dk's Forum Replies

Your review of Ὁπλίτης - "Παραμαινομένη" (2024) really got me interested. I have never heard anything by this outfit before. Sometimes when I listen to new music I get to thinking what would a younger version of myself have thought of something like this. I'm not sure if he would have got on with it at all - there would have been too much going on, it was too dissonant, there were too many changes or rhythms, there was too much sax (let's blame the early 80s and Kenny G for that). Now with ears closer to 60 than 50 this is what really appeals to me, I devour those changes of pace, the dissonance, the sax and the experimental nature of it. I wonder if there is some sort of medical explanation as to why my older ears appreciate this so much, or maybe in the intervening years I have experienced so much more music from different genres that I can appreciate music like this much better. Either way this was an easy 4/5 on first listen and I can only see it improving on further listens. Love it. 

Without your review I'd probably never have stumbled on this - cheers.

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. 

Way back in 88, John Peel played 3 songs from 3 different SubPop singles in a row, Big Cheese by Nirvana, Trapped by Swallow and Sweet Young Thing Aint Sweet No More by Mudhoney. It didn't have the name grunge back then (or I may have been unaware of it), but this was the dirty guitar sound that I was looking for at that time. I have the Glitterhouse version of Superfuzz Bigmuff EP from 88, that opens with Touch me I'm Sick which is a better opener than the SubPop version, and for me this EP is the sound of grunge along with Bleach and the debut Tad album. I love every bit of it , but especially the opener and the epic closing tune In 'n' Out of Grace. I saw them touring the EP (supporting Sonic Youth who were on the Daydream Nation tour) at Strathclyde University and they were as electric as you imagined. I'm not sure they bettered this EP and the earlier singles, but for me this is a nostalgic 5/5.

Here's my suggestions in case I forget by August.

Black Shape of Nexus – “IV” (from "Black Shape of Nexus", 2012) 

Nadja – “The” (from “Guilted by the Sun EP”, 2007) 

Conan – “Violence Dimension” (from “Violence Dimension”, 2025) 

Stormcrow – “Path to Defeat” (from “Stormcrow/Coffins Split EP”, 2010)

Amazingly, if I have added it up correctly this comes to exactly 35 minutes.

I don't think I can add too much more over what Sonny and Vinny have said above.

I gave this a 4/5 on first listen and have listened through a number of times now.

This is a strong album treading the line between death doom and funeral doom with some lovely lead melody that gives some air between the pounding riffs and vocals. There's definitely a sense of sadness there but tinged with hope. But there is something there that is stopping me going higher than the 4 that I can't quite put my finger on or explain.  A very good album still 4/5. Maybe it's one of those that will creep up to 4.5 over time.

Spine of God is probably my favourite Monster Magnet album, I have the CD somewhere. It's very consistent front to back. I have it rated at 4/5 as well. Great cover too.

I had a listen through of the playlist and really enjoyed it. I think I had only heard of 5 or so bands included, but some of the other songs sounded familiar and perhaps I have heard them before, eg, The Autumn Offering, but I don't recall the name. I can't give song by song thoughts, as I was listening when I was supposed to be concentrating on work ;-)

I probably enjoyed the second half more, but that may be because that was where the bands I knew came up. I've noted some of the others down to explore.

Some of my favourites

God Forbid - "Nothing" from Determination (2001)

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

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

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

Carnifex - "Dead but Dreaming" from Until I Feel Nothing (2011) 

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

Rolo Tomassi - "Party Wounds" from Cosmology (2010)

Car Bomb - "M6" from Centralia (2007)

The Amity Affliction - "Stairway to Hell" from Severed Ties (2008) 

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

I've just completed rating the covers of all the albums that I have rated here. I did have a look at this before throwing myself into rating. On completion it appears that many of your criteria I agree with apart from maybe logo.

It appears I don't mind if the logo appears. In fact, I much prefer it to a badly placed logo or title or a title where there doesn't appear to have been much consideration about the placement or font used. I like the fact that some bands were brave enough to hide part of the logo behind the image rather than just pasting it on top of the image. "Number of the Beast" is an example that springs to mind, but there were others as I was going through the process.

I'm not sure if others did this as well, but there were some covers images that looked (well, just kind of OK) on screen, but I knew the physical copy looked so much better Boris with Merzbow Rock Dream with the cut out cover and Yob's The Great Cessation with the shiny silver Logo as two examples that come to mind, there were others.

Anyway, covers have always appealed to me, but I had never thought of rating them - this was a really nice addition to the site.

Hvile I Kaos - Lower Order Manifestations (2025)

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

Quoted Vinny

Nice tip Vinny. I have listened to this a couple of times. I'm not sure I would find it conducive to a peaceful slumber - but it's great stuff. I gave it a 4/5 as well, probably just over 4, not quite reaching 4.5 status (maybe on more listenings)

Now Playing

Alessandro Stefano - "Alessandro "Asso" Stefana" (2024)

One of my favourites and probably most played from last year. Ambient Americana from Italian multi-instrumentalist that repurposes the voice of Appalachian folk musician, Roscoe Holcomb. Produced by PJ Harvey and on Mike Patton's Ipecac imprint. The first 5 tracks are laid back, soothing americana invoking images of the desert and lonesome highways, then Holcomb's haunting voice from the past come in for 3 tracks before ending with the longest and most ambient tracks on the album. It's when Holcomb's vice comes in from nowhere on track 6 that really make this album for me, and is a surprise on each listen.

4.5/5

How about these 3, if they don't fit let me know. Just over 25 minutes, I picked the shortest of the wolvserpent songs from the album.

Saint Vitus – Trail of Pestilence from Die Healing (1995) 

Wolvserpent - Within the Light of Fire from Perigaea Antahkarana (2013) 

5ive – Gulls from Hesperus (2008) 

I have found myself really missing messing around with The Fallen playlist on a regular basis, so I am going back to compiling it monthly, starting with July. As main co-contributor, Vinny, if you want to post any suggestions before the end of the weekend then that is cool. Any non-clan members may make one suggestion each, again before the end of the weekend. David, if you want to contribute with any suggestions as a clan member let me know and I will spell out the deal.

So, going forward I will be compiling two playlists a month with the Fallen playlist being issued every month and the Horde and North playlists alternating. July is the turn of the North, so The Horde will be August, the North September and so on. 

Thanks folks...

I'm interested. Let me know what the rules are for submissions either here or by PM. Is there a song length limit for instance? In the meantime, I'll have a look through the past playlist tracklistings.

Current Top 10 Funeral Doom Metal albums, obviously subject to changes. There's not a whole lot between this 10 and the others just below.

1. Esoteric – Metamorphogenesis (1999)

2. Bell Witch - Mirror Reaper (2017)

3. Evoken - A Caress of the Void (2007)

4. Ahab - The Call of the Wretched Sea (2006)

5. Esoteric - The Maniacal Vale (2008)

6. Bell Witch - Four Phantoms (2015)

7. Ataraxie - Le déclin (2024)

8. Thergothon - Stream From the Heavens (1994)

9. Evoken - Antithesis of Light (2005)

10. Mournful Congregation - The Incubus of Karma (2018)

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

Wolvserpent - Perigaea Antahkarana (2013)

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

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

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

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

4.5/5

Following up my Top 10 with my first review.

Black Boned Angel - Verdun (2009)

Campbell Kneale is a pivotal figure in the New Zealand drone/noise scene and has released numerous albums under the Birchville Cat Motel and Our Love Will Destroy the World monickers. Black Boned Angel is his drone metal trio. Verdun is the bands fourth full length album that takes on providing a soundtrack the longest and most devastating battle in World War 1.

Verdun is a single 50+ minute song split into 3 distinct parts (the 3 parts are available on the CD and digital release, the vinyl version contained the first and the third movement). Part 1 (Prayer Sodden Holes) has a sombre, ominous sound with repetitive riffs and drums underlayered with feedback that leads into a brief respite during the mellow(er) part 2 (Tears Strike the Mile High Gong) before the terrifying climax of looped choirs and a cacophony of noise, feedback and the sound of war of part 3 (Creeping Barrage). It’s the sound of desolation, hopelessness, anticipation, terror and fear.

Black Boned Angel are no more. In an interview on the inarguable, Kneale stated that “The grand-scale, crushing, sadness that is plastered all over those records was actually real for me and I can't live that way anymore.” And you can hear it all on Verdun – my favourite drone metal album.

As good a place as any to start. I said in my introduction that drone metal was my route back into metal after listening to lots of drone/noise such as  New Zealander Campbell Kneale's Birchville Cat Motel. His drone metal outfit tops my drone metal Top 10 and has done for some time. I have the vinyl version that includes two songs, the CD version and the one on youtube contains an extra track in the middle. Not on spotify. Maybe if I get a bit of time I can work up a review of this one.

Top 10

01. Black Boned Angel – Verdun (2009)

02. Earth - Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version (1993)

03. Sunn O))) – “Monoliths & Dimensions” (2009)

04. Sunn O))) – “Black One” (2005)

05. Nadja – Guilted by the Sun (2007)

06. Boris - Boris at Last -Feedbacker- (2003)

07. Wolvserpent - Aporia:Kāla:Ananta (2016)

08. Bismuth - The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef (2018)

09. Boris - Amplifier Worship (1998)

10. Earth - Extra-Capsular Extraction (1991)

Thank you all for the welcome and advice. I'm generally happy with the clans I have joined - just wanted to point out that I probably don't consider myself any type of expert of any of them, but have interests across the board. A kind of Jack of All Trades, Master of None type of thing.