Xephyr's Forum Replies

Agreed, I'd be okay with having a rotating playlist rather than an endless backlog of stuff.

Thanks for doing these Daniel, the hard work is appreciated to give this site a more streamlined take on the current Metal genres. I'll admit I haven't listened to many Trance Metal records, but from the ones I have heard, I'm in agreement that it feels like a tacked-on descriptor that doesn't hold weight on its own. I think Trance Metal is another one of those tricky genre differentiations where one element or instrument makes it seem like it's in a league of its own, but it's fairly obvious that's not the case here. "If it has X then it must be Y" can work for some genre classifications, but not all of them.

Nah don't worry I'm not beating myself up, whenever I say I'm going to keep giving something a try, it always means I can see there's something about a release that I didn't quite get the first time around.

I like to jump around a lot in my listening so, much to the dismay of some, a lot of my initial thoughts and ratings come from one spin of the record. I like to catch myself here and there and make sure I'm giving some of the more slow-burning albums a chance before moving on and never going back to it. I'm much more interested in Kosmodroms' ideas than I was with any previous Monolithe release, so we'll see!

I think I needed more time with this one, as my first listen didn't produce anything spectacular even though I can see where you're coming from, Sonny. It doesn't help that I was pretty lukewarm on Monolithe when Monolithe II was featured for The Fallen, so maybe it's just a stylistic thing about this kind of Death Doom that I can't wrap my head around. I was definitely more engrossed by Kosmodrom due to its more Progressive nature compared to their other albums, so you've convinced me to give it a few more chances rather than just leaving it at being another Monolithe album I don't understand.

Thanks Andi, turns out I was only searching for "Arjen Anthony" this whole time.

I see Darksynth, Electronic, and Djent as main genres and a Cyber Metal subgenre on RYM, unless you use another way to determine it. If Polymorphic Code and Compiler Optimization Techniques are considered to have Djent as a main genre then I'm not sure why Data Renaissance cannot as well. Which I now realize is The Infinite and not The Sphere, which is probably another issue as these albums definitely have a Cyber Metal component to them due to all the electronics. 

I'm doing some cleanup for the end of the year, thanks Ben!

Terror - Pain into Power

I'm doing some cleanup for the end of the year, thanks Ben!

Lacuna Coil - Comalies XX

I'm doing some cleanup for the end of the year, thanks Ben!

Final Light - Final Light 

The Algorithm - Data Renaissance

I'm doing some cleanup for the end of the year, thanks Ben!

Chemicide - Common Sense

I'm doing cleanup for the end of the year, thanks Ben!

Forbidden Temple - Step Into the Black Pentagram

Trhä - Endlhëdëhaj qáshmëna ëlh vim innivte

Djevel - Naa skrider natten sort 

I'm doing some cleanup for the end of the year, thanks Ben!

Teramaze - Flight of the Wounded

Humanotone - A Flourishing Fall in a Grain of Sand

Cobra the Impaler - Colossal Gods

Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Star One - Revel in Time

I'm doing cleanup for the end of the year, thanks Ben!

VoidCeremony - At the Periphery of Human Realms

Tomb Mold - Aperture of Body (EP)

Houkago Grind Time - Houkago Grind Time 2: The Second Raid

I'm doing cleanup for the end of the year, thanks Ben!

Terra Atlantica - Beyond The Borders

Brymir - Voices in the Sky

Cauldron Born - Cold Steel for the Necromancer

Jorn - Over the Horizon Radar

Stray Gods - Storm the Walls

Ultima Grace - Ultima Grace

Moonlight Haze - Animus

Neurotech - Symphonies II

Shield of Wings - Unfinished

Crystal Ball - Crysteria 

Eternal Ascent - Reclamation

I'm doing cleanup for the end of the year, thanks Ben!

Space Coke (USA)

I'll take the Deathspell Omega album since I never dug into their discography all that much. 

And dang, you work fast Dinaric! Reminder to post that review to the actual album page if you would like, it's always nice to have write-ups for lesser known albums that no one on the site has listened to yet.

I'd be down, I feel like I don't check out nearly enough Progressive Metal albums nowadays. 

I think that Vinny's original Nergal quote is getting a bit extrapolated here, even though I can see where the sentiment is coming from. I obviously don't know the guy, but I think his "advice" is akin to, like Sonny said, professional athletes or even content creators on YouTube or streaming sites. I can't cite it but there was a poll in elementary/middle (?) schools a few years back and one of the most common dream careers for younger kids was being a Youtuber or some sort of content creator, to which I say Nergal's blunt advice is mostly correct. Content creation, in many of its forms, isn't lucrative as it's almost impossible to get noticed and requires an immense amount of luck, work, and sacrifice compared to the admittedly broken and sometimes soul-crushing normal pipeline of getting an education, finding a job, and working from there. For the large percentage of kids wanting to do Youtube as a full-time job, I'd say absolutely not because it's not a stable life decision, and I think that's the crux of his argument. 

However yeah, the line about "Do you really wanna put another song on another album that no one will pay attention to? No, you don't wanna do that." was very unnecessary and comes across as diminishing other people's talents. Obviously people shouldn't stop making music, there are too many hardworking creative minds out there to believe that. Maybe he's jaded because he's already gotten all of the fame and tours, but being a small artist and getting a few hundred listens on Spotify for the first time after working hard on an album has to be an amazing feeling. It's hard to keep that positive energy going for a long time when there's almost no reward, but Daniel's absolutely right when he talks about the perspective from the artist rather than the consumer. As long as you don't crash and burn your life trying to make it big in the music world, I can't find a negative to pursuing that passion. I'm sure that if only 1 person buys Daniel's Neuropath CD he'd be ecstatic that someone is listening to what he created. 

I've been seeing that Pharmacist album everywhere for the past few months and finally decided to give it a shot. What a weird and funky sounding album. Definitely not my thing but I'm starting to understand the hype, the fact that they're able to weave some random Progressive Metal passages in with everything else is very impressive. I think the base is a little too "disgusting" sounding for me, as a lot of my complaints stem from the vocal performance, but all the grooves and riffs they're able to accomplish are really cool. Hopefully I'll get a few more listens out of it to see if it edges anything out on the list. If anything, this is definitely a more impressive album than something like Undeath's record this year, despite me probably preferring that record for casual listening over something like Pharmacist. 

The Parkway Drive release intrigues me, I had no idea they had another album out.

I might just have to listen to the Disturbed album for some laughs? I can't imagine they've changed much.

I recently saw Monolithe released a new one, despite me not enjoying them all too much from the Fallen Feature Release a few months back I'm intrigued to see what they come up with. I'll have to try and fit it in this week.

I can't say I'm too excited for the new Candlemass regardless of the band's stature. 

Welcome in! Just follow the forums and click around the top tabs a bit, we have a bunch of monthly, recurring stuff that happens here if you're into that sort of thing.

Made some time to check out last month's album and actually was able to finish typing up a review without my browser freaking out on me. It's a pretty cool one but left me feeling kind of bored overall.

Strung Along

Russian Atmospheric Black Metal and I have never quite seen eye to eye, as most of the records I've heard from the region put a huge emphasis on massive, bleak soundscapes without much variation or progression in between. I've been routinely impressed by the polish and modernity of recent Atmospheric Black Metal bands in their attempt to bring some clarity and solid production value to the table, but this is a very fickle genre where intelligibility doesn't necessarily equate to captivating atmospheres. Epitimia's fifth full album Thread tries its best to separate itself from its contemporaries and lure me in with its heartfelt acoustic guitar passages that blend extremely well with its warmer and more reflective sounding Black Metal sections. The album's overall progression from its darker and more aggressive tremolo chords in "Downfall" and "Infirmity" to some truly beautiful sections in the second half of "Vale of Tears" and a general tonal shift on the closer "The Tree" shows that Epitimia put a lot of care and effort towards the album experience. The experience of sitting through that progression, however, is a bit more rocky.

Despite the acoustic portions feeling expressive and complementary to the main, Black Metal attraction, I can't find too much to say about the meat of this album. The riffing, drumming, vocals, and overall ideas are fairly standard on Thread and, while that makes it far from a poor album, it leaves a lot to be desired for a good portion of the album's runtime. I love the incorporation of the ghostly sounding background melodies after the acoustic interlude on "Downfall" and the pretty guitar layering on the final quarter of "Vale of Tears", but I quickly become disinterested when Epitimia decides to pivot to straight up Black Metal. The assertive mixing of the guitars and vocals leaves the drumming in the background gathering dust sometimes, which is a shame because sounds perfect in the softer sections. The vocals can sometimes feel few and far between, which is a huge plus for me as I can't say I'm a fan of how much space the spoken-word Black Metal gnarling takes up. There are one or two standout riffs in Thread, mostly coming from "Infirmity", but most of this album's charm comes from the interplay between the atmosphere the softer, acoustic parts create and how the Black Metal parts follow up on it. Epitimia are able to write some fantastic transitionary moments between these two idea structures, especially in "The Tree", but there isn't too much else to keep the listener interested once that impact wears off. I think Thread is a unique enough album to warrant a listen from Black Metal fans who are looking for something a bit more pleasant and hospitable, but I can't see myself going back to it too often.

3/5

December 2022

1. Blind Guardian – “Life Beyond The Spheres” (from “The God Machine”, 2022)

2. Satan – “Ascendancy” (from “Earth Infernal”, 2022)

3. Fellowship – “Glory Days” (from “The Saberlight Chronicles", 2022)

4. The Ferrymen – “One Word” (from “One More River to Cross”, 2022)

5. Nite – “Last Scorpion" (from "Voices of the Kronian Moon”, 2022)

6. Battle Beast – “Wings of Light” (from “Circus of Doom", 2022)

7. Jorn – “One Man War” (from “Over the Horizon Radar”, 2022)

8. Sumerlands – “Dreamkiller” (from “Dreamkiller", 2022)

9. Riot City – “Tyrant” (from “Electric Elite", 2022)

10. Septicflesh – "Neuromancer” (from “Modern Primitive”, 2022)

11. Hammerfall – “No Mercy" (from “Hammer of Dawn", 2022)

12. Queensryche – “Tormentum” (from “Digital Noise Alliance", 2022)

13. Saxon – “Age of Steam" (from “Carpe Diem”, 2022)

14. Unlucky Morpheus – “Serene Evil” (from “Evolution", 2022)

15. Venator – “Nightrider" (from “Echoes from the Gutter" 2022)

16. Stray Gods – “Black Horses” (from “Storm The Walls", 2022)

17. Maule – “Summoner” (from “Maule", 2022)

18. Sabaton – “Hellfighters" (from “The War to End All Wars”, 2022)

19. SONJA - "Pink Fog" (from "Loud Arriver", 2022)

20. Dynazty - "Achilles Hell" (from "Final Advent", 2022)

21. Axel Rudi Pell - "Follow The Beast" (from "Lost XXIII", 2022)

22. Stratovarius - "Demand" (from "Survive", 2022)

23. Avantasia - "The Wicked Rule The Night" (from "A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society", 2022)

Well, I had half of my review for last month's Draft penned out, then my browser decided to refresh my page and I lost it. Guess I hit some sort of hotkey or something, so I'll maybe be finishing that tomorrow if I can remember what I wrote? 

None of these ring a bell to me so I'll take Old Man's Child - Born of the Flickering.

I guess the answer is to be selective in what you listen to. Let's face it, 75% or so (minimum) of music is average at best. The remaining 25% is still a hell of a lot of music, but reviews and ratings from people you trust are a good way of refining your listening targets. 

Agreed on this, it all depends on if you find enjoyment out of "dumpster diving" to find what's great or want to be smarter and more time efficient about finding great tunes. Going through a slog of average albums isn't exactly fun, but I still get some sort of kick out of most things I listen to, especially since I like to keep myself honest with what I consider good versus poor.

It's hard to argue against his point. The accessibility of listening to new stuff through streaming sources or any other facet you choose coupled with the sheer amount of tools to help bands self-release their stuff makes the landscape a bloated mess. Being around someone at work who listens to more of a variety of genres compared to me has really given me a better perspective of how much music is truly out there, since I've felt its hard to "keep up" even within the Metal sphere, let alone the rest of everything. When it comes to pursuing music as a career, I think he's right to use the aggressive language he's using because the harsh reality is that people literally can't shell out enough money for all the bands they may like. You find 20 or 30 albums you really enjoy throughout the year? 15 bucks for a CD, 30 bucks for a vinyl, that comes out to 300-600 bucks a year for one person spread across all these bands...it's a hard sell. I'm glad that I've found the right balance of how I listen to new releases that I'm still excited to go check out what just released or what I may have missed. 

How much "new" do we need is a tougher stance, and I can't say I agree because it feels contradictory or nihilistic to say that we don't need new music. While I completely understand not resonating with newer material, drawing a line in the sand and saying that new stuff after 2022 or any 'X' year specifically feels disingenuous. According to RYM's database, 1,102 Death Metal records alone were released in 1992 compared to 1,656 records released in 2022. Sure, the number went up, but 1,102 is still an astronomical number for one singular subgenre and is still a number that is unobtainable for the average listener, and that was 30 years ago! I don't think the logic holds up because telling everyone "Stop! We have enough Death Metal records!" in 1992 means we wouldn't have gotten genre defining releases like Symbolic, None So Vile, Obscura, Close To A World Below, and the list goes on. So why should wide-eyed kids stop making what they think is killer music in 2022 if a few select wide-eyed kids in 1992 were able to absolutely kill it? The cycle is gonna go on and that's what makes it exciting. 

I can get that for Cult of Luna, I think since I much prefer their newer material over their older stuff (I gave Somewhere Along the Highway a 3/5, blasphemy I know), I'm still riding the high of not being quite tired of their style yet as I've found myself consistently going back to The Long Road North. 

Would you say that The Funeral Orchestra, BlackLab, and Mournful Congregation still deserve a listen for someone like me? I've heard good things about the Mournful Congregation release but I think it slipped by since it was an EP, so I'll 100% be finding time for that one. 

I'm actually on the other side of the fence here as I expected a lot out of Autumn Aurora after absolutely loving Blood In Our Wells. Even though Atmospheric Black Metal has become one of my favorite subgenres, I feel like it's doomed to be very inconsistent for me as it feels somewhat random as to when I'm able to really jive with the atmosphere any album tries to convey. Even though it's the same band and the same formula, something about Autumn Aurora left me very bored and feeling like the whole thing is kind of a slog, despite it still being obviously high quality. Hardly a bad album, but it failed to grip me in the same way that Blood In Our Wells did, or even as much as some other Atmospheric Black Metal albums that may not be as widely and highly regarded. I think I need to go back to Drudkh for a refresher, especially after checking out their new 2022 album All Belong to the Night. I ended up giving both Autumn Aurora and All Belong... a 3.5 and I doubt that's correct since there were some pretty strange production decisions on the new one that made me scratch my head a little, which makes me feel like I was a bit harsh on Autumn Aurora when I listened to it. 

I've been loving this one as well, but I agree in that it's more of an appetizer for what they may have in store in the next year or so. "Bluenothing" is incredibly good but the rest of the tracks kind of just pass by, which makes it hard to judge considering it's still just an EP. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the new direction as much as I am Sonny since although I still really liked Foreverglade, the bits and bobs they've added here are right up my alley despite veering away from their Death Doom roots. Looking forward to the next one for sure!

4/5 as well

Saw this one coming, haha. 

I'm in full agreement on this though. 

This feels like another case of a Metal guitarist being on a project, so it must be Metal, right?

Disillusion - Ayam 

After checking out Back To Times Of Splendor in a MA Feature Release a while ago and their comeback album The Liberation in 2019, Disillusion left me wondering whey they're such an acclaimed, lesser known Prog Metal band. After spending some time with Ayam this week, though, I think I'm finally starting to warm up to their approach. Disillusion definitely bring their own style to the table, with some of the most unique and polarizing vocals I've heard and a stellar songwriting style that feels like it's using some remnants of Ne Obliviscaris but in their entirely own way. It's been a slow burn and I don't think this album is for everyone, but it'll be interesting to see what I think of Back To Times Of Splendor after enjoying this one as much as I have been, considering that's one of the Infinite Clan Challenge albums I need to go through. Unsure how high this will rate as of right now, but I'll be coming back to this one for the rest of the year to see where it stacks up; and so far it's pretty high considering the drought of Progressive Metal we seem to be in. 

Tómarúm - Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons

In many ways, this debut album from this southern USA outfit is the Ne Obliviscaris follow-up I didn't know I needed. While it's not as artsy, this incredibly strong album fuses massive Black Metal landscapes with just enough Death Metal influence to create an aggressively proficient Progressive Metal showcase. I think it lacks a few highlights here and there and can get overly long at times, but this is 100% up my alley and is turning out to be my album of the year for 2022 despite some fierce competition due to only a few standout albums coming up on my radar. Massive fan of this one. 

4.5/5

Pretty excited about this one, but they've got a lot to live up to now that Blind Guardian, Fellowship, and even Helloween have released more than solid albums in the past year or so. I can only hope that they expand on what they started with Dawn of the Dragonstar as the overly symphonic leanings of their second album didn't do much for me.

I could have sworn there was a Wintervale alluded to in Dawn of the Dragonstar, but it turns out I mashed up "Valley of the Vale" and "Night of Winterlight", so not exactly expecting any sort of continuity here. Kind of a shame, it feels like a lot of these high-fantasy Power Metal bands are made for that sort of thing. 

And yeah, that cover is pretty incredible, they even went the extra mile and put a graphic behind the album text! Don't see that too much for...some reason!

November 2022

1. Avantasia – “Arabesque” (from “A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society”, 2022)

2. Diamond Head – “The Prince” (from “Lighting To The Nations - 2020 Remaster”, 2020)

3. Judas Priest – “Saints in Hell” (from “Stained Class”, 1978)

4. Crystal Viper – “Ulitsa Roz” (from “The Last Axemen”, 2022)

5. Majesty – “Epic War" (from "Sword & Sorcery”, 2002)

6. Cross Borns – “The Hill Of Destiny” (from “Tales Of A Winter Night", 2000) [Submitted by Daniel]

7. Xandria – “Reborn” (from “Reborn”, 2022)

8. Brothers of Metal – “Gods of War” (from “Prophecy of Ragnarok", 2017)

9. Manowar – “Hail and Kill” (from “Kings of Metal", 1988)

10. Helix – "When The Hammer Falls” (from “Walkin' The Razor's Edge”, 1984)

11. King Diamond – “Into the Covenant" (from “The Eye", 1990)

12. Savatage – “Back to a Reason” (from “Poets & Madmen", 2001) [Submitted by Andi]

13. Heavens Gate – “We Got the Time" (from “Livin' in Hysteria”, 2003)

14. Firewind – “Angels Forgive Me” (from “The Premonition", 2008)

15. Stratovarius – “Frozen in Time” (from “Survive" 2022)

16. Slough Feg – “Insomnia” (from “Hardworlder", 2007)

17. Iron Savior – “Watcher In the Sky” (from “Iron Savior", 1997)

18. Dexter Ward – “Evil Nightmares" (from “Neon Lights”, 2011)

19. Katana - "The Wisdom of Emond's Field" (from "Storms of War", 2012)

20. Edguy - "Navigator" (from "Hellfire Club", 2004)

Epitimia looks like the most interesting of the bunch for me, Sonny's next I believe.

Oh HELL yeah, this has been literally the only Thrash album from 2022 that has any sort of staying power, much to my dismay. I thought it was pretty good at first but it only got better the more I spun it, this one definitely deserves a review if I can get around to it. 

Gánahëth, Äkth Gánahëth

In many ways, obscure, one-person projects are the lifeblood of the Black Metal genre as talented and novice musicians alike can produce material that is faithful to the beginnings of the genre despite recording and performance shortcomings. Äkth Gánahëth is yet another one of those projects, this time hailing from Iceland and possessing a heavier Dungeon Synth background than most other projects. As the gripping album cover would suggest, Crowned In Shadows is a general-purpose Black Metal experience with cleaner and more modern production value. The lead guitars still have that nice Black Metal grind to them and there's a decent split between flurries of tremolo and more rhythmic, marching chugs that have a unique twang to them from the cleaner sounding lead guitar. That weird twang that shows up on "Brimstone and Ash" and especially "Crowned In Shadows" had me scratching my head, trying to figure out what it reminded me of, until I finally landed on the iconic guitar part of the James Bond main theme. I'm not entirely sure whether that's a positive or a negative in the context of a Black Metal album, so I'll just say it definitely got a chuckle out of me. The drums and vocals are suitably pushed back to create a balanced sound that is easier on the ears but will leave fans of more zealous Black Metal wanting a bit more. The vocals are about what you'd expect from any Black Metal act as well and add the rawness you'd expect from a project like this.

The main draw of Crowned In Shadows is the Dungeon Synth additions, with "The Gates of Hel", "The Night Spreads Her Wings", and "Journey Through the Desert of Ice" being instrumentals fully devoted to creating a creepy, Black Metal atmosphere. Each one uses generally lo-fi synths to set a base atmosphere and builds up from there, using distorted sounding piano or bell-like sounds to bring some sense of melody into the soundscape. These synths are also used sparingly in the backgrounds of the rest of the songs as well, allowing a more full sound that's less tinny or thin than other small Black Metal projects. As an album, though, Crowned In Shadow doesn't do a very strong job of marrying the Dungeon Synth elements with the Black Metal ones, with the 3 instrumentals creating a certain feel that isn't followed up on in any meaningful way. Despite the two styles being competent, there isn't a whole lot that jumps out at me throughout the album's short, half hour runtime. Hell, I'd even venture to say that the Dungeon Synth excursions are stronger and more memorable than the Black Metal tracks despite "Under the Spectral Full Moon" having a pretty epic sounding ending. 

This is a capable release in the solo Black Metal project realm, but doesn't have enough flow or remarkable passages for it to be something I can see myself coming back to. It all feels a bit choppy and while the cleaner guitar tone melodies and synth backings help to distinguish it, Crowned In Shadows doesn't do enough to completely sell me on it. 

Extremely upset with myself over that title, not gonna lie. 

I'll be getting around to reviewing Akth Ganaheth later today, but just in case my schedule falls through this is a very standard Black Metal release with a bit more Dungeon Synth than normal thrown in as full "interlude" tracks. It's mostly forgettable but not bad, the Black Metal sections are mostly run-of-the-mill but capable, and the Dungeon Synth elements break up the album but not exactly in a flowing way. They aren't incorporated as seamlessly as other, stronger albums with this tendency are, so it kind of just falls by the wayside. It scratches the itch of being another decent one-man Black Metal experience, but the choppiness of the album flow and overall generic feel of the whole thing made me decide it was a bit lower than average. 

2.5/5

I think I've spent enough time with this to form some actual opinions. I think this will definitely be an overlooked highlight of most people's 2022 lists due to how uniquely creative it is compared to the rest of the albums released this year. The Endless excels at creating its own little world of elements with the inclusion of more mood-setting keyboards and synths than is common in most Progressive Metal outings, let alone the female vocals taking up almost all of the front stage compared to the Black Metal adjacent harshes that only show up when they're really required to. I think I struggled with this one at first because, in all honesty, it's a pretty low-key record through and through. At just 40 minutes it sometimes feels like the album should be just getting started as the gorgeous closer "The Paradigm Mirror" peters out and ends the affair on a strikingly bittersweet note. It felt like there wasn't a whole lot there and I think that's where my opinion will start to differ a bit from Saxy and Daniel. I'm extremely glad this was featured as it would have definitely been a 2022 album I would have missed, but I don't think it has quite enough going for it to be a massive, landmark release. 

I think my favorite detail about this album is the distinct tone shift between the first and second half. The first sets up the expectation of having angelic vocals offset by the harshes, but "Liminal Veil" throws that completely out the window as vocalist Kelly Shilling adopts a completely different delivery as the album shifts into a more despondent and shadowy feel compared to the more ethereal sounding first half. I think there's a great balance struck between the heavier Post-Metal portions and the winding Progressive Metal musings too; I always leave wanting no more and no less of either style. I would have to do more digging and more listening to figure out an exact reason why, but I just feel like there's something left on the table with The Endless though, which is why it didn't absolutely floor me after spending more time with it. Maybe I'm one of the weird people who think that albums like this should be a bit longer in order to envelope the listener in the world. I'm not sure if I'll have enough time to fully review this one but it'd be a welcome challenge to try and nail down exactly why I can't give this full marks, despite really enjoying it. 

4/5

I wanted to get on the hype train after seeing this thread and while it's a beautiful album something isn't quite clicking for me on the first listen. I'll report back after a few more spins.

Welcome! There's tons of great recommendations, feature releases, playlists, and knowledgeable people to delve into whatever Metal subgenre you want. Thanks for checking us out!

Suggestions for November: 

Gaerea - "Laude" - Mirage (2022)

Adorior - "Birth of Disease" - Author of Incest (2005)

I've been a big fan of this one since its release this year and when I first checked it out I thought that it was one of the best dissonant/more atmospheric Death Metal records I've heard. However, since going back to it every now and again for a total of 7-8 listens, I came to a similar conclusion as Daniel in that its a bit too unfocused for its own good. I'm a huge fan of "moments" in music, especially during longer albums with lengthy tracks, and Void of Unending Depths doesn't really deliver on that front despite being incredibly good everywhere else. It's still easily one of the best Death Metal records of 2022, but my own patience for it has waned over the course of a few months. 

It does make me want to go and check out their debut though, as that might have a bit more of what I'm looking for. This one started out as a 4.5/5 from me, but has since dropped. 

4/5

October 2022

1. Borealis – “Forgotten Forever” (from “Fall From Grace”, 2017)

2. Saviour Machine – “A World Alone” (from “Saviour Machine”, 2004) [Submitted by Andi]

3. Sacred Outcry – “Legion of the Fallen” (from “Damned for All Time”, 2020)

4. Pharaoh – “By the Night Sky” (from “The Longest Night”, 2006)

5. Stormrider – “The Patroller" (from "Heavy Metal Machine”, 2018)

6. Rusty Cooley – “War of the Angels” (from “The Alchemists", 2002)

7. Amebix – “Chain Reaction” (from “Monolith”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

8. Manilla Road – “The Deluge - Eye of the Sea, The Drowned Lands, Engulfed Cathedral” (from “The Deluge”, 1986)

9. Blind Guardian – “Damnation” (from “The God Machine", 2022)

10. Manticora – "Enigma” (from “8 Deadly Sins”, 2005)

11. Trial – “In the Highest" (from “Feed the Fire", 2022)

12. Acid Blade – “King Killer” (from “Power Dive", 2022)

13. Paladin – “The River Dragon Has Come” (from “Anamnesis”, 2019)

14. Delain – “See Me in Shadow” (from “Lucidity", 2006)

15. Gloryhammer – “Fly Away” (from “Fly Away" 2022)

16. Leaves' Eyes – “Hymn to the Lone Sands” (from “Symphonies of the Night", 2013)

17. Judicator – “Lucid Nightmare” (from “At the Expense of Humanity", 2015)

18. Stratovarius – “Voice of Thunder" (from “Survive”, 2022)

I recognize NONE of these. But the Mickey Mouse hand speaks to me. 

I'll take Akth Ganaheth, Crowned In Shadows.

Wowza, lot to go over here. 

1. I'd like to offer that virality and popularity are different when it comes to examples like Metallica or Ozzy being played at football or hockey events. Sure it's exposure for the Metal genre, but those riffs and songs that any layman would get excited for are played just because they're catchy and make people chant things. The riff to "Seven Nation Army" is still being used at a ton of events and I don't think that necessarily equates to any argument regarding the current popularity (or lack thereof) of Alternative Rock. It's very cool to hear, but I think it falls in line with Daniel's thoughts; no one is jumping out of their seats and getting hype for Deathspell Omega, Oranssi Pazuzu, or Vektor, although Gojira and Mastodon have been able to win over the mainstream crowd quite a bit recently. Even then, those bands' careers still started 20-ish years ago!

2. Going off of that, I do think that Metal is more popular than its ever been just due to the ease of access of Spotify, YouTube, insert the rest of the social media platforms here. The ability to share and discover bands is at an all-time high and people LOVE seeking out random Metal playlists for their workouts without necessarily delving much deeper. However, I think that if you want to talk about the "Metal Scene" as a whole, it's the most divided its ever been in terms of where the traffic goes. You have nerds like us who will throw out names like Imperial Triumphant, Kaatayra, Bell Witch, and Blut Aus Nord for impressive bands that have an impressive modern album catalogue, but we're a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the Metal crowd who divides itself much like our Clan system. After all, someone is giving bands like Sabaton, In Flames, Unleash The Archers, Epica, and Nightwish millions of views on YouTube and while Power Metal is definitely more popular in the mainstream right now, other genres like Metalcore, more Melodic styles of Death Metal, and some Progressive Metal still have horse in the race of vying for listeners. In short I think that there are more people listening to Metal than ever, but no one can really agree on a so-called mega-band anymore. 

3. For the original question, though, I'm someone who has never really made Metal music part of my societal identity. Metal is definitely a part of my own identity and how I interact culturally, but it never drove my opinions or who I associate with in your original "Metal is for the working class" statement. That being said, I think Metal has reached a point where the more accessible stuff appeals to the wider crowd and people won't look at you funny, and the more "extreme" stuff that we tend to listen to mostly gets a "wow I hate this" instead of a "you're a lesser person for liking this". Metal shows are still packed with people that are passionate about the music, but there's definitely a hard divide between the people who are ready to go into the pit and throw shoulders; the entire crowd almost never gets involved. Smaller shows are more about enjoying the music with likeminded people instead of punching each other, especially since it gets dangerous when there aren't enough bodies around to cushion falls or trips. I always have a fun time at shows but I have to choose my battles as Metal tends to attract bigger "tough guys" due to the moshing aspect; I'm in good shape but 6'3", 220+ lbs is a bit out of my weight class. I also tend to be wary of some Metalcore/Deathcore/Death Metal shows as some of the fans are a bit too aggressive for me, throwing spinkicks and punches around for the adrenaline rush doesn't exactly make someone like me feel safe, even though 99% of the crowd is considerate when throwing shoulders. 

Most concert goers are there for a good time though, with crowds for lesser known, but still very talent bands like Allegeaon or Black Crown Initiate sporting all sorts of "underground" band shirts like Wilderun. The overall atmosphere, for me at least, has always been a few hours of escape to enjoy music with likeminded individuals in a way that only Metal concerts can provide, but I can't say I've felt it go as deep as you've said, Sonny. Maybe that's just my personality, but it kind of ends with the music, which is fine for me, if that makes sense. I also can't really say that the Metal concert-goer scene is very diverse either, with shows attracting mostly younger to middle-aged white males, at least in my part of East Coast USA. Hopefully that helps further the discussion in the way you were hoping, Sonny.

I'm back from vacation and stayed in a Hard Rock Hotel, they don't exactly have the most...Metal-centric collection but I did come across a very cool Anthrax guitar they had in their massive collection of stuff littered around.

Big fan of the Sons of Kehmet album, I definitely need to go back to that one. It was brought up in an album-club type thing a few years ago and I got a ton of listens out of it; it hit the right spot for someone who doesn't listen to too much jazz overall. I think the only problem with the album's full runtime is that a few tracks feel derivative of others, but like you said it's still a great time.

I've been listening to The God Machine pretty much all week and I have to agree that it's a massive comeback for Blind Guardian, not sure where these "fan club" guys are getting their info from. I've already spun this album more times than Beyond the Red Mirror, At the Edge of Time, and A Twist in the Myth combined and it hasn't lost any of its energy, but I'm not sure that it quite compares to their 1990's material. It's definitely not a rehash to echo Rexorcist's viewpoint, but with Somewhere Far Beyond and Imaginations From the Other Side being two of my favorite albums of all time, this one doesn't quite reach that legendary status. I may go back and forth on this since it's hard for me to be objective with Blind Guardian, but it's easily their best album since Nightfall in Middle-Earth and may even surpass it due to its more straightforward and rewarding approach. The riffs and songwriting are incredible throughout, Hansi's vocals have refined to a point where he still has the aggression of his 1990's material but has noticeably more control over his voice, and the consistency of the entire band is great. But...I can't help but feel the album doesn't quite compare to their best material. "Secrets of the American Gods" has definitely grown on me considering it was one of the tracks initially keeping The God Machine at a 4/5 for me, but I can't say it's exactly strong considering its long runtime. "Let It Be No More" pales in comparison to their older ballads and "Destiny" is a pretty lackluster end to an awesome album. 

This is me being nitpicky at the end of the day, since Blind Guardian is one of the only bands to have more than one 5 out of 5 on my ratings. Easily one of, if not the best, Power Metal releases of 2022 and I doubt it'll be dethroned by the end of the year at this rate. Blind Guardian has shown that they've still got it in the best of ways, even though some of the tracks don't really jive with me in the way that their older material did. Incredibly glad to see one of my favorite bands still able to belt out a fantastic release after so long. I have a feeling I'm gonna keep this one in rotation for quite a while; already 5 or 6 listens in. 

4.5/5