Daniel's Forum Replies
I can't say that I enjoy "Uroboros" anywhere near as much as Andi does but I can't deny that it has a unique charm about it. The production & musicianship certainly made it a much more appealing prospect than it may otherwise have been & I respect the over-arching ambition behind a lot of this material. There's a whole plethora of different influences getting tossed around here but if I had to find the best description for Dir en Grey's sound it would be "progressive nu metal" which isn't a term that I ever thought I'd hear myself utter before now. Sure there are a couple of tracks that take a more conventional alternative metal route (see "Torugo" & "Dozing Green") but there's far more material that sounds like Korn in my opinion. There's a general aura of experimentation about the album that sometimes crosses over into the genuinely avant-garde on tracks like "Red Soil" & "Reiketsu nariseba" however when taken in holistically you'll find that the album is more progressive than it it bizarre with "Glass Skin", "Ware, yami tote..." & "Inconvenient Ideal" all residing firmly within the confines of the progressive rock banner.
There are a couple of things that I struggle with a little here. Firstly, I'd be lying if I said that the Japanese language vocals don't annoy me a touch. Kyo is clearly influenced pretty heavily by Mike Patton's more psychotic efforts & does his level best to create the most unusual & polarizing sounds imaginable at times. At others he goes for a deep deathcore grunt that I find pretty annoying while his normal singing voice is nothing out the ordinary for Japanese metal & sees him achieving a mixture of rocks & diamonds. The other qualm I have with the album is its general quirkiness. The word "quirky" & I don't get on & never have. I like my music to be predominantly fairly serious so the eccentricities of Dir en Grey's sound sometimes go straight over my head. As do some of the nu metal riffs.
But at the end of the day, it's hard not to like a record that's this artistically challenging & well-executed, even if it is a little jerky at times.
For fans of Mr. Bungle, System Of A Down & Korn.
3.5/5
This Aussie progressive metal record is horribly underrated in my opinion:
A beautifully realised example of progressive metal mixed with various widely disparate influences. For fans of Tool, Karnivool & Soen.
Xephyr, this was an absolute beauty of a feature release selection mate. I loved every minute of it & are baffled as to why I didn't know about this band earlier given that they're Aussies. Andi & saxy, you definitely need to get onto this one.
Here's my review link:
https://metal.academy/reviews/21388/25331
4.5/5
Just finished listening to this playlist. Was a great reminder of just how much I love those W.A.S.P. & Diamond Head tracks which are some of my favourites from those respective bands & undisputed heavy metal classics for me overall. I quite like the Riot track but my God they don't even try to hide the fact that they're trying to rewrite Judas Priest's "Exciter" there, did they? (Check it out Andi.) I haven't listened to that Nevermore album in years & years but really enjoyed that song so I might have to return to it some time soon. I have a soft spot for the Yngwie Malmsteen & Dokken tracks from my childhood & Vinny has really dug deep with a couple of his inclusions which added some intrigue. Overall it was an interesting listen from a clan that I generally regard as being the lest attractive for me personally.
An unbelievably epic example of Finnish progressive black metal for fans of Hail Spirit Noir, A Forest Of Stars & Nachtmystium.
Ok, so Sonny's ridiculously strong run of June form continues here as "Värähtelijä" is quite frankly another spectacular release from one of the absolute elite performers in modern metal. Oranssi Pazuzu's 2020 album "Mestarin kynsi" absolutely blew my head off & not only topped my end of year list but also made my all-time greatest metal releases chart. Its older sibling takes a very similar approach to that classic release only it's more overtly psychedelic & the black metal component is a touch more significant, even though there's still very little actual black metal in the instrumentation. The grim & gravel-throated vocals are sensational of course. As is the use of tribal beats & repetition to create a truly cerebral experience that's so far up my alley it's not funny. You'll definitely be able to hear the space rock & krautrock influences all over the place here but, as with "Mestarin kynsi", I'm gonna make the bold claim that this is more of a post-metal record than a black metal one & there's very little doubt in my mind that it belongs in The Infinite. A blackened post-metal tag seems like a pretty good fit to me as opposed to the commonly used post-black metal one which indicates that the basis is in black metal which it clearly isn't. Those long atmospheric build-ups, the huge crescendos & the more textured & layered composition all have a lot in common with Swans with the guitars generally adding colour over the powerful basslines rather than playing traditional riffs.
In the end the only reason that I haven't dished out the full five stars here is that the couple of more avant-garde tracks ("Hypnotisoitu viharukous" & "Havuluu") don't offer quite the same sort of next-level appeal that highlights like "Lahja", the title track & the absolutely epic eighteen minute centrepiece "Vasemman käden hierarkia" do but I'll be very surprised if any admirer of extreme art doesn't become enamored with the sheer class & ambition that shine through across the entirety of "Värähtelijä". It's simultaneously gorgeous & lush as well as dark & ominous which is a sure sign of a superior artist.
For fans of Hail Spirit Noir, A Forest Of Stars & Nachtmystium.
4.5/5
Yes
That version of "Am I Evil?" is actually in this month's playlist Vinny.
Welcome to the Academy Paul. We're very please to have you. The first thing I wanted to ask was whether you're happy with residing in just the one clan. All new members have to option to choose up to three. Let me know if you'd like to add any more & I can arrange it for you.
A wonderfully atmospheric & cerebral post-sludge excursion from the Massachusetts gods of metalcore.
Converge - "Axe To Fall" (2009)
I dunno why it's taken me so long to get around to checking out Massachusetts metalcore legends Converge's 2009 seventh album "Axe To Fall" as they've been a pretty big band for me for a long time now & never leave me disappointed. There's no exception being made here either as we see the band presenting us with their most ambitious offering to the time & collaborating with a number of mutually-respected musicians to great effect. The album really sounds very fluent & well-defined despite covering a fair amount of musical territory & I particularly enjoy the contribution from Neurosis' Steve Von Till given my strong affiliations with the post-metal masters.
Converge's classic metallic hardcore sound receives good coverage & is complemented by some straight-up hardcore punk tracks ("Effigy", "Losing Battle", "Dead Beat" & "Slave Driver"), a sludge metal monster ("Worms Will Feed, Rats Will Feast") & even a couple of more atmospheric & cerebral post-sludge excursions ( "Cruel Bloom" which reminds me very much of Tom Waits meets Neurosis & the epic album high point that closes out the album "Wretched World"). They've included just enough compositional complexity to keep the listener on their toes & reminded of the elite class of the artist they're indulging in without ever feeling overly showy or pretentious which is a rare quality in this form of art. The production & musicianship are unsurprisingly spectacular too, particularly my man Ben Koller behind the kit who is always the highlight for me. Front man Jacob Bannon puts in one of his best performances too which is well appreciated given that I haven't always loved his delivery. He seems to have gotten better with age with more weight behind his screaming violence.
Unlike most fans, I've never regarded Converge's early 2000's classics as their creative peak, despite the undoubted quality they offer. I've always found the band's appeal to grow stronger as they started to take alternative routes & expand on their sound with 2012's "All We Love We Leave Behind" representing a real highlight for the metalcore subgenre & my personal favourite. "Axe To Fall" very much leaves the impression of being the entrée for that main course & I subsequently rank it as my second favourite Converge release these days. It should be essential listening for all fans of more serious metalcore/hardcore.
For fans of The Chariot, Every Time I Die & Norma Jean.
4/5
P.S. The album cover is absolutely stunning too & beautifully compliments the music in my opinion.
Welcome Makntak. I think you'll fit in nicely around here. We have a broad cross-section of age groups at the Academy but have found some of our more seasoned members to be amongst our most devoted & most valued in the community. We've built a completely inclusive environment here at MA & intend on keeping it totally free of the sort of judgement & elitism you'll often find at other metal sites so we encourage our members to indulge themselves in whatever way they feel & to share as much of your thoughts & feelings as they like. There's absolutely no subgenre bias allowed.
Here are a few cool features to check out if you'd like to get amongst it early:
1. The monthly feature releases for each clan are released on the first day of every month & are chosen by our clan members in a rotating roster. All of our members then rate, review & discuss the chosen releases on dedicated forum threads. You can find the whole list of June feature releases under the FEATURED tab with links to the threads. If you'd like to be added to the rosters for some (or all) of your three clans then let me know.
2. Each month we release a two-hour Spotify playlist for each clan. Each playlist has a portion of its tracklisting made up of tracks that are nominated by the members of the associated clan so that it truly represents that clan's current listening habits. You'll see that there is a playlist suggestions thread in each clan where you can make your submissions & each clan has its own limitations for how much runtime each member can submit for inclusion. Let me know if you'd like to be a part of that & I can adjust the associated playlist limits to include you.
3. Under the LISTS tab you'll find the CLAN CHALLENGES. These challenges enable a member to earn a fourth clan of their choice. Some people love the idea while others (like myself) are happy with just the three. Maybe check it out & see if it's for you.
4. And finally, we love to see as much rating, review & forum activity as possible so go nuts! This is a great place to meet like-minded people & you'll find that once we all learn a bit about your unique taste profile you'll be getting some great recommendations from the rest of our members. This is probably the best part about being a member of the Academy actually. We look after each other.
Have fun & we hope to see you around!
Sonny, you were on fire with your submissions this month. Those Apostle Of Solitude & Sepulcros tracks are absolutely superb.
It's a big no from me as well gents. Not much metal on offer there as far as I can see. Let's wait & see if anyone else has an alternative view point before talking about how we proceed from here. In the meantime, have a think about what you'd do with Sky Eats Airplane in the event that we elect to remove the Nintendocore subgenre.
Ok so it's becoming very clear that most of our regular contributors don't feel that the HORSE The Band & Fucking Werewolf Asso tracks qualify as metal. Both are pretty indicative of what you can expect to hear across the tracklistings of their respective releases in my opinion. As is the Sky Eats Airplane track actually. So where does this leave us? Well it's a mixed result given that the Sky Eats Airplane track is undeniably metallic. But is that band just a one-off &, if so, does it warrant it's own subgenre of metal? To provide a little more clarity & substance to the discussion, why don't we check out one final track from the only other noteworthy Nintendocore act outside of the three that we've already investigated & see if it gives us a clear consensus.
Here's the guidelines for playlist submissions for July 2021:
THE FALLEN: 24 min each clan member, no track limits
THE GATEWAY: 30 min each clan member, no track limits, one track for non-clan members
THE GUARDIANS: 30 min each clan member, no track limits
THE HORDE: 30 min each clan member, no track limits
THE INFINITE: 30 min each clan member, no track limits
THE NORTH: 24 min each clan member, no track limits
THE PIT: 30 min each clan member, no track limits
THE REVOLUTION: 30 min each clan member, no track limits, one track for non-clan members
THE SPHERE: 30 min each clan member, no track limits, one track for non-clan members
If any new members are interested in being added to the contributors list then please let me know as I'll have to make adjustments to the submission guidelines listed above.
Here's the list of feature release contributors for July 2021:
THE FALLEN: Sonny
THE GATEWAY: saxy
THE GUARDIANS: Andi
THE HORDE: Ben
THE INFINITE: saxy
THE NORTH: Ben
THE PIT: Sonny
THE REVOLUTION: Andi
THE SPHERE: Daniel
If any new members are interested in being added to the contributors list then please let me know & I'll have you included in the roster moving forwards.
Just to be clear Andi, I never said that this experiment was going to decide the fate of Nintendocore. I was just interested to see if people generally agreed with me before talking to Ben about what direction to take. Also, the votes that have come in aren't people saying that they want Nintendocore releases to be made non-metal. They're simply saying that they don't believe that those particular tracks should be classified as metal. I'm expecting a couple more votes to come in & will then have a discussion with Ben about where things stand. I'm not looking to analyse any additional subgenres until this one is resolved.
I might also try reviewing that Virgin Steele album from the other day as well...
It’ll be much more up your alley than it is mine Andi so I’d encourage you to go down that path.
Brilliant mid-80's heavy/power metal from Florida USA for fans of Queensryche, Savatage & Virgin Steele.
My revised list as of 30th May 2021:
25. Metallica - "Master Of Puppets" (1986)
24. Dead Congregation - "Promulgation Of The Fall" (2014)
23. Darkthrone - "Transilvanian Hunger" (1994)
22. Carcass - "Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious" (1991)
21. ISIS - "Panopticon" (2004)
20. Suffocation - "Despise The Sun" E.P.
19. ISIS - "The Mosquito Control" E.P. (1998)
18. diSEMBOWELMENT - "Transcendence Into The Peripheral" (1993)
17. Neurosis - "Souls At Zero" (1992)
16. Botch - "We Are The Romans" (1999)
15. Rosetta - "The Galilean Satellites" (2005)
14. Slayer - "South Of Heaven" (1988)
13. Immolation - "Close To A World Below" (2000)
12. Suffocation - "Pierced From Within" (1995)
11. Boris - "Boris At Last -Feedbacker-" (2003)
10. Alice In Chains - "Dirt" (1992)
09. Death - "Human" (1991)
08. Morbid Angel - "Altars Of Madness" (1989)
07. Metallica - "...And Justice For All" (1988)
06. Mick Gordon - "DOOM (Original Game Soundtrack)" (2016)
05. Sunn O))) - "Black One" (2005)
04. Pig Destroyer - "Natasha" E.P. (2008)
03. Deathspell Omega - "Kenose" E.P. (2005)
02. Burzum - "Filosofem" (1996)
01. Slayer - "Reign In Blood" (1986)
My revised list:
1970: Black Sabbath – “Paranoid”
1971: Black Sabbath – “Master Of Reality”
1972: Black Sabbath – “Vol 4”
1973: Black Sabbath – “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”
1974: Budgie – “In For The Kill”
1975: Black Sabbath – “Sabotage”
1976: Rainbow – “Rising”
1977: Quartz – “Quartz”
1978: Judas Priest – “Killing Machine”
1979: Judas Priest – “Unleashed In The East”
1980: Diamond Head – “Lightning To The Nations”
1981: Motorhead – “No Sleep Till Hammersmith”
1982: Ozzy Osbourne – “Speak Of The Devil”
1983: Slayer – “Show No Mercy”
1984: Metallica – “Ride The Lightning”
1985: Exodus – “Bonded By Blood”
1986: Slayer – “Reign In Blood”
1987: Bathory – “Under The Sign Of The Black Mark”
1988: Metallica – “…And Justice For All”
1989: Morbid Angel – “Altars Of Madness”
1990: Slayer - "Seasons In The Abyss"
1991: Death – “Human”
1992: Alice In Chains – “Dirt”
1993: diSEMBOWELMENT – “Transcendence Into The Peripheral”
1994: Darkthrone – “Transilvanian Hunger”
1995: Suffocation – “Pierced From Within”
1996: Burzum – “Filosofem”
1997: Exodus – “Another Lesson In Violence”
1998: ISIS – “The Mosquito Control” E.P.
1999: Botch - "We Are The Romans"
2000: Immolation – “Close To A World Below”
2001: Tool - "Lateralus"
2002: ISIS – “Oceanic”
2003: Boris – “Boris At Last -Feedbacker-“
2004: ISIS – “Panopticon”
2005: Deathspell Omega – “Kenose” E.P.
2006: Celtic Frost – “Monotheist”
2007: Wolves In The Throne Room – “Two Hunters”
2008: Pig Destroyer - "Natasha" E.P.
2009: Alice In Chains – “Black Gives Way To Blue”
2010: Deathspell Omega - "Paracletus"
2011: Inside The Beehive - "Drink Bleach: Live Forever" E.P.
2012: Deftones - "Koi no Yokan"
2013: Gorguts - "Colored Sands"
2014: Dead Congregation - "Promulgation Of The Fall"
2015: Mgla - "Exercise In Futility"
2016: Leprous - "Live At Rockefeller Music Hall"
Crimson Glory - "Crimson Glory" (1986)
Andi & Xephyr, now that I've warmed you up with "Transcendence", let's move on to the real deal because Crimson Glory's debut is not only a step up in class from their sophomore record but it's also a top ten heavy metal release for me overall. The stunning vocal hooks & harmonies, the searing guitar solos, the anthemic atmosphere.... it's all there & it's a testament to the quality of this release that it still makes such a significant impact on me after all these years. Vinny, you should get on this one too if you haven't already.
For fans of Queensryche, Savatage & Virgin Steele.
4.5/5
P.S. Much like "Transcendence" , I have to question the relevance of the US power metal tag that seems to so often be associated with Crimson Glory. There's one (possibly two) tracks that fit that mould but the majority of the tracklisting isn't anything drastically different to what the Priests & Maidens were doing so I see no reason to differentiate it as such. It seems to me that some people get so hung up on the operatic & slightly more theatrical vocal style of records like this one that they try to drag them into power metal territory unjustly but should remember that the Halford's & Dickinson's are also known to head in that direction but don't tend to be treated in the same way.
A great little heavy metal anthem from the great Dane's solo catalogue. For fans of Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest & Angel Witch.
King Diamond - "Them" (1988)
It may surprise a few of you to learn that I actually prefer King Diamond's solo material over anything that Mercyful Fate have ever released. I understand that that opinion is a little bit out of character for an old-school extreme metal fan like myself however I simply can't go past the more modern sounding metal-as-fuck approach & Andy LaRocque's stunning lead guitar work on records like 1987's "Abigail" (my King record of choice) & 1989's "Conspiracy". Unfortunately for 1998's "Them" album, it's surrounded on both sides by those two great records which has perhaps tainted my opinion of it a touch in comparison.
"Them" relies significantly more on its sinister storyline than either of those releases did as they contained some more immediately impactful heavy metal anthems. Lyrical themes have never been something that I've cared all that much about compared to other metal fans anyway to be honest. Concept albums? Even less so as it often annoys me that the music is forced in directions that it shouldn't naturally go in order to promote a unified storyline which more often than not sees the tracklisting being tainted by filler (at least from a purely musical point of view). So what I'm really trying to say here is that even though I enjoy almost all of "Them", I find that it's lacking in genuine highlight tracks & has been short-changed in the memorability department in comparison to the other late 80's King Diamond albums. There's no doubt that it's a pretty good heavy metal record performed by skilled craftsmen but at the same time I don't think it ever sees me making a glorious metal claw & holding it aloft towards the heavens. Ultimately I just think it's a little bit overrated.
For fans of Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest & Angel Witch.
3.5/5
High quality US power metal from New York with a symphonic edge. For fans of Manowar, Savatage & Jag Panzer.
And what happens if this is voted a no then Andi? Does that mean that you'll never listen to it again & will remove your review so that you won't be linked to death metal?
For the record, I'll be voting no here.
I don't like to be a downer but I do think it opens up a huge can of worms if we're to start adding non-metal bands that happen to offer appeal to metalheads. It's hard enough to ensure that we get all of the relevant metal bands & releases into the database without adding to the challenge with bands that the the site was never really intended for.
Ben, what are your thoughts on this?
Crimson Glory - "Transcendence" (1988)
Xephyr, saxy & Andi, I would think this one should be essential listening for you guys.
Brilliantly brooding Florida heavy metal from the late 80's. For fans of Queensrÿche, Fates Warning & Savatage.
Crimson Glory - "Transcendence" (1988)
I've always favoured Crimson Glory's debut over this sophomore effort however there's not much in it as they're both really high quality metal records. "Transcendence" sits somewhere between the classic Iron Maiden/Judas Priest heavy metal sound & the more progressive Queensrÿche/Fates Warning one. There's some great vocal hooks & guitar solos & the song-writing quality is very consistent throughout with no weak tracks included however there's probably not enough genuine classics to have me reaching for the higher scores. Vocalist Midnight is pretty amazing though & is the obvious focal point with his operatic style being heavily influenced by Queensrÿche's Geoff Tate. "In Dark Places" is the clear highlight for me & is a perfect example of this style of heavy metal. It stays with me for days after each listen. For fans of Queensrÿche, Fates Warning & Savatage.
4/5
I've had a really great time with this month's feature releases. The option to have our clan members submit their own features has added an extra layer of intrigue & enthusiasm that's added to both my motivation & my enjoyment. Here's the winners & losers for me this month in order of preference with Ben getting a glowing report for giving me not one but TWO new entries into my personal Hall of Metal Glory:
THE HORDE: Suffocation - "Despise The Sun" E.P. (1998) 5/5
THE FALLEN: Dolorian - "Dolorian" (2001) 4.5/5
THE PIT: Grip Inc. - "Nemesis" (1997) 4.5/5
THE SPHERE: Fear Factory - "Demanufacture" (1995) 4/5
THE GATEWAY: Loathe - "I Let It In & It Took Everything" (2020) 4/5
THE INFINITE: Dream Theater - "Train Of Thought" (2003) 4/5
THE GUARDIANS: Grand Magus - "Hammer Of The North" (2010) 4/5
THE REVOLUTION: Born Of Osiris - "The Discovery" (2011) 4/5
THE NORTH: Funereal Presence - "Achatius" (2019) 3/5
The Suffocation release was always gonna come out on top as it's one of my all-time favourite records & comes from my favourite band but the Dolorian & Grip Inc. releases were both new to me & frankly blew me away. I was already well acquainted with the Fear Factory album of course so it was no real surprise when I found that it still does it for me but a return visit to Born Of Osiris' "The Discovery" saw me bumping my score up a touch from my previous review of a decade ago. The Loathe, Dream Theater & Grand Magus records are all very solid & ticked all of my boxes with only Funereal presence failing to capture me. I'm really looking forward to the start of the new month so I can get stuck into a new batch of feature releases now.
Xephyr & Sonny, make sure you remember to get your submissions in for The Guardians, The infinite & The North.
You'll undoubtedly enjoy this album Andi & I would definitely have recommended it to you if not for your recent position on death metal (which doesn't seem to be being all that strictly adhered to if the above is anything to go by).
Cryptic Shift - "Visitations From Enceladus" (2020)
Ben & Vinny, have you checked out this progressive death/thrash debut from Leeds, England yet? It's a high quality effort that reminds me of Vektor, Voivod & Gorguts.
High quality progressive death/thrash from Leeds, England. For fans of Vektor, Voivod & Gorguts.
Cryptic Shift - "Visitations From Enceladus" (2020)
I was recommended this album by the father of my four-year old daughter's best friend recently & thought I'd give it a crack. Cryptic Shift are a four-piece outfit from Leeds, England whose highly ambitious debut album can be described as progressive death/thrash. Imagine a combination of Vektor, Voivod & Gorguts & you won't be too far off the mark. There's only four tracks included with the opener being an absolute beast at 26 minutes in duration but the quality is consistent throughout. The musicianship & execution is excellent & my interest is maintained throughout the run time although I never quite found myself quite hitting that top tier. Nonetheless, "Visitations From Enceladus" is a very solid first up outing from a quality artist but why does the album title make me feel like ordering Mexican food?
4/5
Lost Horizon - "A Flame To The Ground Beneath" (2003)
Xephyr & Andi, I suggest you check out this Swedish power metal album if you haven't already.
Early 2000's Swedish power metal for fans of Helloween, Gamma Ray & Blind Guardian.
Lost Horizon - "A Flame To The Ground Beneath" (2003)
The 2003 sophomore album from Swedish power metallers Lost Horizon has never sounded like an attractive prospect to this extreme metal fan however, after taking the plunge over the last couple of days, I've had to admit that I've been missing out. Sure there's a great deal of cheesy keyboard pomposity on offer throughout "A Flame To the Ground Beneath" however the shredding guitar work & high quality upper-register vocals are a real drawcard along with the brilliant three minute dark ambient pieces that bookend the tracklisting. There's even a bit Manowar in some of the slower & more epic sections along with a touch of Dream Theater in the vocal melodies & phrasing. I was genuinely surprised at just how much I enjoyed this album & would actually go so far as to say that it I place it a close second to Blind Guardian's "Imaginations From The Other Side" for my favourite power metal record overall. It's a pity about the God-awful cover art though.
For fans of Helloween, Gamma Ray & Blind Guardian.
4/5
Amongst the absolute pinnacles of brutal death metal. For fans of Dying Fetus, Cryptopsy & Nile.
To the surprise of absolutely no one, "Despise The Sun" has always been one of my very favourite death metal releases from arguably my favourite metal band. In fact, I rate it ahead of classics like "Effigy Of The Forgotten" & "Human Waste" these days with only "Pierced From Within" managing to top it. No one can compete with Suffocation for sophistication & controlled brutality & Frank Mullen's vocals are up there with the best in all of death metal. There's not as much of a reliance on those twisted guitar solos on this release however the sheer weight of this material means that it doesn't actually need it. An unmitigated classic in every sense.
For fans of Dying Fetus, Cryptopsy & Nile.
5/5
Nekromantheon - "Visions Of Trismegistos" (2021)
Ben, if you don't think thrash metal has the potential to produce any more underground classics then think again. You need to hear this one.
An absolute belter of an opening track from the brand new album from Norwegian thrashers Nekromantheon. For fans of Kreator, Destruction & Razor.
What an utterly superb example of modern speed metal-driven European thrash "Visions of Trismegistos" is then!!! I'm blown away by the stunningly clear & precise production job & the sheer ferocity & professionalism in the execution. Those Morbid Angel inspired solos simply tear me to shreds too. The vocals could probably have been a little stronger but I absolutely loved this record Sonny & I want to thank you for bringing it to my attention as it'll very likely be making an appearance in my year-end list.
For fans of Kreator, Destruction & Razor.
4.5/5
Ultra-raw English thrash metal for fans of Slayer, Annihilated & Kreator.
Gave "Rather Death Than False Of Faith" a few spins yesterday Sonny. I was initially put off by the awful production & sloppy performances (particularly the incompetent solos) however repeat listens saw me buying into the brash & overthetop brand of European style thrash that Hydra Vein are pushing. There's plenty of Slayer, Anihilated & Kreator on offer as well as the occasion foray with the Bay Area ala Exodus/Testament. I didn't mind it in the end although I don't think it was helped by the fact that a couple of the weaker songs reside in the opening three as I certainly found my enjoyment levels growing as the tracklisting progressed. I'll go with a respectable 3.5/5.
Yeah it's funny you mention it Xephyr as I discussed this in another clan forum only a couple of days ago.
These are the questions as I see it:
1. Do we care if there are repeated tracks included in a single clan's playlists?
2. If so, is there a period for which we consider it an issue or would it be a blanket rule going back to the start of our playlists?
3. It's starting to happen more regularly (i.e. once or twice every month now) so if we're going to make a no-repeat rule then we'd have to give everyone a way to see if their chosen tracks have been used before. Otherwise it will get pretty slow & painful if I have to highlight them & wait for a replacement.
Personally, I think it's an issue if we've included the exact same track within the last three months but it's not such a big deal if it was further back than that. Plus, I like to encourage people to contribute & I don't think it promotes that if we nit-pick about it too much. I could easily start a thread in each clan where I list every playlist tracklisting going back to the beginning so that people could use CTRL-F to search it for their chosen tracks. It's not ideal but it's workable. Anyone got any better ideas? Anyone have a different opinion on any of this?
Drink, drugs, motorcycles and metal were once the whole world to me (metal being the only one I still indulge in), all of which exact a price - and I wouldn't change any of it. Live fast.. etc!!
I have a similar background only I indulged in women instead of motorcycles. Completely agree that I wouldn't change a thing.
I've already told you my hearing status in an earlier thread, but it bears repeating (and self-copying):
It is sad when your hearing is damaged and can't fully function anymore, but my hearing is actually still very good. Since my days of youth, not to brag but I'm pretty smart at figuring out the proper volume when listening to metal. I still can't stand things that are much louder than my computer at full maximum blast, like thunder which I'm still a bit scared of (don't laugh). Wearing earplugs when there's thunder and cleaning them every couple weeks is what prevents my ears from being deafened or infected. I'm really protective of my hearing and make sure they never get damaged because even though it's possible to listen to metal with damaged hearing, I fear that I might go deaf and never be able to enjoy metal again. Whenever I go out during the virus, not only do I wear a face mask but also big industrial earphones because I think ears are important to protect from the virus too.* Lol! Anyway, I've also had happy moments when listening to metal as an underage teenager, but those were my earlier epic melodic metal days and they're now long gone, though you guys helped me bring a bit of power metal back to my life. My current routine for my home days is filled with metal and a bit of writing. All of my metal is in my computer and a spare hard drive in case it breaks. My computer time is limited but sometimes I go a little overboard. I can't pay full attention when absorbing albums except in special occasions and when I have to, like when I'm writing reviews, so I just take what I think are the greatest hits from each album and just somehow be able to absorb them while playing Minecraft.
*(Hey people, ears are part of your face, they need protection too, if you don't want them to be infected! And while you're at it, please start calling the virus COVID-20, don't let the first year that did nothing take all the blame!!)
I included the unrelated Minecraft part as a reminder of a small Minecraft-related post I plan on doing soon. You may guess if you'd like, but what I write is what you'll get...
Just out of interest Andi, have you been a regular metal show attendee over the years?
If you'd like to catch up to us old codgers in the deafness stakes then I'd encourage you to attend a single Sunn O))) show without wearing ear plugs. You'll be lucky if you ever hear again.