Daniel's Forum Replies
Tyshawn Sorey - "Pillars" (2018)
A 230 minute epic three disk set of randomly performed CD-length conducted improvisation pieces that offers a few nice deep & minimal moments but ultimately make very little creative sense so it gets pretty bored very quickly.
To clarify our position on genre/subgenre inclusion, yes we did use RYM as an initial reference point for ease of use but have gone our own way since then. We've found that other sites tend to look for reasons to create subgenres based on inconsequential & inconsistent features of a few releases & that's not really in line with what we're trying to do here. In fact, we're probably more likely to trim back our genre inclusions further than we are to expand on them unnecessarily.
With any new subgenres that are brought to the table I'm conducting a deep dive like the one I've just started for Stenchcore. This is not only to check the relevance of the subgenre for possible inclusion at MA but also to identify the best way to enable Ben to add these releases to the clans system accurately if we elect not to go that way. The Southern Metal investigation I conducted recently is an example of that & we decided not to include it based on my findings which indicated that there was no consistency in sound from release to release & that the links to Southern Rock were tenuous at best in most cases. Similarly, in my experience with the artists you're referencing above the psychedelic component is more of a descriptor than it is the base genre. You could have psychedelic heavy metal or psychedelic grindcore but do we really want those things in the same clan & genre? The answer is no we don't. We've already seen that moves like that cause issues with flaky genres like Symphonic Metal & Neoclassical Metal. It's better to keep it higher level in most cases.
Trancecore was originally included & then removed after an investigation that found that the majority of releases weren't exactly metal or could fit just as comfortably under Melodic Metalcore.
There's no denying that this is perhaps the first ever atmospheric sludge metal release
To be honest I don't hear any of the defining characteristics of Post-Metal here Andi. If you're talking about the ambient sections, I'd question why an ambient section makes something Post-Metal. Those parts don't have anything to do with metal. They're straight-up Ambient music. It'd be a NO from me if I could vote on this Hall entry (which is now up just quietly).
1. Phase I Ambient/Sludge Metal
2. Phase II Stenchcore
3. Phase III Sludge Metal
4. Phase IV Crust Punk
5. Phase V Industrial Metal/Sludge Metal
6. Phase VI Industrial
7. Phase VII Industrial Metal
8. Phase VIII Industrial Metal/Sludge Metal/Post-Punk/Ambient
Saw Throat - "Inde$troy" (1989)
OK, so this supposed Stenchcore release is the third album from English grindcore/crust punk outfit Sore Throat & sees the band taking a very different musical direction to their previous material. I'm familiar with their other albums from my tape trading days but hadn't heard this record for one reason or another which is a real shame as I think it's probably their best work from what I can remember of their back catalogue. "Inde$troy" is essentially a single 42 minute epic made up of eight different phases that straddle a number of different genres. The tracklisting is book-ended by two huge eleven minute epics, both of which are roughly 50% ambient music. I'd describe the rest of the album as being Industrial Sludge Metal with Crust Punk influences. There's only one track that I would confidently say is worthy of the Stenchcore label which is the second phase. It's also worth mentioning that if I had to allocate clans to this release it'd go in The Sphere & The Fallen so we haven't got much consistency across the first three Stenchcore releases in that regard thus far with all three seemingly pushing for different clan associations. Still... "Inde$troy" is a damn fine record that I regard as the best of the three releases I've investigated in this deep dive thus far. The vocals are very much a grindcore bellow & I really dig the sludgy doom riffs which are often offset with industrial feedback to make the atmosphere a touch more apocalyptic. There's some particularly solid material included & it's aged very well indeed for a late 80's release from the underground grindcore scene. It's just not worthy of a brand new Metal Academy genre tag in my opinion.
For fans of Neurosis, Godflesh & Fange.
4/5
Here's another example of the Stenchcore sound:
Filthy mid-80's heavy/speed metal from Devon, England.
Amebix - "Monolith" (1987)
OK, so Amebix's sophomore album has already thrown a cat amongst the pigeons in regard to the validity of Stenchcore as a legitimate genre of metal as it simply hasn't got much to do with punk music whatsoever. It's really a pretty obvious mixture of Venom, Killing Joke & particularly Motorhead & if none of those bands are tagged as Crust Punk or Stenchcore then there's no reason for "Monolith" to be either as it's arguably as metal as any of them & doesn't include any more of a Punk vibe. The production job is significantly cleaner than it was on "Arise!" but it's still fairly dirty. The music however is heavily weighted towards metal with only "Fallen From Grace" seeing the band producing the Stenchcore hybrid sound I was led to believe was in store for me. The majority of the remainder sits very much in Motorhead territory with a few more aggressive Speed Metal numbers thrown in for good measure. The Post-Punk leanings of the debut are still clearly visible too although they're probably not significant enough to warrant a secondary tag. Whereas the debut offered a vocal approach that was very clearly motoring down the Cronos lane, "Monolith" sees The Baron staddling a number of horses to great effect with Lemmy (Motorhead), Jaz Coleman (Killing Joke) & Quorthon (Bathory) all enjoying some air time. This is a bloody good Heavy Metal record I have to say though & was a clear step up from "Arise!" in my opinion.
For fans of Motorhead, G.I.S.M. & Tau Cross.
4/5
Try this on for an example of the Stenchcore sound:
Lil Data - "Folder Dot Zip" (2019)
Experimental electronica/IDM from Iceland. It seems to often be labelled as "algorave" which refers to electronic dance music where the producer gradually changes the sounds using random software changes & this results in a pretty chaotic outcome that doesn't appeal to me much. I mean I love my dance music but a big part of that is the controlled & structured changing of the musical landscape over time which enables you to get into a groove over a long period. This style doesn't ever allow me to get comfortable & there's nothing physical happening to my body as there's no consistent beat or themes. I struggle to think of who this music is tailored towards really. Is algorave really anyone's favourite style of music? I doubt it very much.
think stenchcore, if accepted, should go to The Horde, and if not the Horde, The Pit would be the closest second.
I'm already skeptical about inclusion in The Horde as the very first Stenchcore release I've explored (which is arguably the most well-known example of the subgenre too) has nothing whatsoever to do with death metal or grindcore. The Pit is a definite possibility though. I just have to figure out if the Stenchcore genre is even required or if the majority of its releases can fit under an existing subgenre easily enough. It'll be interesting to see.
So my deep dive into the Stenchcore genre begun yesterday. Here's some thoughts on the first record I investigated:
Amebix - "Arise!" (1985)
This debut album is currently tagged as both Crust Punk & Stenchcore at RYM & I think I can differentiate which tracks fall into each category pretty comfortably. What we have here is a filthy combination of hardcore, metal & post-punk with, from what I can gather, tracks like "Largactyl" & "Slave" falling into the Crust Punk category in that they're influenced by metal & show a few common traits without really ever feeling like metal & the thrashier tracks like "Axeman", "Fear Of God", "Spoils Of Victory" & the title track falling into the Stenchcore category in that they cross the line into genuine metal territory while still maintaining the hardcore aesthetic. Based on this experience alone Stenchcore seems to be intense hardcore music that borrows the riffs & vocals from the dirtier & more extreme early 80's metal bands (Venom, Motorhead, Hellhammer, Bathory, etc.) & presents them with an obviously hardcore-driven production & tone. In this case the Venom influence is the most prominent, especially in the vocals which are the spitting image of Cronos. Is there enough metal here to warrant inclusion at Metal Academy? Well I'd suggest that four of the nine tracks fall into the Stenchcore category & that's just enough to have me reaching for my metal pass. What clan would it belong to? Well despite the Venom & Motorhead links, I'd suggest that members of The Pit would be the most likely to enjoy a record like this one as it simply feels too dirty & punky for The Guardians with absolutely zero in the way of polish or precision & a healthy dose of Discharge which never goes astray in the thrash community. Perhaps that's why I've found myself enjoying it given that I'm a loyal member of The Pit. There are a couple of duds on the A side but there's enough quality to keep me interested with the more ambitious tracks being particularly enjoyable.
For fans of Axegrinder, Sacrilege & Hellbastard.
3.5/5
I'd suggest that this is probably the best example of the Stenchcore sound on the album for those that are interested:
Surely The Fallen would have a mammoth.
I’d suggest The Horde would have to be a zombie & The north might be a vampire bat?
I think Ben's point is that he adds every release to Metal Academy himself.
Anthrax aren't from California though.
It would appear that you've copied my Big Four. Now who is the cheat?
So an Aussie record label is interested in remastering & re-releasing the Neuropath demos on vinyl & CD which is amazing. What's not amazing is that I don't know what happened to the master tapes & DATs & it can't go ahead without them. I was definitely the one that had them but I can't remember seeing them since the late 90's. I feel sure that I wouldn't have thrown them away but if that didn't happen then I have no fucking idea what I've done with them. Let's hope I make a very unlikely rediscovery over the weekend. Wish me luck guys!
It was a pretty mixed month of features for me actually. There wasn't anything that would make my Hall of Metal Glory but there were some strong releases that I got a lot of enjoyment out of nonetheless. There were also a couple of records that I didn't get much out of to be honest. I was already somewhat familiar with the Atka, Thy Darkened Shade, The Chasm & Machine Head releases but the rest were totally new for me with the new Northlane album being my discovery of the month. The Lord Vigo record may have been somewhat divisive but I thought it was a great submission personally. Here are my results in order of preference:
THE REVOLUTION: Atka - "Untitled Album 1" (2018) 4/5
THE GATEWAY: Northlane - "Obsidian" (2022) 4/5
THE FALLEN: Lord Vigo - "Danse de noir" (2020) 4/5
THE NORTH: Thy Darkened Shade - "Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet" (2014) 3.5/5
THE HORDE: The Chasm - "Farseeing The Paranormal Abysm" (2009) 3.5/5
THE INFINITE: Devin Townsend Project - "Deconstruction" (2011) 3.5/5
THE PIT: Machine Head - "The Blackening" (2007) 3.5/5
THE GUARDIANS: Loudness - "Soldier of Fortune" (1989) 3/5
THE SPHERE: Deathstars - "Termination Bliss" (2006) 3/5
Just thinking about it now, my Big Four would be Slayer, Metallica, Kreator & Sepultura.
I disagree. I'd take "Spreading The Disease", "Among The Living" & even "Armed & Dangerous" over anything Testament has released. I've never considered Testament to be a tier one thrash band to be honest.
I'd have Sepultura in my Big Four ahead of Anthrax, Testament or Megadeth.
This nomination has now been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
Super-extreme German mathgrind.
PURE…… CHAOS……
PURE… UNADULTERATED…. UNMITIGATED…. RELENTLESS CHAOS!!!!
That’s what German mathgrind outfit Atka bring to the table alright. Seventeen short, sharp shocks to the system through incredible insanity, complexity, urgency & savagery & a front man who must surely be only moments away from a hernia given just how nuts he goes on every track. I’m honestly not sure how a band like Atka can keep this up for more than one or two releases & that seems to have rung true for Atka who haven’t been seen or heard of since.
I really am a sucker for inexcusably brutal yet well produced extreme metal music, aren’t I? Particularly when the level of musicianship is as high as it is here. I mean if The Dillinger Escape Plan looked side to side I’m sure they’d see Atka sitting right alongside them in that department only they’re carrying a whole array of super-intense blast-beats to scare your boss, your girlfriend & your Aunty’s best friend right back to wherever it is they came from. At just thirty minutes in duration you would think that a record like this one would be well-served by the short runtime but I would think that even such a brief dalliance with the senses would be almost too much to bare in one sitting for the majority of casual metal fans. Thankfully I’m not a casual metal fan by any means & this record was right up my alley. May the song structures have ADD & the blast-beats be eternal I say!
For fans of Discordance Axis, Antigama & Fuck The Facts.
4/5
Welcome to the Academy Rexorcist. It's great to have you here. I think you'll find a lot to enjoy as there's a whole bunch of cool ideas & functionality hidden away within the different tabs of the Academy site just waiting for you to discover them. Let me know if I can help you with anything as that's what I'm here for. Get amongst it!
Fucking cool avatar too! Well done!
Have just updated my top ten after checking out this month's The Revolution feature release in Atka's "Untitled Album 1" & finding that it has to command a place in my list at the expense of Napalm Death's "The Peel Sessions":
01. Discordance Axis – “The Inalienable Dreamless” (2000)
02. Pig Destroyer – “Prowler In The Yard” (2001)
03. Pig Destroyer – “Terrifyer” (2004)
04. Nasum - "Helvete" (2003)
05. Atka - "Untitled Album 1" (2018)
06. Terrorizer - "World Downfall" (1989)
07. Repulsion – “Horrified” (1989)
08. Unseen Terror – “The Peel Sessions” (1989)
09. Nails - "Unsilent Death" (2010)
10. Cretin – “Stranger” (2014)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/149
To clarify my intent with asking this question on Twitter, Andi is correct. The discussion was brought on by my bewilderment at how Deathstars' "Termination Bliss" managed to get lumped in with Industrial Metal when it doesn't contain any of the main attributes of that sound & the only answer I could come up with was that people needed to find somewhere to stick them due to not them not being German enough to qualify as Neue Deutsche Harte. I've seen evidence of that being discussed online since to partially validate that theory too.
I don't think it'll surprise too many of you to hear that I struggled with this one & I was always expecting to if I'm honest. I've encountered Deathstars a number of times over the years while programming the monthly The Sphere playlists & it was always clear to me that they sit well outside of my musical taste profile so I've never felt the need to fill in the gaps by venturing into a full album before. Now having done that over the last 24 hours I'm left feeling exactly as a thought I would. You see the sound that Deathstars are pushing here is a fair bit poppier than I'm generally comfortable with & if you're going to go that way then you'd better have the hooks to back it up. There are a few tracks that succeed in that regard (see "Cyanide", "Termination Bliss" & to a lesser extent "Virtue To Vice") but unfortunately I don't think they've nailed them consistently enough to draw my attention away from my stylistic concerns here.
On the positive side, the production job is clear, bright & glistening & does a great job at highlighting the band's main strength which is the contrast between the chunky guitar riffs & the lush & spacey synthesizer component. The simple groove-laden riffs have so clearly been stolen from the template that Rammstein developed that it's bordering on plagiarism while the synths give the overall package a noticeable cyber metal feel. For that reason I see this release as sitting somewhere in between the German Neue Deutsche Härte sound & a cyber metal one. There's absolutely no industrial metal here whatsoever so I'm absolutely baffled as to how this release has been lumped into that category. I'd encourage all members of The Sphere to correct that mistake ASAP. The other interesting element is the gothic one as the super-deep male vocals & dancey tempos have pretty obviously been borrowed from Sisters of Mercy, once again bordering on plagiarism at times. You'll also find some accompanying blackened vocals scattered across the tracklisting & those are pretty poorly executed & a little grating if I'm honest. Thankfully the few tracks that I do enjoy are really quite strong & there's nothing here that I regard as utterly horrendous so my overall opinion is that "Termination Bliss" simply isn't for me.
For fans of Rammstein, The Kovenant & Sisters of Mercy.
3/5
P.S. I was pretty surprised to discover that Deathstars were born out of the ashes of melodic black metal outfit Swordmaster whose "Wraths of Time" E.P. I was across during my tape trading days back in the mid-1990's. Also, guitarist/keyboardist Emil Nödtveidt is the brother of deceased Dissection mastermind Jon Nödtveidt while drummer Ole Öhman played on Dissection's classic albums. Both of these guys were also in melodic black metal band Ophthalamia who you might have heard of too.
Swedish cyber metal.
Interesting thoughts Andi. My perspective is a little different to your own. See both Ben & I have problems with what we call "locational genre tagging" Andi. The NWOBHM & US Power Metal scenes are prime examples of that given that there really isn't an easily identifiable sound they're encompassing but instead envelope a wider cross-section of different sounds. Unlike yourself though, I'm very much of the opinion that Neue Deutsche Harte is a well-defined sound that's clearly differentiated from your conventional industrial metal sound. The reason I feel this way is because I was responsible for programming the playlists for The Sphere for years & every month those tracks stood out like a sore thumb. Now that brings us to the question of what subgenres are really for. In my opinion they're to help people to identify music that they are likely to enjoy & I don't see how an artist's location or the language the artist has chosen to deliver their lyrics in fits into that. If you have one band from Germany who have a specific sound & then another band from another country with almost exactly the same sound (I'm not referring to anyone in particular at the moment) then why shouldn't they have the same subgenre tag? They absolutely should as far as I can see. My feeling is that we should have a harder look at how we use this subgenre because I'm not comfortable to separate like-artists based on location at the Academy.
This submission has now been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
This submission has now been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
Epic doom metal from Germany.
I have to admit that after giving this record a good few spins over the last couple of days I've found my opinion sitting at the extreme opposite end of the spectrum to some of those detailed above in that I feel "Danse de noir" fits the description for an epic doom metal release very accurately, so much so in fact that I'm gonna submit a Hall entry to have it removed from The Guardians because I don't feel the Heavy Metal tag is relevant given that it's more of an influence than it is a primary genre & is a necessary component of the Epic Doom Metal sound. Also, I really enjoyed this album & found it be a welcome addition to our list of feature releases. I thought the interludes were all really well done (particularly "Are You Human" which is outstanding) & the vocal delivery is something very different from what I'm used to hearing which gives it a strange appeal (think Dead Kennedys' Jello Biafra meets the upper register delivery of Type O Negative's Pete Steele & you'd be pretty close). It's interesting that front man Patrick "Vinz Clortho" Palm is actually Lord Vigo's drummer too which isn't all that common. The incorporation of synthesizer accompaniment works well to enhance the epic atmosphere with Viking-period Bathory often springing to mind & the record finishes on a high with the chorus of album highlight "Memento Mori" possessing a dark anthemic quality that really hit the spot for me. There's a bit of a lull in the second half of the album when the band steer away from the doom for a couple of tracks with both the Maiden-inspired heavy metal number "And Then The Planets Will Align" & the noticeably flat Gothic Post-Punk song "Between Despair & Ecstasy" falling short of the mark but there's more than enough quality across the rest of the tracklisting to not only make up for those blemishes but to keep me very well entertained as well. Great stuff!
For fans of Candlemass, Solstice & Sorcerer.
4/5
New Order - "Technique" (1989)
The Manchester alternative dance gods' highly acclaimed fifth album used to get played at messy early morning after parties all the time back when I was a DJ in the 2000's. It sounds pretty dated these days & is probably a little too jangly & uplifting for my taste too. Still... undoubtedly a very important record for the dance scene at the time.
The Magnolia Electric Co. - "The Magnolia Electric Co." (2003)
The debut album from this Buffalo-based project fronted by Jason Molina of Songs: Ohia fame. It takes an alternative/country rock sound & has some truly devastating song-writing on it. It's not all gold but there's easily enough quality & integrity in this release to warrant repeat listens from this ol' metalhead with the highlights shining like a beacon. A really enjoyable change of scenery.
I think you might really dig this Xephyr.
Wim Sonneveld - "Ssst! Wim Sonneveld zingt" (1958)
Some casual Dutch cabaret while I make dinner after a hard day's work.
Late 80's heavy metal from Japan.
There were actually quite a lot of Japanese heavy metal bands around during the '80s, most notably Anthem, Earthshaker and Seikima-II. Its just that most of them ended up doing poorly outside of Japan or just never bothered to begin with. I think the only ones that managed well were these guys, Bow Wow and Show-Ya, and the latter two moreso with the rock crowd than with metalheads.
Another fun fact, Loudness might just possibly be the band where its members have the most side projects in existence. The guitarist, Akira Takasaki, and I think the bassist and vocalist each have their own solo albums. There's also a quasi-supergroup by the name of M.T. Fuji. Finally, most of the band also created the music for the albums of '80s Japanese singer Misako Honjoh. They were busy little bees during the '80s.
As to this album, its been a long time since I listened to it, but I believe this is the album where they got rid of their original vocalist to try to chase more American success with an American vocalist. Guess it worked, though I myself was introduced to the band through Thunder in the East.
Don't forget the awful Lazy who were a precursor to Loudness. They were essentially a record company-instigated teenage boy band who decided to change direction & go in a heavier direction at some stage. The album I've heard from them (i.e 1980's "Uchusen Chikyugo") was an absolutely atrocious blend of heavy metal & pop rock & I regard it as one of the worst metal releases I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing.
Ok, so I feel like I should kick off this review with a clear disclaimer. I’ve had quite a bit of exposure to Loudness over the years but have never been a fan of what I’ve heard. My experiences largely sit within the band’s first four albums which saw the light of day between 1981 & 1984 &, while none of those releases were exactly horrible, they each left me feeling decidedly underwhelmed & wondering how records like “Disillusion” & “The Law of Devil’s Land” have become so popular with fans of the classic heavy metal sound. Akira Takasaki is certainly a wonderful guitar virtuoso but that was never enough to combat the cheesy & generic song-writing & the horrible Japanese-accented lyrics. Regardless, I’ve never been one to let internal bias direct my views on a release that I’ve previously been unacquainted with so let’s see what “Soldier of Fortune” is all about, shall we?
Loudness have certainly proven themselves to be quite prolific over the years as they’d released a full four albums in the time between 1984’s “Disillusion” (arguably their most highly acclaimed record) & 1989’s “Soldier of Fortune”. I remember some of their earlier material having a noticeable Rush-style progressive rock influence but by this stage they’d dropped that altogether with the late 80’s model of Loudness opting for a more straight-down-the-line hard rock-infused heavy metal sound. Akira’s devastating axe-slinging skills are the clear highlight of the album & this may just be the finest performance I’ve heard from him to date with Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads & Yngwie Malmsteen influences all being combined into a truly slaying example of the late 80’s shred phenomenon. The other noteworthy element of “Solder of Fortune” is the incorporation of a new American vocalist in Mike Vescera who offers the band a newly found accessibility. He also goes a long way to solving the problems I mentioned earlier with original singer Minoru Niihara as the vocal delivery is no longer an issue for me here.
“Soldier of Fortune” kicks off pretty well to be honest & after the first few songs I was wondering whether I may have found a Loudness record I could actually appreciate. Unfortunately though, things start to got noticeably rocky through the middle of the album with hard rocker “Red Light Shooter” falling pretty flat & the two ballads “Twenty-Five Days” & “Lost Without Your Love” reminding me of my qualms with the band’s earlier releases. Things do start to pick up late in the piece before tripping over themselves again with lazy power metal closer “Demon Disease”. Don’t get me wrong. There are some decent tunes here & I get enjoyment out of a good 60% of the tracklisting. It’s just that there are no obvious highlight tracks to balance out the low points & that leaves me feeling like the whole experience is more of a chore than it would have been if there had of been one or two real belters included.
Poor Loudness. They try so hard but may be destined never to see my head turn in admiration, despite the presence of a guitar god of the highest order. “Soldier of Fortune” is a more straight forward heavy metal record than earlier outings & this is both its strength & weakness. It can sound pretty basic in its makeup at times but also seems a touch more focused at the same time. If pushed I’d suggest that it’s the Loudness record that’s come the closest to hitting the mark in my experiences with the band to date but they’ve still got a lot of work to do if they want to see me singing their praises.
For fans of Yngwie Malmsteen, Dokken & Accept.
3/5
This submission has now been added to the Hall of Judgement.
Umm Kulthum - "Inta Omri" (1964)
Arabic classical/pop music from Egypt. It's not really my thing to be honest but was worth having a flirt with in the name of expanding my musical knowledge nonetheless.
Aren't you really taking more about Cyber Metal there though Andi? Industrial metal must be cold & mechanical in nature in my opinion. That's kinda the whole point of the genre & there's absolutely none of that here as far as I can see. There's not even any samples. I mean put this next to a Godflesh, Ministry or Strapping Young Lad record & they're like chalk & cheese. The electronic component on "Obsidian" is almost entirely Trance-based which I would have thought was covered by the Trance Metal tag. The rhythmic element sits in Djent territory for the most part.
A sublime djenty nu metal tune from this alternative trancecore outfit from Sydney, Australia.
This submission has now been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
Please keep these three Hall of Judgement entries in mind when checking out this feature release:
https://metal.academy/hall/235
I may have recently relocated to Queensland but I’m still well & truly a Sydneysider at heart which is why it seems almost insane that I’ve never heard a full Northlane record before. I mean these guys have been pretty much a staple of the local scene for more than a decade now but I have to admit that they’ve always sounded like the they’d be none of my business & I perhaps didn’t give the material I did hear much of a chance. Anyway… Andi’s feature release submission has seen me rectifying that situation & I’m really glad that I did because “Obsidian” isn’t what I was expecting at all.
The first thing I noticed was that for a release that’s tagged as industrial/alternative metal there’s a lot more going on than that. In fact, there’s absolutely zero industrial metal here so I have no idea where people are drawing that tag from. The combination of alternative metal, nu metal, trance, djent, metalcore & trip hop that we do get is extremely hard to tag. The djent component is very strong throughout however this record doesn’t belong in The Infinite so I wouldn’t opt for it as a primary on that tag. Overall, I’d suggest that calling this record alternative trancecore is about as close as I can come up with but the result is so much better than that sounds on paper.
You see, “Obsidian” is a beautifully comp[osed, executed & produced effort from a classy artist that knows their sound & how to best present it very well. The band are in complete unison, the breakdowns are thick & chunky, the trancey crescendos are glistening & epic & the vocal hooks are tasty & memorable so the album delivers on everything that this sort of poppy metal release promises on the cover. Front man Marcus Bridge is the clear focal point & the highlight of the album (as he should be with records like this one). The chorus hooks on wonderful tracks like “Dark Solitaire”, “Plenty”, “Cypher” & the brilliant album high point “Carbonized” are nothing short of breath-taking & draw on the very best that Linkin Park had to offer for inspiration. In fact, I’ll be surprised if Northlane’s star doesn’t rise across the globe at a great rate of knots off the back of this record.
“Obsidian” isn’t my usual type of metal record by any means & it took me keeping an open mind in order to leave myself open to its charms but once I did I was transported to somewhere I didn’t know existed, certainly not from an artist from my home town. The idea of the Trance Metal subgenre has always left a very bad taste in my mouth & my experiences with it to date haven’t proven to be anything other than negative however if this record is anything to go by then there are avenues it can take that can be not only successful but genuinely captivating.
For fans of Enter Shikari, Motionless In White & Linkin Park.
4/5
It'd be great if you can keep this Hall of Judgement submission in mind while checking out this month's feature release guys:
This nomination has now been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
It'd be great if you can all keep this Hall of Judgement entry in mind while checking out this month's feature release guys.
Ry Cooder - "Paris, Texas" Soundtrack (1985)
This film soundtrack has been one of my all-time favourites since the early 1990's. The film has been too actually. The soundtrack is essentially just Cooder playing some stunningly emotive & relaxing unaccompanied slide guitar but you won't find a better example of acoustic blues than this. I basically have to stop whatever I'm doing & melt into the floor every time it comes on.
Sonny, you should really get on this one if you haven't already.
This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
This submission has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.