Daniel's Forum Replies

Reaching out to a few labels who have a predominantly underground roster and seeing how MA and they could become mutual partners for the furthering of their band's music through our features and/or the Spotify playlists (I don't know how that would work though - I am a software salesman, not a partnerships manager)

I have bands & labels contact me in regards to a mutually beneficial arrangement all the time but I've found that I just can't trust anyone in this industry. What generally happens is that I promise to bring a band or label free advertisement in exchange for them advertising our site through their own social media platforms & bringing long-term contributing members from their bands/fanbase to the site. This is all agreed to, I'll see one or two new members register (usually the person themselves) & make one or two posts/ratings, I'll engage some of you to do some unbiased reviews without telling you why & then as soon as soon as these reviews are posted the bands/labels drop off the face of the earth. I've even had some of these people contact me again months later to ask me to do the same thing for their next release & I've subsequently told them to go fuck themselves. I don't think it helps that I'm determined to maintain the integrity of the site so I won't bring them positive ratings simply to push our cause but these people have proven to have absolutely no respect.

• I can see Twitter is in use already from a marketing perspective, ever thought of extending this out to Instagram etc just to maximise the opportunity for growth ( I hate most social media platforms so this leaves a bitter taste in my mouth to even suggest it but at the end of the day they do work - algorhythms permitting of course).

Quoted Vinny

I've actually been using Instagram to promote the site for years now & interestingly it's proven to be by far the least effective of the three major social media platforms. It takes a lot of time to prepare posts given that I can't do it from my laptop & it doesn't even allow me to include clickable links within my posts so I've recently decided not to bother with it. Twitter really should be the best medium for advertisement of websites & that seems to be the common consensus in the market however I've found that boosted Facebook posts are the best way to bring people to the site in recent times. It all costs money though.

Hhhmmmm..... might not be as good an idea as I first thought. Carry on.

What does everyone think of us trialing an idea whereby each of us selects at least one track that's drawn from our home city's respective local metal scenes for each of the monthly Spotify playlists for our clans (i.e. not the clans we're not a part of)? I really like the idea of each member helping to promote their local scenes & think it might encourage us all to dig a little deeper too. As an added bonus, I figure that if we all then communicate these inclusions to the associated bands then they might voluntarily help us to promote the Metal Academy brand too while also giving each of you a little bit of healthy interaction with the scene. It's just an idea at this stage so I'm keen to gauge your interest. Thoughts?

Orbital - "Halcyon" CD single (1992)

I pulled this old CD single out of a box in my garage for a few spins while driving around town yesterday & really enjoyed it. The epic & incredibly recognisable title track is obviously one of the more iconic electronic dance music tracks ever recorded & will always be the go-to selection for the last track of the night for club DJs all over the world however it's trancy & melodic atmosphere isn't really my thing. The other four tracks are much techier with the deep tribal feel of "The Naked and the Dub" being the clear highlight & a regular feature in my early 2000's DJ sets. I also really like the more dancefloor friendly "Sunday" which got an occasional play from me too.

For fans of Underworld, Leftfield & Astralasia.

Here's my top ten (baring in mind that I don't believe in the one release per band philosophy):

1. Pig Destroyer – “Natasha” E.P. (2008)

2. Sunn O))) – “Black One” (2005)

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

4. Rosetta – “The Galilean Satellites” (2005)

5. Neurosis – “Souls At Zero” (1992)

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

7. Isis – “The Mosquito Control” E.P. (1998)

8. Isis – “Panopticon” (2004)

9. Celtic Frost – “Monotheist” (2006)

10. Warning – “Watching From A Distance” (2006)

Firstly, I'd like to put forwards a fairly unpopular opinion in that I think Cliff was always the influence that saw Metallica pushing outside of the thrash metal spectrum so I don't see any reason why he would have kept them from experimenting. On the contrary, I think he would likely have helped in the expansion process & seen them achieving it much more successfully given his unquestionable taste.

Secondly, I think that the commercial success that Metallica experienced with "The Black Album" saw James & Lars losing their identity. They lost their focus & got caught up between their own artistic wants & needs & the pressure to match their past successes. Substance abuse certainly didn't help either. "The Black Album" was the perfect example of a band getting that balance right & I think the only reason that this was possible was because the band had both a point to prove & a genuine hunger for success. Once they achieved that success I think they suffered from a lack of any real understanding of what the next step was. They'd already achieved everything from a commercial point of view & (despite what the underground extreme metal scene may think) the world were telling them that they had creatively too. The "Load" & "Reload" fiascos were the direct result of this &, although I genuinely hate those records, at least they were pushing into new territory with the band being their own masters. 

"St. Anger" is very much the opposite of this as it sees Metallica consciously trying to appease the metal fans they'd lost with their previous couple of releases but at the same time attempting to conform to the current market tastes by heading in a more alternative metal style & dropping the guitar solos altogether. Such an obvious showcase of a band that's given up the ghost & are trying to copy the bands that they'd influenced is the ultimate sell-out in my opinion. But then, in trying to make up for that mistake by consciously (& poorly) plagiarizing their past glories with "Death Magnetic", Metallica showed a vulnerability & a weakness that only further compounded the issue & provided further proof that the band had completely lost touch with both their fanbase & reality. "Hardwired...to Self-Destruct" was probably the band's best record since "The Black Album" but it was so bloated, over-produced & self-indulgent that it did nothing to pull the band out of their creative hole, particularly given that the best material was once again centered around self-plagiarism. At least the band tried something different with "Lulu". As bad as it was, they certainly showed that they didn't give a fuck what anyone thought with that release.

What a horrible example of the cheesy power metal ballad this is! I could just as easily have included "The Guardians Of Mankind" or "The Winged Horse" from this album actually as I find both very hard to endure but this track takes the cake when it comes to musical inadequacy in my opinion.

Powerful German power metal for fans of Helloween, Blind Guardian & Judas Priest.

Gamma Ray - "Somewhere Out In Space" (1997)

This was the first time that I've tried German power metal icons Gamma Ray's classic fifth album "Somewhere Out In Space" as my earliest encounter with them was through 1995's unanimously praised "Land Of The Free" record back in the mid-90's & it did very little for me. I did quite like the double re-recording album we featured recently in 2000's "Blast From The Past" though so I thought it might be time to see what Gamma Ray's other essential releases are like.

Well unfortunately "Somewhere Out In Space" is a classic example of why I find European power metal to be a struggle most of the time. There are certainly some quality tracks included here along with some more than decent interludes however these highlights are scattered amongst other material that places a strong reliance on cheesy & consciously anthemic vocal hooks over a simple speed metal backbone. This sort of stuff has never sat very well with me as I find it very hard to connect with & songs like "The Guardians Of Mankind", "The Winged Horse" & the God-awful ballad "Pray" really do make me want to sever my ears most of the time. 

Overall, "Somewhere Out In Space" isn't awful but I find it to be heavily overrated. The musicianship is always very good & the performances are extremely tight so Gamma Ray definitely have a strong pedigree in metal music but unfortunately this isn't enough to make up for the dairy-rich melodic content that permeates half of the tracklisting. That assessment is pretty much a carbon copy of my feelings on "Land Of The Free" to be honest although I'd probably take that album over this one if pushed. I think I'll stick with "Blast From The Past" for the moment.

For fans of Helloween, Blind Guardian & Judas Priest.

3/5

Ben, please add French progressive metal outfit Altesia.

Yeah, I'd suggest that the Fear, & Loathing In Las Vegas track is metal too Andi & it's definitely Melodic Metalcore-based so I feel like we've got it right to have Trancecore as a subgenre of Melodic Metalcore if these four tracks are a true reflection of the Trancecore sound.

Ben, Xephyr, Sonny & Saxy, what are your thoughts on these four Trancecore tracks? Metal or not?

A fantastic instrumental interlude taken from my favourite album from Swedish progressive metal/rock outfit Pain Of Salvation. For fans of Riverside, Leprous & Dream Theater.

Pain of Salvation - "The Perfect Element I" (2000)

I've actually had this Swedish progressive metal/rock outfit's third album in my playlist for three or four months now since finding that my opinion on Pain Of Salvation's 2002 follow-up "Remedy Lane" had grown over time when I nominated it as our February 'The Infinite' feature release. "The Perfect Element I" was always my favourite Pain Of Salvation record though & that hasn't changed as this is one highly professional release that may not possess as many obvious highlights as its younger sibling but more than makes up for it in class & consistency. As with "Remedy Lane", you'll find that the production isn't the heaviest & is much more in line with a progressive rock model but this isn't an issue as the execution is outstanding. I love the guitar solos which are a definite highlight. The vocal hooks aren't strong enough to be considering my higher scores but this album should be essential listening for fans of Riverside, Leprous & Dream Theater.

Xephyr & saxy, I recommend you give this one a spin if you haven't already.

4/5

Thanks for raising that concern Tymell. I'd suggest that a simple private message to Ben would be the smoothest & fastest way to report incorrect data as he owns the database administration. Alternatively, you could raise a new thread in the SITE SUGGESTIONS forum.

In regards to your request around Riot's "Rock City" Andi, I have to ask what actual evidence you have of it being released in 1978? I'm not seeing any above. Did you read that this might be the case somewhere? If so, what is the source of your theory? If we're going to change a readily accepted release date then we'll want to be sure that everyone else is wrong.

Welcome to the Academy. It's great to have you here. Do you & Vinny know each other from another site? I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving you the guided tour as there's a lot enjoy here. Have fun with it & feel free to contribute as much as you feel comfortable with.

A Viking metal-inspired call to arms for fans of  Moonsorrow, Agalloch & early 90's Bathory,.

Primordial - "The Gathering Wilderness" (2005)

I've had this one on my playlist ever since Ben reminded me of how much I enjoy it through his March playlist submission of the opening track "The Golden Spiral" which is an all-time favourite of mine. Much like its classic follow-up "To The Nameless Dead", Primordial's sound on this album is extremely hard to categorize whilst still seemingly so perfectly defined & developed. They simply don't sound like anyone else but do their thing so well & so comprehensively that I find myself easily falling into admiration for their artistic integrity, even during the weaker material. And let's be clear, there are no weak tracks here as such. "The Song Of The Tomb" isn't as strong as the other songs but it's far from a disappointment. The peaks however arrive at opposite ends of the tracklisting with the afore mentioned opener being the perfect realization of Primordial's craft & the emotion-charged final chapter "Cities Carved In Stone" being a fantastic way to close out proceedings. The impassioned vocal performance of A.A. Nemtheanga is always engaging & reminds me a lot of Anathema's Vincent Cavanagh at times. Despite his technical imperfections, he's become a real drawcard for Primordial over the years.

As I said earlier, it's pretty much impossible to categorize Primordial's sound as they don't really fit into the existing metal genrification model. They generally get lumped into the folk metal bucket however that tag has never sat all that comfortably with me as this album doesn't include many folk style melodies or turn to traditional folk instrumentation. Even so, there's something noticeably organic about Primordial's approach & their themes seem to be so intertwined with their homeland that I eventually give in to a Celtic metal tag as much out of desperation as anything else. However that tag alone isn't enough to fully describe Primordial's sound as there's a majestic black metal pedigree that shines through in everything they do (particularly in the sweeping melodic riffage that remind me a lot of Winterfylleth) & this often leaves me wondering whether it's appropriate to label a release as black metal when the vocals are all clean. I see no reason why not so the Pagan black metal tag seems more than appropriate as a second primary subgenre. The Viking-era Bathory influence that's so evident on tracks like "The Golden Spiral" also sees me asking myself this question: Is it apprropriate to tag a release as Viking metal when it doesn't have Viking themes & isn't from Scandinavia? It's something that needs to be discussed at some point & I'm not sure I've got an answer at this stage but it's more of an influence on Primordial's sound than it is a primary subgenre so it can wait till a later date. The Iron Maiden influence in the guitar harmonies is also worth mentioning.

There's very little doubt that "The Gathering Wilderness" is the entree to "To The Nameless Dead"s main course but it's still a classy release that won't disappoint those of you who are looking for a more mature & emotionally engaging form of folk metal. In fact, I rate as second for the genre as a whole behind it's younger sibling.

For fans of Viking-era Bathory, Moonsorrow & Agalloch.

4/5

I agree with you Sonny. This is what I wrote about "V- Halmstad" in my feature release response:

"It really asks questions of your average depressive black metal fan as it goes against the grain in many ways. Firstly, the production is crystal clear which is directly opposed to the lo-fi approach that most of Shining's peers take when attempting to create atmosphere & I think it works beautifully here. Perhaps it's due to the fact that it highlights the exceptional level of musicianship for a black metal outfit & a much more diverse & progressive musical palate. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it's debatable as to whether "V - Halmstad" is even black metal in the traditional sense of the term. Despite the fact that Shining utilize traditional black metal tools fairly consistently throughout the album, the production, musicianship, experimentation in style & unusual vocal techniques never allow them to sound like a black metal band in the purest sense. (I feel similarly about Primordial's classic releases actually.) Post-black metal is perhaps a more accurate tag for "V - Halmstad" than anything else but it still doesn't fit all that comfortably."

I just gave all three tracks an initial listen & I think I'm with Andi on this one. I'd suggest that there's enough metal in all three of those tracks to warrant inclusion under a metal-based subgenre. Sure there are some electronic components in each of them but they're layered over the top of a melodic metalcore backbone while the hardcore punk component isn't dominant over the metal one so a Metalcore-based label is more suitable in my opinion. If these three tracks are a good representation of the subgenre (Are they Andi?) then the question for me would more about whether this sound requires its own subgenre or is better off being thrown in with Melodic Metalcore or Trance Metal. On the evidence of these tracks I'd be suggesting Melodic Metalcore would be more suitable as they're all metalcore based.

So Ben & I have now discussed the Nintendocore situation & have decided to remove the subgenre from the Metal Academy database based on the above feedback. All Nintendocore releases will be marked as an alternative subgenre or set to Non-metal. If you feel that any subsequent retagging is incorrect then please feel free to submit the release in question to the Hall or to vote on its release page (if you're a member of The Revolution clan). Ben is just having a small database bug rectified & will then make the required changes so you can expect to see it take place in the next month or so. Thanks a lot to everyone who contributed to us making a well-informed decision on that.

Let's move on to the Trancecore subgenre, shall we? Here's three prominent tracks from some of the more widely known Trancecore releases. I'd like to ask as many of you as possible to participate in voting on whether you feel that each of them qualifies as metal or not.

Crusty Californian sludge metal for fans of Eyehategod, Acid Bath & Corrupted.

Dystopia - "Human=Garbage" E.P. (1994)

This five song, 27 minute E.P. represents the most depressing audio portrayal of the human condition that I can remember experiencing for a very long time. The instrumentation sees this Californian trio opting for a dark & apocalyptic blending of bottom-heavy sludge metal with a rough-&-ready, DIY crust punk mentality while the raw production leans more heavily towards the latter. The whole thing is smothered in layers of audio samples that refer to sickening acts of murder & suicide though & this leaves you feeling like you've just watched the movie "Seven" by the time it's all over i.e. you feel deeply disturbed yet strangely exhilarated. Front man Matt Parrillo takes the typical screaming hardcore approach but sounds consistently unstable & on edge across the entire tracklisting. It's an unsettling experience if I'm honest but I find myself strangely attracted to the depressive atmosphere it invokes. For fans of Eyehategod, Acid Bath & Corrupted.

4/5

That Nuclear Death cover is fucking brilliant! Thanks for bringing my attention to it gents. Left me with a big smile on my face. :)

We had a really fucking consistent list of feature releases this month. In fact, it might even challenge for our strongest month yet in my opinion as I've discovered an impressive THREE new entries into my Hall of Metal Glory without a dud in sight. Here's my scores in order of preference:

THE NORTH: Oranssi Pazuzu - "Värähtelijä" (2016)  4.5/5

THE INFINITE: Lucid Planet - "Lucid Planet II" (2020)  4.5/5

THE SPHERE: Red Harvest - "Internal Punishment Programs" (2004)  4.5/5

THE FALLEN: The Gathering - "Mandylion" (1995)  4/5

THE HORDE: Cruciamentum - "Charnel Passages" (2015)  4/5

THE PIT: Sodom - "Agent Orange" (1989)  4/5

THE GUARDIANS: Unleash the Archers - "Apex" (2017)  4/5

THE REVOLUTION: Disembodied - "If God Only Knew The Rest Were Dead" E.P. (1998)  4/5

THE GATEWAY: Dir en Grey - "Uroboros" (2008)  3.5/5

Well done to Sonny who has (to the surprise of approximately no one) picked up my release of the month while Xephyr's two inclusions both had a significant impact on me too. Given how consistently I've frothed about them of late, Ben would appear to have been tailoring his inclusions to my personal taste & if that's the case then I'd suggest that he knows me extremely well & would encourage him to continue down that path given the string of fantastic releases he's brought me over the last few months. Bring on July!

US metalcore for fans of Earth Crisis, Sunami & late 90's Converge.

I really enjoyed this little E.P. which offers a muscular take on the metalcore subgenre. It includes five short songs that are built around hard-hitting, heavily down-tuned metal riffage & Aaron Weseman's angry hardcore vocal delivery. The weight of the guitars often sees me flirting with the sludge metal tag actually although I never see myself fully committing to the concept. There's a clear Machine Head influence in the inclusion of a number of groove metal riffs spread across the tracklisting while Godflesh has clearly had an impact on the band too with several parts showcasing a similar use of guitar harmonics & open-strings. "Dislocation" highlights a clear affiliation with my beloved Slayer too but it's the sheer enthusiasm of this E.P. that gets me.  Where many modern metalcore outfits turn to melody & commercial hooks these days, it's refreshing to hear a band that focuses purely on a more aggressive sound that takes no prisoners with the effect being similar to a blunt instrument to the cranium.

For fans of Sunami, Earth Crisis & late 90's Converge.

4/5

Classic Teutonic thrash for fans of Kreator, Slayer & Destruction.

So, just like with our The Gathering feature release, I've found that my feelings are very much the same as the last time I reviewed "Agent Orange" back in December 2013. I've always thought it was a very solid example of the Teutonic thrash sound however I've never regarded it as the classic that so many seem to & there's a few reasons for that. The faster & thrashier sections are absolutely sublime & sit amongst the absolute elite of the thrash scene with Tom Angelripper's vocals ripping shreds off my brain & force-feeding them to me. This is a much cleaner & more cohesive Sodom than we'd ever heard before with the tightness in the rhythm guitars & bass making for a more professional sounding package. But as with their previous album "Persecution Mania", we find Sodom making a conscious effort to include chuggier & much more generic sounding mid-tempo sections in every song, often at the expense of any sort of fluency in the song-writing &, in the end, leaving the strong impression that the band had simply pasted together unrelated parts in a haphazard fashion & called it a song. Some of Frank Blackfire guitar solos leave a lot to be desired too & I think a bit more attention to detail could have been shown there. Still, I can't deny how much I love the thrashier parts of the album & the simple hooks which see the song-titles more often than not making up the entirety of the choruses.

Songs like the title track & "Incest" have become thrash classics for me but none of them are perfect due to the band's insistence on those mid-tempo sections. I don't think there are any weak tracks though so there's an undeniable consistency about the tracklisting. The slower & heavily Celtic Frost influenced "Remember The Fallen" & the energetic Motorhead-worshipping "Ausgebombt" provide the album with some good variety however I'd also argue that they do sound a little out of place between the other six thrashers. I dunno.... "Agent Orange" is certainly essential listening for any fan of the genre but I simply can't agree with those that place it on a pedestal & I think it's fair to say that this sums up my feelings on Sodom in general actually. The rawer "Persecution Mania" remains my favourite Sodom release but I don't think I'll ever regard any of their records as genuine classics.

For fans of Kreator, Slayer & Destruction.

4/5

Great review saxy. One of your best. I'm really glad you got into that one. I was wondering what you'd think of it when I was doing my review actually

I would suggest that this Stuttgart-based heavy metal band fits the mold to a tee:

https://metal.academy/bands/1272

The pinnacle of this Norwegian industrial metal outfit's seventh album "Internal Punishment Programs" is also the longest, slowest & most melodic inclusion on the album & reminds me a bit of some of the premium post-sludge artists. For fans of Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory & Ministry.

Fucking hell! What a powerful fucking metal album this is then! I can't believe I've never given these guys a proper run before & now that I have I'm finding it difficult to understand how they haven't gone on to bigger things. Perhaps it's just a matter of timing as they certainly missed the industrial metal boat by a couple of years when they released their first album of any note in the mid-90's. Regardless, "Internal Punishment Programs" was their seventh album to the time & it really shows as there can be very little doubt that Red Harvest knew how to write a crushingly heavy metal song by this stage in their development. If you can imagine the groove metal inspired industrial metal sound of Fear Factory crossed with the high octane excitement of Ministry & throw some aggressive sludge metal vocals over the top then you won't be far off the mark. The riffs are generally pretty simple but are inevitably really catchy & heavy as fuck at the same time which is very much in line with the classic Al Jourgensen model. Don't expect anything radical here as Red Harvest tend to tread familiar ground however they do it in such emphatic fashion that I rate them well ahead of 90% of their peers.

For fans of Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory & Ministry.

4.5/5

Pole - "1-3" compilation (2000)

A brilliant box set of the first three studio albums (1998's "CD 1", 1999's "2" & 2000's "3") from German producer Pole. They all sound very similar so this compilation sounds quite fluent. You can expect to hear 139 minutes of very deep & relaxing glitchy ambient dub techno like only the Germans know how.

Old-school English death metal for fans of Incantation, Dead Congregation & Disma.

I quite liked English death metallers Cruciamentum's 2011 debut E.P. "Engulfed in Desolation" back at the time of release but have to admit that I haven't returned to it since so it's hard to recall the finer details. I think it's fair to say that their debut full-length "Charnel Passages" has a made a bigger impact on me though as I've thoroughly enjoyed my listening experience over the last couple of days. There's very little doubt that Cruciamentum are huge fans of early 90's death metal as this release is pretty much an exact replica of that sound with very little attempt at development or expansion being made but, for someone like myself that spent their formative years basking in the glory of that particular scene at the height of its powers, "Charnel Passages" represents a lovely reminder of just how much that period means to me. You won't find any self-indulgent progressive excursions or over-the-top technical wankery here. This album showcases the true death metal atmosphere beautifully & comes complete with corpses, graveyards & unholy blasphemy while drawing its influence from the darker end of the extreme metal spectrum. The deep death growls are extremely similar to Karl Willets from fellow English death metallers Bolt Thrower while the instrumentation draws equal influence from "Covenant"-era Morbid Angel & classic Incantation with the performances maintaining a level of looseness in much the same way as the latter, particularly in the grindy blast beat sections. Also in line with Incantation is Cruciamentum's penchant for doomier sections & those tend to be the most effective parts of the album for me. The tracklisting is extremely consistent with the album highlights being positioned right where they should be (i.e. the first & last tracks) & I simply find it pretty hard to fault "Charnel Passages" despite the fact that it does nothing to push the genre forwards. In my defense though, that quality has never been a must-have for me with extreme metal. It's all about atmosphere & the feeling of empowerment I draw from it & I get that in spades here.

For fans of Incantation, Dead Congregation & Disma.

4/5

Ben & Sonny, you should really dig this release.

You chose the correct clan to post about “Black Metal” in my opinion Vinny. Well done!

P.S. “Sabotage” is my second favourite Sabbath studio album from “Paranoid”.

"Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" was actually my introduction to doom metal back in the late 1980's. I couldn't get into it initially (which was likely because due to the vocal style & my obsessive taste for extreme metal) however it majorly grew on me over time & I ended up really digging it. I think it was a genuine landmark for the genre because it nailed that doom metal atmosphere better than anyone had done previously. Come to think of it, I'm wearing my old "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" t-shirt right now actually. Their sophomore album "Nightfall" is my favourite Candlemass record these days but it's not that far in front of this one.

No need to apologize Tymell as I wasn't referring to you either. I guess I'm just a bit sensitive to the consistent references to other sites of late, particularly suggestions that we should do something with Metal Academy simply because others have. I probably need to get over it.

For the record Sonny, I had no problem whatsoever with your posts & was really enjoying the conversation around epic doom metal until the thread got high-jacked.

I have to admit that I'm getting a little frustrated at the insinuation that Metal Academy should blindly follow the direction of a competitor that is in no way the authority on metal. We're trying to set a new standard for a metal website here & I have zero concern for what RYM, Metal Archives or anyone else are doing with their subgenres. In fact, long-term I'd like to think that Metal Academy will become the sole point of call for all metalheads seeking new music. I can also tell you that it is our intent to make some changes to the subgenres over time (in fact we're currently looking at a change now & you should see that play out over the next week or so) but those changes will be made purely on the informed opinions of ourselves & our senior clan members. Not what other sites are doing.

Daniel, if you are enamoured with IE's Alive in Athens I would strongly recommend the double disc set, Days of Purgatory (my particular favourite Iced Earth release). It features re-recorded versions of previous IE tracks with vocalist Matt Barlow who sings on Alive in Athens and it's songs  makes up most of the playlist of AiE.

I'm very well versed with Iced Earth's 90's material Sonny but have to admit that I've somehow managed to overlook "Days Of Purgatory" despite enjoying the majority of their other albums from the period. I'll add it to the list so as to complete the set.

I wouldn't say that I'm particularly knowledgeable about this topic however I've never heard anything on releases that are generally regarded as epic doom that left me feeling that they needed their own subgenre to be honest. If we take a look at what I said in my summary of "New Dark Age" a few months ago:

"Solstice are fairly hard to categorize in my opinion. Are they doom metal? Yeah, sometimes. Are they heavy metal? Well... yeah... they are at times too. But I'd suggest that their sound doesn't sit all that well under either banner as they're more up-tempo & melodic than you would usually expect from a doom metal band. There's an obvious NWOBHM influence about them with the twin-guitar harmonies of Iron Maiden providing plenty of inspiration but they also possess a down-tuned heaviness that simultaneously defies the heavy metal label. I guess that's why people came up with the epic doom tag but, despite the epic characteristics of some of this material, I don't really think it's necessary to be honest. The traditional doom metal tag was created to cover a heavy metal infused doom sound & I think it would have served the purpose just fine here too."

It's worth noting that I don't even like to label "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" as traditional doom metal if I'm being honest. It's true doom metal as far as I'm concerned. Possibly the very FIRST true doom metal release actually. Sure there's some classic heavy metal inspired material on there but not all that much in comparison to the doom component which is amongst the doomiest doom that anyone had heard to the time.

I'm certainly open to being proven wrong here though so perhaps you can school us all on this topic Sonny.

Despite my real passion for Anneke van Giersbergen's gorgeous & powerful vocals, my favourite track from The Gathering's highly regarded 1995 "Mandylion" album is actually this ominous, majestic & heavily Dead Can Dance inspired tribal ambient piece.

I last reviewed "Mandylion" way back in 2013 & don't think that I've returned to it since so it's been really interesting to find that my initial review pretty much exactly summarizes my feelings today even though I didn't read it until after I'd given the album a full four listens over the last couple of days. Here's my slightly updated review:

It’s been quite a while since I last listened to The Gathering’s “Mandylion” but it still serves its purpose nicely. Admittedly I think it sounds a little dated at times which probably comes down to the simplicity of some of the instrumentation but Anneke’s voice never gets old. I don’t think she soars quite as much as I remember her doing on the follow-up album “Nighttime Birds” so the highlights are not quite as spectacular but she certainly carries the band through the slightly flatter moments on this record before really taking off on the last couple of tracks. It’s a very consistent release with no weak tracks. The first half generally receives most of the praise but I think my favourite songs are the last three (the heavily Dead Can Dance influenced title track, the epic atmospherics of “Sand and Mercury” & beautiful closer “In Motion #2”). It’s here that I find the tingles appearing up my spine thanks to Anneke’s stunning performance. The best moments from an instrumental point of view are generally those where there’s a bit more complexity as the more basic sections are where The Gathering start to flatten out a little. It’s the type of album that sneaks up on you though & I find myself wanting to give it repeat listens as it’s really very pleasant on the ears which is a nice change for a metal album. I was pretty close to going for the extra half mark here but I think 4/5 is a fairer assessment of the quality on offer.

For fans of The 3rd & the Mortal, Theatre Of Tragedy & Tiamat.

4/5

I'm sure Daniel must have an opinion at the very least. He's never short of one.

Damn right I do Ben. This is my sweet spot right here. Before I give you my top ten, here's a few things worth noting:

1. I haven't considered Terrorizer's "World Downfall" for inclusion as I regard it as a straight-up grindcore record rather than a death metal or deathgrind one. Otherwise it would have come in at number three on my list as it was a big release for me personally.

2. I've included the Sepultura & Protector releases despite their generally being more closely linked to thrash metal. The first couple of Sepultura releases are about a 50/50 death/thrash combination in my opinion while the Protector E.P. is pretty much a mid-way transition point between "Seven Churches" & Morbid Angel so I've never understood why it's not regarded as an early death metal release in all honesty.

3. I've omitted Sepultura's "Bestial Devastation" E.P. (despite the fact that it's strong enough for inclusion when viewed in isolation) due to the fact that it was only available as a part of the split E.P. with Overdose during the 1980's which reduces its quality & also makes it more thrash oriented as an overall package. "Bestial Devastation" was re-released as its own entity in the early 1990's but came with an additional re-recording.

Anyway.... here's my top ten death metal releases of the 1980's:

01. Morbid Angel – “Altars Of Madness” (1989)

02. Carcass – “Symphonies Of Sickness” (1989)

03. Pestilence – “Consuming Impulse” (1989)

04. Death – “Leprosy” (1988)

05. Protector – “Misanthropy” E.P. (1987) 

06. Bolt Thrower – “Realm Of Chaos” (1989)

07. Morbid Angel – “Abominations Of Desolation” (1986)

08. Sepultura – “Morbid Visions” (1986)

09. Death – “Scream Bloody Gore” (1987)

10. Obituary – “Slowly We Rot” (1989)

A simply outstanding review Xephyr. Loved it! It really sums up my feelings on the album beautifully.

Blistering Canadian power metal with classic metal influences that kinda sounds like Gamma Ray meets "Painkiller"-era Judas Priest.

I sit very much in the same boat as Vinny with the power metal genre in general but this release has smashed any expectations I may have had coming into it. In fact, I think it's just become my new favourite power metal record (at least as far as studio releases go as Iced Earth's "Alive In Athens" would still maintain the crown overall). This album is metal as fuck &, despite the fact that it sits very much on the US side of the power metal equation for the most part, I'd suggest that a decent point of reference would be Gamma Ray meets "Painkiller"-era Judas Priest. I absolutely love the shredding guitar tone, the slaying solos, the machine gun double kick drum & most of all those stunningly powerful vocals which have the ability to challenge even the true greats of melodic metal. I don't even mind the occasional vocal foray into extreme metal to tell you the truth.

There are certainly a few tracks that are instrumentally a little less impressive than others but Brittney Slayes manages to lift them up to much greater levels of appeal than they probably deserve through brilliantly executed harmonies, unwavering conviction & a total commitment to her craft. The lacklustre "Earth and Ashes" is probably the only song that she can't revive & the clean male vocals on that track are a big disappointment in comparison to his engaging front woman. Interestingly, while the record starts off pretty strongly, the middle of the tracklisting is where the real sweet spot is with the four track run from "Cleanse the Bloodlines" through to the killer album highlight "Ten Thousand Against One" leaving me thrashing around like it was my first time hearing high quality metal. As with the first few tracks, the album finishes with a couple of solid numbers that don't hit quite as hard as the outstanding mid-section however anyone even remotely into power metal should get right on this.

4/5 

My favourite track from Japanese outfit Dir en Grey's 2008 "Uroboros" album is this progressive example of the alternative metal sound. For fans of Mr. Bungle, System Of A Down & Korn.