Daniel's Forum Threads
Andrés Segovia - "The Segovia Collection, Vol. 3: My Favorite Works" (1988)
A compilation CD I purchased back in the 1990's when I was absolutely obsessed with guitar technique & wanted to hear the best the world had to offer. Segovia certainly delivers in terms of Spanish classical guitar too with all ten tracks on offer showcasing his incredible abilities in solo performances that sound to the average listener as if there are multiple instrumentalists contributing, given his unparallelled skill in managing disparate basslines & melodies simultaneously. I enjoy this as relaxing background music more than anything these days.
For fans of Julian Bream, Narciso Yepes & David Russell.
3.5/5
Slipknot - "Iowa" (2001)
I didn't mind the 1999 self-titled debut album from Iowa's Slipknot when I checked them out for the first time only within the last few years although it was certainly let down a bit by a poor production job. The 2001 follow-up fares better in that department & is also a slightly heavier & more extreme record overall which helps it to slightly eclipse its predecessor. It's easy to pick up on Slipknot's influences here with Korn, Nine Inch Nails, Pantera, Slayer & Morbid Angel all receiving some attention & assisting in the creation of a slew of high-quality groove-laden material. Unfortunately, there's also a couple of clear creative failures included too & these generally align with the band's more commercially focused clean-vocal choruses (see "My Plague" & "Left Behind"). I really dig the slower, sludgier moments, as well as the more death metal inspired ones while Corey Taylor's aggressive delivery is well up to the task. There's little doubt that "Iowa" is one of the better nu metal releases I've heard but I couldn't quite bring myself to award it the four stars I was hoping it would achieve in order to place it alongside records like Linkin Park's "Meteora" & Korn's self-titled.
For fans of Korn, System of a Down & Mudvayne.
3.5/5
John Lee Hooker - "The Healer" (1989)
A heavily underrated electric blues album that's centered around collaborations with a number of other high-profile artists such as Carlos Santana, Bonnie Rait, Los Lobos & George Thoroughgood. Perhaps it makes for a more commercially accessible listen than most diehard blues fans would like but I really enjoy it nonetheless, particularly the really stripped back stuff like wonderful album highlight "My Dream".
For fans of Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf & Muddy Waters.
4/5
Arcade Fire - Pink Elephant (2025)
Genres: Indie Rock
I'm actually huge on Arcade Fire, believe it or not. They introduced me to the glory that is indie rock and were the first steps intro exploring genres beyond classic rock. Their debut, Funeral, changed my life. I find their first three albums to be an unbeatable indie trilogy, so I've been holding onto the hope that this Everything Now behavior would end soon. And it looked like it would from the album WE, but Pink Elephant says otherwise, gruelingly otherwise.
I got excited when I heard there was a new Arcade Fire album, but upon hearing the Year of the Snake single, I lost interest. This album goes for ambient tracks, indie pop, indie rock and a little alt-dance, neo-psych, and yet, NOTHING is given any real focus. These songs hardly even feel "written." They feel like AI generated knockoffs where the order is specifically "try not to use any rhythm." This is especially painful dureing the songs that are longer than five minutes. There's barely any melody involved in the instrumentation until Ride or Die, which is seven of the ten tracks in! How could Arcade Fire of all people forget to include a rhythm? I mean, I'm willing to defend Everything Now as a palatable pop album, but not this. The melodies that raised the rating slightly on Ride or Die are once again betrayed just to include some basic sound effects and distortions that fail to justify anything. I mean, even our two lead singers sound completely bored. Are the even trying to be passionate about their music anymore?
No, I really don't think they are. It seems obvious to me that the band has lost their passion and are trying to let ambiance fill in that gap, not realizing that the "gap" is really a "hole in the heart." This is one time where I really can't defend their actions. Pink Elephant's very existence is an insult to their glory days and the poopularity of indie rock in the 2000's kickstarted by albums like their first three. This is the first time I have been unable to defend an Arcade Fire album.
28/100
David Lynch & Alan R. Splet - "Eraserhead" soundtrack (1982)
The score/soundtrack to one of my all-time favourite movies. David Lynch's debut effort was one of the most bizarre & deeply disturbing pieces of film you're ever likely to encounter & the soundtrack release captures that atmosphere brilliantly. There are two lengthy tracks included but they're essentially one longer piece that's been broken in half to fit a vinyl release. You'll find plenty of spoken snippets from the film scattered across the runtime but they're placed over some of the darkest ambient backdrops ever to have existed to the time. It takes me right back to those drug-fueled viewings my best mate & I enjoyed back in the early-to-mid 1990's. You can expect this album to offer more of an experience than most music can accommodate because it instils a genuinely sinister feeling in the listener that you'll rarely find in modern music.
For fans of Terry Gilliam, Alejandro González Iñárritu & Anne Guthrie.
4/5
Serpent Rider - The Ichor of Chimaera (2025)
Formed in 2015 by rhythm guitarist Brandon Corsair (Drawn and Quartered, Draghkar, Azath) Serpent Rider have been in existence for a decade now and following a couple of split releases, a 2021 split with Ezra Brooks and a four-way split in 2022 which featured the two tracks from a 2019 demo, the band's debut full-length album, The Ichor of Chimaera, is finally here. The five-piece play a traditional style of heavy metal that has its roots in the 1980s and USPM bands like Manilla Road and Cirith Ungol, but with the modern sheen and vitality of latter-day acts such as Smoulder and Eternal Champion. I mention those latter two in particular, because, like them, Serpent Rider feature a female vocalist, the splendid R. Villar, and also like to tip their hat to epic doom masters like Candlemass, Solstice and Solitude Aeternus.
The Ichor of Chimaera is an album that is steeped in the traditions of metal and is clearly the product of a band that is well-versed in that world. The riffs are great, from the rip-roaring, nitro-charged gallops of opener "Steel Is the Answer" and "Tyrant's March" to slower, more hulking and ominous doomy slabs such as "The Hero's Spirit". The guitar sound is thick and powerful and the lead breaks often provide some real highlights for me, as lead guitarist Paul Gelbach unleashes some full-blooded, white-hot solos that give the tracks a real keen edge. The five-piece don't shy away from inserting the odd catchy hook here and there either, with the choruses of "Radiant" and "Tyrant's March" refusing to stop bouncing around inside your brain long after the album stops spinning.
Lyrically Serpent Rider stick to the tried and tested formula of epic metal which inhabits the fantasy worlds created by the likes of Moorcock and Robert E. Howard and there is nothing wrong with that, but it is a very safe option to be honest. The vocals, provided by R. Villar are very much suited to the material and are exceedingly well-enunciated with barely a single word being missed, even by my tinnitus-ravaged hearing. She has a very classic-sounding delivery and has a really nice tone, often reminding me in a weird way of Morris Ingram on Solstice's New Dark Age, particularly on "Tyrant's March", a track which does display hallmarks of Rich Walker's phrasing. If I had one misgiving then it would be that sometimes the vocals sound a little bit reedy when pushed up against the thickness and depth of the guitars in full flow, but this is truly a minor niggle.
Kudos must also go to the rhythm section for the sheer depth and power of the band's sound with Brian Verderber basswork and Brandon's riffing combining to devastating effect. Drummer Drake Graves provides a bit more than just time-keeping with some interesting fills and more complex beats than you may expect - the title track for example has a really interesting drum track and is worth paying particular attention to.
I would heartily recommend The Ichor of Chimaera to anyone who has any love for heavy metal in general or epic metal specifically. Well-written and consummately executed this should tick all the boxes for fans of good, old-fashioned, fist-pumping metal. Sure, it doesn't address real-world horrors or the psychological pressures of modern life, but sometimes it is OK to just have a good time and forget about all that shit and at this minute I can't think of many better ways to do it.
4/5
Blood Incantation - Absolute Everywhere (2024)
Genres: Prog Death Metal
This is it, the conclusion of my Blood Incantation marathon. This is the album that gave me reason to check them out, and I finally have room for them on my albums log as my need to explore other genres made me late to this party. A death metal album taking influence from the 70's German rock and electronic scene? For a wacko like me, that's a dream to good to be true. But what with all the dick-sucking going around for this album, one can't help but wonder, does it live up to the legend, or is it overhyped?
Immediately the prog rock and prog electronic influences are used as key ingredients in the hyperactive death metal, but the album also makes a point of switching genres mid-song from death metal to prog rock two minutes into Stargate Pt. 1. I have to admit, while the instrumentation was beyond magnificent, rivaling the best aspects of their incredible debut, the sudden genre switch was a little jarring. I would've preferred a little more buildup and a little more death in the beginning. Was this a bad omen, or would I learn to accept that after hearing the rest of the album? Stargate Pt. 2 was an intriguing and powerful prog electronic track that recalled all the best aspects of Tangerine Dream and Vangelis while remaining a Blood Incantation song, proving that they've mastered the art of electronics after having struggled so much with it on their previous ambient EP, Timewave Zero. In the last two minutes, it carefully turns into a prog rock song with some beautiful Tullian flute. Even the last bit of death metal feels pretty naturally handled. Pt. 3 makes for some fantastic death metal in both technique and production. There's this middle section of acoustic guitars mimicking the worldbeat vibes of The Tea Party, but it doesn't last long enough, unfortunately. And some of the electronics that make the album so unique are present at the end, but not for long.
The next epic, the three part Message, begins with a more upbeat, melodic and almost alternative take on death metal, one that recalls the noisy but anthemic and somewhat aquatic atmospheres of Biomech. But after 50 seconds, they switch back to the same old death metal. Thankfully, the extremities are met at a capacity I have only ever dreamed about! They go back to the original format after another 50 seconds or so, which is an interesting take and makes me glad there's more of that new sound involved. But once again, the standard but impressive death metal sound overtakes the balance. I mean, they're playing some excellent riffs that make me wanna rip my shirt off and fly into the sun with a bottle of whiskey, but shouldn't they take the time to really expand on the new tricks? Part 2 goes right into the prog rock, pulled right out of the 70's British scene with surprisingly authentic melodies that blend with the death sound on occasion. It even has vocals that sound way too much like Roger Waters. But if they could do that all along, then they SHOULD'VE used them a little more in previous tracks to expand on the various tricks they were trying to play. Still, this one revived both the Pink Floyd prog and the more conventional kind of prog in one go while maintaining the atmospheric strengths of previous Blood Incantation albums.
And then... Part 3 took me by 100% surprise by introducing itself with a power metal riff of all things. It has a tendency to switch things around though, as, once again, the power metal was not lived up to. But it DID do an excellent job of maintaining many of the past sounds and tricks at a reasonable balance beyond that while delivering on of their best epics since Vitrification. This one is easily the most epic-feeling song on the album, recalling the whole spirit of the band and its improved sense of effects and reverberations, as well as Faulk's wonderful drumming. This song is also an excellent example of how our two guitarists have impeccable synchronization. All is a relatively perfect harmony until in fades into aquatic sound effects, bringing our epic to a close.
This also closes my epic adventure in the Blood Incantation catalog. What with this genre-tagging including space rock and Berlin school, I was stunned that a death metal album was finally attempting these things. It's been 30 years since Emperor put synths in black metal, so an album like this is way late. However, was it perfect? While I admire a band for trying to reinvent the genre, there were some areas where the unique tricks and extra genre choices needed a little more balance. If they fix that on the next album, you may end up having the greatest death metal album in the world.
97
Dream Theater - "Awake" (1994)
Dream Theater's third full-length "Awake" was a MASSIVE record for me back in the late 1990's, perhaps even contributing to them becoming my favourite metal band for a short period after I'd started my hiatus from the extreme metal scene. Listening back now with more critical ears though, it's not really the undeniable classic I led myself to believe it was at the time. In fact, I'd suggest that it's actually a step down from Dream Theater's previous material which was all solid gold & I'm gonna go out on a limb & say that the reason I've overrated it over the years is the fact that it's potentially the best guitar album of all time. Yeah, you heard me. John Petrucci is my favourite guitarist ever & this is his possibly his finest work as it consistently sees me picking my jaw up off the ground but that doesn't mean that "Awake" is without its faults. The band's record label had been pushing them to make a more commercially accessible & more metallic record & you can see both of those elements here. Petrucci uses a seven-string guitar for the first time so there are some great heavy metal riffs here with Mike Portnoy's ridiculously complex drumming providing the perfect accompaniment. But then there are a couple of clear filler tracks that sound like obvious attempts at radio play too (see "The Silent Man" & "Lifting Shadows Off A Dream"). I think I've been guilty of letting the highlights cloud my judgement of the overall product over the years as songs like "Erotomania", "The Mirror", "Lie" & album highlight "Voices" are without doubt some of Dream Theater's best work but I just don't think there's enough in that space to justify one of my elite scores these days so "Awake" sits more comfortably alongside a record like "Train of Thought" than it does an "Images & Words", "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory" or "When Dream & Day Unite" in my opinion.
For fans of Symphony X, Rush & Liquid Tension Experiment.
4/5
Klaus Schulze - "Timewind" (1975)
Schulze's fifth full-length has been a long-time favourite of mine & I think it was his best work to the time. It sees him fully defining the Berlin School sound with the lengthy 30-minute opener "Bayreuth Return" being a very solid example of that movement. It's the 29-minute B-side "Wahnfried 1883" that really nails me though as it epitomizes the space ambient subgenre in all its glory, effortlessly transporting me to the outer reaches of the universe. It's truly amazing that Klaus was able to produce stuff like this in his bedroom in a single take.
For fans of Tangerine Dream, Steve Roach & Bernd Kistenmacher.
4.5/5
Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger (1994)
Just because, why not? This epitomises black metal for me, so why listen to less? It's sunny out and I feel a whole lot less than sunny, so Transilvanian Hunger it is then.
3 Inches of Blood was always a band I held off on checking out for a while thinking they weren't anything special. For some reason, when I checked it out recently, it kind of gave me a melodic death metal vibe or at least it sounded to me like metal of its time on top of all the classic metal influences it had. It probably gave me that impression because melodic death metal in general takes a lot from traditional stuff and this is a pretty modern metal record. I don't know where I'm going with this lol. Those dual vocals are pretty cool. The harsh vocals kind of make it accessible in an early 2000s extreme metal fan kind of way like I can imagine someone from that time who's into At the Gates or something and would be interested in this record. My favorite track so far is Premonition of Pain and that one I feel has a bit of that modern metal thing going on that I can't quite describe. Would you agree?
Mizmor & Hell - 'Alluvion' (2025)
As with anything involving two of the biggest names in doom metal, Alluvion was destined to succeed from the off. With main Hell man, Matthew Scott Williams deciding to collaborate with Mizmor supremo (and live drummer for Hell), Liam Neighbors on a full-length album, 2025 just got a lot more interesting. Both are established artists in their own right of course and so anything they collude on is bound to be monstrous, right? Well, the simple answer is yes, yes, it is. Alluvion is an absolute triumph of a release. It achieves that rarified atmosphere of being vast and expansive without ever becoming boring or taxing to listen to. Indeed, the only struggle I have when listening to it is to not immediately play it again on loop.
The atmosphere on Alluvion is nothing short of humongous. It is repressive in that it takes all your attention to truly admire its oppressive density. The whole experience is devoid of leniency in that it simply does not let up once for nearly forty-minutes. The boldness of artists who can produce such domineering sounds and not think to give any respite at all is a joy to behold in a world of mass produced, easily accessible and safe music. This album is just the soundtrack to your worst, unending nightmares by comparison. It relies on no pillars of technicality or musical fanfare. Repetition and (largely) slow grinding riffs are the order of the day here. Inflections of atmospheric chaos litter the record (those shrieking voices at the end of ‘Vision II’) along with black metal fury (‘Pandemonium’s Throat’) flooding in to really spice things up.
These bursts of variety give an impression of a morose record, its ill-tempered nature seemingly impatient with itself even at times. Yet perversely, in the main, it continues to pick agonisingly slowly at a festering scab that barely conceals an infected, gaping wound. Building is the wrong word to describe how tracks come together; they lumber into existence. Drenched in reverb and with a somehow beastly psychedelic edge to some of the guitar riffs, Alluvion continues to develop its hideous soundscape without respite. My only criticism is the drums seem too far away in the mix, they sound like they are treading water at times, notwithstanding they have a wall of noise to compete with most of the time. When they do bob their head above the crashing waves of misery there is a deftness in their delivery that probably could have been allowed to shine a little more in the mix.
It is still a minor quibble in an otherwise sensational auditory experience. As an aside, I am unsure if the it was the intention but it looks to me as if the album cover is trying to recreate the painting ‘Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion’ by John Martin.
4.5/5
Deftones - "Saturday Night Wrist" (2006)
After really enjoying 2010's excellent "Diamond Eyes" record last week, I thought I'd investigate Deftones' previous album from four years earlier which I don't recall ever hearing before. It was the band's first album without long-time producer Terry Date & would also represent their last with bassist Chi Cheng who was unfortunately involved in a serious car accident that would eventually prove to be fatal a couple of years later. "Saturday Night Wrist" was well worth the commitment too as their fifth full-length is yet another high-quality alternative metal release that sees the Sacramento five-piece taking a more ambitious route than "Diamond Eyes" which was generally a pretty standard effort. There's more variety here with a number of creative risks being taken & it amounts to a less accessible & immediate record which isn't a bad thing as I think I slightly prefer it over "Diamond Eyes" for exactly those reasons. I'd probably take it over Deftones' earlier efforts like "Adrenaline" & "Around the Fur" too actually as it's another highly consistent record that I'd suggest should be essential listening for our The Gateway clan members.
For fans of Hum, Faith No More & Chevelle.
4/5
Dead Can Dance - "Dead Can Dance" (1984)
The debut album from this wonderful Aussie artist is an underrated classic in my opinion. The self-titled album sees them alternating between gothic rock & darkwave with hints of their future ethereal wave sound popping up on occasion too. The highlights are devastating & generally occur when legendary female vocalist Lisa Gerrard makes an appearance but I also love the soothing, atmospheric sounds of Brendan Perry. The darkwave material appeals to me a little more from a stylistic point of view but there's something about DCD's gothic rock sound that draws me in too. It's as dark as they come but the post-punk basslines drive the song-writing into a cool place that sees me swaying along in a dreamy, brooding headspace. I can't recommend this one enough as it will always have a strong place in my heart & will forever remind me of late nights in Sydney goth clubs back in the mid-1990's.
For fans of Lisa Gerrard, Clan of Xymox & Cocteau Twins.
4.5/5
Dawn - "Nær sólen gar niþer for evogher" (1994)
Unlike many fans, I slightly prefer the debut album from these Swedes over their more widely celebrated 1998 third full-length "Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy)". It's an extremely consistent record that's highlighted by some powerfully executed drumming from Karsten Larsson (Falconer/King of Asgard). Henke Forss' (Niden Div. 187) blackened shrieks are rip-roaring too which sees him nicely complimenting the sophisticated & melodic guitar riffs which showcase an early Emperor influence at times. There are no weak numbers included which makes it hard to ignore Dawn's claims in the melodic black metal space. I think most The North members will get something out of this one.
For fans of Sacramentum, Vinterland & Dissection.
4/5
Here's my updated Top Ten Melodic Black Metal Releases of All Time list:
01. Dissection – “Storm Of The Light’s Bane” (1995)
02. Rotting Christ – “Non Seriam” (1994)
03. Mare Cognitum – “Solar Paroxysm” (2021)
04. Les Chat de Nihil – “Le tyran et l’esthete” (2021)
05. Dawn - "Nær sólen gar niþer for evogher" (1994)
06. Dawn – “Slaughtersun (Crown Of The Triarchy)” (1998)
07. Iskald – “The Sun I Carried Alone” (2011)
08. Naglfar – “Teras” (2012)
09. Abigail Williams - "In The Absence Of Light" (2010)
10. Dissection - "The Somberlain" (1993)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/164
Fishmans - "Uchu Nippon Setagaya" (1997)
The seventh full-length from this Tokyo outfit & a bloody good listen it is too. It's often referred to as dream pop, ambient pop & neo-psychedelia but the reality is that the downtempo tag is all that's required here with the relaxed, soothing atmospheres presented having a noticeably calming effect on even the most battle-hardened extreme metalhead. Perhaps I'm a little more open to this sort of stuff than most but the lushness of some of these soundscapes can't be achieved without a deep understanding of the craft. "Uchu Nippon Setagaya" is classy release that's deserving of the hype around it.
For fans of Slowdive, Spiritualized & Stereolab.
4/5
Elliott Smith - "Either/Or" (1997)
I don't mind this American indie folk singer/songwriter although I do have to admit that I can't see why he's quite as revered as he is. I don't think he has enough depth to his music for that but I can still appreciate the appeal of these short-&-sweet folk songs.
For fans of Bright Eyes, Daniel Johnston & Sufjan Stevens.
3.5/5
Paramæcium - "Exhumed of the Earth" (1993)
The debut full-length from a relatively underrated Melbourne doom/death trio who built up quite a reputation in the local scene at the time. Ben & I picked up on Paramæcium very early on & "Exhumed of the Earth" received a lot of play time around our family home during the mid-1990's. Listening back with more mature ears now, it's very easy to see that My Dying Bride were the primary influence here as there are quite a few moments that I'd border upon plagiarism, especially when they bring out the violin. This is high quality stuff though nonetheless with the riffs all showing a clear understanding of the elements that make for great death doom metal. The dual vocal attack is a little flat though due to the cookie monster delivery being fairly generic & reminding me of fellow Aussie doom/death icons Cruciform's debut album "Atavism" from the same year. There are a couple of tracks included where the pace is picked up a bit but these offerings are clearly less effective than the deeper & more atmospheric inclusions as Jayson Sherlock (Horde/Light Force/Mortification) employs simple punky one-two beats that sound pretty dumb in this context. Still... I can't help but to buy into the product that Paramæcium are selling here as the rest of the album is simply so well executed. The Christian themes shouldn't be much of an obstacle as they're not all that easy to pick up if you're not made aware of it through the media first.
For fans of My Dying Bride, Cruciform & Schaliach.
4/5
Bezerker - "Lost" (1990)
The very impressive debut album from an Adelaide thrash metal band who would never fully realised their potential. It's a sophisticated, classy & well produced record that relishes the opportunity to up the ante on the technicality on occasion while never hinting at a ballad. Front man Patrick Cummins opts for a higher register vocal delivery that sit somewhere between Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden/Samson) & Joey Belladonna (Anthrax) & he is probably the limiting factor here given that his performance is a little inconsistent. The guitars are rip-roaring throughout though &, while I thoroughly enjoyed my revisit of Bezerker's 1988 "Laugh at the Light" demo a month or so back, "Lost" is even better & should appeal to most of our The Pit clan members.
For fans of Flotsam & Jetsam, Rampage & "Spreading the Disease"-era Anthrax.
4/5