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I was about two minutes into In Your Blood before I a) checked this wasn’t Biohazard and b) where Biohazard’s two first releases came out in relation to this one. By 1995, we had already had two Biohazard records, and I was a bit of a fan at that point, so the similarities were obvious to me from the start of this album. This got me to thinking about how close my listening tastes could have gotten too early metalcore had my teenage years been more driven by the internet. Then again, I am not sure how much of what passes as metalcore nowadays can be compared to this record, it certainly sounds more hardcore than the increasingly rap metal-based style of Biohazard, albeit those gang chants are still very much prevalent here also.

As usual with my forays into The Revolution clan features, if I am not totally alienated and horrified by what I hear on the first track then chances are that I am going to stay for the album duration and that I will have some positives to highlight, and this is the case once again here with Excessive Force. There is no point that I lose interest in In Your Blood, since it maintains a frantic and pummelling pace for its entire duration, it is hard for me not to be engaged throughout. The punk elements get room to shine (‘Backtrack’) whilst the metallic riffs remain the order of the day very much. I like how this stays true to that 90s hardcore sound whilst still being able to inject some new life into that sound.

Vocally speaking, the style is desperate sounding whilst still maintaining that very aggressive front at the same time. I don’t mind the gang chants, although I suspect my entertainment levels wouldn’t drop if they were absent. Whilst I will not pretend that In Your Blood is big on variation, it is one of the reasons why it works for me, I think. When I look at what carries the “metalcore’’ tag nowadays, I cannot help but feel it is a heavily distorted tag that is perhaps overused. If this is what 90s metalcore sounded like, then it is not very far away from a familiar format in all honesty. In Your Blood is most certainly under my skin, if not quite able to penetrate my veins as the title suggests. What it has done is opened my eyes and ears to a scene I had written off too early it appears.

I quite liked the first couple of mid-1990's releases from Poland's Behemoth but they went through somewhat of a lull after that &, in doing so, managed to lose my interest during that 1996-98 period for the most part. It wasn't until my return to metal in 2009 & that I'd reconnect with these guys & I've generally checked out everything that they've put out since. I know a lot of people will place 2014's "The Satanist" record up on a pedestal as Behemoth's finest work but I've always felt that their 2004 seventh full-length "Demigod" had a slight edge personally, mainly because I really don't like the very popular "Ora pro nobis Lucifer" from "The Satanist". Other than that, the two releases are of a pretty similar standard although I'd suggest that there is slightly less of a black metal component to "Demigod" which is more of a straight down the line death metal release with the occasional hint at black metal. There are no weak tracks included while front man Nergal's vocals are aggressive & sinister & talented drummer Inferno's blast beats are savage & precise. I will say that the clicky drum sound doesn't work as well when Inferno goes for a standard blast beat but the alternating ones are both powerful & spectacular. Check out the underrated "Before the Æons Came" which is my personal favourite. "Demigod" is a very solid death metal record that should satisfy most of our The Horde members.

For fans of Hate, Belphegor & Sulphur Aeon.

The “boxes” argument used to come up quite a lot back on the old Terrorizer forum days. Any member trying to conveniently place anything even slightly eclectic into a specific genre, sub-genre, niche, thimble or mere tag usually found themselves suffering the ire of one or more of the regulars on that board. For a forum that was associated with the extreme metal and was billed as the” world’s most dangerous music magazine”, there was a surprisingly open-minded group of regulars present there and as such an album like this month’s The Fallen feature release would have proved to be a divisive discussion point.

Smote don’t have any recognition on Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives. To be honest, I can almost understand why. As much as there is a heavy streak to Songs from the Free House, there is a lot of other elements for the listener to contend with. Drone, psych, folk and doom all occupy the forty-minute space in front of the listener. To my ear this record embraces a very similar sound to that of Wolvserpent, a band who despite my tendency to avoid drone metal, get regular revisits each year. When I pick up such reference points, I do wonder if it is just that Smote have simply not been put forward for submission at The Metal Archives as opposed to being outright rejected. Clearly, these tracks are not always arranged with the heavier elements in sharp focus; the chaos of psych often disrupts any sense of outright doom metal from topping the charts of influences driving the bus. You may easily find then that Songs from the Free House is a little too rarified a listen if there are no albums by Hawkwind in your collection.

At the same time, I do not think that you must be a fan of the output by Sunn O))), Earth or Boris to enjoy this release. The drone elements here possess an atmosphere I have rarely been able to pick up with the above artist’s releases that I have ventured into. The haunting pipes of ‘Chamber’ and those dense, droning keys and vocals create a real sense of immersion around me as I listen. But above all else, in comparison to other albums I have experienced across these multiple genres/sub-genres, there is still a sense of very definite start and end points to tracks. There is no blurring of all tracks into one and as such tracks are permitted a good expanse of individual identity.

I could use the word ‘enchanting’ to describe this record. It has a sultry, brooding appeal to it that lures me in; perhaps at this early stage of listening even without me being able to fully understand why it connects with me so well. There is something primal about the tribal percussion that is on display. The uncertainty of the deep drones and bass lines only seem to add to the allure of proceedings as opposed to alienating me from them. And so, it eventually comes back to the fact that there is no “box” to put this record in, which is sort of why I like it so much.

Manchester’s Winterfylleth have had a mostly “off” relationship with me (as opposed to an “on/off” relationship that is).  Their most enjoyable release for me has always been their acoustic folk record The Harrowing of Heirdom which I thought was fantastic in a kind of underground Fleet Foxes kind of a way, not too commercialised or harmonised either.  Fact is that most of their outright black metal records have left me cold, and not in the desired black metal experience kind of “cold” either.  I cannot deny that they are a talented bunch of lads, and that they do have a well-established following of loyal fans.  The music is never bad when I experience it, yet nor does it come across as being particularly memorable either.

The Unyielding Season caught me off guard therefore.  Soon after hearing it through a couple of times, I found myself able to predict songs on subsequent visits.  Opening track, ‘Heroes of a Hundred Fields’ has a fantastic section (which I heard called a “breakdown” the other day) after about two thirds of the way through.  Likewise, the title track has etched its flow into my memory banks also, much quicker than expected.  As with my favourite album of theirs, the two acoustic tracks are probably still my two preferred ones.  That favouritism has more to it than nostalgia for the previous release though, the band do have a genuine talent for writing beautiful acoustic pieces I feel and again it is these two moments that stay with me as the most positive experiences of the album.

It is not that the rest of the album is awful, more that these other tracks do seem to blur into one another.  This is a trait that only seems to get worse with repeated listens sadly.  Even on purely critical listens, it is hard to discern vast quantities of the album as having much in the way of individuality.  By far the greatest problem I have though is the poor choice of a cover track that sits right at the end of the album.  I am not Paradise Lost’s biggest fan, regardless of the fact that ‘Enchantment’ is one of my least favourite songs of their’s.  It was bad enough hearing Nick sing it but the vocalist for Winterfylleth somehow makes the experience worse.  Maybe I have overplayed this album in trying to settle on some reasonable understanding of it.  Looking at the score I have applied to the rating now, I would have thought it a shade higher upon initial discovery listens.  However, the reality over time has proven a different outcome is necessary.

The newest album from Ice Nine Ki... wait... The Gloom in the Corner is a peculiar record and exercise in structure. Right out of the gate, it takes heavy influence from Ice Nine Kills and The Silver Scream records. It's littered with symphonic strings, bombastic and erratic song forms and sequencing and a heightened sense of grandiose. Unlike Ice Nine Kills, The Gloom in the Corner are making this to be it's own standalone movie. Royal Discordance is a concept album, but it's hard to get into the concept from the outset. It's an album that is explosive and at points, dank, so the sardonic and destructive nature of the lyrics and themes feel out of touch. The way the album progresses from "The Problem with Apocalyptic Tyranny" and ends with "Love II: A Walk Amongst the Poppy Fields" almost feels forced.

Part of that inevitably comes from the music as well. Like I said on the outset, because of how heavily influenced Royal Discordance is to Ice Nine Kills, it is a heavy album. Lots of heavy chugging guitars, fat percussion mixing and a healthy dose of aggression in the vocals. I personally think that the vocals are the albums glowing highlight because for every "Nope (Hollow Point Elysium)" there is an equally strong ballad like "Shadow Rhapsody II" and the balancing of the vocal styles is very well done. Besides those vocals, there isn't that much innovative or interesting through the instrumentals. You might occasionally hear a blast beat coming from the percussion which sounds cool and the hardcore riffs are fun, but without a truly special hook locking them into place, it just feels hollow. 

Despite the negativity, I didn't hate this album. Just know that it is not my cup of tea when it comes to the type of metalcore that I enjoy. If you like Ice Nine Kills but wanted them to make a concept album for a movie instead of tributes to classic slasher films, you might enjoy Royal Discordance.

Best Songs: You Didn't Like Me Then (You Won't Like Me Now), Short Range Teleportation (A Guide to Guerrilla Warfare), That's Life (Carry Me Home), Love II: A Walk Amongst the Poppy Fields

This was my first time hearing about this Djentcore band from Australia and I enjoyed my time with I Guess It Was Nowhere. My initial impressions were that Above, Below would be following in the footsteps of bands like ERRA with their down tuned guitars and chunky hardcore breakdowns. And while we get a fair bit of that here, Above, Below also throw in some progressive/atmospheric sections as well. Those sections serve as a nice change of pace for the record, so that when the next chunky hardcore breakdown hits, it connects with authority. 

I use the word "atmospheric" very strongly here because I believe this album could have used more of that. I kept thinking back to early Astronoid records while entrenched in a dreamy sequence and felt myself getting kicked out of it unceremoniously by the vocals. I like Jacob Wilkes clean singing, but his harsh vocals are too brash and unkept for the clean stylings of djent. I'm quite sure that this was part of the point; highlighting more of the hardcore influence through the vocals so maybe its just a difference of direction, but that doesn't excuse the vocal mixing, which is pushed so far back in the sequence. And Jacob did all of the mixing and mastering on I Guess It Was Nowhere too! Guess he really loves pumping his band up and not himself.

Overall it was pretty good. The time flew by and I enjoyed my time with I Guess It Was Nowhere. The band executes a decent variety of styles and are really good at giving the listener space before the next hardcore assault. Hooks are hit-and-miss; quite a few of them felt too much like alphabet soup instead of clear and concise phrases with catchy melodies, but the album is well played/performed and the mixing (minus the vocals) is superb.

Best Songs: Heat, Starbreather, Collapsing Eden, I Have Lost My Appetite for Spring

While 1993's "Pure Holocaust" sophomore album was the record that cemented Norwegian black metal icons Immortal as a band that commanded my interest, it was third full-length "Battle in the North" that saw them joining the top tier of the genre for me personally & I still regard it as a black metal classic today. I purchased the digipack CD upon release (along with a long-sleeve shirt that I wore around the scene religiously for a while there) & it received a good ol' flogging during the back end of 1995. Immortal upped the brutality significantly once front man Abbath took over the drumming duties on "Pure Holocaust" but this? This was a whole different kettle of fish & still sits amongst the most intense extreme metal releases ever recorded. The riffs are swarming & inhuman, the drumming is relentlessly pummeling & Abbath's signature croaky vocals are demonic & sinister, not to mention ridiculously catchy. There are those critics out there who criticize Abbath's drumming as being incompetent but that's not a valid concern if you know a thing or two about extreme metal drumming. Sure, his kick drum work isn't always super-precise but the clicky kick drum triggers that are right at the front of the mix go a long way to highlighting every blemish & these imperfections aren't anything unusual for black metal drummers. His arms are not a problem at all though & it's really the guitars that struggle to keep up with the frantic rhythms at times. That's what people are complaining about without actually realising the root cause. This minor flaw is not a significant problem for me anyway though with songs like the title track, "Cursed Realms of the Winterdemons" & "At the Stormy Gates of Mist" being some of my all-time favourite black metal numbers. There isn't a weak number amongst the ten on offer & I'm gonna suggest that "Battle in the North" is easily Immortal best album, leaving highly regarded releases like "Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism", "At the Heart of Winter" & "Sons of Northern Darkness" in the dust.

For fans of Inquisition, Abbath & Mayhem.

Battle Ballads... That's an album title can either be aptly titled and have mostly ballads, or be misleading. Fortunately, it's the latter. I say "fortunately" because it's another good album from these Faroese metallers Tyr. In truth, there are only as many ballads as there are in a DragonForce album; one or two. The rest are power metal anthems with some melodic harmonies and bombastic orchestrations.

Oh yeah, this offering continues the band's later power metal direction, with their earlier progressive folk metal style in fragments. Their power metal side is in clearer display than before. However, the difference has caused less balance in their sound. Still there's a lot to look forward to, particularly in some of the first few tracks.

"Hammered" starts the album as an early hint at this approach. It's quite fun and hammering! Also a great way to introduce their new lead guitarist Hans Hammer, with the song title fitting well for that occasion too. Another 3-minute metal tune follows, "Unwandered Ways", yet it doesn't impress me as much as the surrounding tracks. "Dragons Never Die" is yet another 3-minute track while being another incredible standout. I especially love its chorus.

One of the most diverse songs in the vocals is "Row". While frontman Heri Joensen continues his unique singing, he also tests out some death growling (not as much as in Hel's opening track) and throat singing. Sadly it doesn't reach the heights of those earlier highlights. Still not a bad song though. Up next, "Torkils Dotur" is one of 3 songs with Faroese lyrics. It has quite some climatic emotion for a ballad. "Vaelkomnir Foroyingar" has more of their native language, while having a more straight direction in the music and vocals. However, their attempt at adding speed and heaviness comes out a bit weak and out of line. Thankfully, they still have their power in "Hangman".

"Axes" levels up the quality, showing that they still got it after around 25 years. The somewhat title track "Battle Ballad" is one of the most mighty tracks here. Everything's a small journey in this song! It's almost like Devin Townsend helped produced it alongside the album's actual producer Jacob Hansen. The bass should still be as audible as the rest, honestly. The closing "Causa Latronum Normannorum" starts off promising yet falls flat, compared to at least the previous two albums' ending epics.

Battle Ballads seems to take on the simple tight aspect of songs being mostly 3 to 4 minutes long each, similar to Valkyrja. The problem with their new album is, most of the progressiveness of their previous albums, including Valkyrja and Hel, have been discarded. At least a lot of the unique vocals by Heri Joensen is still around. And the formula they have is never downgraded to generic. Plus I am grateful for those other two albums I've checked out that make me up for more of this band. So although Battle Ballads doesn't reach that amount of greatness, nothing is jinxed, and Tyr is a band I'll never forget....

Favorites: "Hammered", "Dragons Never Die", "Torkils Dotur", "Axes", "Battle Ballad"

There's no arguing with the fact that Tyr is the most, and probably only, notable Faroese metal band. They're literally the only thing some people in the world, including myself, know about the Faroe Islands. I actually have heard of Tyr around 10 years before my new reviews, but their earlier albums from the 2000s had more of a doom-ish folk/prog-metal sound that was too dark for my bright melodic teen self at the time. However, Heri Joensen and co. would discard most of their earlier doom with fast power metal in the harmonic guitars. Of course, there;s still some of the folk/progressive part of their identity. All of that makes one of the best albums I've heard in folk/power metal!

Hel is ambitious as... well, Hel. 13 tracks cover 70 glorious minutes. Most of them are each 4 to 6 minutes long, with two 7-minute epics to bookend the album. Some persistent listening may be needed for a full rewarding experience. And just the word Hel (only one hockey stick) and artwork are enough for a great dark first impression, alongside the song titles that are as power metal as the actual tracks.

The 7-minute opener "Gates of Hel" would be quite a surprise for any longtime fan of the band, particularly in the first one or two minutes. The riffing sounds so crushing and deathly, complete with harsh vocals performed by Heri Joensen himself! Some might think, "What is this, Amon Amarth?!?" Anyway, that part is as fantastic as the rest of this song. I would love to hear more heavy growl-infused tracks like that from the band. Starting the second third of "All Heroes Fall" is some perfect soloing talent. The shredding that occurs in conjunction with the supporting riff-wrath is perhaps the best here. Next up, "Ragnars Kvaeoi" is the first of two Faroese-sung songs. It's quite great hearing those kinds of lyrics fit in with the atmosphere and folk-fueled instrumentation. Metal fury can sound so soothing in "Garmr", named after one of the hounds of Hel.

The lyrics are at their highest peak in the beautiful "Sunset Shore", especially in the chorus. We then have the melodic "Downhill Drunk", and nothing ever goes downhill there. If you're up for some really powerful riffing, that's what opens "Empire of the North", and they especially hit hard in the verses. That, along with the big layered production, help make that track another epic highlight. "Far from the Worries of the World" is another example of melodic strength. Same with "King of Time".

Some more of the greatest soloing occurs in "Fire and Flame". Then "Against the Gods" levels up the massive riffs and rhythms. We get more of the firey soloing in "Songs of War" from temporary lead guitarist Atilla Voros. "Alvur Kongur" closes it all as another 7-minute progressive epic, from the clean intro to another metal extravaganza.

However, Hel needs more praise in the metal community. If I only get to listen to half of this album, it would still sound complete. This may just surpass DragonForce's Extreme Power Metal the best power metal album of 2019 for me. Some might take some time to get used to this album, while others, such as myself, would love it instantly. Still, you may want to pay close attention for the best of this dark voyage to Hel. Once the clean guitars at the beginning get you hooked, you're all set. With any luck, Tyr might just be one of my newfound favorite bands of folk/power metal. Will I dive into more of this band's catalog? HEL YEAH!

Favorites: "Gates of Hel", "All Heroes Fall", "Sunset Shore", "Empire of the North", "Fire and Flame", "Against the Gods", "Alvur Kongur"

Y'know, I can enjoy many different metal genres as the experienced metalhead I am. Sometimes it all depends on my mood. And there was a time when I was so g****mn focused on the modern heavier genres like metalcore and industrial metal that I was blowing off the more melodic genres I once enjoyed like power metal and folk metal. I'm glad I can balance my metal palate with both sides of the coin now and can find the appeal of some bands, like this one that was just recommended to me elsewhere, Tyr!

The Faroe Islands are an archipelago off the coast of Europe, owned by Denmark. Tyr have brought those islands to greater prominence by unleashing their folk/power metal sound to the world. Valkyrja is their 7th album, and they had a temporary drummer in Nile's George Kollias, replacing founding member Kári Streymoy.

Jumping right in is the catchy riffing of "Blood of Heroes". Heroes shall be remembered when they die in blood and glory. The music sounds clearer in "Mare of My Night", as the lyrics tell the tale of a woman's struggle. "Hel Hath No Fury" continues that lyrical subject. Leaves' Eyes ex-vocalist Liv Kristine guest appears in "The Lay of Our Love". Taking some traditional native motives, it's one of the most beautiful ballads I've heard, even for a heavier metalhead like myself. The vocal alternation works like a dream.

It is followed by the anthemic highlight "Nation" with emotional soloing. Then we get some faster thrash in "Another Fallen Brother", which is quite catchy. "Grindavisan" is filled with doomy majesty in the occasional marching tempo and choirs. Although the lyrics are entirely sung in Faroese, it is one of my favorite tracks here.

"Into the Sky" exemplifies the band's typical Nordic lyrical theme, centered around Valkyries and Vikings. "Fanar Burtur Brandaljoo" is another Faroese-sung track worth listening to. The lyrical output by frontman Heri Joensen sounds so mystical, whether or not you can understand it. "Lady of the Slain" is another fast song. They've clearly taken some techniques from well-known thrash bands to make another highlight. The closing title epic is too glorious to put into words. Just listen to believe!

All in all, my first actual full-album Tyr experience in Valkyrja already shows excellent promise. Everything's listenable and never dull. What would've made this 100% perfect would be some additional folk elements that would give it the folk/power metal zest of Ensiferum, but it all works greatly as it is. Ride on, my heroes!

Favorites: "Blood of Heroes", "The Lay of Our Love", "Nation", "Grindavisan", "Lady of the Slain", "Valkyrja"

Pan.Thy.Monium is a pretty batshit band, right?  

I think I judge all these batshit experimental albums by how justified the batshitness is to the music itself, and especially in the context of the whole record. What kind of statement is made here?

For the most part, Pan.Thy.Monium, on the third album, seems to be content with structuring the record with one weird moment after another. There's a moment where it abruptly transitions to honking sound effects for like two seconds, which is pretty novel, but that's just it: it's novel. Consider how many times you're going to relisten to this record, and how many times that specific moment will move you. My point is that when the album begins, there doesn't seem to be a unifying theme to the weirdness, and it sits firmly in the realm of novelty. Or does it? More on that later...

Another layer is the general musicality of it. Sure, the weirdness may just be done for the sake of it, but can you bop your head to it? Sure, you can. It's a perfectly competent album in composition, with catchy and effective parts. If anything, the weirdness makes those parts memorable so, at the end of the day, it is still more than a listenable album. You can enjoy it every time, but, of course, you're looking for something far deeper than just that when it comes to anything labelled "avant-garde", right?

The thing about this album is that while the weirdness is generally just done for the sake of it, as I said, there is division between tracks. Why not just have one long track? Instead, we have four songs, which have atypical lengths. This points to the fact that they're more akin to movements and, consequently, have distinct purposes from one another, which justifies the splitting of length. Because of that, we can deduce that there really is a unifying theme to this album, which is composed of those presumably different parts. 

In order to figure that out, though, we must first identify how these tracks are different from one another. Before that, it helps to consider the actual theme we may see before we even listen to the album. According to metal archives, the music of this band in general is centered around a chaos god known as Raagoonshinnaah. A little bird once told me that this album in particular is about that same god in a power struggle against a god of light known as Amaraah. From here, we can attempt to analyze if the music itself correlates to that information. 

So, the first track is called "The Battle of Geeheeb" and, already, we see confirmation of the power struggle theme. Now, the track itself is random in experimentation, although that description probably does it injustice. It's more like an explosion of creativity, where the intention is to produce some absurdism to throw the listener off balance. That seems obvious, doesn't it? Consider, however, that the music itself isn't played cheaply at all. If I was a band whose goal is to just shock the listener with weirdness, I wouldn't care about the structure of the music at all and just focus on the novelty. That tells us that there's something deeper about this than we may first assume. One different sound leads to another. An exchange of blows between the two entities, perhaps? 

Do you remember "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"? You know where the Devil's piece begins, and you know where Johnny's piece begins as well. That's where i'm getting at with this. What if... the parts of this whole album is a sequence of responses between the two opposing forces? The weirdness, then, isn't just random. Well, not really. I mean, it's not JUST random. It's random, yet, but random with a purpose. It represents an altercation between two transcendent beings. In that sense, the music begins to take a form akin to abstract art. You may suppose that the more sinister-sounding parts are from Raagoonshinnaah, whereas the sick blues-y and prog-like guitar solos are Amaraah pushing back.

"Thee-Pherenth" begins with a continuation of this battle. The near beginning of this track is actually where the part I criticized earlier comes from, where it abruptly cuts to brief honking sounds. Ironically, though, I would say that the subsequent parts of this track are a bit more structured in terms of narrative. Immediately after is a death metal part, a suffocating darkness that can be interpreted as a retaliation from Raagoonshinnaah. It leads to a tense, ascending synth section, building up more and more until it climaxes into an ambient-like section. This is Raagoonshinnaah's track, alright, as the consecutive parts contain some darkness to them. Compared to the previous track, this one uses more atmospheric sections, with ambient and doom as well. Around 19 minutes into the album, though, another solo plays in the midst of one of those ambient sections, culminating in a jingling synth sound. I interpret that as Amaraah persevering even as Raagoonshinnaah constricts him with the latter's previous successful advances. In general, though, it seems that the latter has the upper hand so far, as I feel more oppression in this part rather than light, even with the occasional moments of Amaraah probably pushing back.

That's the thing with abstract art in general. We must accept a certain amount of open-endedness inherent to the piece. However, that also means that my interpretation could be way off to yours. I suppose I hardly need to say that, so let's continue, yeah?

You'll notice also that both of these tracks end in some kind of non-musical soundscape. In "The Battle of Geeheeb", it ends in a slightly optimistic synth ambient with a loud, creaking noise, which I have always attributed to a crying baby. Maybe it symbolizes Amaraah winning temporarily in that moment. It fills me with a nostalgic feeling, one that almost seems hopeful. It's the noise of life and all its potential. "Thee-Pherenth", meanwhile, ends in a more distressing sound, and you hear the creaking once more. This time, however, it's recontextualized by the new background. Now it sounds painful. It's the same motiff, but now different, as it's clear that Raagoonshinnaah is the one that's won here, which is consistent with my theory that "Thee-Pherenth" is about him gaining the upper hand in this struggle.

Interestingly, "Behrial" is entirely a synth section. It's hopeful, and definitely sounds like light. You may even call it breathtaking, after all that has transpired in the narrative. I'd like to point out that Pan.Thy.Monium also has a motiff of dreams and, sure enough, there is the sound of a ticking clock in this section in particular. But I don't see this as dreaming but, rather, waking up. To a new beginning, perhaps? A burial marks the end of one's life, yet maybe an ending is just another form of beginning. 

"In Remembrance' is a minute-long silence. 

...

So who won in the end, Raagoonshinnaah or Amaraah? Well, usually, I like to leave it up to interpretation. However, here's my theory... I think it's Raagoonshinnaah who won. I think an honorific remembrance leans more towards the death of light and order, as opposed to chaos. Sure, chaos and order aren't really opposed, but we usually grieve the loss of stability way more than the loss of danger and uncertainty, even when change is found in the latter. Now, the reason why there is "Behrial" in the end is because this isn't a straightforward struggle of a good guy against a bad guy. The ending suggests that while order isn't a constant in life, light persists anyways. So maybe the struggle didn't end at all. Maybe it happens in every day of existence and, even after all that, there is always light in darkness, or chaos in order, what you will... all the things that make life. That sure is something, isn't it? 

It actually took me a number of years to realise that this, Dream Theater’s second entry in their ‘Lost Not Forgotten Archives’ line of releases, is actually from the same show as the previous album, that being, ‘Images & Words – Live in Japan, 2017’.

Unlike its predecessor, which was solely the band performing their groundbreaking sophomore album in its entirety, this one is a bit of a mixed bag. Featuring eight tracks, highlights include ‘The Dark Eternal Night’, ‘As I Am’ and ‘The Gift of Music’. The musicians are all on top form as always, however, the detriment (as per usual), is vocalist James LaBrie.

It’s not his fault. I mention this with every single Dream Theater live release, but a vocal accident in the 90’s, along with his age, make him as much a struggle to listen to as it is a struggle for him to sing these songs. In particular, there are a number of tracks where I genuinely have no idea what he’s even saying.

Still, overall, this isn’t a terrible release. It’s just pointless, really. I’ve no idea why the band chose to release this concert over two different albums, except as some kind of money-making scheme specifically targeting Dream Theater nerds. And I shall forever remain proof that it worked.

While I didn't mind the allegedly classic 1994 "Verwüstung/Invoke the Dark Age" debut album from this Austrian black metal trio, I wouldn't say that I was totally convinced until their underrated 1995 "Orkblut - The Retaliation" E.P. which Ben purchased on CD at the time of release. I remember it distinctly because I went to leave the house to purchase it myself, only to discover Ben playing his new CD copy in his bedroom which saw much squabbling ensuing between us. It's been a while since I've listened to "Orkblut - The Retaliation" now but I remember it being a significant step up for the band, so by the time Abigor's sophomore album "Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom)" appeared just months later, the Austrians had our complete attention.

Time has shown us that "Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom)" has gone on to be Abigor's most highly regarded release over the years but I've never found it to be any more than a passing amusement personally & I still maintain that position now. I think it's just a bit too melodic & one-dimensional for my taste & it doesn't feel all that dark for a supposedly dark & evil black metal record. I certainly really enjoy the drumming of Thomas Tannenberger which is excellent throughout, particularly his brutal blast beats. I don't think the blackened shrieks of Silenius (Amestigon/Summoning/Die Verbannten Kinder Evas/Kreuzweg Ost/Pazuzu) are very good though & the synth work is really quite cheesy at times which perhaps shouldn't surprise me given Abigor's links to Summoning who I've always struggled with. Despite what some people may say, I do enjoy the clean female vocals which pop up from time to time, even if they do feel like they've been stolen from a gothic metal band while Peter Kubik & Tannenberger 's melodic tremolo-picked guitar interplay had become somewhat of a signature for Abigor by this stage but it can sound pretty samey after a while.

"Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom)" can easily be broken up into three three-song portions in terms of quality in my opinion. The first trio of songs are all pretty decent but things only really heat up for the middle section of the album comprised of "Dornen", "As Astral Images Darken Reality" & "The Dark Kiss" before things settle back into the sort of standard we heard earlier in the release for the remainder of the tracklisting. There aren't any obvious duds included but I wouldn't say there's anything particularly classic here either so I can't justify those sort of claims about the overall album. Still... I think most black metal fans will appreciate Abigor's second full-length, despite the flaws I mentioned earlier.

For fans of Emperor, Dødheimsgard & Lunar Aurora.

I never would have predicted that Orbit Culture, a band that I did not actually care for, could disappoint me after 2023's Descent, but boy did they ever with their newest album, Death Above Life.

My biggest critique of the bands previous record was that it sounded like hot garbage. The production choices were so atrocious that I had to step away from the album multiple times just to finish it. Which was a shame because from a compositional level, Descent  wasn't the worst. Sure, it has issues with its length, but it could be overlooked for good songwriting. But in 2025, Orbit Culture took all of the worst elements of both the production and the songwriting and amplified them to almost unlistenable heights. The drums could have been recorded in a separate room, in another country, on another planet, and they would still be the loudest thing in the mix! Vocals and guitar leads have been unceremoniously muted in favour of gargantuan fundamentals; whether it be the chugging guitar grooves or the unbearable bass drum. The melody has been stripped away from Orbit Culture.

And you want to know what makes it worse? Look at the liner notes of Death Above Life and you'll see exactly why this album was destined for failure. Record label? Century Media; the same record label that has published the last two Lorna Shore albums. Production? Buster Odeholm; primary songwriter for Humanity's Last Breath. Lorna Shore's biggest claim since the start of the 2020s has been turning every instrument in the room up to eleven and have everyone competing for the spotlight at the same time. Humanity's Last Breath has been releasing deathcore/djent whose sole objective is to be unlistenable. Orbit Culture saw this and thought: why don't we take both of these terrible ideas and combine them together? 

Best Songs: Hydra, Death Above Life

Bold statement incoming. I like the new Lamb of God album. I think it is good. That might class as two bold statements, but I think you get the gist of how this review is shaping up even at this early stage of proceedings. I am not Lamb of God’s biggest fan; in fact, I doubt that I have successfully navigated one whole album by them before the multiple listens that this opus has enjoyed. Just like this review, Into Oblivion starts off positively with the title track presenting a solid groove metal track to open things up with. Dashing riffs jab at the listener whilst Blythe’s bruising commentary land more direct blows. The slamming metalcore tropes of ‘Parasocial Christ’ are a welcome continuation of things, making it very clear that Lamb of God have not just turned up, they have rolled their sleeves up, adorned some sweatbands around their wrists and are already hard at it. After a slower start, ‘Sepsis’ soon sets in as its title suggests it would, turning into a dirty little fucker of a track, treating us to a breakdown also before leaving us sweaty and exhausted.

It is no secret that groove metal is perhaps one of the sub-genres that I struggle with and it is only the fact that I curate the playlist for The Pit that I have actually managed to seek out some alternatives to the single-track of Pantera records that I have been listening to (increasingly sporadically) over the last thirty-plus years. Machine Head’s debut was a treat of course and later day Exhorder are perhaps my only other consistent listen. Lamb of God have not had a look in until now. However, this is a mature sounding record that keeps the fun of the style firmly in play. This is not Pantera worship; whilst those elements are certainly there, I must listen attentively to formulate the influence. Nor do the grooves reach the infectious levels of Exhorder. Instead, I pick up a mixture of reflective, contemplative subject matters malformed into a blunt force trauma style delivery that benefits from restraint being applied. Into Oblivion, ironically, never fully forms into the threatened state of the album title. Lamb of God are fully aware of what they are doing.

I put this record on rotation at the same time as the new Exodus release, fully expecting this one to fall foul of the two-way comparison and that I would be sat here writing a review on Holt and co’s latest instead. As it turns out, Into Oblivion is miles ahead of Goliath in my book. If anything, Lamb of God’s tenth studio album is still growing on me, after some four listens now, this is no mean feat. To still have the same levels of energy by track seven (‘Blunt Force Blues’) is not an accolade I am often able to dish out. Even the slower paced (ballad?), ‘El Vacio’ doesn’t derail things, despite being the weakest track on here for me. At under forty minutes, managing to maintain a high level of consistency throughout its runtime, Into Oblivion is a triumph of a record in a sub-genre that for me lacks many successes even. Nodding heavily back to their roots whilst applying an array of sonic textures along the way, this is a record I never expected to like, and I think it is outstanding. Bold statement to close as well.

With an album cover that looks for all the world like a forgotten soundtrack to an obscure French art film from the 1970’s, Hidden Fires Burn Hottest is not a record I was to find per se. An established Californian post-black metal/post-hardcore band, Bosse-de-Nage aren’t a band I would normally be looking to find either. As is sometimes the case though, unexpected finds can be the best. Although similarities persist with the likes of Deafhaven, Yellow Eyes and Agriculture, all acts I find to be usually well outside of my wheelhouse, there is something in the sound of Bosse-de-Nage that had me interested from the off.

Now, if you’re reading this thinking how I am now going to tell you what that “something” is, well sorry to have to report that I am still figuring that bit out. I mean, it could be that I am starting to more open to a wider palate of music that incorporates more post and gaze elements. Indeed, I have been listening to more hardcore recently as well as a host of other non-metal music also. So maybe the non-metal elements of Hidden Fires Burn Hottest appeal to me more than any semblance of any metal that is present does. If I am being honest, I am not actually trying all that hard to figure out what that “something” is. Instead, I find myself just going with the enjoyment of what I am hearing, paying little attention to how it got in front of me and hy I have returned to the album on a near-daily basis for the past couple of weeks.

The vocals are where the closest element of the black metal in the sound resides in the record. With the combination of spoken word and lurching, hardcore vocals alongside these, there is a distinctly jarring element to the record. Those jangling guitars and a fair but firm percussion section that build ‘Mementos’ before a fearless bass presence makes its first noticeable appearance are an early indication of the non-linear format to song writing that Bosse-de-Nage employ. This is an album with a real sense of a percussive drive being at the forefront of its direction, layered with a grim punk style attitude overall. Even the two interludes work, crafting a valid space for themselves in the track listing without becoming intrusive or disruptive as I often fear with such tracks.

Hidden Fires Burn Hottest lives up to its title billing as beneath the surface, the intensely burning light at the heart of the band that represents their passion for their art certainly can be felt by the listener. Considering at the point that I discovered this I was (probably) searching for black metal it is rare for me to embrace such an unexpected warmth in a record. That having been said, I would not say that this is a particularly happy or positive album. I can connect with the Neurosis tropes of ‘Underwater’ just as well as I do with the more direct bm approach to ‘Frenzy’ that immediately follows it. This variety in styles is very easy for the band to claim under a banner of their own individual sound I would say. Nothing sounds forced here, and we are not talking about Imperial Triumphant levels of chaos or KEN Mode style attempts at experimentation by comparison, yet the record is not standard anything in any sense of the term either.

It pains me to do this. I’ve been a Dream Theater fan since 2003, when they very quickly became one of my all-time favourite bands, a position they still hold to this day (well, top three, anyway!). Their career is literally one masterpiece after another. Until drummer Mike Portnoy left the band, that is. The first album without him, 2010’s ‘A Dramatic Turn of Events’ is still an incredible release, but 2013’s self-titled ‘Dream Theater’ started to see a decline in quality, and that then brings us to this, 2016’s two-disc concept album nerd convention, ‘The Astonishing’.

It’s naff.

I mean, I’ve tried and I’ve tried, but it just feels like the band is well and truly on autopilot at this point. There is nothing overly memorable about this album, just a couple of tracks here and there. But at a combined duration of over two hours, ‘The Astonishing’ is such a drudgery to listen to in one sitting, especially for such bare rewards. Of course, the musical performances are exceptional, as you’d expect, but the rest, kind of sucks. The lyrics are naff, the songs are mostly naff, and the story is naff, though to be honest, I zone out so often that I don’t really pay much attention to it anyway.

If I had to pick out any highlights, I’d say ‘The Gift of Music’, ‘A Life Left Behind’ and ‘Our New World’ are all okay. Not brilliant, but not terrible either. If they could have condensed this album onto one disc, it MIGHT have been listenable, but as it is, an enjoyable 14 minutes out of 130 just isn’t worth the effort.

As I’m getting older (at the time of writing this, I’m 39 years old!), I find myself having less and less patience for albums that don’t grow on me quickly enough. And considering how long this slog of a record is, I think it’s time to pass on this one.

Here we have one of the crowning glories of the French "Les Légions Noires" black metal scene of the 1990's & a release that doesn't really stand up to modern scrutiny in my opinion.

Vlad Tepes was a Brest-based duo made up of Vorlok Drakksteim (Black Murder/Dzlvarv/Seviss/Susvourtre/Torture/Vèrmyapre Kommando) & Wlad Drakksteim (Black Murder/Dzlvarv/Seviss/Vèrmyapre Kommando). As you can see, these guys were involved in a whole slew of important French demo projects & I didn't mind a couple of their earlier demo tapes under the Vlad Tepes moniker at the time either (see 1994's "War Funeral March" & "Celtic Poetry") but the eight tracks included here do very little for me, despite containing much of the same material as "Celtic Poetry". What you can expect is an extremely raw & lo-fi brand of early 90's black metal that's performed in a very sloppy fashion with many of the riffs having more of a melodic feel than I'd like (kinda like Ulver's 1997 "Nattens madrigal: Aatte hymne til ulven i manden" third album in a way) & occasionally even veering into folk metal territory which triggers my yucky gag reflex. The vocals are nice & grim (think Abbath meets Nocturno Culto) but the instrumentation is pretty lacklustre in my opinion, leaving me struggling for connection across most of the eight pieces included here. 2.5/5

Bergerac's Belkètre are far more interesting in my opinion with their distorted, treble-heavy sound being highlighted by the overthetop vocal delivery of band leader Vordb Dréagvor Uèzréèvb (Black Murder/Brenoritvrezorkre/Chapel of Ghouls/Dvnaèbkre/Moëvöt/Seviss/Torgeist/Vagézaryavtre/Zelda) who is ably supported by Aäkon Këëtrëh (Torgeist/Zelda) to give us a much more engaging eight pieces of ultra lo-fi & primitive French black metal. I have some time for Belkètre's 1996 "Ambre Zuetki Vuordrevartre" demo tape & I get a similar level of enjoyment out of their contribution to this split album which arrived the previous year. The interludes don't do anything for me at all but the proper songs are all pretty decent, although they're definitely held up by the demo-quality production & fairly sloppy performances. I guess that's kinda the point here though as neither band are looking for accessibility, quite the opposite in fact. When taken holistically though, Belkètre's side of the release is the reason for exploring "March to the Black Holocaust" as far as I can see. Unfortunately, it's charms are overcome by the inadequacies of Vlad Tepes' contribution so I can't in good conscience recommend this supposedly classic record. 3.5/5

For fans of Mütiilation, Torgeist & Black Murder.

Whenever a band changes their logo after 25 years, they're bound to get some feedback about it from their fans, some good, some bad. Such is the case for Lamb of God with the cover art of their new album Into Oblivion. And I gotta say, I'm somewhere in the middle there. I wouldn't say it's bad, but it does look a little clunky. However, I love the more futuristic and comic-like art itself. Perhaps their first time taking the comic-esque approach since their one album as Burn the Priest (and less violent too).

As for the actual album, Into Oblivion is pretty much their best album I've heard in years! Even though their earlier albums sounded impressive to me when I was listening to them over 5 years ago, especially their 2000s material, a lot of their appeal ended up worn out. Into Oblivion redeems it all with furious anthems that can cut like a knife.

The title opener unleashes the band's dark heavy thrashy groove metal sound without losing steam. "Parasocial Christ" infuses their sound with the beatdown metalcore of Kublai Khan, along with Randy Blythe's vocals getting deeper and meaner. The bridge and guitar soloing throughout the 3rd quarter is a killer throwback to their 2000s era. Soloing is uncommon for this band, but Mark Morton never misses his mark. The first single of the album is "Sepsis", this one more sludgy as well as having vivid lyrics, "Holy Mother Death, rising up from Mexico". It's not until halfway through when the song really speeds up, blasting us with their heaviness from the mid-2000s. "The Killing Floor" is more labyrinthine in the riffs and rhythms, all getting harder in every bite.

"El Vacio" shows more of the band's dark side. Vocalist Randy Blythe performs some clean singing, and he sounds better at that than any of his earlier attempts, flowing with the melancholic yet sinister clean guitar. The lyrics pay tribute to the late Oderus Urungus of GWAR, even referencing one of that band's songs in the second chorus. The lyrics may also be in memory of the late Brent Hinds of Mastodon, after his fatal accident in the time of the album's production. RIP them both... "St. Catherine's Wheel" is quite spine-chilling as the riffing power roars on. "Blunt Force Blues" punches through with all its raging glory and malevolent groove.

Next up, "Bully" has more twisted riffing momentum as Randy declares "You lay down with dogs and you rise up with fleas". Then "A Thousand Years" makes another melodic detour that fits well with the destructive riffing and lyrics. Closing track "Devise / Destroy" charges with more of the crushing riffing and vocal fury. The bonus track "Wire" should've been in the actual album. The thrashy instrumentation reminds me of 2000s-era Annihilator.

Whether or not you may agree with the album's first impression that is its cover art and new band logo, Lamb of God are still at the top of their game. The band I've last heard of via VII: Sturm Und Drang and their Burn the Priest cover album have leveled up their creativity. Into Oblivion shall give more hope to the metal world in this decade!

Favorites: "Parasocial Christ", "Sepsis", "El Vacio", "Blunt Force Blues", "Bully", "Wire"

Released in 1971, ‘Fireball’ is the fifth studio album by British hard rock legends Deep Purple. After dabbling in psychedelic, orchestras, and heavy metal, the band are back to their hard rock, blues-inspired jamming. This is by no means a bad album, but fans seem a bit divided on this one, which is probably no surprise, as its position in Purple’s discography sits between two of their most iconic albums, ‘In Rock’ and ‘Machine Head’.

This is the third album to feature the classic Purple line-up, commonly referred to as “Mark 2”, and at this point there is an incredible chemistry between everyone. Each member displays remarkable prowess on their respective instrument, and it’s this dazzling musicianship and song-writing that really puts them at the top of the hard rock and heavy metal world.

Particular praise goes to guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and vocalist Ian Gillan. Both members put on incredible and highly versatile performances. Both men are leaps and bounds above other guitarists and vocalists of the day.

Still, while this may not be anyone’s favourite Purple record, it does have a fair share of fantastic tunes! In particular, we have rockers like ‘Fireball’, ‘No One Came’ and ‘Demon’s Eye’, catchy andhumorous tracks like ‘Anyone’s Daugher’, and the big rock epic ‘Fools’. Later reissues of the album would feature great outtakes such as ‘Freedom’, and one of my favourite Deep Purple songs, ‘Strange Kind of Woman’.

‘Fireball’ may not have the same legacy and reputation as albums like ‘Machine Head’ and ‘In Rock’, but some great songs and musicianship warrants its place in anyone’s hard rock or heavy metal collection.

a great set of songs with great lyrics, the modern epitome of MM, over all, really recommend this to anyone who likes his earlier albums.

Another high-quality record from this unusual New York trio, possibly their finest work actually. Guitarist Zachary Ezrin (Folterkammer) does a great job behind the microphone with his deep death growls being both powerful & well phrased. I really enjoy the drumming of Kenny Grohowski (John Frum/Secret Chiefs 3/Titan to Tachyons) too while Sarmat bass player Steve Blanco also provides us with a capable performance. The black metal component of the Imperial Triumphant's 2010's era is long gone by this point with "Goldstar" sitting more comfortably under an Avant-Garde/Experimental Death Metal tag in my opinion. Even the dissonant elements are probably not consistent enough to call this full-blown dissonant death metal. There's a lot of progressive metal & tech death influence here though too. Unsurprisingly, I find "Goldstar"s best moments to be when the boys simply go hell for leather with the more frenetic & aggressive phases being the most effective & often marrying up with the simpler sections of the album but that's not to say that the more experimental parts of "Goldstar" aren't impressive as they're very smoothly incorporated for a record that jumps around so much. If you exclusively like your death metal of the old school variety then you'll wanna steer well clear of this release but those that like a bit of ambition & creativity should find it to be universally interesting because there's no doubt that it's a classy effort by a forward-thinking extreme metal outfit.

For fans of Pyrrhon, Ad Nauseam & Portal.

‘Fear of the Dark’ is the ninth studio album by British metal legends, Iron Maiden. Released in 1992, it comes at a time when tensions were running high in the band, in particular, between vocalist Bruce Dickinson and bassist Steve Harris. If you include shifting musical trends and Maiden’s name value dropping more and more, it’s surprising that, while things were starting to look bleak, the band still manage to pull this trick out of a hat, with one of their strongest releases, and an album that features some of my favourite Maiden tracks.

Stylistically, this isn’t much different than any previous release. Okay, it’s not quite as progressive as albums like ‘Seventh Son of a Seventh Son’, and isn’t as consistent as ‘Powerslave’, but overall, this is still unmistakeably Iron Maiden. Guitarists Dave Murray and Janick Gers continue to work well together, with the traditional metal “twin guitar assault” in full effect here, and Bruce Dickinson’s vocals are as incredible as always.

With the music world changing around them, the British quintet stuck to their guns and continue with their own distinctive style, and while it might have been unpopular at that point in time, it would serve to keep the band alive and thriving long after the grunge scene of the 90’s took over.

What makes ‘Fear…’ stand out for me though, is that it features three of my favourite Maiden tracks. ‘Be Quick or Be Dead’, ‘Afraid to Shoot Strangers’ and the title track itself, are all bloody brilliant, and showcase the band at their absolute best. With some of their most intense riffs, interesting melodies and catchiest vocals, these three songs alone make this album well worth listening to. And with other notable tracks that include ‘Childhood’s End’, ‘From Here to Eternity’, ‘Chains of Misery’, ‘Judas Be My Guide’ and ‘Fear is the Key’, there’s no doubt that ‘Fear of the Dark’ belongs in the collection of every metal fan.

While I really dug 1992's "Onward to Golgotha" debut album, it was New Jersey death metallers Incantation's 1994 sophomore full-length "Mortal Throne of Nazarene" that really made me into a full-blown worshipper, so much so that I bought 1995's "Upon the Throne of Apocalypse" CD blind upon release without realising that it was in fact a different mix of the same album. The band apparently hated the previously released mix of "Mortal Throne of Nazarene", preferring an earlier rough mix to the one that eventually saw the light of day. "Upon the Throne of Apocalypse" shows why & in no uncertain terms too because it's an absolute beast of a record, highlighted by one of the most punishing & cavernous bass-heavy sounds the metal world had heard to the time. The slower material is taken to another level here while the faster sections sometimes lack the intelligibility of its predecessor so I'd suggest that it's really just a matter of taste as to which version of the album you prefer. Personally, I've always preferred this one but both are genuine classics as far as I'm concerned with songs like "The Ibex Moon", "Iconoclasm of Catholicism", "Demonic Incarnate" & incredible opener & clear album highlight "Abolishment of Immaculate Serenity" sitting amongst Incantation's finest work.

The incredibly deep death growls of guitarist Craig Pillard (Disma/Methadrone/Evoken/Goreaphobia) are an absolute masterclass in monstrous atmosphere while Jim Roe's (Disciples of Mockery/Goreaphobia) battering yet precise drumming is also worth mentioning. Bassist Dan Kamp (Crucifier) & guitarist John McEntee (Funerus/Goreaphobia/Mortician/Revenant) chime in beautifully throughout too with some of the best down-tuned tremolo riffing you could ever wish for. If only it was possible to make out those more blasting sections where the percussion becomes a little over-powering... Oh well... you can still take solace in the fact that the doomier parts of the album are utterly mind-blowing. 1998's "Diabolical Conquest" may always be my favourite Incantation record but this one is a pretty close second & should be essential listening for all members of The Horde.

For fans of Immolation, Dead Congregation & Disma.

Four albums into their career and I finally discover Misotheist. Hailing from the traditional black metal heartland of Norway (Trondheim in fact), their sound reminds me a lot more of Icelandic bm stalwarts Sinmara or Svartidauði with dissonant elements of DSO thrown in there also for good measure. This is the kind of chaotic, deranged black metal that grabs my interest nowadays. Quickly finding a foundation in the netherworld, this album stays in that territory for its full duration. The combination of solid riffs and suffocating atmospheres are a killer combo here. Make no mistake about it, Misotheist are here to do damage, and it is a lasting damage designed to inflict maximum suffering. After a year of keeping up with black metal releases last year, and toning that effort down somewhat this year, my attention is intended to be devoted only to exceptional black metal albums this year. De Pinte (“The Tormented”), absolutely qualifies.

Crawling and claustrophobic melodies do little to temper the threat of blasting fury that the artist can unleash forth at any moment. A feeling of unease permeates the slower tempos on display whilst the more aggressive sections soon activate the overwhelming flight mechanism as nobody in the right mind would want to fight against this sound. Tormented is a perfect description of how those vocals sound. With agonising cries against a constant sense of threat and menace, this is not intended to be a comfortable listen. Yet the dissonant aspect to the sound does help provide some stark comfort to me. On the title track it acts like some cold and dense fog enveloping my being, wrapping in me in the track itself as it scores a multitude of etchings upon my skin.

This is probably the darkest thing I have heard so far this year. It is not dramatic or theatrical as you might expect. Instead, there is just a real confidence behind the performance that exhibits a clear belief in their own ability and an absolute steadfastness in their devotion to their chosen artform. The title track that closes the album goes on for over twenty-one-minutes, but I love every one of those minutes. It builds so well and maintains such a presence when it does establish itself as fully formed; this is clearly written by a master of the genre. Misotheist have absolutely no hairs and graces about them, they are simply dedicated beyond belief and are able to produce one of the most organic, natural sounding black metal albums of the year so far.

It has got to be said - I have been far too hard on "Another Perfect Day" for far too many years. Motörhead were one of my absolute favourites in the late 70's, probably even more so than Sabbath, so when the 'classic' lineup split and Fast Eddie moved on, I wasn't really prepared for what came next. Sure, I quite liked "Robbo" when he was with Thin Lizzy, but Motörhead were a whole different kettle of fish. Consequently, the release of "Another Perfect Day" saw me turning away from Lemmy and the guys for the very first time. The situation was exacerbated by my discovery of thrash metal shortly after and for a very long time I didn't really give The 'Head much thought. Time has seen my attitude change and I have really dug on a few of the later albums, yet I stubbornly refused to give much eartime to "Another Perfect Day". So now, over the last few days whilst I have been compiling my favourites of '83 list, I have spent a fair bit of time with this misfit of a record and, you know what, I have really enjoyed the experience and I keep coming back to it for just one more spin. It is almost like I am hearing it for the first time. Brian Robertson's more expansive guitar style actually complements Lemmy's thundering basslines and gruff vocal delivery beautifully and his soaring soloing is a whole lot better and more expressive than I ever gave it credit for.

On the downside, I am not so sure that there are any real standouts like "Overkill", "Stone Dead Forever", "(We Are) the Roadcrew" or "(Don't Need) Religion", but there are some solid tracks here and the soloing on a track like "One Track Mind" give the band a fresh dimension and dynamic. I guess it is better late than never but I was a pig-headed little fucker when I was younger (what do you mean I still am?) and I guess I have missed out on some good stuff over the years because of it. Remember, though, that I couldn't just bang this on a streaming platform to allow me time to get into it, I would have had to shell out hard-earned cash for an LP and from what I had heard of it at the time I wasn't prepared to do so. I am glad I got there in the end though.

I've checked out both releases by Excessive Force before when they were a German industrial band. But did you know that they relocated to California and switched to early straight edge metalcore? It's hard to imagine a band changing from industrial to metalcore in the 90s. Probably because I'M KIDDING!!! That's not really what happened! This is an entirely different band with a similar name. There are already a few bands out there named Excessive Force, one other being a white supremacist band.

The 90s straight edge metalcore band Excessive Force made one of the heaviest albums of the scene at that time. It's all within the vocal fury, riffing punches, and drumming assault. And that drumming style would plant the seed for later bands of that genre and maybe even, dare I say it, nu metal.

"Those Who Were" already shows the drumming wrath by Justin McMahon, with the groove and the guitar riffing going well together. The instrumentation is definitely worth moshing to, including the audible yet dirty bass and abrasive vocals. Now for "Distress"... As of writing this review, I've watched Zootopia 2 yesterday and an outside-world friend of mine told me about how dark and violent it is for a Disney movie. Sorry but he's wrong. There's far more darkness and violence in this track, in both the music and lyrics ("I'm breaking the chain and I can hear the bones breaking"). An anthemic mosher! Next, "From Within" is a shorter track that adds some deathly riffing to the metalcore. Proto-deathcore!? Then we have the more hardcore "Backtrack" that ends with a crushing breakdown.

We're already approaching the second half of the album as "Vengeance" makes its mysterious entrance, leading into solid riffing. Vocalist Dan Gump repeatedly declares "Never will I follow blindly!", and some Sabbath-like sections are in great balance with the faster parts. Well done! Then "Misfortune" is one of, if not THE best track here. It's quite strong in the lyrical message of self-reflection and the kick-A riffing. The heavy drumming is also irresistible. Heading deeper in the lyrics is "Judgement Day". Here the music is more melodic while still dark and heavy.

The title track is interestingly the shortest one in the album and placed towards the end while not being the final track. The music and lyrics are absolutely earth-shattering and make another brutal highlight. "No Excuses" actually doesn't sound too far off from Underoath's earlier more extreme material, though don't expect any of the more blackened aspects. "Forwarned" is an unlisted hidden track which has some of the melodic yet brutal riffing later used by As I Lay Dying and For the Fallen Dreams.

I think I would appreciate it more if that hidden track was listed and placed before that 5-minute epic. That would really make In Your Blood the awesome offering that is has potential to be. It's sad that both this band and the German industrial band Excessive Force are no longer active beyond a couple releases, but let's enjoy them while we can!

Favorites: "Those Who Were", "Distress", "Vengeance", "Misfortune", "In Your Blood"

Baphomet released this in 1992 then changed name to Banished to avoid confusion with the german death thrashers of the same name before promptly splitting in 1993. They did reform in 2013, but so what. Luckily they left The Dead Shall Inherit as their legacy and this is a great example of Nineties' death metal that sits between the cavernousness of Autopsy or Asphyx and the brutality of Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation and that really hits the mark for me. There is no technical wizardry or songwriting complexity on show here, this is unadulterated OSDM filthiness and menace that appeals to the animal, not the cerebral. Now that isn't enough for some metalheads I am sure, but when a band does these things right then there isn't much better in the death metal world as far as I am concerned - and Baphomet most definitely do it right here.

For those of you not familiar with Circle of Dust, their best album Brainchild wasn't originally made under that moniker. In 1992, founder Klayton worked with Doug Mann on a different project Brainchild, releasing their sole album Mindwarp. The next year, R.E.X. wanted another album by Circle of Dust, but because most of the money was already used for the Brainchild project, Klayton decided to have Mindwarp re-released in 1994 as that second Circle of Dust release, with Brainchild becoming the album title.

Upon coming across this album when it got added to this site, I knew I had to check it out to put my Circle of Just journey in full circle. Mindwarp is an excellent album that I love almost as much as the Circle of Dust one! The only differences are in 3 tracks. Two of them are better here, and the other one is not bad but could've been improved.

We're already getting into the band's different heavier sound in "Cranial Tyrant" which is like a more upbeat Godflesh. "Telltale Crime" is a highlight a lot more people need to hear more of. This edition has an audio sample from Geraldo Rivera in the intro that was then removed for the Circle of Dust album. That actually makes it more eerie, and I love it! "Prayers of a Dead Man" is not as great or metal as the Circle of Dust version. That's the track that I wish could've been improved. "Regressor (Aggressive Mix)" has many audio samples like this one from Robocop 2, "HE'S A KILLER, I SAW IT!" Anyone more familiar with Klayton's current more famous project Celldweller can be pleasantly surprised by his work in Circle of Dust. There's also a remix of that track by Battlejuice.

"Enshrined" is more industrial, way different from the heavier modern metal bands I enjoy like Imminence and Sylosis. Then there's "Course of Ruin", a highlight of heartful aggression. Klayton made quite a brave statement for America in this highlight "Descent". The future of America is the country citizen's hands...

"Deviate" I dig much more, probably even more than how Circle of Dust has done it, sounding strong, even without the midsection commentary. Klayton has done an amazing job combining the industrial metal and samples of Ministry with Slayer-like thrash. The remastered version gives the song fresher dynamic. You can headbang while playing the air-guitar and starting a mosh pit! The "DON'T MAKE ME USE THIS!! ONE STEP CLOSER, I'M WARNING YA!" part is from Ren and Stimpy. It's a little shocking that this band is of Christian background, though I'm speaking as someone who is not Christian. This is more for those who want to destroy everything in sight, in video games, of course. "Who's got the shotgun!?" Another superb track is "Pale Reflection" if you're up for some loud distortion and Blade Runner samples. I just love the gothic-ish industrial metal finale "Aggressor (Regressive Mix)", especially the whispered screams and samples, "Behave yourself!"

So how does Mindwarp compare to the Circle of Dust album? I say it probably would've made more sense if Klayton re-recorded the entire album instead of just 3 tracks, because then the two albums would've sounded more like separate entities rather than one album credited as two artists. But since I absolutely love the Circle of Dust album, I can't really complain about this one. Though if "Prayers of a Dead Man" was made as metal as the Circle of Dust version, the Mindwarp album would've been perfect as well. Still it's worth checking out for all Klayton fans!

Favorites: "Telltale Crime", "Course of Ruin", "Descent", "Deviate", "Aggressor (Regressive Mix)"

1992 was around the time I was in my death metal heyday, although looking back I was still working with a very limited repertoire. I had discovered the terrifying sounds of Obituary’s Slowly We Rot some years prior and so it had begun. After devouring Deicide, Morbid Angel, Bolt Thrower and Carcass I was off onto thrash metal for a few years in all honesty and so a lot of the classics from the 90’s (and the hidden gems) death metal peak were to become later discoveries for me. Some of them falling well into the 2010’s even before I had heard the likes of Immolation and a full-length from Death even. At some point in that period, Baphomet’s sophomore came through my grubby little mitts as I played a major game of catch up on death metal releases, by that point some of them being from over twenty years ago. The Dead Shall Inherit is not a record I would ever give the accolade of “classic” or even “hidden gem” to, but it has worn well over the years still.

Now plying their trade as Banished due to some German band of the same original name, back in 1992 the band’s sound seemed to fit into that cross-section of “also-rans” in the death metal scene like Morta Skuld and Sinister. Listening through The Dead Shall Inherit for this review it is not difficult to spot the likes of Immolation, Deicide or even Incantation in their sound, with perhaps even a smattering of a much less technical or brutal Suffocation also. It was clear that when they put their mind to it, this record could punch with the heavyweights, for a couple of rounds at least. With the grisly artwork for the record done by former Sadus guitarist (and band co-founder), Rob Moore, Baphomet had the component parts for a good death metal record. A riffy affair overall, The Dead Shall Inherit has a strong likeness to early Cannibal Corpse, another band who were in their prime at the time of this release also.

Whilst it is hard to find specific criticism of the record, it is still not a record that I find massively exciting either. Whether it is because I came to it late and had already ingested a lot of death metal from this era by that point, or maybe because I am still not all that interested in death metal nowadays like I used to be, but there is just no spark overall for me here. The album is consistent and has ear-catching (but not catchy by any means) moments most certainly, but it never goes off on a solid run of tracks to bring it up to the standard of other releases of the time. My go to records of 1992 are very well-established albums in the genre, with The IVth Crusade, Onward to Golgotha, Legion, Tomb of the Mutilated and Slumber of Sullen Eyes already hogging the limelight. Baphomet really do no wrong with this album in some regards. They fall foul of death metals saturated state I guess whether generally or just with my tastes of the time.

Occasionally, researching and programming the playlist for The Pit does still throw up something interesting. Mental Devastation being one such recent “something” to pique the interest levels of my ever-cynical brain, cynical when it comes to thrash metal in general at least anyways. Although technical thrash metal is not my usual bag, and vocals reminiscent of Sean Killian of Vio-lence or Russ Anderson of Forbidden are usually a massive turn off for me, there is something about Mental Devastation’s sound that carries appeal still. Considering that Alejandro Lagos’ vocals are not suited to my ears, or indeed all the tracks on this record, there is a level of proficiency to the playing that cannot be ignored. I wouldn’t say that there is all that much in the way of showboating on here either, just an obvious talent that knows it doesn't need ramming down the listeners necks.

Like other Chilean thrashers such as Critical Defiance and Parkcrest, it is hard not to acknowledge the prowess in the riff department but then the lead work here feels a notch above what I can recall from the other two acts. Vocally it is far too limited an offering for me to be considering any higher end marks going against the rating. Yet, despite showing progressive tropes it never strays into over-indulgence either. The album sort of occupies a middle ground in between the promise of progressive and aggressive thrash at the same time. Coroner seem an obvious comparison, but you won’t find much in the way of Voivod here. The attack is the driving force of the album with the progressive/technical trappings bringing up the rear. Some cool, bendy bass work from Alejandro helps make up for his rather one-dimensional vocals.

Drumming wise (as is often my criticism), the skins get a bit lost in the mix. ‘Mental Devastation’ sounds like the drums should be a lot further forward in the mix, but then again, the whole track sounds a little sterile to my ears. The bursts of lead guitar are a joy though. The energy they can bring into tracks can save some of the lesser appealing tunes on the record if I am honest. Nothing can save ‘Dõ’ however, that one is clearly filler and should have never made the album at all. It is quite disruptive to the final third of the record in fact. The final three tracks look like an attempt to bookend the title track at some eight minutes plus long, but they just feel like two short tracks thrown in there to beef up the track listing. However, I did reference this as one of those interesting albums from The Pit exploration, so I am by no means slamming this record, more making some critical observations.

2025 was an absolutely brutal year for metalcore. Both in terms of the new music that was released as well as many of the older records that I got around to. This has been a consistent decline in quality for years and further exacerbated by metalcore being the dominant style of metal in the mainstream. So despite my best efforts to avoid metalcore in my spare time, I'm still beat over the head with disposable albums from Bury Tomorrow, Architects, Slaughter to Prevail, among others. But earlier in this year I heard Hit It! for the first time and was taken by surprise by how good it was! This is like if the electronicore of Electric Callboy was somehow infused with the more accessible stylings of Thornhill. And even that doesn't fully encompass every style/influence Vianova have on Hit It! Now to its credit, the album does have a solid flow. The intense djentcore elements are kept rather sparse and are used for artistic effect. The record has a smooth texture even through the style changes, such as the shoegaze "Future Nostalgia" that transforms into a quasi-Deafheaven groove. I think the biggest issue is in the production, and more specifically, how the songwriting hurts the low end of the mix. Many songs on Hit It! take inspiration from djent in its guitar riffing, but songs like "Melanchronic" have this off-putting groove where the bass just feels like its been pushed into the track unprovoked, which is a shame because the opening synth line hooked me in right away.

Despite this, I think that the pacing of Hit It! is excellent and does not run just status quo in the metalcore sphere. And that might turn a few people off of it entirely. But if you want a metalcore record where the songwriting is something worth a damn, then smash that play button and give it a try!

Best Songs: Future Nostalgia, Oh No (Believer), Whatever Alright, Obsolete

Despite my well-publicised obsession with chilean thrash metal and the fact that Mental Devastation have been around for well over a decade and a half, I haven't crossed swords with these guys before and so went into it with great anticipation. Now strictly technical thrash metal doesn't always appeal to me so much, as I like my thrash to have an inherent aggression and fire, that I think is often lost amongst excessive technicality. As is usually the case with chilean thrash, though, this certainly delivers on the passion and aggression front, whilst also displaying an impressive level of technical ability. The usual chilean hallmarks are all present, breakneck pacing, vicious vocals and pronounced basslines, all well-represented by a nice, clean production job.

Following a brief anticipatory intro the opener proper, "Symbiosis", tears out of the blocks with a riff that proceeds to tear any unprepared listener a new one. With exuberant, energetic guitar soloing and bassist Alejandro Lagos' aggressive vocal delivery this is proper celebratory and whiplash-inducing stuff. They are perfectly capable of dialling it back a little though with "Judge and Jury" initially hitting a more mid-paced tempo. It is at these lower speeds, however, that Lagos' limitations as a vocalist are exposed as he maintains the ragged delivery he uses on the blisteringly fast tracks, which doesn't really suit the mid-paced stuff at all well and feels a bit like a sonic splinter in the thumb of the album. They also attempt something a bit more progressive on "Pulsions" but the gentle opening section exposes the vocal shortcomings even more.

I don't think that the technical aspect of "The Delusional Mystery of the Self Part II" is especially pronounced, certainly as far as the songwriting goes as the riffs still rule the roost here. For my money, dual guitarists Matías Morales and Felipe Espinoza are the guys who provide the secret sauce. Their riffs are pretty good, but their soloing is the real draw for me, delivering a great line in short, sharp shocks without sapping the momentum from the tracks by becoming too self-indulgent, even during the track "Primitive Paths" where they really go to town. All-in-all this is a very enjoyable slab of chilean thrash with enough energy and aggression to keep pace with my favourites from that neck of the woods, but which is robbed of my highest marks by the vocal limitations which I occasionally found too jarring to excuse and the superfluous instrumental "Dõ" which, for me, had no place being here at all.

I read somewhere recently that Jacob Bannon did not necessarily think that the world needed a new Converge record, but that the band themselves did. There was a time, not too long ago when I would have probably deemed that I never needed a Converge record at all, but that has been well documented on Metal Academy already. The tides have turned and I find myself on much less turbulent terms with some of the content of The Revolution clan, to the point where I can enjoy the harder sounding metalcore releases. As it turns out then, Love Is Not Enough is right up my street.

It sounds like a lot more of a riffy affair than I remember from previous outings with the band’s releases. The start of 'Bad Faith' shows this particular trait well I find. Likewise, the grinding sensibilities of 'Distract and Divide' is an absolute treasure. These short bursts of fury that cover the first four tracks of the album create a real sense of momentum early in the listening experience. As a result, the instrumental 'Beyond Repair' almost sucks some life from proceedings, However, I find it is a very clever little track. Its broken percussion befits the track title superbly when you take time to listen under a more critical mindset.

That raging aggression is soon back alongside those big riffs for the remainder of Love Is Not Enough. It is an accomplishment to cram such a rewarding listening experience into a little over half an hour. I find it has appeal for its scathing honesty and the bluntness of its messaging also. Love Is Not Enough as an album title tells you all you need to know really. This is a record with a lot of bitterness that is borne out of suffering, told by souls who no longer wish to stay silent on the matter. Probably the best metalcore album I have ever experienced.

As I listen to Gravity, I sense that there is a history of music represented here that I am not all that close too. The heavy-psych elements to Saturnalia Temple’s sound suggest to me at least one foot in the heady days of the 70’s and beyond, but at the same time I get a lot of modern Darkthrone in the sound as well. Add to this, aesthetic the creeping darkness of black metal that seeps into the occasional track and before I knew it, I was completely in love with this month’s feature release for The Fallen clan. In my weed smoking days (long, long since done with), I would have enjoyed Gravity on a whole different level, I am sure. It feels like a record that can, with the right tools deployed, unlock outer dimensions of the listener’s inner consciousness, if you know what I mean.

This transcendental potential is by no means wasted when listened to in an entirely clean and sober headspace mind. Using simple repetition and atmospheres, alongside a near-constant menacing rumble of bottom-end loaded bass, Saturnalia Temple make for an otherworldly experience without the need for chemical assistance. The whole album sounds a bit clunky to me, but this is part of its natural charm and is what helps keep it in the higher echelons of the appeal stakes. I can listen to the damaged soundtrack to a thousand sci-fi horror movies that is Elyzian Fields all day long, and the droning indulgence of Between the Worlds right after it help make the mid-point of the record particularly strong for me.

Although Gravity has many recognisable traits to it, I cannot help but feel that the album feels like an introduction to something new. Even though many if not all its roots are found in the past, somehow there is still an element of there being an aberration present in many regards. As the tracks pass by, they carve sigil like etchings into my brain, meaning the memorability factor is high. High enough in fact for me to be able to enjoy the record as both background music as well as a more critical listening session. Great find.

When I check out the RYM charts, it's generally pretty clear that older releases receive much higher ratings than modern ones. The reasons why that occurs is a discussion for another time, but it might help explain why I get pretty excited when I see a recently released album moving right up the charts. Vothana's Action Now, Assured Future was sitting at number 50 on the all time black metal release chart when I stumbled across it, holding a position just below Wolves in the Throne Room's Two Hunters and just above Darkspace's Dark Space III. Anything sitting amongst that sort of company must be pretty special....right?

Having listened to this release a bunch of times over the past couple of weeks, I can only express my utter bewilderment. I'll give the album credit for sounding unlike anything I've heard before, but I think there's a good reason for that. If a controversy-seeking history teacher convinced the high school band to perform an 80 minute National Socialist black metal opus in Vietnamese, I can only imagine that it might sound something like this. The vocals are loud yet repetitively indistinct, the drums switch between typical black metal battery and a completely un-black metal marching band oompa skip, and while a decent black metal riff occasionally pops up, the vast majority appear to replicate the sort of rousing, pompous propaganda music you might hear at a old school pro-war march. If that somehow sounds interesting to you, then go for you life, but I have much better ways to spend 80 minutes of my time.

If you thought Colors II was the most anticipated BTBAM album, that would then be surpassed by this one, The Blue Nowhere! The album came out last September after a long 4-year interval. It is partly due to their separation from longtime rhythm guitarist Dustie Waring. After finding out about some sexual abuse allegations towards him in 2023, the band began touring without him. The allegations were proven false, and Waring suspected that it was all part of an extortion plot against him, as well as his firing being for unworthy reasons. With that, he threatened to sue the band. Long story short, the matter dropped and the band continued with a touring replacement in Tristan Auman. Waring was pretty much almost as salty as Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds was after his departure from that band (before Hinds' tragic death, RIP). For this album, The Blue Nowhere, founding lead guitarist Paul Waggoner performed all the guitarwork by himself. It takes a real music examiner to tell the difference between Waggoner's rhythm guitar playing and that of Waring. Either way, although there can be some slight predictability that made me burned out of BTBAM in the first place years ago, we have another terrific display of the band's deathly progressive metal/rock that they've mastered since Colors.

Keeping up their conceptual tendencies that they had since Colors, the album is set in the eponymously titled hotel The Blue Nowhere. It dives into existential quandaries in a more abstract form of storytelling, as abstract as that Star Wars Visions short "BLACK". Those lyrics are, as usual, sung and growled by vocalist/keyboardist Tommy Rogers, and they take on thoughts that range from fleeting to chaotic. They're not about the story, but rather about the feeling. As you listen, you can imagine yourself in your own world away from reality, one that only you and no one else would know.

"Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark" opens the album as both the first track and single. It's one of the most enjoyable tracks in years. It kickstarts the album right away without an intro, and doesn't follow the heaviness of the two Colors albums, but instead the wackiness of the albums in between. The song has a modern take on 80s prog, blending those bouncy hooks with doses of technical chaos. And the vocal interplay really heats it up. Then the band goes more industrial in "God Terror". The riffs, vocals, and percussion leans into something Pitchshifter would do. "Absent Thereafter" is the first of three 11-minute epics, and boy does it hit hard! It sounds so heavy while adding in some funk and other genres. It's basically almost this album's equivalent to "Ants of the Sky" and "Disease, Injury, Madness"!

"Pause" is an aptly titled pause from the action with just synthy ambience and soft yet mysterious singing from Rogers. "Door #3" has darker groove and more mental-sounding vocals by Tommy. All this makes the sound like a demented carnival. Also while I enjoy his occasional falsetto, it can be a little annoying when appearing out of nowhere. I guess that's one reason why I can't add that half-star needed for the album's perfect score. "Mirador Uncoil" is one more short interlude. I don't have much to say about that one. The second 11-minute epic "Psychomanteum" has fun energy. When Tommy Rogers bellows the song title "PSYCHOMANTEUM" at the two-minute mark, that really hit me hard, along with the h*lla heavy riffing less than a minute later. A minute after that, the extremeness is lowered down for some soft beauty. That goes on for a couple minutes, rising up to a brief wacky moment of drums, piano, and vocals. Some of that heavy riffing hits less than a minute later, heavier than the earlier riffing. Nearly a couple minutes after that, the soft beauty comes back in the form of Opeth-like ambience and guitar fiddling by Paul Waggoner, followed by more of that beautiful mood.

"Slow Paranoia" is the last 11-minute epic. As much as I enjoy this one though, I start to realize how self-copied it is. It's still wonderful, yet some sections sound like they've been done to death. That track can appear in any of the band's past albums, and no one would bat an eye or ear. With that, while this album won't reach a perfect 5-star rating from me, the 4.5-star rating is still intact. This is especially the case for these final two tracks that should've just been indexed as a two-part 14-minute suite, probably greater than the epics from the previous few albums (Coma Ecliptic, Automata, Colors II), starting with the title track. It's one of the catchiest and most radio-friendly songs by the band, like a classic-sounding ballad that I actually love. Other progressive metal artists that would do that are Devin Townsend and Haken. "Beautifully Human" ends it all by reflecting on everything the band has had here, all in the guitars, keys, vocals (both clean and harsh). Thus concludes another journey on a high note!

The Blue Nowhere can very well attract newcomers to the world of BTBAM. It can also impress longtime fans, though a little more originality would've been ideal to make this album 100% percent and get me back onboard that train. Excellent but too familiar, like having fast-food two or 3 times per week (eat healthy, kids and adults!). Nonetheless, BTBAM have made their excellent comeback, even after cutting ties with one of their longtime members. I don't know what will come next for them, but I can't wait!

Favorites: "Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark", "Absent Thereafter", "Psychomanteum", "The Blue Nowhere", "Beautifully Human"

Who would've thought epic blackened deathcore would make a global impact as it has in the past few years? In the early 2010s, there was only a small handful of bands of that style, specifically The Breathing Process, Winds of Plague, Make Them Suffer, and Betraying the Martyrs. Later on in that decade, Lorna Shore and Shadow of Intent mastered this blend of deathcore with symphonic black metal elements, with the former band giving the genre a viral boost. Yeah, I owe it all to Lorna Shore for opening my ears to a more epic take on an otherwise brutal genre. And I can almost say the same about this band who has just released a new EP...

Worm Shepherd are back with a new lineup and an EP to start this new era. The only founding member left is guitarist Tre Purdue, and sticking with him since their previous album Hunger is fellow guitarist Harry Tadayon. The 3 new members are vocalist Ian Smith (The Archaic Epidemic), bassist Tom O’Malley (Ingested), and returning drummer Leo McClain (Psycho-Frame). This EP, Dawn of the Iconoclast is the dawn of something new!

"The Omen" starts the album ominously with clean guitar strumming and rising orchestration before the band attacks with their usual deathcore. And what's a deathcore highlight without some ravaging breakdowns? The one in the end is the most BRUTAL. "Soulless Lament" is the most Lorna Shore-sounding track here. The melodramatic choruses are in great contrast with the crushing breakdowns and give any deathcore song a big kick. "Feast" is more mid-paced and atmospheric, but later on, the blackened side of them would snap you in half and tape you back together, even without a single breakdown.

The shorter "Sanctified Rot" is another standout with technical shredding by Tre Perdue. It all comes down to "Whispers of a Buried Land", the grand 7-minute closing epic. From the orchestral/choral grandeur to towering riffing and breakdown, it's a dark glorious experience that should be worth it for any fan of deathcore and/or epic deathcore. It doesn't surpass the previous album's ending epic, but it's very close.

It seems Worm Shepherd have a new journey ahead of them, and all it took was a display of their usual sound performed by new members. Dawn of the Iconoclast has made sure that their epic extreme greatness isn't going anywhere, and there shall be more of that on the horizon!

Favorites: "The Omen", "Sanctified Rot", "Whispers of a Buried Land"

Canada continues to be a consistent source of quality black metal for my listening requirements. I keep going back, looking for more discoveries, believing on each visit that the well is surely close to running dry by now. However, upon each dip of my toes into the icy cold depths of the unfathomable lake of black metal that the country seems to have, I come away with a new discovery. This time around, Givre are the gift I have been given, and the present comes in the form of their 2024 album, Le Cloître. A forty-one-minute plus exploration of the atoning side of pain in Christian history, the tracks are the titles of six female saints, with the lyrical content being created from their hagiographies (which are all in French). Clearly a band who put a lot of research into their music, Givre are an instant source of intrigue for me. In taking such a niche subject matter for their album theme and embodying it in such an impassioned display of raging black metal, with elements of dissonant death metal as well as resonating post-metal, Le Cloître soon made the short journey from my Bandcamp wishlist and into my collection.

This is an album that somehow suggests an intimacy with the pain it explores. It is after all a record that is telling stories and thus it should carry some stimulus from the lives of these women that resonates with anyone who has experienced suffering. It is not just an album of choral chants and atmospheric keys by any means (although they do both make an appearance of course), instead there is a robustness to the messaging of this album, and as a result it comes across as a very modern sounding take of its historical content. Givre do not just relay the stories and written content, they put real emotion behind the performance. Most obvious in this is the harrowing and at times demented vocals of all three members of the band who contribute across the album. The shriller cries are the same individual I suspect, whilst the more death metal orientated vocal signatures belong to another member altogether, I would guess. David Caron-Proulx seems to be undertaking the bulk of the heavy lifting on the record with him credited with songwriting, claviers (any stringed keyboard instrument – harpsicord, clavichord etc), guitars and vocals. The research duties seem to sit with drummer and vocalist Jean-Lou David whilst bass and vocals reside with Mathieu Garon.

This contained unit digs into the depths of black metal and beyond, to the point where you can almost hear all the effort they have gone to research, record and release this record. Le Cloître feels like a very complete experience, dare I say a journey by the time you reach the end of it? It sounds mature without being boring or too arty even. It exudes an authenticity in its subject matter exploration, one that only adds to my enjoyment. Perhaps only guilty of not having any real standout moments over the record it is hard to find any other real fault with this album.

I first encountered Romanian black metallers Negură Bunget through the tape trading scene back in the mid-1990's with their 1996 "Zîrnindu-să" debut release not doing very much for me to tell you the truth. I wouldn't encounter them again until Ben introduced me to their fourth full-length "OM" upon my return to metal from a decade-long hiatus in 2009 & I have to admit that I initially found it to be a challenge for a few reasons. Time saw me warming to it though & I now find myself returning to "OM" semi-regularly, if not claiming it to be the masterpiece that many punters would have you believe it is.

"OM" possesses a very clear personality that's all its own with its array of different sounds & influences being presented in a fairly coherent way throughout & the main attraction being the full, lush synthesizer sounds of front man Hupogrammos (Dordeduh/Sunset in the 12th House) & fellow guitarist Sol Faur (Dordeduh/Sunset in the 12th House). Hupogrammos' vocal performance is passionate & authentic too which fits the requirement nicely. Unfortunately, all is not roses though with the thin rhythm guitar tone & weak snare sound leaving a little to be desired & not doing a very good job at masking the instrumentalist's obvious technical limitations. The six-string performances of both men are fairly sloppy at times while drummer Negru's blast beats are an absolute rabble that should never have been attempted on the evidence presented here. Thankfully though, the atmospherics on display throughout "OM" are generally quite stunning which allows the album to overcome those deficiencies reasonably comfortably. It certainly helps that the opening three tracks are nothing short of marvelous & it's a little disappointing that the quality dial never quite reaches those heights again for the remainder of this lengthy 67-minute release. Progressive folk metal number "Hora soarelui" is the only genuine disappointment included though with its bouncy folk melodies being a little too much for this battle-hardened extreme metalhead to cope with.

For all its failings, I find "OM" to be an endearing listen these days, as well as being the clear career high-point of Negură Bunget's inconsistent recording career overall.

For fans of Dordeduh, Marțolea & Darkestrah.

An initial listen to Swallowed's "Lunarterial" left me somewhat dumbfounded and confused I must admit. From Vinny's effusive description of the album in the feature thread's introduction this was apparently right up my street, yet I really wasn't feeling it. The disconnection was so pronounced that I really doubted my own ears and my interpretation of what I had heard. Determined to get to the bottom of this, I persisted and have now clocked up four or five listens over the last few days, both through intently concentrated listenings and as background whilst doing other tasks. Whilst my initial reticence has been alleviated somewhat, the truth is, I am still not completely sure how I feel about this, or even if I will ever be able to make a definitive judgement on my appreciation of it. I think this is one of those albums where there are moments that make me think "OK, right. Now here we go" when things click and fall into place and show glimpses of the album I envisioned getting at the beginning, but on the flipside there are also parts of seeming random chaos that literally make me want to turn it right down in order to lessen the discomfort I am feeling.

Anyway, this is an album that draws on a number of extreme metal influences, old-school death metal, death doom, disso-death, war metal and even drone metal, all combining to produce an, undoubtedly intentional, disconcerting feeling that all is not well or right with the world. To this end, at least with me, this was inordinately successful, although the effect was to alienate me from what I was hearing rather than drawing me into its aural maelstrom. The transitions from doomy oppressiveness to outright blackened violence overlayed with jagged shards of dissonance just overwhelm me I am afraid. At times the band sound a lot like Mayhem at their most experimental, a phase of the norwegian black metal legends that I have never been a big fan of. In an inversion of Vinny's view it seems, my favourite track is actually the 25-minute closer, "Libations" which appeals to the doom and drone fan in me and within the drone-y confines of which the band's tendencies towards dissonance makes more sense to me and if it had been released as a stand alone EP I may even have toyed with the idea of purchasing it.

I would claim to be a fan of extreme metal, but I guess an album that really pushes deeply into unconventionalism such as this, makes me question whether that is truly the case. Things still have to make sense to me and for many stretches "Lunarterial" really doesn't. "Libations" aside, which is actually really growing on me, I can't in all honesty say that I would return to this in the future.

I introduced Ben to these Chicago industrial metal legends through the more popular tracks from their classic 1992 fifth album "ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ [Psalm 69]" shortly after it was released & those experiences saw him racing out & purchasing the CD post haste. We both went pretty nuts for that record for a long while afterwards & Ben would subsequently go about picking up a handful of other Ministry CDs in the coming months, including 1988's excellent "The Land of Rape & Honey" third album which is the centre of this discussion. It was the first Ministry record to see mastermind Al Jourgensen's signature sound starting to take shape with songs like the brilliant high-octane industrial metal anthem "The Missing" & the very solid industrial rock/metal hybrid "Deity" being closest to the mark. "The Land of Rape & Honey" is very much a story of two halves though with the B side being dominated by more of an electro-industrial sound like we'd heard on a chunk of Ministry's more-than-decent 1986 sophomore album "Twitch". For this reason, I'm gonna suggest that "The Land of Rape & Honey" feels a little like a transition record as it hasn't quite committed to its sound as yet but is still full of high-quality industrial music. Thankfully, I'm more than down for some well-produced electro-industrial material, as evidenced by how nuts I've gone for the powerful dancefloor number "You Know What You Are" this week which I'm pretty devastated I never considered dropping into my club sets while DJing during the 2000's. The quality does fade a little over the last couple of tracks though with electro closer "Abortive" in particular sounding like a bit of a mess.

I'm sure there's probably a bit of a nostalgia factor with how much enjoyment I've gotten out of this release this week but I'm gonna suggest that it's a slightly better record than 1996's highly regarded sixth full-length "Filth Pig" or the previously mentioned "Twitch", even if it doesn't reach the upper echelons of Ministry's potential like the incredible trio of "The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste", "In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (Live)" & "ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ [Psalm 69]" did during their 1989-1992 heyday. Any Ministry fan worth their salt should definitely be well versed in "The Land of Rape & Honey" though because Al hasn't produced anything of this quality for well over three decades now.

For fans of Skinny Puppy, Front 242 & KMFDM.

Ben picked this debut album up on CD back at around the time of release & seemed to like it quite a bit from memory. I traditionally used to struggle with it though so I haven't returned to it since but I thought I'd give it another chance to impress me this week. Parnassus was a one-man solo project from a Swedish gentleman going by the name of Fredrik Söderlund who you may also know as one half of martial industrial act Puissance. "In doloriam gloria" sees him presenting us with a clear musical direction that's built around some fairly unintimidating & positive sounding keyboards that have been consciously brought right to the front of the mix with the lightning-fast, tremolo-picked guitars & continuous bombardment of high-velocity (not to mention quite repetitive) drum-machine blast-beats being left at the back & sounding pretty thin for the most part. The atmosphere is undeniably centred around fantasy with that Lord of the Rings style feel being pretty easy to buy into. Personally, I find most of this to be far too high on lightweight melodies for my taste so I only really find myself enjoying a couple of the eight tracks on offer, namely the half-decent "Void of All Desires" & the hypnotic instrumental interlude "Cum trist issimo dolore". The rest of the tracklisting is more or less none of my business but I'd be overstating things to call it low quality. It's just designed for a fairly niche audience that I'm not associated with so, on this occasion, I'm gonna have to leave Ben to galivant around his bedroom in his Parnassus undies all on his lonesome (not that I'd ever consider joining him in that undertaking anyway because... let's face it... I don't have a plastic Viking sword & helmet worthy of the exercise). After my initial experiences with this debut, I steered well clear of Söderlund's 1997 sophomore album "Let the Stars Fall & the Kingdom Come" so I have no idea how it compares with "In doloriam gloria".

For fans of Dies Irae, Eldrig & Tartaros.

Sorhin's album Apokalypsens ängel is a record that fares a lot better in comparison to other traditional black metal albums of the 1990s. It still suffers heavily from the production issues the plague most of the black metal scene even today, but Sorhin at least do something interesting with the sound. The heavier thrash grooves that appear throughout the record make for a unique sound and a cool change of pace from the straightforward black metal riffing. The songwriting can be hit-or-miss but more often than not the songs do have some solid through lines making them memorable. The downside is that this is a black metal album and the production of those instrumentals is quite lackluster. Above all of the typical concerns, the stereo mixing is super weird. Like you'll hear on tracks like "Ett sista monument ståtligt" a stereo split in the guitars and they sound so fuzzy and uncomfortable. Perhaps that's part of the point, but the feedback is brutal and it never sounded this bad when the guitars are closer to the center of the mix.

This record did mark for a nice change of pace for me and brought to light a lesser known name in the old school black metal sound. But even by my very low standards of that era of music, I cannot rate this any higher while bands like Dissection, Emperor, and Summoning are making albums of greater quality.

Best Songs: Där allt svunnet är, där ingenting är allt, Ett sista monument ståtligt, Misantropi & död, När döden sträcker ut sina vingar

Another Boris album, another slab of noise-drenched, riotous stoner metal. The Japanese crew just sound like they were having so much fun when they recorded this album. Some of the tracks here are just so insanely energetic and anarchic they sound like they have produced the perfect soundtrack to a riot. There are songs that poke their heads above the general mayhem, such as the industrial dance-beat affected Ghostly Imagination, the ominous, sax-laden Blah Blah Blah or the closing piano-led (Not) Last Song, but mostly this is an album to break stuff to! I know we are all supposed to stroke our chins and think deeply then write reams of crap because it's Boris, but fuck that, just slam it on, bounce around the room and have some fun.

Mike Scheidt seems like a nice bloke.  Numerous interviews and documentaries that I have seen of late with him present have led me to this conclusion.  Having come to understand his roots, influences and musical tastes has helped him to become more than just “that guy out of Yob who nearly died” as I sometime fear the music media typecast him as being.  Whilst I have no doubt Mike is every part the survivor he gets portrayed as being, there is an intensity to his live performances that burns brighter than anyone else’s that I have seen over the many years that I have witnessed extreme music.  Survival instinct aside, Scheidt’s a warrior when he has a guitar in his hands and a mic in front of his chin.  Enduring a tough upbringing at the hands of peers that saw him plunge into the world of punk, metal as well as new wave (which remains a strong favourite of his musical tastes still) I imagine relates him to a lot of folks who didn’t fit with the “in” crowd in their younger years.

As a result of these insights, I feel I have more awareness of the depths present in Yob’s music.  Something that may well have been previously lost on me.  Understanding how Mike learned to stretch his legs (and hands/fingers of course) to move away from bar chords and pick out notes, becoming unafraid to change things up, has helped me to notice some of the nuances, touches and inflections present in the music of Yob.  As a band who have always struck me as a trio who produce music with an enormous amount of structure, Yob have a reputation with me for building enormous soundscapes.  Clearing the Path to Ascend was the most vast listening experience I had heard to date with the bands discography.  With just four songs taking up over an hour of music, there was clearly little room for error here.

One could argue that with such a short array of lengthy tracks on offer, Yob could just throw the kitchen sink at each song and hope for the best.  They don’t.  As I mentioned earlier, if there’s one word I would associate with Yob, it’s “structure”.  There is a level of patience required to be invested by the listener with this record, one that for me personally reaps some reward.  The build ups take their time, but never to the detriment of the songs.  My attention does not wane during these moments and let’s be honest, who comes to a doom record to be deterred by repetition?  Scheidt’s nasal crooning and his guttural growls are probably the weakest part of Yob’s sound for me, yet I could not see any other style working half as well.  They are delivered (like the rest of the music) from the heart.  It is all about the riffs and heavy bass presence though for me, even if this does mean the drums are often lost in the fuzzy rumble of the mix of the album.  It doesn’t feel like a deliberately obtuse production decision has been made here though, as I could argue more percussion just simply is not needed.

In a genre where most records can sound the same, Clearing the Path to Ascend uses cosmic atmospheres in places to provide “pauses for breath” I guess and to add variety.  They are probably the most difficult aspect of the album to contend with for me.  I would be happy for them to be ditched in favour of more pummelling for my ears.  However, at over an hour long, I can see why the record needs these lulls in intensity.  Yob manage to bounce the tracks back each time though, so as undesirable as it may be, I can forgive them at least.  Listening to his album led me to the wider discography and I think that in comparison to some other albums, this one lacks any exemplar tracks.  As strong an album as it undoubtedly is, there’s only really ‘Marrow” that deserves real note for the absolute poignancy of its delivery.  No individual criticisms on a track-by-track basis then, but there are better Yob albums out there.

This was a favorite of mine when I started listening to more extreme metal, but it has fallen off quite a bit. It's a great listen overall, pretty fun stuff, but I think it really lacks memorability down the road. The opening track is obviously a classic and I do think it's great, but except for some really great parts (specially Drowned, the end of Bitter Loss and the awesome bridge on Morbid Devourment) I can't recall much of the rest of the album even just after listening to it, and it pretty much feels like the same song for half an hour. That is something to be somewhat expected from death metal, specially the old school stuff, but it's overly present here.

Also, a note on comparisons with Dismember: this is very frequently compared to LaEFS as they are the two most famous swedeath albums, but I think they're really not that similar. This is way more crude and rock n' roll-ish, maybe foreshadowing Entombed's later rock tendencies, whereas LaEFS has a more melodic and technical nuance. Production-wise, LHP is more chaotic and harsh and I think sometimes it's even a bit hard to understand what's going on, while LaEFS is more tame and controlled, resulting in something more cohesive and a fair bit more brutal. Also, Dismember's vocals are way more controlled and honestly better overall.

Maybe the definition of a kick-ass album. Through the first songs the only thing that I picture in my mind is endless mosh pit madness, because DAMN this is the perfect combination to bang your head to a wall. The absolute best of the swedeath signature guitar tone, chonky and relentless, and just awesome and fun punk infused death metal with some melodic stuff sprinkled over to give it an interesting twist. The only reason I deduct a half-star from this is because I think the album dips a fair bit on tracks 5 to 7, but the first four are perfectly intense and heavy, and they fortunately comeback with In Death's Sleep as a closer, which is one of my favorite death metal tracks ever. Just beautiful.

A step down from Shrine from a few years ago. The individual songs have become less focused and do not have any pazazz when it comes to ear catching melodies. The album undoubtedly feels more like a "vibes" album where the strong sound of a melodic metalcore foundation with a death metal tinge is going to be the aspect that listeners will remember the most. Zenith has ambitions of being a more complete project from Shrine and that comes through in some really intense production which is highlighted by a far improved vocal performance. Scott Kennedy's vocals have always been a bit of a presence when the harsh death metal screaming comes out, but his singing was quite lackluster on the previous record. This time around, the clean vocals are greatly improved; the rasp in the timbre fits well with the instrumental style and does not create this weird hybrid effect where it feels like you're listening to two songs at once. I wish that I could have enjoyed Zenith as much as Shrine, but the heightened expectations of how impressed I was by Shrine left me feeling a little bit empty here. The texture of the album can only work so much when your audience already knows your playbook. At some point, Bleed From Within are going to have to broaden their scope.

Best Songs: In Place of your Halo, Zenith, Immortal Desire, Dying Sun

This is not only an amazingly crafted album which uses completely out-there ideas to create something unique, interesting and heavy, but is also a world of it's own. Through bizarre riffs, gurgling, monstrous vocals and a dense production, the band really succeeds in transporting me into the immersion it provides, a sort of insane and labyrinthine descent into a dark, strange and alien place. Much has been said about the technical and nonsensical sounding but nevertheless groovy riffs and the inhumane vocals and the great songwriting, but what I really want to highlight is the drumming, because it's honestly mesmerizing. Every choice of beat seems perfect to the controlled chaos that is happening over it and there's some incredible moments where the drummer just shifts the groove completely over the same riff, changing the perspective and turning the part into something new. Very interesting stuff, I'll definitively come back to this one often.