Sonny's Forum Threads

I do need to get around to reviewing and rating the rest of the Death discography, although I say that to myself everytime I look at one of these lists.

Like its predecessor, Lead and Aether has proven a great accompaniment on winter walks this weekend as the northwest of England sees its first snow of the season. That is not to say that this is a cold sounding record by any means, in fact I find the exact opposite experience to the record. To me this is the sickening warmth of a hug from the arms of death itself. It is comforting to witness, how I imagine the release of all worry, stress and adversity of life would feel at the very moment of conscious expiry of one’s existence. Far from finding the funereal keys and monolithic melodies oppressive, I take a great solace from this album, therefore.

This record plays as an instrumental in my head, the vocals are so low in the mix, consciously so I would guess, that I am almost ignorant them for much of the album. Normally I would find this as a negative point, a key missing feature almost, but here I think it works perfectly. Good funeral doom to me is about letting the music build the aesthetic and atmospheres, the vocals are just a complementary element in comparison. Equally, I think Skepticism got the placement of the drums correct here. Whilst not as absent from my mind as the vocals are, the drums provide the very definition of a subtle supporting role here. How many bands can say that they have successfully used drums o create space and atmosphere on a record?

There is always a danger that with such a minimalist approach to music, particularly extreme genres like this, that the recording can end up sounding amateur. I would argue that the opposite is in fact true here. This sounds like a thoroughly professional album, composed with care and thought for overall arrangement. Maintaining that gloomy warmth for me over the entire album duration is a real win here, but there are a couple of moments where tracks seem to end up a little disjointed (album closer, ‘Aether’ stands out for this) which just takes the perfect score aware from an otherwise brilliant release.

4.5/5

Thanks Vinny, I really appreciate the feedback. I feel obliged (as with all the playlists that I compile) to include some sub-genres that I am not the biggest fan of. With the North this is often the symphonic, black 'n' roll and folk metal entries, although I have found stuff to enjoy in each of those too. I also think it adds some variety and acts as a nice illustration of the breadth of material within the North. 

I will also try to supply more commentary on each playlist going forward.

I'm across Abduction's last couple of albums & quite liked them too. Anyone know if their earlier material is worth exploring?

I bought their second album, "A Crown of Curses" on cassette when it came out and found it to be surprisingly good for a low-key UK black metal act.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2rSh9MnfQo9HmPLo2W5MBa

A happy new year to all the Fallen playlist listeners. May doom and gloom reside only in your listening habits during the coming year.

1. My Dying Bride – “Your River” (from “Turn Loose the Swans”, 1993) [submitted by dk]

2. Khemmis - "Bloodletting" (from "Desolation", 2018)

3. Sleep - "Marijuanaut's" (from "The Sciences", 2018) [submitted by Vinny]

4. Wren - "Scorched Hinds" (from "Black Rain Falls", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

5. Chrch - "Portals" (from "Light Will Consume Us All", 2018) [submitted by Sonny]

6. Primitve Man - "Devotion" (from "Observance", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

7. Paul Chain Violet Theatre - "17 Day" (from "Detaching From Satan", 1984) [submitted by Sonny]

8. Black Sheep Wall – “Ren” (from “Songs for the Enamel Queen”, 2021) [submitted by dk]

9. Heteropsy - "Memento Mori" (from "Embalming", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

10. Age of Taurus – “Sinking City” (from “Desperate Souls of Tortured Times”, 2013) [submitted by dk]

11. The Answer Lies in the Black Void - "Sine Morbo" (from "Transcendental", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

12. Salome - "White Tides" (from "Salome", 2008) [submitted by dk]

13. BlackLab - "Monochrome Rainbow" (from "In a Bizarre Dream", 2022)

14. Atavist - "Loss" (from "III: Absolution", 2020) [submitted by Sonny]

Legendary death doom outfit, Cianide are one of my criminally underrated bands with them rarely getting anywhere near as much spin time as they deserve. This EP coming up in the feature release section this month has been a timely kick up the arse to remedy that for a few hours at least. Unhumanized is only a shade under twenty-six-minutes long and perhaps is not the Chicago trio at their absolute best, yet it is still a bruising and entertaining affair to listen to.

Coming out thirty-one-years after the band first got together, Unhumanized has the hallmarks of an established and mature band. The riffing sounds perfectly crafted and richly performed to accentuate the crunch and groove of the guitar of Scott Carroll. For a band with only one guitarist, he is clearly more than enough, and the mix lets him sit front and centre in proceedings alongside the barking of vocalist Mike Perun. The percussion is less prominent than the guitar and vocals but still does a fantastic job in the background. Check out the punky vibes on the title track for an example of how this is not just a standard death metal release.

Offering some of the best in extreme metal that the underground has to offer, Cianide give a decent enough acquittal of themselves on this release to pique the interest of any fan wanting to go and look at their earlier work. With a discography going all the way back to 1992 when their debut record dropped, this taster of the modern Cianide has enough of their familiar sound to tie it back to their earlier releases. Love me a short EP every now and again to whet the appetite for some further death metal listening afterwards.

3.5/5

Italian speed metallers Bulldozer have never featured very highly in my listening within the realms of The Pit clan. Whilst I would not put their limited airplay down to any problem they present to me, at the same time, I cannot pretend to have ever been overwhelmingly entertained by any of the stuff I have listened to from them. The Final Separation doesn’t put a foot wrong as such, yet nor does it tread anywhere particularly new or even influential either. At times reminiscent of Venom (‘The Cave’) whilst on other occasion being just as close to Motörhead, the album lacks any of the rhythmic riffs that would steer it in the direction of thrash metal and as a result I would suggest the thrash metal tag is irrelevant for this album.

If you a connoisseur of eighties speed metal, then The Final Separation probably holds more sway for you than it does with me after over three decades of listening to metal; I left this sound behind a long while ago I feel. Whilst I am not alien to humour in my metal music, tracks like ‘Don Andras’ are just juvenile to my ears these days. Serving only to break up the otherwise very similar tempos of tracks to this point, this song has little value and stinks of filler.

With, ‘Never Relax’ at least offering some hope of variety for the second half of the album, I could have been forgiven for thinking I was being a little too harsh on the first few tracks. It is cumbersome though and feels pieced together as opposed to a free-flowing track. ‘Don’t Trust the Saint’ is the nearest to thrash metal we get to on the album, but it bounces more than it chops and my interest soon wanes. Final track ‘The Death of Gods’ grumbles some promise of an epic closure to the album, however this is soon lost in an overly grandiose soundscape that pushes my interest onto other things in the room.

3/5

I've listened to a couple of time. Really busy at work, so it was background the first time around.

However, Gloomlord made me take notice even through the first listen probably my favourite new listen. Also Doomsday Profit, Tombs, Pale Divine amongst others and that's one of my favourite Electric Wizard songs you closed the playlist with and nice to hear Count Raven again - haven't listened to them in quite some time.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0R0a3qxSe1XkOMxBN6gkwi

1. Sadistic Intent - "Dark Predictions" (from "Resurrection", 1994) [submitted by Vinny]

2. Ritualhammer — "Devoid of Grace and God" (from "Grand Pestilential Flame", 2024) [submitted by Karl]

3. Proscription - "Behold a Phosphorescent Dawn" (from "Desolate Divine", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

4. Atavisma - "Sacrifice unto Babalon" (from "The Chthonic Rituals", 2018) [submitted by Sonny]

5. Immolation — "God Made Filth" (from "Failures for Gods", 1999) [submitted by Karl]

6. Revocation - "Confines of Infinity" (from "New Gods, New Masters", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

7. Abraded - "Menticide" (from "Ethereal Emanations From Chthonic Caries", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

8. Inanna - "Mind Surgery" (from "Void of Unending Depths", 2022) [submitted by Sonny]

9. Disgorge — "Manipulation of Faith" (from "Consume the Forsaken", 2002) [submitted by Karl]

10. Carcinoid - "Morbid Curse" (from "Encomium to Extinction", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

11. Brutal Truth — "Walking Corpse" (from "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses", 1992) [submitted by Karl]

12. Mercyless — "Abject Offerings" (from "Abject Offerings", 1992) [submitted by Karl]

13. Baphomet - "Valley of the Dead" (from "The Dead Shall Inherit", 1992) [submitted by Sonny]

14. Imperishable — "Bells" (from "Swallowing the World", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

15. Kontusion - "Endless Horror" (from "Insatiable Lust for Death", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

16. Magrudergrind - "Martyrs of the Shoah" (from "Magrudergrind", 2009)

17. Meth Leppard - "Idiocracy" (from "Gatekeepers", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

18. Anata — "Released When You Are Dead" (from "The Infernal Depths of Hatred", 1998) [submitted by Karl]

19. Night in Gales — "Towards a Twilight Kiss" (from "Towards the Twilight", 1997) [submitted by Karl]

20. Ataudes - "La Desgracia" (from "Tempus edax rerum", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

21. Gigan - "Square Wave Subversion" (from "Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus", 2024)

22. Diphenylchloroarsine - "Asphyxiating on Hazardous Pollution" (from "Post Apocalyptic Human Annihilation", 2017)

23. Imprecation — "Daemonium" (from "Vomitum Tempestas", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

24. Benediction - "Eternal Eclipse" (from "Subconscious Terror", 1990) [submitted by Sonny]

25. Deteriorot — "Horrors in an Everlasting Nightmare" (from "Awakening", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

26. Décryptal - "Flétrissement" (from "Simulacre", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

27. Grenadier — "The Swine of Mount Cashel" (from "Wolves of the Trench", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

28. Iniquitous Deeds - "Abstract Vibrations Compressed" (from "Incessant Hallucinations", 2015)

29. Disma - "Of A Pasat Forlorn" (from "Towards the Megalith", 2011) [submitted by Sonny]

I don't think metalheads have gone anywhere.

Metal has always been music for outsiders and delinquents (not in a bad way obviously). Aren't a lot of the early metal albums heavily influential in the punk scene dominated by The Sex Pistols and Misfits during the mid/late 70s? It isn't that metal isn't popular, it just requires some deep exploration to find, unlike the milquetoast soft rock and pop music that gets tons of airplay. Where I live, we have at least four top 40 radio stations, which seems absurdly high.

And yeah they'll be crossover into the mainstream on occasion; using RIAA certification (which itself is a rather old technique) Back in Black has reported 50 million units sold since 1980. Both Metallica's self titled album and Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory are diamond certified in the US. Clearly, people are listening to metal when its marketed well.

Could it be that metal fans don't only listen to metal anymore? With a lot of metal music itself playing around with outside genres, and a few popular genres being more accessible in general, perhaps the average metal fan isn't as "metal or nothing" as they used to be?

Parroting off what Ben said, this idea that metal music has to be just Mayhem, Cannibal Corpse and Slayer is an old and tired. Old time jazz musicians like Wynton Marsalis are notorious for having declared everything released beyond 1965 as "not real jazz" because it incorporates fusion. At the end of the day, that fusion stuff is used by many to lure an audience in and then they can transition to more of the genre's roots. I like Bad Omens, but they are an outlier in my typical listening consisting of Opeth, Mastodon, Katatonia, and The Mars Volta. And even then, I feel the old man creeping out when I say that because all of those bands have been around since the 1990s and sound nothing like modern metal. This genre has evolved over time and Rick Beato is old enough to realize this. The fact that he doesn't proves his ignorance on the social aspect of a trend.

I'm sure in a decades time, there will be a new band like Sleep Token or Poppy that old timers will not stand, while young, impressionable teens will ooh and ahh over the hybrid of downtuned guitars, demon shrieks and glitchy electronic percussion. And it'll be up to us to either welcome them into the metal community or gatekeep them out.

I finally got around to revisiting "Resurrection" this week & found that I still really enjoy it. Sadistic Intent clearly came from the same roots as I did (i.e. classic Morbid Angel & the more extreme thrash metal like Slayer, Kreator & Dark Angel) so we share a common understanding of what extreme metal should be. Their sound is so heavily invested in the underground tape trading scene that it gives them an even greater appeal to me than they perhaps have any right to command too. I really love the psychotic guitar solos & blast beat sections. The hardcore component of "Condemned in Misery" was possibly a mistake but, apart from that, "Resurrection" is a really solid death metal record. I slightly prefer 1997's "Ancient Black Earth" E.P. over it but there's not a lot between them & both should be essential listening for our The Horde members.

For fans of Necrovore, Mortem & Repugnant.

4/5

Just put in a pre-order for the "Watching From A Distance" 4x LP boxset 20th Anniversary edition. It's a bit pricey, but some things are worth it!

Thanks, guys. I completely understand the antipathy towards Dawn of Winter, but I have a soft spot for trad doom outfits who have no chance of popularity. I am fairly immune to questionable vocals with this particular sub-genre where an awfully high percentage of vocalists are functional at best.

The thing is, all three of us contributing members to the Fallen playlist have quite similar preferences within the clan's remit, tending mostly towards the more extreme end, so I try to cover the sub-genres that we are less popular amongst the three of us, which I may not always be totally au fait with - gothic metal being one particular sub-genre I try to cover without being much of a devotee. This may well result in some questionable picks. Trad doom was my gateway into doom metal, bands like Saint Vitus, Reverend Bizarre and the likes, so it will always be a sub-genre I will support, however, despite being a one-time massive fan of stoner metal, I have become a bit bored of the more meandering style over recent times.

I am glad the playlist is still getting some listens anyway, and it is nice to get some feedback, so thanks for the continued support fellas.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Sw9mEcyXo1pGyFHR3znLT

1. Mayhem - "Buried by Time and Dust" (from "De mysteriis dom sathanas", 1994) [submitted by Sonny]

2. Sargeist - "Ordained and Adorned" (from "Flame within Flame", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

3. Destruction Ritual - "Washed Away Sins" (from "Providence", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

4. Kadotettu - "Kuolema ylivuotinen" (from "Ihmisyyden viimeiset askeleet", 2016)

5. Der Weg Einer Freiheit - "Eos" (from "Innern", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

6. Throne of Ahaz - "An Arctic Star of Blackness" from "Nifelheim", 1995 [submitted by Karl]

7. Abduction - "Vomiting at Baalbek" (from "Existentialismus", 2025) [submitted by Sonny]

8. Arkona - "Only True Belief" from "An Eternal Curse of the Pagan Godz", 1994 [submitted by Karl]

9. Profane Order - "Black Vomit Desecration" (from "Slave Morality", 2019)

10. Medieval Demon - "Raging Lord of the Deeps" (from "All Powers of Darkness", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

11. Finsterforst - "Zerfall" (from "Zerfall", 2019)

12. Polemicist - "The Infidel" (from "Medieval Rites", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

13. Bekhira - "Gas the Christ" (from "Demo '96", 1996) [submitted by Karl]

14. Autrest - "Ruins of the Lost" (from "Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

15. Together to the Stars - "Gravity Eater" (from "The Fragile Silence", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]

16. Bethlehem - "Verheißung - Du Krone des Todeskultes" (from "Dictius te necare", 1996)

15. Spiter - "Transylvanian Night" (from "Bathe the Babe in Bats' Blood", 2022)

16. Swordmaster - "Wraths of Time" (from "Wraths of Time", 1995)

17. Helheim - "Dualitet og ulver" (from "Heiðindómr ok mótgang", 2011)

18. Panopticon - "The Echoes of a Disharmonic Evensong" (from "Roads to the North", 2014)

Here's my review:

I think it was possibly Knife’s debut album from 2021 which would mark the last time a speed/thrash metal record showed enough vigour and intensity to make me stop and take notice. For all the talk of regurgitation of old ideas, themes, styles and genres in modern metal, it is the likes of Vulture who give me the assurance that, if done well enough, the old-school can be worshipped and not come off as simple plagiarism. Whereas their fellow countrymen in Knife deploy a blackened edge to proceedings, Vulture are all about the shrieking, banshee wailing style of speed metal that you would associate with the likes of Razor or Exciter. Perhaps bordering on the power metal elements of Agent Steel also along the way, these Dortmund residents certainly know how to wear their influences on their sleeves.

Above all else, Sentinels is fun. It’s 80’s horror flick style album cover perhaps denotes a band with serious intent and I am not intimating for one minute that Vulture are a goofy band, more that they approach their art with a genuine enthusiasm, a passion that bleeds into their music. Leads soar over galloping riffs, vocals pierce the ears of anyone within a mile radius, yelled from lungs that swell with pride as they sing each lyric, and all the while the drums “thunk” along in the background. Never coming across as having much in the way of venom or bite, the drums are the most understated instrument on the record, to my ears at least. However, this is not necessarily a criticism as I think the production job does the sound real justice overall. Clean without being overproduced, the album has an atmosphere of a band playing live almost.

This is not my first venture into Vulture. I gave their 2019 album, Ghastly Waves & Battered Graves a four-star rating back in August of that same year, and I find Sentinels to be in the same ballpark of the ratings, albeit that I sense a step up in quality of musicianship, certainly in the leads department at least. I am not a massive fan of the hi-pitched vocals that are used here, although my tolerance of them during my listen through of this record was surprisingly good. It is the fiery riffs and blinding leads that reign supreme over the record for me though. The inclusion of an instrumental at track seven seems a bit of an odd choice if I am honest, and I struggle to fight the feeling that it is little more than filler, despite its best efforts.

Leave me with tracks such as the rampant ‘Death Row’ and I am much happier though. In fact, the section of the album that follows ‘Der Tod trägt schwarzes Leder’ is probably the stronger part for me. There certainly feels like an uptick in the quality for me over this backend of the record at least. Keep flying the flag for the old school fellas, it is appreciated.

3.5/5

Got on to this tonight and there's some good stuff on here again  Great tribute to Tomas, I had no idea he was in Lock Up until tonight.  Fuck the Facts and Ecchymosis were a real treat and I will be checking out both albums off the back of this list.  Glad to see my favourite Brujeria release represented as well.

Never been a fan of Fallujah really but that track was okay actully, but that Warmen track got skipped more or less as soon as those keys started (sorry Andi).  Highlight of the list was without question that Replicant track, I am already familiar wih that album, and think it is a bonafide banger.  Good to see Abhorrence in there as well as something obscure in Byatis. Not so much a fan of Vale of Pnath it should be said.

I should probably get more organised in this respect too. I keep making mental notes to check out bands or releases from the playlists and then I just forget who or what, so probably end up missing out on a ton of good stuff.

I have been spinning this a few times this week and I am yet to make it through a full sitting in one go as I keep putting it on when I climb into bed and then fall asleep (more of a reflection on how quickly I drift off when I hit the hay as opposed to any scourge on the entertainment value of the record).  What I do like about it is how it captures the violence of black metal and yet still is able to shroud it in that atmospheric hue that we have all come to know and expect of Wintherr (which differs from how Sonny hears it - which is what makes the reviews here so interesting for me, how different people perceive records and hear different things is fascinating to me).

I recently got back in the BC thang after a hiatus.  Daniel has covered most of what I was going to say, however I like it stillas a platform for all music and have made some good idscoveries over the years by browsing other users collections.  My collection can be located below.

https://bandcamp.com/stiffncold

Quoted Vinny

Yeah, I have had a bit of a hiatus from BC for a while too and have only just got back into using it. It isn't just the "ethical" side of it, I do actually like it as a music platform. The only real bugbear is that browsing your collection if it is of any size, particularly on a tablet, can be awfully time consuming. Of course there is always the search function, but sometimes I like to just spool through and pick something out on a whim.

This weekend I have bought:

Raphael Weinroth-Browne - "Lifeblood" CD

Abduction - "Existentialismus" vinyl LP

Arkhaaik - "Uihtis" CD (postage from Germany made the vinyl LP £45, so I ended up going for the cheaper alternative because I ain't made of money).

Great album. As I said in my own review, I think the cleaner, modern production job allows the listener to really get under the hood of war metal, better than the muddy and often messy production of the genre's earlier classics. ASM's best to date.

I'm well across this release & have been meaning to give it a revisit & rating at some point.

Making the most of my day working from home, as well as getting through The Fallen playlist, I also ploughed on through The North one as well.

A bit more of a challenging listen for me this one once Sühnopfer kicked in and then Waidelotte too.  I actually sat through the Deafhaven track without skipping it, but it was not my most comfortable moment.

Thankfully the likes of Gorgoroth, Primordial, Krallice, Emperor and Satyricon kept me focused.

I got through this today whilst working from home.  Strong list this month, one of my favourite ones of recent months.

Highlights were, Thou, Yob, Alunah, Black Sheep Wall, Monolord and Worm.

I am still on the fence with the new Paradise Lost tracks and could not get my head around the vocals on Mourning Dawn.  But otherwise had a good ole time listening through this month.

This issue has raised its head on a new list today, to the point where it has rendered the list unusable with multiple duplicate entries. The final entry was triplicated and there were 7 other entries duplicated out of only 50 entries. Deleting and re-adding didn't work, so in the end I have just deleted it altogether.

In saying that, I don't believe that metal is less conducive to absolute garbage than other genres. In fact, the bottom end of my ratings database if littered with metal filth, most of it being far worse than Justin Bieber. 

Me as well.   I've got quite a few metal albums ranked at 0/100, including Attila's Fallacy and the two Thrash Queen albums.  Metal's some incredible stuff, but sometimes somebody puts out something that only manages to be an embarrassment to it's genre.  Hell, that's the only reason to check out Psycho Synner or Keydragon.

Yeah, genre fatigue can be a very real thing sometimes. I have had a similar crisis of faith with traditional doom metal, where every album begins to sound the same after a while with all the newer acts just trying to rip-off the classics in the hope that some of the magic rubs off on them, but it rarely does. I am not one of those people who constantly needs bands to push the boundaries, but sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. One of the reasons I am so enthused about Darkthrone's recent doomy efforts is that they are producing something I am eminently familiar with, but in an uncompromised and genuine way that sets them apart from the crowd who are climbing over the legacy of better acts and each other in an attempt to get noticed. 

The automated bots don't succeed in actually creating an account here as it would have to select clans during the process. We've only ever had a small amount of successful fake users created and I'm convinced it's done manually (as in a person actually bothered the manually create the account for the purpose). Anyway, I've deleted the user and review. It just takes a bit to disappear off the front page.

Thanks Ben. Once more your dedication is admirable.

I agree with the sentiment that personal context is massively important to how we as individuals perceive a release, which is why I will always take Blizzard of Ozz over Diary of a Madman. Blizzard was massively important to me at the time as an indication that Ozzy was going to be OK after leaving Sabbath, whereas Diary was just another album amongst a plethora of stuff coming out during the NWOBHM that felt fresher and more exciting than what the old guard could muster.

Next Horde playlist will be October, so suggestions by 15th September please.

Fitting tribute Sonny

I tend to agree with you Vinny. I've never been much of a fan of "Noregs vaapen" & don't think any of Taake's subsequent full-lengths are a match for their first three full-lengths to be honest.

I think you'll find that if you've already rated a release & then add a review to it then it'll maintain the original date & won't be pushed onto the main page. Could that be the case here Rex? To get around that you need to delete your rating before posting your review.

Ah.  Okay.

Really nice playlist. I've listened through this a few times mainly while working, so can't really do a song by song review. I only knew just overe half of it, so was great to hear some new bands. I've got to say I really enjoy the playlist aspect of the site - I've already listened to one from the Horde and the Revolution clans.

The one that really jumped out at me was Mares of Thrace - "The Fifth Stage: Depression" (from "The Loss", 2025) and the album was promptly added onto my to listen to list. I loved the clanging drums and vocals on this one. It appealed to my love of post-hardcore and noise rock and I guess the sound makes sense as I noticed that Thérèse Lanz was briefly a member of KEN mode. Great stuff. 

Yeah, that is a great track. I am glad to see the band finally gaining some traction.

So as we drag ourselves out, blinking blindly, into the summer sun it has rolled around to my turn once more to nominate the monthly feature for The Fallen. This time around I am going to go with those tripped-out pachyderms from Greece, Acid Mammoth and their 2021 album "Caravan". I would love to hear what you think of it either below or in review format - don't be shy now!

https://metal.academy/releases/26626

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Sw9mEcyXo1pGyFHR3znLT

1. Bathory - "Enter the Eternal Fire" (from "Under the Sign of the Black Mark", 1987) [submitted by Sonny]

2. Norrhem - "Teräsmyrskyssä" (from "Aurinko ja teräs", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

3. Enthroned - "Deny the Holy Book of Lies" (from "Prophecies of Pagan Fire", 1995) [submitted by Karl]

4. Trespasser - "To the Barricades!" (from "Чому не вийшло?", 2018) [submitted by Sonny]

5. Immortal - "Storming Through Red Clouds and Holocaustwinds" (from "Pure Holocaust", 1993) [submitted by Karl]

6. Varathron - "Unholy Funeral" (from "His Majesty at the Swamp", 1993) [submitted by Karl]

7. Enslaved - "Lifandi liv undir hamri" (from "Vikingligr veldi", 1994) [submitted by Sonny]

8. Regnum Noricum - "Aminata Muscaria" (from "Lost Legacy", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

9. Groza - "Dysthymian Dreams" (from "Nadir", 2024) [submitted by Saxy]

10. Shylmagoghnar - "A New Dawn" (from "Emergence", 2014) [submitted by Andi]

11. Häxkapell - "Metamorfos" (from "Om jordens blod och urgravens grepp", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

12. Mystifier - "The Baphometic Goat of Knights Templar in the 12th Century" (from "Göetia", 1993) [submitted by Karl]

13. Niden Div. 187 - "A View in the Mirror Black" (from "Impergium", 1997) [submitted by Karl]

14. Lycopolis - "Lord of the Necropolis" (from "The Procession", 2021) [submitted by Sonny]

15. Mortuary Drape - "Evil Death" (from "Secret Sudaria", 1997) [submitted by Karl]

16. Void of Hope - "The Hollow Hymn" (from "Proof of Existence", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

17. Deathspell Omega - "Wings of Predation" (from "Paracletus", 2010) [submitted by Sonny]

18. Summoning - "Beyond Bloodred Horizons" (from "Lugburz", 1995) [submitted by Karl]

19. Malokarpatan - "Ve starém mlyne čerti po nocách mariáš hrávajú" (from "Nordkarpatenland", 2017) [submitted by Sonny]

20. Moonsorrow - "Pimeä" (from "Verisäkeet", 2005)

Next playlist due September 2025

Ripper are yet another of the superb thrash acts hailing from the Santiago / Valpairiso area of Chile, forming in 2007 and still going strong. That said, the lineup that recorded 2016's Experiment of Existence is very different to today's with only band founder, guitarist and vocalist, Patricio Spalinger, remaining. The entire album was written by bassist Pablo Cortés who departed in 2019 and is now to be found in death metal acts, Suppression and Ancient Crypts. As is fairly typical for the chilean thrash scene, Experiment of Existence is very tightly performed and especially aggressive deaththrash that captures the essence of something like Seven Churches, but with more ambitious songwriting and a greater emphasis on technical skill.

One thing you may have come to expect when you spin a chilean thrash album is that you are gonna get some killer thrash riffs along with electrifying soloing thrills and Experiment of Existence certainly doesn't disappoint with Ripper delivering in spades. One particular area where the chileans excel though is in the rhythm department and, again, Ripper tick that box too. Drummer Nicolás Villanueva, who was also sticksman for another favourite of mine, Parkcrest, is an excellent thrash drummer with a powerful and busy style that never misses a beat and his timekeeping drives the tracks at considerable velocity throughout. As I mentioned earlier, bassist Pablo Cortés wrote the album and this may be one of the reasons for the prominence of his driving and fairly complex basslines although, in truth, a prominent bass presence in the mix is yet another telltale sign of the modern chilean thrash scene. Patricio Spalinger's vocals are are of a vemomously ascerbic style that sounds like it takes a lot from Chuck Schuldiner's influence.

So, basically, Ripper have reached back to one of the most interesting times in metal's development as thrash was inexorably metamorphosing into death metal and given it a modern makeover with generally better production values and technical competence whilst never losing sight of what made those times so exciting in the first place. The tightness of the performance is a testament to the four guys' ability and you will be hard-pressed to find a metaphorical musical hair out of place here. Experiment of Existence is a triumph of high velocity, aggressive and muscular thrash metal that proves that thrash didn't die in the 90's - it just moved south!

4.5/5

[Apologies as it appears that this isn't on Spotify. I caught up with it on Bandcamp and have ordered a CD from Discogs so I don't have to bend over backwards next time I want to give it a spin.]

My death metal band Neuropath was originally called Coprophagia which is the condition you have if you eat feces.

This month it falls to me to nominate the feature for The Horde and I have gone with a recent discovery which is the 2011 debut album, "Harsh Realities", from Finnish grindcore crew Death Toll 80k. Twenty-three tracks in 25 minutes gives you an idea of what to expect.

If you do check it out then we would love to hear your thoughts, either down below or as a review (or both!)

https://metal.academy/releases/12145

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0R0a3qxSe1XkOMxBN6gkwi

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)

Finally got round to a review of this:

I already expressed my love for 2018's The Incubus of Karma by Mournful Congregation in my earlier review on Metal Academy, so it was with a hopeful spring in my step that I ventured into this month’s feature release. It is fair to say that my previous positive experience was instantly replicated as I started to listen to The Exuviae of Gods: Part II. This is instantly recognizable as funeral doom, of course. However, there’s a shrouded light implicit in the songs of Mournful Congregation that at first glance was unexpected the last time around and I am pleased to say is still present now. All the oppressive, crushing elements are lined up here on this macabre and morose parade. The deathly plod you would expect from a funeral doom release continues to trudge at an agonisingly slow pace towards the inevitable end. Still, I cannot shake that flicker of sharp light that Is burning at the centre of all that murk.

There is an odd sense of comfort that I take from good funeral doom, and this release has made for great bedtime listening to drag me off into the land of nod on a few occasions now. Whilst it is a little too short to truly encapsulate many of the great things that I heard in 2018’s offering, in a way that is okay as there is still a distinct sense of fulfilment from the thirty-nine minutes that the three songs run over. The harrowing and punishing repetition never become arduous or boring, indeed it seems to help tracks grow in stature as it repeats. I believe this is successful because once again Mournful Congregation display a real penchant for songwriting of the highest quality. Just as with my comment on The Incubus of Karma, The Exuviae of Gods: Part II continues to grow those strong roots of songwriting prowess. These tacks aren’t just long, they are nurtured, they are grown, cultivated into their optimal form.

The melancholic melodies of the guitar on ‘The Forbidden Abysm’ genuinely moved me to the point of welling up tears in my eyes. It is such a sudden burst of despondency that it caught my completely off-guard. There is a limitless patience to how the drums are played on this track. It would have been easy to lose them in the mix against the backdrop of the relentless wall of riffs and dense atmospheres present here, yet there is no loss of power to the work Tim Call puts in. Some of the picked string work is exquisite, with the intro to the final track 'The Paling Crest' being of note. It is this sense of pacing and build that keeps the release interesting for the whole duration. There is little in the way of criticism, other than to say it needs perhaps a little more bite to really keep things entertaining. However, once again, Mournful Congregation cement themselves as true masters of funeral doom, with a knack for songwriting that few I have experienced can touch. My only regret is not having listened to Part I.

4.5/5

I appreciate the respect, Vinny, but I also understand that my view of this probably isn't going to be typical. It has special meaning for me, as does anyone's truly special records, because of a specific time and set of circumstances that give it an emotional resonance that nobody else would attach to it. So if that means your honest opinion is to give it a slating then I wouldn't be even remotely offended or upset.

I may be wrong and this may be the fading fancy of an aging metalhead who looks nostalgically upon the comradeship of bygone days, but I suspect that sort of emotional attachment has been almost eradicated by streaming and online interaction. The general quick turnover of music and the fragmentation of music as a social glue between groups of friends doesn't really allow for it. Attachment to particular records is probably more to do with whether the music especially resonates with the listener on a personal level rather than from  the human relationships it brings into focus.I

Playing a tape of something like Give 'Em Hell on a welsh hillside with a close group of mates, drinking, smoking and generally having a brilliant, stress-free time after a week of working shitty jobs, gave said music a resonance I have never really felt replicated in the internet era where the sheer quantity of music consumed is staggering. If this is still happening out there, with whatever music and in whatever way, then I for one am glad, but fear it is not the typical experience for most music fans anymore and that is much sadder.

Sorry I seem to have gone off on one a bit there...

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2rSh9MnfQo9HmPLo2W5MBa

1. Windhand - "Winter Sun" (from "Windhand", 2012) [submitted by Sonny]

2. Year of the Cobra - "Full Sails" (from "Year of the Cobra", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

3. Pentagram - "Walk The Sociopath" (from "Lightning in a Bottle", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

4. Black Bile - "L'Oratoire" (from "L'Oratoire", 2023) [submitted by Vinny]

5. Deathwhite - "Earthtomb" (from "Grey Everlasting", 2022) [submitted by Saxy]

6. Ahab - "The Isle" (from "The Boats of the Glen Carrig", 2015) [submitted by Sonny]

7. Temple Nightside - "Charnel Winds" (from "The Hecatomb", 2016) [submitted by Sonny]

8. Cough - "Mind Collapse" (from "Ritual Abuse", 2010) [submitted by Sonny]

9. Kowloon Walled City - "Sleep Debt" (from "Gambling on the Richter Scale", 2009) [submitted by Vinny]

10. Onirophagus - "Landsickness" (from "Revelations from the Void", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

11. Morast - "On Pyre" (from "Fentanyl", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

12. The Lone Madman - "Häxan" (from "Let the Night Come", 2019) [submitted by Sonny]

13. Mael Mórdha - "King of the English" (from "Damned When Dead", 2013)

14. Cradle of Filth - "When Misery Was A Stranger" (from "The Screaming of the Valkyries", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

15. -16- - "Blood Atonement Blues" (from "Guides for the Misguided", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

16. Abysmal Growls of Despair - "Nyarlathotep" (from "Lovecraftian Drone", 2014)

The next Fallen playlist will be for August, so suggestions by 15th July please (or, preferably, sooner).

I have done a couple of listens through to this and although I get the talent and the direction, it just doesn’t work for me.  For a start, the songs are too long and have far too much to say over their duration.  As a result they feel like a collection of ideas moulded (although not forcibly so) into whole songs.  I find myself losing interest pretty quickly to be honest and then I get snapped back into the room by a more beautiful or interesting moment.  I even tried the bedtime black metal trick, where I sit in bed with headphones on and listen to something in the dark, yet this still didn’t keep me present with the album.

I like my folk music now and again (in fact, increasingly so of late) but I almost just want this to be all folk or all black metal really.  As I say, clearly a talent, but not one that is resonating with me.

2/5

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

As it is my turn to nominate this month's feature for The Pit I have gone with an album I enjoyed a fair bit at the time, but which I haven't listened to in a while. That is Minneapolis thrashers Antiverse's 2018 album "Under the Regolith". Let us know what you think of it below.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Sw9mEcyXo1pGyFHR3znLT?si=e1f1eac0cfee4656

1. Satyricon - "Du som hater gud" (from "Nemesis Divina", 1996) [submitted by Karl]

2. Desaster - "In the Ban of Satan's Sorcery" (from "Hellfire's Dominion", 1998) [submitted by Sonny]

3. Kvist - "Stupet" (from "For kunsten maa vi evig vike", 1996) [submitted by Vinny]

4. Emperor - "Night of the Graveless Souls" (from "Emperor", 1993) [submitted by Karl]

5. Satanic Warmaster - "Harken the Bells of Damnation" (from "Exultation of Cruelty", 2024) [submitted by Vinny]

6. Dawn - "Sorrow Flew on Black Wings" (from "Sorgh på svarte vingar fløgh", 1996) [submitted by Karl]

7. Primordial - "The Mouth of Judas" (from "Redemption at the Puritan's Hand, 2011) [submitted by Sonny]

8. Oubliette - "Desolate Path" (from "Eternity Whispers", 2024) [submitted by Saxy S]

9. Stormlord - "Under the Samnites' Spears" (from At the Gates of Utopia, 2001) [submitted by Andi]

10. Black Witchery - "Barbarism Domination" (from "Inferno of Sacred Destruction", 2010) [submitted by Sonny]

11. Revenge - "Revelation Emaciated (Chalice Abominate)" (from "Violation.Strife.Abominate", 2025) [submitted by Sonny]

12. Ungfell - "Im Ruusch" (from "De Ghörnt", 2024) [submitted by Vinny]

13. Sorcier des Glaces - "The Winter Nightsky" (from "Snowland", 1998) [submitted by Karl]

14. Saor - "Glen of Sorrow" (from "Amidst the Ruins", 2025)

15. møl - "Jord" (from "Jord", 2018)

16. Majestic Mass - "Sanguine Dreams of Lust" (from "Savage Empire of Death", 2018)

17. Ieschure - "Cold Stars of Eternity" (from "Cold Stars of Eternity" EP, 2020) [submitted by Sonny]

18. Inferi (ARG) - "Marked with Our Ancestors Blood" (from "The Awakening of the Black Hordes", 2005) [submitted by Karl]

19. Ruïm - "Fall of Seraphs" (from "Black Royal Spiritism - I - O Sino da lgreja", 2023) [submitted by Vinny]

20. Demoncy - "Risen from the Ancient Ruins" (from "Empire of the Fallen Angel: Eternal Black Dominion", 2015) [submitted by Karl]

21. Helheim - "raunijaR" (from "raunijaR", 2015)

Doom Metal 101 #4: Trouble - S/T (Psalm 9) (1984)

Like Saint Vitus, Trouble formed in 1978, but also like their californian counterparts they didn't release their debut album until 1984. In fact Vitus' and Trouble's self-titled debuts were only released a month apart, with "Saint Vitus" issuing forth in February and "Trouble" (later retitiled "Psalm 9") following in March. Preceeding the album, the track "Assassin" was released as a single, backed by a doomy cover of Cream's "Tales of Brave Ulysses", which was decent enough, although Eric Wagner does struggle with some of the higher registers. "Assassin" was chosen as the lead single, I suspect, because of its strong resemblance to NWOBHM stalwarts Diamond Head in an attempt to garner some traction with the fans of the english heavy metallers.

Trouble are well-known for their Christian-themed lyrics but, in all honesty, I never realised this for the longest time because the lyrical content doesn't affect the darkness of the music at all. Their beliefs don't become that apparent until you actually sit down and go over the lyric sheet. The preachiness and happy-clappy demeanour of so many Christian-themed acts was something that Trouble managed to avoid, concentrating more on the music and less on converting the long-haired masses of young metalheads who comprised their prospective audience. This is a band equally at home pouring vitriol on unfeeling leaders with lyrics like "Come on people, let me hear you say, You fuckin' Bastards, you're gonna pay" as they are beseeching their lord for mercy with "I will praise thee O Lord, I will sing praise in thy name, Don't forget the cry of the humble, Have mercy on me".

Instrumentally, "Trouble" has quite a clean and well-produced sound, much more akin to Black Sabbath than the grimy grittiness of Saint Vitus' more distorted and downtuned debut. The band also employ a wider variation of pacing than is often encountered within the context of orthodox doom metal, but make no bones about it, when they want to, they are more than capable of bringing the doom. Despite their penchant for traditional metal-paced riffs, the downtuned and distorted guitar sound often makes the material feel slower and doomier than maybe it actually is. As well as varying the pacing from track to track they are also apt to change the velocity of the riffs within a given track, such as on the opener, "The Tempter," where, after an ominous tympanic intro, the riff crawls unctiously from the speaker and Eric Wagner intones a warning from satan himself before the band change up a gear and kick into a riff Angel Witch would have been proud of as the forces of good rally themselves. This then alternates with the slow, crawling riff as The Tempter tries his powers of pursuasion on man and quickens again when The Good resist. There is even a rocking, bluesy riff accompanying the guitar solo after the second verse, typifying a diversity that more doom-centric releases may lack. That said though, when they embrace a doomier, darker side, such as on "Victim of the Insane" then they are perfectly capable of conjuring up as sinister and ominous an atmosphere as anyone.

Vocalist Eric Wagner is, of course, a legendary name within doom metal circles, although I am sure his vocal style isn't to everyone's taste. Sure, he does sound like a strangled cat occasionally, but, similarly to Scott Reagers on Saint Vitus debut, his higher-pitched style does act as an effective counter and contrast to the low-tuned guitar and bass assault of the riffs. Unconventionally pleasing and technically restricted vocals, of which Wagner's are a solid example, have long since become the norm within doom metal circles and Wagner, Reagers and company, in the spirit of Ozzy Osbourne, were a big factor in that.

I cannot claim that I hold Trouble's debut up as an absolute top-drawer traditional doom metal release as, in all honesty, it doesn't commit enough to the doom aesthetic for me, despite showing promise with the likes of "Victim of the Insane". There are also a couple of clunkers among the tracklisting, with "Revelation (Life or Death)" and the instrumental "Endtime" in particular just not sounding coherent enough within the context of the rest of the album. That said, there is enough quality elsewhere to provide a really solid listening experience and this is ultimately an album that further bridges the gap between traditional heavy metal and doom metal proper and as such deserves the time and respect of all doom metal fans.

4/5

My review is short and sweet, like the EP itself (well, maybe not so sweet!):

Morbid were a death/thrash/black metal band from Sweden who never had an official release before splitting in 1988, a couple of it's members going on to form Entombed (guitarist Ulf Cederlund and drummer Lars-Göran Petrov who was vocalist for Entombed). This demo is (in)famous for featuring legendary Mayhem vocalist Dead and features four tracks with a runtime of 17 minutes. I have loved this from the very first time I heard it, so much so that I managed to get a copy of the Reaper Records 2000 version a couple of years ago that set me back a ridiculous amount, but I felt it was worth it. It's death metal is very thrashy in execution and, mainly because of Dead's contribution, has quite a black metal sound, at least vocally. The production is very good for a demo, there is a hefty bottom end to it that contributes to the deathliness of the riffs and the playing itself is very good indeed with the band sounding like an inordinately tight outfit for a bunch of guys who had only been together a couple of years and had never put out a studio album. The songs are brilliant and easily rival the early stuff from the German thrashers on whom a lot of their material seems to be based. Similarly to the Poison demo this is probably more important to the black metal historian than the death metal antiquarian but either way it is a fantastic snapshot of a band who I wish could have produced more because if they were this good on a demo then we can only guess how fucking great they could have been had they put out a proper album or two.

“Information is not knowledge.

Knowledge is not wisdom.

Wisdom is not truth.

Truth is not beauty.

Beauty is not love.

Love is not music.

Music is THE BEST.”

― Frank Zappa