Daniel's Forum Replies

Metal Church - "The Dark" (1986)

I hadn't revisited Metal Church's sophomore album in many years & have found that my passion for it has "Wayne"ed a little bit since back in the day (see what I did there?). Much like their self-titled debut, you can expect a mix of classic heavy metal, speed metal & thrash metal tracks with a chunkier & more aggressive tone than the NWOBHM was generally known for which pretty much makes "The Dark" the very definition of what the US power metal scene was all about. The best comparison I can come up with is a combination of the heavy metal of early Savatage & the more classic metal inspired thrash bands like Flotsam & Jetsam & Overkill. Also like the debut, "The Dark" is a little inconsistent in it's execution with a couple of obvious fillers included in simple heavy number "Start The Fire" & unintelligent speed metal tune "Psycho". Admittedly, I don't think these dips are as bad as what we saw in the middle of the tracklisting on "Metal Church" but "The Dark" is lacking the clear highlights that it's older sibling built its reputation on which sees me positioning it slightly behind "Metal Church" overall but not by much. Both are a bit overrated in all honesty & I don't regard either as being essential. David Wayne's vocals are a big improvement on his previous effort here though. I really enjoy his blend of soaring Rob Halford classic metal & Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth snarl. The guitar solos of Kurdt Vanderhoof & Craig Wells are the highlight of the record for me though as they absolutely slay. Overall, I'd suggest that "The Dark" is worth a listen if you enjoy the chunkier end of heavy metal but don't expect it to rock your world as much as some would have you believe.

3.5/5

Liturgy - "Aesthethica" (2011)

I hated New York avant-garde black metaller Liturgy's sophomore album back at the time of release. I simply wasn't ready for my black metal to reach this far or to draw upon more positive sounds at times. Given time & experience though, I've found that there's a deep artistic credibility to Liturgy's music that I can really relate to & the experiments with many disparate outside influences are generally well received. Admittedly the two best tracks have nothing to do with black metal whatsoever in the crushing sludge metal anthem "Veins of God" & the djenty progressive metal of "Generation" but it's really only the dull post-minimal electronics of "Helix Skull" that falls flat across the twelve tracks included. "Aesthethica" is really a pretty great album & one that I regard more highly than Liturgy's highly praised 2019 fourth full-length "H.A.Q.Q." these days but it does require a level of open-mindedness towards your black metal so if you can't stand the positivity of Deafheaven, the post-rock experimentation of Altar of Plagues or the chaotic mathcore infusion of Serpent Column because they take you too far from the original intent of the black metal model then you likely won't be open to this release which is unfairly lumped with the "hipster black metal" tag in my opinion.

4/5

I highly recommend the Acid Bath record to anyone that enjoys hasn't already heard it. Think metalcore-infused sludge metal with touches of stoner metal & death metal.

Here's my July nomination Andi:

Fear Factory - "Suffer Age" (from "Soul of a New Machine", 1992)

There will be no July nominations from me Andi.

Here are my nominations for July Vinny:

Mortal Sin - "Terminal Reward" (from "Face of Despair", 1989)

Kreator - "Impossible to Cure" (from "Out of the Dark... Into the Light" E.P., 1988)

Annihilator - "Alison Hell" (from "Alice in Hell", 1989)

Metal Churche - "Ton of Bricks" (from "The Dark", 1986)

Here are my July nominations Ben:

Teitanblood - "The Baneful Choir" (from "The Baneful Choir", 2019)

Deafheaven - "Baby Blue" (from "10 Years Gone", 2020) (Note: It's recorded live in a studio rather than live at a gig so you'd never know it)

Liturgy - "Sun of Light" (from "Aesthethica", 2011)

Here are my nominations for the July playlist:

Amorphis - "The Four Wise Ones" (from "Under The Red Cloud", 2015)

Fear Factory - "Flesh Hold" (from "Soul of a New Machine", 1992)

Cannibal Corpse - "Infinite Misery" (from "Kill", 2006)

Carcass - "Fermenting Innards" (from "Reek of Putrefaction", 1988)

Teitanblood - "Black Vertebrae" (from "The Baneful Choir", 2019)

Rippikoulu - "Ukuinen piina" (from "Musta seremonia" demo, 1993)

Devourment - "Babykiller" (from "Butcher The Weak", 2006)

Here's my July nomination Xephyr:

Q5 - "Steel The Light" (from "Steel The Light", 1984)

No nominations from me for July.

Here are my July nominations Sonny:

Rippikoulu - "Pimeys ylla jumalan maan" (from "Musta seremonia" demo, 1993)

Liturgy - "Veins of God" (from "Aesthethica", 2011) (I know they're an avant-garde black metal outfit but this track is pure sludge metal)

Here's the feature release roster for July:

THE FALLEN: Ben, Vinny, Daniel, Sonny

THE GATEWAY: Saxy, Andi

THE GUARDIANS: Xephyr, Morpheus Kitami

THE HORDE: Ben, Daniel, Vinny

THE INFINITE: Saxy, Andi, Xephyr

THE NORTH: Vinny, Sonny, Daniel, Xephyr, Ben

THE PIT: Sonny, Vinny, Daniel, Ben

THE REVOLUTION: Andi, Daniel

THE SPHERE: Daniel, Andi

June 2023

01. Incinerator – “Slaughter” (from “Human Garbage” E.P., 2014) [Submitted by Vinny]

02. Dark Tranquillity – “Punish My Heaven” (from “The Gallery”, 1995)

03. VoidCeremony – “Writhing in the Façade of Time” (from “Threads of Unknowing”, 2023)

04. In Flames – “Bullet Ride” (from “Clayman”, 2000) [Submitted by Daniel]

05. Fires In The Distance – “Harbingers” (from “Air Not Meant For Us”, 2023)

06. Blood Duster – “Pornstorestiffi” (from “Cunt”, 2000)

07. Baring Teeth – “Atrophy” (from “Atrophy”, 2011)

08. Lunar Chamber – “Spirit Body & the Seeing Self” (from “Shambhallic Vibrations” E.P., 2023)

09. Slaughter Lord – “Taste of Blood” (from “Taste of Blood” demo, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

10. Temple Nightside – “Fortress of Burden & Distress” (from “The Hecatomb”, 2016) [Submitted by Daniel]

11. Frightmare – “Midnight Murder Mania” (from “Midnight Murder Mania”, 2003)

12. Massacre – “Cryptic Realms” (from “From Beyond”, 1991) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. Cancer – “Hung, Drawn & Quartered” (from “Death Shall Rise”, 1991) [Submitted by Vinny]

14. Cannibal Corpse – “Mangled” (from “Eaten Back To Life”, 1990) [Submitted by Vinny]

15. Wretched Fate – “Mind Desecrator” (from “Carnal Heresy”, 2023) [Submitted by Vinny]

16. Benümb – “Once & Never Again” (from “Withering Strands of Hope”, 2000)

17. Phyllomedusa – “Baw Baw Grunt” (from “Fijian Effluvium”, 2017)

18. Kommand – “Chimera Soldiers” (from “Death Age”, 2023)

19. CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP – “Dirty Harry” (from “We Live As Ghosts”, 2023)

20. Nightmarer – “Throe of Illicit Withdrawal” (from “Deformity Adrift”, 2023)

21. Suffocation – “Sullen Eyes” (from “Pinnacle of Bedlam”, 2013) [Submitted by Vinny]

22. Gorerotted – “Only Tools & Corpses” (from “Only Tools & Corpses”, 2003)

23. Deaden – “Sculpted In Flesh” (from “Hymns Of The Sick”, 1998)

24. Deprecated – “Deriding His Creation” (from “Deriding His Creation” E.P., 1998)

25. Sulfuric Cautery – “Compulsive Retaliation” (from “Suffocating Feats of Dehumanization”, 2023) [Submitted by Vinny]

26. Gutteral Slug – “Isolated Insanity” (from “Megalodon”, 2013)

27. Cattle Decapitation – “We Eat Our Young” (from “Terrasite”, 2023)

28. Fleshgod Apocalypse – “Sophistic Demise” (from “Oracles”, 2009) [Submitted by Daniel]

29. Extermination Dismemberment – “Survival” (from “Serial Urbicide”, 2013)

Dissonant black metal from China.

A very solid djenty progressive metal instrumental from this New York avant-garde black metal act.

A solid heavy metal workout from this highly regarded San Francisco US power metal outfit.

A progressive metal instrumental from this mid-80's French heavy/speed metal outfit.

Fates Warning - "Awaken The Guardian" (1986)

Connecticut progressive metal legends Fates Warning & I have a very long association going back over three decades now. I’ve always held them in high esteem since becoming infatuated with their classic “Point of View” single in 1991 & subsequently purchasing the “Parallels” album on CD but strangely my enjoyment of that album didn’t see me exploring the rest of their back-catalogue much until Ben & I conducted our research on their earlier releases for the Metal Academy podcast in the mid-2010s. Fates Warning’s crude 1984 debut album “Night on Bröcken” certainly had its charms with its American take on the NWOBHM sound often resembling Iron Maiden a little too closely to see the band differentiating themselves from the pack. Their 1985 sophomore album “The Spectre Within” was another story altogether though as it saw Fates Warning fully indulging in their more progressive Rush influences &, in doing so, virtually creating what we know now as the progressive metal sound. Don’t get me wrong, there were certainly a few earlier underground records that had a crack at it but none managed to incorporate progressive elements into their sound so smoothly & cohesively & I found “The Spectre Within” to be a really strong record with even the unusual high-pitched histrionics of front man John Arch failing to tarnish the challenging & universally professional instrumentation.

This is my first focused investigation of Fates Warning’s highly praised 1986 follow-up “Awaken The Guardian” though & my expectations were very high off the back of “The Spectre Within” which I awarded a well-deserved four star rating during the podcast. I’d been looking forward to seeing where the band would take their sound next as “Parallels” (their sixth album) was a little more restrained from a purely technical point of view. “Awaken The Guardian”, however, sees Fates Warning surging forwards with the complex progressive approach they'd begun exporing on “The Spectre Within” in what would have to have been one of the most ambitious undertakings for metal to the time. I mean this record could very well break a few people’s brains from a purely rhythmic point of view as it’s relentless in its pursuit of unusual & ever-changing time signatures. Then when you throw in Arch’s vocals which go even further than before with their melodic experimentation you get a very unusual record that sounds like nothing before it & very few after it too.

But this brings me to my criticisms of “Awaken The Guardian”. Despite being a unanimously successful & highly revered release in my household, “The Spectre Within” did struggle a little with its balance between expansive artistic license & genuinely memorable song-writing with only album highlight “The Apparition” seeing Fates Warning creating the much sought-after "classic song” as opposed to a very impressive & interesting technical display. The rest of the material simply didn’t possess the hooks that are required to have the listener singing along for days afterwards, a task that’s already hard enough given Arch’s inimitable operatic style which requires a level of acceptance in regard to taking the good with the bad. “Awaken The Guardian” struggles a little more in this regard, perhaps due to the even more overtly progressive instrumental approach which sees Arch having to force his melodies to work over rhythms that are already hard enough to digest. Despite what fans will have you believe, Arch DOES sing out of key quite regularly here & it can be grating if you’re not able to achieve some level of respect for the aural adventure he takes you on. Personally, I’m able to achieve that balance but, despite the fact that there's nothing close to a bad track on offer, there just aren’t enough truly memorable hooks included to warrant all of the praise & I find myself relying on the heavier instrumental parts of the album that see the band dipping into US power metal territory (see “Valley of the Dolls” or “Prelude To Ruin”) to take me to greater heights. Unfortunately Fates Warning can’t quite sustain it for long enough for my liking though. The more restrained album highlight “Guardian” is certainly a strong track but is it a genuine classic like “The Apparition” was? I don’t think so personally & things aren't helped by a fairly thin production job either.

Look, if you’re a prog tragic then “Awaken The Guardian” is probably a bit of a no-brainer but I can’t say that I regard it as highly as “The Spectre Within” or the better works from prog metal contemporaries like Queensryche & Dream Theater who are simply better at getting that technicality vs song-writing balance right. Admittedly both benefit from much more traditionally talented front men but I would happily have accepted a bit less rhythmic extravagance & a little more of a focus on making the sort of captivating heavy metal anthems that Crimson Glory are so successful at.

3.5/5

Devourment - "Butcher The Weak" (2006)

I first became aware of Dallas-based slam death metal establishment Devourment back in 1997/98 through their “Impaled” demo which I picked up through the tape trading scene. I remember really digging it too although I’d start my decade-long sabbatical from the metal scene shortly afterwards & wouldn’t return to metal until 2009 when I’d immediately looked to catch up on what I’d missed from my beloved brutal death metal scene. The band’s 1999 debut album “Molesting The Decapitated” would be my first point of call as many a pundit seemed to be claiming it as a seminal record for the scene at the time. On paper that album was always going to appeal to my particular taste profile however it certainly wasn’t without its flaws which left me wondering whether Devourment would improve on those with subsequent releases, particularly given the long period between their debut & the release of their sophomore album “Butcher The Weak”. The gap was mainly due to the incarceration of guitarist Ruben Rosas (ironically on the day that “Molesting The Decapitated” was released) which triggered a series of splits & reformations that would derail Devourment's immediate plans for world domination but “Butcher The Weak” would finally see the light of day as an independent release in 2005. Devourment would be picked up by Minnesota label Brutal Bands shortly afterwards though & the label would facilitate the re-recording of the whole record so there are technically two versions of this release, the second & arguably more accepted version being the one I’m reviewing today.

Those that were familiar with “Molesting The Decapitated” prior to checking out “Butcher The Weak” likely weren’t surprised by what they heard as its successor doesn’t try to change the formula much but it does manage to improve on it a touch. There were a number of obstacles I faced in my appreciation of Devourment’s first up effort & the completely unintelligible, ultra-gutteral drainpipe vocal performance was certainly one of them. Bassist Mike Majewski has taken over the microphone duties from Rosas this time with the former front man opting to take on all of the guitars instead but the result is still the same with Majewski making very little attempt to enunciate his words. This will definitely be a dealbreaker for those metalheads not already accustomed to slam/brutal death metal as you’ll rarely hear a more overt example of that technique than you do here, at least not from a vocalist that’s not using a vocoder like is commonly the case with the goregrind scene. The other major issue I had with the debut was the sloppy drumming & tightly-wound, pinging snare drum sound. Thankfully new drummer Eric Park has been gifted with a much more natural & powerful snare sound this time which makes the whole record a lot more easily digestible. Unfortunately though, Park doesn’t seem to be much better than former skinsman Brad Fincher at performing blast beats & gravity blasts so you’ll still find a lot of examples where Park struggles to keep up with the rest of the band once the tempo starts to reach light-speed.

Thankfully though, Devourment are at their best when they’re sticking to their signature slow-to-mid tempo slam riffs & you’ll do well to find a more obvious example of the slam death metal sound than this particular record as it doesn’t hold back at all in presenting its differentiating element. I’ve always been a sucker for the heavily palm-muted, Suffocation-style breakdown & Devourment have made a career out of replicating it through as many different variations on the theme as they can come up with. It might not be the most original or creative mode of attack but I inevitably find my body reacting in positive ways so who the fuck am I to question it, particularly when used in conjunction with some well placed double kick work. Could “Butcher The Weak” have done with some spasmatic guitar solos to help the tracks reach greater heights? Shit yeah it could have but I’ve said that about all of the Devourment records I’ve reviewed to date so I’m relatively at peace with it at this point.

So just where does “Butcher The Weak” sit as far as Devourment’s discography & the overall slam death metal scene goes? Well, I’d argue that it’s a minor improvement on “Molesting The Decapitated” & one of the better examples of the slam death sound you’ll find. It would take the band thirteen years to top it with 2019’s “Obscene Majesty” album being Devourment’s finest full-length in my opinion. If you hate slam death metal then this record ain’t gonna change that in the slightest. In fact, it’ll likely further repel you if I’m being honest but fans of bands like Abominable Putridity, Kraanium & Internal Bleeding will no doubt find a fair bit to enjoy in “Butcher The Weak”.

3.5/5

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

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

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

03. Devourment – “Obscene Majesty” (2019)

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Delusional Parasitosis/Ecchymosis/Dissevered/Bleeding – “Scaphism 4-Way Split” (2017)

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

This nomination has 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.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

I've passed this nomination as these releases no longer qualify for inclusion in The Revolution.

My updated Top Ten Speed Metal Releases of All Time list:

01. Exciter – “Long Live The Loud” (1985)

02. Acid – “Maniac” (1983)

03. Agent Steel – “Skeptics Apocalypse” (1985)

04. Midnight - "Let There Be Witchery" (2022)

05. Voivod - "War & Pain" (1984)

06. Venom – “At War With Satan” (1984)

07. Savage Grace – “Master Of Disguise” (1985)

08. Iron Angel – “Hellish Crossfire” (1985)

09. ADX - "Execution" (1985)

10. Acid – “Acid” (1983)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/176

ADX - "Execution" (1985)

The 1985 debut album from French metal establishment ADX represented somewhat of a gap in my metal knowledge as it's quite highly regarded, particularly in their home country. ADX are still running strong after twelve albums & 41 years in the business but I'd previously only heard their 1990 fourth album "Weird Visions" & it didn't exactly set my world on fire to be fair. "Execution" is a much stronger effort though with the band showing off some highly accomplished chops & benefiting from a raw yet razor-sharp production job that perfectly accentuates ADX's strengths.

ADX's sound sits somewhere in between the high velocity speed metal of Savage Grace & the NWOBHM-influenced French heavy metal of H-Bomb & early Sortilege, perhaps being a little closer to the heavy metal side of the equation when examined closely. There's a great energy about everything the band do here with the shredding guitar solos being the clear highlight for me personally. The weakest link is an inconsistent performance by front man Phil whose voice isn't the strongest you'll find & probably isn't helped by his opting to perform in his native tongue either. The instrumental component manages to cover for him for the most part though with only the unintelligent closer "Caligula" falling short of par for me personally. It's also the most popular song on the tracklisting though so go figure. My favourite number is heavy metal anthem "Prière de Satan" which features some lovely melodic guitar work & is easily Phil's most effective contribution with some highly memorable vocal hooks. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that it's a French metal classic.

So "Execution" is a pretty decent listen overall, even if it's fallen well short of the classic status that some would have you believe it to be worthy of. It's probably the most high energy release I've heard from the early French scene though which differentiates it from other respectable records from bands like Blaspheme, High Power, Trust or Warning. In fact, I'd imagine that most speed metal freaks will probably get a lot more out of "Execution" than I do as speed metal doesn't tend to be a genre that I find myself connecting with as readily as your traditional brand of heavy metal. 

3.5/5

Rippikoulu - "Musta seremonia" demo (1993)

I hadn't revisited this cult classic of a mid-90's demo tape in many years but Ben recently asked me for my opinion on it & I noticed that I hadn't rated it on Metal Academy yet so I felt it was about time I gave it another sitting. The six tracks included run for just over half an hour which is a good length for this kind of release &, while the production may be really raw, it  loses none of it's effectiveness. In fact, I feel that the crushing down-tuned riffage & depressive atmospherics are only enhanced by it which is the sign of a true underground gem. I really love the deep death growls too as they're wonderfully monstrous but don't sound generic in the slightest.

Musically, Rippikoulu's sound is a tale of two cities. On the one hand you have the dark, suffocating doom/death of bands like Spectral Voice, Winter & diSEMBOWELMENT, only it's been combined with the grimy, mid-paced, tremolo-picked conventional death metal of early Bolt Thrower & the outcome is nothing short of splendid. Perhaps the lack of production can make a lot of the material sound a touch samey but it's only a short release & the couple of more atmospheric highlights that close out the demo certainly stand out, particularly the spectacular "Pimeys yllä Jumalan maan" which about as good as doom/death gets. If I'm being picky I'd say that the faster parts are a little less effective than the doomier sections but this is a quality effort from a band that clearly showed a lot of unfulfilled potential.

4/5

French heavy metal from 1985.

French speed metal from 1985.

I really liked the first three Death records. Hell, "Leprosy" was my introduction to death metal! But I wouldn't say that any of those early releases saw me bowing down in worship. "Human" changed that immediately & still sits in my top three for death metal as a whole to this day. 5/5

Q5 - "Steel The Light" (1984)

There was a bit of a minor scene happening in Seattle in the mid-1980's with bands like Q5, TKO, Culprit, Nightshade & Mistrust all floating around & often sharing members. "Steel The Light" is the most highly regarded release to come out of that lot & sees Q5 approaching NWOBHM-style heavy metal & an AC/DC-inspired brand of hard rock in equal measure. Jonathan Scott K's powerful vocals are well suited to this kind of music & the presence of guitarist Floyd Rose (yes, the man behind the locking nut/floating tremolo system) won't be lost on the guitarists out there. The album is very much a tale of two halves with the majority of the metal material appearing on the A side & the more commercially accessible tracks filling the B side. That B side does include a couple of duds in the AOR-infused glam metal ballad "Come & Gone" & the generic AC/DC-plagiarizing "Rock On" but the rest of the album is quite entertaining, particularly the classic title track which draws upon lumbering Dio-fronted metal anthems like "Heaven & Hell" & "Holy Diver" for influence. I also really enjoy the catchy closer "Teenage Runaway" which sees the album finishing on a high & will have you singing along in your head for hours afterward. If you like heavy rockers like Krokus, Pretty Maids & Culprit then you'll no doubt find a bit to like about "Steel The Light".

3.5/5

A couple other bands fitting this category that come to my mind include Annihilator and Kamelot

You're on your own with the Annihilator call Andi. I'd actually go the complete other direction with them to be honest.

Can't forget about Converge, though I say their greatness starts from their second album, Petitioning the Empty Sky, onwards.

I quite like Converge's debut album "Halo in a Haystack" to be honest. I don't think they've released a dud in their entire career.

Death is the most obvious one but I'd also nominate Converge & Gorguts.

Annihilator - "Alice in Hell" (1989)

I was a big fan of "Alice In Hell" when it was released & it still comes across as a really solid & ambitious thrash metal debut today. Every song includes at least a couple of classic thrash riffs but there are also plenty of more melodic King Diamond & Iron Maiden style heavy metal parts tossed in throughout the tracklisting, only they're generally played at high speed which gives the album a noticeable speed metal feel (see "WTYD", "Word Salad", "Ligeia"). The bass lines are really interesting & are also quite prominent in the mix which really enhances the progressive nature of the composition. Randy Rampage's vocals have invariably been a cause for debate over the years but I've always quite liked them. Jeff Waters guitar solos are certainly impressive, if a little high in the mix. His opening intro piece "Crystal Ann" is pure Yngwie Malmsteen worship.

I have to admit that the song structures are pretty loose by today's standards. In fact, a few of the songs sound quite pieced together but the quality of the riffs is good enough to overcome it. The links to technical thrash metal are overly ambitious as there's really not very much genuinely technical stuff on offer. "Alice In Hell" sits much more comfortably alongside bands like Testament & particularly Megadeth although it's the precision performances & overall sophistication in the song-writing that draws comparisons with the likes of Coroner.

Annihilator's debut album is comfortably their best work but I've never regarded it as a thrash classic. The title track certainly is & there's a case for "Burn Like A Buzzsaw Blade" too but the remainder of the album doesn't quite fit the bill, despite displaying an undeniable consistency & maturity.

4/5

Deafheaven - "10 Years Gone" (2020)

A live in the studio affair that the band decided to record after the tour they'd prepared for was cancelled due to COVID. It's a splendid outing too & includes material spanning the whole course of the Deafheaven's decade-long career. The production is wonderfully bright & clear & the performances are absolutely spot-on breathing new life into tracks like "Language Games" & album highlight "Baby Blue". There's not anything that falls short of being a very solid example of the post-blackgaze sound here & fans of the band should treat this release as essential listening.

For fans of Alcest, An Autumn For Crippled Children & Lantlôs.

4/5

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

01. Deafheaven - "Sunbather" (2013)

02. Deafheaven - "10 Years Gone" (2020)

03. Woods of Desolation - "Torn Beyond Reason" (2011)

04. Deafheaven - "Roads to Judah" (2011)

05. Deafheaven - "New Bermuda" (2015)

06. Alcest - "Kodama" (2016)

07. Deafheaven - "Ordinary Corrupt Human Love" (2018)

08. Lantlôs - ".neon" (2010)

09. Alcest - "Écailles de lune" (2010)

10. Sadness - "I Want To Be There" (2019)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/204

Fontaines D.C. - "Skinty Fia" (2022)

Post-punk/gothic rock from Dublin, Ireland.

Teitanblood - "The Baneful Choir" (2019)

What a fucking ripper of a third album from one of the best couple of bands in the war metal space in Spain's Teitanblood. In fact, I rate "The Baneful Choir" more highly than the band's highly regarded sophomore effort "Death" to be honest. They tend to lean further towards the death metal side of the black/death equation a lot of the time with a super-dark production job & some outstanding dark ambient pieces combining for a devastating atmosphere. Imagine the savage war metal of Blasphemy & Archgoat crossed with the blackened death metal of Antediluvian & you'll come close to describing this cacophony, only these guys do it better than all of them in my opinion. There's even a brilliant doom/death track included early in the blemish-free tracklisting. Loving it!

4.5/5

Here's my revised 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. Blasphemy - "Gods of War" (1993)

10. Blasphemy - "Fallen Angel of Doom...." (1990)

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

Carcass - "Reek of Putrefaction" (1988)

I've always struggled with Carcass' debut album to be honest. Between the appalling production, woeful lead guitar tone & ridiculously over-the-top vocal performances, it all simply sounds a little silly to my ears. Of course, there was nothing quite like it at the time & it's gone on to influence a multitude of bands that became infatuated with the novelty but I have to admit that I find it hard to take seriously. I know it's not meant to be but I LIKE to take my extreme metal seriously if you know what I mean. Perhaps the fact that I was introduced to the band through the far superior "Symphonies of Sickness" sophomore effort has made it a bit harder to appreciate "Reek of Putrefaction"? I dunno but at least I've managed to increase my rating just a touch since my last revisit, mainly off the back of the shorter & more brutal material as I'm not a huge fan of the groovier grind stuff. I'm afraid I don't see that rating ever moving higher than it is now though.

3/5

Ben, please add Aussie thrashers Aggressa & Fester Fanatics.

Permanent Damage - "End of Innocence" (1987)

I picked up a dubbed cassette copy of this very extremely underground vinyl release through one of my Aussie tape traders back in the day & remember quite liking it. I'm not usually the biggest fan of crossover thrash but something about this Melbourne band's debut album connects with me. Their sound nicely balances the punk & metal sounds with the vocals belonging more in the hardcore space & the thrashier songs like opener "Warcry" & album highlight "Victim of Misery" being my preferred inclusions. Perhaps I'm falling victim to nostalgia here but I'm actually inclined to sneak it into my updated Top Ten Crossover Thrash Releases of All Time list.

3.5/5

01. Suicidal Tendencies – “Lights Camera Revolution” (1989)

02. S.O.D. – “Speak English or Die” (1985)

03. Suicidal Tendences – “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today” (1988)

04. Agnostic Front – “Cause For Alarm” (1986)

05. Cryptic Slaughter – “Convicted” (1986)

06. The Accused – “The Return Of… Martha Splatterhead” (1986)

07. Agnostic Front – “Liberty & Justic For…” (1987)

08. Attitude Adjustment – “American Paranoia” (1986)

09. Crumbsuckers – “Life Of Dreams” (1986)

10. Permanent Damage - "End of Innocence" (1987)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/174

Ben, please add 1987's "End of Innocence" album from Melbourne crossover thrashers Permanent Damage.

By definition stoner rock can include doom riffs. I see Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats as sitting in the stoner metal/rock & heavy psych space personally. Is doom rock essentially stoner rock without the psychedelics? I don’t think so. I think it’s very much an interchangeable term for the occult hard/progressive rock bands that Andi mentioned.

Destruction - "Live Without Sense" (1989)

I’ve never found German thrash metal heavy-weights Destruction to be quite as compelling as Kreator & Sodom to be honest. I enjoyed their “Bestial Invasion of Hell” demo but their first couple of proper releases (1984’s “Sentence of Death” E.P. & 1985’s “Infernal Overkill” full-length album) did very little for me. It wasn’t until they started to go in a more sophisticated direction with 1986’s “Eternal Devastation” that my interest would start to be tweaked & they’d continue to build on that over their next couple of releases until they’d peak with my favourite Destruction album in 1987’s classic “Release From Agony” which was clearly their most complex & innovative record to the time. So 1989 would seem to have been the perfect time to release Destruction’s first live album in the cleverly titled “Live Without Sense” (a reworking of the titled of one of their songs “Life Without Sense”), wouldn’t it? Well, for me it was anyway. And the result is as enjoyable & impressible as it had the potential to be too.

“Live Without Sense” is a well-produced & executed summary of Destruction’s career to the time. The production does a good job at balancing the raw electricity of the band’s studio work with a consistent clarity that sees every instrument owning its own space. The only criticism I would have there is the snare sound which does highlight drummer Olly’s position as the weak point of the band. It’s just a little intrusive which makes the simpler beats sound more basic than they might otherwise have done. The guitar work slays here though, despite the fact that both men think they’re better than they actually are. The consistent use of high-end techniques such as classically-influenced sweep-picked arpeggios was certainly pushing both musicians limitations but they somehow manage to get away with it due to the fact that they’re simply so cool. Yes, some of the lead solos are a bit sloppy but they also sound quite inspired & fuelled by Satan himself. Front man Schmier & I have had our differences over the years & that’s not been totally been ironed out here with those high-pitched squeals I struggle with so much still popping up from time to time but it’s hard to deny that he sounds pretty bad-ass for the majority of the run time.

The tracklisting offers a nice mix of material with inclusions from every record in Destruction’s back catalogue. I don’t think it’s any surprise that the tracks that appeal to me the least (“Thrash Attack”, “Invincible Force” & “Bestial Invasion”) are drawn from the 1984/85 period releases but thankfully they’ve benefitted from the band’s greatly improved chops & now sound significantly more tight & professional than they originally did. This gives “Live Without Sense” an impressive level of consistency with all of the more recent material being exceptionally strong. In saying that though, the only track that I regard as a genuine thrash classic is “Reject Emotions” with its darker atmosphere reminding me of Slayer’s more mid-paced material. The more technical songs like “Dissatisfied Existence” work really well & often see me reaching for Coroner comparisons which can’t be a bad thing. I could really do without the inclusion of an unaccompanied guitar solo & two humorous interludes (i.e “Pink Panther” & “In The Mood”) though as they each represent slight blemishes on an otherwise exceptionally solid tracklisting. The guitar solo may impress those that aren’t trained musicians but I’d suggest that Eddie Van Halen & Randy Rhoads can rest easy as their crowns are in no jeopardy.

“Live Without Sense” is an excellent example of a thrash metal live album & won’t disappoint any fans of Destruction or the genre in general. In fact, I place it behind only “Release From Agony” in terms of the band’s overall discography with the clear production & strong tracklisting making it an attractive listening option for someone like myself that wasn’t convinced by Destruction’s more crudely presented early releases.

4/5

I'd suggest that there are a few Danzig tracks that fall into that category as they have that doomy Black Sabbath atmosphere but still sit well within the confines of rock. A lot of those 70's inspired heavy psych & stoner rock bands like Witchcraft probably fall into that category too. In truth though, I've never felt the urge to label a release as doom rock. I tend to go one way or the other.

The Damned - "The Black Album" (1980)

Punk rock with a gothic edge from London, England.

That's a great review Sonny. Well done mate! :)

Cannibal Corpse - "Kill" (2006)

You can rely on two things in life: taxes & Cannibal Corpse delivering a quality death metal product. We’re now thirty-five years & fifteen albums into their career & the Buffalo death metal legends are still going strong with their last album proving to be as popular as anything they’ve released in more than two decades. My experience with the band began right back at their debut album “Eaten Back To Life” & has taken me through the majority of my life. Back in the early-to-mid 1990’s I counted them as a major influence on me as a musician &, despite the fact that they’ve tended to steer away from delivering any surprises over the years & have subsequently earnt a reputation for being the AC/DC of death metal in that their albums sound predominantly the same, my respect for Cannibal Corpse as an artist has proven to be unwavering. I hold a lot of admiration for their undying commitment to never selling out, staying brutal & pushing themselves technically & 2006’s tenth album “Kill” is no exception. In fact, it may just be some of the band’s finest work.

Unlike the vast majority of the Cannibal Corpse back catalogue, “Kill” doesn’t come adorned with ultra-gory & cartoonish cover artwork. This time the band wanted to let their music do the talking & that’s backed up by a very serious & professional musical approach that sees the band pushing their techniques to their limits. The album marks the return of guitarist Rob Barrett (Solstice/Eulogy/Malevolent Creation) who had previously played on 1994’s “The Bleeding” & 1996’s “Vile”, a move that brought with it great promise for me personally as I consider myself a fan of both records. It also saw Hate Eternal/Morbid Angel/Ripping Corpse/Alas guitarist Erik Rutan taking on the production duties for the first time, a responsibility he’d continue to own for most of Cannibal Corpse’s subsequent releases. You can see why too as “Kill” sounds great with the heavily down-tuned guitars achieving perfect clarity & the drum kit punching through with precision. I regard this as quite an achievement given the band’s brand new super-low tuning of G#.

The thirteen song tracklisting offers a solid level of consistency throughout with no weak tracks included. The riff work is exceptionally angular & expansive & represents one of the highlights of the album with bassist & songwriter Alex Webster having come up with a truck-load of interesting spider-handed runs that keep me on my toes throughout. It’s a very technical album actually & I think the return of Barrett has helped to enable that along with the unquestionable skills of his partner in crime Pat O’Brien. The guitar solos are the other major talking point as they invariably represent the peak of each track. Some are spectacularly shreddy while the use of wah-pedal is employed to great effect in the more atmospheric moments. Webster’s performance is outstanding as usual & once again shows him to be one of the elite bass players in the extreme metal scene.

I don’t think there’ll be any surprises when I mention the albums limitations though. Front man George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher does what he does, nothing more, nothing less. You know exactly what to expect from George as he’s built a career on doing largely the same thing on every album. He’s no doubt a wonderful asset in a live environment with his ultra-masculine, metal-as-fuck persona dominating the show but in the studio he can sound a touch monotonous after a while & this does limit the levels that a modern Cannibal Corpse record can reach. The other (& more significant) limiter can be found in Paul Mazurkiewicz’s repetitive blast-beat style which sounds pretty tame by today’s standards. The rumours of him only possessing three beats in his repertoire are somewhat justified in my opinion & it’s been a long-time annoyance of mine. His strength though, lies in his contribution to the slow-to-mid-paced material where he utilizes double-time ride cymbal work to great effect & I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this also correlates with the band’s strength. Cannibal Corpse’s more up-tempo & brutal passages can sound a little unsophisticated & thuggish but when they slow things down a bit they achieve the complete opposite effect with slower tracks like “Death Walking Terror” & closing instrumental “Infinite Misery” (my personal favourite) representing some of the high points of Cannibal Corpse’s entire career.

“Kill” may not be a tier one death metal record but it is a damn solid one nonetheless & I can see very few fans of the genre complaining too much. It’s nice to have a band that can so regularly & so consistently deliver a product of invariable quality as the extreme metal scene seems to gravitate towards the more progressive & adventurous artists over the last decade or two. I probably wouldn’t have thought it possible many years ago but I do tend to favour a record like “Kill” slightly over childhood faves like “Butchered At Birth” & “Tomb Of The Mutilated” these days, perhaps due to the increased maturity, consistency & sophistication in the band’s sound. In fact, it may be one of Cannibal Corpse’s more successful ventures overall.

4/5

Sonny, here's a definition of sludge metal that I wrote a couple of years ago. I was intending on doing one for all genres but haven't gotten around to finishing it. I'd be interested in your feedback on whether you think it's accurate or not as it's 100% my personal perspective but I think these guidelines do allow for an instrumental sludge metal artist.

Sludge metal shares several of the characteristics of doom & stoner metal in its use of heavily down-tuned guitars & crushingly heavy, groove-driven, riff-based song structures however the influence of hardcore punk sees sludge possessing a noticeably angrier, noisier & more abrasive atmosphere that allows for the use of faster tempos & harder hitting rhythms. Sludge metal vocalists predominantly employ harsh hardcore-style screams &/or grunts which also provide a clear differentiator from doom/stoner. The trademark sludge metal guitar tone is very dense, dirty & bottom-heavy with feedback squalls & noise being regular features. The consistent use of slower tempos is quite common & often leads to crossover with doom metal however (unlike doom) this is not compulsory with predominantly up-tempo & thrashy examples of sludge metal maintaining their ties to the genre through their harsh & aggressive vocals, filthy guitar tone & angry atmosphere. Average track lengths are shorter than those traditionally employed in doom metal.