Daniel's Forum Replies

Californian groove metal/

I have an admission to make. Despite being aware of Californian groove head establishment since the very beginning of their recording career & having seen them perform live in years gone past, this is the only Machine Head record I’ve ever listened to in full before now. This omission is a little unusual as I usually pride myself on my willingness to step outside of my musical comfort zone in the interest of maintaining the broadest knowledge of metal music I possibly can, perhaps being driven by my Metal Academy responsibilities in recent years if I’m being completely honest. I was certainly aware of the significant impact that Machine Head made on the metal scene with their 1994 debut album “Burn My Eyes” & I know the bigger tracks on that record by heart thanks to the consistent exposure I received from other parties at the time but the early 90’s groove metal explosion perhaps didn’t have the same impact on me that it did other metal fans as I was already well & truly immersed in extreme metal. Was I missing out? Well, if “The Blackening” is an elite example of the genre then I’d suggest that I didn’t as I still struggle a bit with the lack of substance & the general focus on macho posturing but I can’t deny that this is a decent metal record & my score here reflects that.

I do appreciate the tight performances from the band & the solid, chunky production which does a good job at highlighting the strengths of the individual musicians. There’s still a truckload of Pantera influence in Machine Head’s sound even all these years later with Rob Flynn’s vocals sounding uncannily like he’s trying to emulate Phil Anselmo at times. There are a few differentiators to be found though & they’re well worth discussing. For starters, the extreme length of many of the eight tracks on offer pushes up into self-indulgent territory at times. The tracks aren’t boring or anything but I have to ask what the point was as it’s not like there’s much of a progressive component to these song structures so they really are just extended groove metal songs. There’s also a significant thrash metal influence to some of the tracks here, perhaps more than I’ve noticed in the Machine Head material I’ve heard from other releases. It’s not enough to justify a primary thrash tag but it’s definitely there. I’m not much of a fan of the clean vocals which seem to be a clear attempt at commercialism but the biggest surprise for me was the inclusion of Iron Maiden style guitar harmonies & often for extended periods. I can’t say that they work all that well as they try their level best to drag the band into a cheesier territory that’s somewhat at odds with their masculine image. I wouldn’t say that this is a deal breaker by any means but I think the implementation could have been executed in a more subtle way. The lead guitar work is pretty effective though & is often a highlight.

The tracklisting is pretty solid with only the one obvious dud in the more commercial “Beautiful Mourning” but there aren’t really any genuine classics for me personally. I generally like the vast majority of the album but the only track that really gets me going on a physical level is “Now I Lay Thee Down” which I find to be the clear album highlight. From what I can tell though, “The Blackening” not only seems to compete with “Burn My Eyes” for Machine Head’s most popular record these days but is also one of groove metal’s most highly regarded releases overall so I can only really assume that my personal taste is restricting its appeal. I do remember enjoying the tracks I know from the debut a bit more than what I’ve taken from “The Blackening” though so it might be worth my while giving it a chance at long last over the coming months. I have to admit that “The Blackening” is unlikely to disappoint fans of quality metal music but it was never going to threaten my upper scores from a purely stylistic point of view.

For fans of Pantera, Sepultura & Soulfly.

3.5/5

Part of the problem I had with Machine Head's The Blackening is the lyrics in a few songs here, like in this f***ing slanderous stinker:

Two years since I've reviewed this album and I still haven't forgotten this atrocity.

What's your problem with this one Andi? I don't mind it to be honest. I never pay much attention to lyrics but these seem to be criticizing the way we force minorities into isolation which is a message that I'm 100% behind. Of course they've chosen to use a few naughty words but they've used them in a third person way that's critical of our use of them as a society & I can understand why they've done so. The fact that it's shocked you completely justifies the message.

My highlight from Mexican death metallers The Chasm's seventh album takes more of a progressive black metal approach.

I'm right there with you Vinny. I was familiar with the first couple of albums from The Chasm through the tape trading scene back in the 1990's with one of my trading partners from Chile keeping me well up to date with everything that was happening in the South American extreme metal scene. Neither appeared to be anything particularly special though even if both were quite enjoyable. It wasn't until I returned to metal in 2009 that I had the opportunity to run through The Chasm's highly celebrated run of albums from 1998-2009 though & (very much like yourself Vinny) I found that "Procession to the Infraworld" was the clear standout. The other four records were a mixed bag for me & you've probably noticed that I've been revisiting all of these releases over the last few months to see if my opinion has changed. If anything I'd suggest that my feelings have declined a bit though with 1998's "Deathcult for Eternity: The Triumph" & 2003's "Conjuration of the Spectral Empire" doing very little for me. I quite like 2004's The Spell of Retribution" but 2009's "Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm" is probably the best of the rest in my opinion.

As with all of The Chasm's classic era releases, "Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm" is a wide array of subgenres & is subsequently very hard to categorize. I've often pondered over whether this ambiguity of sound might be why the band have managed to achieve such a strong underground following over the years actually. Despite generally being labelled as a death metal band, you'll often find that there's just as much melodeath, thrash metal, black metal, progressive metal & doom metal about their records as there is genuine death metal & "Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm" is no exception. I'm pleased that the melodeath thing has been tapered off on this occasion though as, even though I generally liked "The Spell of Retribution", I can't deny that it put me outside of my comfort zone a little more than I would have liked.

With their seventh album we find The Chasm at their most creative & ambitious from a song structure point of view with several really lengthy pieces & a strong instrumental component. The band are known for chucking ten thousand riffs into every song & that's never been more the case you'll find here. If you're a riff-master then you certainly won't be disappointed but there's also a more progressive approach being taken on this record with a significant rise in the complexity of the riff structures. In fact, I'm often drawn to reference the technical thrash metal of Vektor. The Chasm have also made the open-string arpeggiated black metal style a consistent part of their arsenal & they pull it off with ease here along with the occasional dipping of toes into doomier territories (particularly on lengthy closer "The Mission / Arrival to Hopeless Shores (Calling the Paranormal Abysm)").

This is all sounds very good on paper so why haven't I scored "Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm" higher? Well, for all their creative ambition, The Chasm have never been a band that was completely in control of their instruments. They lack subtlety & finesse & that can be clearly seen in the short progressive metal piece "Farseeing..." with the heavy-handed lead work leaving me fighting back cringes. I sometimes wonder weather this lack of polish is a part of The Chasm's underground appeal though actually. It probably makes them sound a little more underground even though their package isn't all that extreme for death metal. The production jobs usually sound pretty underground too which has further accentuated their street credibility. Personally I don't pay any attention to any of that. I call 'em like I see 'em & "Farseeing The Paranormal Abysm" is a pretty entertaining listen that doesn't quite manage to excite me consistently enough to compete with the premier death metal bands.

For fans of Cenotaph, Shub Niggurath & Blood Incantation.

3.5/5

Shum - "Levegő" (2018)

A lovely example of Hungarian ambient music that utilizes droning walls of noise in conjunction with gorgeously subtle synth pads.

Once again the least popular track on an album appeals to me the most. Avant-garde progressive metal from Canada.

Hhhmmm.... I have to admit that I initially found "Deconstruction" to be a bit of a struggle as it's so clearly not targeted at me as an audience. I usually steer well clear of words like "wacky", "quirky" & "theatrical" when it comes my metal & this record has all of them in spades with Devin seemingly throwing the kitchen sink at every track on this lengthy third album under the Devin Townsend Project moniker. I quite liked 2009's "Addicted" but had no time whatsoever for the prog rock of "Ki" from the same year. This time he released both "Deconstruction" (an avant-garde progressive metal beast) simultaneously with another ambient new age album in "Ghost" which I really despised & perhaps that's what kept me away from "Deconstruction" up until now.

You can expect a real wall of sound with all sorts of things layered over the top of each other here. It's very clear that Devin has made a conscious attempt to sound as off-the-wall & bizarre as possible with his strange sense of humour coming into play at various times too. There's a significant symphonic component incorporated throughout the record & Devin tries all sorts of vocal techniques across the tracklisting along with a variety of musical styles from electronic music & opera right through to blast-beat-driven death metal. A couple of listens saw my ears starting to become adjusted to what was in store for me & by the end of the third listen I found myself showing some appreciation for what is undoubtedly an extraordinarily original & generally very consistent piece of art. It's just not something that appeals to me enough to see me returning to it too often. "Deconstruction" is highly progressive, is over the top in every way & pushes the insanity dial up to eleven for its entire duration. "Addicted" still gets my vote for Devin Townsend Project's best work but not by a lot & I feel sure that there's a healthy fanbase out there for records like this.

For fans of Strapping Young Lad, Ihsahn & Buckethead.

3.5/5

Progressive black metal from Greece.

I quite liked this album although it hasn't really realized its full potential in my opinion. It's a classic case of style over substance with great emphasis being placed on the strong level of musicianship that each band member possesses, especially session drummer Hannes Grossmann (Necrophagist/Eternity's End/Hate Eternal/Obscura/Triptykon) who I've always admired. Grossmann's blast beats are nothing short of exceptional here & are the clear highlight of the album, despite some wonderfully inventive & quite melodic black metal guitar work. I don't know where the links to death metal are coming from as this is quite clearly a black metal release however I'd be happy enough with a progressive black metal tag as it's clearly a more ambitious record than your average tremolo-picked Satanfest. Perhaps the deeper vocal delivery is where people are drawing the death metal reference from but if that's the case then they're perhaps not all that familiar with the Greek black metal scene. I do think that Thy Darkened Shade were pushing the friendship a little with the 76 minute run time but admittedly they maintain a consistent quality throughout. The songs do tend to sound a little samey after a while though & I can't but feel that a bit of quality control might have resulted in a much stronger product. Still... there's a lot to like about "Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet". I'm just not sure I can see myself returning to it all that often.

For fans of Acrimonious, Abigor & Dissection.

3.5/5

My observations:

1. Sonny has likely listened to over 222 doom metal releases this decade.

2. Neoclassical Metal & Southern Metal are not a metal subgenres.

3. Ben has far too much time on his hands.

4. I am well behind on modern metal & are progressively getting more so.

Can someone please tell me how this track became a single & is one of the most popular & high regarded songs on Sepultura's 1996 "Roots" album? It's absolutely awful in my opinion.

Enslaved - "Vikingligr veldi" (1994)

Revisited this oldie for the first time in ages this week. I picked the CD up upon release back in the day after being impressed by Enslaved on the Emperor split & the album didn't disappoint me either. The majority of the tracklisting takes an expansive Norwegian black metal approach but there's also a Viking Metal component that differentiated it from some of the competition along with the regular use of keyboards without ever threatening to push out into "symphonic black metal" territory. I have to say that time hasn't been that kind to those synthesizers as they sound very dated & more than a little cheesy these days. Grutle Kjellson's vocals were pretty gurgly at this point too & could have been a little better. There's some wonderfully classic black metal on here though & I was heading towards awarding it a premier rating until the decidedly Moonsorrow-ish closing instrumental piece "Norvegr" popped up at the last minute to bring me back to earth. It's not a bad track but it's folky Viking Metal stylings aren't anywhere near as much to my taste as a blasting black metal monster like "Vetrarnótt" (my album highlight) or "Midgards eldar" with it's obvious early-90's Bathory influence. After revisiting Enslaved's super-popular 2003 album "Below the Lights" recently I'd have to say that I prefer "Vikingligr veldi" these days & I wonder how much of that is nostalgia. I'm not too sure but I can't say that I think of "Vikingligr veldi" as sitting amongst the elite Norwegian black metal releases. It's a second tier record for mine but a strong one at that.

For fans of early Emperor/Windir & Viking-era Bathory.

4/5

Excellent. Sounds like it might be right up my alley then!

Parkcrest - "Midnight Chasm" (from "And That Blue Will Turn To Red", 2019)

Pantera - "Message In Blood" (from "Cowboys From Hell", 1990)

Sepultura - "Cut-Throat" (from "Roots", 1996)

Alcest - "Ecailles de lune, Pt. 2" (from "Ecailles de lune", 2010)

Enslaved - "Vetranott" (from "Vikingligr veldi", 1994)

Pestilence - "Soul Search" (from "Spheres", 1993)

Suffocation - "Anomalistic Offerings" (from "Breeding The Spawn", 1993)

The Chasm - "Travelling Through Chaos (I, The Pastfinder II)" (from "Conjuration of the Spectral Empire", 2002)

Wormrot - "Hatred Transcending" (from "HIss", 2022)

Bolzer - "The Great Unifier" (from "Aura" E.P., 2013)

Nasum - "Scoop" (from "Helvete", 2003)

Pagan Altar - "Samhein" (from "Mythical & Magical", 2006)

Thornhill - "The Hellfire Club" (from "Heroine", 2022)

Type O Negative - "Creepy Green Light" (from "World Coming Down", 1999)

Candlemass - "Tears" (from "Tales of Creation", 1989)

Esoteric - "Sinistrous" (from "The Pernicious Enigma", 1997)

Mastodon - "Crusher Destroyer" (from "Remission", 2002)

meganeko - "The Cyber Grind" (from "The Cyber Grind" single, 2020)

None from me this month Andi. I didn't listen to any Revolution releases in July.

Here's the feature release nomination list for September:

THE FALLEN: Ben, Daniel, Morpheus, Sonny

THE GATEWAY: Saxy, Andi

THE GUARDIANS: Morpheus, Rexorcist, Xephyr

THE HORDE: Vinny, Ben, Daniel

THE INFINITE: Xephyr, Saxy, Rexorcist, Andi

THE NORTH: Ben, Vinny, Xephyr, Daniel

THE PIT: Morpheus, Rexorcist, Ben, Daniel, Vinny

THE REVOLUTION: Andi, Daniel

THE SPHERE: Daniel, Andi

Sorry guys. I've been on flights all day. Just got it done now. You're gonna have to be patient with me these days as my work life is only getting more hectic.

August 2022

01. Vomitory – “Chaos Fury” (from “Blood Rapture”, 2002) [Submitted by Vinny]

02. Loudblast – “Cross The Threshold” (from “Cross The Threshold” E.P., 1993)

03. Flourishing – “Momentary Senses” (from “The Sum Of All Fossils”, 2011) [Submitted by Daniel]

04. Six Feet Under – “Genocide” (from “Graveyard Classics IV: The Number Of The Priest”, 2016) [Submitted by Daniel]

05. Nightfall – “As Your God Is Failing Once Again” (from “Macabre Sunsets”, 1993)

06. The Chasm – “The Funeral Cortege:Sepulchre: / Final Flight of the Hateful Raven / Portal to the Isolated Domain” (from “The Scars Of A Lost Reflective Shadow”, 2022)

07. Death Breath – “Twisted In Distaste” (from “Let It Stink” E.P., 2007) [Submitted by Vinny]

08. Imperial Circus Dead Decadence – “腐蝕ルサンチマン、不死欲の猿楽座。” (from “殯――死へ耽る想いは戮辱すら喰らい、彼方の生を愛する為に命を讃える――。”, 2022)

09. Death – “The Philosopher” (from “Individual Thought Patterns”, 1993)

10. Circle of Dead Children – “Ten Fingers (My Last Ten Minutes)” (from “Erotic Sense Decay”, 1999)

11. Brutal Truth – “Dead Smart” (from “Sounds of the Animal Kingdom”, 1997)

12. Rompeprop – “Kńijnen met un V-hals” (from “Gargle Cummics”, 2010)

13. Entombed A.D. – “Elimination” (from “Bowels Of Earth”, 2019)

14. Carnal Savagery – “Torn From The Grave” (from “Zombie Infested” demo, 2020) [Submitted by Vinny]

15. Monstrosity – “Fatal Millennium” (from “Millennium”, 1996) [Submitted by Vinny]

16. Coffin Nail – “By Hand Of Glory” (from “Years Of Lead”, 2022)

17. Altars – “Perverse Entity” (from “Ascetic Reflection”, 2022)

18. Deeds Of Flesh – “Trading Pieces” (from “Trading Pieces”, 1996)

19. Discordance Axis – “Typeface” (from “Jouhou”, 1997)

20. Hate Eternal – “Nothingness Of Being” (from “Upon Desolate Sands”, 2018) [Submitted by Vinny]

21. Phyllomedusa – “Devour The Crickets” (from “Molesting The Frogeater”, 2010)

22. Origin – “Chaosmos” (from “Chaosmos”, 2022)

23. Excruciating Terror – “Life Ends” (from “Expression Of Pain”, 1996)

24. Kraanium – “Double Barrel Penetration” (from “Ten Acts Of Sickening Perversity”, 2009)

25. Skinless – “Endvisioned” (from “Trample The Weak, Hurdle The Dead”, 2006) [Submitted by Daniel]

26. Knoll – “Throe Of Upheaval” (from “Metempiric”, 2022)

27. Esoctrilihum – “Thertrh” (from “Consecration of the Spiritüs Flesh”, 2022)

28. Malodorous – “Eyes of Abomination” (from “Amaranthine Redolence”, 2007)

29. Fulci – “Splatter Fatality” (from “Tropical Sun”, 2019) [Submitted by Vinny]

30. Severe Torture – “Hands & Head Not Found” (from “Fisting The Sockets” E.P., 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

It's probably worth mentioning that there are also another couple of new subgenres on RYM in Black Noise & Pornogrind, neither of which will be considered for the Metal Academy database without having conducted extensive research to ensure that they're a relevant differentiator. We both feel that RYM's growing subgenre list has gotten out of hand recently & we won't be following them blindly. The genre voting on that site has gone from bad to worse in recent years too with a few senior members often leading the masses up the garden path. 

Chunky progressive sludge metal from Atlanta, USA.

A crushing metalcore-infused stomper from the Atlanta progressive sludge masters.

Mastodon - "Remission" (2002)

Revisiting the debut full-length from this legendary Atlanta outfit has seen me viewing it in a new light. I'd previously felt that it was a touch overrated & found that I enjoyed it less than their later work however I tend to think that my judgement may have been clouded by to the fact that I came to it immediately after having first encountered Mastodon's most classic albums "Crack The Kye" & "Leviathan". When taken in isolation & with fresh ears though I've discovered an entirely new appreciation for the ridiculously well-executed progressive sludge metal the band were wielding at the time. As is usually the case with Mastodon records, drummer Brann Dailor is the clear highlight & boy does he go to town here! He may just be one of top few drummers of all time these days & I can't get enough of his trademark fills & snare rolls. There's a metalcore influence on a couple of tracks (particularly on short opening track "Crusher Destroyer" which is the highlight of the album for me) but anyone labelling "Remission" as a metalcore release is misguided. The tracklisting kicks off with some major impact given that tracks 1 & 2 are the best of the eleven tracks but that's not to say that the rest of the record is a disappointment by any means as there's a solid consistency to every track included. There's just not the hooks to see me adjusting my opinion from a "very solid" release to the "classic" one that some people seem to claim it is. Still... anyone who enjoys a more expansive take on sludge will get a lot out of "Remission". In fact, I'd probably take it over a record like 2006's "Blood Mountain" these days.

For fans of Baroness, Dvne & Intronaut.

4/5

Avant-garde progressive metal from Oslo, Norway.

Ved Buens Ende..... - "Written In Waters" (1995)

It's been many years since I revisited this seminal & quite bizarre one-off record from Norwegian avant-garde progressive metal outfit Ved Buens Ende..... & that really needed to be rectified because it's a truly confounding & resoundingly original piece of work from a band that were far too young to achieve such a feat. I first encountered Ved Buens Ende..... through the 1996 Blackend Records compilation "Blackend: The Black Metal Compilation Vol. 1" via one of the highlight tracks in "Carrier of Wounds" & immediately found myself captivated but it took time for the full effects to take hold because there's simply far too much going to be able to grasp it in one or two sittings. There are enough common traits to comfortably determine that Ved Buens Ende..... hail from the Norwegian black metal scene of the early 90's & you'll see plenty of evidence of that across the tracklisting however to describe them as a black metal band is far too limiting. You can expect to hear dissonant & completely atonal open-string guitar work that wouldn't seem out of place on Voivod's more ambitious records mixed in with jazzy experimental drumming & unusual & quite powerful clean vocals that somehow seem to draw upon dark melodies that perfectly compliment the tense atmosphere. Then a simplistic & consciously grim old school black metal section will appear out of nowhere & the snarliest, croakiest blackened vocals this side of Darkthrone will leap forth to penetrate your calmed state & remind you that this is still a release that has been born from the darkest pits of extreme metal territory.

For all those positives, Ved Buens Ende..... don't get it all right here. I rarely find an entire track to ticks all of my creative boxes with only the lengthy "Remembrance of Things Past/To Swarm Deserted Away" doing enough to qualify as a genuine metal classic in my opinion. There are also a couple of pretty ordinary atmospheric pieces included in "Autumn Leaves" & the hidden track that closes the album, both of which suffer from being too loose & wishy washy. Thankfully though those are the exception rather than the rule with the more substantial works being much more successful in their realization of an ambition that's stood out amongst its peers ever since. The best moments occur when the clean vocals manage to penetrate my soul in a way that leaves their eery melodies still easily recalled by my brain all these years later. More often than not these melodies are accompanied by a majestic & often dissonant guitar arpeggio that could only have been drawn from the Norwegian black metal scene yet somehow doesn't feel like black metal at all & it's this sort of contradiction that makes "Written In Waters" an enthralling ride, despite all of its imperfections.

For fans of Dødheimsgard, Fleurety & In the Woods...

4/5

One of the more hardcore punk-driven tracks from the Brazilian's sixth full-length.

Sepultura - "Roots" (1996)

It came as a bit of a shock to me but I actually don't think I've ever listened to "Roots" up until now. I was previously under the distinct impression that this was the point that Sepultura lost me but given that I've experienced no semblance of familiarity with most of the tracklisting I can only assume that my interest was simply too heavily entwined in the extreme metal scene to pay any notice to the Brazilians sixth full-length. But you know what? It's not a bad record to tell you the truth. It was certainly the band's least appealing offering to the time & is far too inconsistent to even think about my higher scores but I can't say that I find it to be as repulsive as many other ol' thrashers seem to.

"Roots" offers an interesting combination of styles with Sepultura having completely dropped their trademark thrash metal sound by this stage, instead adopting an approach that sits somewhere between groove metal, nu metal, hardcore punk & Brazilian tribal folk music. I can't say that it always works & there are a fair few failures along the way (particularly the God-awful "Ratamahatta") but when the band get it right they can still produce a very solid piece of bottom-heavy metal music, even though it won't be as musically & melodically impressive as they were capable of in their late 80's/early 90's prime. The Korn influence is plain for all to see but that's not to say that Sepultura do a bad job at incorporating nu metal into their sound. The parts that annoy me the most tend to be when they use the scatty Brazilian vocals over a metal backing or even opt for snippets of turntablism. The hardcore sections sound really natural though with gravel-throated Max Cavalera fitting the mould very well while the expanded focus on the traditional music of their Brazilian homeland was the natural destination for the journey they'd started with 1991's classic "Arise" album. The noticeable omission is Andreas Kisser's lovely touches of lead guitar melody seem to have become the victim of a more modern approach which is a shame.

While this might not be the most inspirational or addictive Sepultura release it's hard to deny that the band's intentions were in the right place as they can't be accused of simply repeating the formula that they'd built their career on. My personal preference in metal isn't really in line with the groove/nu metal direction that "Roots" has taken but the simple riffs contain enough quality to keep me interested, especially on the darker songs like "Cut-Throat", "Lookaway" & "Ambush". The beautiful acoustic folk guitar piece "Jasco" is a nice addition too. "Roots" may not be essential listening but I think it's worth a few spins nonetheless.

For fans of Soulfly, Machine Head & Korn.

3.5/5

It's been 35 years since this beast of an E.P was released today. I could never get into the first couple of Destruction releases as a young fella & that hasn't changed over time but their run of 1986's "Eternal Devastation" into "Mad Butcher" into their 1987 fourth full-length "Release From Agony" (my favourite Destruction record) has always been right up my alley & represents the peak of the band's creativity in my opinion.

A Swedish grindcore blastfest.

Have just updated my top ten after revisiting Nasum's "Helvete" today & realising that it needs to be in here somewhere:

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. Terrorizer - "World Downfall" (1989)

06. Repulsion – “Horrified” (1989)

07. Unseen Terror – “The Peel Sessions” (1989)

08. Nails - "Unsilent Death" (2010)

09. Cretin – “Stranger” (2014)

10. Napalm Death – “The Peel Sessions” (1987)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/149

Nasum - "Helvete" (2003)

Blasting ball-out grindcore from Sweden. This genre doesn't get much better than when Nasum lets go of the shackles & just goes for it. The slower tempo groove sections aren't as strong but they maintain a nice level of consistency across the 22 tracks with no obvious weak tracks. I fucking love the ultra-aggressive vocals & drumming. "Helvete" kicks serious arse in my opinion.

For fans of Rotten Sound, Wormrot & Brutal Truth.

4/5

Post-blackgaze from San Francisco, USA.

Classy post-blackgaze from San Francisco, USA.

Deafheaven - "Ordinary Corrupt Human Love" (2018)

2013's "Sunbather" record was one of the most divisive I can remember in my extreme metal journey & it's not hard to see why either but I'm not afraid to confidently state that I fell firmly into the camp that thought it was a masterstroke. Deafheaven's debut album "Roads to Judah" was a really solid example of post-blackgaze however "Sunbather" saw the band maximizing all aspects of their sound &, in doing so, set the metal world alight. Given the magnitude of that album, future Deafheaven releases were always going to be compared to it & that can probably be seen as a disadvantage, particularly given the tendency for people to prejudge based on past experiences. And this brings us to Deafheaven's fourth full-length album "Ordinary Corrupt Human Love" which sees the band taking their sound even further away from the black metal scene's comfort zone.

If you come in looking for black metal here then you'll be disappointed as there's really very little on offer apart from George Clarke's Ihsahn-like gurgles. In fact, it's quite hard to identify much in the way of any sort of metal for most of the record to tell you the truth. Instead the instrumentation draws from widely disparate (yet universally accessible) forms of rock music & manages to pull it all off with an ease that only the elite artists in the scene can manage. Melodic shoegaze? Tick. Stripped-back post-rock meanderings? Tick. Whispy dream pop vocals? Tick. Lush & progressive art rock excursions? Tick. Ethereal darkwave atmosphere? Tick.... & all executed with aplomb too. Opening track "You Without End" offers about the only weak point on the record via some ill-guided black metal shrieks layered over some particularly easy-listening art rock instrumentation which sounds well out of place. Thankfully the musicians execute their parts with enough sophistication to leave the track feeling predominantly positive as a whole but I have to admit that it was a strange decision to open with the weakest number on the tracklisting. From that point on Deafheaven don't put a foot wrong but in saying that they don't ever really see me thinking about reaching for my higher scores either. I guess the musical positivity that Deafheaven surround themselves with is still a little too far away from my sweet spot for that however I can't deny that they've managed to fully realize yet another brave & ambitious artistic undertaking here.

The more intense parts are still my favourite parts which won't surprise anyone but the indulgent post-rock sections are nothing short of lovely too. It's interesting that, despite the lack of genuine metal here, I still think the album is best described as post-blackgaze, mainly because George's vocals simply don't belong anywhere outside of the metal spectrum. There's not even all that much shoegaze on offer here either but there isn't another black metal-related subgenre that could possibly encompass the positivity in these melodic themes so it just seems to fit.

I'm honestly not sure that Deafheaven can put a foot wrong at this point no matter what subgenre they tackle & "Ordinary Corrupt Human Love" is yet another strong release that sees them flexing their creative muscles. Thankfully the extreme metal world seems to be ready for it too.

For fans of Alcest, Ghost Bath & Oathbreaker.

4/5

Two & a half hours of Henry Rollins telling the story of his days in Black Flag. It'll completely reset your vision of the rock star lifestyle forever.

It's been an intense last couple of weeks at work & that's not likely to change any time soon as I'm heading to New Zealand tomorrow morning to spend a week traveling around the country visiting key customers. It's a little bit stressful to be doing that right now as the COVID risk is rising again in Australia & there is the chance that the borders may be shut at some point. It's also made worse by the fact that my 81 year-old father-in-law has COVID at the moment & is being monitored by my wife. I've already cancelled this trip twice before though so I think I'm reluctant to do that again & are just gonna have to play it by ear.

This release has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

Glorious psychedelic funeral doom metal from Birmingham, England.

My updated list after revisiting Esoteric's "The Pernicious Enigma" over the last couple of days:

01. Esoteric - "The Maniacal Vale" (2008)

02. Esoteric – “Paragon of Dissonance” (2011)

03. Esoteric – “Metamorphogenesis” (1999)

04. Ahab - "The Call of The Wretched Sea" (2006)

05. Esoteric - "The Pernicious Enigma" (1997)

06. Evoken – “Atra Mors” (2012)

07. The Howling Void – “Shadows Over The Cosmos” (2010)

08. Thergothon – “Stream From The Heavens” (1994)

09. Monolithe – “Monolithe II” (2005)

10. Ea – “Ea” (2012)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/132

Esoteric - "The Pernicious Enigma" (1997)

When I first heard English funeral doom masters Esoteric's highly regarded sophomore album "The Pernicious Enigma" back in the day I found myself struggling with various different elements. There's no doubt that the production job could have been much better & that was my main obstacle however I also found the continuous wave of layered vocals & the extreme length of this release (i.e. a 115 minute double album of funeral doom metal can be daunting at the best of times) to be a challenge. Since that time Esoteric have become one of my absolute favourite bands though & this revisit has seen the penny finally dropping for me with everything the band were trying to achieve now being hungrily lapped up by this fussy ol' bastard.

That's not to say that "The Pernicious Enigma" is a perfect record(s) by any means. The occasional use of more up-tempo sections are nowhere near as effective as the rest of the material with the short industrial death metal piece "At War With the Race" failing to meet expectations. There are a few attempts at off-beat drumming that don't really stick the landing either & the fact that they've had to resort to using a drum machine for a few tracks tells a pretty clear story about fill-in drummer Anthony Brewer's talents. Nonetheless, the consistency with which Esoteric are able to deliver wonderfully monstrous masterpieces of psychedelic depravity is unprecedented & one needs only take a cursory glance at the likes of "Dominion of Slaves" or "Sinistrous" to realise how all-encompassing that idea can be when all the planets align. The incorporation of a diverse array of influences also helps to free the band from the strict stylistic confines of the funeral doom metal genre with Godflesh style industrial moments & slowly building post-metal build-ups proving to be invaluable assets here along with Esoteric's inimitable penchant for mind-expanding psychedelia.

Esoteric are untouched in their field & even a thin production job where the rhythm guitars have nowhere near the weight that they deserve is not enough to stop them from looking down on the competition from their funeral thrones while we bask in yet another glorious procession of unwavering doom.

For fans of Evoken, Thergothon & Skepticism.

4.5/5

I added an entry in the Hall of Judgement for this release to be added to The Pit. If that's successful then we'll add another one to have The Guardians removed. Otherwise we could potentially be left without a clan.

I don't see any reason to remove these releases to be honest. They've obviously been deemed to be pretty close to metal or metal-related by some people & we've always intended the site to be very much against the "gatekeeper" style approach of some of our competitors. As long as these releases are marked as Non-Metal then I don't see that they cause any harm unless they're an obvious piss-take.

C A S I N O ☆★☆★☆ M A S T E R - "☆★☆ ボーナススピン幸運 ！！！" (2014)

This release is a 14 minute collage of sounds which sees the English producer taking samples from casinos & making them into an arrangement that loosely resembles music. I don't mind it purely for background atmospherics as I don't really need to focus on it & the sounds are completely foreign to my everyday life. Still... it's completely disposable from an artistic point of view.