Sonny's Forum Replies
Purely from a personal point of view, the fact that there are points awarded for various actions will not make any difference to me, as I will most likely continue interacting with the site in much the same way as I do now. I am sure there are people out there who will feel motivated by some kind of reward system and good luck to 'em, but I would never view it as much more than a background feature. I am quite comfortable with my own level of involvement, but I guess if it gets more people interacting it may make things more interesting (although we have had mixed results with that in the past!) I guess I am just a little concerned that a points-based meritocracy will cause an increase in assholery on the site.
Much like Vinny, I have never been that invested in the Hall as I often find sub-genre micro-management to be tedious and not something on which I enjoy focussing too much. Is it heavy, doom, black, death, thrash (the five alchemical elements) or a mixture of the above is usually enough for me!
Interesting stuff Ben and food for thought for sure. My initial thoughts:
I am not fundamentally opposed to a points-based system, but I do forsee issues with it. Members becoming obsessed with point acquisition rather than having genuine enthusiasm for the music being the most obvious, for example writing garbage reviews that add nothing to the conversation in order to accrue points, posting a million times in the "What are you listening to now" threads with just an album name or making a multitude of posts that have nothing to do with metal.
That said, though, if you were intent on introducing a points system then this seems like a very well-thought-out way to do it. I don't think votes on cover art should count towards clan points, though, as you can rate an awful lot of covers in a very short time without knowing anything about the clan's genres, making it the most obvious area for abuse. The Revolution, for example has nearly 6000 releases currently and I could rate every cover with very little thought and zero knowledge of the musical content, but I could accrue 6000 points within that clan - the equivalent of 500 reviews, when in reality I have only rated 32 Revolution releases.
The new "Hall of Judgement" sounds like a very good evolution of that concept and would, hopefully, lead to better and more timely outcomes. It is all looking very exciting to be sure.
Yes please, going to slowly start contributing to all 3 of my playlists by next month.
No problem, my friend. 
With 4 regular contributors to the North now I want to set a time allocation limit of 25 minutes per contributor per month. This gives me 20 minutes spare that I will use to cover sub-genres not suggested by the four of us with our personal suggestions. If you stray a minute or two over then it is no big deal, as long as I have got 15-20 minutes to play with.
August
Saidan - "Ethereal Blood" (From Fangdriller, 2026)
Vehemence - "En Quête du Graal" (From Assiégé Pour l'Éternité, 2026)
Thanks Xephyr. Can you confirm if you want to be included back in as a regular contributor, because if so, I can adjust the time allocations to make sure everyone gets a fair crack.
Thanks guys
Hi Ben, could you add german doom metal band Chariot Throne please. They only have one album, but are still a going concern as far as I can tell.
Metal archives: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Chariot_Throne/3540400680
Hi Ben, could you add polish black metallers Bezkresy please.
metal archives: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Bezkresy/3540450893
Death Yell - "Vengeance from Darkness Demo" (1989)
Death Yell formed in 1987 as Pestilence, changing name in 1988, presumably to avoid confusion with the Dutch masters. Their name may be familar from a 1991 split with Beherit or the 1992 "Triumph of Death" multi-band split that also involved the likes of Carcass, Samael and Beherit once more.
This 1989 demo is a great example of how the south american metal scene was throwing everything into the pot in search of extremity. Thrash, death and even semblances of early black metal, particularly in the rabid, screeching vocals of singer Galleta, are all incorporated in this mish-mash of extremity. When this is coupled with demented songwriting that features long-ish tracks containing multiple and rapid tempo and direction changes it all makes for a really compelling release that should at least pique the interest of the discerning extreme metal fanatic. There are six tracks on the demo, including a short ambient interval, which combine for a runtime of almost 32 minutes and a pretty substantial listening experience. The sound quality is fine for a typical 1980s demo, both muddy and tinny at the same time, lending the album a rawness that may be a little at odds with the overtly technical material on offer, yet which turns out to be surprisingly effective.
Death Yell don't just reach for extremity via playing uber-fast or by trying to sound more evil than anyone else, although they are perfectly capable of doing both at times, but the constant change in tempo and tone, lurching from killer riff to dissonant and manic guitar pyrotechnics all accompanied by a pummelling and punishing barrage from the very capable rhythm section of bassist Alejandro Allende and impressive drummer Patricio 'Pato' Diez alongside Galleta's manic screeches, howls and barks make for a release that feels ahead of the curve for 1989 in terms of extremity in metal. Ultimately, if you are in any way interested in the development of either the South American metal scene or extreme metal more generally then I think you would find this demo to be very interesting indeed.
4/5
One other function that would be really helpful Ben would be a wishlist button on releases and a corresponding wishlist on each member's profile page. It would just make it easier to track all those many albums I would like to check out after reading other members' reviews or hearing a track that catches my ear on the playlists.
Karl, your suggestions need to be in by Wednesday in order to make August's playlist.
Karl, your suggestions need to be in by Wednesday in order to make August's playlist.
Dorso - "Bajo una luna cámbrica" (1989)
Dorso formed in 1984 and remain a going concern, releasing eight full-length albums with quite a wide range of genres from thrash/speed metal, grindcore, progressive rock, heavy metal through to black metal. "Bajo una luna cámbrica" was the band's debut full-length, being released in June of 1984 and featuring the only ever-present band member, bassist / vocalist Rodrigo "Pera" Cuadra, alongside guitarist / vocalist Gamal Eltit. Drum duties were shared by four guest/session drummers with Eltit also manning the kit for the track "Críptica visión".
What we have here with "Bajo una luna cámbrica" is principally a thrash metal album, but it is also a fair bit more than that with some quite impressive progressive touches. The album's longest track, "Cíclope" is a really nice piece of progressive metal with some legitimate Seventies' touches and a distinct latin flavour. The song writing is ambitious, certainly compared to their peers, with the band being more interested in keeping things interesting than trying to be as extreme and fast as possible. This certainly doesn't translate to the album being at all lightweight, they can be plenty aggressive and thrash with the best of them when the mood takes them with some pretty killer riffs, check out "Vuela en tu dragón" or "Hidra" and hear for yourself, it is just that this isn't the be all and end all here. I guess this could be termed as technical thrash metal and the guys do seem to be technically very adept, but I think of it as being more progressive than technical with even a jazz influence at times. The short "Suite", for example, is basically a guitar workout in the vein of a heavy Robert Fripp or even Frank Zappa and Gamal Eltit's guitar solo work is generallyxcellent, utilising a number of variations of style as well as really shredding when required to do so.
Sadly, the production doesn't really do the guys a lot of favours and its muddiness does blunt the edge a little, but not enough to cause any drama, being more of a niggle than a major issue. The songwriting really is fantastic and has impressed me mightily. I can't help wondering whether this was an influence on modern chilean thrash legends Demoniac and the curveballs they like to include in with their thrashing mayhem. I am really glad to have stumbled upon this and I would heartily recommend it to anyone interested in hearing a quite unique album from the Eighties' South American metal scene that offers a bit more than straight ahead metal charges.
4/5
Hi Ben, could you add US epic doom band Mind of Evil please.
Hi Ben, could you add german pagan / melodic black metal band Isgalder please.
Sadism - "Perdition of Souls" Demo (1989)
Sadism are probably the most successful and continuously long-lived of the 1980s chilean extreme metal acts. Forming in Santiago as Black Vomit back in 1988, they soon changed name to Sadist and by the time of the release of this, their first demo in '89, they were going under the Sadism banner. I think it is fair to label this as genuine death metal with Death's "Scream Bloody Gore" being a big influence I would guess. The production is very good and is certainly one of the better-sounding of these 1980's chilean demos. The re-released 2022 version is available on Spotify and sounds excellent, but even the original version available on YouTube sounds pretty great, albeit with a more prominent bass than the later version.
The lineup for the demo was Ricardo Roberts on vocals and Juan Pablo Donoso on drums, both of whom are still with the band, alongside dual guitarists Ricardo Reyes and Pablo Pino and bassist Joan Navarro, all three of whom seem to have left the metal scene by the mid Nineties. There are four tracks with a total runtime of less than thirteen minutes, three of the four clocking in at under three minutes and delivering short, brutal blasts of old-school death metal fury. The band sound pretty tight and well-rehearsed for a first demo and display a determination to deliver as brutal a sonic experience as they can. Roberts produces a very creditable reproduction of Chuch Schuldiner's rasping bark whilst the twin guitarists unleash some fairly devastating riffs with a track like "Dark Side of Sadism" having that hanging-on-by-the-fingertips, seat-of-the-pants headlong charge of barely controlled musical violence that I so love about early death metal. Donoso delivers a withering battery of blastbeats and does a great job of providing impetus and urgency alongside the chugging basslines.
I really enjoyed this demo and it definitely marks the arrival of the chileans on the scene with a very creditable south american twist on the floridian death metal of the time.
4/5
Thanks Vinny.
Glad to hear that you are feeling so positive going forward, Vinny. Life certainly has its ups and downs, but it is how you deal with them that ultimately matters.
Ben has announced he has been working on a new version of the site which looks very cool indeed. You can catch up on the conversation here, Vinny:
Welcome back, Vinny. You haven't missed much, except for news of a possible whole new website!!
Here's my review:
I was a bit more sympathetic to the 'charms' of nu-metal back in its heyday, and regularly spun CDs from the likes of Slipknot, Korn and Spineshank. Mushroomhead's "XIII" was another that I picked up at the time of release. It appealed to me because it felt like it had quite a dark and ominous subtext to it, as opposed to the youthful anger and rage of the more popular nu-metal acts. However, as I succumbed more and more to the seductions of extreme metal, the rap-heavy and ultimately impotent anger of nu-metal dropped out of my metal diet almost completely.
It has been a long time since I last played "XIII" but hearing it for the first time in many years I am reminded of why it had a particular appeal to me in the first place. It kicks off strongly with the ascerbic-sounding "Kill Tomorrow" complete with its hardcore-derived vocals hitting hard from the off, threatening to rip the listener's head clean off. "Sun Doesn't Rise" buys more into the rap side of nu-metal, but it has that ominous atmosphere to it that initially drew me to the album way back when. This dark cloud of ominous uncertainty sets this album apart from the "Iowa"s and "Follow the Leader"s of the time and is much more in keeping with the kind of doom aesthetic that appeals to me most. Alongside this there is often a mechanical throb to the riffs ("Mother Machine Gun" and "The Dream Is Over" for example) a la Fear Factory that gives Mushroomhead's version of nu-metal an industrial feeling at times and which positions them as close to FF as Korn.
The band sound incredibly tight with chunky riffs and a throbbing bassline, although the drums sound a little thinner than I would have liked, particularly the snare which, whilst it is no St Anger, is still a little tinny. The dual vocals contrasts hardcore punk raging with a strong, and faintly bluesy clean style for a quite striking effect. They also had an uncanny ear for a catchy melody with "Nowhere to Go" surprisingly never released as a single, despite sounding more radio-friendly than the album's only actual single "Sun Doesn't Rise" and making me feel like I should be waving a Zippo lighter in the air whilst "Almost Gone" is such a groovy mutha that it may well make even a grumpy old metalhead like me want to start dancing! Obviously such a long album would be much better if it had finished after the 8-minute "Destroy the World Around Me", foregoing the inconsequential "Thirteen" which is quite annoying, particularly with the old 'scratchy needle' sound effect, and the cover of Seal's "Crazy" which feels out of place with the rest of the material here.
The last few minutes aside, listening to this now, over two decades after its release, it feels like it has aged incredibly well, unlike so many of its contemporries from the nu-metal scene and still sounds fresh and exhilharating. Thanks for putting this forward as a feature, Saxy, and allowing me to reconnect with an old friend that I haven't entertained in quite a while and who is actually better company than I remember them being.
3.5/5
First thing to note is that I didn't completely hate this. Yeah I know, no one was more surprised than me, but I was swept along by the obvious enthusiasm and energy of the band and kind of went along for the ride. The speedy riffs and shredding solos are pretty entertaining, the riffs to both "Scream for Me" and "Burden of Time" for example stood out as being much heavier than I would have expected. Vocalist Asami is a big plus, sounding both melodic and reasonably powerful, although I am not so keen when she reaches for those really high notes and becomes a bit screechingly ragged, although this seems to be a feature of power metal generally that I just can't get to grips with. It is power metal after all so, of course, it is larger than life and over-the-top with keyboard overlays and some layered backing vocals, but not in a terribly cringey manner, ultimately being more operatic than pantomime. I do think that the album runs out of steam after "Burden of Time" and tracks like "The Apocalypse", "Inspire" and the godawfully balladic "Edge of the World" (the album's nadir for me) sound more like the kind of power metal that I struggle with.
Look, in truth this isn't going to break into my top 500 (or even 1000) metal albums and I am unlikely ever to pass this way again, but while it lasted I found it entertaining enough and I got through the whole thing pretty easily without a single skip and remarkably few cringes. In fact, if it had ended with "Burden of Time" I would have thought even more highly of it. Damning with faint praise then? Yeah, probably, but for me and power metal this was an untypically positive experience with the guitars and vocals being sufficiently impressive to keep me on board and to allow me to forgive the album its other obvious excesses, not least of which is the ear-batteringly, over-compressed mastering that makes it feel like it is being rammed into your ears with a steamhammer - and not in a good way!
3/5
OK, here are my thoughts:
Firstly I've got to say, I don't feel that Gorgoroth ever get quite the credit they deserve, possibly with good reason in later years, but there was a time when they were a thrilling and devastating proposition and worthy of mention amongst any of the second wave. This, their fourth album, is the product of a band in transition, each track utilising a different lineup, four different vocalists being used for example - Gaahl providing vocals on the opener, Pest, the singer on the previous album singing on four of the remaining tracks, mainman Infernus on a couple more and Malignant Eternal's T-Reaper on The Devil, The Sinner and His Journey. Despite the variety in each track's performers, it doesn't result in a disjointed release as you may expect, rather it is an album that absolutely has an overarching theme and mood and that is one of blistering chaos and nerve-shredding antagonism that feels like the band were trying to produce the most evil-sounding record released up to that point. It sounds to me as if it was heavily influenced by Mayhem's EP of the previous year, Wolf's Lair Abyss, which was also a release that heralded a change in direction.
This time around Gorgoroth's songwriting utilises passages of sheer noise, occasional slowing of tempo and savage, soul-shredding shrieks for vocals in the most part. Despite the noise elements and the savagery on display, underneath there are actually some quite melodic riffs, but they are well-disguised among the intended cacophony yet they enable the tracks to remain in the memory rather than just becoming a dissonant blur. I actually think Destroyer is a great album in it's ability to make an undoubtedly intentionally chaotic-sounding album memorable and like the band that spawned it, it is mightily underrated and should be lauded amongst Nineties black metal afficianados.
4.5/5
I love that album, it is one of the first TD albums I bought, alongside my favourite Rubycon. I was a massive fan of the band back in the 70's and I was lucky enough to catch them live at Manchester Apollo when they were touring their Cyclone album. They had an awesome laser show that really suited their music and made for quite a trippy experience. For all the iterarions of the band since, I think the Froese, Franke, Baumann trio provided the pinnacle of the band's material.
Any chance of uodating the current features release page if you get chance please Ben?
A couple for August Andi please:
Mercyful Fate - "Gypsy" (from "Don't Break the Oath", 1984)
Running Wild - "Diabolic Force" (from "Gates of Purgatory", 1984)
I really like "Die Healing" Sonny. 1986's "Born Too Late" is my favourite Saint Vitus album, followed by the debut but this one is pretty close to both of them in third place. I'd go with four stars for it personally.
My top 5 SV albums:
1. Mournful Cries (1988)
2. Saint Vitus (1984)
3. V (1990)
4. Die Healing (1995)
5. Born Too Late (1986)
Surprisingly I hadn't reviewed this previously, so here are my thoughts:
1995 saw the release of Saint Vitus' seventh full-length album, "Die Healing" and marked the return of original vocalist Scott Reagers to the fold. It followed what is widely considered the band's weakest album, 1992's "C.O.D." which, following the departure of Wino, had featured Count Raven's Chritus on vocals. Now, as much as I love Wino's grizzled vocals, I think Reager's more eccentric style actually better captures the soul of Saint Vitus, so his return was well-timed and he is on fine form here. "Die Healing" was intended to be the band's swansong (although that notion has consequently been proven premature) and it seemed apt for them to end as they began with Reagers behind the mic.
Kicking off with one of the band's best tracks, "Dark World", Die Healing immediately exorcises the ghost of "C.O.D.'s" mediocrity and points towards a band intent on going out in style. Dave Chandler has an ear for simple but effective doom metal riffs and he sounds unlike anyone else with an instantly recognisable and unmistakeable guitar tone that many have tried and failed to adequately reproduce. There is a certain rawness to the best Saint Vitus material, derived from their early days touring with hardcore punk bands, that makes them sound like the sort of band who have just rolled up in a rattling old Transit van, unloaded their own battered gear, plugged it in and just started playing. Now while I am certain that is far from the truth, it doesn't alter the fact that when they are at their best that is exactly how they sound and personally I love that about them.
The tempo here is generally pretty slow, although they sometimes switch it up a little to provide contrast. "Let the End Begin", for example, is one of the album's most sluggish tracks, but contains an uptempo mid-section where Chandler lets rip with a much more energetic riff and guitar solo before reverting back to the creeping grind of the opening section. In fact the guitar solos are generally pretty shred-like with DC going fret-crazy and teetering on the edge of feedback, almost Hendrix-like at times, as on "Trail of Pestilence" for example. The band are also unafraid to lampoon themselves and the wider doom ethos a little bit, with "The Sloth" telling an apocalyptic tale of a marauding Kaiju-like sloth creature slowly laying waste to all around it like a slow-motion Godzilla.
Saint Vitus are unquestionably my favourite of the very early doom metal bands and whilst Trouble, Pentagram et al have their moments for sure, I think SV are the most consistent, C.O.D. aside. Whether it is Reagers or Wino on vocals they just encapsulate that filthy, grizzled aesthetic that so typifies the earliest trad doom scene and which lends them an air of authenticity that feels like they could turn up to play at your local pub on any given night. Great band, great album check it out if you haven't already.
4.5/5
I swear that if I hear one more fucking thing about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding on UK TV then I am going to lose my shit completely and will likely need a new TV set as a result.
These new clan badge designs do look incredibly cool Ben. Should the new site not materialise, could these be incorporated into the old site?
I agree with Daniel regarding how useful lyrics are. It seems like lyrics are one of those things that would be nice to have, but probably wouldn't be worth the time investment needed to add them to the site.
I haven't really got any suggestions to improve the community side of the site, I think the tools are there with the forums, features, playlists etc, it just comes down to the participation levels and how we use those tools.
I do, however have a suggestion regarding the rating system. In keeping with the academy theme we could have a grading system for rating rather than a numerical, so releases would be graded E- to A+, giving a 15 point rating system. Obviously all the work in the background would be numerical, and the releases average scores could still be shown as a numerical, but with a grade alongside, so an album with currently, say, a 4.0 clan average rating would be given a B+, a release with a 4.2 average would be an A- and only those releases scoring above a 4.8 average would be entitled to the A+ rating, which could then afford a release a special a award on its release page. For example, such prestigious releases could receive a "Top of the Class" icon on its release page which would signify an exemplary release within its clan's scope. These could then appear on the clan homepage as a kind of auto recommendation to anyone exploring the clan who may not be so familiar with its notable releases. I would also probably restrict the qualification criteria for the award to the clan rating rather than the site overall rating.
I understand that converting from a 10-point rating system to 15 may be unworkable, but I think the merit award for high-scoring releases within a clan would be quite a useful and fun thing to have. I'm afraid that is all I've got for now.
Thanks Ben. I really like the look of this potential new site, it is visually very impressive and the colour schemes look fantastic. I am actually feeling quite stoked for it and I hope it does come to fruition.
This does look very eye-catching Ben and I like the idea of increased flexibility on search options. I think tracklistings are also a must and have long hoped that they would be added as a function.
I am very much a lists person, so would it be possible to have a users lists linked on their profile page, similar to RYM, because how they are currently arranged, all being lumped together, feels a bit random. It would also be great to have clan-specific lists linked on the respective clan homepage.
Interesting news Ben. Will this entail much change in features and how the site looks or is it going to be more of an improvement in background processes?
Thanks, David.
August is a Horde playlist month, so get those suggestions in by the 15th please guys (or sooner if at all possible).
It is a three-playlist month for me again, so the earlier you can get your suggestions in the better.
July 2026
1. Pillorian - "By the Light of a Black Sun" (from "Obsidian Arc", 2017) [submitted by Vinny]
2. Rotting Christ - "The Forest of N'Gai" (from "Passage to Arcturo", 1991) [submitted by Karl]
3. Satanic Warmaster - "Black Circle of Death" (from "Exultation of Cruelty", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]
4. Ulg - "Dark Woods" (from "Windark", 2017)
5. Dimmu Borgir - "Ulvgjeld & blodsodel" (from "Grand Serpent Rising", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]
6. Sammath - "Ferocious Mortar Fire" (from "Across the Rhine Is Only Death", 2019) [submitted by Karl]
7. Shining - "Claws of Perdition" (from "IV: The Eerie Cold", 2005) [submitted by Sonny]
8. Ancient Rites - "(Ode to Ancient) Europa" (from "Dim Carcosa", 2001)
9. Agastus - "Black Moon's Blood" (from "Dawn of Martyrdom", 1996) [submitted by Vinny]
10. Venusberg Cardinal - "Mundus Loss" (from "Atlas of Dungeons", 2023) [submitted by Sonny]
11. Serpent Lord - "Constrictor" (from "The Once Forgotten Ways of Old", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]
12. Violet Cold - "Mamihlapinatapai" (from "kOsmik", 2019)
13. Psicosfera - "Copulent (XII)" (from "Beta", 2018) [submitted by Sonny]
14. Firtan - "Innenschatten" (from "Innenwelt", 2016) [submitted by Vinny]
15. Octinomos - "Nuclear Blitz" (from "Welcome to My Planet", 1999) [submitted by Karl]
16. Heltekvad - "Ærbødig er den som sejrer" (from "Morgenrødens Helvedesherre", 2022) [submitted by Vinny]
17. Malefic Levitation - "Black Forest Worship" (from "The Ancient Plague EP", 2017) [submitted by Sonny]
18. Equilibrium - "Unter der Eiche" (from "Turis Fratyr", 2005)
19. Skogen - "I döden" (from "I döden", 2014) [submitted by Sonny]
20. Hirilorn - "Last Ride on the Winds of Eternity" (from "Legends of Evil and Eternal Death", 1998) [submitted by Karl]
July 2026
1. House of Capricorn - "Ashlands" (from “Morning Star Rise", 2014) (submitted by Sonny)
2. Konvent - "Puritan Masochism" (from "Puritan Masochism", 2020) (submitted by Vinny)
3. High on Fire – “Lambsbread” (from “Cometh the Storm”, 2024) (submitted by dk)
4. Rorcal - "Extinguished Innocence" (from "Silence", 2023) (submitted by Vinny)
5. Candlemass – “Destroyer” (from “King of the Grey Islands”, 2007) (submitted by dk)
6. Devil Electric - "Jill & Jack Shit" (from "Tahlia", 2026) (submitted by Vinny)
7. Shades of Deep Water - "Death's Threshold Part 1" (from "Death's Threshold", 2019) (submitted by Sonny)
8. Crouch - "Hatchets and Hammers" (from "Breaking the Catatonic State", 2026) (submitted by Vinny)
9. Gorge - "Smoke Signals" (from "Village Raid", 2021) (submitted by Sonny)
10. Katla - "Satan" (from "Katla EP", 2018)
11. Body Void – “Human Greenhouse” (from “Atrocity Machine”, 2023) (submitted by dk)
12. Thorr's Hammer - "Norge" (from "Dommedagsnatt", 1998) (submitted by Vinny)
13. Khemmis - "The Bereaved" (from "Absolution", 2015) (submitted by Sonny)
14. Ritual Arcana - "Subtle Fruits" (from "Ritual Arcana", 2026) (submitted by Vinny)
15. Serpentcult - "Screams from the Deep" (from "Weight of Light", 2008) (submitted by Sonny)
16. Pyrithe – “Glioblastoma” (from “Monuments to Impermanence”, 2022) (submitted by dk)
17. Reverend Bizarre - "Strange Horizon" (from "Harbinger of Metal", 2003)
the second that I'm loving to death right now is 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Excellent characterization, glorifies the culture of the time and showcases great plotting in both the time travel and normal drama departments.
I love that book. A really fascinating take on the events around that time. Its been a while since I read it, so it is may be due a re-read. It may have to wait though because I am currently on book 2 of 5 in the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson and as each is 1000+ pages it may take a while (I'm not that quick a reader, couple hundred pages a week is probably my average).
I wonder if kids in the west now spend too much time indoors on their phones or games consoles which is why the teams from the world's poorer nations are getting comparatively better as their kids still go out in the streets kicking a ball about on a daily basis which you hardly ever see here, certainly round where I live anyway.
It's a real tricky one Sonny. My son is 13 and spends a fair bit of time on his phone or ninteno, but he is also incredibly active and would spend loads of time outside playing football or cricket or hockey. But where can they go for these, I'd have to drive him to a suitable place. Nothing nearby that his friends could all walk to with the roads that they would have to Cross.
When I was young you just went onto the streets in front of the house. No cars parked up all along the streets then. Then you would just shout car if a car came along and move to the pavement and continue the game when it passed. The speed the cars go round residential areas these days, you wouldn't have chance to shout car.
Yeah that is a good point David. Traffic was virtually non-existent outside of knocking off time at the local factory near where I lived, so we could play in the street quite safely. There were a lot more green spaces available then too. It is certainly a different world kids grow up in now compared to when we were young. So many vested interests vying for their attenion all the time and successive governments that prioritise economics over quality of life.
If you look at the Scotland teams of the 70s and early 80s we had a full team playing in the top league in England with championship winning teams. What has happened.
I was reading an article about just that a couple of days ago. It was comparing how the Scottish Premier League clubs and their norwegian counterparts, countries with similar size populations and football income revenues, spent their money. It seems that the norwegians have prioritised their youth development and grass roots football for some time now with a corresponding improvement in the fortunes of their national squad as a result.
Yes something went wrong somewhere along the line. I do remember under Thatcher school sports reduced and no ball games signs going up on every spare bit of grass. Imagine the did that on beaches of Brazil or any spare bit of ground in Brazil or Argentina.
I wonder if kids in the west now spend too much time indoors on their phones or games consoles which is why the teams from the world's poorer nations are getting comparatively better as their kids still go out in the streets kicking a ball about on a daily basis which you hardly ever see here, certainly round where I live anyway.
England made that Panama game more difficult than it should have been.
The defence looks dodgy as fuck and we were lucky to keep a clean sheet. Luckily Bellingham put the game on his back and was the only one who showed any real world class quality. I can't imagine France, Spain or Argentina having any sleepless nights about facing England unless they improve massively. One decent half in three games doesn't shout world cup winners to me.
Yeah, it sounds like we'll have a better chance against Egypt than the other teams we were looking at. I still aren't expecting us to win after watching our matches thus far though. I watched yesterday's France vs Norway match & the first-half hattrick from French winger Ousmane Dembélé was brilliant to watch. The dude simply couldn't miss!
I couldn't understand why the norwegians basically let him score the same goal three times, though. You would have thought they would at least have made some effort to stop him cutting inside onto his left foot after the first goal. All the same, France look like the team to beat as they seem the most complete side.
If you look at the Scotland teams of the 70s and early 80s we had a full team playing in the top league in England with championship winning teams. What has happened.
I was reading an article about just that a couple of days ago. It was comparing how the Scottish Premier League clubs and their norwegian counterparts, countries with similar size populations and football income revenues, spent their money. It seems that the norwegians have prioritised their youth development and grass roots football for some time now with a corresponding improvement in the fortunes of their national squad as a result.
Monolord - "Vaenir" (2015)
"Vaenir" is this Gothenburg doom trio's 2015 sophomore full-length, following relatively hot on the heels of the debut, "Empress Rising" from the previous year. They play lengthy distorted doom metal dirges with towering chords, sloth-like pacing and a 'washed-out' vocal style that feels like it is coming to you across huge cosmic distances. Despite the thunderously robust foundation laid down by bassist Mika Häkki and drummer Esben Willems and the undoubted weight of the riffs, the vocals impart a certain ephemeral quality to the atmosphere and act as a spiritual counterpoint to the immensity of the bottom end.
Monolord have a distinct blueprint for how they want to sound and pretty much stick to it throughout. There is very little variation in pacing within tracks, no sudden changes of gear to spice things up, these Swedes being pretty much fundamentalists when it comes to doom metal. If you are impatient for variety and innovation in your listening diet then chances are that Monolord will hold very little appeal for you and you may be better served moving on elsewhere. More recently I feel they evolved a slightly more lightweight sound with hints of psychedelia thrown in, but back in the heady days of 2015 they were all-in on the crushing repetitiousness of 'true' doom metal and were unrelenting in its delivery.
And that, not wishing to sound in any way dismissive, is pretty much everything there is to know about "Vaenir". How you feel about that depends on what you want from your metal. Me, I am more than happy with an album of heavy and uncomplicated doom metal done well and with an unpretentiousness that speaks to a band fully committed to shaking the cosmic walls.
86/100
It looks like the Aussies have got Egypt in the next round Daniel. Could be a tall order against Mo Salah and co but this world cup has shown that nothing can be taken for granted.
Khemmis - "Absolution" (2015)
I have been a casual fan of Khemmis since first coming across their sophomore "Hunted" back in 2016 shortly after its release. Consequently I checked out the debut and, at that time, I wasn't particularly knocked-out by it I must admit. So, a decade later and with a new album on the shelves, I figured time was ripe for a revisit.
Firstly it must be mentioned that this is much more doom metal oriented than their later material, with Pallbearer most often being justifiably cited as a touchstone. "Absolution" maintains a significant percentage of traditional heavy metal in its doom metal DNA, pushing it into epic doom metal territiory. The production and guitar sound is very much in the doom metal milieu however, with a deep and resonant fuzziness that is typical of traditional doom metal and with a certain bluesy feeling to the riffs. The guitar solos sound cleaner and clearer than the riffs and are enthusiastically deployed with an exuberant relish that hints that this is where the guitarists Ben Hutcherson and Phil Pendergast really get their kicks, giving off a Brian Robertson / Scott Gorham, Thin Lizzy vibe. The two also share vocal duties and this is probably the album's weakest point as they alternate between reasonable cleans and frankly unconvincing deathly growling bellows. The rhythm section of bassist Daniel Beiers and drummer Zach Coleman are solid enough, although they seem to be playing well within themselves and keeping it pretty simple.
I must admit that I found myself enjoying this better this time around than I did back then, although I still have reservations. Sometimes the soloing sounds divorced from the meat of the track itself and too often feels shoehorned in whilst I feel the clean vocals are strong enough to carry the material without resorting to the unnecessary and unconvincing death growls. The riffs are generally pretty cool though and when the guitarists do hit a sweet spot between riffs and solos, such as on "Burden of Sin" it is pretty engaging stuff. They saved the best until last and close the album out with the longest and best track, "The Bereaved", which is where the previously mentioned Pallbearer comparison is most apparent. Ukltimately this is a solid but flawed debut, but the band would get better next time around.
78/100
Finally, here it is:
Warning - "Rituals of Shame" (2026)
I have never made any secret of the fact that Warning's masterpiece, "Watching From A Distance" is my all-time favourite album, so I can probably be forgiven for going into "Rituals of Shame" with inflated expectations, although I must add that those expectations were tempered by equal parts trepidation that the band may drop the ball and turn in an album that sees them just going through the motions like so many acts returning after a long period away and so sullying their legacy. So now I have the beautiful oxblood red vinyl platter on my turntable the obvious first question must be, "do I think it is as good as WFAD?" Well, the answer to that is not so simple because it is impossible to compare an album that has been so meaningful to me for two decades with one that has been out mere days. So am I at all disappointed with this third Warning full-length then? Absolutely not and while it hasn't initially hit me on as deeply an emotional and personal level as its predecessor this is still an amazing piece of doom metal melancholy. Patrick Walker just 'gets' doom metal in a way that few others are able to. It isn't just about leaden pacing and towering riffs, Walker doesn't merely write songs that are sad and sorrowful, but also dig deeply into his emotional vulnerability, laying bare his soul in a way which will either resonate with the listener or it won't. If it does then a connection with the material is possible that transcends mere grooves on a plastic disc and if it doesn't it may be dismissed as overly sentimental.
The most striking thing about "Rituals of Shame" is that it doesn't at all feel like an album released two decades after its illustrious predecessor by a band that had been on hiatus for most of the intervening years whilst Patrick Walker concentrated on his 40 Watt Sun project. There is such a remarkable consistency of material between the two albums that you would be forgiven for thinking that it had been recorded in 2010 and only just seen the light of day. In fact the debut "Strength To Dream" is further removed artistically from "Watching From A Distance" than "Rituals of Shame" is, despite there only being a third as much time between the two. The really great thing, though, is that the latest isn't merely a lazy rehash of the former. Despite the similarities, "Rituals of Shame" isn't merely WFAD part two, it has its own character and feeling. Inevitably such a monumental album will cast a long shadow over its younger sibling, but I am convinced that in time it will emerge from that shadow and stand tall in its own right.
WFAD had an indefinably wistful quality despite the huge, doom-laden chords and foundational stolidity of the rhythm section, whereas RoS feels a little less ethereally affecting. This is partly down to the heavier-handed production and increased compression, but it is also due to the inclusion of second guitarist Wayne Taylor who has played live shows with the band since 2016, appearing on the 2021 Roadburn Live album, whose second guitar adds depth and rounds out the sound, making it feel more down-to-earth. Of course, the absolute core of Warning is Patrick Walker's vocal performances and this is where "Rituals of Shame" may even outdo its predecessor because, as I alluded to when reviewing the "WFAD Live at Roadburn" album, Patrick's voice seems to have got even better with time. His vocals sound more varied and expressive now in middle-age than they did as a young twenty-something and his ability to wring genuine emotion from the receptive listener with a mere twist of his voice is undiminished.
I have to say that I am more than happy with this new offering and it has rarely been off my turntable since it arrived. Whilst it is consistent with its predecessor it is undeniably an evolution rather than a rehash and in time I think it may take on a life of its own maybe being a new generation of doomheads' introduction to the band and becoming as significant to them as WFAD has been to me. So whilst "Rituals of Shame" has not deposed "Watching From A Distance" at the pinnacle of my top albums of all-time list, it has certainly pushed a large number of worthy contenders down another slot and has livened up a year that wasn't appearing too great on the doom metal front prior to its release.
96/100