Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

I don't know if any of the novels I read capture the metal spirit, but some of my favorite books from children's chapter novel series are the ones that involve the main character and their friends in a rock/metal band. Those include Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Overlode, Big Nate in the Zone, and Middle School: Born to Rock. Those books also help me out for when I'm currently writing a spin-off to my own book series, starring a metalhead and his little sister from the future who both end up in the 1980s (the golden age of classic heavy metal genres) and form their own metal band.

I agree about the unusual spacey psychedelics this album has and will vote YES for this Hall entry, Daniel. But I also hear a lot of progressiveness in the complexity and structure enough to make it qualify as progressive metal. So I'd like to submit an additional entry to have Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus added to The Infinite as progressive metal while staying in The Horde and dissonant death metal.

A violent highlight of reckless percussion and sci-fi horror lyrics:

A progressive dissonant highlight of "madness, disorientation and confusion", as stated in the first line:

Apocalyptica's Aquarela EP is probably the most metal Nat Geo-ish documentary soundtrack I've heard, like half the amount of songs in the EP qualify as symphonic metal, including this 7 and a half minute highlight that borders into extreme progressive metal enough to also qualify for The Infinite as a sole track:

A couple bands that can really push the limits of mathcore:

My renewed interest in melodic/symphonic/progressive death metal really shows as I discover more bands of that sound such as this Swedish melodeath band formed by ex-In Flames members including Dark Tranquillity vocalist Mikael Stanne:

This Roman Legion-themed Canadian symphonic death metal band that is a side project of Kataklysm:

And this progressive/technical death metal band from San Francisco:

Now that I've been given the duty of managing the feature release nomination list, following Daniel stepping down from that role and the roster along with Ben, here's the new updated list for February:

THE FALLEN: SONNY

THE GATEWAY: ANDI, Saxy

THE GUARDIANS: KARL, Xephyr

THE HORDE: VINNY, Sonny, Karl

THE INFINITE: SAXY, Andi, Xephyr

THE NORTH: KARL, Xephyr, Sonny

THE PIT: SONNY, Vinny

THE REVOLUTION: ANDI

THE SPHERE: ANDI

It seems like I'll be the only member submitting The Revolution and The Sphere feature releases, so any Revolution/Sphere members wanting to get in on the feature release action, please PM me or Ben. In the meantime, here's a little something for me to propose: If any of you who's not a Revolution/Sphere member has listened to a release from one of those clans that you highly feel should be featured, please PM me and I'll discuss privately with Ben. And remember to submit your feature release to Ben before the last day of the month. If you miss the deadline, you miss your slot. If anyone has comments about this, please let me know here or PM me. Let's hope the feature releases can stay alive!

Now that I'm in charge of compiling and updating The Revolution and The Sphere Metal Academy playlists, following Daniel stepping down from that role and other aspects, I'd like to note a few things. I'll still do the usual monthly schedule, so I can release new playlists on February, March, April, etc., because I enjoy making the playlists and have a lot of time in my hands, and I want to keep those playlists active in the uncommon chance of attracting new listeners of these genres. Though I might skip a month or a few if I end up busy in the outside world with a job or a college course like when I had that break a couple years ago. I'll also continue my monthly sneak peek submissions (half-hour max per clan) though only from bands/releases I've listened to in the prior month and/or I'm already highly familiar with. As always, contributions are welcome, but the one track per non-clan member rule still stands for the sake of the playlist's legitimacy, though if you send me two or 3 submissions that are all by bands I'm familiar with and enjoy, I can accept them all. While the recommended deadline is the 15th of each month, I'm flexible enough to allow one submission after that date. The maximum deadline is the second-to-last day of the month (clarified in the deadline list below), so I can have time in the last day of the month to finalize the playlist and get it ready for when a new month dawns. If anyone has comments about this, please let me know here or PM me. Let's hope the playlists can stay alive!

Deadlines for next few months' playlists after the February one:

March playlist: recommended - February 15, maximum - February 27

April playlist: recommended - March 15, maximum - March 30

May playlist: recommended - April 15, maximum - April 29

And so on...

Now that I'm in charge of compiling and updating The Revolution and The Sphere Metal Academy playlists, following Daniel stepping down from that role and other aspects, I'd like to note a few things. I'll still do the usual monthly schedule, so I can release new playlists on February, March, April, etc., because I enjoy making the playlists and have a lot of time in my hands, and I want to keep those playlists active in the uncommon chance of attracting new listeners of these genres. Though I might skip a month or a few if I end up busy in the outside world with a job or a college course like when I had that break a couple years ago. I'll also continue my monthly sneak peek submissions (half-hour max per clan) though only from bands/releases I've listened to in the prior month and/or I'm already highly familiar with. As always, contributions are welcome, but the one track per non-clan member rule still stands for the sake of the playlist's legitimacy, though if you send me two or 3 submissions that are all by bands I'm familiar with and enjoy, I can accept them all. While the recommended deadline is the 15th of each month, I'm flexible enough to allow one submission after that date. The maximum deadline is the second-to-last day of the month (clarified in the deadline list below), so I can have time in the last day of the month to finalize the playlist and get it ready for when a new month dawns. If anyone has comments about this, please let me know here or PM me. Let's hope the playlists can stay alive!

Deadlines for next few months' playlists after the February one:

March playlist: recommended - February 15, maximum - February 27

April playlist: recommended - March 15, maximum - March 30

May playlist: recommended - April 15, maximum - April 29

And so on...

I was trying to ease myself through the drama of As I Lay Dying falling apart and their frontman Tim Lambesis involved in domestic violence

What in the actual f***ing h*ll is going on here?!?! Is this drama ever going to end?! A recent case of animal abuse was perpetrated by Tim Lambesis towards his dog. I'm usually one to separate art from the artist, but that's just crossing the line and reminding me more about how bad his past misdeeds are. And I have a pet cat now whom my family and I treat with love and respect. My patience is getting close to its limit, and I have doubts about the future of his band.

I'm not up to getting rid of the feature releases and playlists entirely, since those have been fun and rewarding for me in the site. But I understand if you feel that's the way to go for the sake of yourself and anyone else, Vinny. I won't object.

Oh OK. Well I already have my own Spotify account, so updating the playlists myself should be no problem.

OK, so I'll send the feature release nominations to Ben and continue sending my clan playlists to you. Got it, thanks Daniel.

I'm sorry to hear about your hearing problems, Daniel. I support your decision to reduce your time here in the site for your health. However, I really enjoy contributing to the Spotify playlists and feature releases and don't want to do away with them, so I would say yes to continue driving the feature releases and playlists. On the other hand, how would we make that happen without you and Ben? Will we have to create our own playlists and share them at the start of the following month (which would be great because then we wouldn't have the middle of the month deadline and can have more time to edit our playlists)? Will the Horde and North playlist duties be passed down to the more active members of those clans (Vinny, Sonny, etc.)? And someone has to moderate the feature releases list, right? There is a lot to change, but let's hear what the other members think first...

🤘Thanks very much for all of these excellent recommendations!🤘

Welcome to Metal Academy, Mike! Since it looks like you're up for some speed metal, I have some more recommendations if you haven't checked these out yet:

Blind Guardian - Battalions of Fear (1988)

Helloween - Walls of Jericho (1985)

Helstar - Nosferatu (1989)

Hirax - Immortal Legacy (2014)

Living Death - Metal Revolution (1985)

Speedwolf - Ride With Death (2011)

Voivod - War and Pain (1984)

Warfare - Metal Anarchy (1985)

Ben, please add the Tyrant of Death compilation album Singles & Extras.

What is that 1973 video, Zach? It's unavailable for me.

Same here, Zach. I also like August Burns Red's cover of that NOFX song:

Welcome back, Zach! I found some more dinosaur-themed bands in Metal Archives, more than just death/extreme metal:

The only bands in the list that I've heard of are European power metal bands (here they are, Daniel!) Hevisaurus, SauruXet, and Victorius. Also this Mastodon track kind of counts as Jurassic metal, starting with the mighty roar of a T-rex in Jurassic Park:

Ben, please add Dark Divine.

As much as the spoken interludes are useless, the one f***ing weak track in this Sabaton album is what sounds like a heavily butchered cover of DragonForce's "Cry Thunder", 4 years before that far better DragonForce track was released:

This progressive highlight still reigns as one of the best Sabaton songs for me today, the band's own Black Sabbath "Heaven and Hell":

A strong standout that's both accessible and anthemic, to get the live crowd moving:

The most haunting and heaviest part of a dark mini-saga:

All the beauty and brutality to expect in the new Chat Pile album is summarized right here:

This highlight shines interestingly with soft grunge melancholy while having some brutal death growls in the bridge:

I've just given that Chat Pile album some listening and a review, and I can hear what you mean, Daniel. It is much more, well, alternative than God's Country, and marks a solid offering of noise-ridden sludge/alt-metal. I'll contribute to your Hall of Judgement poll with a YES vote.

Ben, please add these new The Project Hate MCMXCIX albums:

Spewing Venom Into the Eyes of Deities

Abominations of the Ageless

The epic finale of this Project Hate album, having the melancholic melodeath of Omnium Gatherum while still covered in electro-industrial beauty:

A 15-minute deathly storm, apart from some strange but quite welcome dubstep in the middle:

The 11 and a half minute final epic of this Mechina album, filled with tragedy and triumph:

The most of the metallic heaviness and symphonic epicness in this Mechina album comes from this highlight featuring guest vocalist Anna Hel:

The greatest place to start with fantastic riffing in this speedy tech-thrash offering:

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

As the thrash metal scene was making its way into Denmark, Artillery was the band making the genre big over there. Whereas on the heavier end of the thrash spectrum, Invocator take on the technical thrash sound of Coroner, Dark Angel, and Sadus with speed and brutality. And you might know a couple of the band members from their later careers; Per M. Jensen as a former drummer of The Haunted and vocalist/bassist Jacob Hansen as one of the most prolific record producers in metal! The heavy side of the band comes from the speed/death metal elements, and in their debut Excursion Demise, many tracks are a fast blizzard with some slight mid-tempo groove. With all that in mind, Invocator knew how to add variety to their speed so that their listeners can breathe. Fantastic hyperspeed riffing is pretty much the key to many of these tracks. My only complaint is about the two long songs in the middle that still have brilliant heavy speedy sections here and there, yet they're a bit draggy and could've been trimmed down, particularly "Schismatic Injective Therapy". I mean, I like long songs, but there should be more dynamics than just solo noodling. And I know how that kind of thing is done, just listen to DragonForce. The soloing should've been more melodic rather than just fiddling with the notes, and it should balance out with the riffing. However, those tracks still rule, and this album is top-notch tech-thrash before its 90s near-extinction and something an extreme metal fan should never miss out on!

4.5/5

Drum blasts, symphonic keys, and a guest vocal appearance by Shadow of Intent's Ben Duerr make this song guaranteed to be a classic in epic deathcore:

The hardcore heaviness shines the best in this short burst of violent joy:

A rap-ish nu metal highlight in which Freeman's rapping actually works quite greatly:

Quite a solid year for The Revolution. I had listened to and enjoyed all those releases that year, except the Graphic Nature album which I've checked out and reviewed today and is another blessing in the nu metal and metalcore realms.

Quite a solid year for The Gateway. I had listened to and enjoyed all those releases that year, except the Graphic Nature album which I've checked out and reviewed today and is another blessing in the nu metal and metalcore realms.

The 10th anniversary re-recording of Imminence's debut shows a massive improvement in production quality compared to the original, in highlights like this one:

Again I don't do reviews for re-recording albums for just an entire album since it's just the same tracklisting re-recorded. With that said, I feel like sharing my thoughts about the 10th anniversary re-recording of Imminence's debut I, The Reclamation of I. And wow, what a massive improvement, a full star better than the original! The production quality is right at the perfect glory of Heaven in Hiding and The Black, allowing their earlier violin-infused atmospheric metalcore to really shine. Now I wonder what they will do with their second album This is Goodbye in 2027....

5/5

An epic electronic metalcore cover of the Eiffel 65 hit, though I still prefer the cover by Fleshgod Apocalypse:

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

AP2 - "The Red Shirt Conspiracy" (2:36) from Suspension of Disbelief (2000)

Bad Omens - "Hedonist (Recharged)" (3:23) from Concrete Jungle (The OST) (2024)

Celldweller - "One Good Reason" (3:53) from Celldweller (2003)

Godflesh - "Tiny Tears" (3:25) from Streetcleaner (1989)

Motionless in White - "Somebody Told Me" (3:19) from Disguise (2019, 2021 special edition)

Sybreed - "Destruction and Bliss" (9:44) from God is an Automaton (2012)

Total length: 26:20

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

Bury Tomorrow - "Boltcutter" (3:37) from The Seventh Sun (2023)

Daughters - "Hyperventilationsystem" (2:45) from Hell Songs (2006)

Demon Hunter - "Hell Don't Need Me" (4:06) from Extremist (2014)

Eighteen Visions - "Fake Leather Jacket" (4:05) from XVIII (2017)

Fit for a King - "Dead Memory" (4:13) from Deathgrip (2016)

Memphis May Fire - "Sleepless Nights" (3:41) from Unconditional (2014)

Shadow of Intent - "Malediction" (5:40) from Melancholy (2019)

Total length: 28:07

Here are my submissions for the February Infinite playlist:

Chaos Divine - "Hazard" (5:10) from Hazard (2024)

Jinjer - "Green Serpent" (4:01) from Green Serpent (2024)

Monolithe - "Unveiling the Illusion" (10:00) from Black Hole District (2024)

Scale the Summit - "Goddess Gate" (3:17) from In a World of Fear (2017)

Sepultura - "The Pentagram" (5:20) from Quadra (2020)

Total length: 27:48

Here are my submissions for the February Gateway playlist:

Bring Me the Horizon - "YOUtopia" (4:02) from Post Human: Nex Gen (2024)

The Devil Wears Prada - "Chemical" (3:50) from The Act (2019)

Falling in Reverse - "Zombified" (3:38) from Popular Monster (2024)

Gemini Syndrome - "Remember We Die" (3:47) from Memento Mori (2016)

Lacuna Coil - "In the Mean Time" (3:33) from In the Mean Time (2024)

Nik Nocturnal - "Undisturbed" (3:58) from How to Metal, Vol. 3 (2025)

The Plot in You - "Left Behind" (3:26) from Vol. 1 (2024)

Seven Hours After Violet - "Go!" (2:39) from Seven Hours After Violet (2024)

Total length: 28:53

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Dawn of Ashes - "Thirteen Chants to Lilith" from The Crypt Infection II (Non Serviam) (2019)

4.5/5. I was hoping for some chanting vocals eerily saying "Lilith", but there isn't any. Still an excellent dark intro for this playlist!

Celldweller - "Unshakeable" from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012)

5/5. Klayton can blend so many genres that he has practically invented his own! Electro-industrial rock/metal is blended greatly with the drum and bass of Pendulum and the dubstep of Skrillex, all that should be worth it for anyone wanting to explore this tempting mix. Both the vocals and instrumentation are phenomenal. And there's absolutely no AI required to make such a layered track (of course, this was 10 years before the AI boom). Lots of wild electronics here!

Fear Factory - "Zero Signal" from Demanufacture (1995)

4.5/5. This one is amazing with futuristic atmosphere before ending peacefully with a piano outro.

Meathook Seed - "Day of Conceiving" from Embedded (1993)

4/5. This one viciously punches through in sludgy grind.

Davey Suicide, Telle Smith - "Medicate Me" from Rock Ain't Dead (2020)

4.5/5. Industrial/alternative metal ain't dead by a long shot with this killer tune! There are some vibes from Starset and The Word Alive, the latter band's vocalist Telle Smith guest appearing in this track.

HEALTH, Filter - "FREE TO DIE" from RAT WARS ULTRA EDITION (2024)

4/5. Health has collaborated with Nine Inch Nails, Lamb of God, Godflesh, etc. Now it's Filter's turn. Quite enjoyable!

Lord of the Lost, Feuerschwanz - "Lords of Fyre" from Lords of Fyre (2024)

3.5/5. Wow, 3rd collaboration track in a row! This one has good medieval industrial/rock metal, but it sounds a little cheesy, and bringing in Feuerschwanz is unnecessary.

Red Harvest - "Dead Cities" from A Greater Darkness (2007)

4/5. Some more of this dark greatness to please my ears!

Psyclon Nine - "Anaesthetic (For the Pathetic)" from Crwn Thy Frnicatr (2006)

4.5/5. Another one of the best Psyclon Nine tracks for me, with more of their electro-industrial metal sound and dark lyrics.

Device - "Out of Line (feat. Serj Tankian & Terry "Geezer Butler)" from Device (2013)

4.5/5. This one stands out well as another one of Black Sabbath's members, Geezer Butler performs his audible bass, while David Draiman and System of a Down's Serj Tankian both sing their perfect lyrical views of the world.

Northlane - "Freefall" from Alien (2019)

5/5. This highlight has a brief slow introduction, then it explodes into a faster drive. The heavier side with screamed vocals and djenty riffing definitely makes this song another favorite of mine.

Eisbrecher - "Everything is Wunderbar" from Everything is Wunderbar (2024)

4.5/5. Eisbrecher is back with an amazing new single, from the cold northern lands of Germany.

Megaherz - "Engelsgesicht" from In Teufels Namen (2023)

4/5. Quite addictive to sing along to, at least for people who can understand German better than I can.

Knorkator - "Eigentum" from Das nächste Album aller Zeiten (2007)

3.5/5. I guess I can grin at the comedic lyrics, but it is a little too much, not to mention the song a bit soft and poppy.

Combichrist - "Heads Off" from CMBCRST (2024)

3/5. Heavier but disappointing, even when adding some decent black metal-ish riffing.

Static-X - "From Heaven" from Project: Regeneration Vol. 2 (2024)

3.5/5. Perhaps the last song with the late Wayne Static's vocals. May he rest in industrial/alt-metal heaven. It's actually a cover of "The Disease" by Echo and the Bunnymen, but either way, it reminds us not to end up like him. I'm sure he would be proud of how the band is doing with Edsel Dope as Xer0. A good beautiful signoff. RIP Wayne....

Blacklodge - "All Seeing Eye" from Machination (2012)

4/5. Quite killer, yet the lyrics are hard to get a grip on.

Shining - "Off the Hook" from One One One (2013)

4.5/5. The Norwegian band Shining's jazzy experimental industrial metal sound rules!

Strapping Young Lad - "Consequence" from SYL (2003)

5/5. This highlight pounds through with evil riffing and searing drumming.

Brujeria – "Molestando Ninos Muertos" from Matando gueros (1993)

4.5/5. An interesting track submission from Daniel. The lyrics are so bizarre and disturbing, as if the title isn't enough of a tip-off. And the song is from a deathgrind album notorious for its cover art showing a photo of an actual decapitated head. It's as dark and obscene as Cannibal Corpse and the movie The Exorcist. Yet it's so intriguing! This might've been helped out by the switch into Godflesh-style industrial metal this track has. It has amazing industrial rhythm. Still this is as edgy as edgy can go.

Ministry - "No W Redux" from Houses of the Mole (2004)

4/5. This version of "No W" does not have the "O Fortuna" samples in the intro and outro, excluded due to copyright issues. Such a shame because the original has greater impact for this blazing thrashy industrial metal track.

Pitchshifter - "Underachiever" from Infotainment? (1996)

4/5. Pitchshifter seems to take some Ministry aspects such as political lyrics and audio samples, though Pitchshifter's brand of industrial metal is more, well, industrial.

OOMPH! - "Bastard" from Unrein (1998)

4.5/5. Perhaps one of the best OOMPH! songs for me, hailing a true NDH classic. If humanity doesn't f***ing learn their lesson, let's hope we all will still have a glimmer of existence acknowledged from afar.

Sybreed - "Twelve Megatons Gravity" from Antares (2007)

5/5. A prime example of aggressive deathly electro-industrial metal. It is one of the most rage-filled songs I've heard in the genre that barely any other bands can reach.

Turmion Katilot - "Schlachter" from Reset (2024)

5/5. Following this is a wonderful remix of the debut's "Teurastaja", featuring Chris Harms of Lord of the Lost. I might just love it more than the original!

Neo Inferno 262 - "Pleonectic" from Pleonectic (2023)

4.5/5. I'm not usually a fan of long ambient industrial interludes, but this one actually sounds nice, a good leadup into the final two tracks...

Mechina - "The Assembly of Tyrants" from The Assembly of Tyrants (2005)

5/5. The main part of Mechina's debut album ends with its 8-minute title epic. It's a true masterpiece highlight that greatly foreshadows what's to come later for this band.

Neurotech - "Ultra Us" from Infra Versus Ultra (2014)

5/5. The melancholic closing track of Infra Versus Ultra has the perfect music and lyrics to end this cyber metal adventure and this playlist.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!