Xephyr's Forum Replies

Got to see Blood Incantation recently, fantastic show with incredible sound compared to what I'm used to out of this venue. Either the band is very picky with their live setup, or they have a stellar sound guy who goes to bat against the venue sound guys. They legit walked onto the stage, played "The Stargate" in its entirety, got up on the mic and said "Alright here's the rest of the album", played "The Message" in its entirety, and said "Well guys that was our new album I hope you enjoyed it". Absolute legends. 

I never realized how much the crowd needs those 30 second or a minute breaks in between songs though, this was the most tired pit I've ever been around. People were STRUGGLING, given they played three 20 minute songs in total I think? 

This was easily one of the best, if not the best, technical Metal performances I've seen, the entire album was stellar and the Metal parts hit so much harder live than on the album that it made the conflicting 70's prog vs the tech death metal that much more enjoyable. It's definitely reinforced Absolute Elsewhere as a massive album for me personally, these guys know what they're doing.

Ooohhh boy, the Infinite is a big one this year. 

1. Cave Sermon - Divine Laughter
2. Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere
3. Caligula's Horse - Charcoal Grace
4. Krallice - Inorganic Rites
5. Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja
6. Thy Catafalque - XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek
7. Brii - Camaradagem Postuma
8. Hoplites - Παραμαινομένη
9. Æthĕrĭa Conscĭentĭa - The Blossoming (2024)
10. Amiensus - Reclamation
11. In Vain - Solemn
12. Dvne - Voidkind
13. Anciients - Beyond the Reach of the Sun
14. DGM - Endless
15. Frail Body - Artificial Bouquet
16. Ihsahn - Ihsahn
17. Hail Spirit Noir - Fossil Gardens
18. Inter Arma - New Heaven
19. Alcest - Les chants de l'aurore
20. Intervals - Memory Palace

I don't think this is anywhere close to final on most of these placements, but damn, insane year for Infinite stuff. That's seven 4.5's at the top of the list for me, with Cave Sermon ruling the year with a monumental effort. The rest of the albums on here are no slouch either, with Blood Incantation's 70's Prog fusion continuing to impress after I thought it would get old after a few listens. The newest Krallice was also a surprise for me, as I've struggled with most of their stuff in the past, but the dark electronic atmosphere has really hooked me this year. I could go on forever about this list of 20 albums, so this might be the year that The North gets dethroned from my year end list. 

I listened to it about 3 times over on release day, I'm personally extremely happy with it but it's going to take some more time to see where it lands in my head compared to their last three albums. Sure, it's nice to have some of the heavier Metal stuff back, but it's still a far cry from Watershed or older. At the moment I really like the usage of the harsh vocals and the heavier riffs from a writing and storytelling standpoint, even though I'm with you in that nothing really blows me away about it. Hopefully it'll all come together in the coming weeks and I'll have some more thoughts. 

I've listened to pretty much zero Gateway stuff this year, sadly. This is the best I got: 

1. Devin Townsend - PowerNerd
2. Graphic Nature - Who Are You When No One Is Watching? 
3. Evergrey - Theories of Emptiness
4. Flagman - Tastes Incredible

Both Devin Townsend and Evergrey were disappointments, even though PowerNerd isn't exactly a bad album by any means. I think it just failed to do anything really spectacular and the simpler song styles that he went with don't stand out compared to past singles in his discography. The Flagman album was a shot in the dark that I hated, early 2000's Alternative Metal with a funk/punk-ish leaning is absolutely not my bag. 

Glad you could check this one out Sonny, looks like you enjoyed it even more than me! It's been in a pretty consistent rotation this year for when I want classic Black Metal sound, but as you said about the riffs they have a knack for writing melodies that provide some modern, extra charm on the back of their old school influences. I don't think it has the standout tracks of A Diabolic Thirst for me, but I think it's a stronger overall album and it may be because I've been spending more time elsewhere this year. 

The newest Bongripper album Empty is pretty fantastic in my opinion. Purely instrumental and suitably crushing. It's much more Death-Doomy than the band name would lead you to believe, but the overall package falls into that grimy-sludge territory. 

The only Ufomammut album I've had time for was the collab with Lento, which was also a MA recommendation or feature if I remember correctly. From there, their newest stuff didn't grab my attention as I only listened to their 2024 album once and decided it wasn't worth anymore of my time. I did end up going back to their supposed best, Snailking, and thoroughly enjoyed it but never went further. 

I needed something to get me in the zone for work this morning and this was a fantastic choice, this thing is absolutely massive. The payoffs for all the repetition are masterfully done, which is what an album like this lives or dies by. Glad I checked the site this morning to find this. I still really enjoy Snailking but this feels like such a complete package that it's hard not to say it vies for that top album spot.

I hit random on my full library to try and get myself through a writing rut, and landed on this more recent Lacuna Coil album. Review below. 

A Harsh Duet

Lacuna Coil have turned into one of those bands from my early music listening that I've come to regret somewhat. It's not that I was ever a massive fan or anything, it's just that their 2002 album Comalies gave me a bit of false hope that persisted for much too long. Comalies still holds up to me as an interesting and dreamy set of Gothic tinged Metal that has a very unique feel and atmosphere to it that, while not superb, hasn't been replicated too often. From then on, however, Lacuna Coil have wandered down the straight and narrow Alternative Metal path which is filled with straightforward songwriting and generic djenty chugs that have been done a million times over. Starting with Dark Adrenaline in 2012 they've found their formula and stuck with it to a ton of commercial success, but I can't say it does much for a seasoned listener who still insists on checking to see if this band decided to go back to their original, more unique sound.

Despite frontwoman Cristina Scabbia being the main draw for most, Black Anima is much more of a duet between her and bassist Andrea Ferro as they trade back and forth much more often than in previous albums. Ferro's vocals are also much more harsh centric, with his growls not sounding half bad with Lacuna Coil's heavier and more chug-centric approach this time around. While he's known for his awkward and divisive crooning, Black Anima has sidelined it to a few short moments in "Sword of Anger" and "Veneficium", replacing it with surprisingly inoffensive growls and fried cleans that compliment the heavier riffing style much better than his old standard. Scabbia proves to still be a Swiss army knife in the vocal department, swapping between forceful Power Metal like leads on "Sword of Anger", a more classic and gothic delivery on "Black Anima", and even tries her hand at a more screamy angle on the chuggy "Now or Never". Lacuna Coil were definitely going for a heavier album this time around so the bouncing between harsh and clean works in its favor, something I'm all too familiar with from other female fronted bands. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the two work together given how rough Ferro's vocals have been in the past, so that shows some massive growth for the band, especially this late in their career. Despite generic nature of the harshes, the interplay between the two is easily the highlight of the album as they do a great job of carrying the energy of each track.

Sadly that's about the only positive thing I have to say about this album, as the rest of the package falls in some sort of gray area between acceptably generic and downright boring. I can respect Lacuna Coil for trying to dial up the heaviness by incorporating djent-y chugs and even some Metalcore sounding snippets in tracks like "Now or Never" and the beginning of "Layers of Time", but most of the riffs end up falling flat due to being simple and unremarkable or just buried behind the wildly mixed drums and bass. It's just a guess, but it seems like they wanted to have a super punchy and rhythmic mix, but the unison chugs are about the only thing that sound cohesive on the album. The kick drum and bass are blown out to the point where they overtake pretty much every riff, with the bass being scratchy and overpowering in more sweeping sections like on "Now Or Never". Don't get me wrong, I'm a bass enjoyer, but even I was a bit taken aback when the djent chug was completely taken over by the bass throughout most of the album. I can commend Lacuna Coil for taking their style to the more extreme end as I don't think this album is entirely bad, but it leaves much to be desired apart from the admittedly interesting vocals. I'm glad that Ferro stepped up his game in order to be a worthy duet to Scabbia, but it feels like the rest of the band didn't catch the memo as the entire album consists of tracks that are varying degrees of fine and somewhat interesting for a few sections. 

2.5/5

December

Aklys - "Sister Silence, Brother Sleep" from House of the Black Geminus

Furia - "Ptaki Ida" from Nocel

Necrowretch - "Dii Mauri" from Swords of Dajjal

December

Chaos Divine - "Landmines" from Colliding Skies

Devin Townsend - "Goodbye" from Powernerd

DGM - "From Ashes" from Endless

Altesia - "Mouth of the Sky" from Embryo

November 2024

01. Iron Maiden – “Remember Tomorrow” (from “Iron Maiden”, 1980)

02. Iron Maiden – “Killers” (from “Killers”, 1981)

03. Black Sabbath – “The Sabbath Stones" (from “Tyr”, 1990) [Suggested by Karl]

04. Cirith Ungol – “Heaven Help Us” (from “Paradise Lost”, 1991) [Suggested by Karl]

05. Crimson Glory – “Lady of Winter” (from “Transcendence”, 1988)

06. Vulture – “Realm of the Impaler" (from "Sentinels", 2024)

07. Xandria – “No Time To Live Forever” (from “No Time To Live Forever”, 2024)

08. Nightwish – “Spider Silk” (from “Yesterwynde”, 2024)

09. Eternal Champion – “Cowards Keep” (from “Ravening Iron”, 2020)

10. Rata Blanca – “Los Ojos Del Dragon” (from “Guerrero Del Arco Iris”, 1991) [Suggested by Karl]

11. Tierra Santa – “Dracula” (from “Legendario”, 1999) [Suggested by Karl]

12. Crystal Viper – “Heading Kadath" (from “The Silver Key”, 2024)

13. Riot City – “Beyond the Stars" (from “Electric Elite”, 2022) [Suggested by Karl]

14. Traveler – “Take the Wheel” (from “Prequel to Madness”, 2024)

15. Edge Of Sanity – “Blood of My Enemies” (from “The Spectral Sorrows", 1993) [Suggested by Daniel]

16. Blazon Rite – “Troubadours of the Final Quartering” (from “Wild Rites And Ancient Songs”, 2023) [Suggested by Karl]

17. Judas Priest – “Bloodstone” (from “Screaming For Vengeance", 1982)

18. Pertness – “Lost in Time” (from “Frozen Time", 2012)

19. Loded Diper – “Can You Smell Us Now” (from “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules”, 2022) [Suggested by Andi]

20. Manowar– “Ride the Dragon" (from "The Triumph of Steel”, 1992)

21. Maule – “Bring the Hammer Down” (from “Kill 'em MAULE”, 2024)

22. Blazon Stone - "Watery Graves" (from "Down in the Dark", 2017)

23. Lost Horizon - "Again Will The Fire Burn" (from "A Flame To The Ground Beneath", 2002)

24. Edenbridge - "Hall of Shame" (from "Shangri-La", 2024)

25. Manilla Road - "Return Of The Old Ones" (from "Out Of The Abyss", 2024)

Let's see what mine end up being so far, I don't think I've had too many Fallen albums that have caught my fancy this year. 

1. Cave Sermon - Divine Laughter
2. Crypt Sermon - The Stygian Rose
3. Spectral Voice - Sparagmos
4. Bongripper - Empty
5. Thou - Umbilical 
6. High On Fire - Cometh The Storm
7. Civerous - Maze Envy
8. Coffins - Sinister Oath
9. Ard - Untouched By Fire
10. Inter Arma - New Heaven
11. Slimelord - Chytridiomycosis Relinquished

Hmm, a lot of these ended up being Fallen by subcategory, not main category for sure. I still have a few from your list to go through Sonny, very interested in the Scald record after giving their profile a peek. The Stygian Rose is the massive winner for Doom Metal for me this year without a doubt.

This album was actually one of the more formative ones for me, coming early in the lifecycle of me listening to Metal with any sort of harsh vocals. At the time, I was really into the idea of bands bouncing between clean and harsh vocals, no doubt because of the heavy Opeth influence I was under. After stumbling on Chaos Divine, their style was a perfect meshing of the slightly harsher Metal I was dipping my toes into and the Progressive Metal that I enjoyed so much. Was I aware of other more established (and probably stronger) bands that still had this sort of style that I would have loved? Absolutely not, so I ended up buying this CD and it lived in my car for a very long time as I took long drives to college and wherever else. I wanted to revisit this for a deeper look as not only was it one of the first reviews for an album that I wrote, but for a bit of a nostalgia hit while trying to be extremely critical of an album that I think is good, but maybe it's not all that special. 

And honestly? It isn't really anything that special in the grand scheme of things looking back, but I still find myself immensely enjoying this collection of songs. Chaos Divine's claim to fame, for me at least, is their balance between harsh and clean as their name so aptly alludes to. Most of the album has lead vocalist Dave Anderton doing soaring leads that I still think are great to this day; he really sells the big chorus moments and has some solid verse delivery as well. His harshes, however, leave a bit to be desired. I've definitely grown away from the rasping, strained, and somewhat weak sounding growled vocals as I have a better baseline of what I think powerful sounding harshes in Progressive Metal can be, whether it's examples like Wilderun, Ne Obliviscaris, or even a safer choice like Amorphis. That being said, Anderton's harshes are used sparingly and well on choruses and big moments like the opening "One Door", the climaxes of "The Ringing of the Sirens" and "Chasing Shadows", and a nice opening hook on "Invert Evolution". The rest of the band does some solid work in my opinion, with each riff having a ton of movement as Chaos Divine loves to write whirling background scales for their lead guitars alongside slightly more complex than normal chugging rhythms. "Beautiful Abyss" has the best example of this as it's one of the more catchy and groovy songs on the album as it does a fantastic job of building upon the starting motif with tons of transitions and different layering without falling back on the harsh vocal crutch for any of the choruses or climaxes. The final 12-minute epic also really takes its time and is a great atmospheric payoff that feels like it fits right into the flow of the album, although the final 4 minutes of it really drags on and ends the album on a more somber and reflective note instead of a massive, satisfying climax. 

Even though I set out to get rid of some nostalgia this month, I think I still really like this album. It's easily Chaos Divine's best work to date, as Colliding Skies and Legacies just didn't have the staying power or memorable moments for me. I think the album has such a satisfying flow to it and while it may lack the aggression and grit of some heavier hitting Progressive Metal albums, I really enjoy the more contemplative and spacey atmosphere that this album has. The overall songwriting has stood the test of time and many, many listens to the point where it's still pretty impactful for me, which is impressive after all these years. Even though it's still definitely a nostalgic comfort alum for me, it's a more than decent diamond in the rough for Progressive Metal fans looking for something a bit softer around the edges or to expand their knowledge of Australian Metal bands. 

4/5

I have both di'Anno albums rated highly, both 4/5 from when I did my original Maiden marathon, but I find myself not finding time for them for whatever reason. That'll have to change this week for a few revisits, is a shame how none of the tracks from the first two Maiden albums seemed to stick around in the popular eye. 

RIP 

DGM - Endless (2024)

DGM are one of my top bands that no one seems to pay attention to, and while their lineup seems to be constantly in flux, these Italians provide extremely consistent, uplifting Progressive Metal with Power Metal-esque vocals and flairs. I've been hooked ever since The Passage back in 2016, but cracks began to show with the release of their 2023 album Life. Sadly their consistency started to get the best of them, as Life felt like a sorry knockoff of their previous, very strong album Tragic Separation. I was extremely hesitant when I saw Endless pop up on my radar as it felt way too soon for another project after the rut that Life seemed to find itself in. However, DGM surprised me as they delivered an album that hearkens back to the classic Prog Metal albums of the 1990's and 2000's whether it be Dream Theater, Green Carnation, or Disillusion. Although DGM has always been firmly a Progressive Metal band, they've never really been a Prog Metal band, opting for energetic and succinct riffing and song structures in lieu of the overly complex and erratic tendencies of some of the genre's giants. 

Not to many people's surprise when it comes to Progressive Metal that is more Prog than Metal, Endless feels a bit dated in its approach. At the same time, I'm a big fan of that approach, so the question needs to be asked; how good would this album have been if it was released alongside the rest of the 2000's Prog Metal albums it draws from? Honestly, I think it holds up pretty damn well as it doesn't completely lose itself in crazy transitions, has a satisfying album flow from the opening track setting the stage perfectly all the way through the epic 10+ minute finisher, and has enough additions to DGM's base sound that it really feels like they stepped into a new area of their sound instead of just tacking some extras on. I think it lacks some memorable moments overall as DGM's riffing style hasn't really changed in 20 years, but the more drawn out songwriting and concept album structure really makes the ones that catch your ear pop out. I love DGM's style overall so this one was a pretty big win for me after I thought they were going to start becoming redundantly boring instead of consistently exciting. 

4/5

Music is such a comfort thing for most people, whereas I think we're in agreement that we find some kind of fun in constantly discovering what else is out there and finding new sounds to keep us occupied instead of eternally going back to the same classic rock radio station playlist. I've always said that people who say that the Most Popular artists are their favorite of all time just haven't listened to enough music yet in order to find their specific taste. Sure, I'm guilty of having Opeth as one of my all-time bands, but that's stood the test of time after hundreds/thousands of other Metal albums, whereas it sometimes seems like you can't even get a Red Hot Chili Peppers fan to turn on a Deftones album to see what happens. Or even a Primus album to really get the low-hanging connection between two well-renowned bassists.

It's strange to think that there's always a period of.....10 or 15 years? That people are exposed to the music that's currently around them and one day it seems like it's a hard "Nope! That's it! This is what I like, this is what I grew up with, there's nothing else!". I'm definitely derailing this more but it's kind of a shame that the cycle is like this because the most interesting music of any generation that becomes "classic" generally comes from THE YOUTH that are in their late teens to late 20's? Maiden was on average 24 when their self titled came out, The Beatles were basically all 20 when they started their run, everyone but Bon Scott of AC/DC was around 20 when T.N.T. came out...the list goes on. There's some sort of disassociation where people think that THE YOUTH of their generation is the end-all-be-all and...people can't make good music anymore? Every one of their favorite bands started at the same point as all the other 20-somethings nowadays going on small tours at bars and trying to shill their newest nasty Tech Death album, why don't they still deserve the same chance with older listeners as they gave to their fledgling bands years ago? I guess I can only hope that I stay curious and don't end up like that, I don't think I'd enjoy it too much haha

It's interesting because you're right, it's very obvious, but it's still neat in how consistent it is across most things. Not just music. 

I don't drink a whole lot of whiskey but this sort of experiment reminds me of some videos I've watched comparing the "Most Popular" bottles to the "Best" bottles. "Best" obviously being a consensus between the Whiskey Nerds of the world, I guess; much like the Fallen Clan specific rating! What you tend to find in the whiskey/spirit world is that there is an invisible threshold between 'This tastes good!" and "This tastes interesting!". Most people just want it to taste good, a small select people want it to taste interesting to extend/challenge their palettes, and somewhere in the middle there's a common ground between the two. People who are into whiskey may tell you to go grab an Islay Scotch and enjoy the complexity of smoking, rotting peat moss and salty sea rocks, and your average dude will say he likes Jack Daniels because it goes down smooth, mixes with Coke, and vaguely tastes like peanuts to him. So, the most acclaimed bottles for people on the spectrum who care about rating stuff tends to be not the lowest hanging fruit, but just up the ladder enough that the diehards will have good things to say about it but it still offers something palatable to the average person. 

Pretty much the same thing is shown here, even with a smaller sample size, which is really cool as it's pretty much working as intended. The entry-level and well-known Doom albums are still obviously strong as they've stood the test of time, but for people who have researched past those, they've found stronger albums for them that push more boundaries. The Site Ratings also, like you said, contain more well known albums that are generally more tossed around in recommendations as albums that someone just has to listen to if they haven't. The Clan Rating is zeroed in on longer, more atmospheric, and in generally "doomier" releases that exemplify the subgrenre itself. 

As for your overall experiment with Opeth and the like dominating, it's 100% more of a popularity contest between historically strong albums and bands. People who post on RYM are an extremely small percentage of listeners, and even they care tenfold more than your average person about what they're listening to. The percentage of people who listen to full albums in the first place is probably astronomically low, so for better or worse, those bands you listed are pretty much always going to surface until the culture slowly shifts to something else. It always surprises me to find out what's actually popular in Metal, since it usually doesn't even line up with what's popular on RYM and especially not here at MA. Obviously all these bands have massive appeal for a reason, but it's still unfortunate that it's harder and harder to put lesser known but fantastic albums in the spotlight since there's less and less room for recommendations from people (such as yourself) to the masses about what crazy stuff certain subgenres are up to. 

A

Submerged - Tortured At The Depths (2024)

Another day, another modern Brutal Death Metal release that I try my best to wrestle any sort of meaning from. Part of me keeps saying that I should just give up on these kinds of subgenres that I continue to have zero interest in, but that'd be a bit shortsighted I think. It's gotta click eventually, right? 

Well...definitely not on this one. This is San Deigo born Submerged's debut album and, as is seemingly common for acts like this, the members seem incredibly competent as they've come from a plethora of other similar acts. The runtime is only 21 minutes and each song is packed with 8th note riffing and pinch harmonics galore, bolstered by a proper brutal drum performance that I'm sure leaves fans of this stuff salivating. Thankfully the snare has more of a "pop" to it than the dreaded "ping", but it's still mixed so loudly and so forward that it completely drowns out everything except for the vocals and lead guitar. It's kind of neat to try and follow along to the rhythms its playing as it's definitely some complex stuff, but even the densest writing can get dull to me since it's mostly repeated with very minimal deviation through songs. The vocals are about what I'd expect as well, being gurgling, unintelligible, and taking on rhythms that are almost entirely separate from the guitar or drums. All of this continues for about 20 minutes with only a few reprieves, like the atmospheric section at the end of "Submerged In Sewage Water" or at the beginning of "Vulture Vivisection" and a hint of a breakdown section in "Colony Of Spores". I'd say "Embedded Within the Hive" is the especially brutal highlight, but I couldn't tell you how different it really is from the rest of Tortured At The Depths. 

I think this Brutal Death release is mixed in a way that makes it a bit more palatable for me personally, but I'm still far from "getting it". The snare is loud but not overbearing, the rest of the instrumentation is disgustingly chunky in a good way, and the vocals fit into the mix well, so I'd venture to say that this is a very well produced Brutal Death album. Maybe a bit too produced for some, but I prefer it this way. It's impressive to hear what the Brutal Death drummers come up with and it's nice that they know to limit their album lengths, but I can't say I'm gonna be coming back to this one. 

2/5

Writhen Hilt - Ancient Sword Cult (2024)

I randomly came across this unsuspecting EP the other day and feel like I hit a bit of a gold mine, as this classic style of Heavy Metal fused with Doom-ish undertones seems to be fairly hard to pull off nowadays. Most of the time, the attempts at harkening back to a simpler time of Metal produces something dull and devoid of character, but I've found Ancient Sword Cult to be incredibly compelling with its fuzzy and bottom heavy production with soaring leads and classic chugging. I think the vocalist has an incredible delivery and range for their style, and they absolutely carry tracks like "Mountain" and "To Rival The Sun". Their riffs and overall ideas also have a air of maturity and noticeable knack for what makes classic Heavy Metal memorable and exciting, whether it's the energetic flourishes on the chugging of "Sorcerer's Gate" or the dueling leads of the opening "Death Undone". I think these guys are doing a lot of things right; even the closing instrumental "Aeolia" keeps me gripped like an Eternal Champion interlude track. Despite only being 22 minutes I think there isn't a weak track here, and it makes me very excited for a potential full length album in the future. I'd say Sonny should be fairly interested in this due to it's Epic Doom leanings. 

They apparently have another demo out called The Iron Sparrow, which I think is a bit weaker quality than anything on Ancient Sword Cult but still worth a listen if the EP is up your alley. They definitely experiment a bit too much on "The Rider's Moon", but it still ain't bad. 

4/5

Maiden takes a hard dive for me on No Prayer For The Dying, but in a vacuum of a playlist it's a solid song for sure. I hadn't heard of Attick Demons before this and wow, Daniel's absolutely right. Probably one of the closest I've heard without being a self-advertised clone like Stray Gods. The Aria track definitely has some Maiden-isms too but it feels like they're doing a bit more of their own thing. 

Sadly the inclusion of "Blood Empress" has reminded me how much the newest Unleash The Archers has bounced off of me. Just not a fan of their new direction, it's a whole lot of nothing to me. 

November

Spectral Wound - "The Horn Marauding" from Songs of Blood and Mire

Sacramentum - "Portal of Blood" from The Coming Of Chaos

Ethereal Shroud - "Desperation Hymn" from They Became Falling Ash 

Good luck! That'd be a massive load off if you can transition directly into a position, trying to navigate the job market nowadays is absolutely terrible and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. 

November

Hippotraktor - "The Indifferent Human Eye" from Stasis

Scale the Summit - "Trapped in Ice" from V

Amiensus - "Solfario" from Reclamation, Pt. II

In Vain - "Watch For Me On The Mountain" from Solemn

OCTOBER 2024

01. Iced Earth – “Burning Oasis” (from “Burnt Offerings”, 1995)

02. Nightwish – “An Ocean Of Strange Islands” (from “Yesterwynde”, 2024)

03. Attick Demons – “City of Golden Gates" (from “Atlantis”, 2012) [Suggested by Karl]

04. Iron Maiden – “Public Enema Number One” (from “No Prayer for the Dying”, 1990) [Suggested by Karl]

05. Avantasia – “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” (from “Moonglow”, 2019)

06. Heir Apparent – “Tear Down the Walls" (from "Graceful Inheritance", 2000) [Suggested by Karl]

07. KAT – “Czas Zemsty” (from “Ballady”, 1993) [Suggested by Karl]

08. Witchfinder General – “Requiem for Youth” (from “Friends of Hell”, 1983)

09. Aria – “Игра с огнем” (from “Игра с огнем”, 1989) [Suggested by Karl]

10. Unleash The Archers – “Blood Empress” (from “Phantoma”, 2024) [Submitted by shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

11. Rage – “The Icecold Hand of Destiny” (from “Black In Mind”, 1995) [Suggested by Daniel]

12. Orden Ogan – “Blind Man" (from “The Order of Fear”, 2024)

13. Haunt – “Saviors of Man" (from “Mind Freeze”, 2020)

14. Labyrinth – “Kathryn” (from “Sons of Thunder”, 2014)

15. Iron Fire – “Leviathan” (from “Voyage of the Damned", 2013)

16. Ultima Grace – “Cry for the Rain” (from “Ultima Grace”, 2022)

17. Marius Danielsen – “March of the Living Dead” (from “War of the World", 2023)

18. Nightfear – “Breakout” (from “Drums of War", 2015)

19. Eternal Ascent – “Being Human” (from “Reclamation”, 2022)

20. X Japan – “BLUE BLOOD" (from "Blue Blood”, 1989)

21. GALNERYUS – “I BELIEVE” (from “THE STARS WILL LIGHT THE WAY”, 2024)

The Flight of Sleipnir - Nature's Cadence (2024)

I know we have a pretty big fan of this group around the Academy, so how have you been enjoying these guys' latest offerings Sonny? 

I thoroughly enjoyed Eventide but haven't had a chance to really dive into any of their older stuff, so this is my first shot at seeing what else these guys have in store. So far this one isn't hitting me as hard as their 2021 effort, but it's undeniably gorgeous so far. I think this one will be more of a grower for me personally as I spend more time with it. 

Oh fair enough, didn't realize it was a thing. 

Hi Ben, could you please add Galneryus' new release THE STARS WILL LIGHT THE WAY (2024)? These guys apparently like being different and released on a Wednesday.

Thanks Daniel, I should really start checking out Jag Panzer a bit more as they've eluded me despite putting them on the playlist for that kick of classic US Heavy Metal that seems so hard to find. I've really started to dive into US Power Metal more and have found some solid stuff, despite me bouncing off the genre initially apart from standout acts like Eternal Champion. The Twisted Tower Dire inclusion was one of those finds that obviously isn't for everyone but I've been enjoying their discography as some deep cuts of a genre that I'm looking to get more familiar with. 

At this point Flotsam and Jetsam have really honed in on what they're doing and, even though I'm not incredibly impressed by it, I gotta give them points for consistency. Ever since their self titled album in 2016 they've had a string of solid releases that don't hold any surprises, but have a few key songs that are exactly what I want out of their more accessible and hooky Thrash Metal sound. F&J are about as straightforward as they come nowadays with fast and furious, but still tight riffing that complements Eric A.K.'s soaring vocals that, for me, are the big selling point of this band compared to other legacy Thrash acts. Although it feels like I've heard this all before from their previous albums, F&J still have a knack for writing great choruses that are absolute earworms, like "The Head of the Snake" and the succinct title track "I Am The Weapon". Sadly everything else on this album kind of runs together for me, even though I enjoy it when I'm actively paying attention to it. There's nothing bad here, but nothing great either, which I think is fine for what this band is going for as the singles that are strong are very strong, but the rest of the album kind of falls behind. That's the risk you run when you put so much stock in choruses, where "Running Through the Fire", "Gates of Hell", "Cold Steel Lights", and "Kings of the Underworld" fall flat as they're either lacking in energy, ideas, or just don't hold up to their peers on the same album. There isn't a whole lot of variety on I Am The Weapon but at least "Beneath the Shadows" goes for a satisfying syncopated riff to break up the middle of the album. 

3/5

I've sadly never been able to get into Oceans of Slumber despite me keeping up with them whenever I see they have something new out. If my ratings are anything to go off of, it looks like I prefer their very first album which had more Death Metal influence than any of their others, probably because it was a bit more unique. Despite everyone's praises for their lead vocalist I don't think she has been able to carry this band on her own, so I'm hoping to check it out today and see if that's changed. Winter was probably their strongest showing for me, with the self-titled and Starlight and Ash being incredibly forgettable and not worth too many revisits for me. 

INCREDIBLY interested to see what they cook up here, especially after hearing "Valotus". The chaos of the climax is kind of insane, and I gotta say I actually like the vocal effects, even if they are a bit overwhelming. I went back to Mestarin kynsi before checking out both tracks since it's been a while, and while the vocals are a big part of what gives that album its amazing and unique flair, I don't hate that they fit them into the mix and doctored them up to fit the atmosphere a bit more than the cutting Black Metal crows do. This new stuff feels way denser, but it may lack some impact compared to Mestarin kynsi's grimy and in your face guitar production. I'm a big fan of these kinds of atmospheres though, especially with how I've been enjoying Krallice's newest synth-heavy album Inorganic Rites, so I'll be waiting impatiently for October 11th it looks like. 

Amiensus - The Reclamation (Part I and II) (2024)

I've been really digging this double album by a previously unknown band from me, with Part I being released in April and Part II releasing about a week ago at the end of August. Despite being labeled as Black Metal there isn't much to back up that claim; it resides in that strange amalgamation void of Progressive Metal bands that take a million influences from Black/Death metal and smash them together into something that is unique yet recognizable if you've been around bands like Ne Obliviscaris, Wilderun, or Earthside's newest album shown above. I absolutely love this kind of stuff in general, so I was glued to Part I since the middle of August and eagerly awaiting the release of Part II. I'm not entirely sure The Reclamation needed to be a double album, as I find Part II to be weaker than Part I through and through despite an amazing start and riff on the opening "Solfario". I think they could have trimmed some of the fat off of Part I and added a few of the stronger tracks from Part II to come up with an hour long album instead of the rather lengthy 90 minutes it ended up being. I'm not exactly complaining because I'm a big fan, but it does begin to run out of ideas and steam halfway through Part II. It's a pretty dense album though, so it'll take me some more time to really see how the whole thing holds up overtime. Overall though, there's a ton of memorable riffs and moments from both the heavier side and lighter, melodic side, and it's been a comfort listen for me as I add another Prog Metal band that's more on the extreme side into my repertoire. 

Part I - 4/5

Part II - 3.5/5

Probably gotta be "Powerslave" for me, even though it's a very tough pick between most of the tracks on the album, honestly. As someone who didn't necessarily grow up with Iron Maiden, I had myself do a complete marathon of their discography back when the only full album I had listened to was The Number of the Beast. To this day, Powerslave remains my favorite Iron Maiden album through and through, even though Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son come closest. I'll admit that I'd probably have to go back and spend some more time with their entire 1980's catalogue to get a fully updated opinion since their output for an entire decade was extremely dense, but for now I'll keep with my opinion that Powerslave stands out amongst a legendary discography and is stellar from start to finish. 

SEPTEMBER 2024

01. Herzel – “Nominoe” (from “Unis Dans La Glorie (Demo)”, 2016)

02. The Night Eternal – “Between The Worlds” (from “Fatale”, 2023) [Suggested by Karl]

03. Morgul Blade – “Frostwyrm Cavalry" (from “Heavy Metal Wraiths”, 2024) [Suggested by Karl]

04. Jag Panzer – “Iron Eagle” (from “The Age of Mastery”, 1998)

05. Metal Church – “Burial at Sea” (from “The Dark”, 1986)

06. King Diamond – “Into the Convent" (from "The Eye", 1990)

07. Annihilator – “Bats in the Belfry” (from “Set The World On Fire”, 1992) [Suggested by Daniel]

08. Satan – “The Blood Ran Deep” (from “Earth Infernal”, 2022)

09. Sortilege – “D'Ailleurs” (from “Metamorphose”, 1984) [Suggested by Karl]

10. Gamma Ray – “Watcher in the Sky” (from “Somewhere Out In Space”, 1997)

11. Glacier – “The Temple and the Tomb” (from “The Passing of Time”, 2020)

12. Attic – “Hailstorm And Tempest" (from “Return of the Witchfinder”, 2024) [Suggested by Karl]

13. Twisted Tower Dire – “Infinitum” (from “Crest Of The Martyrs”, 2005)

14. Signum Regis – “Prophet of Doom” (from “Chapter IV: The Reckoning”, 2015)

15. Sunrise – “Call My Name” (from “Equilibria", 2021)

16. Symphony X – “Of Sins and Shadows” (from “The Divine Wings of Tragedy”, 1997) [Suggested by Karl]

17. Trail of Tears – “No Colors Left” (from “Winds of Disdain", 2024) [Submitted by shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

18. Delain – “Tell Me, Mechanist” (from “The Human Contradiction”, 2014)

19. Sonata Arctica – “Dark Empath” (from “Clear Cold Beyond”, 2024)

20. Savage Oath – “Savage Oath" (from "Divine Battle”, 2024) [Suggested by Karl]

21. Battle Beast – “Wings of Light” (from “Circus of Doom”, 2023)

22. Iron Maiden – “Dream of Mirrors” (from “Brave New World”, 2000)

It's not one of my most detailed reviews, but I managed to get something done quickly last night for an album that isn't necessarily anything special but I find myself coming back to quite a bit. I'm normally not the biggest fan of Karlsson projects but this one has stood the test of time for me with a 3.5 / 5 rating.

Charon's Melody

On the surface, The Ferrymen's third album One More River To Cross isn't necessarily anything special. It's anthemic Power Metal tendencies have been done to death, but sometimes the formula simply works in a way that's so infectious that I can't help but keep going back to it. All-star Power Metal acts seem like a dime a dozen nowadays, since the more prolific musicians that have a knack for composing have a tendency to have a metric ton of offshoots from their original projects. This time, it's guitarist Magnus Karlsson of Allen Lande and Primal Fear hooking up with vocalist Ronnie Romero of Lords of Black and modern Rainbow and accomplished drummer Mike Terrana of Avalanch and Masterplan. After I realized the pedigree that this trio brought to the table, it's no wonder that I'm drawn to The Ferrymen in the way that I am, but they're one of the few supergroups that manage to bring better than average songwriting along with their stellar lineups.

The opener "One Word" tells you pretty much everything you need to about The Ferrymen, and you'll be getting some déjà vu if you've heard any other albums from Power Metal supergroups like Allen Lande. These groups mostly serve to highlight their vocalists, but don't cut any corners with adding orchestration, keyboards, or any other effects they can think of to fill out the mix. From the tension building piano and choir intro, to the dueling lead and chugging guitars, to the overblown but catchy chorus, the opener sets the perfect stage for the rest of the album. If you like what you hear with "One Word", congratulations, the rest of the album is waiting for you. If not, I've got some terrible news for you because The Ferrymen aren't exactly here to escort you to a greater plane of Power Metal existence. I really enjoy One More River To Cross' pacing as it keeps the middling tempos interesting and distinct from song to song, with "The Last Wave" being a bit more lackadaisical in its chorus but "City of Hate" bringing more energy to the table with its deeper chugging and slightly faster tempo. Overall, though, The Ferrymen have very little new tricks up their sleeve and it all comes down to how well this group of expert metal musicians can write some songs to stand out from the pack.

For me, The Ferrymen occupy this strange spot of a band doing exactly what a lot of other groups are doing, but performing it in a way that separates them from the pack. It helps that Ronnie Romero absolutely kills it in the vocal department, with chorus after chorus being performed in an extremely memorable and impressive way. The choruses "Shut It Out", "One More River to Cross" and "The Last Ship" have popped into my head much more than I'm willing to admit even after more than 2 years from this album's release, whereas with most other generic Power Metal albums I struggle to remember a single song or riff. The admittedly cheesy orchestration comes in full force on tracks like "One More River to Cross" and "The Other Side" and I don't mind it since Terrana's and Karlsson's performances compliment it better than your average Power Metal schlock, but it definitely feels like an afterthought in the end. As above average as the songwriting is in One More River to Cross, certain tracks like "Bringers of the Dark", "City of Hate", "The Passenger", and "The Other Side" fall by the wayside as tracks that have better counterparts within the same album. This is partially because The Ferrymen know what kind of band they want to be, but it's still a weight on the album experience that certain songs just feel like lesser versions of something that was already played. However, as an album experience from front to back, The Ferrymen do a fantastic job of structuring the tracks so that I'm engaged and not necessarily thinking about track quality halfway through. Despite the repetitiveness, every riff and chorus is interesting and memorable enough to keep me coming back for more.

Despite being another notch in the generic Power Metal supergroup totem pole, One More River to Cross has stood the test of time as an album that legitimately showcases the talents of exceptional Power Metal musicians. I'll be the first person to admit that it immediately falls victim to most of the Power Metal pitfalls of being bombastic just for the sake of it and not having enough variety or massive moments, but damn this album has some amazing choruses. It stumbles here and there along its lengthy track list and as much as I think "The Last Ship" should have been the final track instead of "The Passenger", it's one of the most successful Power Metal supergroup projects I've heard thus far.

Labyrinthus Stellarum - Vortex of the Worlds (2024)

Probably one of the most interesting albums I've heard in a long time. Vortex of the Worlds uses ambient electronics in a very forward thinking way, not relegating them to separate interludes or out of place breaks. The haunting and spatial melodies are shoved forward in the mix to be the main attraction that the rest of the Black Metal elements play off of, and while I think it does lessen some of the impact that the metal could have, it's created an extremely addicting combination for me. I've been consistently thinking about and playing this album for about 2 weeks now and it hasn't lost its luster, even though I'll admit that it gets a bit repetitive and rudimentary sometimes even in its short runtime. 

I think what interests me most about this is this album finally feels like a full realization of "Space Black Metal", which has always been implied by bands but not really expanded upon. I'm of the opinion that most Black Metal that goes to space is carried heavily by its cover art, since most of the time it's hard to tell that they're going for that vibe if you did a blind listen. Labyrinthus Stellarum broke through and released something that is undoubtedly cosmic and 100% in your face about it, which I can appreciate.

4/5 

Funny enough, I'm not the biggest Megaton Sword fan but they seem to always find their way onto the playlist since my knowledge of modern (or classic for that matter), straight up Heavy Metal is kind of limited. I'm finding I like their EP the best out of anything they've done so far, but I'm probably in the minority as they seem to be well-liked. 

Thanks for all your picks, gives the playlist some new life with the addition of all these more exotic Heavy Metal tracks. 

01. Eternal Champion – “I Am the Hammer” (from “The Armor of Ire”, 2016)

02. Agatus – “The Oath (Of Magic and Fire)” (from “The Eternalist”, 1993) [Suggested by Karl]

03. Powerwolf – “Kyrie Klitorem" (from “Wake Up The Wicked”, 2024)

04. Jeris Johnson – “When The Darkness Comes” (from “When the Darkness Comes”, 2005) [Suggested by Andi]

05. Traveler – “No Fate” (from “Prequel to Madness”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

06. Cirith Ungol – “Shelob's Lair" (from "Half Past Human", ) [Suggested by Karl]

07. Megaton Sword – “Pristine War” (from “Niralet”, 1971)

08. ANTHEM – “FEVER EYES” (from “No Smoke Without Fire”, 1990) [Suggested by Daniel]

09. Seven Spires – “Architect of Creation” (from “A Fortress Called Home”, 1973)

10. Orden Ogan – “Prince of Sorrow” (from “The Order Of Fear”, 1993)

11. Blind Guardian – “Thorn” (from “Nightfall In Middle Earth”, 1981)

12. New Horizon – “Messenger Of The Stars" (from “Conquerors”, 1971)

13. Yngwie Malmsteen – “Rising Force” (from “Rising Force”, 2008) [Suggested by Karl]

14. Skullview – “The Night of Metal Kill” (from “Legends of Valor”, 2018) [Submitted by shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

15. Eternity's End – “Deathrider” (from “Embers of War” E.P., 1981)

16. Blaspheme – “Seul” (from “Desir de vampyr”, 2023) [Suggested by Karl]

17. Falconer – “Perjury And Sanctity” (from “Northwind” E.P., 1985)

18. Angel Witch – “Don't Turn Your Back” (from “Angel of Light”, 2010) [Suggested by Karl]

19. Night Demon – “Stranger in the Room” (from “Darkness Remains”, 2021)

20. Tony Macalpine – “Man in a Metal Cage" (from "Concrete Gardens”, 2015)

21. Tierra Santa – “Leyenda” (from “Medieval”, 2024) [Suggested by Karl]

22. Coltre – “Feast of the Outcast” (from “To Watch With Hands... To Touch With Eyes”, 2024)

23. Riot City – “Return of the Force” (from “Electric Elite”, 2023)

24. Crypt Sermon – “Down in the Hollow” (from “Sygian Rose”, 2024)

Riot City really redeemed themselves with Electric Elite for me, since I couldn't get into their debut despite my best efforts and other Heavy Metal fans lauding it as a great addition to the plethora of modern bands playing a very classic style. A lot of it comes down to the vocalist, which I'm sure is already a contentious point as the high pitched wails of their lead guitarist on the first album was a massive selling point for people. The new guy, Jordan Jacobs, still has the high pitched pipes but he uses them in a way more reserved way that it much more effective to my ears. Electric Elite is spearheaded by these vocals with drastically better writing and flow compared to their debut, which felt very sporadic and tacked on sometimes even though they got their point across well enough. The gang vocals in tracks like “Return of the Force” and “Tyrant” also got a major upgrade, feeling way more forceful compared to the debut. These small but impactful changes completely flipped my opinions on this band from being yet another fast but dull classic Heavy Metal revival attempt to a batch of 8 songs that I can’t help but keep coming back to.

Electric Elite is admittedly a bit one-note in what it does and lacks a bit of variety at the end of the day, but I think I’d rather take that than a throwaway ballad or some other failed experiment. The introductions of “Ghost of Reality” and “Severed Ties” give the listener a bit of a break with some US Power Metal ballad shlock, but quickly get back to the riffing as both songs pick up after some well written buildups. That being said, the instrumentals are why I keep coming back to Electric Elite as it has some of the most addicting dual-guitar and driving bass riffing I’ve heard since Eternal Champion. Riot City are much more Speed Metal influenced as they push the tempos on ripping tracks like the opening “Eye of the Jaguar” or “Return of the Force”, but still know how to create a compelling riff when they decide to slow it down on “Tyrant”, which has ended up being my favorite track on the album. Even though I never skip them, the album does grind to a halt with “Paris Nights” and “Lucky Diamond” as you’ve heard it all before at this point and neither of these songs do anything particularly spectacular compared to what came before them. Having a full-fledged guitar solo on pretty much every track is a nice surprise nowadays as well, although only a few are somewhat memorable. Overall I’m glad I gave this band a second chance and I hope they can continue to build on this sound with a bit more variety to smooth out some of the songs that sound like lesser versions of tracks on the exact same album.

Cavern Womb - Stages of Infinity (2024)

Y'know, for as much as I go off about Chilean Thrash Metal as one of the most prolific scenes in Metal at the moment, East Coast NA Tech Death is starting to get really, really close to being the thing to look out for. Whether it's Replicant from New Jersey that everyone but me seems to love, or Tomb Mold from Toronto, or Lunar Chamber from Florida that had that standout EP from last year, things are looking up. Well after showing up to a Philly concert myself recently there's another PA/Philly band that's coming out of the woodwork showing some promise with this ripping 25 minute EP that sounds way to mature for a band that has only had a 3 song split before dropping this beast. I do think we're getting a bit inundated with some similar sounding Tech Death since there's just so damn much of it nowadays, but Cavern Womb's songwriting and mix of influences has really propelled this one to the top for me. Stages of Infinity definitely lives up to its Tech Death tag, but not in the same way as other bands who seem to throw some complex riffing and some fretless bass at the wall and see if it sticks. In my opinion, you can tell from the first song that this EP is extremely tight in the way it moves and transitions in between each riff and tempo without it feeling jerky or forced. That continues through the whole thing and only gets better as it goes, with "Cryopreserved" and "A Vessel For The Esoteric" being some of the best Tech/Progressive Death Metal I've personally heard in a while. This kind of sound definitely appeals to my personal tastes as its less about brutality and more about weird progressive/psychedelic adventures in between some incredibly compelling riffs. I'm going to be listening to this one way more and it may turn into one of the few EP's that make my year end list, I'm seriously enjoying this one. This happened last year with the Lunar Chamber EP, although I think this one is even better at a glance, so these guys need to get their acts together and release full lengths already! (...Y'know whenever they feel like it and all that.)

4/5

I was morbidly curious and couldn't stop myself from immediately checking out the one single they have out, the re-recorded "Quest for Tanelorn". I...wasn't very impressed. It's interesting to hear Kürsch's approach now that his voice has changed with age, but that's about it. For me, the instrumentals definitely sound more precise and modern, but the original has a certain energy to it that gets lost in the process. Everyone will have their preferences with productions and I'm definitely biased since this is one of my favorite albums of all time, but I think "revisits" like this make me roll my eyes because they always seem to try to remake the songs note for note and the only differences are the production, the vocalist, and minor changes in playing technique for the other members. Somewhere Far Beyond sounded fine and although I'm still glad they're doing this to get a more definitive, updated version other than the 2007 remaster, I still scratch my head when things like the guitar solo are replayed note for note. I think I'd be infinitely more interesting if they take the opportunity to reevaluate and maybe make some changes that you learned may improve the song after 32 extra years of experience, but that's obviously not what we're getting here. Ah well.

I agree with Vinny on removing Batushka. I've listened to a lot of modern Black Metal and there aren't a lot of bands that follow in Batushka's footsteps with the chanting aspect; the only one that springs to mind is Thy Darkened Shade and their 2014 album Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet which predates the Batushka album. 

Since we're going purely influential, I'm also with Vinny on removing Conqueror and keeping Blasphemy as the sole War Metal representative, unless someone else wants to suggest an example that's pushing the genre in the modern era. Something like Infernal Coil's Within a World Forgotten since that seems to be hailed as War Metal graduating into something more than the original Blasphemy-core, but I'm not an expert on that. 

I don't listen to a lot of Depressive Black Metal so take this opinion/suggestion as you will: I would keep Xasthur and Leviathan and remove Silencer. Unless Silencer's 2001 is cited as being a real influence on either of the other two albums, in which case I would keep Silencer and Xasthur. I did find out that Bethlehem's Dictius Te Necare predates all of these under the Depressive Black Metal tag, releasing in 1996, and while the production is much clearer and the songwriting isn't as frantic, it still has the reflective and despairful atmosphere along with a vocal style that I've heard from many a Black Metal band. I'm just not sure how well this album was known by other musicians at the time. If Bethlehem comes into the discussion, it'd be Bethlehem and Xasthur for me personally. I went back and forth but I think Ben's right in saying that Xasthur is the more quintessential Depressive Black Metal sound, even though I think Leviathan has the more interesting album.

I think Enslaved stays.

I'm unsure on having both Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir beside each other as the final Symphonic Black Metal representatives, especially since In the Nightside Eclipse is already there. I'm not an expert on either of these bands, but from what I can tell, modern Black Metal bands more closely follow Dimmu Borgir's Enthrone Darkness Triumphant than Dusk and Her Embrace, which sounds still sounds pretty unique to me. I'd have to spend some more time coming up with a more modern representative for Symphonic Black Metal, I don't know if there is one to be honest. 

Krallice - Inorganic Rites (2024)

Y'know, one of the more exciting parts about modern music production is how many albums some people can put out if they put their nose to the grindstone. Much like Esoctrilihum or Trhä, Krallice has been on a no-filters tear since 2020, releasing 7 albums in about 4 years time. I'm not sure why bands who have some of the densest material to get through decide to be the most proactive with creating albums, but it undoubtedly leads to even the most diehard of fans burning out at some point. I first heard about Krallice with the release of 2022's Crystalline Exhaustion, skipping over their celebrated first 4 albums, and tried to keep up with them as best I could. I wasn't crazy about their brand of Atmospheric Black Metal, but Psychagogue  and Porous Resonance Abyss won me over a bit more as they explored a more progressive, synth focused and spacey sound. Then...I got burned out and decided to skip Mass Cathexis 2. I already got enough out of Porous Resonance Abyss, so I think I tried to load it up one day, got through one listen and just didn't retain anything, then never went back. 

Well, because of that, I was slow to check out Inorganic Rites this year as Krallice albums seem to take a lot of focus and time. Going back to my initial claim about how it can be exciting to sift through a ton of releases, it's because one of them may hit in the absolute right way, and that's apparently what Inorganic Rites is doing for me. I think the use of synth in this album is unparalleled in terms of Atmospheric Black Metal, I want to say it's the best I've ever heard but that's probably a bold, snap decision claim. The creepy, alien feel that Krallice normally evokes fuses beautifully with complex Black Metal passages that range from blistering riffs to slow burning atmospheres. Although this style has been attempted a bunch by different bands, I think this is the first time it's immediately clicked for me. The electronics are so creative without taking away from the Black Metal base, and the consistency with the atmosphere is impeccable. I'm gonna be listening to this one a lot more in the coming weeks, I'd imagine. 

4.5/5

It's all metal but nonetheless: 

1. Crypt Sermon - Divine Laughter
2. Ulcerate - Cutting the Throat of God
3. Spectral Voice - Sparagmos
4. Caligula's Horse - Charcoal Grace
5. Theophonos - Ashes in the Huron River
6. Crypt Sermon - The Stygian Rose
7. Hoplites - Paramainomeni
8. Critical Defiance - The Search Won't Fall
9. Thou - Umbilical
10. Ætheria Conscientia - The Blossoming

I doubt this is going to stick as there have been a ton of great albums that I feel like could take the 7-10 spot on any given day. So far, I think 2024 is proving to be an above average year and it doesn't show any signs of slowing down. Shoutouts to Iglooghost's Tidal Memory Exo for being one of the non-metal albums that's really caught my ear this year, I've been replaying it a ton in the office.

My surface level thought is that if Dissonant Death Metal gets its own fork, then surely Dissonant Black Metal should be its own thing? As I started thinking more about it and looking into it though, the additional "Dissonant" adjective is 100% fair to describe bands ranging from Blut Aus Nord to Ulcerate, but I was surprised at how small the subgenre actually is. Learning that there are only about 350 Dissonant Death Metal albums listed on RYM is honestly shocking, but that's probably because the champions of the genre (Ulcerate, Gorguts, Ad Nauseum, Imperial Triumphant, etc.) make it seem way larger than it really is. These are powerhouse bands that have people screaming for more dissonant stuff, and it looks like the number of releases is finally spiking to keep up with the demand, but this is about Dissonant Black Metal. The reason why i bring this up is because I've never been the biggest fan of extremely cornered genre tags, even though I appreciate and utilize the distinction between what an Ulcerate and a Bolt Thrower album sounds like.

Breaking up the pool into another genre for another couple hundred releases out of the tens of thousands gets tiring for me, and I think "dissonance" in Black Metal is way harder to pin down than in Death Metal. There's very much a structural change in the music for Dissonant Death Metal, relying less on song structure and more on, well, dissonant and swirling passages. There's obviously some Black Metal that's very structured, but the core sound of Black Metal is already pretty dissonant, especially when you start dipping into Atmospheric Black Metal. I'm fully expecting to be corrected on this, but even your ultra-classic Black Metal albums like Darkthrone's Transylvanian Hunger don't exactly have a lot of harmony to them, but I'm not sure if they are exactly atonal. It doesn't help that RYM's definition of Dissonant Black Metal cites "cleaner production style", "complex song structures" and an "esoteric atmosphere", which to me sounds like someone decided they needed a specific subgenre for Deathspell Omega, modern Blut Aus Nord, and that's about it. I get what they're going for, but it's too hyper-specific for me considering there's the tried n' true original Black Metal dissonance, the dissonance that comes from Atmospheric Black Metal, and whatever dissonance Depressive Black Metal is trying to accomplish for bands like earlier Leviathan. 

HOWEVER

One thing this move would do would eliminate the necessity for dissonant black metal releases to reside in The Infinite which seems to be quite common.

I was obviously more on the fence about this until reading this, I think this is a massive point that I agree would help some weird cases for The Infinite. If a North album ends up being just too dang weird, the only recourse the Academy has at the moment is to slap an Avant-Garde tag on it and whoosh it over to The Infinite. I think MA has done a good job of weeding out these fringe cases, like having Blut Aus Nord's Undreamable Abysses not labeled as Avant-Garde yet having Nahab reside in The Infinite, but Dissonant Black Metal would be a simpler solution to the question of whether something is Avant-Garde enough. As much as I like The Infinite living up to its namesake by stretching across multiple clans and genres, I wouldn't be opposed to adding Dissonant Black Metal even though I still stand by everything said above.

August

Kvaen - "De Dodas Sang" from The Formless Fires (2024)

Yoth Iria - "The Great Hunter" from As the Flame Withers (2021)

Sear Bliss - "The Winding Path" from Heavenly Down (2024)

August

Angra - "Gods of the World" from Cycles of Pain (2023)

Aetheria Conscientia - "Haesperadh" from The Blossoming (2024)

In Mourning - "Hierophant" from Garden of Storms (2019)

I don't religiously follow a lot lot of labels, but I'd say the one that always makes my ears perk up nowadays is 20 Buck Spin. Even though they're kind of falling into the trap of signing too many bands that sound too similar to one another,  they definitely have their brand and stuff from them always turns out to be an interesting listen. It's a lot of underground Death, Tech Death, Death Doom, and Tech Thrash bands, but they branch out every now and again like Obsequiae. 

Other signed bands that people might recognize: Tomb Mold, Worm, Void Ceremony, Dream Unending, Mournful Congregation, Witch Vomit, Predatory Light, Ulthar, and so on.

Sear Bliss - The Arcane Odyssey (2007)

Since we're on the cusp of Sear Bliss' new 2024 album, I decided to take up a request to check out their follow-up to the amazing Glory and Perdition before Friday. I had nothing but good things to say about Glory and Perdition, but never decided to go any deeper than that album. After listening to The Arcane Odyssey a couple times and also revisiting Glory and Perdition for reference, Sear Bliss have put me in a bit of a conundrum. It's pretty evident why The Arcane Odyssey could be considered their strongest album as it more fully explores their unique traits. It leans even harder into the cosmic atmospheres, utilizes their brass section in more cohesive ways, and provides a more unified album experience through and through. However, i still gotta say that I prefer Glory and Perdition over this one.

The Arcane Odyssey continued to smooth out their production, offering less grating guitars and dialed back drums that find a better spot in the mix. I think it works wonderfully for what they're going for, which to me is exactly what the name of the album implies; a sort of stellar, victorious battle hymn type thing. Sear Bliss knows exactly how much to push the non-Metal elements to provide one of the best balances between unique symphonics and moderate tempo Black Metal riffage, without dipping into the overblown writing of Symphonic Power Metal. It's a great listen, but there's something about Glory and Perdition's more Black Metal fronted approach that makes the songs more memorable and heavy hitting, even if The Arcane Odyssey has better and more flowing writing. Still a great listen, looking forward to their new one this Friday. 

4/5