instead taking a tried & tested direction that lives or dies by its attitude & authenticity. Thankfully though, it has both of those attributes in spades which has no doubt pleased the hardcore purists to no end. The relatively short 35 minute album doesn’t try to be anything that any good hardcore band shouldn't aspire to be. The production job is fairly raw but is still chunky & heavy while the performances are left pretty loose with no attempt having been made to clean up any timing concerns. Those things simply don’t matter all that much when it comes to hardcore music. It’s a more about the visceral urges they inspire in the listener & a general lack of fucks being given.
From a musical point of view, “Life. Love. Regret.” might as well be a guidebook for new players on what 90’s metalcore was all about really. Simple yet crunchy power chord-driven riffs? CHECK! Mosh-worthy breakdowns? CHECK! Angry & aggressive screamed vocals? CHECK! Occasional post-hardcore experimentation? CHECK! In saying that though, there’s an honesty & integrity about this music that places it above the sum of those tick boxes. There’s a purity in Unbroken’s sound that I find to be really easy to buy into. It didn’t quite sink in on first listen but I found myself liking this record more & more with each revisit & that has a lot to do with its consistency as the quality of the song-writing as it rarely dips below the really solid platform that’s set right from the offset with only “Blanket” feeling a little less essential even if it still generally enjoyable.
The two elements that drive this album are its clear points of strength. The riffs are the first of those components with Unbroken seemingly rewriting the manual on metallic hardcore crunch. I can easily imagine how intense this band would have been live because these anger-fuelled guitar parts seem to have been born for mosh pit mayhem. As a guitar nut myself, I found it hard not to buy into Unbroken’s selling point in that regard as I live for the sort of amplifier reverberation they possess in spades, even if the riffs are kinda basic a lot of the time & aren’t exactly performed with precision. The other major highlight can be found in the vocals of front man Dave Claibourn who steers away from that gurgly hardcore tone that I’ve always found to be a little weak by giving himself a little more of a natural sound. It gives his stories of life on the streets some added believability & he does a fantastic job at drawing the listener in through sheer fire & vitriol. In fact, it’s hard to deny that he’s the major calling card for the album overall & I’d suggest that he’d have to one of the more appealing hardcore vocalists out there.
A four-star rating was always on the cards from the first second I pressed play on “Life. Love. Regret.” to be honest as it stays predominantly at that level throughout its nine songs. While “Blanket” may have seen the quality curve dipping just a touch, the biggest talking point for the album comes in the form of a total game-changer that sits right at the end of the tracklisting. The nine-minute epic “Curtain” is nothing short of a devastating, tension-building beast of a track that I’d suggest should rightfully sit amongst the absolute elite examples of the metalcore genre. Its use of repetition & dynamics to draw the listener in from both a physical & cerebral perspective is astounding & I’ve found it hard not to allow my passion for this one piece to dictate my feelings on the holistic package to tell you the truth. I genuinely feel sorry for people that don't have the patience to connect with a piece like this one.
Despite the lengthy classic that dominates the B side though, I still can’t see “Life. Love. Regret.” as a classic release. Essential? Oh definitely, particularly if you’re a die-hard metalcore or hardcore fan. But I don’t think the majority of the album is different enough for it to command the loftier scores in my ratings system. Perhaps I’ve simply come to it a little late in the game but I can’t help but feel that “Life. Love. Regret.” doesn’t really do anything terribly different to a lot of metalcore release. Perhaps Unbroken are the source of all of that in the first place though? I dunno but what I can say is that I’ve rarely heard a better example of this type of music than this record & I can easily see why those metalheads with a stronger affiliation with the metalcore genre than I would tend to gush over it as I’ve been surprised at just how much I've enjoyed the experience.
For fans of Rorschach, Starkweather & Racetraitor.
4/5
I checked out 1979's "The Soundhouse Tapes Part 2" E.P. from NWOBHM band Praying Mantis this morning but found no metal whatsoever. It's purely a hard rock record.
I just investigated the 1979 "A golpe de látigo" sophomore album from Spain's Ñu. There's a little bit of metal there but nothing like the proto-folk metal claims seem to indicate. It's primarily a progressive rock record with hard rock & progressive folk influences in my opinion.
Seance - "Saltrubbed Eyes" (1993)
If you follow my reviews fairly religiously then you're probably aware that I recently reinvigorated my deep passion for Swedish death metallers Seance through their 1992 debut album "Fornever Laid to Rest", a record that I've always regarded as being nothing short of an undiscovered classic. "Fornever Laid to Rest" played a really big role in my teenage years. In fact, the title of that album is fairly reflective of my interactions with my dubbed cassette copy of the album back in 1992/93 so it's fair to say that I was royally pumped when I heard news of a second Seance full-length shortly afterwards. I quickly sought it out through my tape trading network before giving it a good ol' thrashing, convinced that it would see the Swedes reaching unparallelled heights. Sadly though, it never quite managed to achieve the sort of adoration I'd heaped on its predecessor, somehow failing to captivate me in quite the same way even if I'd maintain my respect for what was undeniably a classy outfit. I've returned to "Saltrubbed Eyes" quite often over the years which is a clear indication of its quality but, for one reason or another, I've still felt that it should rightfully reside in the shadows of its more relentless & shackle-free predecessor. This week I decided to uncover just why that is &, in doing so, see where Seance's second album sits in terms of the early 90's death metal explosion overall.
"Saltrubbed Eyes" is the product of a mature & capable group of musicians who clearly knew their shit when it came to the underground extreme metal scene. The level of musicianship & the sophistication in the compositional work is top notch which marked Seance as a band that had the potential to reside in the top tier of the genre for an extended period. The band were obviously satisfied with the results of their first studio effort as they opted to return to Malmö's Berno Studios for another session with producer Berno Paulsson who was still fairly unknown at the time but would go on to a long career off the back of his work with Seance. Rightly so too as "Saltrubbed Eyes" sounds really good with each instrument jumping out of the speakers with rare ferocity, particularly the bass guitar which has benefited from one of the most powerful bass tones I've heard in many a year. The arrangements are also very well constructed, this time offering noticeably more variation than "Fornever Laid to Rest" which rarely took its foot off the accelerator.
For those listeners that are already well acquainted with Seance's debut, it shouldn't take you long to realise that "Saltrubbed Eyes" is clearly not "Fornever Laid to Rest II". While there's still plenty on offer for those that were converted by the unbridled savagery of Seance's earlier work, the Swede's sophomore effort has added some additional components to the mix which gives it a noticeably different feel & also sees it creating its own well-defined identity. The faster material ("Soulerosion", "Skinless", etc.) still holds plenty of reward for old school fans & will undoubtedly command a similarly primal response but "Saltrubbed Eyes" contains a lot more in the way of dynamics & is a little more measured in its assault on the senses. I've always felt that "Fornever Laid to Rest" was largely built on the influence of the American death metal scene which was a little unusual for a Swedish band given the huge impact of the Entombeds & Dismembers that were making such enormous inroads into the global metal market at the time. "Saltrubbed Eyes" sees Seance adopting some of that crunchier Swedish sound & combining it with the American one in a best of both worlds approach that seems to work for them for the most part. But that's not the only new addition as there are quite a few simpler, groovier & more rhythmically inclined death metal riffs included on the album which sometimes sees me making comparisons with a band like Gorefest. The influence of "Reign in Blood"-era Slayer is very easy to identify during the higher tempo passages, particularly in the guitar solos of Tony Kampner & Patrik Jensen who at times border on Kerry King/Jeff Hannemann fanboyism. As with the debut, the monstrous & ultra-gutteral death growls of Johan Larsson are one of the highlights of the album & I'd definitely suggest that he was one of the better exponents in the scene at the time.
You can't really fault Seance in terms of consistency as "Saltrubbed Eyes" maintains a really solid level of quality right across its nine-song tracklisting. It's perhaps no surprise that the groovier title track does a little less for me than the rest of the material but it's still an entertaining listen, mainly because I'll always have time for a professionally produced & executed product like this one. The album is clearly missing the genuine highlights of its older sibling though with even the best material falling short of achieving classic status. As is often the way with me, it's the more aggressive & high velocity inclusions that hit me the hardest with the barbaric cacophony of "Skinless" coming the closest to reaching my Hall of Metal Glory. There's always something missing here though & I've struggled to put my finger on exactly what it is which has left me accepting that it's probably just that the songwriting isn't quite as engaging as the more youthful & care-free collection of death metal tunes I enjoyed so much only a month ago. I'd also suggest that I'm not quite as into the stylistic changes that Seance have taken, preferring the more consistently high-tempo & physically battering approach of "Fornever Laid to Rest". Please don't take these thoughts as a negative impression of "Saltrubbed Eyes" though because it's still a high-quality death metal record in its own right & one that has given me a lot of enjoyment over the last few days.
I honestly can't see "Saltrubbed Eyes" disappointing too many open-minded death metal fans even if it doesn't quite meet the same lofty standards set by its predecessor. If you can imagine a record that combines the vicious US death metal of Deicide, the hard-hitting, crunchy Swedish death metal of Grave, the mid-tempo grooves of Gorefest & the blistering shredding of Slayer then you'll get a fairly accurate image of what to expect & the reality is as good as that sounds on paper too. There's no doubt at all that Seance should have been much bigger than they were which has always baffled me. If anything that only provides an added incentive to jump onboard with a high-quality underground release like this one though, doesn't it?
For fans of Deicide, Malevolent Creation & Grave.
4/5
I revisited the 1979 "First Investment" debut album from Birmingham's Money yesterday but, despite it often being claimed as an early NWOBHM release, found no metal whatsoever. It's a hard rock record with progressive rock influences as far as I can see.
The 1979 "Recept za Rock 'n' Roll" double album from Bosnian trio Vatreni poljubac has a legitimate claim to being a hard rock/heavy metal hybrid & I feel should qualify for inclusion here with a metal ratio of 50%. I haven't been able to identify a release date as yet so I may need to take a punt on exactly where to place it in the list.
Ben, please add Vatreni poljubac's 1979 sophomore album "Recept za Rock 'n' Roll".
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.
Here are the feature releases nomination owners for August:
THE FALLEN: Ben, irunak James-Lee, Daniel
THE GATEWAY: Andi, Saxy
THE GUARDIANS: Karl, Xephyr
THE HORDE: Daniel, Karl, irunak James-Lee, Ben
THE INFINITE: Saxy, Andi, Xephyr
THE NORTH: irunak James-Lee, Daniel, Ben. Karl, Xephyr
THE PIT: Daniel, Ben
THE REVOLUTION: Andi, Daniel
THE SPHERE: Daniel, Andi
July 2024
01. Slugdge – “Slave Goo World” (from “Esoteric Malacology”, 2018) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
02. Vomitory – “The Dead Awaken” (from “Opus Mortis VIII”, 2011) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
03. Malevolent Creation – “Multiple Stab Wounds” (from “The Ten Commandments”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]
04. Immolation – “Those Left Behind” (from “Dawn of Possession”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]
05. Asphyx – “Diabolical Existence” (from “The Rack”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]
06. PainKiller – “Warhead” (from “Guts of a Virgin”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]
07. The Chasm – “Storm of Revelations” (from “Procession to the Infraworld”, 2000) [Submitted by Sonny]
08. Comecon – “Omnivorous Excess” (from “Megatrends in Brutality”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
09. My Dying Bride – “Erotic Literature” (from “As The Flower Withers”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
10. Pungent Stench – “Games of Humiliation” (from “Been Caught Buttering”, 1991) [Submitted by Sonny]
11. Autopsy – “Destined to Fester” (from “Retribution For The Dead” E.P., 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]
12. Pestilence – “Twisted Truth” (from “Testimony of the Ancients”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]
13. Adramelech – “As The Gods Succumbed” (from “Psychostasia”, 1996) [Submitted by Sonny]
14. Unleashed – “Before the Creation of Time” (from “Where No Life Dwells”, 1991) [Submitted by Sonny]
15. Fuming Mouth – “Timeless” (from “Daylight Again” single, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
16. Convulse – “Incantation of Restoration” (from “World Without God”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]
17. Bolt Thrower – “Destructive Infinity” (from “War Master”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]
18. Hypocrisy – “Suffering Souls” (from “Penetralia”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
19. Ulcerate – “Drawn Into The Next Void” (from “Stare Into Death & Be Still”, 2020) [Submitted by Sonny]
20. Mithras – “Behind The Shadows” (from “Behind the Shadows Lie Madness”, 2007) [Submitted by Sonny]
21. Eternal Rot – “Devouring Purge” (from “Anatomia/Eternal Rot” split album, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
22. Atræ Bilis – “A Kingdom of Cortisol” (from “Aumicide”, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
23. Replicant – “Orgasm of Bereavement” (from “Infinite Mortality”, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
24. Critical Defiance – “All The Powers” (from “The Search Won’t Fall”, 2024) [Submitted by Daniel]
25. Vredehammer – “From The Abyss” (from “God Slayer”, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
26. Muldrotha – “Red in Tooth & Claw” (from “Red in Tooth & Claw” single, 2021) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
27. Defeated Sanity – “Generosity of the Deceased” (from “Disposal of the Dead/Dharmata”, 2016) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
July 2024
01. Striker – “Stand in the Fire” (from “Stand in the Fire”, 2016)
02. Motorhead – “Death or Glory” (from “Bastards”, 1993)
03. Mogul Blade – “Beneath The Black Sails” )from “Heavy Metal Wraiths”, 2024)
04. Stratovarius – “Götterdämmerung (Zenith of Power)” (from “Stratovarius”, 2005)
05. Anthem – “Night Stalker” (from “Gypsy Ways”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]
06. Flower Travellin’ Band – “Kamikaze” (from “Kamikaze” single, 1971)
07. Bang – “Lions, Christians” (from “Bang”, 1971)
08. Traitors Gate – “Love After Midnight” (from “Devil Takes The High Road” E.P., 1985)
09. Buffalo – “Sunrise (Come My Way)” (from “Volcanic Rock”, 1973)
10. Sacred Reich – “I Never Said Goodbye” (from “Independent”, 1993)
11. Gaskin – “Handful of Reasons” (from “End of the World”, 1981)
12. Deep Purple – “Fireball” (from “Fireball”, 1971)
13. Van Canto – “Take To The Sky” (from “Hero”, 2008)
14. Powerwolf – “Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend” (from “The Sacrament of Sin”, 2018) [Submitted by shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
15. Girlschool – “Bomber” (from “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” E.P., 1981)
16. Blood Star – “No One Wins” (from “First Sighting”, 2023)
17. Stormtrooper – “Steamroller” (from “Armies of the Night” E.P., 1985)
18. The Sword – “Acheron/Unearthing the Orb” (from “Warp Riders”, 2010)
19. TOWER – “Lay Down The Law” (from “Shock To The System”, 2021)
20. HammerFall – “Natural High” (from Threshold”, 2006)
21. Rhapsody of Fire – “Holy Downfall” (from “Challenge The Wind”, 2024)
22. Triumpher – “I Wake The Dragon (Promachos)” (from “Storming the Walls”, 2023)
23. Solitude Aeturnus – “Seeds of the Desolate” (from “Beyond The Crimson Horizon”, 1992)
24. Unleash The Archers – “Seeking Vengeance” (from “Phantoma”, 2024)
25. Attic – “Synodus horrenda” (from “Return of the Witchfinder”, 2024)
July 2024
01. Frayle – “Darker Than Black” (from “1692”, 2020) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
02. Trouble – “The Beginning” (from “Run To The Light”, 1987)
03. Black Sabbath – “Electric Funeral” (from “Paranoid”, 1970)
04. Randy Holden – “Fruit & Icebergs” (from “Population II”, 1970)
05. YDI – “Get Out” (from “Black Dust”, 1985)
06. Flower Travellin’ Band – “Kamikaze” (from “Kamikaze” single, 1971)
07. Black Space Riders – “Black Part 1: Space is Back” (from “Black Space Riders”, 2010)
08. Los Natas – “Hombre de Metal” (from “Nuevo orden de la Libertad”, 2009)
09. Orange Goblin – “Round Up The Horses” (from “Thieving From The House Of God”, 2004)
10. Tad – “Nipple Belt” (from “God’s Balls”, 1989)
11. Culted – “Brooding Hex” (from “Oblique to All Parts”, 2014)
12. Sorrow – “Insatiable” (from “Hatred & Disgust”. 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
13. My Dying Bride – “The Return of the Beautiful” (from “As The Flower Withers”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
14. Anathema – “…And I Lust” (from “The Crestfallen E.P.”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
15. Couch Slut - “The Donkey” (from “You Couldn’t Do It Tonight”, 2024)
16. Bad Luck Rides On Wheels – “Le livre du ciel et du monde” (from “Semper Eadam”, 2020) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
17. Thou – “I Return as Chained & Bound to You” (from “Umbilical”, 2024)
18. Civerous – “Geryon (The Plummet)” (from “Maze Envy”, 2024)
Killing Joke – “Millenium” (from “Pandemonium”, 1994)
Earth Crisis – “Stand By” (from “All Out War” E.P., 1992)
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)
Enslaved – “Heimdallr” (from “Ygdrasill”, 1992)
Samael – “After the Sepulture” (from “Blood Ritual”, 1992)
Cradle of Filth – “To Eve the Art of Witchcraft” (from “The Principles of Evil Made Flesh”, 1994)
Aura Noir – “Conqueror” (from “Black Thrash Attack”, 1996)
Sorrow – “Unjustified Reluctance” (from “Hatred & Disgust”, 1992)
Embodyment – “Breed” (from “Embrace the Eternal”, 1998)
Nocturnus – “Mummified” (from “Nocturnus” E.P., 1993)
Séance – “Fornever Laid to Rest” (from “Fornever Laid to Rest”, 1992)
Solstice – “Netherworld” (from “Solstice”, 1992)
Mortification – “Scrolls of the Megilloth” (from “Scrolls of the Megilloth”, 1992)
Entombed – “Dusk” (from “Stranger Aeons” E.P., 1992)
Autopsy – “Dead Hole” (from “Fiend For Blood” E.P., 1992)
Dismember – “Soon to be Dead” (from “Pieces” E.P., 1992)
Anthem – “Fever Eyes” (from “No Smoke Without Fire”, 1990)
Faith No More – “The Cowboy Song” (from “Live at the Brixton Academy”, 1991) [No, this is not a live track]
My Dying Bride – “Gather Me Up Forever” (from “The Thrash of Naked Limbs” E.P., 1993)
Tiamat – “Undressed” (from “Clouds”, 1992)
diSEMBOWELMENT – “The Tree of Life & Death” (from “Dusk” E.P., 1992)
Cathedral – “Frozen Rapture” (from “Soul Sacrifice” E.P., 1992)
Burning Witch – “Warning Signs” (from “Crippled Lucifer”, 1998)
Solitude Aeturnus – “Beyond…” (from “Beyond the Crimson Horizon”, 1992)