Xephyr's Forum Threads

As is tradition, every December is crunch time for those of us who care about year end lists. So, let's see what you got this year as 2024 has been stellar for me. 

1. Crypt Sermon - The Stygian Rose
2. Ihsahn - Ihsahn
3. Savage Oath - Divine Battle
4. Writhen Hilt - Ancient Sword Cult
5. Judas Priest - Invincible Shield
6. Galneryus - The Stars Will Light The Way
7. Traveler - Prequel to Madness
8. Seven Spires - A Fortress Called Home
9. Saxon - Hell, Fire and Damnation
10. Lovesbites - Lovebites EP II
11. Fellowship - The Skies Above Eternity
12. New Horizon - Conquerors
13. Powerwolf - Wake Up the Wicked
14. Riot V - Mean Streets

Even though I'm probably one of The Guardians' "guys" to most, I'm pretty critical of the clan in general because I find that it has some of the most...slop in the modern Metal world. There are so many Guardians albums, especially Power Metal ones, that get released each year that are just so middling and forgettable that I find myself checking out less and less each year. This year was no exception, as the quality drops off heavily after Traveler's Prequel to Madness. There are many more that I haven't listed just because it's not really worth it.

Crypt Sermon's The Stygian Rose is still the clear highlight as that album hasn't lost its shine for me all year. The Ihsahn self-titled has held up rather well for me with it being a very unique take on Symphonic Metal that only Ihsahn is really capable of. Despite having some issues with the vocals I can't deny that Savage Oath is another hit in the US Power Metal resurgence recently, and I was very pleasantly surprised with Writhen Hilt's classic throwback to a more epic Heavy Metal sound. Judas Priest are still kicking and as much as I want to say Invincible Shield has a bit too many flaws, I think the tracklisting overall is great and I couldn't have asked for more of them at this point in their career. Galneryus still continues to do what they do and while I still have issues with Japanese-style Power Metal, there's some great moments in their new one for sure. The rest are just notable albums from notable bands that were just...fine. Okay even. 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3w8wz5HBOoks78mYzldAMq?si=d9ff76ff8f77424b

Much to some people's dismay, happy holidays from your resident Power Metal fan. 

01. Twilight Force – “At the Heart of Wintervale” (from “At the Heart of Wintervale”, 2023)

02. Fellowship – “Victim” (from “The Skies Above Eternity”, 2024)

03. LOVEBITES – “The Bell In The Jail" (from “LOVEBITES EP II”, 2024)

04. Wintersun – “One With The Shadows” (from “Time II”, 2024) [Suggested by Andi]

05. Challenger – “Victims of War” (from “Force of Nature”, 2024) [Suggested by Karl]

06. Traveler – “Heavy Hearts" (from "Prequel to Madness", 2024)

07. Savage Oath – “Madness of the Crowd” (from “Divine Battle”, 2024)

08. Venom – “Possessed” (from “In League With Satan”, 2024) [Suggested by Karl]

09. Taramis – “Blood and Honour" (from “Queen of Thieves”, 1987) [Suggested by Daniel]

10. Motorhead – “Life's a Bitch” (from “Inferno”, 2004) 

11. Judas Priest – “Crown of Horns” (from “Invincible Shield”, 2024) 

12. Coltre – “When The Earth Turns Black" (from “To Watch With Hands... To Touch With Eyes”, 2024)

13. Grand Magus – “Winter Storms" (from “Sunraven”, 2024) 

14. Riot V – “Higher” (from “Mean Streets”, 2024)

15. Satan – “Sacramental Rites” (from “Songs in Crimson", 2024) [Suggested by Karl]

16. Writhen Hilt – “Mountain” (from “Ancient Sword Cult”, 2024) 

17. Dolmen Gate – "Rest In Flames” (from “Gateways Of Eternity", 2024) [Suggested by Karl]

18. Forgotten Tales – “Keepers of the Field” (from “We Shall See the Light", 2010)

19. Saxon – “Hell, Fire And Damnation” (from “Hell, Fire And Damnation”, 2024) 

20. Sacral Night - "L'archange aux yeux de feu" (from "Le Diademe D'argent", 2022) [Suggested by Karl]

21. Sonata Arctica – “Silver Tongue" (from "Winterheart's Guild”, 2002)

22. Seven Spires – “Songs Upon Wine-Stained Tongues” (from “A Fortress Called Home”, 2024)

23. Ihsahn - "TWICE BORN" (from "IHSAHN", 2024)

24. Majestica - "Ghost of Marley" (from "A Christmas Carol", 2021)

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.

Unfortunately the Manowar cover by Edge of Sanity was a misstep

Yeah, it doesn't do anything for me either but I figured that others might like it more than myself given that I don't like the original & it seems to be regarded as the best song from Manowar's most popular album. Interestingly, one of my work mates listens to this playlist religiously & he mentioned that track as his highlight this month which surprised me.

I don't much care for Manowar, but I bought Hail To England on vinyl when it came out on the strength of having heard "Blood Of My Enemies" somewhere and it remains my favourite Manowar album. I am surprised that the cover fails so badly though, because I like the track and I really enjoyed the two Edge of Sanity albums I have heard, with me awarding Purgatory Afterglow a whopping 4.5 stars. Just goes to show, sometimes things are less than the sum of their parts! Also, I generally have a poor opinion of cover versions (where I am familiar with the original anyway) and they have to be something special to appeal to me because most songs always sound better by the person who put their heart and soul into crafting them in the first place rather than someone interpreting somebody else's work without that indefinable personal connection.

Back in the day I used to think quite highly of this album compared to it's predecessors and successors. I can't see why now. Gone is the power part of the equation that was so great about Oceanborn, yet it doesn't quite embrace the more fully symphonic sound that the Olzon-era would become. Instead, it's just sort of awkwardly sitting in '00s chug.
I daresay that if it was someone else who made this album, it would be a lot more controversial at best, outright hated at worst. (In the metal world, anyway) I Wish I Had an Angel, in particular, you could just slap into any dance club mix and it would fit perfectly; Right down to the sexy lyrics which are far more dark than they are on the surface. I can't rightly put my finger on why I like it compared to something like Evanesence.
Which isn't to say I dislike the album. I think the first four songs (including I Wish I Had an Angel, that's just an observation) are possibly the best Nightwish have ever done. Dark Chest of Wonders is a good opener, oddly structured. The chorus is incidental to sweeping instrumental sections, only appearing twice. The use of a choir singing sharp, short notes is odd, but I don't listen to enough opera to know if that's truly as odd as it appears to me. It really strikes a good balance between symphonic and metal, reminding me why Nightwish still kind of is the top of the roost when it comes to the sub-genre.
But then we get Creek Mary's Blood, which starts off Nightwish's trend of long, overwrought and pretentious self-indulgence. Stopping everything for an important message, though the Trail of Tears is less pretentious than 15 minutes of "it sucks being Toumas Holopainen". Nightwish's grand symphonic sound clashes with the depressing nature the lyrics invoke of people being torn from their ancestral land. It's not that it's a bad subject for a song, Satan and Running Wild did the same broad subject, I just don't think Nightwish can do effectively a funeral dirge about it.
I wouldn't say songs after this get bad or anything, but they definitely suffer coming after this song. Doubly so on extended versions of the album. By the time Ghost Love Score is over, I'm about done with the album, yet on the version I listened to, there were still five more songs. Even with just two more songs on the normal version of the album, that's a lot to go through.
Lyrically, it's a lot of cheesy, sentimental self-loathing from a Finnish man with a questionable grasp of English, and I love it. There is a subtleness, that perhaps I'm imagining, to the package, that you can't get solely by hearing the album or reading the lyrics. This comes out most strongly in Planet Hell, in which one line is supposed to be "you wanderer", but Tarja clearly sings "you murderer". Considering the content of the lyrics otherwise, I'd be surprised if that was accidental.
In the end, I still stand by my original thought that this sits awkwardly between better albums, even if it has really strong elements to it. I can see why someone else would think of this as their favorite.

4/5

I was already across this release as we headed into November and so seeing it added to the feature roster lined it up nicely for review. As those folky rich melodies sent my brain into a near trace-like state, I did start to question my credentials as a nail coated wristband wearing black metal fan. But then I remembered my enjoyment of Mare Cognitum and Darkspace and convinced myself that my icy soul was no nearer to being thawed as I first feared. The inclusion of such a heavy amount of synths is perhaps the most challenging part of Vortex of the Worlds yet at the same time it would not work as well as an album without them. They do sound incredibly artificial and are without doubt the main culprit in steering the album away from the more extreme boundaries of black metal, but I find at the same time they are relatively easy to make peace with given their obvious contribution to such a rich and luscious soundscape.

When taken out of consideration for a moment, the synths are far from the only positive element of the instrumentation. The tremolo riffing is excellent (Transcendence) both in isolation and also in accompaniment to everything else. When paired with vocals, they ground the album in the more familiar and safe territory of atmo-black. The programmed drums do not go unnoticed, but are hardly a problem either as I do not believe that Labyrinthus Stellarum wrote Vortex of the Worlds with any desire to focus on percussion. The lack of bass is the only real issue I have as it does makes things sound unnecessarily sterile and gives those synths an almost smothering edge at times. There is a rumbling "something" in the background but I would suggest it is just the intentionally density added in the production to mask the lack of bass.

My instinct suggests that Labyrinthus Stellarum will move too far away from a core black metal sound in subsequent releases to this one. For now, Vortex of the Worlds is a sensible gateway into that vortex that I sense will soon lose some of its appeal in the coming records. I am more than happy to celebrate the successes of this record though and acknowledge its bravery in sticking to its ideals and values. It retains a unique edge without dropping into a Summoning level of repetition and genuinely has some exciting and intense moments that standout. The songwriting suggests that particular methodology is sound enough as the crescendos mid-track are effective and create some of the strongest moments in the record. The album has grown on me with repeated listens but I can sense that looming distance is coming still.

3.5/5

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

Just listened through to the remainder of the list while cleaning up this morning. It's one seriously power metal-heavy list this month so if that's your bag then you're in for a treat. If not, then you may struggle a bit.

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. 

I started listening to this playlist while playing with my one year old daughter last night. The Eternal Champion song is a great way to kick off the list. I fucking love the Anthem track. It's one of my most played heavy metal songs this year. I'm very familiar with the Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force & Blind Guardian inclusions & quite like both of them too.

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.

I really enjoyed the hybrid of styles and influences Ætheria Conscientia took on this album. The Blossoming has showings from progressive metal giants as Ihsahn and Rivers of Nihil, and also avant garde stylings of Kayo Dot and Pan.Thy.Monium. This record shows more restraint than the previous album and makes wonders; songs like "Endless Cycle" show that they can write well developed songs without always resorting to the ten minute epic. They can be concise and still say everything they need to say. The avant-garde tag is more of a passing one as the record is still rather accessible from a progressive standpoint; The Blossoming takes liberties from atmospheric black metal for its feel, while occasionally adding the tremolo guitar and blast beat percussion. It's fascinating that a "black metal" album has so little black metal on it, but it sounds great when they do go all out.

8/10

Here's my review:

My earliest experiences with French black metal stars Blut aus Nord came through the tape trading scene of the mid-to-late 1990’s when I became exposed to their first two albums, both of which I really enjoyed. My self-imposed hiatus from the metal scene for pretty much the entirety of the 2000’s saw me almost completely forgetting about this band though & it wasn’t until Ben encouraged me to investigate their classic 2003 fourth album “The Work Which Transforms God” upon my return to metal in 2009 that my passion for Blut aus Nord was reignited & boy it was an exhilarating experience too. That record possesses a purity of darkness that few in the black metal scene can touch & it affected me on a deep enough level to see me flogging the album for months to come. Since that time though, I’ve found Blut aus Nord to be a little hit & miss with some of their releases falling a little flat & others reaching the higher stratospheres of the black metal air space. 2009’s seventh album “Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With The Stars” has always been one that I’ve taken very positively though, even if it perhaps doesn’t sit amongst my favourite Blut aus Nord records overall. I’ve returned to it several times over the years but have never afforded it the dedicated attention required for a well-informed review until now. Let’s take a look at what it’s all about.

Blut aus Nord releases inevitably possess their own unique characters & “Memoria Vetusta II” is no different in that regard. It contains some really big positives that drive its appeal but it also presents us with a couple of weaknesses that prevent the album from becoming the true classic it seems to have the potential to be on the surface. Unlike some of Blut aus Nord’s more experimental or avant-garde efforts, “Memoria Vetusta II” is noticeably more accessible & is unquestionably an atmospheric black metal record. It’s a lot more about producing ethereal soundscapes than it is about battering or intimidating the listener with its tone creating a calmer & more contemplative view of the world than a record like “The Work Which Transforms God” which was significantly darker. There’s a strong focus on melody here with the stunning guitar riffs combining with some subtly incorporated, almost angelic synthesizers to wonderful effect. In fact, the keyboard work sometimes reminds me of German ambient producer Gas with its soft, organic timbre beautifully intertwining with the guitar work to produce some quite vivid visuals. This is the real strength of “Memoria Vetusta II” as there’s an undeniable class about the way Vindsval creates his guitar parts & I find this element of the record to be infinitely impressive.

Unfortunately, there are a couple of things that detract a little from the strength of those components though. Firstly, the programmed drums sound weak & obviously artificial which goes against the more organic nature of the rest of the instrumentation. There are certainly those more industrially-tinged Blut aus Nord releases where the drum machine plays an intrinsic role in the atmosphere but here I find that it lacks the required cohesion with the rest of the instrumentation, a flaw that is only further highlighted by the fact that the bass guitar is so low in the mix that it’s almost redundant. Similarly, Vindsval’s grim black metal vocals reside quite a bit further back in the mix than I’d ideally like to see them sitting. This technique works really well for many of your more lo-fi & noisy black metal artists but here I find myself consistently wishing they were a little further towards the front so that they could compliment the clear strength in the guitar work. Sadly, this was not to be & I’ll have to take “Memoria Vetusta II” for what it is. Let’s not sit here dwelling on what-if’s though because this is still a damn fine black metal record in its own right.

The nine-song tracklisting is a wonderfully consistent collection of material that flows very nicely together, despite containing a few interesting deviations from the standard atmospheric black metal model. My pick of the bunch is actually the ambient/dungeon synth intro piece “Acceptance (Aske)” which puts me into a lovely warm & meditative state before the black metal assault firmly jolts me to attention. The more traditional black metal numbers are all very solid with "....The Meditant (Dialogue With the Stars)" & "Antithesis of the Flesh (...And Then Arises a New Essence)" being the most significant compositions in my opinion. The well-executed clean folk guitar piece “Translucent Body of Air (Sutta Anapanasati)“ works very well to break up the album while instrumental closer “Elevation” is also worth mentioning as it's comfortably my favourite of the metal tracks. I love the way that it manages to transcend the black metal genre through the use of repetitive, melodic motifs which wash over the listener. It’s a stunning way to finish what was already a highly rewarding hour of black metal.

Look, perhaps “Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With The Stars” isn’t the career-defining masterpiece that so many black metal fans seem to claim it as these days but it is a damn fine record nonetheless & one that I can’t see disappointing too many extreme metalheads, at least once they’ve given it a few spins & accepted the initially distracting drum programming. I have to admit that this was an obstacle for me on each occasion that I’ve revisited “Memoria Vetusta II” over the years but those feelings of hesitation inevitably fade once I became reacquainted with the obvious quality in the guitar hooks. There are three or four Blut aus Nord releases that I’d reach for before “Memoria Vetusta II” when I feel like a fix of high-class French black metal but there’s no doubt that it’s a record of substance that needs to be heard in an underground scene that’s so chock full of followers. These guys clearly fit into the category of leaders & their influence on not only their local scene but the international one is beyond question.

For fans of The Ruins of Beverast, Akhlys & The Eye.

4/5

I'm back for monthly Feature Releases and I wanted to shine some light on a modern band attempting a done-to-death retro sound that has stood the test of time for me at this point. Canadian Heavy Metal band Riot City screamed onto the scene with their 2019 debut Burn the Night, complete with a strong, classic high-pitched vocalist and a nice amount of energy from the rest of the band. Despite that, it wasn't until a vocalist shift for 2022's Electric Elite that this band started getting some serious playtime for me, since I personally find this album to be a strict upgrade over their debut. 

If you're looking for a classic Heavy Metal fix this month, feel free to check this one out and let us know what you think below. 

It's been a while since I revisited the debut album from notorious one-man Californian black metal artist Odz Manouk but this feature release has been beautifully timed to come off the back of the very positive experience I had with Yagian's long-awaited 2023 sophomore album "Bosoragazan (Բոսորագազան)" which was one that went pretty close to dragging classic status outta me. "Odz Manouk" is generally considered to be a classic release for the genre in itself & it's certainly very solid but I'm not sure I'd go that far, despite it possessing some admirable qualities. An exceptionally cold & lo-fi production job is the cassette's main calling card & boy is it effective, giving the atmosphere an extra couple of layers of menace & spite. Yagian's vocals are the other highlight as he really nails that evil, tortured & abrasive style perfectly, particulary on the classic opener "A Mymex Omen" which is frankly one of the greatest examples of the genre you'll find. Unfortunately, Odz Manouk can't manage to repeat the dose across the other five songs included with the quality levels showing a bit of unwanted variety as the tracklisting progresses. The very popular "The Indisciplinarian" doesn't do a lot for me in all honesty & is the only genuine weak point in my opinion while closer "The Roaming" is merely acceptable. The other three tracks are all high-quality examples of their type though which makes "Odz Manouk" an essential listen for fans of the US black metal scene. The one element that I think could have been improved is the use of a fairly cheap sounding drum machine which is pretty obvious at times. I don't recall noticing it on "Bosoragazan (Բոսորագազան)" which I consider to be the better record overall. Still... there's a lot to like about Yagian's debut full-length & I've really enjoyed this return visit.

4/5

Guardians Playlist for February 2024 is live!

1. "Metal Warriors" from The Triumph of Steel (1992) by Manowar
2. "Street Machine" from Traveler (2019) by Traveler
3. "Vertumnus Caesar" from Vertumnus Caesar (2023) by Malokarpatan [Submitted By Daniel]
4. "Dragons Dance" from Empire of Sins (2021) by Silent Winter
5. "Somewhere Else But Here" from Shangri-La (2022) by Edenbridge
6. "Hell, Fire And Damnation" from Hell, Fire And Damnation (2024) by Saxon
7. "Lust For Freedom" from Best Of Grim Reaper (1999) by Grim Reaper
8. "Dead Reckoning" from The Deep & The Dark (2018) by Visions of Atlantis
9. "Wings of Light" from Eldorado (2023) by Edu Falaschi
10. "Pandemic" from Blood of the Nations (2010) by Accept
11. "Space and Time" from Eat the Fallen (2019) by Ravenous E.H.
12. "The Courage to Die" from ...Unto the Breach (2019) by Sellsword
13. "Final Spell" from Final Spell (2012-06-05) by Visigoth
14. "Gardens of the Sinner" from Power Plant (1999) by Gamma Ray
15. "Power of the Saber Blade" from Power of the Saber Blade (2023) by DragonForce [Submitted by Andi]
16. "Mrs. Artisson - Extended Version" from Witches' Domain (Extended Version) (2021) by Witchtower
17. "Invoker" from The Armor of Ire (2016) by Eternal Champion
18. "Faster Than Light" from Abyss (2020) by Unleash The Archers
19. "Trial by Fire" from Court in the Act (1983) by Satan
20. "Spirits of the Dead" from The Grave Digger (2001) by Grave Digger
21. "Consequences" from Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998) by Iced Earth
22. "March or Die" from Soldiers of the Night (1985) by Vicious Rumors
23. "Harder Than Steel" from Ample Destruction (1984) by Jag Panzer

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3w8wz5HBOoks78mYzldAMq?si=8eab58e301c14c0e

Stortregn - "Finitude" (2023)

The sixth full-length from this Swiss outfit is arguably their best & has had me thoroughly engaged over the last couple of days. Forget the tech death talk that's floating around the internet as that tag is not expansive enough to cover Stortregn's sound which sits right in the middle of the space between melodic death metal & progressive death metal with smatterings of Dissection style melodic black metal also entering the equation to go with the really effective raspy blackened vocals. The level of musicianship is wonderfully proficient, particularly the drumming with the ultra-fast blast-beats being astoundingly tight & powerful. I'm not usually a big melodeath fan but I have to make an exception with "Finitude" as it gets the balance of extremity & ambition just right. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I would place it behind only At The Gates' magnificent "Slaughter of the Soul" record for the melodeath subgenre as a whole which I'm aware is a very big call.

4/5

Cirith Ungol's "Dark Parade" album is the frontrunner to win The Guardians Release of 2023 Award with less than a week to go with Malokarpatan's "Vertumnus Caesar" & Kamelot's "The Awakening" being the main competition. Get those ratings in guys.

Thanks for this, Xephyr! I've just tested out that website and CSV-downloading technique with my upcoming February Revolution and Sphere playlists (still in the works). However, I find Excel a little too complex for me, and anyone who doesn't have Skiley Pro can only do it 3 times for free. I prefer the old-fashioned way of typing it all out, but there's a twist in my technique. After making my sneak peek suggestions in the Revolution and Sphere playlists, I copy them into Notepad and type out all the other tracks in the playlists in the same format (artist name, track name, track length, album name, album release date). Then when I send them to Daniel before the middle of the month, I set the tracks I've typed out to the order that they run in the playlist tracklistings and remove the track lengths that are only needed to keep track of their two-hour total lengths. And finally, when the first day of the month comes, I just copy the playlist tracklistings and paste them to their respective forum posts. Anyway, I still appreciate your suggestion and understand your technique, so you do you.

First Guardians Playlist of 2024 is up, track listing soon to come tomorrow. 

1. Eternal Champion - "Skullseeker" from Ravening Iron (2020) 
2. W.A.S.P. - "Mean Man" from The Headless Children (1989)
3. Judicator - "From the Belly of the Whale" from The Majesty of Decay (2022)
4. Marty Friedman - "Evil Thrill" from Dragon's Kiss (1988)
5. Sacred Outcry - "Symphony Of The Night" from Towers of Gold (2023)
6. Avantasia - "Promised Land" from Angel of Babylon (2010)
7. Black Sabbath - "Symptom of the Universe" from Sabotage (2014 Remaster) (1975)
8. Saxon - "Black is the Night"  from Carpe Diem (2022)
9. Tygers Of Pan Tang - "Hellbound" from Spellbound (1981)
10. Heavy Load - "Traveller" from Death Or Glory (1982)
11. HammerFall - "The Champion" from Renegade (2000)
12. Damnation Angels - "No Leaf Clover" from Bringer of Light (2013)
13. Sonic Haven - "Nightmares" from Vagabond (2021)
14. Tyrant - "Beginning of the End" from Too Late to Pray (2018) [Submitted by Daniel]
15. Brainstorm - "Descendants of the Fire" from Firesoul (2014)
16. Iron Savior - "Demise of the Tyrant" from Firestar (2023)
17. Stallion - "Canadian Steele" from Rise and Ride (2014)
18. Tank - "Heavy Artillery" from Filth Hounds of Hades (1982)
19. Crimson Glory - "Azrael" from Crimson Glory (1986)
20. Warmen - "The Race (feat. Pasi Rantanen)" from First Of The Five Elements (2015)
21. Rhapsody - "Unholy Warcry" from Symphony of Enchanted Lands II (The Dark Secret) (2004)
22. Omen - "Die By The Blade" from Battle Cry (1984)
23. Liege Lord - "Kill The King" from Master Control (1988)
24. Cirith Ungol - "Sailor on the Seas of Fate" from Dark Parade (2023)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3w8wz5HBOoks78mYzldAMq?si=8eab58e301c14c0e

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3w8wz5HBOoks78mYzldAMq

1. Sabaton- "Sparta" from The Last Stand (2016)

2. Eternal Champion - "Invoker" from The Armor Of Ire (2016)

3. Cirith Ungol - "Dark Parade" from Dark Parade (2023)

4. King Diamond - "Blue Eyes" from The Puppet Master (2003)

5. ANGRA - "Gods Of The World" from Cycles of Pain (2023)

6. LOVEBITES - "When Destinies Align" from Electric Pentagram (2020)

7. Epica - "Quietus" from Consign To Oblivion (2005)

8. Sacred Outcry - "Legion of the Fallen" from Damned for All Time (2020)

9. Diamond Head - "Am I Evil" from Borrowed Time (1982)

10. Helloween - "The Saints" from Gambling With the Devil (2007)

11. Eternity's End - "Twilight Warrior" from The Fire Within (2016)

12. Mercyful Fate - "Curse of the Pharaohs" from The Beginning (1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

13. Chateaux - "White Steel" from FirePower (1984)

14. Queensryche - "Resistance" from Empire (1990)

15. Lunar Shadow - "Hawk of the Hills" from The Smokeless Fires (2019)

16. Powerwolf - "Secrets of the Sacristy" from Preachers of the Night (2013)

17. Twilight Force - "Sunlight Knight" from At the Heart of Wintervale (2023)

18. Domination Black - "The Final Sigh" from Dimension: Death (2012)

19. Aquaria - "Time Won't Wait" from Alethea (2020)

20. Timo Tolkki's Avalon - "Design the Century" from Angels of the Apocalypse (2014)

21. Majestica - "Ghost of Christmas Present" from A Christmas Carol (2020)

22. Winterborn - "On the Edge of Eternity" from Cold Reality (2006)

I've kind of grown tired of melodic death/black metal and such sounds. Often, it feels like an excuse for a bunch of people who can't sing and some guitarists whose only virtue is their speed. How I long for more bands to style themselves after Satan's Host, but alas, I seem to be the only person on the planet to like them. Malkarpatan falls into the former category, but honestly, they aren't half bad.
I can't quite put my finger on what their melodic parts sound like. I wanna say Iron Maiden, but I can't think of a single Iron Maiden song which sounds like something off this. It almost feels like a glam metal inspired riff style. To complicate matters, this is mixed in with at least a dozen instruments and synths. I had my answer on Panstvo Salamandrov, it's black metal ELP. Everything makes sense now.
This isn't necessarily to pin the band into one specific thing, because this album does so many things yet feels very cohesive. They possess the unique talent to do something like play rigid black metal and then follow it up with something that wouldn't fit on 90% of albums that try it. Yet, they make it sound as natural as the calm before the storm.
They're an interesting band, and I look forward to hearing more of them.
4.5/5

Now then, what have we here? This sole release from a mysterious & anonymous metal collective is the perfect example of a Metal Academy feature release in my opinion.

4.5/5

I'm a big fan of how I went from "Xephyr, why in the hell would you pick this as a Feature Release" to "Xephyr, this is exactly what I'm looking for in a Feature Release" this month hahaha

(Daniel's not wrong here for the record)

My fault, I'll add to the Playlist tonight. Getting back into the swing of things.

I wanted to like this album, there's basically no reason for me to not like this album. I like NWOTHM bands, and I like the sort of epic concept they've got going here. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it...but there's nothing I actually like about it. Nothing that I could call in any way, bad. It just found a way not to appeal to me.

I did notice a funny comparison though. The mystical and dark lyrics along with the heavily electronic voice effects on the lead singer made me think of Idle Hands/Unto Others. But whereas Idle Hands has some very cringey lows and some very amazing highs, this just sort of didn't make that same mark that Idle Hands did.

3/5

Playlist updated here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3w8wz5HBOoks78mYzldAMq?si=cab03c23cb364eea

This is certainly one of the strangest combinations of heavy metal meets jazz fusion that I've heard in a while. The heavy use of brass as a primary instrument brought me initially to a heavier version of Thank You Scientist, but as the album progressed, the timbre stuck less as an influence and more the compositions that felt closer to Imperial Triumphant and Focus-era Cynic. The record contains lots of dissonance and quick modulation keeping the listener on their toes as the record refuses to become boring.

That said, I wish I could like this as much as an Imperial Triumphant record. I think it's the mixing, but this style of really muddy and unfocused production does not fascinate me. Some of these tracks sound like they were initial demo recordings and is being recorded by one of those portable Zoom microphones; the quality is still superior to that of using your shitty phone microphone, but it loses the intricate details. And, since the record seems to do away with anything resembling a hook or motif, it's hard for me to hear this album as anything but noise. Perhaps a mix closer to that of Imperial Triumphant will help, but for now, this isn't doing it for me. Props to the band for trying something different, but it needs work.

5/10

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3w8wz5HBOoks78mYzldAMq?si=645ecf541ba44898

Tracklisting:

01. Jorn – “Below” (from “Spirit Black”, 2009) 

02. Black Sabbath – “Hand of Doom” (from “Paranoid”, 1970)

03. Stallion – “Time to Reload” (from “Slaves of Time”, 2020)

04. Volbeat – “Heaven Nor Hell" (from “Beyond Hell / Above Heaven”, 2010) [Submitted by Andi]

05. Iron Maiden – “Run to the Hills” (from “The Number of the Beast”, 1982)

06. Gatekeeper – “Twisted Towers” (from “From Western Shores”, 2023)

07. ANGUS McSIX – “Eternal Warrior” (from “Angus McSix and the Sword of Power”, 2023)

08. Blazon Stone – “High Treason” (from “Return to Port Royal: Definitive Edition”, 2020)

09. Ensiferum – “The Defence of the Sampo” (from “Thalassic”, 2020)

10. Lords of Black – “Sacrifice” (from “Alchemy of Souls, Pt. I”, 2020) 

11. Bloodbound – “The Raven's Cry" (from “Tales from the North”, 2023)

12. Todd La Torre – “Rejoice in the Suffering” (from “Rejoice in the Suffering”, 2021)

13. Blind Guardian – “Deliver Us From Evil” (from “The God Machine”, 2022)

14. Kryptos – “Mach Speed Running“ (from “Afterburner", 2019)

15. Yngwie Malmsteen – “Heaven Tonight” (from “Odyssey”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

16. Rage – “Shadow Out Of Time” (from “Black In Mind”, 1995)

17. Avantasia – “Avantasia” (from “The Metal Opera, Pt. 1”, 2001)

18. Amberian Dawn – “Cold Kiss” (from “Re-Evolution”, 2013)

19. Tygers Of Pan Tang – “Never Give In” (from “Tygers of Pan Tang”, 2016)

20. Numenor – “Numenor” (from “Draconian Age”, 2021)

21. Possessed Steel – “Spellblade” (from “Aedris” E.P., 2020)

22. Solicitor – “Night Vision” (from “Spectral Devastation”, 2020)

23. Sacred Outcry – “Towers of Gold” (from “Towers of Gold”, 2023)

Following up the first of many Scottish albums, Knights of the Cross is about the Crusades. Kind of, because Grave Digger manages to sneak in a reference to Scotland again. It's not the most accurate portrayal of the conflicts, but that's not surprising. It's rather heavy towards the post-war inquisition stuff which suggests to me they originally thought they would make something about that.
Knights is a broadly typical Grave Digger album. Aggressive power metal. Definitely not like your Sonata Arcticas and Rhapsodys, but still distinctly within the realm of power metal. On the whole not quite typical. There are riffs under the vocal lines and sometimes you can hear the bassist! While there are your typical power metal material lying around, Grave Digger primarily does either very heavy stuff or very moody, not really ballad type of stuff.
Chris Boltendahl has a very distinct, hard to get used to vocal style. At first you have a very gruff, 10 pack a day vocal style, which aren't really growls, and sort of defy comparisons. On the other, you have a very clean, very melodic style which one would be surprised came from the same person. Boltendahl doesn't really do much of the latter here, at best doing a quiet version of his usual shtick. Choruses are often done in a very thrashy shout style.
The problem with how Knights of the Cross does this is that it kind of flows awkwardly. Grave Digger has this really unfortunate habit of having two songs on an album that sound very samey, here, Monks of War is that to the title track, and they're the first two tracks. Followed by Heroes of this Time, which isn't a great song to begin with, it has a very awkward transition between the verses and the chorus, but worst of all, Monks of War uses "Heroes of this Time" as one of it's lyrics. Could we not have had, instead, say, a song about some minor Muslim commander whom even the Christians respected instead of one of these two? After all he was one of the few people everyone respected at the time. While Fanatic Assassins is a fantastic song, it does feel somewhat strange as the only Arab-centered song.
Like all Grave Digger albums, it takes a while to get used to, and despite the awkward flow, has more than enough good material on the album to make up for it.

4/5

Placeholder for when I have time to list all the songs tomorrow, playlist link here: 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3w8wz5HBOoks78mYzldAMq?si=c565b00787c34037

Firstly, there are plenty of good ideas within Black Medium Current, and I really do get why people would love it. To me though, it is a bit like the Oscar-winning movie, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once with just too many ideas being crammed into it's (admittedly, suitably lengthy) runtime. I also understand that the fault is entirely mine and my lack of sophistication, or maybe intellectual capacity, are the real reason I can't wrap my head around it's myriad of ideas, but I just can't hold everything it has to offer in my head all at once. Another issue for me is, frankly, the terrible clean vocals that are the real villain of the piece here. I much prefer the black metal sections because it means we get a few moments of respite from this vocal torture.

I did enjoy how they employ the keyboards and the occasional excursion into space rock was welcome. To be honest, though, I think Deathspell, Blut aus Nord and especially Oranssi Pazuzu do this sort of thing much better (or at least, more to my own taste). I have been determined to give it sufficient listens to allow it to reveal itself, but after four full listen-throughs, I have been relieved every single time when it has ended, so I guess it is just one of those albums that really isn't for me.

2.5/5

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3w8wz5HBOoks78mYzldAMq?si=2ced766398be4793

1. Unleash The Archers - "Awakening" from Apex (2017)

2. Liege Lord - "Master Control" from Master Control (1988) 

3. Trivium - "Endless Night" from The Sin and the Sentence (2017)

4. Tanith - "Seven Moons (Galantia Pt. 2)" from Voyage (2023)

5. Air Raid - "Lionheart" from Fatal Encounter (2023)

6. Crossfire - "Atomic War" from Second Attack (1985)

7. Grave Digger - "The Final War" from Excalibur (1999)

8. Killer - "Bodies and Bones" from Wall of Sound (1982)

9. Elvenking - "The Hanging Tree" from Reader of the Runes - Rapture (2023)

10. Xandria - "Asteria" from The Wonders Still Awaiting (2023)

11. Shield of Wings - "Frozen Harbor" from Unfinished (2022)

12. Angus McSix - "Master of the Universe" from Master of the Universe (2023)

13. Fellowship - "Avalon" from The Saberlight Chronicles (2022) 

14. Lacrimosa - "Alleine zu zweit" from Elodia (1999)

15. Kamelot - "New Babylon" from The Awakening (2023)

16. Allen Lande - "Lady of Winter" from The Great Divide (2014)

17. Beast In Black - "Beast In Black" from Berserker (2017)

18. Cacophany - "Savage" from Speed Metal Symphony (1987)

19. Stormwitch - "Priest of Evil" from Walpurgis Night (1984)

20. Dionysus - "Eyes of the World" from Anima Mundi (2004)

Death is the most obvious one but I'd also nominate Converge & Gorguts.

Gorguts would be my major call on this thread.  A band that not only consistently puts out quality material but actually improves with every release also.  Likewise, I would agree with Death being on the list, obviously.  BAN are another great call.  There are some golden runs that I cannot get away without mentioning - first 4 Metallica records and first 4 Sepultura also.  Both more or less went to shit afterwards unfortunately so would not qualify for the whole discography sphere of this thread.

Couple of others from me:

Nordicwinter, one man Canadian bm artist who can do no wrong in my book.

Sargeist, consistency is key in this accolade and this guys are as solid as they come.

Autopsy, I can't think of anyone else who produces such consistently sloppy and ugly death metal, release after release.  They pretend to be nothing other than what they are and make no apologies for being so.

I think the Fellowship record was the only The Guardians release I checked out for the entire year which is a pretty clear indication that it's the clan that offers me the least appeal these days. I didn't enjoy the experience either.

This isn't going to be my finest work as Spotify wasn't letting me change the order of the tracks, so maybe throw this one on shuffle. I apologize for missing peoples' recommendations, so they're all caught up on this playlist. I'll make the order a bit better if I'm able to later this week.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3w8wz5HBOoks78mYzldAMq?si=bc8730cda4eb476e

1. King Diamond – “Behind These Walls” (from “The Eye”, 1990) (Submitted by Daniel)

2. Cool Feet – “The Man from Marakesh” (from “Burning Desire”, 1976) (Submitted by Daniel)

3. Amaranthe – “Crystalline” (from “Manifest", 2020) (Submitted by Daniel)

4. Acid – “Prince of Hell and Fire” (from “Maniac”, 1983) (Submitted by Sonny)

5. DragonForce – “The Edge of the World" (from "Reaching To Infinity”, 2017) (Submitted by Andi)

6. Twilight Force – “Skyknights of Aldaria” (from “At the Heart of Wintervale", 2023)

7. The Lightbringer of Sweden – “Strike Back” (from “The New World Order”, 2023)

8. Jag Panzer – “Harder Than Steel” (from “Ample Destruction", 1984)

9. Kamelot – “Lunar Sanctum" (from “The Fourth Legacy", 1999)

10. Dark Moor – "Maid of Orleans” (from “The Hall of the Olden Dreams”, 2000)

11. Lost Horizon – “Welcome Back" (from “Awakening the World", 2001)

12. Heavens Gate – “Flashes” (from “Livin' in Hysteria", 2003)

13. Rage – “Solitary Man" (from “Trapped!”, 2020)

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

15. Bloodbound – “Desdemonamelia" (from “Nosferatu" 2006)

16. Eternity's End – “Under Crimson Moonlight” (from “Unyielding", 2019)

17. Visions of Atlantis – “Melancholy Angel” (from “Pirates", 2022)

18. Steel Prophet – “Spectres" (from “Dark Hallucinations”, 1999)

19. Serenity - "Wings of Pride" (from "The Last Knight", 2020)

20. Human Fortress - "Thunder" (from "Reign of Gold", 2019)

21. Warrior Path - "The Mad King" (from "The Mad King", 2021)

23. Avantasia - "Misplaced Among the Angels" (from "A Paranormal Evening With the Moonflower Society", 2022)

There are times when I'm listening to heavy metal music (and as I have become older, those times have grown a lot closer) when I just need a break. All of the aggression and ruthlessness can become overwhelming and sometimes I wonder "are you guys actually having fun making music?" Well allow me to introduce to you to Fellowship, the newest power metal outlet making some of the cheeriest metal music of the 2020s.

My first impression of The Saberlight Chronicles was reserved as my first comparison point was Majestica and their 2020 Christmas album. And while I did enjoy Majestica a few years ago, something about this does not click the same way. Perhaps it was the promise of being uplifting, but then falling into a very comfortable, Rhapsody (of Fire) formula of songwriting, but perhaps without the indulgent guitar solo dominance. I find it to be adequate, but far from impressive, especially considering Blind Guardian and Avantasia have been able to push the power metal genre forward beyond over-the-top expansiveness.

At least the instrumentals are well performed. Unlike a record such as Pain Remains by Lorna Shore, the symphonic elements are clearly meant as supplements to the choruses. These backgrounds are well produced and compliment the leads well, instead of resorting to the Fleshgod Apocalypse approach of "MORE LOUD NOISES!" As for the compositions, songs like "The Saint Beyond the River", "Silhouette" and "Until the Fires Die" are likely to be complimentary mainstays in my metal playlists. The rest of it just flies over my head as sounding the same. The final two tracks "Still Enough" and "Avalon" are so basic and forgettable even after extending their runtime well beyond what was reasonable.

Perhaps Fellowship's brand of power metal is still in its baby steps and The Saberlight Chronicles is the band just getting their feet wet. Maybe the next album will sound completely different and Fellowship will set themselves apart from even the best that power metal has to offer at the moment. But for now, I thought The Saberlight Chronicles was satisfactory. There are touches of something greater, but too quickly resorts back to tired-and-true power metal formulas of Rhapsody and Nightwish.

6/10

Sorted.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3w8wz5HBOoks78mYzldAMq?si=ceb30fd0dbd14248

1. Blind Guardian – “Blood of the Elves” (from “The God Machine”, 2022)

2. Sumerlands – “Heavens Above” (from “Dreamkiller”, 2022)

3. Iron Maiden – “Heaven Can Wait” (from “Somewhere In Time (2015 Remaster)", 2015)

4.  Helloween – “Rise Without Chains” (from “Helloween”, 2021)

5. Avantasia – “Seduction Of Decay" (from "Ghostlights”, 2016)

6. Black Sabbath – “Under The Sun” (from “Vol. 4 (2014 Remaster)", 2014)

7. Riot City – “Eye of the Jaguar” (from “Electric Elite”, 2022)

8. Judas Priest – “Beyond the Realms of Death” (from “Stained Class", 1978)

9. The Lord Weird Slough Feg – “Vargr Moon” (from “Traveller", 2013)

10. Nightwish – "Creek Mary's Blood” (from “Once”, 2004)

11. Twilight Force – “Forest of Destiny" (from “Tales of Ancient Prophecies", 2014)

12. Unleash the Archers – “Soulbound” (from “Abyss", 2020)

13. Saxon – “See the Light Shining" (from “Wheels of Steel (2009 Remaster)”, 2009)

14. Iced Earth – “Desert Rain” (from “Night Of The Stormrider", 1991)

15. The Ferrymen – “The Last Wave" (from “One More River To Cross" 2022)

16. HAMMER KING – “Kingdemonium” (from “Kingdemonium", 2022)

17. Rhapsody – “The Dark Tower of Abyss” (from “Symphony of Enchanted Lands", 1998)

18. Herzel – “Maîtres de l'océan" (from “Le dernier rempart”, 2021)

19. Epica - "Synergize - Manic Manifest" (from "Omega", 2021)

OK, so what, at one point as we passed from summer to autumn, felt like a very lacklustre year for doom metal, has picked up quite considerably and ultimately has produced some sterling releases, albeit the year as a whole is lacking depth of quality. My current top ten now looks like this and I would have no problem recommending any of them to a fan of Fallen-related metal:

1. Dvvell - Quiescent (10/10)

2. Messa - Close (9.8/10)

3. Monolithe - Kosmodrom (9.1/10)

4. Epitaphe - II (9.0/10)

5. The Otolith - Folium Limina (9.0/10)

6. Mournful Congregation - The Exuviae of Gods: Part I (9.0/10)

7. Shape of Despair - Return to the Void (8.8/10)

8. The Funeral Orchestra - Funeral Death - Apocalyptic Plague Ritual II (8.7/10)

9. Conan - Evidence of Immortality (8.5/10)

10. BlackLab - In a Bizarre Dream (8.2/10)

There are still a couple of releases I need to work up reviews for, such as Darkthrone's Astral Fortress and Spiritus Mortis' latest, but this is where we are at the moment.

I've given Act I a review, here's its summary:

Do you ever wonder if bands combine the epicness of symphonic black metal and complexity of progressive metal? This band can! They've done it with great magic that many other bands of similar styles lost over the years. However, it's not like a Christmas present that I've really desired (and it is close to Christmas as of this review) in some parts, but there's no way this will ever make me as disappointed as I was about Opeth's prog-rock era. Of Erthe and Axen (Act I) is quite an exciting thrill-ride, and it was definitely worth the 5-year wait fans of the band had since their debut. This is kind of a throwback to around the time of the album's release, when I was an older teen listening to other band of the more epic progressive metal shortly between switching to its extreme side and more modern genres. It really satisfies what I've expected! The band members have done a brilliant job turning this album into a near-perfect masterpiece. While I hear a good amount of symphonic black metal, the album is not entirely like that, balanced out with tremendous progressive metal. Even the story is planned out to be as structural as the music, setting up a climatic tale from beginning to end, told through heavier metal songs and softer acoustic/orchestral ballads. The heavier tracks showcase the symphonic black metal sound in the orchestration, tremolos, and blast-beats, along with vocals ranging from unclean to clean, and the progressiveness is added to the brutality. In the end, we have a beautiful first part of the Of Erthe and Axen saga. Will I ever be up to checking out the exciting conclusion? Not today, but perhaps one day when I'm fully up to exploring more of non-satanic black metal and the more cinematic progressive metal. And this epic offering has given me a bit of motivation!

4.5/5

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'm still quite new to industrial metal, despite my ongoing quest to find more of this genre, but I can do a top 5:

1. Northlane - Obsidian

2. Gothminister - Pandemonium

3. Psyclon Nine - Less to Heaven

4. Motionless in White - Scoring the End of the World

5. Fear Factory - Recoded

Here's my top 10:

1. Lorna Shore - Pain Remains

2. Upon a Burning Body - Fury

3. Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas - Cocoon for the Golden Future

4. Motionless in White - Scoring the End of the World

5. Deadguy - Buyer's Remorse

6. Betraying the Martyrs - Silver Lining

7. Chelsea Grin - Suffer in Hell

8. We Came as Romans - Darkbloom

9. Underoath - Voyeurist

10. Bleeding Through - Rage

1. Autonoesis - Moon of Foul Magics
2. Critical Defiance - No Life Forms
3. Daeva - Through Sheer Will and Black Magic...
4. Chemicide - Common Sense
5. Schizophrenia - Recollections of the Insane
6. Midnight - Let There Be Witchery 
7. Deathhammer - Electric Warfare

I'm having some issues with my 2022 list this year, so I'm going to try and break everything down by Clan to try and organize my thoughts. Here's my full, ordered list of North albums I've checked out this year, I'd be interested to see anyone else's top 5 or 10 or whatever as we're going into the final month of 2022.

...So this is where all my listening went this year, huh? I've got a lot of work to do, some of these definitely deserve another shot, like the newest Deathspell Omega. Autonoesis and Tómarúm have taken the crown this year so far, with my opinion on which one edges out the other changes from day to day. The Asunojokei album grew on me immensely throughout the year, and there wasn't any way Caio Lemos' Brii wasn't going to be high up in the ranks. There was tons of Black Metal out this year and, yet again, it didn't disappoint.  

1. Autonoesis - Moon of Foul Magics
2. Tómarúm - Ash in Realms of Stone Icons
3. Asunojokei - Island
4. Brii - Corpos Transparentes
5. Haunter - Discarnate Ails
6. Wake - Thought Form Descent
7. Ultha - All That Has Never Been True
8. Black Fucking Cancer - Procreate Inverse
9. Wiegedood - There's Always Blood at the End of the Road
10. Djevel - Naa Skrider Natten Sort
11. White Ward - False Light
12. Saiden - Onryo II: Her Spirit Eternal
13. Gaerea - Mirage
14. Vital Spirit - Still as the Night, Cold as the Wind
15. Celeste - Assassine(s)
16. Grand Belial's Key - Kohanic Charmers
17. Esoctrilihum - Saopth's
18. Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium - Undreamable Abysses
19. Saor - Origins
20. Grima - Frostbitten
21. Daeva - Through Sheer Will and Black Magic...
22. Esoctrilihum - Consecration of the Spiritus Flesh
23. Vorga - Striving Towards Oblivion
24. Devil Master - Ecstasies of Never Ending Night
25. Nocturnal Triumph - Nocturnal Triumph
26. Trhä - Tálcunnana dëhajma tun dejl bënatsë abcul’han dlhenisë ëlh inagat
27. Nokturnal Mortum - To Lunar Poetry
28. Drudkh - All Belong to the Night
29. Krallice - Psychagogue
30. Trhä - vat gëlénva!!!
31. Lamp of Murmuur / Ebony Pendant - Plenilunar Requiems
32. Negative Plane - The Pact...
33. Ultra Silvam - The Sanctity of Death
34. Arð - Take Up My Bones
35. Deathspell Omega - The Long Defeat
36. Negativa - 04
37. Pure Wrath - Hymn to the Woeful Hearts
38. Sylvaine - Nova
39. Det Eviga Leendet - Reverence
40. Kvaen - The Great Below
41. Falls of Rauros - Key to a Vanishing Future
42. Marrasmieli - Martaiden mailta
43. Festung - Der Turm
44. Gudsforladt - Friendship, Love and War
45. Stangarigel - Na Severe Srdca
46. Luminous Vault - Animate the Emptiness
47. Krallice - Crystalline Exhaustion
48. Scarcity - Aveilut
49. Elegiac - Wolves Chase the Light

For the December 2022 edition of the Guardians Playlist, I've assembled a full list of all the Guardians albums I've checked out this year, and then some. Some are fantastic, some are a little rough around the edges, but this is a compact but full look at what 2022 has had in store for Heavy, Power, and Symphonic Metal. Enjoy, and cheers for another full year of Metal Academy Playlists!

The Guardians - December Spotify Playlist Link

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)

My time with progressive/avant-garde/post-metal has been rather turbulent this year while still staying in my position in The Infinite, so I didn't find as many new Infinite albums that would stick with me long as I thought I would, but I can do a top 5:

1. Seventh Wonder - The Testament

2. Dir En Grey - Phalaris

3. Voivod - Synchro Anarchy

4. Persefone - Metanoia

5. Meshuggah - Immutable

One honorable mention is the new In The Woods... album Diversum that I really enjoy, but I would need to give it more listening before it can end up somewhere in my list.

I'm having some issues with my 2022 list this year, so I'm going to try and break everything down by Clan to try and organize my thoughts. Here's my full, ordered list of Guardians albums I've checked out this year, I'd be interested to see anyone else's top 5 or 10 or whatever as we're going into the final month of 2022.

This year saw a few extremely strong Power Metal releases with not much in-between other than a solid Satan release, a lukewarm Avantasia offering, and a few newer bands to me like Sumerlands, The Ferrymen, Riot City, and Maule showing that Heavy Metal isn't a totally dying breed. Blind Guardian and Fellowship were heavily within my rotation the past few months, whereas Power Paladin may be one of the dumbest Power Metal albums I've heard since Dragony's 2021 album last year.

1. Blind Guardian - The God Machine
2. Fellowship - The Saberlight Chronicles
3. Satan - Earth Infernal
4. Sumerlands - Dreamkiller
5. Avantasia - A Paranormal Evening With the Moonflower Society 
6. Riot City - Electric Elite
7. The Ferrymen - One More River to Cross
8. Maule - Maule
9. New Horizon - Gate of the Gods
10.  Battle Beast - Circus of Doom
11. Nite - Voices of the Kronian Moon
12. Septicflesh - Modern Primitive
13. Saxon - Carpe Diem
14. Unlucky Morpheus - Evolution
15. Sabaton - The War to End All Wars
16. Aeternam - Heir of the Rising Sun
17. Hammerfall - Hammer of Dawn
18. Bymir - Voices in the Sky
19. Power Paladin - With the Magic of Windfyre Steel

To describe French one-man bm outfit Esoctrilihum as being industrious is quite an understatement. Since 2017, Asthâghul has released eight albums and three EPs. This level of prolific activity is hardly unheard of but is certainly not the norm. Reading a few interviews with him around the web this morning Asthâghul has a very specific mindset he exists within to allow his creative juices to flow and based on the frequency of his output he does not find it very difficult to get into the zone.

Released a little under a couple of months ago (at the time of writing this review at least), Saopth’s continues Asthâghul’s journey into the symphonic, the avant-garde and the lo-fi black metal elements of his music. I will go on record early on in this review in noting that there is a lot to take in here. As someone who is not really that interested in avant-garde metal this maybe more of an individual struggle as opposed to a more widespread challenge for any fan of the sub-genre. Fortunately, there is enough variety within Esoctrilihum’s music to retain enough of the more extreme elements that are more attractive to my palate.

I am not even going to attempt to talk about individual tracks here as that is firstly an impossible task (for me at least) and secondly would be an injustice to the whole release when viewed as a singular piece of art. I can only focus on the whole album as the consistency of the performance breeds the familiarity I need to connect with it superbly. One of the major strengths of Saopth’s forty-three plus minutes its clever use of keyboards and synthesisers. They draw an ethereal and eerie picture that is equal part dungeon synth and symphonic black metal also. They are like an icy cold hand to hold throughout the album, caressing your palm during the albums more bizarre moments whilst all the while guiding you through the maelstrom that is all the component parts of the album.

Vocally, Asthâghul adopts a rasping kind of lunacy in his style that is the perfect accompaniment to the music. Sat in the mix, well layered behind the keys and the guitars and drums they embody a real sense of struggle. There are times however when it all does get too much, where no amount of mixing and mastering prowess can balance all the elements in any sense of equilibrium and as a result sections of some tracks sound like they are damaged parts of the tape to my ears which is not a pleasant experience in all honesty. I cannot deny however that Saopth’s entertained me and although I am unlikely to have much desire to revisit this for further unpicking, there is no denying the effort and talent involved in this release.

3.5/5