Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

Wait a minute... (quick doubletake)... are you aware there is no My Dying Bride on this month's list? I thought it was compulsory!

If I was still in The Fallen, I would definitely submit a track from MDB and make the gothic/doom part of the playlist less more bleak, but I'm already on the path of moving on...

Happy 15th anniversary to a couple albums essential for true fans of doom metal! I'm sure gonna miss when I used to enjoy that Draconian album...

I now feel confident enough to go deeper into my pre-metal music memories to unearth some more of the music I've listened to back then. Around that time, I was 11 (half of my current age) and I could only listen to the music from the radio, though I've managed to listen to a few songs on the computer (my parents didn't let me listen to music that wasn't censored on the radio back then, but I went behind their backs a few times, lol). But either way, the ballads were sadly the most I could remember from these bands and artists, mostly because of what the radios played these days, proving once again that public radio stations that don't focus on rock/metal have just lame sh*t in my current metal opinion. Anyway, here are those bands and artists from the radio I was listening to in those really early days, from the 80s glam metal-ish hard rock of Bon Jovi...

And the synth-pop-rock of Depeche Mode...

To the 2000s alt-pop-rock of Daughtry...

The bubblegum pop rock of Avril Lavigne (how does that voice still not annoy me?!)...

And the alt-pop-punk of Simple Plan:

And please don't ask me about the music I've listened to when I was a few years younger than 11 which was all just straight-up radio pop sh*t. Just look at the songs from these links and I'll say no more: https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2007/hot-100-songs https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2008/hot-100-songs https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2009/hot-100-songs

Whew, finally my complete music-listening history was revealed! I thought it would be a little embarrassing to share here, but now that I've been in this site for over two years and I was encouraged by my position in The Gateway, I'm glad to have enough confidence to do so. I plan on making an entire timeline sheet on this, so stay tuned....

I still enjoy this track from this month's Revolution playlist. I look forward to checking out the October playlists once they premiere on Friday morning!

An essential metal ballad mandatory for all metalheads...NOT!!! This one is highly overrated! I don't care if it's the only Queensryche song they play on radio, if this is the only Queensryche song or metal song you enjoy, then you're not a fan of the band or the genre:

An essential metal ballad mandatory for all metalheads:

You just gotta get close to this dark-ish metal combo of the heavy metal of Judas Priest/Iron Maiden and the progressive art of Rush/Pink Floyd:

Seems like September is a special month of metal anniversary Saturdays! Here are two classic heavy metal "greatest hits" albums celebrating their 20th anniversaries today that I look forward to reviewing (along with Queensryche's Rage for Order):

Update on my list:

Beginning oldies (1978-1992):

1978: Riot - Rock City (yes I know, everyone says the year is 1977, but I don't quite suspect that as its true release year, more info about that in this separate thread reply: https://metal.academy/forum/28/thread/362#topic_6048)

1979: Riot - Narita

1980: Accept - I'm a Rebel

1981: Accept - Breaker

1982: Virgin Steele - Virgin Steele

1983: Savatage - Sirens

1984: Queensryche - The Warning

1985: Fates Warning - The Spectre Within

1986: Crimson Glory - Crimson Glory

1987: Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King

1988: Riot - Thundersteel

1989: Running Wild - Death or Glory

1990: Sanctuary - Into the Mirror Black

1991: Dark Angel - Time Does Not Heal

1992: Sadus - A Vision of Misery

The golden classics (1993-2002):

1993: X Japan - Art of Life

1994: Savatage - Handful of Rain

1995: Savatage - Dead Winter Dead

1996: Samael - Passage

1997: Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth

1998: Meshuggah - Chaosphere

1999: Botch - We are the Romans

2000: Skycamefalling - 10.21

2001: Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness

2002: Isis - Oceanic

The silver guiding lights (2003-2012):

2003: The Lord Weird Slough Feg - Traveller

2004: Disillusion - Back to Times of Splendor

2005: Rosetta - The Galilean Satellites

2006: Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime II

2007: Annihilator - Metal

2008: Dir En Grey - Uroboros

2009: Animals as Leaders - Animals as Leaders

2010: Virgin Steele - The Black Light Bacchanalia

2011: Trivium - In Waves

2012: Devin Townsend - Epicloud

The bronze yet still great new (2013-2019):

2013: Bring Me the Horizon - Sempiternal

2014: Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel

2015: Bullet for My Valentine - Venom

2016: Vektor - Terminal Redux

2017: Trivium - The Sin and the Sentence

2018: Voivod - The Wake

2019: Devin Townsend - Empath

The newest to make up for the worst of the world (2020-present):

2020: Trivium - What the Dead Men Say

2021 (so far): Between the Buried and Me - Colors II

Albums I'm looking forward to getting:

Rivers of Nihil - The Work (slight return to listening to that band for this album)

Enslaved - Caravans to the Outer Worlds (EP)

Katatonia - Mnemosynean (compilation album)

Devin Townsend - The Puzzle/Snuggles

Trivium - In the Court of the Dragon

Ice Nine Kills - The Silver Scream: Welcome to Horrorwood

Dream Theater - A View From the Top of the World (slight return to listening to that band for this album)

Bad Wolves - Dear Monsters (slight return to listening to that band for this album)

Mastodon - Hushed and Grim

Running Wild - Blood on Blood

Bullet for My Valentine - Bullet for My Valentine

Update on my list (still alphabetized and still at Bruno Terrosa's 55):

1. Accept - Metal Heart (1985)

2. All That Remains - Overcome (2008)

3. Animals as Leaders - Animals as Leaders (2009)

4. Annihilator - Alice in Hell (1989)

5. August Burns Red - Constellations (2009)

6. Bleeding Through - Love Will Kill All (2018)

7. Born of Osiris - The Discovery (2011)

8. Botch - We are the Romans (1999)

9. Bring Me the Horizon - Sempiternal (2013)

10. Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth (1997)

11. Bullet for My Valentine - The Poison (2005)

12. Coroner - Mental Vortex (1991)

13. Crimson Glory - Transcendence (1988)

14. Cult of Luna - Somewhere Along the Highway (2006)

15. Dark Angel - Time Does Not Heal (1991)

16. Devin Townsend - Empath (2019)

17. Dir En Grey - Uroboros (2008)

18. Disillusion - Back to Times of Splendor (2004)

19. Fates Warning - The Spectre Within (1985)

20. God Forbid - IV: Constitution of Treason (2005)

21. Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness (2001)

22. Hopesfall - No Wings to Speak of (2001)

23. Horse the Band - Desperate Living (2009)

24. Ice Nine Kills - The Silver Scream (2018)

25. Isis - Panopticon (2004)

26. Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome (2009)

27. Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment 3 (2021)

28. Lord - Fallen Idols (2019)

29. Lost Horizon - A Flame to the Ground Beneath (2003)

30. Make Them Suffer - Neverbloom (2012)

31. Mastodon - Leviathan (2004)

32. Maudlin of the Well - Bath (2001)

33. Meshuggah - Catch Thirty-Three (2005)

34. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I (2012)

35. Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood (1996)

36. Opeth - Blackwater Park (2001)

37. Parkway Drive - Horizons (2007)

38. Prayer for Cleansing - Rain in Endless Fall (1999)

39. Protest the Hero - Kezia (2005)

40. Queensryche - The Warning (1984)

41. Riot - Thundersteel (1988)

42. Running Wild - Death or Glory (1989)

43. Samael - Passage (1996)

44. Savatage - Dead Winter Dead (1995)

45. Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls (2008)

46. Skycamefalling - 10.21 (2000)

47. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity (1999)

48. The Lord Weird Slough Feg - Traveller (2003)

49. Trivium - In Waves (2011)

50. Veil of Maya - [id] (2010)

51. Vektor - Black Future (2009)

52. Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II (1995)

53. Voivod - Dimension Hatross (1988)

54. Within the Ruins - Elite (2013)

55. X Japan - Art of Life (1993)

An epic single from a former favorite power metal band of mine. Perhaps this could be a sneak peek to their next album, The War to End All Wars:

Here's the link to a story I've made based on both the Metal Academy clan map and my metal journey so far (along with hinting at the reasons for me to completely leave most of The Fallen genres next month) (press CLICK TO PLAY): https://starwarsintrocreator.kassellabs.io/#!/DMk4q6nTu7rfvl4xOyk-

There are 3 other hard rock/alt-metal/post-grunge bands "not metal enough" to be included in this site that my brother and I used to listen to before I started my "real" metal path. Here they are:

Yep, I've admitted that I used to listen to Nickelback, a rock band that can be considered the metal community's "pineapple pizza".

And one more that I listened to a couple of songs from them (from the radio) (this definitely NOT being one of those):

A wonderful hour-long single-track album from these Norwegian progressive metallers. For fans of In The Woods..., Novembre & Wolverine.

I don't need to comment on this monumental track when I've already written a sweet review for it: https://metal.academy/reviews/22391/3814

Cheers for the rec, Daniel! Here's my review summary:

Progressive metal is one of the most characteristically difficult genres of all time, when it comes to playing, composing, and sometimes listening. If you're an expert at composing excellent progressive music, you'll create wonderful results, otherwise everything would be incorrect. If you're new creating progressive metal, surely a 10-minute epic would be difficult to start with, but it's still easy to keep interesting. It would definitely be more difficult to attempt a 20-minute track with half of it is long instrumental sections and the other half is filled with ambitious vocals, all with no coherent pace. You can even challenge yourself further with 30 minutes. Now 60 minutes, an exact hour, THAT's the ultimate challenge! You have to be the master of getting used to prog to enjoy this hour-long epic, Green Carnation's Light of Day, Day of Darkness! Green Carnation's music for this album can be described as progressive metal with slight doom. Dark sorrow in the atmosphere fits well with the high-quality composition. Probably a third (20 minutes) of the track is instrumental while not straying away from the concept, with a continuous pattern throughout the progressive complexity. Unlike Dream Theater or Rush, the album is more doom-inspired than upbeat, including the mid-range vocals and the riffs that contain slow dark heaviness to fit nicely with the sorrowful leads. The album also includes saxophone, sitar, strings, synthesizers, and other instruments starting with "S", greatly enhancing the guitar and atmosphere. Everything flows without being too loose or out of place (for the most part). This is a must-have for all progressive metal fans, and while I didn't start my prog journey here, for anyone wanting to start on this genre for the first time....welcome!

5/5

There are 3 other hard rock/alt-metal/post-grunge bands "not metal enough" to be included in this site that my brother and I used to listen to before I started my "real" metal path. Here they are:

Yep, I've admitted that I used to listen to Nickelback, a rock band that can be considered the metal community's "pineapple pizza".

My own semi-official logo for my username:

High quality post-hardcore with smatterings of metalcore from Charlotte, USA. For fans of Skycamefalling, Poison The Well & Underøath.

A 7-minute post-hardcore/metalcore epic of beauty and fury, reaching its climax with a soft gentle instrumental passage, and if you have that part seamlessly repeat without any of the heavier ones, that would be excellent meditation music.

Cheers for the rec, Daniel! Here's my review summary:

Hopesfall is an alt-hardcore band that had a more metalcore sound 20 years before this review. They were signed to Trustkill Records, an infamous record label that took their own name seriously. This EP, No Wings to Speak of acts as a bridge in the 3-year gap between their debut The Frailty of Words and The Satellite Years. The band's Christian-themed debut is an under-recorded under-promoted album that failed to spread through a greater audience. The EP No Wings to Speak of is a greater display of their earlier work with underground spirit dug into the surface. And when I finally got the chance to listen, it was indeed a jaw-dropping experience! Hopesfall were, besides Skycamefalling and Underoath, one of the earliest metalcore hybrid bands, mixing the genre with emo and post-hardcore, and slight hints at the indie rock that would dominate their sound in the mid-2000s and beyond, all in dense sound layers. Despite this hybrid, their main focus isn't on metalcore's moshing chaos, but rather on smooth beauty in their sound. These 4 songs are harmoniously written compositions while still using heavy grooves and breakdowns in the song structures. Heavy but mellow compared to what their previous record label Takehold Records had then. The band stays strong with emotional chords and beautiful riffs overlapped with harsh vocals in spiritual purity. The emotion in this album is especially proven in "The End of an Era", a 7-minute epic of beauty and fury, reaching its climax with a soft gentle instrumental passage, and if you have that part seamlessly repeat without any of the heavier ones, that would be excellent meditation music. No Wings to Speak of is more suitable for a night drive with yourself or friends than just a live show. With music filled with brilliance, beauty and a breakdown or a few, metalcore youngsters like myself would absolutely love it!

5/5

Thanks Daniel, I look forward to giving this release a listen and a review. My Revolution expansion shall continue yet again...

Another doom metal list video I've found with albums that many of you doom metal lovers with might already be familiar with (and one of my last major Fallen-related posts):

The chorus from this Swedish power metal anthem simply kills. For fans of Nocturnal Rites, Hibria & Sonata Arctica.

I love that killer chorus also!

I took a trip down alt-rock/metal memory lane with one of Breaking Benjamin's albums and ended up liking this one better than I had nearly a decade ago, with this song being one of the best from the band despite sounding softer:

I myself was once of the opinion that it wasn't really big/distinct enough to warrant its own genre tag, but I've come around since (mostly through listening to a lot of Bathory and some others). Personally, I tend to label it "epic metal", just for my own purposes. I get that that also isn't a perfectly clear term by any means, I just feel it sums up the core of the sound, for me anyway.

I thought of the "epic metal" label when trying to think of an alternate name for US power metal, but Viking metal is a good genre to nickname that too with its Nordic fantasy conceptual themes and grand atmosphere.

If we don't want an overly thematic or descriptive genre title, we have to come up with something that feels right without drawing unsuspecting metal listeners into choosing it incorrectly. My first thought is Dream Metal. I know it sounds too fluffy for a metal genre, but it really draws attention to the link to Dream Theater. Plus many musicians could only "dream" of being able to perform some of the stuff these bands play.

Anyone got another idea? I'm trying to come up with a word that relates to technical proficiency, or virtuosity or something like that.

"Dream metal", though it would make some sense for Dream Theater, seems like a more appropriate label for non-sludgy post-rock/metal bands like Solstafir.

I came up with 15 different types of progressive metal, one per song and band, that can be found here: https://metal.academy/forum/11/thread/943

Viking metal is one of those sub-genres that has so few genuine adherents that it feels almost irrelevant to me. I honestly wonder sometimes whether life is too short to contemplate for any length of time whether an album fits snugly into a micro-genre or not. If the purpose of genre tagging is to guide people to other releases similar to ones they like, do these really niche genres serve much of a purpose at all as they feel way too specific.

As a more general Academy question, which I guess needs to be directed to Ben or Daniel, does downvoting a genre in the genre tags on a release serve any purpose on the site or can the genre tags only be changed via The Hall? I have downvoted Viking Metal on Vredens Tid so it has zero positive and one negative vote, but it still shows folk and viking metal as it's genre tags.

We don't want the Clans for a Release to change without going through the Hall of Judgement. For that reason, we didn't want Genres to automatically be affected by people downvoting a Subgenre. Think of the Subgenres as just a helpful additional filtering tool. Then again, if a release is having a particular subgenre downvoted significantly, that could be grounds for adding it to the Hall for proper judgement, or as Andi suggested, treating it as judgement itself.

As for Viking Metal, it's the same issue raised many a time. Genres shouldn't have names that relate to a location (NWOBHM, US Power Metal), nor should they have purely thematic names (Viking Metal) or vaguely descriptive names (Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal). Just go and look how many people have tried to give Amon Amarth albums the Viking Metal genre to see why Viking Metal is a problem. Sure, they've been correctly downvoted, but many listeners were obviously convinced to select it by the name.

Thrash Metal is a perfect name for that genre. People know what Thrash Metal is based on the style of music they're listening to, because the name itself isn't suggestive enough to lead them astray. Death, Black  and Power Metal are also great genre names.

I agree about all of this, Ben, except...I think the vaguely descriptive names are necessary because it shows that progressive metal and symphonic metal are different from the rest of the metal pack with the wild experimentation of the former and the epic orchestration of the latter. Without being described as their respective names, what would they be then, heavy metal with progressive elements or heavy metal with symphonics? Man, the thought of the possibility of The Infinite not having progressive metal due to switching to just a subgenre of classic heavy metal is enough to give me chills. While a few genre names are objective, I'm just happy the way a couple of them are...

As a more general Academy question, which I guess needs to be directed to Ben or Daniel, does downvoting a genre in the genre tags on a release serve any purpose on the site or can the genre tags only be changed via The Hall? I have downvoted Viking Metal on Vredens Tid so it has zero positive and one negative vote, but it still shows folk and viking metal as it's genre tags.

I've noticed that too when downvoting a subgenre on an album that I don't think is part of that subgenre, but it's just as well in case some members say otherwise. I have an idea; perhaps we can do the subgenre upvoting and downvoting a bit like the Hall. If a subgenre for an album has 8 "for" votes, then voting for that subgenre is closed and it stays there permanently. If a subgenre for an album has 8 "against" votes, then voting for that subgenre is closed and it's removed from there permanently. How about that?

Today, as we all know, is the 20th anniversary of the most disastrously tragic day in America. So let's have a minute of silence for those we have lost in the attacks....

OK, back to the main topic. Two albums celebrating their 20th anniversary today suffered a bit of controversy when released on that day:

The cover art for the Dream Theater live album was meant to be similar to the "heart on fire" from the cover art of the first live album Live at the Marquee. It was just like that, but with a New York skyline including the two towers, on top of a big apple (parodying the city's nickname "Big Apple"), instead of the heart. When the attacks occurred, all copies of the album were taken down and replaced with new ones in which the cover art has the band's "Majesty" symbol instead, which can be found right here, if you want to mention the album in a thread without appearing insensitive:

The other album, Slayer's God Hates Us All, had already caused controversy with its release date being one of several reasons. At least the cover art used in this site is the alternative clean one to replace the original cover art that "looked like a seventh grader defaced the Bible."

And while the Within the Ruins EP was released exactly 5 years later and had nothing to do with the topic of this post, I included it anyway because it's a great metalcore EP.

RIP fallen ones.....

Here are my overall ratings for the playlists I've reviewed this month (September):

1. Fallen playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 7)

2. Gateway playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commended: 8)

3. Guardians playlist - 5/5 (number of songs commented: 9)

4. Infinite playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 8)

5. Revolution playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 9)

6. Sphere playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 5)

Another rewarding playlist month for me, this time my playlist ratings for all the clans I've commented on are each an average total of 4.5 stars, except The Guardians playlist which has, by average, a perfect 5 stars, though that's probably my earlier epic metal taste talking. Yep, good month! While my time in The Fallen is over, I might still comment on a few tracks in future Fallen playlists for the sake of memories. Also it might be a while before I'm ready to post my feature release outcomes, because so far I only reviewed two September feature releases, but maybe I would be up to checking out more of them this month...

Ben, please add the Breaking Benjamin album We Are Not Alone. Its Alternative Metal tag now fits the RYM 2:1 ratio (for: 43 - against: 21).

First Revolution stinker in over a year! This is basically A7X's "My Immortal" that is a waste of space and time in this usually metalcore album:

Back when Avenged Sevenfold were metalcore with slight emo, before the modern heavy metal they would be known for:

Wife angry at you for hitting her in the face with that idea and wanted to slap your face without committing an assault offence:

(First GIF here! ...I think)

Anyway, I seem to be the only one agreeing with your idea, Daniel, but sometimes a potentially good idea might not be one people are OK with. Oh well...

Happy 20th anniversary to one of In Flames' live albums, and one of Converge's grand masterpieces:

I haven't listened to In Flames for a few months, because they were one of the death metal bands I've departed from listening to. I might give that live album a listen and a review as a nice throwback. Do you think I might try the death metal band Matriden? NO F***ING CHANCE!!! Sorry but my death metal departure is still on!

Here's my one submission for October's Gateway playlist:

Katatonia - "Behind the Blood" (from City Burials, 2020)

Here are my suggestions for October's Revolution playlist (I'll make sure any multi-clan suggestions fit well with the playlist I'm submitting to):

After the Burial - "Pendulum" (4:47) from In Dreams (2010)

Bullet for My Valentine - "The Last Fight" (4:19) from Fever (2010)

Converge - "No Heroes" (3:43) from No Heroes (2006)

Misery Signals - "Five Years" (5:55) from Of Malice and the Magnum Heart (2004)

Shadows Fall - "Destroyer of Senses" (2:54) from The Art of Balance (2002)

Threat Signal - "One Last Breath" (3:48) from Under Reprisal (2006)

Unearth - "Incinerate" (3:59) from Extinction(s) (2018)

Total length: 29:25

Here are my suggestions for October's Infinite playlist (I'll make sure any multi-clan suggestions fit well with the playlist I'm submitting to):

Dir En Grey - "冷血なりせば (Reiketsu Nariseba)" (3:34) from Uroboros (2008)

Evergrey - "Broken Wings" (4:42) from Torn (2008)

Fates Warning - "Fata Morgana" (5:25) from Awaken the Guardian (1986)

Leprous - "White" (11:31) from Tall Poppy Syndrome (2009)

Symphony X - "The Damnation Game" (4:32) from The Damnation Game (1995)

Total length: 29:44

Here are my suggestions for October's Guardians playlist (I'll make sure any multi-clan suggestions fit well with the playlist I'm submitting to):

Dark Moor - "Halloween" (13:24) from The Fall of Melnibone (2001) (a special submission to celebrate Halloween month)

Grand Magus - "Holmgång" (3:38) from Triumph and Power (2014)

HammerFall - "Any Means Necessary" (3:37) from No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009)

Queensrÿche - "Walk in the Shadows" (3:32) from Empire (1986)

Savatage - "Sarajevo" (2:31) from Dead Winter Dead (1995) (as a sneak peek before a special submission I have in mind for the December playlist)

The Lord Weird Slough Feg - "Asteroid Belts" (2:22) from Traveller (2003)

Total length: 29:04

A Swiss mix of the industrial metal of Godflesh and the experimental/symphonic black metal of Arcturus and Limbonic Art:

My thoughts on some tracks:

Godflesh – “Shut Me Down” (from “A World Lit Only By Fire”, 2014)

4.5/5. A killer djent-tuned industrial track with a heavy crushing groove. There's still hope in Godflesh after their decade-long hiatus!

Samael – “Exodus” (from “Exodus” E.P., 1998)

5/5. Another special delivery of industrial black metal greatness! This one is probably my favorite album in my Samael journey so far. The band probably deserves some radio play after moving away from the pure black metal last heard in 1994. A bit old yet still good! In fact, the long-time generation might feel fabulous nostalgia. What a pleasant surprise for me that opened the gates of industrial metal interest even further. My strong mind power will never make me look back...

Dagoba – “Maniak” (from “Dagoba”, 2003)

4/5. This isn't really the best industrial metal for me to expect, but these guys have quite the guts to go so heavy. The last screaming part would definitely cause a mosh pit that would tear down the venue.

Ministry – “Burning Inside” (from “The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste”, 1989)

4.5/5. This one, from July's feature release that later played a part in my Sphere DIS vs DAT thread, kicks in a propulsive beat and repetitive guitar to keep you awake. This pounding tune is helped out by the vocals. When I wrote the original review after waking up in the morning, this song fired me up way more than coffee!

Strapping Young Lad – “Skeksis” (from “Alien”, 2005)

5/5. This brutal highlight is where you can hear Gene Hoglan's amazing drumming that might've inspired the more metal side of Protest the Hero. The drumming is filled with punishment, no remorse. Finally, the vocals kick in that are amazing as always, along with fast riffs and neat keyboards all over.

I did my review, here's its summary:

Black metal and industrial metal were both not my thing, but the latter I look forward to expanding, now in higher chance with one of my new all-time favorite metal albums in Samael's Passage, containing the power of unique beauty! Before this, Samael was initially in the 2nd wave of black metal. I haven't heard their earlier black metal material yet, but I'm glad to start with the album where electronic keyboards overpower most of the heavy Satanism of black metal until it's practically no more... Keyboards nicely blend over the heaviness in beautiful melody, making Samael the bridge of difference between industrial metal and black metal. Those melodic keyboard passages would continue shining on in this fantastic album that I would recommend to fans of either the industrial metal of Godflesh or the symphonic black metal of Limbonic Art, or both. Again, this might just be for me one of the best industrial metal albums of space and time!

5/5