Daniel's Forum Replies

Black Country, New Road - "Ants From Up There" (2022)

I thought I'd see what all the fuss is about with the much celebrated sophomore record from this highly regarded English art/post/indie/chamber rock artist but ended up finding that it's not really my thing. I can appreciate what they're trying to do but can't seem to connect with this release artistically.

Poison - Into the Abyss (1987)

Poison were a German extreme thrash outfit that never had any official releases except for a single track on a Roadrunner sampler before splitting in '87. This is the last of their demos and consists of four tracks spanning thirty-three minutes with a really good sound quality for a 1980's underground demo. It is hard to ascribe any particular genre to Into the Abyss... other than to say that this is a definition of extreme metal in the late eighties. Combining elements of Slayer-inspired thrash with Possessed/Death death metal and Bathory/Sodom/Celtic Frost first wave black metal, coupled with a Lovecraftian horror aesthetic, these guys produce half an hour of extreme metal nirvana. That is the great thing about this time in the history of metal - there wasn't any hard and fast guidelines yet so some bands just went balls-out to produce the most extreme shit they could manage. The playing itself is quite accomplished and proper respect needs to be shown to drummer Alex Gilliar (aka Witchhammer) who gives a good account of himself with some outstanding skinswork as he batters the shit out of anything that moves. The riffs are great and vocalist Armin Weber (aka Virgin Slaughter) has an evil-sounding blackened snarl. This may ultimately have been more of an influence on black metal than death metal going forward, but I just couldn't ignore such a cool recording for this thread. This is a much respected and well-regarded demo for damn good reason. Surprisingly, considering the reverence for Poison and Into the Abyss... in particular amongst devotees of extreme metal, only one of the four members (guitarist Uli Hildenbrand) continued any career in metal beyond the lifespan of Poison. If you have any interest in the development of extreme metal then you really need to hear this seminal demo.
4.5/5

Another one from my tape trading past. I remember my cassette having Poison's "Sons Of Evil" demo on the A side with "Into the Abyss" on the B side. I didn't like "Sons Of Evil" much from memory but recall thinking that "Into The Abyss" was really strong & giving it repeat listens for a few weeks afterwards. I don't think I've given it a revisit since the 90's though so my memory is a bit hazy.

Traditional doom metal from Maryland, USA.

I'd certainly heard the name Internal Void around the traps over the years but can't say that I've ever committed to checking them out before now. In fact, I wasn't aware that they'd released anything else after this debut album which proves Sonny's point about being a particularly underappreciated artist. After giving "Standing On The Sun" a few spins over the last couple of days I've achieved a firm opinion on the music that lies within & while I can't say that I find the same level of appeal as the elder statesman of our Metal Academy community there's definitely a fair few positives here. The warm 1970's production job is a great start as it really compliments the band's sound & gives the record that authentic old-school doom atmosphere. The inclusion of psychedelia in the lead guitar work is something that I've always found appealing while I can easily pickup the Alex Lifeson influence that Sonny mentioned above. Unfortunately though there's a fairly major stumbling block for me here in J.D. Williams' vocals. He's clearly trying his level best to be Ozzy Osbourne but sadly doesn't possess anywhere near the level of talent required so he often ends up sounding more like Lee Dorrian's weaker moments. There's no question that he's trying really hard but it should all come a lot more effortlessly for a genuine front man. For this reason I found that two of the three tracks I enjoyed the most were the instrumental pieces in short acoustic interlude "Eclipsed" & album highlight "The Peace Song". The other element that places a cap on my rating is the inclusion of a fair few groovy stoner metal riffs. While those riffs may sound very much like Black Sabbath, I have to admit that even the mighty Sabbath can't completely win me over when they go in that direction for any sort of period (as they did on a record like "Vol.4" which I've always considered to be a bit overrated). Epic closer "Desolate Cemetery" is my pick of the vocal tracks as it manages to overcome a significant doom-to-groove ratio through an impeccably dark atmosphere, some stellar riffage & lead work & a pretty cool lyrical approach. 

Overall I find "Standing On The Sun" to be a mildly enjoyable listen that has the edge taken off an excellent instrumental representation of the traditional doom metal philosophy by a couple of aesthetic & compositional flaws. I'd be surprised if the vast majority of Saint Vitus, Pentagram & 70's Black Sabbath fans don't find enough to keep them interested here but I'm not sure too many of them will consider Internal Void to compete with the premier traditional doom metal bands that influenced them.

3.5/5

Sepultura - Morbid Visions (1986)

The version of Morbid Visions I have been listening to also has the Bestial Devastation tracks from the 1985 split with Overdose so I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and cover both here. As much as I am a huge fan of the four albums from Schizophrenia onwards, I have never even listened to these earlier releases before now... and wow, what a treat they are! It is amazing to think that the Cavalera brothers were mere teenagers at the time, but the fearlessness of youth, I suspect, enabled them to produce a brace of releases that pushed the envelope of what was then considered extreme in the metal world.

First off, Max has got the best iteration of the death growl heard up to this point, being deeper and gruffer than most of the other frontmen of the time who's vocals still remained very much in the Tom Araya / Mille Petrozza barking style. The playing is a bit messy and some of the transitions aren't as smooth as people would like, but hell, they were still learning their craft and yet mananged to produce a fireball of furious riffing and incendiary soloing that gives a real insight into just how fucking awesome and ahead of the curve early Sepultura were. I am not a person who is impressed by flashy showmanship or technical wizardry (in fact, quite the opposite) so I may be better disposed to such an obviously flawed release as Morbid Visions because, for me, it succeeds by sheer force of will and energy in presenting something that is just so damn exciting I can't help but love it. This is heartfelt metal from a band of youngsters in it solely for the love of metal at this point and that ethos shines through really brightly on this debut album. It seems strange that this is never mentioned much in the conversation about early death metal releases because there seems to be plenty here that qualifies - Mayhem and War both sound very death metal to me and as a whole I would venture it is more death metal adjacent than Possessed's Seven Churches is. The production isn't great, the drums seem to be pushed too far to the fore, sometimes at the expense of the guitar and there isn't much by way of bottom end but, for me, this is only a minor issue and certainly isn't a deal breaker as far as future listening potential goes.

Bestial Devastations consists of an intro and four tracks, again the production leaves a lot to be desired (sounding a bit like Seven Churches production-wise) and the performance could be tighter, but all the tracks have great riffs and an infectious energy that true metal heads should find difficult to ignore. Both the split and debut full-length marked Sepultura out as a band who would most likely go places and were pretty extreme-sounding for 1986 and are deserving of being part of the conversation surrounding the development of death metal in the 1980s.

4/5

Bestial Devastation

Early Sepultura material is a real guilty pleasure for me as its evil necro atmosphere make me quite nostalgic despite the primitive production & performances. In fact, there's enough brutality on offer for half of these tracks to qualify as genuine death metal which makes it one of the earliest releases from the subgenre. Kinda sounds like a combination of the more brutal US bands like Slayer & Possessed crossed with the early Teutonic thrash material from Sodom & Kreator. 3.5/5 (4/5 for the re-release with the re-recorded version of "Troops of Doom")

Morbid Visions

Insert commentary from above only with a touch more intensity, better (if still decidedly inferior) drumming, less competent tuning & substantially more bass in the (admittedly still very raw) mix. Very similar quality overall though. This album absolutely belts the early Sodom releases in my opinion which shouldn't be a surprise when you consider just how many of these riffs the Seps boys reused on their classic albums a few years later. Prime time Brazilian death/thrash metal. 4/5

Morbid Angel - Abominations of Desolation (recorded 1986/released 1991)

This was recorded in 1986 but was shelved by the band as they faced some lineup issues and were unhappy with the sound of the album. It was heavily bootlegged but eventually was cleaned up and given an official release by Earache in 1991 and this is the version I have been listening to. It's got to be said that this seems to raise the bar as far as metal extremity went in 1986 and you can't help but wonder if the argument about the first death metal album would have been well and truly been settled if it was put out at the time of recording. The riffs here sound like something beyond the ultra-aggressive thrash metal that was being produced by the most extreme bands at this time and more like a whole new thing entirely, Trey Azagthoth proving that from the very get-go he was ahead of the curve when it came to writing death metal riffs. In fact the riffing and the solos are the major draw for me here, their sheer brilliance somewhat overshadowing the other aspects of the album. Lyrically Morbid Angel looked to the Necronomicon for inspiration and consequently the lyrics are very much occult-centric. As many other commentators have pointed out, the weak point is drummer / vocalist Mike Browning and his performance behind both kit and mic may well be the reason that Abominations of Desolation was shelved (and his leaving the band, although an altercation with Trey over a girl is also cited as the reason for the latter).

To choose to shelve the album was a brave move really when you think about it, after having put the effort into producing a debut record, then holding off until they considered themselves better placed to produce a worthwhile release must have taken a great deal of discipline. Rather than just wanting to see their name on a record sleeve they took the conscious decision to wait and that must be applauded as it shows a band willing to go the extra mile to get across their true vision rather than settling for less. Most of the tracks here (all except for Demon Seed I believe) have been reworked and released on later albums, proving that they never felt the material itself was weak, but rather it didn't come across as they had envisioned in this form. On the whole, I would say this is not merely a release of historical importance in the emergent death metal scene of the 1980s, but is a decent release in it's own right and the perceived weaknesses aren't complete deal breakers for me, as the material and guitar work is still strong enough to give the recording value.
3.5/5

I’ve always had a lot of time for this release. It’s really pretty amazing to think that it was recorded way back in 1986. They were clearly already ahead of their peers & I’m left thinking this would have been regarded as a classic release had it been released back then. But at the same time I’m glad it wasn't released because it would have taken away from the greatness of the band's subsequent releases. Trey’s lead & rhythm guitar styles are already so developed at this stage. He really did create a fresh & original take on the death metal riff. The drumming is a little primitive in comparison to Pete Sandoval’s advanced skills so that’s the most obvious weak point. You actually can’t hear the kick drum much at all. The production is obviously pretty raw but it's not off-putting. Browning’s vocals do the job well enough but they don’t quite compete with Dave Vincent’s performances in my opinion. All things considered I find heaps to enjoy here though. The lyrics & song-titles vary from the final versions quite a bit & when combined with the two hilariously over-the-top intro tracks the album seems to possess an identity all of its own. These songs have been a big part of my life & I find these rawer versions to have an endearing quality that makes them a nice alternative to the classic versions. I consider this a must for Morbid Angel fans.

4/5

Possessed - Beyond the Gates (1986)

Possessed's follow-up to Seven Churches was always going to have a struggle to live up to it's seminal older sibling. Beyond the Gates seems to see Possessed pull back from the abyss and doesn't pack the punch of Seven Churches, as the band settle for a more conventional thrash metal release, toning down the more extreme aspects of what made Seven Churches such compulsive listening. This doesn't make Beyond the Gates a poor album, it is a good album, no doubt about it. There are some terrific riffs, the band have tightened up and the production is very good. But therein lies the problem, especially within the scope of this thread - the chaotic, kinda messy sound of the debut contributed massively to it's apppeal for a lot of it's fans and the fact that the follow-up was cleaner and less extreme was seen as a negative and a backward step. While others were cranking-up the extremity in their sound, Beyond the Gates feels like a safe move. Ultimately your opinion of the album is going to depend on what you are looking for. If you just want to hear a really solid mid-eighties thrash album then roll on up because this has the goods, but if you want to hear a band developing the extreme sound of a landmark release even further down the rabbit hole then you will be disappointed I think.
4/5

"Beyond The Gates" certainly took a thrashier direction than the more obviously death metal oriented "Seven Churches" although there are still plenty of signs of the sound that was so influential on the early purveyers of death metal in my opinion. In fact, you can easily pick out some of the songs that Chuck Schuldiner used as the inspiration for Death's "Scream Bloody Gore" album. The song-writing is generally pretty good but the poor production does limit the records appeal pretty substantially. Some messy rhythm guitar performances don't help either but the brutal vocals of Jeff Becerra & the impressive lead guitar work of Larry Lalonde & Mike Torrao help to carry the album through to a reasonably rewarding result for me personally. It's just not as rewarding an experience as the debut was & I'd suggest that "Beyond The Gates" was the least impressive of Possessed's three 80's releases. It sounds very much like a combination of Slayer, Venom & Death to my ears.

3.5/5

What do you think about the production on Seven Churches? Do you think that echoey, "cavernous" sound it possesses was particularly influential on bands like Autopsy and the other death/doom bands of the early nineties?

I've never made that connection to be honest. "Seven Churches" still had a pretty thrashy sound. I don't think they'd detuned their guitars & there's a fair amount of high end there. By comparison I would guess that Autopsy detuned three or four semitones on "Severed Survival" & there was a much stronger focus on bottom end.

Here's my June playlist submission:

Godflesh - "Flowers" (from "Merciless" E.P., 1994)

Here's my June playlist submission Andi:

War From A Harlots Mouth - "The Polyglutamine Pact" (from "MMX", 2010)

Here are my June submissions Vinny:

Metallica - "Master Of Puppets" (from "Master Of Puppets", 1986)

D.R.I. - "Broke" (from "Full Speed Ahead", 1995)

Sepultura - "War" (from "Morbid Visions", 1986)

Slayer - "Angel Of Death" (from "Reign In Blood", 1986)

Sodom - "Deathlike Silence" (from "Obsessed By Cruelty", 1986)

Tankard - "(Empty) Tankard" (from "Zombie Attack", 1986)

Here are my June playlist submissions Ben:

Blasphemy - "Blasphemous Attack" (from "Gods Of War", 1993)

Immortal - "In My Kingdom Cold" (from "Sons Of Northern Darkness", 2002)

Sacramentum - "Fog's Kiss" (from "Far Away From The Sun", 1996)

Sear Bliss - "Birth Of Eternity" (from "Glory & Perdition", 2009)

Here are my June playlist submissions:

The Amenta - "Erebus" (from "Occasus", 2004)

Behemoth - "Furor Divinus" (from "The Satanist", 2014)

Sinister - "Diabolical Summoning" (from "Diabolical Summoning", 1993)

The Chasm - "Conquerer & Warlord" (from "The Spell Of Retribution", 2004)

Cannibal Corpse - "Dead Human Collection" (from "Bloodthirst", 1999)

Malignant Monster - "Old Corpus Delecti" (from "Foul Play", 2005)

Decapitated - "Day 69" (from "Organic Hallucinosis", 2006)

Here's my June playlist submission Saxy:

Evanescence - "Better Without You" (from "The Bitter Truth", 2021)

Here are my submissions for the June playlist Sonny:

Monarch! - "Blood Seeress" (from "Omens", 2012)

Godflesh - "Merciless" (from "Merciless" E.P., 1994)

Spectral Voice - "Terminal Exhalation" (from "Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing", 2017)

Here's the plan for the June feature releases:

THE FALLEN: Ben, Daniel, Sonny

THE GATEWAY: Andi, Saxy

THE GUARDIANS: Xephyr, Daniel

THE HORDE: Vinny, Ben, Daniel

THE INFINITE: Xephyr, Saxy, Andi

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

THE PIT: Daniel, Sonny, Vinny, Ben

THE REVOLUTION: Daniel, Andi

THE SPHERE: Andi, Daniel

May 2022

01. Morbid Angel – “Radikult” (from “Illud Divinum Insanus”, 2011)

02. Mechina – “Suffer” (from “Venator”, 2022)

03. Unheilig – “Abwärts” (from “Grosse Freiheit”, 2010)

04. DEAFBRICK – “Hyperkinetic Mass Disorder” (from “Deafbrick”, 2020)

05. Pitchshifter – “Keep It Clean” (from “Deviant”, 2000)

06. Ministry – “Cannibal Song” (from “The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste”, 1989)

07. Rammstein – “Mutter” (from “Mutter”, 2001)

08. Nine Inch Nails – “Physical (You’re So)” (from “Broken” E.P., 1992)

09. Scorn – “Thoughts Of Escape” (from “Vae Solis”, 1992)

10. Eisbrecher – “Segne deinen Schmerz” (from “Eiszeit”, 2010)

11. Apartment 26 – “Keep You” (from “Hallucinating”, 2000)

12. In This Moment – “As Above, So Below” (from “Mother”, 2020)

13. Lard – “Drug Raid At 4 AM” (from “The Last Temptation Of Reid”, 1990)

14. Godflesh – “Blind” (from “Merciless” E.P., 1994) [Submitted by Andi]

15. Ghostemane – “Calamity” (from “ANTI-ICON”, 2020)

16. Killing Joke – “Judas Goat” (from Hosannas From the Basements Of Hell”, 2006) [Submitted by Daniel]

17. Old – “Outlive Again (Ganglehea Mix)” (from “Lo Flux Tube”, 1991)

18. Author & Punisher – “Incinerator” (from “Krüller”, 2022)

19. Samael – “The Shadow Of The Sword” (from “Lux Mundi”, 2011)

20. Skrew – “Gemini” (from “Burning In Water, Drowning In Flame”, 1992)

21. Static-X – “Hollow” (from “Project: Regeneration Vol. 1”, 2020)

22. Red Harvest – “Move Or Be Moved” (from “Cold Dark Matter”, 2000)

23. Code Orange – “In Fear” (from “Underneath”, 2020)

24. Napalm Death – “Resentment Always Simmers” (from “Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw of Throes” E.P., 2022)

25. Fear Factory – “Mechanize” (from “Mechanize”, 2010)

May 2022

01. Infester – “Chamber Of Reunion” (from “To the Depths, In Degradation”, 1994) [Submitted by Daniel]

02. Sentenced – “Awaiting The Winter Frost” (from “North From Here”, 1993)

03. Gorguts – “Elusive Treasures” (from “From Wisdom To Hate”, 2001) [Submitted by Daniel]

04. Orbit Culture – “Flight Of The Fireflies” (from “Shaman” E.P., 2021) [Submitted by Ben]

05. Thotcrime – “dead + dreaming” (from “ønyøurcømputer”, 2020)

06. Napalm Death – “Greed Killing” (from “Diatribes”, 1996) [Submitted by Ben]

07. Akercocke – “Leviathan” (from “Choronzon”, 2003) [Submitted by Ben]

08. Haemorrhage – “Dissect, Exhume, Devour…” (from “Grume”, 1997)

09. Macabre – “The Black Knight” (from “Grim Scary Tales”, 2011)

10. Astral Tomb – “Transcendental Visions” (from “Soulgazer”, 2022)

11. Cryptworm – “Disgorged Chunks Of Life” (from “Spewing Mephitic Putridity”, 2022)

12. Nasum – “Distortion & Disinformation” (from “Industrislaven” E.P., 1995)

13. Sarcofago – “The Laws Of Scourge” (from “The Laws Of Scourge”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

14. Vastum – “Amniosis” (from “Hole Below”, 2015) [Submitted by Daniel]

15. Disgorge – “The Vile Sores in Urticariothrocisism Goulashed Decrepitance” (from “Chronic Corpora Infest”, 1998)

16. Enemy Soil – “Sentencing” (from “Casualties Of Progress” E.P., 1995)

17. Father Befouled – “Unheavenly Catechesis” (from “Crowned In Veneficum”, 2022)

18. Rotten Tomb – “Pest Winds” (from “Visions Of A Dismal Fate”, 2022)

19. Aeviterne – “Stilled the Hollows' Sway” (from “The Ailing Façade”, 2022) [Submitted by Ben]

20. Golgothan Remains – “Veneration Of Carnal Blasphemy” (from “Adorned In Ruin”, 2022)

21. Deranged – “Killing Spree” (from “Rated-X”, 1995)

22. Waking The Cadaver – “Type A Secretor” (from “Perverse Recollections Of A Necromangler”, 2008) [Submitted by Daniel]

23. Katalepsy – “Rabid” (from “Musick Brings Injuries”, 2008)

24. Infernal Coil – “Bodies Set In Ashen Death” (from “Within A World Forgotten”, 2018) [Submitted by Daniel]

25. Desolate Shrine – “Cast To Walk The Star Of Sorrow” (from “Fires Of the Dying World”, 2022) [Submitted by Ben]

26. Dying Fetus – “Destroy The Opposition” (from “Destroy The Opposition”, 2000) [Submitted by Daniel]

Again, this is an album I have only become aware of by doing this project, so as much as I am trying not to, I am coming at it with modern prejudices and it still sounds a bit of a mess to me - not without it's moments it must be said, but still a mess.

I would argue that you don't display "modern prejudices" with other mid-80's extreme metal releases you're just being exposed to now Sonny so I don't think it's as big a deal as you may think. Your thoughts on the album are understandable in my opinion & if anyone has any unconscious bias then it's probably me who first encountered "Hymn To Abramelin" as a naïve & impressionable teenager who didn't have the power of the internet at his disposal over three decades ago.

Crushing US doom/death that sounds like diSEMBOWELMENT meets Bolt Thrower.

Spectral Voice - "Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing" (2017)

Three of the dudes from Blood Incantation & Black Curse get together & make a doom/death record that pays clear homage to the great diSEMBOWELMENT only with a stronger emphasis on Bolt Thrower style death metal. What could be bad about that concept? Well the answer is nothing. Nothing whatsoever. Spectral Voice aren't quite as talented at creating truly unique & mind-bending atmospheres of sheer desolation as the Aussie doom/death legends were but they offer enough in the way of crushingly deep doom caverns & sudden blasting grind sections to keep this ol' death metal fanatic frothing at the mouth. Love those super-deep death growls too even if they're a long way from original. Spectral Voice just don't quite manage to get any of the five lengthy tracks to the absolute elite level though as there's always a flatter moment included somewhere & this sees me falling just short of my upper ratings but if you're a fan of bands like Anhedonist & Inverloch then you won't regret giving this album a few spins one bit.

4/5

Look, I've always quite liked Messiah's "Hymn To Abramelin" to be honest. It's certainly not something I return to all that often but I think there's enough quality there to keep me interested. The problem I find with it though is that the tracklisting is so inconsistent with the quality levels differing greatly between excellent tracks like "Messiah" & "The Dentist" & disposable stuff like "Anarchus" & "Future Agressor". Thankfully I find that the highlights are strong enough to carry the filler though. I've got it pegged for a 3.5/5 rating personally. It's probably worth mentioning that I've never seen it as a death metal record. It's a thrash metal release with black/speed metal influences to my ears. Actually Sonny, I think this exercise might be a good opportunity for you to help us get some of the genre tagging cleaned up on some of these early "death metal" releases by contributing an unbiased opinion.

I haven't heard either of those additional Genocide or Mutilator demos Sonny. I guess those must have passed me by until the debut albums. You've just reminded me about that Death "Mutilation" demo though because I'd completely forgotten about that one. I retract my previous overarching statement. That's a pretty reasonable demo from memory & I remember enjoying it more than their 1984/85 ones.

I can assure you that your opinion is no less valid than anyone else's Sonny. And for the record, I was raised on shitty bootlegged cassette tapes through the tape trading scene so the medium has never been a complete deal breaker for me either although I certainly think it places an upper cap on my scoring potential at times.

I don't think I've ever heard the Genocide, Mutilator or Metal Massacre releases you discussed but I'm obviously well versed in "Seven Churches" as I was first introduced to it around 1989/90. I think my feelings on it may surprise a few people though because, despite the fact that I find it to be a really enjoyable & important record, I have to admit that I've never found it to be as overwhelmingly impressive as most death metal fans seem to. It just doesn't quite seem to be the finished product that some of it's peers would produce in the coming years but I'd admittedly already been introduced to Death's first couple of albums by the time our paths crossed. I don't think death metal overtook my thrash obsession until Morbid Angel & Carcass came along with their 1989 classics to be honest. In saying all that, I do categorically think "Seven Churches" is a death metal record & the very first proper release for the genre. It simply shares too many characteristics with the early death metal classics not to be regarded alongside them. Nothing Possessed did afterwards is anything but pure thrash metal though & I think Jeff's been telling porkys about his influences because the Slayer plagiarism was totally blatant on those mid-to-late 80's records. "Seven Churches" is a 3.5/5 for me personally. Interestingly, if you held a gun to my head & made me choose I'd actually take Sepultura's death/thrash debut E.P. "Bestial Devastation" (which was released just two months afterwards) over it these days (particularly the 1990 re-release with the re-recorded version of "Troops Of Doom" on it).

Death - Death By Metal EP (1984)

Legendary five-track cassette demo from 1984 that has all the expected production issues, yet despite that it still manages to give an idea of how vital and aggressive Death's early tracks were. Opener Legion of Doom is a slower tempo piece that just sounds fucking evil through and through. The band are obviously very young and more than a little sloppy, but there is enough on show here to indicate where they were trying to get to and the fact that they could write a decent fucking riff, such as on Evil Dead. Despite it's poor sound this is a really interesting early Death demo and has legendary status for good reason.

Despite the general consensus pointing to Possessed's "Death Metal" demo, I've always thought that Death's "Death By Metal" was the true birth of true death metal, despite its tendency to emulate Possessed. I just find that it manages to push over that line in ways that Possessed couldn't manage consistently at that early stage. In saying that though, I get a fair bit of enjoyment out of the Possessed demo but none of the Death ones hold up to much scrutiny other than from a purely historical perspective these days in my opinion. "Reign Of Terror" probably came the closest to being something I can genuinely say that I enjoy but still fell a little short. 2/5 for "Death By Metal" from me.

I decided to start in 1984 with some demos from bands recognised as influential in the development of early death metal:

Possessed - Death Metal EP (1984)

A 1984 three-track demo, all three of which would turn up on Seven Churches: Death Metal, Evil Warriors and Burning in Hell. Obviously, the production isn't great, but it isn't completely terrible either and the tracks still sound pretty good, exhibiting a lot of the energy and aggression their later versions would exude in excess. The only problem is with Burning in Hell, the production is unable to handle the track's extreme tempo and it's faster parts just become a fairly incoherent aural blur.

This demo was pretty much essential in the tape trading scene of the late 80's/early 90's so I'm very familiar with it & think it shows us the transition between thrash & death metal quite nicely. To be honest I don’t think the three songs on the “Death Metal” demo truly fall into the death metal category just yet, instead sounding more along the lines of the more extreme thrash metal that was to come out of Europe in the coming years but it’s impossible to deny that many of the key elements of the early death metal sound are already in effect & the early works of bands like Death & Morbid Angel would likely have sounded very different if not for this cassette. The production is quite good for a demo tape of the time & is entirely listenable but the three songs differ in style a fair bit which is a strong indication that the band were still defining their signature sound. The rhythm section put in a pretty basic & relatively safe performance so there’s not much to get excited about there. The real highlights come in the form of the intense & thrashy guitar riffs & Becerra’s aggressive vocal delivery which was about as extreme as we’d heard out of America to the time. Becerra’s gruff & grunty approach seems to be a combination of Venom’s Cronos & Motorhead’s Lemmy Killmeister to my ears & by today’s standards it would be debatable as to whether he would qualify as a legitimate death metal vocalist or not but I can only imagine that he must have scared the crap out of a few first time listeners back in the day. The guitar solos of Mike Torrao & Brian Montana are very chaotic & lack a bit of musicality & technique to be honest. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they were improvised because they have very little structure about them but they certainly don’t lack enthusiasm. Surprisingly, I find that on more than one occasion they lack a rhythm guitar track behind them too which is strange for a two guitar band. Perhaps it’s just been mixed poorly & is lacking in volume? I’m not too sure but there’s little doubt that Possessed would have benefited from having less of a sonic dropout every time these solos kicks off. Overall though, I've always considered this demo to be a pretty enjoyable listen despite its age & the primitive execution which is a credit to Possessed’s abilities as song-writers. I mean you can be as extreme as all hell but if the songs aren’t there then you’ll have very little staying power. If we take a look at the individual songs on offer, the title track may well have been the source for the naming of the death metal genre but it’s quite obviously an example of Venom worship with the song “Black Metal” clearly having been the primary source of inspiration. I’d also suggest that it’s borrowed pretty heavily from Slayer’s “Evil Has No Boundaries” too but it’s a fun listen nonetheless. Slayer’s “Show No Mercy” record was likely the inspiration for “Evil Warriors” as well which is the most straight-up thrash number. I don’t find it to be as appealing as the other two tracks to be honest. I think it’s that it’s lacking that death metal edge which the closing track “Burning In Hell” has in spades. It’s probably my favourite of the three songs & it reminds me very much of the more extreme early German thrash releases from bands like Destruction & Kreator. It’s the fastest & most chaotic & brutal number & comes the closest to fully-fledged death metal. Check out the riff that comes in at around the one minute mark which shows the obvious influence Possessed had on an early Morbid Angel.

3.5/5

I love the concept Ben & think the idea of a dedicated page is the best approach to showcasing it. It's so easy to use & so intuitive though. I discovered it for myself this morning & immediately clicked on it.

Swedish melodic black metal complete with Scandinavian atmosphere & some good complexity in the guitar work.

Sacramentum - "Far Away From The Sun" (1996)

All of our regulars are probably aware of my struggles with subgenres that hold the word "melodic" in front of them by now so I don't think too many people will be expecting to see me dishing out grand declarations of love for Swedish meloblack Sacramentum's debut album. I first encountered it back at the time of release & found it mildly enjoyable without ever threatening to become a regular on my playlist at the time. Nothing much has changed in that respect either. A 3.5/5 is my scoring system cut-off point for releases that I find much interest in & this one was right on the cusp of falling into the 3/5 abyss. The reason it didn't is probably to do with the well composed & executed guitar work which possesses a suitable amount of Scandinavian atmosphere & complexity. The black metal shrieks are fairly middling due to their generic nature but the main offender that sees me being tempted to discard this album altogether is the drumming which is both a little too light-weight in style & more than a little short of the competency line in terms of execution. Just check out a track like "Obsolete Tears" to hear a skinsman struggling to stay in time! Thankfully there's enough class in the rest of the instrumentation to overcome those concerns though & I'd be surprised if any disciples of bands like Dissection, Dawn & Naglfar don't find plenty to enjoy (the former so obviously being the major influence here).

3.5/5

My updated Top Ten Technical Thrash Metal Releases Of All Time list after revisiting Ripping Corpse's "Dreaming With The Dead" album overnight & deciding that it deserves a spot in my top ten ahead of Annihilator's "Never, Neverland". I'm well aware that a lot of people don't regard it as being techy enough for the "technical" tag but you know what? The MA database says otherwise so it qualifies as far as I'm concerned.

01. Coroner – “Mental Vortex” (1991)

02. Sadus – “A Vision Of Misery” (1992)

03. Coroner – “No More Color” (1989)

04. Annihilator – “Alice In Hell” (1989)

05. Cryptic Shift – “Visitations From Enceladus” (2020)

06. Ripping Corpse - "Dreaming With The Dead" (1991)

07. Toxik – “World Circus” (1987)

08. Аспид – “Кровоизлияние” (1993)

09. Coroner – “Punishment For Decadence” (1988)

10. Vektor – “Black Future” (2009)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/173

Seriously, how much do I love the crushingly heavy doom metal riffs in this technical death/thrash track from New Jersey, USA? Lots... the answer is lots.

Ripping Corpse - "Dreaming With The Dead" (1991)

I picked up on this underrated gem through the tape trading scene shortly after release & remember being very impressed with what I heard. 1991 was a particularly strong year for extreme metal so it's a major compliment to say that "Dreaming With The Dead" got a fair few repeat listens out of me that year. Sadly it would be the New Jersey-based five-piece's only proper release but it's gained most of its underground notoriety through the later exploits of a couple of its key players in guitarists Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal/Morbid Angel/Cannibal Corpse) & Shaune Kelley (Hate Eternal). Ripping Corpse sounded very much like a combination of Sadus & Atheist to my ears & I'd describe them as technical death/thrash combined with the consistent use of short snippets of super-shreddy lead breaks in a similar style to that which Mike Davis of Nocturnus has become known for. The vocals of front man Scott Ruth are closer to thrash than they are death metal but Ripping Corpse can be pretty brutal at times with the band often opting for blast beats or crushingly heavy doom riffs in the name of variety. The level of musicianship is very high (particularly the awesome double kick work) while the sheer velocity these dudes are capable of is very impressive. There are adventurous riffs aplenty with more than the odd hint at progressive experimentation. The only negative is the weak production job which does a pretty poor job at highlighting the band's strengths. Despite that flaw though, it's really pretty hard to understand how Ripping Corpse didn't get more attention over the years & I'd place "Dreaming With The Dead" right alongside the debut albums from either of the bands I mentioned earlier. This one comes highly recommended for fans of high quality death/thrash.

4/5

I was bored this morning so I decided to double up for the weekend by collating my Top Ten Crossover Thrash Releases Of All Time list. It's entirely situated in the mid-to-late 80's of course but that's hardly surprising given the subgenre's clear hey day. It is worth noting that my absolute favourite crossover release wasn't eligible for the list as it's a demo that isn't available on the Metal Academy database (i.e. Slaughter's "Surrender Or Die" demo from 1985) & I have included a release that I regard more as thrashcore than it is crossover thrash (i.e. Cryptic Slaughter's "Convicted") but I've once again stuck to the MA database tags. See what you think & feel free to post your own list.

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

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

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

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

05. Cryptic Slaughter – “Convicted” (1986)

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

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

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

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

10. Corrosion Of Conformity – “Animosity” (1985)

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

Icy Norwegian black metal that's custom-made to accompany your next Northern raven winter shin-dig. 

Immortal - "Sons Of Northern Darkness" (2002)

I have an admission to make. Despite the fact that there was a time when I fell in love with Norwegian black metal heavy-weights Immortal during the mid-1990's, I can't say that I've ever found most of their more celebrated releases to genuinely compete with the top tier black metal acts overall. "Battles In The North" was the exception with it's super intense & brutal approach fitting directly into my comfort zone but even it's very strong predecessor "Pure Holocaust" (4/5) had some flaws that saw it residing firmly in the second tier for me personally. Their highly regarded 1999 fifth album "At the Heart of Winter" (3.5/5) seems to be almost unanimously claimed as Immortal's career peak these days but I struggle a bit with it's thrashier meloblack direction & sloppy musicianship to be honest & have never been able to see what others do in it even if I do get some enjoyment out of it. And this brings us to Immortal's other major landmark in 2002's "Sons Of Darkness" record which leaves me with fairly similar feelings overall.

On the positive side, Bloodbath/Hypocrisy/Lindemann/Lock Up legend Peter Tägtgren's production job has done a splendid job at highlighting the album's strengths i.e. it's consistency, it's melodicism & it's more mature & refined used of space & tempo. This doesn't really surprise me as Peter already had a very strong decade-long portfolio of high quality records like Dawn's "Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy)" under his belt by this stage, not to mention Immortal's previous two albums. Everything sounds really tight with the musicianship & execution having seen a remarkable improvement on the band's previous "classics". In fact, it could be said that Peter plays as important a role as the musicians here when you compare the result to some of Immortal's previous releases. I don't think I'd be out of line to suggest that it's his influence that sees Abbath's guitar work sounding as tight as it does because there is just so much evidence of how inadequate the iconic front man can be in that department over the years. There are glimpses of the hectic blast beat insanity of the past but even then they're utilized in a more controlled fashion & always return to a more subdued & often quite thrashy direction that's not all that far removed from the one you'll find on "At The Heart Of Winter". There are some obvious references to Bathory's Viking period included too (particularly closing track "Beyond the North Waves") but I'm not sure that they're as effective as they sound on paper.

I dunno... I certainly still enjoy Abbath's croaky vocal performance, Horgh's moments of relentlessness & the band's trademark icy atmosphere but I can't deny that I find myself being a little disappointed at the end of the experience. As Ben said to me yesterday when we were discussing the album, "Sons Of Northern Darkness" is a very solid black metal record but unfortunately that's all it is as far as I can see. The record just sounds a little too easy on the ear for me to really become enraptured with it. In many ways it's Immortal's answer to Carcass' "Heartwork" in that it's so clearly more restrained & melodic compared to it's older siblings but still offers plenty of value, clearly not as much as that landmark release for the melodeath movement did though. It simply comes down to taste I'm afraid & I can't honestly say that I regard any of these tracks as black metal classics. In terms of Immortal's overall back catalogue I place "Sons Of Northern Darkness" just behind "At The Heart Of Winter" in the list of also-rans that follow my more muscular "Battles In The North" & "Pure Holocaust" sweet spot.

3.5/5

For this weekend's top ten list I decided to go for my Top Ten Technical Thrash Metal Releases of All Time. I've been very strict in my use of the MA subgenre tagging for this so there are a couple of borderline ones in my opinion. See what you think.

01. Coroner – “Mental Vortex” (1991)

02. Sadus – “A Vision Of Misery” (1992)

03. Coroner – “No More Color” (1989)

04. Annihilator – “Alice In Hell” (1989)

05. Cryptic Shift – “Visitations From Enceladus” (2020)

06. Toxik – “World Circus” (1987)

07. Аспид – “Кровоизлияние” (1993)

08. Coroner – “Punishment For Decadence” (1988)

09. Vektor – “Black Future” (2009)

10. Annihilator – “Never, Neverland” (1990)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/173

Some of the best work from the Canadian war metal godfathers.

Blasphemy - "Gods Of War" (1993)

As much as people like to claim otherwise, I think Canadian war metal godfathers Blasphemy's sophomore album "Gods Of War" is a significantly better record than their much heralded 1990 debut "Fallen Angel of Doom...." which failed to interest me much. They achieved a slightly cleaner production on this one which definitely highlights the band's technical deficiencies a bit more but their sound is more in line with the modern war metal sound than it was previously with a stronger grindcore component & it would seem that I find a bit more appeal in it. The early Carcass influence is very obvious at times. I've never quite understood the hype with Blasphemy if I'm being honest but I still find that I get some enjoyment out of "Gods Of War". They never did top their "Blood Upon The Altar" demo though in my opinion.

3.5/5

My updated Top Ten Drone Metal Releases Of All Time after adding Melvins' "Lysol" at the expense of Naked City's "Leng Tch'e":

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. Corrupted – “Llenandose de gusanos” (1999)

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

09. Melvins - "Lysol" (1992)

10. Sunn O))) – “Monoliths & Dimensions” (2009)

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

A short & sludgy grunge piece that reminds me very much of Mother Love Bone at times.

Melvins - "Lysol" (1992)

Melvins fourth full-length album is probably my favourite release from the highly regarded Washington-based trio these days. As usual it's extremely hard to categorize as every track takes a different direction & fits under a different subgenre. The run time is fairly short by album standards sitting at just 31 minutes with the first eleven minutes being taken up by excellent drone metal piece "Hung Bunny" which was undoubtedly a big influence on the earliest exponents of the genre. We then see the band getting even heavier with an outstanding sludge metal anthem in "Roman Dog Bird". The cover version of Flipper's "Sacrifice" is pure doom metal before the record takes a noticeable turn away from metal via two Alice Cooper covers (i.e. the one minute interlude "Second Coming" & the alternative rock of "The Ballad Of Dwight Fry"), neither of which do much to excite me. Thankfully though the record returns to it's earlier glories with brilliant two minute grunge effort "With Teeth" (my album highlight) bringing things to a close in a fashion that reminds me a lot of a band like Mother Love Bone. Overall I'd have to go with the drone metal & sludge metal tags for the release overall given that those two tracks dominate the run time but neither seems entirely appropriate in all honesty. King Buzzo's vocals can be a bit hit & miss as perfect pitch has never been his strong point but there can be no denying his general coolness. The strength of the album is in just how fucking heavy it is when it tries to be though. You can really feel the reverberations of the quad boxes in the production which does a fantastic job at portraying Melvins' live energy. "Lysol" comes highly recommended despite the short lull at the beginning of the second half.

4/5

US death metal the way it was intended to be.

Cannibal Corpse - "Bloodthirst" (1999)

I thought the quality dropped a touch with 1998's "Gallery of Suicide" album which was mildly entertaining but a step down from the previous four Cannibal Corpse albums. They stepped things back up with their 1999 seventh full-length though & I still find it to be another professionally produced example of the modern death metal sound. It's not quite as consistent as the band's early 90's material but it's solid enough to draw similar ratings from me. It kinda defines the George Fisher-era sound in my opinion with a touch more technicality than you'll find on some of their albums. Paul Mazurkiewicz' drumming is always a bit of a limiter for me as he really does only have three beats & his blast beats sound particularly repetitive given that he doesn't add any sort of variation. You know full well what to expect from George's vocals these days & he delivers on those expectations in fine style. He's very much the postman of death metal front men. Yes, if you've already got three Cannibal Corpse albums then you've unquestionably heard this all before but I can't deny how much I enjoy this style of precise & aggressive US death metal.

4/5

The only error still around that I can think of is when a new thread doesn't appear in the "Recent Topics" thing until someone replies in a different post, so could you please keep that in mind for the next round of improvements? 

Are you aware of this topic Ben? It's the first I've heard of it.

Blackened melodeath from Mexico.

The Chasm - "The Spell Of Retribution" (2004)

This weekend's revisit to Mexican death metallers The Chasm's 2004 sixth full-length has seen my previous position waning a little as I've found that (despite the incredible cult following the band seems to have garnered from the underground scene over the years) "The Spell Of Retribution" is simply a little too melodic for my higher scores these days. It's a record that's generally tagged as Death Metal on other sites but I have to say that there's really very little in the way of your classic death metal sound included here. Instead I'd suggest that a much more accurate tag is Blackened Melodic Death Metal as there's way more Swedish melodeath & Dissection/Rotting Christ style melodic black metal evident in their sound than there is Death or Morbid Angel. There's also an enormous amount of complexity in the song structures that often hints at Technical Death Metal as well as a noticeable thrashiness to some of the riffs themselves. It's all very well done but I can't escape the feeling that I'm a little outside of my comfort zone a lot of the time with tracks like "Retribution of the Lost Years (I, The Pastfinder III)" & "Remains of the Covenant" pushing me a touch further in the accessibility stakes than I'd like so I subsequently find "The Spell Of Retribution" to be a bit of a step down from The Chasm's stronger efforts like 2000's "Procession to the Infraworld" even though it's generally an enjoyable listen.

3.5/5

My updated top ten list:

01. At The Gates – “Slaughter Of The Soul” (1995)

02. Carcass – “Heartwork” (1993)

03. Dark Tranquillity – “The Gallery” (1995)

04. Amorphis – “Tales From The Thousand Lakes” (1994)

05. Merciless – “Unbound” (1994)

06. Sentenced – “North From Here” (1993)

07. In Mourning – “The Weight Of Oceans” (2012)

08. The Breathing Process - “Odyssey (un)Dead” (2010)

09. The Chasm - "The Spell Of Retribution" (2004)

10. Edge Of Sanity – “Crimson” (1996)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/147

Norwegian progressive metal with an alternative metal slant.

Extol - "The Blueprint Dives" (2005)

Ben recently recommended the fourth full-length album from Norwegian progressive metallers Extol to me as he feels that it's not received the credit it's due & I have to agree with him. I was familiar with Extol's 1998-2003 work but had never attempted their later material for some reason, potentially being put off by news of the band's move away from extreme metal. In hindsight this was clearly a mistake as "The Blueprint Dives" is a classy release that's built on both ambition & technique in equal measure. Extol's sound here is lightyears away from their death & thrash metal past, instead using alternative metal as it's basis with a dash of post-hardcore thrown in here & there. In fact, I pick up a fair bit of Deftones influence across the tracklisting with At The Drive-In making the odd appearance as well. I'd actually be surprised if front man Peter Espevoll hasn't listened to his fair share of Björk too given the unusual phrasing he attempts at times too. The instrumentation is consistently complex with the vocals utilizing a combination of clean & screamed tones to good effect. There are no weak tracks included & I get the feeling that the band aren't really capable of it at this point in their career. The highlight of the album is clearly the longest & heaviest piece of the record in "The Things I Found" but the short single "Pearl" has a wonderful hook to it too. I also love it when Extol build tension by borrowing from post-rock song structures like they do on closer "The Death Sedative". I have to say that they potentially missed a trick by not including the bonus track "Riding for a Fall" on the proper album as it's clearly stronger than some of the less impressive tracks like "From the Everyday Mountain Top", "Another Adam's Escape" & "Lost in Dismay". Sometimes us extreme metallers have to accept that artists have more to say than simply blasting away at full throttle & "The Blueprint Dives" is a fine example of that. As Ben suggested, it certainly deserves more attention than it's received over the years & I'd be surprised if it didn't offer plenty of appeal for fans of bands like Leprous & members of The Infinite in general.

4/5

For this weekend's top ten list I've gone for my Top Ten Conventional Thrash Metal Releases Of All Time. It's turned out to be pretty predictable really but it's my list & I'll cry if I want to. See what you think & feel free to post your own lists:

01. Slayer - "Reign In Blood" (1986)

02. Metallica - "...And Justice For All" (1988)

03. Slayer - "South Of Heaven" (1988)

04. Metallica - "Master Of Puppets" (1986)

05. Sepultura - "Beneath The Remains" (1989)

06. Slayer - "Season In The Abyss" (1990)

07. Exodus - "Bonded By Blood" (1985)

08. Slayer - "Decade Of Aggression: Live" (1991)

09. Sepultura - "Arise" (1991)

10. Metallica - "Ride The Lightning" (1984)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/172

I can completely understand you feeling that way Sonny & you certainly shouldn't feel any obligation to contribute to all of our monthly initiatives.

This month was one of our stronger lists of feature releases for me personally as I enjoyed all nine records with four of them reminding me as to why I already have them in my Hall of Metal Glory. Those Monarch!, Godflesh, Sinister & War From A Harlots Mouth releases all reached classic status with me many years ago & none have lost anything over time either. The Slice The Cake album was the biggest discovery for me this month & I got a lot of pleasure in unpacking it's many complexities. The Evanscence record was certainly the biggest surprise for me though as I wasn't expecting to get much out of it but instead found that I enjoyed it more than a few of our other features while I was also pleasantly surprised by the Sear Bliss album which Ben had given me prior warning about as he knows how much I've struggled with similar records over the years. The Kamelot album was perhaps a little disappointing given how much I love its follow-up but still offered enough to keep me interested while D.R.I. simply did what D.R.I. do best & made it hard not to find the fun in their signature crossover thrash sound.

Here's my list in order of preference:

1. Monarch! - "Omens" (2012)  4.5/5

2. Godflesh - "Merciless" E.P. (1994)  4.5/5

3. Sinister - "Diabolical Summoning" (1993)  4.5/5

4. War From A Harlots Mouth - "MMX" (2010)  4.5/5

5. Slice The Cake - "Odyssey To The West" (2016)  4/5

6. Evanescence - "The Bitter Truth" (2021)  3.5/5

7. Kamelot - "Epica" (2003)  3.5/5

8. Sear Bliss - "Glory & Perdition" (2004)  3.5/5

9. D.R.I. - "Full Speed Ahead" (1995)  3.5/5