Daniel's Forum Threads

Slipknot - Iowa (2001)

I am not going to claim to be any great authority on nu-metal, but there was a spell there in the early 2000s when I got caught up with it a bit, mainly through friends, and I do possess a handful of nu-metal CDs, this probably being the best of them. The thing about Slipknot was that they seemed far more aggressively angry than most of the other nu-metal acts. Korn and Linkin Park just felt a bit whiny to me, whereas Slipknot seemed to be determined to make someone pay for their grievances. This probably comes down to the fact that there is a greater leaning towards death metal in the Slipknot gene sequence than in that of their contemporaries, giving them a more violent and heavier aesthetic. I'm not espousing Slipknot as one of the top-drawer metal acts ever, but they did have a big impact on early-2000s metal and listening to Iowa again as I write this, I gotta say I am actually having a real blast with it. That said, the two parts of Vermillion from The Subliminal Verses are far and away my favourites from the whole nu-metal scene, but that album, as a whole, is more patchy than Iowa.

3.5/5

Popol Vuh - "Letzte Tage - Letzte Nächte" (1976)

This seminal German outfit's eighth full-length sees them pushing both their krautrock & neoclassical new age sounds across the short thirty minute run time, although the rock side of the equation wins out pretty comfortably on this occasion. It's incredible how much some of the new age material sounds like Dead Can Dance at times, particularly Djong Yun's vocals which must surely be the inspiration for Lisa Gerrard's signature sound. Despite that though, I don't think "Letzte Tage - Letzte Nächte" is quite at the level I was expecting from such a highly acclaimed release & I think it's a bit of a step down from Popol Vuh's first three albums which I've been across for many years now. The thin production job certainly doesn't help but there are no weak tracks included & the record certainly doesn't overstay its welcome.

For fans of Tangerine Dream, Cluster & Ash Ra Temple.

3.5/5

I only did my Top 10 a few days ago, but after repeated listens of wolvserpent's 2013 album, I think this may be even better than the one I included on my list. 

Wolvserpent - Perigaea Antahkarana (2013)

Way back in 2007 or so (damn, that’s nearly 20 years ago), I was lurking on a doom metal forum associated with Southern Lord mainly for discussions and announcements for new albums. There were a number of musicians on the site who discussed their new projects. One such person was Blake Green who announced his first release as a duo with Brittany McConnel under the name of Pussygutt – a doom-laden drone metal band. In 2010, the multi-instrumentalist duo changed their name to Wolvserpent, Perigaea Antahkarana is their second full-length album.

Bookended with nature recordings of wind, a fire crackling and cawing crows, this is no one-paced drone metal release. Yes, we have big repetitive droning guitar riffs, pounding drums and droning violin and synth layers. But we also have: massive doom/stoner riffs, post-rock style ethereal violin build ups akin to Godspeed You! Black Emperor leading into an atmospheric back metal sound; guttural funeral doom style vocals from Blake and ethereal dark folk style chanting from Brittany. Layers of sound that provide a truly immersive experience. I’m no musician, but I would imagine pulling together diverse influences into a truly cohesive work is no easy task, but the duo do this seamlessly.

I see lots of reviews describing the sound as dark and its association with winter, but to me this is both lush and bleak, light and dark, and this was the perfect album for this glorious summers day.

A drone metal album? I guess, but this contains a whole lot more. Wonderful

4.5/5

That made it to the bottom half of my top 100 when I first heard it.  Might still be there.

Deafheaven - "Lonely People with Power" (2025)

The new Deafheaven album is once again a very solid piece of work from a high-class metal outfit. I can't say that I can see why people are going so nuts for it though as I'd suggest it's still arguably the least impressive Deafheaven full-length to date (although I admittedly haven't heard 2021's divisive "Infinite Granite" record as yet). The brilliantly powerful & high-precision drumming is the clear highlight here while those screaming black metal vocals & shimmering production job are pretty fucking awesome too. I just can't quite get onboard with claiming some of the more commercially structured material as extreme metal classics like others seem to be able to but a track like the rip-roaring "Revelator" certainly show the potential to go there. There's no doubt at all that Deafheaven are the best blackgaze band in the world in my opinion & this record sees them returning to their signature post-blackgaze sound & flexing their creative muscles. I doubt any fans will be disappointed but it's not an album of the year candidate for me personally.

For fans of Ghost Bath, Oathbreaker & Alcest.

4/5

Here's my updated Top Ten Blackgaze Releases of All Time list:

01. Deafheaven - "Sunbather" (2013)

02. Deafheaven - "10 Years Gone" (2020)

03. Woods of Desolation - "Torn Beyond Reason" (2011)

04. Deafheaven - "Roads to Judah" (2011)

05. Deafheaven - "New Bermuda" (2015)

06. Alcest - "Kodama" (2016)

07. Deafheaven - "Ordinary Corrupt Human Love" (2018)

08. Deafheaven - "Lonely People with Power" (2025)

09. Lantlôs - ".neon" (2010)

10. Alcest - "Écailles de lune" (2010)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/204

Dark Angel - Darkness Descends (1986)

While Slayer decided that the speed and aggressive of Reign in Blood, other bands decided that this was too soft for them. Dark Angel is one of the bands most known for doing this.
I kind of disagree with this common view of the album. I'm sure on a BPM and note for note level, Darkness Descends is far more aggressive. But Reign in Blood has more factors contributing to it than pure aggression. Darkness Descends has a lot more warmer and less slick elements to it, having more amateurish production. In line more with NWOBHM albums and subsequent early thrash albums not feeling the need to come into a room and scream that they're thrash metal albums. And compared to some later albums in general, this can come off as downright quaint at times.
Which isn't a bad thing, one's creative nature dies when one tries to limit oneself to what "should" be in a genre. Something that bands after Dark Angel would surely fall into, because arguably these guys don't expand on the formula all that much. Which is fine, ceaseless brutality is often boring and renders itself lifeless. In this regard, Darkness Descends comes as a missing link between early thrash and what British thrash would end up sounding like, a balance of the extremes.
But this album does feel a bit style over substance, even for the early years of thrash. Riffs are often of little importance to aggression, which considering the aforementioned, leaves it feeling unmemorable. Despite listening to it a number of times I can barely recall anything beyond a fuzzy feeling once the album is over.
It's a pretty good album, but ultimately you can see the faults that would eventually result in the genre's death for a while.

4/5

Is "Darkness Descends" really faster or more aggressive than "Reign in Blood"? I don't think so personally (in fact, I'd suggest that very few releases are). It makes a good fist of trying to match it though. Your comment about "Darkness Descends" placing aggression over riffs is also interesting because I've always thought of it (& Dark Angel in general) as a total riff-fest... but then I guess I've grown up with them which probably helps.

I don't think so, but that's the impression I've picked up that people have of the album. It is more aggressive than most releases around that time, but even if you changed the production to one similar to Reign's, the latter would still be more aggressive. It does feel like they're placing energy and aggression at the forefront of the album to me, but perhaps that's just because I just listened to it a few times before reviewing it for the clan challenge.

Soft Machine - "Third" (1970)

After quite liking 1968's "The Soft Machine" debut album from this Canterbury scene icon recently, I thought I'd better check out their most highly regarded release in 1970's "Third". It sees them fully embracing their jazz side in a double album format that includes four lengthy full-side pieces, each breaching the eighteen-minute mark. Of the four tracks, I'd suggest that only one (the disappointing "Moon in June") is actually prog rock based with the other three all sitting far more comfortably under a jazz fusion tag. The musicianship is astounding, as is the scope of the compositional work for the time, although there has been a lot of splicing between different performances which makes the producer seem like another band member with a release like this one. Surprisingly, I think I prefer the psychedelic rock sound of the debut over "Third" but there's not a lot between them & I've experienced a similar level of enjoyment with their third full-length.

For fans of Gong, Caravan & Henry Cow.

3.5/5

Suffocation - "Hymns From The Apocrypha" (2023)

I've had a good couple of years to get used to it now so I thought it was about time that I shared my thoughts on the latest release from my all-time favourite metal band. "Hymns From The Apocrypha" is the first Suffocation album not to include iconic front man Frank Mullen as the main vocalist with long-time live death grunter & Disgorge drummer Ricky Myers having finally taken over the studio duties. He does a very good job too although I think most would agree that Mullen is the slightly superior protagonist, at least for this band. Mullen does make an appearance though, guesting on the reenactment of "Breeding the Spawn" closer "Ignorant Deprivation" & interesting that it's his performance that sees that song being easily the least impressive inclusion on the album. Frank seems to have lost his depth & power so perhaps that's got something to do with his absence. The other eight tracks are all of a very high quality & are buoyed by one of the cleanest & more precise production jobs ever for a brutal death metal release. The New Yorkers don't attempt to reinvent the wheel but they easily prove that they're in a class all of their own in respect to the more brutal end of extreme metal with drummer Eric Morotti contributing a superb combination of technicality & brutality & becoming the clear album highlight. The guitar solos are noticeably less psychotic than we've come to expect & I have to say that this disappointed me a little but the same can't be said for the riffs which are suitably adrenaline-fueled with tracks like "Perpetual Deception", "Seraphim Enslavement" & "Descendants" sitting comfortably alongside Suffocation's best work. I don't think the song-writing is consistently enough at that level to justify the claims that this is Suffocation's best full-length since 1995's classic "Pierced From Within" as I regard 2006's self-titled & 2013's "Pinnacle of Bedlam" as legitimate death metal classics but I'd take "Hymns From The Apocrypha" over records like "Souls to Deny", "Blood Oath", "...Of the Dark Light" or even "Breeding the Spawn" these days. Few would expect a record of this quality from an extreme metal band of this ilk at this point in their career.

For fans of Dying Fetus, Cryptopsy & Nile.

4/5

A 6-minute closing epic revisiting music and lyrics revisiting many of the earlier tracks in the album:

Interestingly, one of my favorite tracks in Poppy's I Disagree is a t.A.T.u. cover appearing as a midway bonus track in some releases, fitting in the "metalizing covers" category and The Sphere by adding in dark alt-/industrial metal drama while staying true to the original:

Despite all the drama surrounding Devin Duarte and his subsequent departure from Worm Shepherd, his swansong is one of the most glorious tracks I've heard in symphonic blackened deathcore:

Lustmørd - "Lustmørd" (1981)

The first album from the Welsh dark ambient legend is more of a combination of his industrial roots with his earliest dark ambient ideas. It's generally not well regarded & you can see why because the tracklisting is extremely inconsistent although there are a couple of real gems here, especially the wonderful early dark ambient classic "Slabstone" which I've always loved. I wouldn't suggest that this is a release to hunt down though as Brian has done so much better over the years.

For fans of Nurse With Wound, Big City Orchestra & Psychic TV.

3/5

Poppy - "I Disagree" (2020)

My only prior experience with Boston electropop artist Poppy was through her 2021 "EAT" E.P. which I didn't mind so I thought I'd see what her other metal material was like. I feel similarly about "I Disagree" (her fifth full-length apparently) although I'd probably take the E.P. over this one if pushed. It starts off very poorly with the first two tracks doing very little for me but things start to get interesting after that & I ended up finding appeal in around 70% of the tracklisting after a few listens. "I Disagree" sees Poppy combining her electropop sound with alternative metal in what is a stunningly well producing album. You can easily pick up her heavier influences with names like Devin Townsend, Marilyn Manson & Dream Theater all popping up at times but I honestly think her gorgeous vocal tone is the best part of this record & often more on the poppier parts more than the metal ones. Look... I was obviously not the target market for this sort of record but I still think it was worth a few listens, despite not being worthy of all the attention it received a few years ago.

For fans of Bring Me the Horizon, Motionless in White & Spiritbox.

3.5/5

Ultramagnetic MC's - "Critical Beatdown" (1988)

The debut album from Ultramagentic MC's is a fairly enjoyable affair that perhaps suffers a little from being released in the same year as classic records from Public Enemy & Eric B. & Rakim as it's difficult not to draw comparisons with "Critical Beatdown" sitting on a slightly lower rung. The main reason for that is that the tracklisting doesn't really get going until track seven with all of the best material coming towards the back end of the album. Kool Keith is clearly the better of the MC's with producer Ced Gee being noticeably (& perhaps unsurprisingly) less cool. This is not a bad listen overall however, unlike the two classics I mentioned earlier, I can't see myself feeling like returning to it all that regularly. I'm much more likely to include the best material (like the brilliant "When I Burn") in my custom Spotify playlists.

For fans of Kool Keith, Boogie Down Productions & EPMD.

3.5/5

Submission accepted! Thanks, Sonny.

A true highlight that greatly pushes the music and vocals forward, with both vocalists having their time to shine:

Hvile I Kaos - Lower Order Manifestations (2025)

The cello is my favourite classical instrument.  Capable of creating such slow, haunitng and melancholic sounds as well urgent and oppressive timbres as well, I find a versatile and always pleasing instrument.  Hvile I Kaos deploy the cello alongside guitar, frame drum and bass to create 'dark chamber music'. This has been on a few nights as I have laid in bed with the lights out ready to get into a peaceful slumber.  Full of mystique and dark terrors, the descripton from the Bandcamp page sums it up perfectly:

"This collection of recorded workings is a series of invocations to eight Lower Order Spirits, as steps leading to the sacrificial altar of Moloch, the King of Fire. This is done in accordance with the practice of Sinister Magick known as Vedantic Nihilism, as outlined in the grimoire "Codex Aversum" by Caine Del Sol.

The forces presented by these workings are those of collapse, madness, death, and decay. They have served and will continue to serve those ends to devastating effect, in real life, in real time.

You have been warned."

4/5

Ben, could you please add One Machine?

The lack of strength makes this sh*t perhaps their weakest track since The Here and Now:

Thergothon - "Stream From The Heavens" (1994)

Unlike most fans of funeral doom metal, I was lucky enough to have encountered the birth of the subgenre in real time, having developed a strong fascination with the slowest extreme metal moments through bands like Winter & diSEMBOWELMENT during the early 1990's & then picking up Thergothon's early works in my quest for ever more downtrodden & disparaging forms of doom metal. It's fair to say that "Stream From The Heavens" had a noticeable effect on me when I picked it up through my tape trading network around the time of release too & it worked to further enhance my already insatiable hunger for this type of music. In fact, I can vividsly recall feeling some level of justification upon first encountering Thergothin because I'd been telling myself that slowing things down to the lowest tempos imaginable would work & I'd now found that it did. That's not to say that I've ever felt that Thergothon's sole full-length was a classic release though because it's not. There are simply too many flaws with it to warrant those sort of claims & the subgenre has gone on to much greater heights since, even later in 1994 when Mournful Congregation would release their "Weeping" demo which was heavily inspired by the early Finnish works & would take things up a good couple of notches from what you'll find here. The production job isn't great & it would have been nice if the Fins could have kept the higher register guitar parts in tune with each other. The clean vocals can be a bit flat & dreary too while those croaky death growls aren't always brilliant & the keyboards & acoustic guitars can sound a bit naff at times. You can't deny the unique atmosphere Thergothon manage to build though & those crushingly heavy doom riffs still reverberate through my headphones with great power & majesty. There's no doubt that you have to hear this one if you have even a passing interest in funeral doom metal.

For fans of Skepticism, Mournful Congregation & Evoken.

4/5

Why does the "again and again and again" part of this Architects song sounds so much like part of the chorus of this Chainsmokers song?! Surely that has to be a coincidence, right? RIGHT???

Ulver - "Kveldssanger" (1996)

The second album from Norwegian atmospheric/pagan black metallers Ulver saw them taking the metal world by surprise by releasing a record that was entirely made up of traditional Norwegian folk music. It was certainly enjoyable enough stuff but it wasn't necessarily what the band's existing fanbase were looking for. Despite quite enjoying them, I have to admit that I've never been as big a fan of Ulver's metal albums as most metalheads seem to be so I wasn't all that fussed & managed to enjoy "Kveldssanger" for what it is. It would go on to become the driver for the entire dark folk movement really with artists like Tenhi, Empyrium & Vàli using this release as the catlyst for their own music. Ulver's next record "Nattens madrigal: Aatte hymne til ulven i manden" is my Ulver record of choice these days (at least of those that I've heard) & "Kveldssanger" is probably the weaker of their first three but it's still definitely worth a listen for the open-minded extreme metallers out there.

For fans of Vàli, Wardruna & Sylvaine.

3.5/5

Oval - "94 Diskont" (1995)

These Germans were pretty much responsible for putting the niche electronic subgenre of glitch on the global music map with this, their third full-length album. I have to admit that, despite enjoying other glitch releases over the years, I've struggled with "94 Diskont" this week & it's been more about the format of this music than the quality that the record contains. You see, all five tracks included are well produced but they sound very much like the subgenre title in that they could well be a computer glitch that's been allowed to play out for an extended period & I simply can't find enough conventional melodic or structural reference points to find actual enjoyment in it.

For fans of Fennesz, Tim Hecker & Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto.

3/5

This sh*t sounds too much like a clean My Chemical Romance ballad. Why the f*** choose this as a closing title track?

Still maintaing my list of releases for The North this year.  Top Ten looks like:

1. Gràb - Kremess

2. Grima - Nightside

3. The Great Old Ones - Kadath

4. Warmoon Lord - Sacrosanct Demonopathy

5. Void of Hope - Proof of Existence

6. Cryptosis - Celestial Death (increasingly an outlier)

7. Drudkh - Shadowplay

8. Serpentes - Desert Psalms

9. Blood Abscission - I I

10. Svartsyn - Vortex of the Destroyer

Full Top 20 here https://metal.academy/lists/single/310

The best track of this Cynic album in my opinion, and perhaps one of the best of progressive metal:

Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I (2012)

Just been giving this beauty another spin and it still holds up very well to my original assessment:

There are huge swathes of progressive metal that just leave me cold. The Dream Theaters of this world trying to impress everyone with excessive flashiness, bloated songwriting or technical frigidity inspire nothing in me other than a shrug of indifference. This is why I admired Opeth so much - they were technically superb but never forgot that the song was king and everything they did worked to that end. On the evidence of Portal of I, Ne Obliviscaris seem to be a band with the same philosophy and with this album have ticked many of the boxes that appeal to me. I'm especially on board with the marriage between prog and black metal, in a similar way that Oranssi Pazuzu's fusion between black metal and psychedelic rock is so successful, Ne Obliviscaris seem to understand exactly how to alloy black metal with progressive metal in way that makes the whole more than the separate elements (something Opeth also achieved with death metal). While the entire album is exceedingly good Forget Not, for me, is a song on a whole different level and is well up my list of greatest tracks of all-time.

4.5/5

Dusk (USA) - "Dusk" E.P. (1994)

The debut release from this Wisconsin outfit is a little overrated in my opinion. I'd describe Dusk's sound as being atmospheric doom/death metal that includes the intelligent use of keyboards which add to the effect nicely. There are some very strong sections here but they're generally offset by some forgettable ones while the vocal delivery reminds me heavily of Aaron Stainthorpe's early death growls. There aren't any genuinely weak tracks amongst the six included in this 27-minute release which is generally pretty enjoyable but I can't say that I regard it as essential listening. Perhaps if the production was stronger it may have allowed "Dusk" to reach the next level that seems so close but ends up being just out of reach.

For fans of Morgion, Ceremonium & early My Dying Bride.

3.5/5

Fripp & Eno - "Evening Star" (1975)

The second collaboration album from King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp & ambient music godfather Brian Eno is arguably their finest, just managing to top 1973's excellent "(No Pussyfooting)" debut off the back of the wonderful ambient post-rock title track which is likely the best thing the duo ever recorded. There's a little more variety to be found this time with ambient & drone once again holding equal footing. The short tape music piece "Evensong" is a bit of a fail but the rest of the record is a very rewarding & highly creative listen.

For fans of Cluster, Jon Hassell & Harold Budd.

4/5

Acid Bath - When the Kite String Pops (1994)

Acid Bath have a massive reputation in the development of sludge metal, despite having released only two albums in their relatively short lifespan. This is due to their willingness to incorporate a breadth of genres within their sound, whilst not compromising on the abrasiveness that is an essential element of the NOLA variant of sludge. Stoner metal, Nirvana-like grunginess, alternative metal, death metal and psych-doom all infiltrate the tracklisting, giving the album's 70 minute runtime a nice sense of variation. It is still the uneasy feeling that all is not right that permeates "When the Kite String Pops", though, like a travelogue through the seedy underbelly of a drug-ravaged city area populated by all manner of human wretchedness, with a psychotic paranoid as your guide. 

I must confess that, in common with quite a few sludge acts, I initially found Acid bath a tough listen, but over the years I have found myself enjoying them more and more and I now hold "When the Kite String Pops" in very high regard indeed and would now hold it up as one of the more impressively ambitious examples of the genre.

4.5/5

Here are my sneak peek submissions for the July Sphere playlist:

The Amenta - "Vermin" (4:03) from n0n (2008)

Deathstars - "No Light" (3:24) from Synthetic Generation (2002)

Gothminister - "Darkside" (3:56) from Happiness in Darkness (2008)

Mechina - "Unearthing the Daedalian Ancient" (7:11) from As Embers Turn to Dust (2017)

Neurotech - "Uplift" (6:06) from Evasive (2015)

Pain - "I Am" (3:58) from I Am (2024)

Total length: 28:38

Here are my sneak peek submissions for the July Revolution playlist:

The Amity Affliction - "All That I Remember" (3:50) from All That I Remember (2025)

The Autumn Offering - "Your Time Is Mine" (3:15) from Fear Will Cast No Shadow (2007)

Botch - "Closure" (3:10) from The Unifying Themes of Sex, Death and Religion (1997) (based on Unifying Themes Redux reissue, 2002)

Bury Tomorrow - "What If I Burn" (3:52) from Will You Haunt Me, with That Same Patience (2025)

Drown in Sulphur - "Absentia" (4:04) from Vengeance (2025)

Polaris - "Fault Line" (5:05) from Fatalism (2023)

Wolves at the Gate - "Unrest" (4:53) from Wasteland (2025)

Total length: 28:09

Here are my submissions for the July Infinite playlist, having just two long epics in mind:

Opeth - "The Baying of the Hounds" (10:41) from Ghost Reveries (2005)

The Third and the Mortal - "Oceana" (18:46) from Tears Laid in Earth (1994)

Total length: 29:27

Here are my submissions for the July Gateway playlist:

Apocalyptica - "Rage of Poseidon" (8:49) from 7th Symphony (2010)

Chaoseum - "Unreal" (5:09) from The Third Eye (2022)

Demon Hunter - "I'm Done" (4:48) from I'm Done (2025)

Five Finger Death Punch - "Wrong Side of Heaven" (4:31) from The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1 (2013)

Limp Bizkit - "Re-Arranged" (5:56) from Significant Other (1999)

Total length: 29:13

Check out for consultation my (AMM) All Metal Music! On Quora: A playlist designed to serve as a database of accessible audio of all metal genres. Very authentic and uncompromising! 

https://allmetalmusic.quora.com/

Here's my submission for the July North playlist, Sonny:

Shylmagoghnar - "A New Dawn" (from Emergence, 2014)

Warbringer was originally named Onslaught but had to change the name because of this British thrash band that I now enjoy. Punky thrash with a melodic/progressive edge:

My brother likes a few songs from this British experimental alt-metalcore band. He has shared with me this track that's quite a wicked banger. The vocal power of Jess Allanic makes the song sound not too far off from Ankor and Poppy:

June 2025

1. Warbringer – “The Sword and the Cross” (from “Wrath and Ruin”, 2025) [Submitted by Shadowdoom]

2. Anthrax – “Now It’s Dark” (from “State pf Euphoria, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny]

3. Metallica – “No Remorse” (from “Kill ‘Em All”, 1983) [Submitted by Sonny]

4. Skeletonwitch – “Sacrifice for the Slaughtergod” (from “Beyond the Permafrost”, 2007) [Submitted by Saxy)

5. Sacred Reich – “Crimes Against Humanity” (from “The American Way”, 1990) [Submitted by Sonny]

6. Confess, George Kollias – “Slaughterhouse” (from “Destination Addiction”, 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

7. Machine Head – “Atomic Revelations” (from “Atonement”, 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

8. Grave Digger – “The Rich the Poor the Dying” (from “Bone Collector”, 2025)

9. Artillery – “Death Is an Illusion” (from “My Blood”, 2010 [Submitted by Sonny]

10. Parkcrest – “Dwelling of the Moonlights”, 2019) [Submitted by Sonny]

11. Vektor – “Tetrastructural Minds” (from “Outer Isolation”, 2011) [Submitted by Sonny]

12. Venus – “Sons of Grus” (from “Obscured Until Observed”, 2023)

13. Smiqra – “I Am the Broken Generation” (from “Rɡyaɡ̇dźé!”, 2025)

14. Antichrist – “Death Rays” (from “Forbidden World”, 211) [Submitted by Sonny]

15. Whipstriker – “Heartrippers” (from “Cry of Extinction”,2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

16. Black Mass – “A.S.H.E.S.” (from “Feast at the Forbidden Tree”, 201)

17. Satan’s Wrath – “At the Strike of Twelve” (from “Die Evil”, 2015)

18. All Hell – “Suffer for Me” (from “All Hail the Night”, 2023)

19. Frightful – “Into the Phantom Hearts” (from “What Lies Ahead”, 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

20. Oxygen Destroyer – “Awaking the Malevolent Destroyer of Heavens and Earth”, 2024)

21. Extorted – “Deception” (from “Cognitive Dissonance”, 2024)

22. Combust, Terror – “Paid with Pain” (from “Belly of the Beast”, 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

23. Doomsday – “Holy Justice” (from “Never Known Peace”, 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

24. Stress Test – “Suffer” (from “Stress Test”, 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

25. New World Man – “Murderworld Pt. 2 (Murder Is What's on My Mind)” (from “Peeling Through the Skin”, 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

26. Crimson Storm – “Outrageous” (from “Livin' on the Bad Side”, 2025)

27. Refore – “Illusion of Existence” (from “Illusion of Existence”, 2024)

28. Korrosive – “In the Name of Destruction” (from “Katastrophic Creation”,2024)

June 2025

1. Fear of Domination - "Fear of Domination" from Call of Schizophrenia (2009)

2. White Zombie - "Super Charger Heaven" from Astro-Creep: 2000 - Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995)

3. Skrew - "Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame" from Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (1992)

4. Pitchshifter - "Gravid Rage" from Industrial (1991)

5. A Dark Halo - "Vector Unknown" from Omnibus One (2023)

6. Illidiance - "Defying Gravity" from The Iconoclast (2019) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

7. KONG - "P.R.O.K.O.V." from Mute Poet Vocalizer (1990)

8. Sonic Violence - "Symptom" from Jagd (1990)

9. Meathook Seed - "A Furred Grave" from Embedded (1993)

10. Ministry - "Jesus Built My Hotrod" from Psalm 69 (1992)

11. Psyclon Nine - "I Choose Violence" from And Then Oblivion (2025) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

12. Rammstein - "Ich Tu Dir Weh" from Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da (2009)

13. Circle of Dust - "Dust to Dust" from Dust to Dust (2017) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

14. Celldweller - "Blackstar" from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

15. Sybreed - "Doomsday Party" from The Pulse of Awakening (2009) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

16. Subway to Sally - "Post Mortem" from Post Mortem (2024)

17. Filter - "For the Beaten" from For the Beaten (2023)

18. Stahlhammer - "Can't Touch This" from Wiener Blut (1997)

19. Tyrant of Death - "Fluorescent" from Singles & Extras (2018)

20. Mick Gordon - "Rip & Tear" from Doom (Original Game Soundtrack) (2016)

21. Conflict - "Mechanism of Life" from Transform into a Human (2014)

22. Death SS - "Panic" from Panic (2000)

23. Fange - "Grand-Guignol" from Purulences (2025)

24. Khost - "Transfixed" from Many Things Afflict Us Few Things Console Us (2024)

25. Mechina - "Anagenesis" from Progenitor (2016) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

26. Death Therapy, Brook Reeves - "Reject" from Reject (2020)

27. Lord of the Lost - "Ordinary World" from Weapons of Mass Seduction (2023)

June 2025

1. ERRA - "Cure" from CURE (2024)

2. Architects - "Elegy" from The Sky, the Earth & All Between (2025) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

3. Like Moths to Flames - "Real Talk" from Sweet Talker (2010)

4. Undying - "Echoes" from The Whispered Lies of Angels (2000)

5. God Forbid - "Nothing" from Determination (2001) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

6. The Autumn Offering - "Embrace the Gutter" from Embrace the Gutter (2006)

7. Shadows Fall - "Souls Devoured" from Souls Devoured (2025)

8. Trivium - "Throes of Perdition" from Shogun (2008) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

9. Bleeding Through - "Dead But So Alive" from Nine (2025) [submitted by Saxy S]

10. Shadow of Intent - "Feeding the Meatgrinder" from Feeding the Meatgrinder (2025)

11. Parkway Drive - "Sacred" from Sacred (2025)

12. Carnifex - "Dead but Dreaming" from Until I Feel Nothing (2011) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

13. Imminence - "Death Shall Have No Dominion" from The Return of the Black (2025) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

14. 7 Angels 7 Plagues - "Silent Deaths, Crowded Lives" from Jhazmyne's Lullaby (2001)

15. LEVELS - "BREED" from PULSE (2024)

16. Invent Animate - "Forest Haven" from Everchanger (2014)

17. Spiritbox - "No Loss, No Love" from Tsunami Sea (2025)

18. I Prevail - "Violent Nature" from Violent Nature (2025)

19. Born of Osiris - "Through Shadows" from Through Shadows (2025)

20. Out of Vision - "Dissolve" from Deceiving Lights (2024)

21. Daughters - "Nurse, Would You Please Prep the Patient for Sexual Doctor?" from Canada Songs (2003)

22. Converge - "This is Mine" from The Poacher Diaries (1999)

23. The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "The Lost & Damned" from Danza III: The Series of Unfortunate Events (2010)

24. The Chariot - "Forgive Me Nashville" from The Fiancee (2007)

25. Rolo Tomassi - "Party Wounds" from Cosmology (2010) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

26. Car Bomb - "M6" from Centralia (2007)

27. The Ghost Inside - "Shiner" from Fury and the Fallen Ones (2008)

28. Allt - "The Orphan Breed" from From the New World (2024)

29. Aerial - "Foresight" from Foresight (2016)

30. Graphic Nature - "The Downpour" from A Mind Waiting to Die (2023)

31. Worm Shepherd - "Winter Sun" from Ritual Hymns (2022)

32. The Amity Affliction - "Stairway to Hell" from Severed Ties (2008) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

June 2025

1. Apocalyptica - "Worlds Collide" from Worlds Collide (2007)

2. Nightwish - "Wishmaster" from Wishmaster (2000)

3. Volbeat - "The Human Instrument" from Rock the Rebel / Metal the Devil (2007)

4. Serpent Rider - "Radiant" from The Ichor of Chimaera (2025) [Suggested by Sonny]

5. Iron Maiden - "The Evil That Men Do" from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)

6. Black Sabbath - "Iron Man" from Paranoid (1970)

7. Ozzy Osbourne - "Flying High Again" from Diary of a Madman (1981)

8. Megadeth - "Symphony of Destruction" from Countdown to Extinction (1992)

9. Metallica - "Moth Into Flame" from Hardwired...to Self-Destruct (2016)

10. Queensryche - "Neue Regel" from Rage of Order (1986)

11. Rainbow - "Gates of Babylon" from Long Live Rock N Roll (1978)

12. Brainstorm - "Your Soul That Lingers in Me" from Plague of Rats (2025)

13. HammerFall - "The Dragon Lies Bleeding" from Glory to the Brave (1997)

14. Battle Beast - "Out of Control" from Battle Beast (2013)

15. DragonForce - "Tomorrow's Kings" from Maximum Overload (2014)

16. Mob Rules - "Future Loom" from Future Loom (2025)

17. Unleash the Archers - "Crypt" from Time Stands Still (2015)

18. Masterplan - "Heroes" from Masterplan (2003)

19. Blind Guardian - "Ashes to Ashes" from Somewhere Far Beyond (Revisited) (2024)

20. Mechina - "Bellum Interruptum" from Bellum Interruptum (2025) [Suggested by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

21. Time Requiem - "Attar of Roses" from The Inner Circle of Reality (2004)

22. Warmen - "Return of Salieri" from Accept the Fact (2005)

23. Orden Ogan - "The Long Darkness" from The Order of Fear (2024)

Update for July:

THE FALLEN: SONNY, Vinny

THE GATEWAY: SAXY, Andi

THE GUARDIANS: ANDI, Sonny, Karl

THE HORDE: KARL, Vinny, Sonny

THE INFINITE: ANDI, Saxy

THE NORTH: SONNY, Karl, Vinny

THE PIT: VINNY, Sonny

THE REVOLUTION: ANDI

THE SPHERE: ANDI

Autechre - "Incunabula" (1993)

The debut full-length from this Manchester duo was a huge influence on the early IDM/ambient techno scene & made a lasting impact on me when I first discovered Autechre in the late 1990's. "Incunabula" may not be their best album overall but it certainly set the tone for a wonderful career that's seen them sitting amongst the absolute elite electronic music artists on the planet for nearly four decades now.

For fans of Aphex Twin, Squarepusher & Clark.

4.5/5

June 2025

1. Deicide - "Trifixion" (from "Legion", 1992) [Submitted by Karl]

2. Suffocation - "Seraphim Enslavement" (from "Hymns From the Apochrypha", 2023) [Submitted by Vinny]

3. Dismember - "9th Circle" (from "Indecent and Obscene", 1993) [Submitted by Karl]

4. Nile - "I Whisper in the Ear of the Dead" (from "In Their Darkened Shrines", 2002) [Submitted by Vinny]

5. Caustic Wound - "Blood Battery" (from "Grinding Mechanism of Torment", 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

6. Death Toll 80K - "Taught To Consume" (from "Harsh Realities", 2011) [submitted by Sonny]

7. Arch Enemy - "Dream Stealer" (from "Blood Dynasty", 2025) [submitted by Andi]

8. Acephalix - "Mnemonic Death" (from "Decreation", 2017) [submitted by Sonny]

9. Shub Niggurath - "Abominations of Ancient Gods" (from "The Kinglike Celebration: Final Aeon on Earth", 1997) [Submitted by Karl]

10. In Vain - "At the Going Down of the Sun" (from "Solemn", 2024) [submitted by Saxy]

11. Obscureviolence - "Refuting the Flesh" (from "Refuting the Flesh", 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

12. Deeds of Flesh - "Execute the Anthropophagi" (from "Path of the Weakening", 1999) [Submitted by Karl]

13. Putridity - "Conceived Through Vermination" (from "Ignominious Atonement", 2015) [submitted by Sonny]

14. Devourment - "Autoerotic Asphyxiation" (from "Butcher the Weak", 2006)

15. Atheist - "Unquestionable Presence" (from "Unquestionable Presence", 1991) [submitted by Sonny]

16. Masacre - "Imperio del Terror" (from "Barbarie y Sangre en Memoria de Cristo", 1993) [Submitted by Karl]

17. Adramelech - "Heroes in Godly Blaze" (from "Psychostasia", 1996) [Submitted by Karl]

18. Flourishing - "Summary" (from "The Sum of All Fossils", 2011)

19. Wombbath - "Malevolent" (from "Beyond the Abyss", 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

20. Vacuous - "Stress Positions" (from "In His Blood", 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

21. Massacra - "Eternal Hate" (from "Final Holocaust", 1990) [Submitted by Karl]

22. Asinhell- "Inner Sancticide" (from "Impii Hora", 2023) [Submitted by Vinny]

23. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - "Her Despair Reeks of Alcohol" (from "Honky Reduction", 1998) [submitted by Sonny]

24. Misery Index - "Fed to the Wolves" (from "Heirs to Thievery", 2010) [submitted by Sonny]

25. Unleashed - "Land of Ice" (from "Shadows in the Deep", 1992) [Submitted by Karl]

26. Dark Throne - "Sempiternal Sepulchrality" (from "Soulside Journey", 1991) [Submitted by Karl]

27. Cancer - "Enter the Gates" (from "Inverted World", 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

28. Oni -"Seppuku Blade" (from "Incantation Superstition", 2023)

29. Intestine Baalism - "A Place Their Gods Left Behind" (from "An Anatomy of the Beast", 1997)

That's good to hear, Daniel. Hope things will continue working out well and you can stay healthy.

You're a good man Sonny. I know you'll be taking good care of her & she's lucky to have you.

I'm a country guy. I was born and raised on a farm on the Kansas-Nebraska Border. This is the music of my people and I love it almost as much as my metal. 

I find this to be an excellent piece of music:


A blend of contemporary country with a lot of bluegrass. Great song writing. 

Selected listening: "Gin, Smoke, and Lies", "Before the Devil Knows We're Dead", "Good Lord Lorie", and "Wrecked"

Morpheus Descends - "Chronicles of the Shadowed Ones" E.P. (1994)

Filthy New York death metal with a genuine graveyard atmosphere & excellent deep death growls. The production job is the major detractor for this E.P. with the guitars being far too low in the mix & the snare sound being less than ideal but the simple slow-to-mid tempo riff & song structures are effective nonetheless, particularly on opening track "The Cruciform Hills" which is the clear highlight here. "Chronicles of the Shadowed Ones" is worth a few listens but I do think it's been a little overrated by those that have claimed it as somewhat of an underground classic which seems to be largely an historical opinion than one that was prevalent back in the mid-1990s.

For fans of Infester, Rottrevore & Baphomet.

3.5/5