Daniel's Forum Replies

Deathspell Omega - "Si monvmentvm reqvires, circvmspice" (2004)

French black metal legends Deathspell Omega may not have clicked with me immediately upon first impressions but they’ve certainly made up for lost time, having gone on to become my favourite modern black metal band for many years now. Admittedly, those first impressions were based on 2010’s extremely dissonant “Paracletus” album which is a hell of a lot to take in for the uninitiated old-school extreme metalhead. It wouldn’t take long for its wonders to open up to me though which saw my affections taking a drastically upward curve, particularly once I discovered Deathspell Omega’s unbelievable array of E.P.’s, many of which would soon sit amongst my black metal records of choice. With all of the talk about their brilliant avant-garde & dissonant material though, it's easy to forget that this band began as a more traditional black metal outfit who was still more than capable of competing with the big boys & their 2004 third full-length “Si monvmentvm reqvires, circvmspice” is a prime example of that.

Now, it’s probably worth noting that my first experiences with “Si monvmentvm reqvires, circvmspice” were taken a little out of context as I’d already flipped out over later & more ambitious works like “Kénôse”, “Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeternum: Chaining the Katechon”, “Mass Grave Aesthetics” & “Fas – Ite, maledicti, in ignem aeternum”, all of which set an incredibly high benchmark. It’s interesting that I didn’t find myself struggling to connect with “Si monvmentvm reqvires, circvmspice” on the same level though, perhaps because the album takes a much more familiar route via a traditional black metal style that’s somewhat similar to Norwegian icons Immortal a lot of the time. Or maybe it’s that you can very easily see the roots of the band’s fully developed signature sound in this release which is still of an undeniably high quality. I’d suggest that it was probably a bit of both but there’s honestly nothing stopping you from appreciating this record as a solid black metal album in its own right because it’s exceptionally consistent in its delivery.

“Si monvmentvm reqvires, circvmspice” presents thirteen tracks that offer quite a bit of variety without ever deviating from the black metal template. It has to be said that its 77 minute duration is certainly overly ambitious though & I feel that it could have done with a fair bit of culling. In fact, there’s enough elite level material here to have created a genuinely classic 40-45 minute black metal release as the highlights are nothing short of superb. The production job sits well within the confines of the trademark sound Deathspell Omega have built for themselves over the years as it’s cripplingly dark & dense with the powerful drums & Clandestine Blaze/Stabat Mater mastermind & Fleshpress drummer Mikko Aspa’s croaky Abbath-style vocals being the protagonists. The musicianship on display is exceptional as always with former Hirilorn guitarist Hasjarl’s riffs already showing regular signs of the angular approach he’d take on later releases & my beloved blast-beats being performed with the utmost precision. Many of the tracks see wild changes in tempo taking place at various stages & there’s a case for saying that some of the material sounds a little pieced together but you’ll rarely see a moment of respite from the blasphemic atmosphere that pervades the album & this is only further enhanced by the use of religious chants & the sophisticated lyrics which Aspa delivers over the blackened chaos that surrounds him. There’s a supreme confidence in everything Mikko does that never fails to draw me in as he simply seems to know extreme metal music as well as anyone you’ll encounter.

So how does “Si monvmentvm reqvires, circvmspice” compare with Deathspell Omega’s more widely praised & inherently creative material then? Well it’s certainly not inferior in any way. In fact, I’d probably take it over their 2007 follow-up album “Fas – Ite, maledicti, in ignem aeternum” if pushed & it’d just sneak into my top five for Deathspell Omega’s back catalogue overall. The reason I’ve hesitated to reach for my more elite scores goes back to my comments on the length as I find it to be fairly excessive. I mean, what real purpose does closer “Malign Paradigm” serve for example? Is it a weak track? No, it’s actually pretty enjoyable when taken in isolation but its positioning at the end of the tracklisting sees it sounding a little out of place in terms of both style & production, not to mention the fact that it's clearly the least apealling of the thirteen tracks included. The tracklisting would have been much better off ending on the blasting masterpiece that is “Drink The Devil’s Blood” in my opinion. In fact, there are five tracks that I'd happily tag as being genuine black metal classics which is certainly impressive but when you’ve gone for thirteen tracks (none of which are interludes) then you’re always going to risk diluting the overall effect of your best material. Still… I don’t think Deathspell Omega are capable of producing anything that’s not both highly engaging & astoundingly professional so it’s very hard to be too critical. If you enjoy bands like Blut aus Nord, Aosoth & Abigor then chances are you’ll really dig “Si monvmentvm reqvires, circvmspice” too.

4/5

US power metal from California, USA.

I haven't checked out any of King Gizzard's releases since 2019's very solid "Infest the Rats' Nest' album. That release is consistently labelled with the thrash metal tag but I didn't hear much in the way of genuine thrash to be honest. It was more of a stoner metal record in my opinion. Is this one more obviously a thrash album?

A very solid mid-80's traditional doom metal number from Californian heavy metal icons Cirith Ungol.

Mid-80's progressive metal from Seattle, USA.

Cirith Ungol - "One Foot In Hell" (1986)

My experiences with highly regarded Californian heavy metal legends Cirith Ungol have been fairly inconsistent over the years to tell you the truth. I struggled with their 1981 debut album “Frost & Fire” quite a bit, failing to understand the widespread appeal that seems to follow the band wherever they go. It was obviously a much more commercially focused offering compared to later releases though & I found the doomy, Black Sabbath-inspired 70’s atmosphere of their classic 1984 sophomore album “King of the Dead” to sit a lot closer to my musical sweet spot, even if there was far too much filler to see it becoming an essential release in my opinion. That album's more up-tempo material was significantly weaker than the slower, heavier tracks but I liked where Cirith Ungol were going with things so I always intended to follow-up on their 1986 third album “One Foot In Hell” at my earliest availability. Well, I’m afraid that earliest availability has ended up being six or seven years later now but better late than never as they say.

“One Foot In Hell” was Cirith Ungol’s first record with legendary US metal label Metal Blade & I was led to believe that this had resulted in a stronger production job based on the consensus drawn from other people’s reviews. I don’t see it personally as the release has clearly maintained a pretty rough-&-ready, live-in-the-studio aesthetic that kinda buys into Cirith Ungol’s retro-cool vibe, particularly during the more proggy moments where we find the band reaching out into jam territory. There are a lot fewer of those moments than I was expecting here though with the band opting to explore a more straight-forward sound for the most part. There isn’t as many touches on genuine doom metal as I’d hoped here with a good three-quarters of the tracklisting residing in more up-tempo heavy metal territory although when the band do opt to get their Sabbath on we find some of the best parts of the record, particularly on the crushing album highlight “Chaos Descends” but also on “Doomed Planet” to a lesser extent. The lone US power metal number “Blood & Iron” is also pretty strong though which is an indication that I’m simply into a heavier sound if I’m being honest about it.

The tracklisting isn’t the most consistent you’ll find with a few obvious fillers being chucked in amongst the eight tracks & the effects of that are accentuated by the short run time. In fact, much like Judas Priest’s heavily overrated 1977 “Sin After Sin” third album, “One Foot In Hell” is a great example of the "quality canyon" concept, only this time we see it having a greater effect on the overall result with a more than decent start & finish to the album being somewhat ruined by a very poor middle. “Nadsokor”, “100 MPH” & “War Eternal” all sit well below par in comparison to Cirith Ungol’s best material & the album sounds thrown together as a result. Apparently the band’s musical direction was heavily influenced by the label’s demands if we’re to believe the band’s reports & that may well be true because there are a few very simple Motorhead-style heavy metal tunes included that aren’t half as appealing as Cirith Ungol’s more expansive & challenging works. Perhaps it’s that divisive front man Tim Baker simply can’t pull this shit off but I don’t think that’s entirely fair as the song-writing sounds pretty flimsy & lacking in inspiration while Tim at least maintains a level of street-cool that adds a little interest, even if he struggles to fit his wild howls over the top of some of the more accessible song structures. The longer tracks certainly offer more scope for the band to experiment with a few lengthy guitar solos offering some much needed respite.

I’ve been disappointed with “One Foot In Hell” as I expected more from such a highly regarded heavy metal record to be honest. I have no doubt that diehard fans will still enjoy it, as will those with a strong penchant for the more epic 80’s heavy metal acts like Manilla Road, Pagan Altar & Brocas Helm, but be warned that this isn’t half as epic or heavy a record as “King of the Dead” was & it’s not nearly as enjoyable either. I’d probably take it over “Frost & Fire” but not by much as neither are exactly my cup of tea.

3/5

Katalepsy - "Autopsychosis" (2013)

The slam death metal subgenre can be a jarring prospect for even the most hardened of death metallers at times. There are a number of challenges that you must first overcome if you're to connect with this super-extreme form of metal & I have to admit that, even though I’m no doubt Metal Academy’s resident slam death metal aficionado, I still find myself struggling with some of the acts that flaunt the subgenre’s less appealing characteristics in the most overt fashion. The tight, pinging snare drum sound, the ultra-deep, completely indecipherable vocals & the fairly generic slam breakdowns can all be pretty repulsive to the casual listener & I can certainly understand why, even if I’m able to look past these failings for the most part. This is what’s so great about the 2013 sophomore album from Russian five-piece Katalepsy as they’ve chosen to dilute or omit those elements to create a much more agreeable & palatable brand of death metal.

“Autopsychosis” sees Katalepsy drawing almost as much influence from my beloved brutal death metal sound as it does the slam one to be honest which is probably a major contributor to why I like it so much. Current 7.H Target front man Igor Filimontsev’s death growls may be unimaginably deep but they also maintain a monstrous quality that transcends the limitations of slam most of the time & are subsequently a more appealing prospect. The production job is very good indeed & there’s no sign of ping in the snare drum sound at all which is a significant relief to this particular extreme metal nut. The band also reach outside the confines of their chosen genre for inspiration at times, indulging in regular dalliances with the technical death metal subgenre along the way. The flashy burst of technicality may not be the most artistically creative undertakings you’ll find but they do add an additional layer of sophistication to a subgenre that can often sound more than a little dumb. There’s even a fairly melodic progressive interlude included which creates nice change of pace towards the back end of the tracklisting.

There’s a lot to like about “Autopsychosis” actually & it represents one of the better slam releases I’ve encountered. The slam elements don’t sit all that far away from my favourite artists from the genre like Pathology & fellow Russians Abominable Putridity while the more straight-up brutal stuff is in line with Cerebral Bore. You’ll do well to identify any sort of blemish in the tracklisting as the eleven tracks are all of roughly the same quality, making this an extremely consistent release that should tempt more than the odd extreme metal fan across into uncharted slam waters.

4/5

Here's my updated Top Ten Slam Death Metal Releases of All Time list which sees the Delusional Parasitosis/Ecchymosis/Dissevered/Bleeding split album being pushed out:

01. Pathology – “The Time Of Great Purification” (2012)

02. Abominable Putridity – “The Anomalies Of Artificial Origin” (2012)

03. Devourment – “Obscene Majesty” (2019)

04. Katalepsy - "Autopsychosis" (2013)

05. Devour The Unborn – “Consuming The Morgue Remains” (2012)

06. Disfiguring The Goddess – “Sleeper” (2012)

07. Pighead – “Rotten Body Reanimation” (2012)

08. Coprophiliac – “Whining Bitch Treatment” (2012)

09. Devourment - "Butcher The Weak" (2006)

10. Devourment - "Molesting The Decapitated" (1999)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/145

Heir Apparent - "Graceful Inheritance" (1986)

Seattle-based US power metal outfit Heir Apparent are one of those bands whose name you’ve seen floating around a lot in the metal scene over the years but who very few people you know have actually heard. They seem to have gained somewhat of a cult following for one reason or another but I wouldn’t have had the slightest clue about why before giving their 1986 debut album “Graceful Inheritance” (not a terribly metal title it has to be said) a few spins this week. Having spent a bit of time with it now I feel like I’m starting to get it though.

You see, Heir Apparent are the sort of metal band that appeals to the metal purists out there. They tick a lot of boxes as they’re unapologetically metal, possess some serious chops & are ambitious enough to draw in the prog crowd as well. I’m not sure I buy the whole “US power metal” thing though. One or two tracks of the thirteen tracks included are chunky enough to justify those sort of claims but the vast majority of “Graceful Inheritance” sits pretty close to Iron Maiden’s more progressive mid-to-late 80’s material & the production doesn’t see the album’s overall heaviness doing much to eclipse the NWOBHM in terms of aggression either with the guitar sound being fairly thin even if it is clear & effective. The traditional heavy metal tag would seem to be a btter fit for Heir Apparent in my opinion with three or four songs also meeting the criteria for legitimate progressive metal. I can only assume that it’s the higher register vocals that see people immediately making the connection to US power metal although the added weight of album highlight “Another Candle” & the fairly flat speed metal number “Nightmare” may also have contributed to this misconception.

There’s a general class about everything Heir Apparent do here with all three of the instrumentalists proving themselves to be very capable exponents of their craft. Guitarist Terry Gorle absolutely slays with a whole slew of impressive guitar solos & lead runs throughout the album while bassist Derek Peace (who would also feature on Savage Grace’s 1987 “Ride Into The Night” E.P.) makes full use of a Steve Harris-style position in the mix by showcasing his ambitious & creative technique. Front man Paul Davidson has a pretty good voice for this type of music too but I’m not sure you’d say he competes with the top tier. I could kinda take him or leave him to be honest but he’s not gonna disappoint too many fans of the classic heavy metal sound either.

There’s certainly enough quality on “Graceful Inheritance” to warrant investigation as it’s a very accomplished effort for a debut full-length to tell you the truth. One gets the feeling that Heir Apparent had been very active in honing their craft for the three years leading up to its recording as they offer a level of sophistication that very few US metal bands could match in the mid-1980’s. In saying that though, the song-writing is a little inconsistent as the album isn’t short of filler material, even if there’s nothing truly awful included. Those weaker moments tend to marry up with the occasions when Heir Apparent find themselves settling for more commercially accessible chorus hooks or simpler riff structures a lot of the time too as their strength is in their superior chops & expansive instrumental experimentation. Nonetheless, “Graceful Inheritance” is definitely worth a few listens for fans of Crimson Glory, Fifth Angel & Queensrÿche as it never sounds like the product of a band that deserves to drift off into the distance with very little fanfare.

3.5/5

Proggy US power metal from Seattle, USA.

This nomination has now been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

Are you saying that this release is a combination of heavy/power metal-based symphonic metal & melodic/symphonic death metal in roughly equal parts Andi? Just clarifying before I go to the effort of adding the Hall entry.

P.S. I've just added Symphonic Death Metal subgenre to the release as it qualifies based on our current criteria.

Anathema - "Serenades" (1993)

Nostalgia is a very powerful emotion. For an obsessive music fanatic like myself it can be so potent that it’s actually kept me from reviewing Liverpool doom/death legends Anathema’s debut album for far longer than it should have. You see, 1993’s “Serenades” (as well as ALL of Anathema’s other 1990’s material) had nothing short of a life-changing impact on my life at the time. There were some seriously hard times during that period of my life including death, drugs, unwanted pregnancy, abortion, adultery, etc. & Anathema represented a place for me to curl up in a ball, wallow in my sorrows, rejuvenate my strength & return to the world with renewed vigor. For this reason, I’ve found the idea of reviewing “Serenades” to be a highly daunting (if not impossible) task. I mean, how could I possibly do it justice? I was well aware that not all of this record was spectacular enough to warrant the five star rating I’ve dished out for it without a hint of hesitation over the years & it scared me to have to deal with that in a way. Perhaps I didn’t want to face a world where “Serenades” is just another record? I dunno but it’s time I overcame my fears in this regard though, if only to ensure that my Top Ten Death Doom Metal Releases of All Time list is a genuine portrayal of the quality of each release.

Ben & I discovered Anathema very early on in their recording career & I regard myself as being very lucky to have done so. 1992’s “The Crestfallen” E.P. was a marvellously atmospheric way to kick things off & saw the band taking huge strides forwards following a couple of crudely produced demo tapes that I picked up through the tape trading scene. Their debut full-length has proven to be much more divisive than the E.P. though & for reasons that I’ve always struggled to understand to be honest. My gut instinct tells me it’s been heavily down-rated by fans of Anathema’s later progressive/alternative rock releases which is a theory that’s pretty easy to believe although there are other factors that come have come into play too. Vocalist Darren White’s mournful death growls can be pretty tough going for those that don’t buy into the sheer hopelessness of Anathema’s depressive, mournful approach to doom metal while the inclusion of a 23 minute ambient piece at the end of the tracklisting is no doubt an insurmountable obstacle for your average metalhead. The album jumps around quite a bit stylistically too as it presents a number of disparate influences throughout its 66 minute runtime. None of these things have proven to be challenges for me personally though. In fact, I genuinely love all of those elements to tell you the truth.

The production job on “Serenades” is pretty dirty which is probably one of those love it or hate it things. Personally I think that the down-tuned guitars benefit from it as it adds to the mournful quality of the album. The rhythm section sounds natural though, particularly the drums which possess an organic depth. The performances are excellent all round with the Cavanagh brothers proving themselves to be the owners of true genius in the way they create complex melodic counterpoints that combine into one devastating harmonic result. This technique has been one that I’ve forever admired & few have ever come close to matching. When they get things just right they can build some truly transcendent & emotionally charged doom metal that reaches into my soul & tears my heart-strings to pieces. This has never been better highlighted than it is on “Sleep in Sanity” which is one of the greatest couple of doom/death tracks ever recorded. The re-recording of “They (Will Always) Die” (which was originally including on “The Crestfallen” as “They Die”) goes very close to matching it too with “Under A Veil (Of Black Lace)” completing a trio of astoundingly high quality examples of their type. The gentle acoustic ballad “J'ai fait une promesse” is just as strong with female singer Ruth Wilson’s sweet tones making me feel like I’m drowning in honey while the epic ambient closer “Dreaming: The Romance” is incredibly well written & executed for a metal band. As an avid fan of ambient music, I have to say that it’s remarkable that Daniel Cavanagh has been able to pull off a work as fully realised & consistently engaging as this monster piece which sees me melting into my environment in a state of satisfied relaxation to cap off what is an immensely important record in my life.

Is “Serenades” the perfect record I always wanted it to be? Well, no I don’t think it is as I can’t say that I genuinely "love" tracks like “Sleepless” & “Where Shadows Dance”. I’ve always found it funny that easily the most popular track on “Serenades” is also it’s clear weak point in my opinion. The gothic rock-inspired “Sleepless” has become a very popular anthem for the band over the years (in part due to its accompanying video clip) but if you look closely you’ll find it to be one of the least significant moments on the album. The clean vocals sound sloppy, the structure is very basic & the more up-tempo metal riffs are not half as compelling as when Anathema reach deep inside of themselves to draw out the darkest memories of the most shattering parts of life. Regardless of what era of Anathema’s back catalogue I explore, they have an uncanny knack for making me feel things that no other metal band can & I can’t see that changing any time soon. "Serenades" offers more of those moments than most as it's built around some incredible highlights. You really need to buy into what Anathema are selling if you’re going to reach their gooey centre though as their complexities are not as obvious as that of their peers who generally don’t reach as far when it comes to structural complexity. If you go nuts for bands like Katatonia, Paradise Lost & My Dying Bride then I implore you not to be put off by the undue criticism of “Serenades” because it’s one of the more special doom/death releases you’ll find. It sits more than comfortably alongside the star-studded back-catalogue of one of the most important bands in my life.

4.5/5

Here's my updated Top Ten Death Doom Metal Releases of All Time list with "Serenades" dropping down a few places:

01. diSEMBOWELMENT – “Transcendence Into The Peripheral” (1993)

02. Cavurn - "Rehearsal" demo (2017)

03. My Dying Bride – “Turn Loose The Swans” (1993)

04. The Ruins Of Beverast - "Exuvia" (2017)

05. Anathema – “Serenades” (1993)

06. Anathema – “The Silent Enigma” (1995)

07. Winter - "Into Darkness" (1990)

08. My Dying Bride – “Symphonaire Infernus Et Spera Empyrium” E.P. (1992)

09. Evoken - "Quietus" (2001)

10. Katatonia – “Brave Murder Day” (1996)

An early example of the stoner metal sound from this Canadian heavy metal outfit featuring plenty of "Vol 4" era Black Sabbath influence..

I opted to go with all clans & included some that I'd heard a little bit of before but had never committed to intense scrutiny:

01. Akhlys - "The Dreaming I" (2015)

02. Dead Congregation - "Promulgation of the Fall" (2014)

03. Oranssi Pazuzu - "Mestarin kynsi" (2020)

04. Lucid Planet - "Lucid Planet II" (2020)

05. Scarcity - "Aveilut" (2022)

06. Ode & Elegy - "Ode & Elegy" (2022)

07. Altarage - "Succumb" (2021)

08. Nehëmah - "Requiem Tenebrae" (2004)

09. M.S.W. - "Obliviosus" (2020)

10. Esoteric - "A Pyrrhic Existence" (2019)

Gulasch666, have you checked out the Hall of Judgement as yet? It's where we assess the validity of a release's existing clan & genre assignment. We have a number of Hall entries that are close to being finalized so feel free to have your say on where these releases end up residing.

https://metal.academy/hall

I agree that "Rage For Order" is a progressive metal record Andi. I'd also suggest that it's not even close to a traditional heavy metal release so if this nomination is successful I'll be submitting an additional Hall entry to have it removed from The Guardians.

Queensrÿche- "Rage For Order" (1986)

Washington progressive metallers Queensryche became a reasonably big deal in my life around 1990/91 after I stumbled over a couple of songs from their fourth album “Empire” on a late-night metal radio program. I’d quickly go about purchasing the album on CD only to find that it wasn’t as consistent as I’d hoped & relied pretty heavily on those songs that I’d grown to love. Nonetheless, I would soon find myself investigating the band’s now legendary 1988 concept album “Operation: Mindcrime”, a release that commands the respect of any self-respecting metalhead, & it would unequivocally seal the deal for me. My extreme metal affiliations would prove to be too strong for me to spend much time with Queensryche’s earlier material for many years though. In fact, it wouldn't be until Ben & I were running the Metal Academy podcast back in the mid-2010’s, at which time I’d conduct an extensive deep-dive into the 1983 self-titled E.P. & 1984’s debut full-length “The Warning”. Despite being their first proper release, the E.P. served more as a transitional record in my opinion as you can easily see the band moving from a more traditional heavy metal outfit into a more expansive & progressive one across the course of the fours songs. It was still a very solid release though & I thoroughly enjoyed it for its accomplished execution & overall professionalism. “The Warning”, on the other hand, represents perhaps the first genuine progressive metal release & saw Queensryche starting their upward trajectory towards their creative peak in “Operation: Mindcrime”. Sure, there were other releases that saw bands mixing heavy metal with progressive rock influences but none had done it as cohesively in my opinion. And this brings us to Queensryche’s highly praised sophomore album “Rage For Order”, a record that I’ve somehow managed to overlook for all these years.

“Rage For Order” sees Queensryche taking the sound they’d created on “The Warning” to it’s next logical step in what can only be described as a clinical display of classy progressive metal music. The production job is a piece of art in itself as there’s so much packed into it & It'd be remiss of me not to at least entertain the idea that it could be a touch overproduced. This element in itself could be cause for putting off some of your more traditional metal fans as this a very expansive record. The Rush influences that floated around “The Warning” in the shape of rhythmic complexity have perhaps been toned down a touch but the layering & adventure has only been accentuated which makes “Rage For Order” quite a varied & ambitious undertaking. Much like the albums either side of it, it’s baffling that RYM members have tagged it as a Heavy Metal release because it’s certainly not. This is about as Progressive Metal as Progressive Metal gets so NWOBHM fans should think twice before approaching it with the expectation of Iron Maiden worship.

The musicianship on show is nothing short of superb with glistening clean guitar arpeggios, wonderfully melodic guitar solos & inventive drum fills appearing like an everflowing stream & being further highlighted by an array of external influences that give each song its own unique identity. Front man Geoff Tate puts in a masterclass of virtuosic, operatic heavy metal singing & is the clear highlight, particularly those stunning harmonies. As with the earlier Queensryche releases though, I can’t quite see myself reaching the upper echilons of my rating options & it comes down to the consistency of the song-writing. Don’t get me wrong, there are some truly magical tracks included on “Rage For Order”. “The Killing Words” (my personal favourite) & “Screaming In Digital” build into some of the most transcendant pieces of progressive metal I’ve ever encountered & “London” isn’t all that far behind them but these highlights are balanced out with filler tracks in roughly equal measure. There’s nothing weak here mind you but I can’t say that I get anywhere near as much out of material like “Walk In The Shadows”, “The Whisper”, “Surgical Strike” or “I Will Remember”. It’s only Queensryche’s undeniable class that sees them able to pull off some of those songs to be honest.

Regardless of the album’s inconsistencies, I still think it was Queensryche’s best release to the time & have found it to be a thoroughly rewarding experience. They’d take things even further with their next release “Operation: Mindcrime” of course however I’d go so far as to say that I place “Rage For Order” in second place as far as Queensryche’s discography goes these days. Fans of Fates Warning, Crimson Glory & Savatage’s shouldn’t let this one pass them by.

4/5

Classy mid-80's progressive metal from Washington USA.

US power metal-inspired Canadian heavy metal from 1986.

Power Trip - "Nightmare Logic" (2017)

There’s something to be said for limiting your scope & focusing on execution rather than experimentation & Power Trip’s 2017 sophomore album “Nightmare Logic” is a prime example of what can achieved by taking that approach. I first encountered it shortly after release & was blown away within seconds of the first track kicking off due to the stunning quality of the production & performances. You see, the Dallas-based thrashers don’t try anything remotely different here. They simply nail the shit out of the classic thrash metal model & present it in a wonderfully energetic & vibrant fashion.

Power Trip may have begun life as a crossover thrash outfit but “Nightmare Logic” sees them veering well & truly over towards the thrash side of that equation on this occasion. The aggressive hardcore-style vocals of Riley Gale (R.I.P.) are still one of the major drivers in the Power Trip sound & I find them to be very effective indeed but the instrumentation is more in line with that of Toxic Holocaust, Nuclear Assault & particularly Exodus. There are still certain sections that take a punky route but those parts inevitably line up with the less significant moments on the album so they don’t play anywhere near as important a role as classic thrash does in the grand scheme of things.

The musicianship on show here is phenomenal, despite the band staying well within their limitations & focusing on a tried & true style of metal. The rhythm guitar work is as tight as you’ll find in thrash & benefits from the brilliant production job which is the best I’ve heard in a long time. The real heroes of the record are the rhythm section though, particularly drummer Chris Ulsh who proves himself to be a powerful & talented skinsman. I’d suggest that Chris has spent a decent amount of time at the Dave Lombardo School of Thrash Drumming too as he does a fantastic job at highlighting what were already some fantastically thrashy riffs. The tendency for Power Trip to get a little simplistic & generic in their riff structures is certainly a valid observation but the execution of the band as a tight-knit unit is so on the money that I find it really hard not to get into those moments nonetheless. I can probably take or leave the guitar solos as they're more serviceable than they are dazzling but they serve their purpose nonetheless.

There isn’t technically a weak track amongst the eight on offer but it has to be said that “Nightmare Logic” is a top heavy record because the quality of the A side is much stronger than the B side. In fact, I’d argue that all of the four tracks on the A side are better than the remaining four, particularly the two true thrash metal classics in “Soul Sacrifice” & “Firing Squad” which unapologetically slay this old high-school thrasher. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy the latter part of the album by any means though so this shouldn’t be regarded as any sort obstacle for your appreciation of what is one of the better modern thrash records you’re gonna find. “Nightmare Logic” well & truly lives up to the hype as far as I’m concerned & I’d suggest that some of our members should give it a second chance because it seems to be a little bit underrated in these parts in my opinion.

4/5

Sword - "Metalized" (1986)

Canadian heavy metallers Sword weren’t exactly a household name around my parts when I was a kid but they seem to have gone on to build a strong following over the years, mainly off the back of their 1986 debut album “Metalized”. I’d certainly been aware of it for many years but had never considered actually exploring it until recently when a couple of very well informed Twitter accounts that I follow started frothing about it. I wondered whether I’d been missing out on an underground gem of sorts so I decided to add it to this month’s playlist.

The early moments of “Metalized” left me feeling a great deal of hope that it might actually be the underground gem I’d been led to believe it is with opening cut “FTW – Follow The Wheel” being the highlight of the album. The production job is remarkably chunky for a mid-80’s debut release & the band’s approach is unapologetically metal with a strong focus on some genuinely heavy riffs & flashy, well-constructed guitar solos which appeals to me greatly. Vocalist Rick Hughes is a very talented front man too so all of the ingredients were there to see “Metalized” justifying the hype. Sadly though, it wasn’t quite able to follow through on its early promise with a consistently impressive tracklisting.

You see, despite the fact that “Metalized” ticks all of my boxes from a sound & performance perspective, the song-writing simply isn’t strong enough to see the album fulfilling its potential. The opener “FTW” is certainly a great way to kick off the record but we don’t see another genuine highlight until the middle of the B side with the very solid heavy metal number “Where To Hide” being a particular favourite of mine. The rest of the album is generally pretty enjoyable with only the very dumb glam metal number “Stuck In Rock” being a clear failure but unfortunately I don’t think that any of the other tracks manage to reach the top couple of tiers of the heavy metal ladder. There is an appropriate level of variety on offer to be fair though. Sword’s main sound is heavily influenced by the US power metal scene with Metal Church, Jag Panzer & Armored Saint appearing to be amongst the major influences but you’ll also find the odd track that changes things up a bit like the Accept-ish “Stoned Again” with its hard rock beats & tempo or closing number “Evil Spell” that sees Sword drawing upon Black Sabbath's "Vol 4" album in what could only be described as an early example of the stoner metal genre. “Outta Control” even takes things up a notch to the speed metal velocities so you won’t get bored through any lack of ambition.

At the end of the day though, there’s a reason that the tier on heavy metal acts have never been matched & it comes down to song-writing. There have been many talented challengers who have taken aim at the stardom of the Iron Maiden’s, Judas Priest’s & Motorhead’s over the years but rarely have they been able to be matched from a pure memorability point of view. Sword are a prime example of this as their sound makes me really WANT to love them but I'm eventually forced to accept that their debut album is more of an also-ran than a genuine contender.

3.5/5

A doomy, Black Sabbath-inspired French heavy metal number from 1986.

Revenge - "Behold.Total.Rejection" (2015)

I came across Canadian war metal solo act Revenge a little late in the game due to my decade-long defection from metal but caught up fairly quickly after my head was unceremoniously removed & stuffed down my neck by James Read’s 2001 “Attack.Blood.Revenge” debut E.P. upon returning to the scene in 2009. That moment of clarity saw me rushing through Revenge’s back catalogue & I’ve kept across their releases ever since. 2015’s “Behold.Total.Rejection” is probably Revenge’s most well-known record though & is arguably their most highly regarded full-length too but I’d never given it the time required to be able to reach a well-informed rating or review until now, perhaps due to the nature of the war metal subgenre itself given that it’s not the sort of thing that requires any sort of deep introspective thinking. I've tended to use the subgenre predominantly for short, sharp shots of adrenaline over the years which is a role that this record is very well equipped to achieve.

On paper, “Behold.Total.Rejection” should really tick all of my extreme metal boxes. It’s unapologetically underground in its approach, it’s relentless in its savagery & it’s as dark as the deepest abyss. Drummer & sole member Read (also of Canadian extreme metal acts Axis of Advance, Blood Revolt, Conqueror & Kerasphorus) takes no prisoners whatsoever as he showcases his power & endurance behind the kit & spits out his lyrics in a manner that’s nothing short of evil. His blast beats are really quite tight for a war metal release. That sort of technical proficiency has never historically been all that high on the agenda for war metal acts with most skinsmen preferring to instil an aura of pure chaos rather than focusing too hard on their timing. Here we see him once again joined by Axis of Advance/Blood Revolt/Sacramentary Abolishment/Weapon guitarist Vermin who has handled all of the guitar & bass duties in a session capacity on many of the Revenge releases & does a pretty good job at it once again too. The guitars are heavily down-tuned in the standard war metal fashion & produce a dark hum that remains intelligible throughout the album which is a nice change from some of Read’s other projects like Conqueror.

The Canadian war metal scene has always possessed a strong grindcore influence & that’s never been as obvious as it is here with the early goregrind sound of Carcass being the main source of inspiration. The use of vocoded vocals is particularly reminiscent of the Liverpool trio but can be a bit annoying if I’m being honest. I’ve never been a fan of artificially enhanced vocals in my metal & this album goes a long way to highlighting why to tell you the truth. It’s the clear weak point of the record for mine. You’ll also notice a Celtic Frost influence in the slower riffs which harness the simplicity & heaviness of Tom G. Warrior’s approach to his instrument to great effect & act as a great foil for the remainder of the record which is unanimously high-paced.

“Behold.Total.Rejection” certainly doesn’t pull any punches in belting the listener around the head but there’s not a lot of substance to it to be honest. I usually go nuts for this sort of thing but this example seems to be missing a layer of musicality in its execution. There’s no doubt that it’s a pretty brutal experience but the vocals often don’t quite gel with the instrumentation & the riffs aren’t consistently special enough to see me regarding this release as essential listening when compared with other Canadian war metal records such as Conqueror’s “War.Cult.Supremacy”. I guess you could say that I like the idea of this record more than I do the reality. Still… it certainly serves its purpose & I can’t see too many Conqueror, Blasphemy or Damaar nuts not having a lot of fun with it.

3.5/5

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

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

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

03. Teitanblood - "Death" (2014)

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

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

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

07. Conqueror - "War Cult Supremacy" (1999)

08. Blasphemy - "Blood Upon The Altar" demo (1989)

09. Revenge - "Behold.Total.Rejection" (2015)

10. Blasphemy - "Gods of War" (1993)

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

It's great to meet you Gulasch666. We're a very tight-knit yet completely inclusive little community here at Metal Academy so we always love being introduced to new people who share our passion. Please feel free to be as involved as you like in the site activities. There are a couple of fun monthly activities that you're welcome to become involved in with our clan-specific Spotify playlists & feature releases. If you'd like to be involved then let me know & I can make the arrangements. If not, then I hope you enjoy the site & are always here to help you with any questions you may have.

I don't think that front cover is all that bad Daniel. I've certainly seen a LOT worse.

Ben, I think you mean "Daniel, I find those women attractive even though the one on the left looks like Ozzy Osbourne."

German heavy metal from 1986.

Yeah, I can't blame you for struggling with those gorenoise & cybergrind tracks (or the subgenres in general really) Sonny. I don't include those subgenres every month as they're just so niche. I only toss in the occasional tracks here & there to ensure a consistent coverage of all The Horde subgenres. I'm not sure that I can believe that there are people out there who claim one of those as their favourite subgenres but I recently had a bunch of people on Twitter getting very passionate & heated (read: condescending & aggressive) when I criticized a cybergrind release so you never know. I think I might be the only Metal Academic that can tolerate slam death metal. I can easily understand why people might not find it appealing though so let's just call it a guilty pleasure.

Blood Duster are nothing short of an Australian metal institution. It's against the law not to like them over here. Their sense of humor is stereotypically Australian so it wouldn't surprise me if some outsiders simply don't get it.

Stormwitch - "Stronger Than Heaven" (1986)

I first encountered German heavy metallers Stormwitch during my research for the Metal Academy podcast back in the mid-2010’s with their 1984 debut album “Walpurgis Night” being the release in question. It wasn’t awful but didn’t offer much more than poorly produced & executed NWOBHM worship, often crossing the line into Iron Maiden plagiarism at times. I got the feeling that the best may yet to come from Stormwitch though, particularly given the consistent praise I'd seen dished out for their 1986 third album “Stronger Than Heaven”, so I penciled it in as one to investigate in the future. That future may have ended up being many years later but here we are. Let’s see what Stormwitch at the peak of their powers sounds like, shall we?

Well, the production job is certainly better than the crude, distortion-drenched debut which is certainly a positive but the music is still pretty unintimidating & melodic, a little too much for my taste to tell you the truth. It’s a very German record in that regard. The Maiden worship is still present but it’s been toned down a little & we’re starting to hear the building blocks of the European power metal movement with some almost poppy choruses & a focus on a more epic atmosphere creeping in at times. That may mean that Stormwitch are starting to mature & find their own sound but they’re also drawing a little further away from my taste profile & I have to say that I preferred it when they were simply copying their NWOBHM idols if I’m being completely transparent.

The lead guitar work has improved remarkably in the two years since the debut as we now see Lee Tarot pulling off some much flashier solos that often represent the high points of some of the songs. Front man Andy Aldrian is serviceable enough but I still can’t say that I see him competing with the big boys of the heavy metal genre. He’s certainly got enough chops to pull off a memorable chorus or two though. The problem is that there aren’t very many decent ones here with album highlight “Slave To Moonlight” being the only one of the eight tracks with strong enough song-writing to see him being given the chance. The rest of the album simply falls a bit flat without ever descending into the genuinely horrible. Some tracks ruin some solid lead-up work with a dull chorus while others simply veer too close to power metal excess for me to really take seriously.

I’m surprised at just how popular “Stronger Than Heaven” is to be honest, especially given just how awful it’s front cover is. I can only imagine that it’s received more attention than it’s worth due to it’s influence on the early German power metal scene. I haven’t read anywhere that that was the case though. It’s just a hunch I’ve got as the band’s sound seems to possess many of the traits that we’d see popping up from Stormwitch’s countrymen in the coming years. It’s far too clean-cut an album for my taste though & if pushed I’d probably take “Walpurgis Night” over it which isn’t much of an endorsement for its quality & appeal. I'm sure that fans of bands like Sortilege, Oz & Running Wild will likely disagree with me though so if that sounds like you then you may find a lot more appeal in "Stronger Than Heaven" than I have.

3/5

Mid-80's progressive thrash metal from Canada.

What is it about the production job that you find tedious Andi?

I'm not suggesting that we create another difficult multi-clan hybrid subgenre in post-black metal Andi. That would only make the problem worse. I'm actually suggesting that we move in the opposite direction by removing the atmospheric sludge metal subgenre from the database. The Metal Academy database is setup in a way that every subgenre has to be attached to a single genre. This creates a couple of logistical headaches with a subgenre like post-sludge which commands a place in two different clans by its very definition. Deathgrind also suffers from this to a lesser extent as both genres are a part of the same clan but you still can't add the deathgrind subgenre to a release unless it has the grindcore genre. It won't work with the death metal one which annoys me.  This is part of the reason why we've never added subgenres like progressive death metal or blackened thrash. Those releases are simply a part of two separate genres which reside in two separate clans. I actually think that's the simplest way to handle things & I wonder whether that's what we should do with post-sludge too so that releases that are sludgy enough to be a part of The Fallen can have the Sludge Metal genre attached & those that are more closely affiliated with post-metal can go with just a single clan. 

This nomination has left me once again pondering over the Atmospheric Sludge Metal (or Post-Sludge Metal as I like to call it) subgenre in the Metal Academy database. "Cosmic Doom Ritual" seems to me to be both so clearly aligned with the atmospheric sludge metal style but also so appropriately grouped under The Fallen at the same time (as well as The Infinite of course). It leaves me wondering whether all of our debate about which clan post-sludge releases should rightfully sit under was wasted time & that we may actually be better off doing away with the subgenre altogether & simply tagging things as Sludge Metal, Post-Metal or a combination of the two. It'd certainly solve the problem of which clan should rightfully have ownership of the subgenre. And why should sludge metal be the only genre to receive a full-time post-subgenre when others like black metal don't? Thoughts on this guys?

Suffocation - "Suffocation" (2006)

How good are favourite bands then? In fact, I’d go so far as to say that I quite often enjoy my favourite bands more than other bands which is interesting, isn't it? They just seem to appeal to me a little more for one reason or another & New York death metal legends Suffocation have been the long-time leader of that pack as their sound & technique is simply so in tune with my own view on what extreme music should be. I’ve made no secret about the fact that Suffocation’s classic period is about as good as metal gets for me personally but what makes them sit in such a prominent position in my affections is the quality of lesser known releases like this one, the second full-length after their solid return to the scene through 2004’s “Souls To Deny” album.

The general consensus around 2006’s self-titled record has always baffled me to be honest. Sure, it doesn’t try anything terribly new & tends to reside primarily in realms that Suffocation had built for themselves more than a decade earlier but it just does what it does so fucking well guys. I truly believe that the only difference between a merely decent Suffocation release & a truly mind-blowing Suffocation release is the quality of the production job because I don’t think they’re capable of writing anything that’s not ridiculously strong. They sit way too far above the competition for that.

And when I say “they” I’m really talking about chief song-writer Terence Hobbs & front man Frank Mullen because they’re the only band members to have stayed the entire course yet Suffocation continue to churn out records that… well… sound exactly like Suffocation. Unlike the AC/DC’s of the world though, I find that I can not only handle another helping of exactly the same shit as Suffocation have dished up several times before but I go back for triple helpings. A lot of the reasoning behind that can be attributed to the fact that bands of this ilk simply don’t come around very often. There’s a class about Suffocation that literally no one can touch, including the highly regarded peers that they’re generally compared with like Dying Fetus, Cryptopsy & Nile. The incredible knack for balancing brutality & complexity within their riff structures could have come from no one else & those twisted yet highly expansive chromatic guitar solos are a clear trademark (check out the lengthy one that makes up the entire mid-section of "Abomination Reborn" for an example of one of Terence’s best). Despite my close affiliations with the brutal death metal scene, I've always preferred a bit of intelligibility in my death grunts too & Mullen is the best example you'll find as he somehow manages to achieve monstrous savagery while still allowing the listener to understand the message behind some pretty imposing lyrical content (see "Entrails of You" for example).

If we take a look at the self-titled album in a little more detail though, the first thing that’s worth mentioning is that (unlike “Souls To Deny”) they’ve got the production right this time. As soon as I heard that I knew that I was in for a devastating journey & indeed that’s what I received. Short, hellish intro track “Oblivion” is perfectly suited to introducing the annihilation that’s to come with opener “Abomination Reborn” being one of the band’s most brutal offerings & highlighting powerhouse drummer Mike Smith’s incredible strength & endurance in no uncertain terms thanks to an ultra-heavyweight drum sound. It’s a great way to kick off the record. Things settle down for a few tracks from there with some solid & muscular outings that don’t disappoint but can’t quite match the dizzying heights of their opener. By the time we hit the midpoint of the tracklisting though, order has been well & truly restored with four of the next five songs being elite examples of the brutal death metal subgenre, particularly “Translucent Patterns of Delirium” (my personal favourite) & “Regret” which are nothing short of perfect in my eyes. The album closes with the now obligatory rework of a song taken from Suffocation’s poorly produced “Breeding The Spawn” record in “Prelude To Repulsion” which easily manages to eclipse the original version. It does sound just slightly out of place here though as it’s both a lot more consciously technical & a touch less chunky & brutal than the other nine proper songs.

At the end of the day, I can’t imagine why any true Suffocation or brutal death metal fan wouldn’t completely flip out for this stuff to tell you the truth. Some tracks have less impact than others but the highlights are so strong that I’ve found it hard not to continue to return to this release repeatedly over the 14 years since I first encountered it. Does it compete with the band’s classic period releases? You know what, it might not be a match for Suffocation’s most accomplished & ultra-premium works (“Pierced From Within” & the “Despise The Sun” E.P.) but I wouldn’t place it too far behind classics like “Effigy of the Forgotten” & the “Human Waste” E.P. if I’m being completely honest. I think some of that comes down to the fact that those releases don’t sound quite so fresh these days due to the unmitigated flogging I’ve given them over the years as well as the slightly more polished & modern sound that the self-titled benefits from but don’t let this one pass you by if you have even a passing interest in this band or in brutal/technical death metal in general.

4.5/5

Mid-80's heavy metal from Canada.

Mid 80's progressive metal from Canada.

This nomination has now been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

Helloween - "Judas" single (1986)

This hugely popular single was released between the German power metal icon's hugely popular 1985 debut album "Walls of Jericho" & the first of their two classic "Keeper of the Seven Keys" records in 1988. It features one new studio song in the speed metal focused title track which I quite like & is backed by two live cuts from the "Walls of Jericho" album in "Ride The Sky" & "Guardians". I've always enjoyed "Ride The Sky" & regard it as one Helloween's best tracks, perhaps once again due to it being more of a Metallica-inspired speed metal number than a power metal one. The same can't be said for "Guardians" though which is one of the earliest examples of the European power metal sound. It's admittedly a little more palatable here than it is in its studio form but still manages to ruin the whole release for me with its cheesy chorus & tacky guitar harmonies. Oh well.... what did I expect really. I'm my own worst enemy at times. 

3/5

Sacred Blade - "Of The Sun + Moon" (1986)

The sole proper release from Canadian metal band Sacred Blade seems to have become somewhat of an underground classic over the years although this is my first time experiencing it for myself. I’ve always found the idea of this record intriguing as it’s generally regarded as one of the earlier examples of genuinely progressive metal to surface from the global scene along with other mid-80’s releases from bands like Fates Warning, Watchtower, Queensryche & Siren. I’ve read next to nothing about the finer details of the release over the years though so I had no idea of what to expect going into “Of The Sun + Moon”.

Sacred Blade went with a four-piece line-up for their debut full-length with front man Jeff “The Pilot” Ulmer also handling a number of instrumental bits & pieces including percussion & keyboards. Their sound is quite varied & I’m tempted to describe it as combining the progressive metal of Fates Warning with the US power metal sound of Crimson Glory only the prog comes from more of a prog rock direction than a prog metal one in a similar way to early US heavy metallers Legend. The guitar work is a touch more aggressive than any of those bands though, occasionally veering into speed metal & thrash metal territory. Now, when I say “progressive” I don’t mean “technical”. I’m really referring to Sacred Blade’s more expansive take on the heavy metal sound with lots of creative elements being thrown into the mix to provide additional highlights above & beyond the usual US power metal trappings. For example, there are a number of short(ish) interludes that veer away from metal as well as plenty of acoustic guitar flourishes & interesting layering of instrumental parts.

It's pretty clear that Sacred Blade are capable musicians on the evidence here but what’s also evident is that they weren’t exactly cashed up because the performances aren’t amazing. The skill sets are obvious but there are a number of mistakes that have been left in, presumably through a lack of the required studio time to redo them. The production job is actually really good for the time though & Sacred Blade generally sound pretty heavy. Their Achilles Heal is certainly in the vocal department though as Ulmer simply can’t sing to put it bluntly. “Of The Sun + Moon” could potentially have been a pretty awesome record if not for his off-key inadequacies which have been placed surprisingly high in the mix too. I’m shocked that the producer wasn’t aware of this failing & didn't try to hide it a little by pushing him back in the mix a touch. I mean, those attempts at high-register Rob Halford screams in “Salem” completely ruin it for me. Thankfully the tracklisting ends with what I regard as it's two best inclusions with heavy metal number "In The Light of The Moon" possessing the hooks to overcome Ulmer's limited range & lengthy (& perhaps not surprisingly mostly instrumental) progressive metal closer "Moon" being my clear album highlight.

All things considered, “Of The Sun + Moon” offers some really ambitious & creative US power metal style heavy metal that could have been something really special with a little more attention to detail. As it is though, I still find it to be an interesting listen, just not one that I can see myself returning to due to the vocal deficiencies. It would seem that many people are able to look past those in claiming the album to be a genuine 80’s metal classic though which I find hard to fathom.

3.5/5

Here's my review:

I’ve certainly been aware of Los Angeles death metallers Apparition since this release saw the light of day a couple of years ago & have been meaning to give it the attention required to develop a firm opinion on it ever since so it’s great to finally have the opportunity gifted to me via this month’s feature release nomination. You see, Apparition certainly sound like my cup of tea on paper. Dank & swampy sound? Tick! Underground integrity? Check! Decent production & performances? Uh-huh. Capable song-writing? Yep! But sometimes all of those things strangely don’t amount to a positive experience for one reason or another. Everything just needs to gel & thankfully that’s what happens with “Feel” because I’ve really enjoyed the ride.

Let’s get one thing straight. Apparition don’t try to reinvent the wheel in any way, shape or form. You won’t find anything that you haven’t heard before on “Feel” & the more elite death metal acts have arguably done it better too. But if you love the darker, doomier end of the death metal spectrum then you’re probably unlikely to care much about the lack of originality anyway because Apparition know what good death metal should sound like & have managed to reproduce it here.

The descriptions of the album as sitting between your classic death metal sound & the doom/death subgenre are accurate although there’s little doubt that Apparition sit far closer to the death metal side of the equation with Incantation being a pretty reasonable point of comparison. There’s a measured feel to the riffage though that sees the band never taking off into relentless blast-beat territory. Instead we find them staying relatively within themselves & focusing on tight, chunky, memorable riffs. Do they succeed? Well yeah… for the most part. There are certainly a few brief missteps along the way but the majority of this stuff is highly enjoyable. I do have to admit though that I prefer it when Apparition get their doom on, particularly when they add a touch of atmosphere like they do with the inclusion of some subtle keyboards at the end of the wonderful album highlight “Nonlocality”.

Apparition’s sound is as much the drawcard as the actual songs though to be honest as they’ve been very successful at replicating that grimy graveyard atmosphere that all members of The Horde should be able to relate to. The vocals of drummer Andrew Morgan are deep & monstrous while the guitars of Jnut (who is also in Californian crossover thrash outfit Dead Heat) & Deadbody axeman Miles McIntosh are very tight & opt to slowly engulf the listener rather than brutally assault you. These are very positive attributes for a death metal-based release so, despite a couple of the six tracks not being all that amazing, I can’t say that I’m ever left feeling that there’s a noticeable blemish on the consistency of the tracklisting so I don’t think there’ll be too many disappointed fans of doomy death metal walking away from “Feel” with a negative impression. Apparition know what they’re doing & they do it well. There’s no progressive wankery or expansive experimentation going on here. It’s a death metal for death metal’s sake affair & I for one have no problem with that at all.

4/5

Sortilège - Larmes de héros (1986)

My previous experiences with premier French heavy metal outfit Sortilège have never been very enjoyable to tell you the truth. I spent a fair bit of time with their supposedly classic 1983 self-titled E.P. & their 1984 debut album “Métamorphose” back in the mid-2010’s as a part of my research for the Metal Academy podcast but discovered that I struggled to connect with either. I found the overly theatrical French-language vocal delivery of front man Christian Augustin to be quite a challenge at times (particularly when he bordered on power metal schmaltz) while the song-writing could verge on the cheesy at times too. They certainly weren’t the heaviest or most aggressive of metal bands either so the result of the exercise was that I ended up placing Sortilège in the “none of my business” box alongside bands like Anvil, Helloween & Loudness. Admittedly, the more complex song-structures of “Métamorphose” did show more promise than the blatant NWOBHM worship of the E.P. though so the completist in me could never quite shake the feeling that perhaps Sortilège’s highly regarded 1986 sophomore album “Larmes de héros” would be the one that finally saw my eyes being opened to the wonders that the rest of the global metal scene were already so aware of. So here I am… leaving myself open & vulnerable… the fate of my morning at the mercy of five mysterious yet highly capable French chaps.

You know what though? “Larmes de héros” ain’t half bad if I’m being honest. The added technicalities of “Métamorphose” have been left behind in favour of a stronger focus on song-writing which sees Sortilège reaching a new level of maturity in my opinion. There are still a few obvious filler tracks included but, unlike the band’s previous efforts, the wins easily outweigh the losses & I’ve been left with a positive feeling overall. The weaker moments definitely line up with the more up-tempo & generic NWOBHM inspired material while the best tracks are clearly the ones where Sortilège slow things down a bit to give them more room to move with Augustin’s undeniable vocal talents reaping far more reward with a little space around him. Just check out his stunning harmony work in “Quand un aveugle rêve” for example. Or try to stop yourself from banging your head during the doomy Black Sabbath inspired album highlight that is “Marchand d'hommes”. Not to mention the impeccable talents of lead guitarist Stéphane Dumont who can match it with the best shredders around.

So look, Sortilège is never gonna be one of my favourite bands but closing out my knowledge of their big three releases has proven to be a worthwhile experiment. “Larmes de héros” may not possess a glossy high-budget production job but the song-writing is strong enough to overcome the fact that the rhythm guitars sound thin & are too far back in the mix. Don’t be put off by the lacklustre opener “La hargne des tordus” or the very ordinary “Mourir pour une princesse” or “La huitième couleur de l'arc-en-ciel”. Have some faith & give the record time to dig its claws in. You may just find that it offers some quality heavy metal, particularly if you dig NWOBHM-influenced heavy metal artists like Ostrogoth, Stormwitch or fellow Frenchmen Blasphème who all tap into a similar vibe.

3.5/5

Red Temple Spirits - "Dancing to Restore an Eclipsed Moon" (1988)

An outstanding Los Angeles gothic rock/post post double album. A real find.

Here's my review:

I hadn’t actually heard of German doom/sludge metallers Hexer before this month’s feature release. Sonny has a habit of identifying interesting & ambitious underground acts in the depths of our The Fallen clan though so I went into the band’s 2017 debut album “Cosmic Doom Ritual” with a positive outlook & have been thoroughly rewarded for it too as it turns out. You see, Sonny & I share a passion for psychedelia & when combined with metal in subtle ways it can create a truly transcendental experience. These sort of records require a great deal of patience though as they rarely give up their full array of gifts without repeat listens. You really do need to be in the right headspace to allow yourself to be engulfed by the swirling atmosphere as repetition is used as a basic building block of the composition & the hooks aren’t always obvious.

After coming fully to grips with “Cosmic Doom Ritual” over the last couple of days, I’ve come to the realisation that Hexer have fooled many people because the use of the word “doom” in the album title has led most online resources to claim the album as doom metal. In reality though, the tone is much more abrasive & the vocals are a lot harsher & more aggressive than you would usually expect from doom which sees the release aligning itself pretty clearly with sludge metal. The use of slowly building post-rock song structures & stripped-back atmospherics is far in excess of what you will find on a conventional sludge release though with the band taking a more textured approach & steering away from the standard riff-fest. For these reasons, I see “Cosmic Doom Ritual” as a post-sludge metal release with references to stoner metal in the psychedelics. It’s very similar to another one of Sonny’s favourites in MSW’s “Obliviosus” in that way & I’m pleased to have discovered that it’s just as successful in the endeavour too. The Ufomammut references that some of you have mentioned are certainly relevant too. There are some faster blasting sections utilised at times only in more of a hardcore context than a death metal one although the vocal delivery does occasionally edge a little closer to the border of death/grind than most sludge front men dare. If I’m being particularly picky I’d probably suggest that the vocals are the weakest component of the album to tell you the truth but thankfully the instrumentation is so engaging that it’s not all that relevant a point. The bass tone is of particular note as they’ve managed to nail that full yet inherently dirty sludge sound to a tee.

“Cosmic Doom Ritual” consists of three lengthy tracks, all of which are of a high quality & possess their own unique character traits which is an important element of any great record. The second track “Pearl Snake” is the real classic of the three & was the deciding factor in me awarding the album one of my elite scores. The way that track builds & develops through various different timbres & atmospheres is phenomenal & inevitably leaves me feeling exhilarated. The other two inclusions are both strong though with the post-rock sections being particularly well executed so I’ve been really pleasantly surprised by this record. I’d recommend it to all members of The Fallen & The Infinite with a taste for a psychedelic metal sound.

4.5/5

Here's my review:

I’ve been following Australian extreme metallers Nocturnal Graves for some time now, particularly since seeing them play live in support of Mayhem & Watain back in 2014 where they thoroughly impressed me. The Aussie scene is known for producing bands that tip toe along the borders of all three of the major extreme metal genres (i.e. death metal, black metal & thrash metal) with the state of Victoria arguably being the epicentre for that sound. Many of the bands from that region tend to share members & it’s not hard to connect all of them together if you put your mind to it so Nocturnal Graves stem from a long line of seminal artists & possess an imposing pedigree of their own. You can easily hear that in their sound too as they clearly know what it is that made the legendary bands of our youths so great.

Nocturnal Graves is really the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Jarro Raphael who handles the vocals, rhythm guitars, bass & drums on “An Outllaw’s Stand”, the band’s fourth & latest full-length album. Jarro cut his teeth drumming in a couple of other prominent Aussie extreme metal bands in Destroyer 666 & Destruktor before heading off on his own. He’s joined here by a couple of talented lead guitarists in Denouncement Pyre main man Decaylust & current Razor of Occam & former Destroyer 666 & Adorior axeman Shrapnel who I had the pleasure of partying with back in 1996 when he was still one of K.K. Warslut’s sidekicks. The three of them make for an imposing trio & have produced one seriously underrated & high quality record here.

Nocturnal Graves are generally tagged as blackened death/thrash & you can easily see why upon first listen to “An Outlaw’s Stand” however I’d argue that the links to thrash are misguided on this occasion which makes the album an uncomfortable fit as a feature release for The Pit. There are certainly some thrash influences here & there but this is much more of a blackened death metal record in my opinion with the two primary genres sharing the spotlight in roughly equal measure. Perhaps the links to thrash come from the similarities in approach to Sweden’s Witchery & fellow Aussie bands like Destroyer 666 & Vomitor whose blackened sounds are more heavily infiltrated by classic thrash but personally I’d suggest that there’s a lot more Sadistic Intent & particularly early Morbid Angel in Nocturnal Graves sound than there is the thrash metal of Slayer. At times they even hint at the war metal of Bestial Warlust which can’t be a bad thing now, can it?

On paper this sort of stuff should really appeal to someone like myself & I’m very pleased to advise that “An Outlaw’s Stand” delivers on it’s promise with a metal-at-all-costs onslaught of darkness & chaos. There are blast-beats aplenty to accompany some seriously evil blackened vocals & a plethora of Trey Azagthoth-inspired lead guitar work that steals the show from the band leader on this occasion. You’ll do well to find a record that’s more inherently metal than this one as it ticks all of the boxes. Unfortunately it’s perhaps not quite sophisticated enough to be competing with the top tier though, despite having created a mighty maelstrom of an atmosphere. I think Raphael sometimes keeps the beats fairly simplistic in the interest of underground credibility & the results are a little mixed without ever losing momentum. The lead guitar tone seems to have been consciously aimed at replicating that classic Morbid Angel sound with ample use of wah pedals having been employed in the interest of bringing some additional tension & fire to the game. I have to say that it’s worked marvelously well too.

“An Outlaw’s Stand” is an undeniably underground record for those who remember what the scene was like in the late 1980’s & early 1990’s. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, instead electing to borrow their components from the true greats & presenting them in their own way. It works unanimously well too although I have to question the programming of the tracklisting given that the two best tracks on the album are left right to the end. It certainly leaves me wanting more but wouldn’t it have been a better option to place one at the start in order to give the record an added push right from the offset? I would have thought so. Still… it defies all logic that RYM currently has this release sitting at an average of 3.1/5 after almost 200 ratings. Are we listening to the same record??

4/5

Here's my revised Top Ten Deathcore Releases of All Time list in the wake of this week's feature release review:

01. Impending Doom – “Baptized In Filth” (2012)

02. Slice The Cake – “Odyssey To The West” (2016)

03. The Contortionist – “Exoplanet” (2010)

04. Suicide Silence – “The Black Crown” (2011)

05. Born Of Osiris – “The Discovery” (2011)

06. As They Burn – “A New Area For Our Plagues” E.P. (2009)

07. The Acacia Strain – “Wormwood” (2010)

08. As They Burn – “Aeon’s War” (2011)

09. Impending Doom – “The Serpent Servant” (2009)

10. Alice Through The Windshield Glass – “Brutalis Australis” (2012)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/179

Here's my review:

I’ve probably mentioned this in a previous review or two but the treatment of the extremely divisive subgenre of metalcore known as deathcore was one of the original catalysts for me being passionate enough to pursue the Metal Academy cause. I’m not saying that I absolutely love the subgenre by any means but its almost unanimously poor treatment amongst the more elitist end of the metal underground has always been something that's urked me, apparently enough to make me want to make a stand about it too. You see, there’s simply not much wrong with deathcore when compared with other more respected genres of extreme metal. The main gripes with it are around it’s genericism & lack of sophistication yet those same critics will then go off & rave about the next old-school Carcass clone which defies all logic. At the end of the day I just want fairness & equality for everyone in this vast global community & it’s often very hard to come by when the likes of Metal Archives refuse to accept a record like this one as metal & the RYM masses are rating it a ridiculous 2.49/5 from over a thousand votes simply because it is was it claims to be on the tin. None of this makes sense & has made it virtually impossible for deathcore fans to be able to sift through the zillions of also-rans in order to find the cream of the deathcore crop. That’s where Metal Academy came in….

Anyway… let’s not dwell on that much more & get on with the review. I went through a period of deathcore exploration from 2009 through 2012 after returning to metal from a decade spent indulging in electronic music. Part of that was due to the fact that I was used to an aggressive & brutal riff-based style of metal & was finding that a lot of the popular extreme metal releases of the time were more expansive & experimental & utilized many external influences such as post rock & shoegaze. As I was getting my head around all that, I needed something more easily palatable to take out my aggressions & deathcore was one of the sounds that fit the bill. Was it generic? Shit yeah it was but it was generally beautifully performed, professionally produced & savage as fuck so I didn’t give two shits. I didn’t find myself labelling too many deathcore releases as metal classics but not every record has to be to be worthy of my enjoyment. Suicide Silence appeared on my radar fairly late in that experiment but their 2012 third album “The Black Crown” seemed to stick more than most others. The chunky riffs, relentless vitriol & clean production all worked together to ensure that I gave the album a good number of repeat listens that year & has also seen it managing to hang on to a position in my Top Ten Deathcore Releases of All Time list to this day.

So why does “The Black Crown” get so badly slammed by the metal community even when compared with Suicide Silence’s earlier releases then? This is the only Suicide Silence release I’m familiar with so I can only guess but I assume it’s because this album saw the band exploring the influences they picked up in their youth a little more than they may have in the past, some of which could be regarded as a precursor for the unanimously panned self-titled 2017 album which by all reports saw them fully embracing a nu/alternative metal direction for a short while. While “The Black Crown” certainly achieves a nice balance of death metal & hardcore punk (which is a little heavier on the former if examined closely), it’s pretty clear that Suicide Silence were raised during the 1990’s & they aren’t afraid to show it on this occasion so you’ll no doubt pick up the odd groove-oriented Pantera riff or a few Korn-style nu metal chuggers throughout the tracklisting, not to mention short smatterings of progressive melodicism. It seems to be a trend to slam groove metal & nu metal in the underground metal scene these days (Thanks Metal Archives/Reddit!) but most of us were partial to records like “Vulgar Display of Power”, “Chaos AD” or “Korn” back in the day if we’re being honest with ourselves so it seems to me to be a little hypocritical to criticize others for wearing their roots on their sleeves, especially when the band are all such talented musicians who really know what they’re doing so pull it all off with aplomb. Drummer Alex Lopez was clearly trained at the Vinny Paul school of rhythm when it comes to accentuating the physical reaction from a riff without overplaying his hand & his blast-beats are absolutely on point. I really enjoy the lead guitar work which is quite accomplished too.

“The Black Crown” would sadly be the last Suicide Silence album for front man Mitch Lucker as he’d tragically lose his life in a motorcycle accident later the same year but he will certainly be the other stumbling block for your average death metal fanatic. I mean if you don’t like deathcore vocals then you’re not gonna like “The Black Crown” because he’s everything your average deathcore front man aspires to be. He screams out his lyrics with complete disregard for any sort of etiquette or class & is more brash & overbearing than he is authoritative. I have to admit that I can stomach him pretty easily though & I think that comes down to the fact that I’ve become more & more attracted to super-angry hardcore in my old age.

All things considered, a four star rating would still seem to many to be pretty high for a release like this one so what’s my justification? Well, I guess I just love genuinely aggressive metal that’s performed by capable musicians & produced with precision & professionalism. It’s really that simple. The riffs may not be terribly original & the plethora of breakdowns may be predictable but sometimes I don't need much in the way of originality & just wanna thrash out so “The Black Crown” fits the bill nicely. I can’t see why fans of bands like Whitechapel or Impending Doom wouldn’t find plenty to enjoy here too.

4/5

King Diamond - "Fatal Portrait" (1986)

I've always enjoyed the more classic King Diamond & Mercyful Fate releases but recently realized that I'd never actually heard King Diamond's highly regarded debut album & decided to fill that gap post haste. Unlike most people, I've always slightly favored the King's solo material over Mercyful Fate & "Fatal Portrait" again showcases the reasons why with guitarists Andy LaRocque & Michael Denner contributing dazzling performances that steal the show from their theatrical front man. The lead guitar tone is nothing short of wonderful & the solos are pushed way forward in the mix for obvious reasons which is a major drawcard for this old shredder. The rhythm section of Timi Hansen & Mikkey Dee are pretty sensational too as they effortlessly pull off some pretty classy instrumental nuances so efficiently that a lot of the more technically impressive touches probably go unnoticed by most listeners. I can generally take or leave the King's operatic vocal style to be honest though. He can be pretty amazing on the super-elite classics but doesn't really do much to draw me in on the rest of the material & I kinda feel that I've heard it all before from him at this point in my life.

Despite a few flashy flourishes here & there, I'd suggest that "Fatal Portrait" is probably a little less progressive than some of the King's other albums & thankfully isn't as neoclassically influenced either. The highlight tracks like "The Candle", "The Portrait", "Charon" & "Haunted" are all very strong heavy metal anthems in their own right but I'm not sure I can say that any of them are genuine classics for me personally & I think the King is the limiting factor there as I really do need to be able to connect with the vocal hooks in your more traditional heavy metal space. There are plenty of outstanding riffs but I think they've been done a minor disservice by not being afforded a more prominent position in the mix to be honest. I would have liked to see them being more of a highlight alongside the solos.

At the end of the day "Fatal Portrait" is a pretty good King Diamond record that ticks all of the boxes that diehard fans could want. I'm not particularly interested in the lyrical themes & I think that's to my own detriment when it comes to the King as it seems to be a large part of his appeal. There's only the one weak track in the disappointing "Dressed In White" but it was just enough to see me dropping my score a touch. That being said, I'd suggest that this record might still just slip into my top five King Diamond-related releases & I'd actually take it over more highly regarded albums like "Don't Break The Oath", "Them" & "The Eye" so it's definitely worth a few listens, particularly for fans of occult-themed heavy metal bands like Mercyful Fate, Ghost & Death SS.

3.5/5

Here's my review:

I've had a lengthy relationship with German black metallers Lunar Aurora after first discovering their first two studio albums through the tape trading scene in the mid-1990's, both of which I quite liked without ever being tempted to claim them as essential. I wouldn't return to Lunar Aurora for more than a decade after that, finally catching up with them again with 2007's "Andacht" around 2009 & being suitably impressed with the improvements Lunar Aurora had made to their sound over the years. "Andacht" sees Lunar Aurora reaching somewhat of a peak in their quest to create a more atmospheric soundscape than I remember from their early works with the use of keyboards being prominent but not overused. The use of drum programming is noticeable but fairly well executed & certainly not intrusive. The more aggressive moments are the most enjoyable for me personally which is hardly surprising. There are a few sections where the band move in a direction that kinda resembles folk metal without actually using those cheesy folk melodies & they represent the weak points of the album. Some of the more keyboard-heavy sections can sound a touch overblown too & (as is often the case with me) the most popular song on the record "Findling" is also the one that I find the least appeal in. Regardless of that, the majority of the six tracks are very strong examples of the atmospheric black metal subgenre in what is a very consistent album that will no doubt offer strong appeal for fans of Paysage d'Hiver, Nagelfar or The Ruins of Beverast.

4/5