Daniel's Forum Replies

I tried. I really did. But this shit just ain't my bag I'm afraid because Summoning's fifth record is far more Santa than it is Satan. In fact, I could easily imagine a lot of these tracks being played beneath a popular crooner at a Carols By Candlelight session somewhere while families wave candles in the air & I'm afraid I'm a bit of a grinch at the best of times when it comes to Christmas. There's a strong darkwave influence visible throughout the tracklisting but where a brilliant artist like Dead Can Dance creates gorgeous soundscapes through their wonderful attention to detail & expansive array of organic instrumentation Summoning simply use extraordinarily cheap sounding midi synths to make the same tired ol' sounds time & time again. The metal component is dwarfed by the synths on this occasion but that wouldn't be such a bad thing necessarily if not for the obviously cheesy nature of the rest of the instrumentation. There is one track that I quite enjoy in the brooding "In Hollow Halls Beneath the Fells" but the rest falls pretty flat to my ears unfortunately. I can't see a time where I'll ever find myself being converted by this artist as I find myself having to summon enormous amounts of energy simply to develop an opinion on records like this one as the effort to get through a few active listens is significant even if they're not inherently "bad" as such. I find that there's a fine line between the "epic" & the "embarrassing" & Summoning seem to fall on the latter side of that line more often than not.

For fans of Caladan Brood, Emyn Muil & Elffor.

2.5/5

"Shrines of Paralysis" is (& was always going to be) another superbly composed & sublimely dense & complex piece of work from one of the true stars of the death metal stage. There's not a track included that doesn't remind you of their class & ambition. Unfortunately though, I can't quite seem to appreciate it as an album in the same way as I do some of their more revered works like "Stare Into Death and Be Still" or "Everything Is Fire" & there are a couple of reasons as to why that is. The first is that differentiating between the individual tracks is not as easily achieved as it was on those records as they have more of a tendency to sound quite similar, even after three or four active listens. The second (& most obvious) is the awful triggered snare drum sample which is totally over the top & sees me being frustrated during each blast beat section. When you have the world's best extreme metal drummer in your ranks & he's pulling off some truly sublime percussion work it would seem to be to be such a shame to taint his performance with such an over-powering snare that makes each blast-beat sound like your CD is skipping. Apart from those flaws though "Shrines of Paralysis" is an imposing & inaccessible piece of art whose complexities require your total attention in order to open up but will ultimately reward your efforts.

For fans of Gorguts, Portal & Baring Teeth.

4/5

I really enjoyed this feature Andi. I'd heard a few Mnemic tracks through the monthly playlists over the years & generally recall enjoying them but this was the first full release I've checked out. Calling it industrial/groove metal doesn't really do the scope of this release justice in my opinion because there are also nu metal & djent components that are easily as significant as either of those tags yet none of the four seem appropriate as a primary tag in my opinion. I guess I'll leave it as it is given that I can't think of a better option.

The vocals are nice & aggressive, the production is chunky & heavy & the execution is bang on. The Fear Factory influence is obvious in the staccato riffs & the clean choruses which also hint at Strapping Young Lad. The Meshuggah influence in the djenty bits is beautifully done & generally matches up with the best parts. The simpler groove metal riffs reference Sepultura & Machine Head while the regular touches on nu metal reek of Korn & early Deftones. There are even some clear hints at White Zombie in the vocal delivery at times.

There are no weak tracks included in a very consistent tracklisting. I absolutely love "Tattoos" which is the clear highlight for mine. This is an underrated record & I very much concur with Andi's suggestion that it needs to be heard.

For fans of Fear Factory, Prong & Dagoba.

4/5

Limelight - "Limelight" (1981)

The debut album from this little-known Nottinghamshire outfit came a full fourteen years after they first formed in 1967. God knows how Limelight have then gone on to be included under the NWOBHM banner given that they were hardly "new". It's even more strange given that there's really only the one metal track on the album in the early speed metal track "Metal Man" which also happens to be the weakest inclusion in the tracklisting in my opinion. What we have here is an interesting blend of dirty pub-style hard rock with a more expansive & melodic progressive rock sound with the lengthier prog tunes being the clear highlights. The vocals have a punky innocence to them that often allows them to work when they don't seem to have any right to while the quality of the lead guitar work was a nice surprise as it's quite accomplished for such an underground rock release. There are a couple of weaker tracks included but these are easily outweighed by the more rewarding material which makes this little album worthy of your time.

For fans of Rush, Shiva & Saracen.

3.5/5

Heavy Metal Army - "Heavy Metal Army 1" (1981)

Another early Japanese metal release. This one a one-off album from an obscure band from Okinawa that were never heard of again. I haven't had much time for the other early Japanese releases I've heard & this one isn't much better but I'd hazard to suggest that it was probably the best metal-related release to come out of the country to the time. Heavy Metal Army's sound sits somewhere between heavy metal & hard rock & the vocals flip-flop between English & Japanese. The guitar solos of Shinki Sugama are excellent & are a real strength but the most noteworthy component of the Heavy Metal Army sound is the strong use of keyboards which draws comparisons with Deep Purple & Rainbow when it's done well but when it's not it tends to date the material pretty badly.

The tracklisting is quite varied, as is the quality level as this is a highly inconsistent record. It's strange though that they've elected to start the album with the three weakest tracks which got me offside from the get-go. For this reason it took me a couple of listens to get myself into a headspace to appreciate the rest of the album but once I did I found some pretty interesting stuff with the stripped-back progressive rock closer "Bird of Destiny" being the clear highlight. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to save "Heavy Metal Army 1" from obscurity & I can't see myself returning to it even though it definitely has its moments.

For fans of Deep Purple, Scorpions & Rainbow.

3/5

With a vote tally of YES 5 NO 0, I've decided to pass this nomination & have made the required adjustments to the database.

This release has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

I'm not sure I agree with this sentiment to be honest. It seems like everyone's eeing this from a purely consumerist point of view rather than from the artist's perspective. It never occurred to me that I might gain a wide audience when I played in bands & wrote & released my own music. I did it entirely because it was some of the most fun I've ever had & would happily have continued with it in isolation on a desert island for eternity if it had of stayed relatively easy to fit into my lifestyle. I found the song-writing to be the most rewarding part as it was the perfect creative outlet for me so if just one person appreciated my music it was more than enough for me. Over the last couple of months I've reached out to all of the ex-members of my old brutal death metal band Neuropath & every one of them treasures that time. The comradery is as much a part of that enjoyment as anything else & I miss it many respects, even though there were many frustrations at the same time. When the Neuropath CD is released next year it'll be a significant moment in my life, despite the fact that I hold very few hopes of it making much of an impact on the global extreme metal marketplace in 2023. That's not important. It'll mark the fulfillment of a lifelong dream nonetheless & I'll have something in my hands to show for all the work & talk about at dinner parties when I'm old.

Welcome to the Academy DinaricWarrior. We're very pleased to have you & I'd encourage you to contribute & participate as much or as little as you'd wish. We're a totally inclusive community here so if you'd like to be a part of our monthly Spotify playlist track nominations or feature release submission initiatives then let me know. If not then that's completely fine too. Feel free to send my a private message if there's anything I can help you with.

Here's my review:

I have to admit that New York heavy/power metal legends Virgin Steele’s first couple of albums (1982’s self-titled & 1983’s “Guardians of the Flame”) did very little for me. It wasn’t until I investigated their highly regarded 1995 seventh full-length “The Marriage of Heaven & Hell Part Two” that I uncovered the true qualities that Virgin Steele have to offer but there was still a fair amount of cheese in their sound to offset the chunky power metal riffage & anthemic choruses with the symphonic elements of their sound taking me a little outside my musical comfort zone. The experience was positive overall though so I thought I’d give 1994’s “The Marriage of Heaven & Hell Part One” a crack to see how it compares.

I feel very similarly about this record in my ways as it sports most of the same character traits. The powerful metal riffage is further highlighted by a stellar production job for this style of metal with the music seemingly jumping out of the speakers & forcing your head to bang up & down. This is a very metal album in that regard it has to be said. Edward Pursino’s lead guitar work is brilliantly composed & executed & just listen to how memorable some of these choruses are! They’re tailor-made for raising your metal claws to the sky & singing along with your drunken mates thanks to some highly memorable hooks. David DeFeis’ voice is simply wonderful as he sports an enormous amount of power & emotion, not to mention the fact that he challenges Manowar’s Eric Adams in the epic stakes.

But in saying all that, the album also contains some of the same hindrances as it’s younger sibling. Despite four or five tracks hinting at classic status, none manage to pull it off in their entirety in my opinion with most containing a cheesy bridge or guitar solo section to pull things back to just a very solid level rather than allowing the song-writing to scale the heights of a genuinely transcendent one. The tracklisting is also noticeably top heavy with all of the best material residing on the A side. When Virgin Steele decide to explore their more melodic side with some more commercially accessible ballads & symphonic interludes we find them overstepping the cheese line in no uncertain terms & those tracks are inevitably the weaker moments on the record. They remind me very much of Savatage’s more self-indulgent efforts in that regard.

Overall I see “The Marriage of Heaven & Hell Part One” as another missed opportunity for Virgin Steele. All of the components are in place to make this a pinnacle of heavy metal but they somehow manage to squander that potential through their own indulgences. With a run time that exceeds 70 minutes, I have to suggest that a bit of culling could have added another half star to my rating but as it stands I’d still say that this is my new favourite Virgin Steele release as it possesses more highlight tracks & a touch less cheese than its more widely praised successor.

For fans of Jag Panzer, Omen & Manowar.

3.5/5

Obús - "Prepárate" (1981)

The debut album from this Madrid-based outfit is one of the earlier metal releases to come out of Spain. Zarpa's 1978 debut album "Los cuatro jinetes del Apocalipsis" is the earliest that I'm aware of but I'd argue that "Prepárate" may have come in second (at least of the reasonably noteworthy releases out there) as I don't regard Barón Rojo's "Larga vida al rock and roll" album from earlier in 1981 to be anything more than hard rock whereas "Prepárate" has a foot in both the hard rock & heavy metal camps. Unfortunately it suffers from the same affliction as Barón Rojo's first couple of records though as I struggle with clean Spanish language vocals in my metal for some reason, especially when there's not a lot of talent behind them as we see here. The instrumentation is reasonably well done throughout & there are a few tracks that I quite enjoy (i.e. when the choruses don't kill off their chances) but none of them will see me rushing back for return visits. It's interesting that we may even have an early speed metal track on our hands here in "Pesadilla nuclear" although it's not a very good one it has to be said. At the end of the day "Prepárate" is another decent Spanish rock/metal record with solid (if uninspired) instrumental performances & fairly amateurish vocals. I'd take it over the first two Barón Rojo albums though if pushed.

For fans of Barón Rojo, Ángeles del Infierno & Saxon.

3/5

The Ruins of Beverast - "Rain Upon The Impure" (2006)

The highly regarded sophomore album from this mysterious German solo act is a solid effort that showcases a great understanding of tension & atmosphere. The monstrous vocals are truly menacing while the two dark ambient interludes are immaculately executed & are probably my favourite inclusions on the album. The funeral doom metal influence is beautifully incorporated into a platform built on atmospheric black metal, so much so that I'd suggest that the doomier & more atmospheric moments eclipse most of the blasting sections pretty comfortably. A part of that is due to the fact that Alexander's drumming isn't terribly flash & when you combine his limited technical skills with a poor snare drum sound that stands out in the mix like a sore thumb then you get a significant obstacle to the album's chances of me holding "Rain Upon The Impure" up on a pedestal. Thankfully the song-writing is accomplished enough to overcome that flaw with the five proper songs all being of a consistent quality. The length of the album is certainly overly indulgent but you don't often hear black metal artists of the class of The Ruins of Beverast so it's hard to complain too much.

For fans of Elysian Blaze, Lurker of Chalice & Verdunkeln.

4/5

Here's my January playlist submission Andi:

Old - "Freak Now" (from "The Musical Dimensions of Sleastak", 1993)

There won't be any submissions from me this month Andi.

Here are my January playlist submissions Vinny:

Critical Defiance - "Elephant" (from "No Life Forms", 2022)

Pantera - "Suicide Note, Pt. 2" (from "The Great Southern Trendkill", 1996)

Here are my submissions for the January playlist Ben:

Liturgy - "PASAQALIA" (from "H.A.Q.Q.", 2019)

Drudkh - "The First Snow" (from "Autumn Aurora", 2004)

Windir - "The Spiritlord" (from "1184", 2001)

Here are my submissions for the January playlist:

Edge of Sanity - "The Sinner & The Sadness" (from "Purgatory Afterglow", 1994)

Dying Fetus - "Killing On Adrenaline" (from "Killing On Adrenaline", 1998)

My Dying Bride - "God Is Alone" (from "Trinity", 1995)

Carcass - "Ruptured In Purulence" (from "Symphonies of Sickness", 1989)

Here's my submission for the January playlist Xephyr:

Cool Feet - "The Man From Marakesh" (from "Burning Desire", 1976)

Here's my submission for the January playlist Saxy:

Primus - "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver" (from "Sailing The Seas Of Cheese", 1991)

Here are my January playlist submissions Sonny:

Cavurn - "II" (from "Reheasal" E.P., 2017)

My Dying Bride - "Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium" (from "Trinity", 1995)

The Ocean - "Benthic: The Origin Of Our Wishes" (from "Pelagial", 2013)

In case you're not aware, members have until the 15th day of the month to submit tracks for the coming month's playlists Andi.

Here's the schedule for the January feature release nominations:

THE FALLEN: Daniel, Sonny, Ben

THE GATEWAY: Saxy, Andi

THE GUARDIANS: Xephyr, Daniel

THE HORDE: Ben, Daniel, Vinny

THE INFINITE: Saxy, Andi, Xephyr

THE NORTH: Ben, Vinny, Xephyr, Daniel

THE PIT: Daniel, Ben, Vinny

THE REVOLUTION: Andi, Daniel

THE SPHERE: Daniel, Andi

December 2022

01. Chaotian – “Gangrene Dream” (from “Effigies of Obsolescence”, 2022)

02. Desultory - "Life Shatters" (from "Bitterness", 1994)

03. Heaving Earth – “Flesh-Ridden Providence” (from “Darkness of God”, 2022)

04. Amorphis – “Moon and Sun Part II: North's Son” (from “Black Winter Day” E.P., 1994)

05. wecamewithbrokenteeth – “Crack Heads Run Into Wallz” (from “We’re Packing Are You?”, 2006)

06. Blind Equation – “:reconnect:” (from “Life Is Pain”, 2021)

07. Merciless – “The Land I Used To Walk” (from “Unbound”, 1994)

08. Coffin Mulch – “Septic Funeral” (from “Septic Funeral” E.P., 2021) [Submitted by Vinny]

09. Ripped To Shreds – “Peregrination to the Unborn Eternal Mother” (from “劇變 (Jubian)”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

10. Cloud Rat – “12-22-09” (from “Threshold”, 2022)

11. Faceless Burial – “Dehiscent” (from “At the Foothills of Deliration”, 2022)

12. Necrot – “The Blade” (from “Blood Offerings”, 2017) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. Gigan – “Still Image Symphony” (from “The Order of the False Eye”, 2008)

14. Pharmacist – “Cadaveric Osseous Stalactite” (from “Forensic Pathology Jurisprudence”, 2020)

15. Phobophilic – “Nauseating Despair” (from “Enveloping Absurdity”, 2022)

16. Ulcerate – “There Is No Horizon” (from “Staring Into Death & Be Still”, 2020) [Submitted by Daniel]

17. Morbid Angel – “Thy Kingdom Come” (from “Blessed Are The Sick”, 1992) [Submitted by Vinny]

18. Triumvir Foul – “Presage” (from “Onslaught to Seraphim”, 2022)

19. Vacuous – “Voluntary Immurement” (from “Katabasis” E.P., 2020) [Submitted by Vinny]

20. Mortuous – “Carve” (from “Upon Desolation”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

21. Haggus – “Plastic Mince” (from “Straight From The Slaughterhaus”, 2020)

22. Sepsism – “Surgical Atrocity” (from “Purulent Decomposition”, 1998)

23. Deicide – “Revocate The Agitator” (from “Legion”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]

24. Misery Index – “Manufacturing Greed” (from “Overthrow” E.P., 2001)

25. Skinless – “Tampon Lollipops” (from “Progression Towards Evil”, 1998)

26. Phyllomedusa – “Postmortal Cophixalus (Choking on Super Worms)” (from “Molesting The Frog Eater”, 2010)

27. Vulvectomy – “Gangrenous Testicular Deformity” (from “Post-Abortion Slut-Fuck”, 2010)

28. Cryptopsy – “Carrionshine” (from “Once Was Not”, 2005) [Submitted by Daniel]

29. Abaddon Incarnate – “I Will Nail You In” (from “Nadir”, 2001)

30. Antigama – “Debt Pool” (from “Whiteout”, 2022)

Chevy - "The Taker" (1980)

This one-off album is another one whose NWOBHM credentials are extremely flimsy. There's actually not a single track of the nine included that I regard as being metal. What we get here is a classic hard rock sound with strong southern rock influences & a touch of AOR here & there. The vocalist is the spitting image of Montrose/Van Halen front man Sammy Hagar & he does a very good job at driving the material which is admittedly pretty inconsistent in its quality. It's really pretty hard to believe the this isn't an American band as the southern rock influence in the guitar harmonies & vocal twang as so easily associated with the USA that it's almost impossible for Chevy to have hailed from anywhere else, even more so when you consider the band name. How they've become associated with the NWOBHM is baffling & is a clear sign of just how loose the boundaries were at the time. Anyway... at the end of the day "The Taker" is a fairly professionally put together hard rock record but the song-writing quality isn't strong enough to keep my interest with any level of consistency.

For fans of Sammy Hagar, UFO & The Black Crowes.

3/5

Ethel The Frog - "Ethel The Frog" (1980)

This obscure NWOBHM release is another one that I first discovered while conducting research for the Metal Academy podcast around many years ago now but I chose not to include it on the show as I didn't consider it to be genuine metal. This revisit has seen me giving the album a more focused review but my position has remained the same. Of the ten tracks on offer there are only three that I'd suggest should qualify for the NWOBHM tag. The other seven tracks see the unusually titled band (a Monty Python reference by all reports) traversing hard rock, pub rock, blues rock & rock 'n' roll. The production & performances are pretty primitive but it's the song-writing that has impacted my score here as I just can't get into the more lightweight bluesy pub rock stuff much. The vocals aren't terribly accomplished either. The cover version of the Beatles classic "Eleanor Rigby" is a great way to kick the album off though & is probably the best track included while the energetic Motorhead inspired "Fight Back" is also very solid. At the end of the day though I only find around 40% of the tracklisting to be enjoyable so I can't see myself returning to this album for a third helping.

For fans of Vardis, Dark Star & Status Quo.

3/5

Sunn O))) - "Monoliths & Dimensions" (2009)

It's been a while since I revisited this highly regarded seventh album from this Los Angeles drone metal establishment & I'm very excited to have found that it's grown significantly in my esteem in that time. Sunn O)))'s 2005 sixth album "Black One" is still my favourite drone metal release of all time but this one is a classic in it's own right with each of the four lengthy pieces being excellent examples of their type. It's the two lengthier ones that bookend the album really do the damage though with opener "Aghartha" sounding very much like a ritualistic summoning of a demon while jaxx-influenced closer is spectacular in it's artistic scope & depth. The vocal contribution of Mayhem/Aborym/Tormentor front man Attila Csihar is as unnerving as you'll ever find & the guest contributions from a host of talented experimental musicians never threaten to overpower the sheer weight of the monstrous down-tuned guitar chords. I genuinely love this record these days.

For fans of Earth, Boris & Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine.

4.5/5

Here's my adjusted Top Ten Drone Metal Releases of All Time list which sees Melvins' "Lysol" dropping out to cater for the reinclusion of this release:

01. Sunn O))) – “Black One” (2005)

02. Boris – “Boris At Last -Feedbacker-“ (2003)

03. Jesu – “Jesu” (2004)

04. Monarch! – “Omen” (2012)

05. Neptunian Maximalism – “Eons” (2020)

06. Boris with Merzbow – “Rock Dream” (2007)

07. Earth - "Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version" (1993)

08. Sunn O))) - "Monoliths & Dimensions" (2009)

09. Corrupted – “Llenandose de gusanos” (1999)

10. Earth – “Extra-Capsular Extraction” E.P. (1991)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/137

I've made the requested changes in the database as this release already qualifies.

I've made the requested changes in the database as this release already qualifies.

I've made the requested changes in the database as this release already qualifies.

With a vote tally of YES 5 NO 0, I've decided to uphold this nomination & the changes have been made in the database.

Windir - "1184" (2001)

Yes, you're right to think what you're thinking when seeing me post yet another lacklustre appraisal of a highly regarded melodic XXX metal release. I readily admit that I struggle with the more melodic branches of extreme metal at times & probably have no real right to play in this space but I think you all know that I'm a completist by now so I simply MUST have an opinion on literally everything. I'm difficult in that way but Ben's not much different & perhaps that's the reason that Metal Academy exists in the first place so them's the breaks I'm afraid. Anyway... I'm not a fan of Windir & never have been. Their "classic" breakthrough album "Arntor" did nothing for me & neither did this follow-up record which received pretty similar plaudits from critics & fans alike. From memory this one is a little less Pagan & symphonic but it attempts a few new things such as the inclusion of four minutes of trancey electronic music to close the album out. When Windir play to their darker side you can see that they showed some promise & there are a couple of tracks that I quite like (namely "Destroy" & "The Spiritlord") but they simply fall into melodic excess far too often to keep me engaged with the keyboards being the culprits more often than not. The musicianship & execution is spot on although the drumming isn't the most accomplished you'll find while the production job is perfectly suited to this style of music. Once again I just can't see myself getting past my issues with the melodic black metal subgenre with only rare instances of me getting onboard.

For fans of Mistur, Cor Scorpii & Vindland.

2.5/5

Pantera - "The Great Southern Trendkill" (1996)

I wasn't exactly blown away by Pantera's eighth album after purchasing it on cassette at the time of release. I mean I didn't mind it but it certainly seemed to be a bit wishy washy alongside the band's previous three records. Listening back to it now though has seen me adjusting those sentiments as it's really another very solid effort when you give it the decency of a few consecutive active listens. It's probably not as metal as "Far Beyond Driven" was but I'd suggest that it offers more variety & is a touch more consistent too to tell you the truth. Darrell's southern rock influence has never been so obvious as it is in his lead work here. That doesn't sound like a good thing to someone with my particular taste profile but the reality is that he's a wonderful musician & pulls it off with absolute ease. Phil's vocal performance is muscular & aggressive but I actually think he's at his best when he goes for a grungier approach & those tracks inevitably end up being my favourite inclusions (see "10's" & "Suicide Note Pt. I"). The tracklisting does fade a touch at the end (particularly the flat closer "(Reprise) Sandblasted Skin") but the super-tight performances of the rhythm section & the signature rhythmic riffage makes this Pantera's third best record behind their two early 90's classics. 

For fans of Hellyeah, Malevolence & Damageplan.

4/5

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

01. Coroner – “Grin” (1993)

02. Grip Inc. – “Nemesis” (1997)

03. Exhorder – “The Law” (1992)

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

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

06. Sepultura – “Chaos A.D.” (1993)

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

08. Pantera – “Far Beyond Driven” (1994)

09. Anthrax – “Sound Of White Noise” (1993)

10. Trepalium – “XIII” (2009)

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

Drudkh - "Autumn Aurora" (2004)

It's been a while since I visited the Ukrainian atmospheric/Pagan black metallers highly regarded sophomore record & I've been pleased to discover that it still hits the spot. It's definitely not the darkest or coldest atmospheric black metal release you'll find but neither does it try to be. The consistent inclusion of sweeping synths, catchy lead guitar work & melodic folk instrumentation keep things in a less imposing space for the most part but that doesn't detract from the effectiveness of this professional & engaging release. The Burzum influence is hard to miss with the album finishing at it's highest point with the classic "The First Snow" adding additional melodics to Varg's ambient, ethereal & trance-like darkness. The inclusion of folk elements in metal is not something that I usually buy into much but it's done with such finesse here that I rarely see myself tempted to complain. I think this is a slightly better record than Drudkh's highly praised 2006 "Blood In Our Wells" record to be honest & it should see all fans of the subgenre coming away with positive feelings.

For fans of Ygg, Winterfylleth & Wodensthrone.

4/5

All the best for your recovery Andi. COVID has been making a resurgence in my area in recent weeks thanks to a new strain. I'm not sure how it's being handled in your part of the world but we're not even required to isolate after registering a positive test any more, despite hospitalizations rising fairly sharply. It's a fine balance & I'm not sure we've quite got it right just yet.

Ben, please add NWOBHM band Mythra's four-song "The Death & Destiny" E.P. from 1979.

Liturgy - "H.A.Q.Q." (2019)

This is some fucking weird-assed shit from this Brooklyn outfit. I wasn't much of a fan of Liturgy prior to this record but they managed to get my attention with this fourth album. What we get here is a swirling mass of avant-garde dissonant black metal noise & screaming combined with glitchy electronic sound manipulation, cinematic orchestration that sounds like it could have been the soundtrack to "The Wizard of Oz" & several stripped back interludes that remind me of the totalism branch of the minimalism movement. Does it all work? Well, in a word no but the majority of it does & when they get it right it's hard not to be impressed by how much sense can be made from such chaotic components. The interludes are pretty boring & don't add a lot to the album in my opinion but the majority of the black metal oriented material is quite entertaining. I'm just not sure I'll ever find all of my metal boxes being ticked by such obscure sounds unless it can achieve some catchier melodic ideas.

For fans of Krallice, Jute Gyte & Mastery.

3.5/5

Def Leppard - "The Def Leppard E.P." (1979)

I've never liked Sheffield-based NWOBHM legends Def Leppard's 1980 debut album "On Through the Night" much to be honest. Def Leppard didn't offer much interest for me until 1981's very solid "High 'n' Dry" record (which is probably still their best work in my opinion) but I have to admit that I'd only ever given their seminal 1979 debut E.P. a passing listen during my Metal Academy podcast research many years ago so thought I'd better rectify that in the interest of completism. It didn't sound much like metal at the time so I didn't give it much attention at the time & nothing's changed there. As with a lot of early NWOBHM releases, "The Def Leppard E.P." is nothing more than a hard rock release & I wouldn't say that it's a particular good one either. It includes three tracks with the first two both being pretty generic & uninteresting. Thankfully the seven minute epic "The Overture" is much stronger & goes some of the way to justifying the effort but unfortunately it's not enough to make this release worthy of my attention, despite coming a little closer to the mark than "On Through The Night".

For fans of Tygers of Pan Tang, Heavy Pettin' & Saxon.

3/5

It may have taken me a couple of years but I've finally gotten around to giving our August 2020 feature release a good few listens & I've gotta say that I've once again been impressed by Primus' musicianship, ambition & ingenuity. This is probably a little more quirky & whacky than their 1990 debut "Frizzle Fry" was & that may well be to its detriment with this particular listener however that doesn't stop me marveling at Les Claypool's ridiculous chops or Larry LaLonde's wonderful jazz fusion guitar work. It definitely isn't the sort of music that I would generally go for but its hard not to become engaged by the unstructured madness going on, especially given that it sounds so foreign compared to literally everything else I've ever heard.

In saying that, "Sailing The Seas of Cheese" definitely takes a little while to get going. The first four tracks are all pretty entertaining but I didn't really feel myself becoming fully engaged until their very familiar hit single "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver" kicks into play & begins a very strong three track run. The back end of the record sees them matching that quality with the lengthy psychedelic number "Fish On" (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter II)" being my clear album highlight. As with the debut, this definitely isn't a metal record though & I really struggle to see where people can even start to see that as a possibility. I'd describe it as experimental alternative/funk rock personally but that's not important though as, despite the fact that this sophomore effort may not appeal to me quite as much as "Frizzle Fry" which is still my favourite Primus record, "Sailing the Seas of Cheese" is another damn fine example of just how enjoyable the sheer lunacy of early 90's Primus' can be.

For fans of Nuclear Rabbit, Mr. Bungle & Praxis.

4/5

Alkana - "Welcome To My Paradise" (1978)

A fairly underground one-off album from this obscure Californian band that included future Warlord front man Jack Rucker (aka Damien King) behind the mike. I'd describe Alkana's sound as being based in the hard rock of bands like Boston, Deep Purple, Van Halen & Queen with the addition of the progressive rock stylings of Yes & the proto-metal riffage of early Judas Priest. Instrumentally it's a pretty decent record but I find the light-weight vocals of Rucker to be a real let-down, particularly on the less ambitious & more traditional hard rock fodder. Unfortunately that flaw taints the overall product enough to ensure that I won't be enticed into return visits any time soon.

For fans of Van Halen, Yes & early Judas Priest.

3/5

Scorpions - "Tokyo Tapes" (1978)

I always enjoy the German hard rockers 1970's releases but I can never seem to get my scoring up over the 3.5 star mark & this double live album is no exception. It's an 80 minute/18 song journey through the band's first five albums with a few covers & an unreleased track thrown in for good measure. Some of the tracks are extended through some entertaining & most welcome instrumental experimentation with guitar legend Uli Jon Roth (in his very last show for Scorpions) being the obvious superstar. Front man Klaus Meine proves what a talented singer he can be too while the rest of the band perform their duties with a great deal of professionalism. The weak point certainly comes when Roth takes over the vocal duties on "Polar Nights" as he can't sing in key & sounds like some sort of dying animal while the high points come during the more progressive & expansive numbers, especially the brilliant one-two punch of "In Search of the Peace of Mind" & "Fly To The Rainbow" which is nothing short of breath-taking. Unfortunately there are enough generic hard rockers here to taint the elite level stuff which is generally the case with Scorpions. And for the record, Scorpions never have & never will be a metal band. That belief is a complete falsity. Still... this is definitely worth a listen for those that wanna see what the band were like in their prime or guitar heads like myself who want to marvel at one of the finest exponents of his craft the 1970's had to offer. If I'm being honest though I'd probably reach for studio albums like "Taken By Force", "Blackout", "Lovedrive" or "Animal Magentism" before this one though.

For fans of Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple & Rainbow.

3.5/5

I've decided that the YES 5 NO 0 vote tally is enough to pass this nomination so "Mekong Delta" has been added to The Infinite under the Progressive Metal genre on top of its position in The Pit.

Carcass - "Symphonies of Sickness" (1989)

Carcass' classic sophomore release was hugely influential on my conversion from thrash-obsessed madman to death metal lunatic back at the time of release however I have to say that I've been shocked by just how far it's come down in my estimations in modern times. I think it was easy to overlook the faults when I didn't have a lot to compare it to but now that I have that knowledge I've struggled to see it in the same light. It's still unquestionably my favourite goregrind release & in hindsight the freshly introduced death metal component is significantly out-weighed by the goregrind one. Ken Owen's drumming is very loose & the production is absolutely filthy but that's kinda in line with the disgusting atmosphere & both are still significant improvements on their first-up effort. Jeez, Bill Steer couldn't have got himself a worse lead guitar sound though & I have to wonder if it was intentional as he didn't fair any better on the debut. The three-pronged vocal approach is undoubtedly a major differentiator but some of it sounds pretty try-hard to be honest. I find that the A side is much stronger than the B side with most of the highlights residing there but there aren't any weak tracks as such. They tend to range from pretty good to excellent but these days I find the pretty good stuff outweigh the higher quality material. The pure grind sections where Owens goes for relentless blast-beats are great & went a long way to defining an entire genre but I can no longer say that I regard this as the classic I always have. What a shame it is when you have your childhood illusions overwritten. It's depressing!

For fans of Exhumed, Impetigo & Pharmacist.

3.5/5

Ben, can you please add Cavurn's  2017 "Rehearsal" E.P. to the site?

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

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

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

Cavurn - "Rehearsal" (2017)

Well, what have we here then?? Fucking hell! Ladies & gentlemen, this relatively unknown rehearsal demo is an absolute fucking beast of a doom/death metal release. In fact, it's forced me to heavily revisit the all-time top ten I submitted only yesterday! It's super-dark, ultra-cavernous & as weighty as any extreme doomster could ever want. I actually don't buy that it's a rehearsal tape as it's simply not possible to get one to sound this good. This shit doesn't look out of place with the absolute elite examples of the subgenre in my opinion.

For fans of Mortiferum, Bloodsoaked Necrovoid & Burial.

4.5/5

And here's my adjusted top ten:

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

02. Anathema – “Serenades” (1993)

03. Cavurn - "Rehearsal" demo (2017)

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

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

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

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

08. Evoken - "Quietus" (2001)

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

10. Mar de Grises – “Streams Inwards” (2010)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/131

It was a mixed month of feature releases for me this month really. The debut album from Dvvell was brilliant & really hit my sweet spot. The Critical Defiance & The Ocean albums were also very impressive. I had some fun with the Old, Sevendust, Tanith & Esoctrilihum albums but unfortunately I couldn't get into the Lorna Shore or Edge of Sanity records. Well done Sonny for taking the prize this month.

Here's the list of releases in order of preference:

THE FALLEN: Dvvell - "Quiescent" (2022)  4.5/5

THE INFINITE: The Ocean - "Pelagial" (2013)  4/5

THE PIT: Critical Defiance - "No Life Forms" (2022)  4/5

THE SPHERE: Old - "The Musical Dimensions of Sleastak" (1993)  3.5/5

THE GATEWAY: Sevendust - "Animosity" (2001)  3.5/5

THE GUARDIANS: Tanith - "In Another Time" (2019)  3.5/5

THE NORTH: Esoctrilihum - "Saopth's" (2022)  3.5/5

THE REVOLUTION: Lorna Shore - "...And I Return To Nothingness" E.P. (2021)  3/5

THE HORDE: Edge of Sanity - "Purgatory Afterglow" (1994)  3/5

Dying Fetus - "Killing On Adrenaline" (1998)

Another Dying Fetus release that brings you exactly what you expect with eight brutal death metal tunes chock full of hardcore grooves & techy sweep-picked wankery. As usual I find it hard to fault but rarely fully connect with it. It's not a bad record but I'd probably reach for albums like "Reign Supreme", "Destroy The Opposition" or "Wrong One To Fuck With" before this one.

For fans of Aborted, Benighted & Suffocation.

3.5/5