Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

Of Mice & Men return to the metalcore heaviness of The Flood in Earthandsky, and this is the ultimate standout of the album:

A nu metal standout jam-packed with growls and violence, not too far off from the likes of Slipknot and Linkin Park:

Restoring Force has a more diverse mature direction for the band, but their metalcore roots are still hitting high in this relatable highlight...

...And this bonus track from the Full Circle reissue:

The Flood is where Of Mice & Men's journey really begins as a huge step from their post-hardcore debut with absolutely heavy fury in highlights like this one...

...And this one from their more brutal bonus CD in the reissue. What a shame this track didn't end up in the main album:

Of Mice & Men's self-titled 2010 debut is nothing more than a post-hardcore album with barely any of the metalcore/alt-metal in subsequent albums. In saying that, there are a couple tracks in the album that I enjoy and they qualify for this thread. This one, written in memory of unclean vocalist Austin Carlile's mother who passed from a aneurysm induced by Marfan Syndrome, takes on the melodic metalcore of his previous band Attack Attack!, specifically that band's debut Someday Came Suddenly, albeit without the autotune and trance-y dance-y synths:

And this one is closer to the standard metalcore of their next album The Flood, having some vibes from 2000s A Day to Remember and The Ghost Inside here and there:

Last year, Dragoncorpse united deathcore and power metal together at ease. This year, Jeris Johnson showed the world that melodic metalcore, power metal, and medieval folk can co-exist with each other in this fun tune. If this single had its own clans, they would be both The Guardians and The Revolution, maybe enough folk for The North.

I've never really listened to a lot of EDM, but long ago, shortly before I first became interested in metal, there were a couple electronic music artists that I liked a few songs from:

The Prodigy (breakbeat) - "Firestarter", "Invaders Must Die", "Omen"

Skrillex (dubstep) - "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites", "First of the Year (Equinox)", "Bangarang", "Cinema" (remix of Benny Benassi song)

Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/53FqDTxE8FwmPEIqppLCpC

Fun fact: Skrillex (real name: Sonny Moore) was the lead vocalist of post-hardcore band From First to Last for the first two albums before he left the band to become a dubstep DJ. I've recently listened to and reviewed their metalcore album Dead Trees, though in that album, the lead vocalist is Spencer Sotelo from Periphery.

I have taken a quick look at your ratings. If you'd like to stick with the genres you're already familiar with, then it's a tie between The Pit and The Guardians. If you'd like to try something different and follow your wife's footsteps, The Sphere is a good option. I used to not like industrial metal, but then I found a lot of interesting stuff from that genre as well, and it eventually became one of my current favorite genres and made The Sphere part of my current clan lineup. So you might have some good potential there.

Just out of curiosity, do you plan on doing an additional clan challenge for a 4th clan later on? If so, which one of the remaining clans do you think suits you the best?

Probably one of the heaviest and most hardcore tracks the band has done to date. I mean, listen to Architects, Hatebreed, or Knocked Loose, and you might find a lot this song has in common with any of those bands:

One of the most memorable earlier highlights of the band being given the live treatment is probably the best moment of their comeback show:

I've done my review, here's its summary:

Almost 4 years after The Ghost Inside's horrific tour bus crash, the band made their return from the void with a comeback show on July 13, 2019. The concert was recorded for this live album that was released two years later in 2021, with a physical release another 6 months after. Now let's witness the phoenix rise! The audience knows a lot of the band's lyrics and are there to accompany vocalist Jonathan Vigil as the band perform. The instrumentation is excellent too, with guitarwork ranging from heavy to melodic and Andrew Tkaczyk's intense drumming talent that really stands out in many of the tracks he performs, even after losing his leg in the crash. Most of the songs chosen for the setlist in Rise From the Ashes: Live at the Shrine are some of the best highlights from their first 4 albums. There are really only a couple duds, pretty much all the other songs are golden inspirational anthems. The band really knew how to make their return in full-on modern metalcore grace. Let us have the bravery to choose our actions, break these chains, and keep swinging!

4.5/5

Recommended tracks: "Avalanche", "Dear Youth (Day 52)", "Between the Lines", "Shiner", "Dark Horse", "Chrono", "Faith or Forgiveness", "Engine 45"

For fans of: 2000s A Day to Remember, Parkway Drive, For the Fallen Dreams

Why would a discord of just Metal Academy be toxic? Everyone here seems pretty chill and reasonable... it'd only be toxic if you make it toxic. If a Discord got started I'd join, I'm not interested in live chats, but it'd certainly be easier to have casual conversations.

We're talking about other Discord servers being toxic. There wouldn't be anything toxic about a Metal Academy Discord server. But since those other servers have tainted my experiences there, I've sworn off Discord with no chance of ever returning.

As for site functions... two things I'd be interested in would be an actual weighting system to releases (more ratings=more weight, even if it was only a small amount. This could even be a toggle feature, if the community is split about it) and the ability to rate alternate album covers, such as on re-releases or odd examples where the album kinda has two official artworks (Like God Hates Us All does for censorship reasons).

Those site functions sound like good ideas. For alternate album covers, we can have a clean cover and an explicit cover for each release that has both, and only the clean covers would be visible to non-members so they have to create an account and log in to see the explicit covers. Then again, I'm a little worried about if we do that with the Scorpions album Virgin Killer, though that's not an issue right now since we've just established that album's not metal enough for the site.

The most metaphorical standout in The Ghost Inside's self-titled comeback album, fitting well for both their near-fatal crash and the life, death, and rebirth of a phoenix:

As far as identifying early heavy metal; there is a website already in existence: https://mapofmetal.com/ That attempts to chronical the most important metal releases in given sub-genres, including some of the heaviest pre-Black Sabbath rock and roll. We don't have to agree with what it says, but it's not a bad launch pad. 

Now that map looks impressive and accurate! I actually made my own clan map for if we ever make a Metal Academy MMORPG. Here's the link: https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/271

In all seriousness, I'm still not up to rejoining Discord. If any of you are up to starting a discord server or live chat room, go ahead, but I won't join.

If you have not heard "I Don't wanna be me" I would throw that your way. It still has Type-O all over it, but it's a shorter song with a punk rock composition rather than the lengthy slow material you would often associate with them.

Just checked out "I Don't wanna be me" and guess what, I liked it. It sounds a bit like early Sisters of Mercy - yes, I actually love gothic rock, but not gothic metal so much - go figure. I'm also very keen on old-school punk rock and hardcore, so the punky feel to this is actually right up my street. So now I like two TON tracks - we're really getting somewhere!

Although I haven't really listened to Type O Negative for a few years, I still enjoy that track. "I Don't Wanna Be Me" is one of their most upbeat tracks, as opposed to their usual slow gothic doom, and one of my favorite bands Trivium made a cover of that song.

I need to listen to more Trivium. "A Gunshot to the Head of Tribulation" is such a kickass song that I've recently appreciated. The lyrics are really awesome and empowering. 

If you'd like to start your Trivium journey, my personal recommendation to you is the album In Waves.

If you have not heard "I Don't wanna be me" I would throw that your way. It still has Type-O all over it, but it's a shorter song with a punk rock composition rather than the lengthy slow material you would often associate with them.

Just checked out "I Don't wanna be me" and guess what, I liked it. It sounds a bit like early Sisters of Mercy - yes, I actually love gothic rock, but not gothic metal so much - go figure. I'm also very keen on old-school punk rock and hardcore, so the punky feel to this is actually right up my street. So now I like two TON tracks - we're really getting somewhere!

Although I haven't really listened to Type O Negative for a few years, I still enjoy that track. "I Don't Wanna Be Me" is one of their most upbeat tracks, as opposed to their usual slow gothic doom, and one of my favorite bands Trivium made a cover of that song.

One of the many epic inspirational anthems in this astonishing modern metalcore offering:

You gotta thank producer Jeremy McKinnon (frontman of A Day to Remember) for giving The Ghost Inside the idea of adding clean vocals for more variation of their sound in highlights like this one:

An overlooked track for a good reason, because of how f***ing forgettable it is:

Melancholic instrumentation gets balanced out by the uplifting lyrics in this anthemic highlight:

The worst part of this decent yet mediocre album is this instrumental filler sh*t:

A memorable highlight in this otherwise bland debut:

My review structure is usually two introductory paragraphs (often one talking about the backstory behind the album, whether from my perspective or a well-known story, and the other one describing what to expect in the album), three paragraphs talking about all the tracks, and one conclusion paragraph to summarize it all. You may test out my review structure style to give your reviews better quality if you'd like, ZeroSymbolic7188, but with some slight changes to suit your comfort.

Canadian female-fronted power metal, though they mixed the genre with melodeath in the albums before this one:

I'm already getting into the progressive death metal/core zone of bands like Job for a Cowboy and Becoming the Archetype. But one other band I haven't mentioned yet is Rings of Saturn, who can be considered space alien tech-deathcore:

I also finally gained interest in Times of Grace, a side project of Killswitch Engage members Adam Dutkiewicz and Jesse Leach, 4 years after my initial listening of their debut The Hymn of a Broken Man for the melodic metalcore clan challenge:

Ben, please add these new albums:

The Amenta - Plague of Locus

Bad Omens - Concrete Jungle (The OST)

Gothminister - Pandemonium II - The Battle of the Underworlds

Ben, please add the Becoming the Archetype album The Remnant.

Ben, please add the new Trail of Tears EP Winds of Disdain.

One of the best songs in Soul of a New Machine is unfortunately f***ed up by the overuse of techno beats that can be quite traumatic for the more deathly metalheads:

The death metal aggression is in perfect flow with the techno groove in this remix saving the EP from being a total disaster:

I've done my review, here's its summary:

I hate to admit this, but this is the worst release ever done by Fear Factory, worse than Transgression. BUT... Not all of it is bad. Fear is the Mindkiller is the transition release between Soul of a New Machine and Demanufacture, being a remix EP of a few tracks from the former. The remixes add more synths and programming to the deathly sound. They prove how well the band can stand in the line between death metal and industrial techno without leaning too much into one or the other, and that can't be denied. The problem here is, the remixes sound too detached from the originals. As much as I consider Rhys Fulber a genius for his remixing skills, his electronic usage could've been better played and less distorted, with a more dimensional balance. I can say the same about the rhythm and some vocals. Fortunately, a couple remixes are done the way a remix is supposed to sound, more industrial while staying metal. The death metal aggression is in perfect flow with the techno groove in those two tracks, thus saving the EP from being a total disaster. Fear is the Mindkiller is a tough release to get attached to for pure metalheads. Still it can get you geared up for the power and glory of Demanufacture, if you're going through the band's discography chronologically....

3/5

Welcome, Kosie!

I've already written my review summary in Rex's thread, but I don't mind sharing it again here:

You gotta admit, Arjen Lucassen is a true talented space metal genius. He can make a song with just a couple riffs and transform it into something beyond belief. I was once a fan of Ayreon and remembered the mind-blowing status of his albums. I suppose one day I can check out some of his former projects that I missed out on like Stream of Passion, but for now, let's escape into a wonderous dimension of progressive space metal! Musically, Star One's debut picks up where Ayreon left off in Flight of the Migrator, including that album's heavier D-tuned sound. This time, only one of the two discs is the main album, and there are 4 vocalists in every song; Russell Allen (Symphony X), Floor Jansen (ex-After Forever, Nightwish), Damien Wilson (ex-Threshold), and Dan Swano (ex-Edge of Sanity, Nightingale). The music speaks in loud fury while in spacey beauty. The deep synth/guitar momentum adds to the heaviness factor, though a few tracks lean closer to the earlier hard rock of Deep Purple, and there are some moments that sound a little too pompous. But the main verdict is an Ayreon spin-off project of progressive metal with the speed of power metal and the cosmic vibe of Hawkwind that you shouldn't miss out on. This man's a true genius!

4.5/5

Recommended tracks: "Set Your Controls", "High Moon", "Master of Darkness", "The Eye of Ra", "Intergalactic Space Crusaders", "Hawkwind Medley", "Inseparable Enemies", "Space Oddity" (David Bowie cover)

For fans of: Ayreon, Symphony X, Threshold

June 2024

1. Alex Terrible - "BFG Division - Doom" from BFG Division (Doom) (2022)

2. Fear Factory - "Recharger" from Re-Industrialized (2023)

3. Samael - "After the Sepulture (new version)" from Rebellion (1995)

4. Turmion Kätilöt - "Pyhä kolminaisuus" from Omen X (2023) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

5. PhaseOne, ERRA - "World Unknown" from PhaseOne x UNFD (2023)

6. Ministry - "Belive Me" from Moral Hygiene (2021)

7. ASP - "Ich, Der Teufel Und Du" from Horrors - A Collection of Gothic Novellas (2023)

8. 16volt - "Head of Stone" from Wisdom (1993)

9. Psyclon Nine - "X'S ON HER EYES" from Less to Heaven (2022)

10. KONG - "Hit That Red" from Traders of Truth (2023)

11. Pain - "Push the Pusher" from Push the Pusher (2024) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

12. Gothminister - "Hatred" from Gothic Electronic Anthems (2003) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

13. Godflesh – "Slateman" from Slateman single (1991) [submitted by Daniel]

14. Celldweller - "Blind Lead the Blind" from Satellites (2022) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

15. Argyle Park - "Leave Me Alone" from Misguided (1994) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

16. Static-X - "Disco Otsego" from Project Regeneration, Vol. 2 (2024)

17. The Kovenant - "The Human Abstract" from Animatronic (1999)

18. Mechina - "The Iron Law" from Conqueror (2011)

19. The Interbeing - "Deceptive Signal" from Among the Amorphous (2017)

20. Breach the Void - "Falling" from The Monochromatic Era (2010)

21. Peace, Love & Pitbulls - "Futurehead" from Peace, Love & Pitbulls (1992)

22. Rammstein - "Kuss Mich (Fellfrosch)" from Sehnsucht (1997)

23. In This Moment - "Hunting Grounds" from Mother (2020) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

24. Decree - "Faded Glory" from Fateless (2011)

25. Parasite Inc. - "When All Is Said" from Cyan Night Dreams (2022)

June 2024

1. Make Them Suffer - "Epitaph" from Epitaph (2024) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

2. Carnifex - "Torn in Two" from Necromanteum (2023) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

3. The Convalescence - "Anthem" from The Process (2014)

4. Within the Ruins - "Death of the Rockstar" from Halfway Human (2017) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

5. Varials - "Empire of Dirt" from Pain Again (2017)

6. Thrown - "Parasite" from EXTENDED PAIN (2022)

7. Until I Wake - "Hope Ur Happy" from Inside My Head (2022)

8. The Autumn Offering - "Revelation" from Revelations of the Unsung (2004) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

9. Zao - "A Well-Intentioned Virus" from The Well-Intentioned Virus (2016)

10. Bring Me the Horizon - "Shadow Moses" from Sempiternal (2013) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

11. Lorna Shore - "Sun//Eater" from Pain Remains (2022)

12. Darko US - "FUTURE DOOM" from Dethmask, Pt. 2 (2022)

13. All That Remains - "Divine" from Divine (2024)

14. Killswitch Engage - "Breathe Life" from The End of Heartache (2004)

15. Sonic Syndicate - "Damage Control" from Love and Other Disasters (2008)

16. Prompts - "Of Nothing" from Fracture (2022)

17. Seeing Things - "Consume" from Paranoia (2022)

18. Falling in Reverse - "Ronald" from Ronald (2024)

19. Invent Animate - "Shade Astray" from Heavener (2023)

20. After the Burial - "A Pulse Exchanged" from Evergreen (2019)

21. PhaseOne, Polaris - "Icarus" from PhaseOne x UNFD (2023)

22. Trivium - "Fall Into Your Hands" from In the Court of the Dragon (2021) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

23. Imminence - "The Black" from The Black (2024)

24. The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "Don't Get Blood on My Prada Shoes" from Put on Your Rosy Red Glasses (2003)

25. Daughters - "Fur Beach" from Canada Songs (2003)

26. Converge - "Phoenix in Flames" from Jane Doe (2001)

27. Circuit Circuit - "Blood in My Eye (Holy Human)" from Body Songs (2023) [submitted by Daniel]

28. The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "Hold the Line" from Danza 4: The Alpha - the Omega (2012)

29. Iwrestledabearonce - "Break It Down Camacho" from Ruining It for Everybody (2011)

30. The Acacia Strain - "Cold Gloom" from Gravebloom (2017)

31. Rorschach - "Ornaments" from Protestant (1993)

Here's how I would genre-tag the 8 tracks in that Rainbow album:

1. Long Live Rock 'n' Roll - Hard rock/heavy metal

2. Lady of the Lake - Hard rock

3. L.A. Connection - Hard rock

4. Gates of Babylon - Hard rock/heavy metal/progressive rock

5. Kill the King - Heavy metal/power metal/speed metal

6. The Shed (Subtle) - Hard rock/heavy metal

7. Sensitive to Light - Hard rock/blues rock

8. Rainbow Eyes - Medieval folk

Primary genres: Hard rock, heavy metal

Secondary genres: N/A

With all that, I agree that Long Live Rock 'n' Roll is more of a hard rock album, but I consider half the amount of tracks metal enough to make heavy metal a primary genre for the album. So that Rainbow album is, to my ears, another hard rock/heavy metal album, experimenting on a few other genres that each only appear in one song which isn't enough to constitute its position as a secondary genre for the album.

Welcome, ZeroSymbolic7188!

Here's my submission for the July Guardians playlist:

Powerwolf - "Demons are a Girl's Best Friend" (from The Sacrament of Sin, 2018)

Danish melodeath 'n' roll at its absolute finest:

Thanks once again Pelle for recommending that Illdisposed album to me. I listened to it entirely and it's a perfect example of groovy melodic death 'n' roll. I'm up to checking out more of this band. Daniel, Ben, Sonny, and Vinny, if you guys haven't checked Illdisposed's There's Something Rotten... In the State of Denmark, I highly recommend doing so. There's a lot each of you might enjoy from the album. And please vote in the death 'n' roll subgenre for that release as I think it legitimately qualifies for that subgenre.

Thanks, Pelle. Glad you like what you've listened to so far in that Disbelief album. I'll check out that Illdisposed album soon.

The blend of electronics and metal from Obsidian continues in this destructive highlight featuring Parkway Drive's Winston McCall:

I know, just sharing my thoughts on it.

In the interest of full disclosure, Daniel, I have used the Fallen clan logo to head up a public list on RYM where I list all the tracks I have used so far on the playlist. Would you prefer me to replace it or make the list private? In my defence, I only made it public in the hope that it might drum up some support for the playlist and, by extension, the website (which it seems to have spectacularly failed to do!) Sorry, I should probably have asked first.

Part of the problem with Scarecrow's playlists is, she never mentioned Metal Academy nor where the names and images came from, and she seemed to have only made them for personal usage. That doesn't really help give the site its much-needed attention or support, and it can certainly be a breach of trademark. It's good that you're making your playlists public to help us achieve the site's ultimate goal, Sonny, but at the same time, I think just the main playlists are enough for that. So I guess it's up to Daniel to decide on what we should do with the playlists we submit.

Good ideas, Sonny, but I think sticking with free-to-use images is the safest way (with the sole exception of the Neuropath cover artwork used for the Horde playlist). Here are a couple free-to-use images (each cropped to square) that I found for the Revolution and Sphere playlists, respectively:

Alternative Metal Authority?

Alternative Metal Assault?

Alternative Metal Armada?

Alternative Metal Attack?

I kinda like Alternative Metal Authority. What does everyone think?

I also think Alternative Metal Authority sounds best.

I've just done The Fallen, The Sphere & The Pit. Any ideas for The Gateway, The Infinite & The North playlist names?

Progressive Metal Dimensions

Progressive Metal Visions

Progressive Metal Voyages

Black Metal Wasteland

Black Metal Blasphemy

Black Metal Tundra

Black Metal Blizzard

Progressive Metal Voyage fits well, as does Black Metal Blasphemy.

Interestingly, one of our inactive members has created a 224 hour Spotify playlist called "The Fallen" & has used our The Fallen clan symbol as the image which isn't wonderful, especially given that some of the content isn't in line with the Metal Academy clan genre trees.

If it's any consolation, Daniel, I couldn't find it and I searched for quite a while.

Found it! And it's been done with the other clans too: https://open.spotify.com/user/3uyuzxp5v3bxjdlm0x7x97og6/playlists

Impressive, but can't really say I approve of all that being done behind our backs.

Before gradually evolving into a progressive tech-death band, Job for a Cowboy released a deathcore classic with killer highlights like this one: