Vinny's Forum Replies
Whilst listening to Year of the Cobra, I found myself debating how difficult it must be to be in a two-piece drum and bass doom combo. I mean there must be a lot of pressure on the bassist to start with. How much do you yield to the temptation to play it like a rhythm guitar, or perhaps go the opposite way and use the bass to create dense atmospheres like Bell Witch? On YotC, Amy manages a bit of both. She carves out some bone-jangling riffs for sure, yet she also gives us enough bottom end to thicken up proceedings nicely on the tamer sections, when the beefier riffs are on the back burner. You can sense the same dilemna with the drums of course. Do they take precedence over the bass or simply play along in support of the four strings? Again, like his wife, Johanes finds a good balance here. As unremarkable as his performance maybe, the presence he brings cannot be underestimated.
Of course, Amy also has responsibility for the vocals. Her dreamy, stoner/psychedelic style works in great contrast to her heavier bass work. The vocal performance on album closer 'Prayer' stands out in particular with its very personal and sentimental traits making for a deeply heartfelt display. It is not often a doom track manages to invoke emotion in me, but I genuinely fought back tears when listening to that song. As the album highlight for me, it is a shame that such beauty is quite isolated here.
With some sense of inevitability perhaps, YotC suffers to a degree of a lack of variation. Tracks such as 'Alone' lose me completely, and no matter how many times I play the record, I cannot tell you how 'Sleep' sounds. Stronger tracks like opener '...Full Sails', 'War Drop' and 'Daemonium' are sufficient to rescue the record from the lower end of the scoring spectrum. Like I said at the top of this review, tough gig this two-piece doom set up and unfortunately it shows here.
3.5/5
Work in progress really Sonny. The highest rated occupy the top two slots with the majority of the other rated and reviewed ones in order. For example, I feel The Great Old Ones is going to place high but I simply have not gotten around to it yet in terms of enough critical listening time. I will limit it to no more than 20 in the list otherwise it just becomes a list of some black metal albums i listened to this year.
I'll keep an eye on it Vinny because I haven't been engaging with new releases as much this year as I do normally and so it will be nice to see the best quality new black metal easily. TGOO's "Kadath" is my album of the year so far, but then again I have only listened properly to three!!
As you can see from my list, Gràb is the find of the year so far with that Grima record a close second. I am trying to do simiar for The Fallen - both are based off new releases that Ben adds here but The North one has a couple of discoveries from elsewhere.
I shall be even more interested in your Fallen list, Vinny!
List is public for The Fallen now Sonny.
Work in progress really Sonny. The highest rated occupy the top two slots with the majority of the other rated and reviewed ones in order. For example, I feel The Great Old Ones is going to place high but I simply have not gotten around to it yet in terms of enough critical listening time. I will limit it to no more than 20 in the list otherwise it just becomes a list of some black metal albums i listened to this year.
I'll keep an eye on it Vinny because I haven't been engaging with new releases as much this year as I do normally and so it will be nice to see the best quality new black metal easily. TGOO's "Kadath" is my album of the year so far, but then again I have only listened properly to three!!
As you can see from my list, Gràb is the find of the year so far with that Grima record a close second. I am trying to do simiar for The Fallen - both are based off new releases that Ben adds here but The North one has a couple of discoveries from elsewhere.
Work in progress really Sonny. The highest rated occupy the top two slots with the majority of the other rated and reviewed ones in order. For example, I feel The Great Old Ones is going to place high but I simply have not gotten around to it yet in terms of enough critical listening time. I will limit it to no more than 20 in the list otherwise it just becomes a list of some black metal albums i listened to this year.
For once, I am across most of the new releases in black metal this year. Even managing to keep a running list in the Lists section for anyone interested.
https://metal.academy/lists/single/310
Andi, can you add me on the roster for The North too please?
Hi Ben, please can you add:
Frosthymn (Russia)
Latest release from Ene "The Ruined Temple" (EP)
Latest release from Kêres "Skryer of the Lighthouse"
Uhka - "Yön tälle puolen"
Xificurk (Poland)
They/Live - "Nature & Structure" (2025)
Synthy, poppy, electronic goodness right here. Perfect soundtrack to ease me into the working day. Was a fan of their previous effort "Ablation" but this is a step up.
For May 25 please Sonny:
Onirophagus - "Landsickness" (from "Revelations from the Void", 2025)
Kowloon Walled City - "Sleep Debt" (from "Gambling on the Richter Scale", 2009)
Black Bile - "L'Oratoire" (from "L'Oratoire", 2023)
Pentagram - "Walk The Sociopath" (from "Lightning in a Bottle", 2025)
Year of the Cobra - "Full Sails" (from "Year of the Cobra", 2025)
Morast - "On Pyre" (from "Fentanyl", 2025)
Cradle of Filth - "When Misery Was A Stranger" (from "The Screaming of the Valkyries", 2025)
16 - "Blood Atonement Blues" (from "Guides for the Misguided", 2025)
Wren "Black Rain Falls" (2025)
Wren is one of the most unmetal sounding band names that could be picked really. One step up from Sparrow or Dunnock I suppose but still leans heavily on the lame side of the bird world. Whilst it may not be the most threatening name in the world metal, Wren does fit the atmospheric sludge of this London four piece as they explore a vast and dense landscape across their third album, Black Rain Falls. Foraging through punishingly slow riffs, flitting between ethereal density and atmospheric ecosystems and nesting in the rafters of the solid structures of the seven tracks on offer.
Describing themselves as a ‘blackened noise band’ (at least according to the Spotify bio anyway) could not be further from the truth, as there is no noisy element to this record. The agonising pace of album highlight, ‘Toil in the Undergrowth’ is testimony to how captivating atmospheric sludge is. By the time the first riff lands we are three minutes into the track. Those hoarse and tormented vocals heralding the arrival of the track proper perfectly as that riff crashes in behind them. This album is full of Neurosis and Isis influences, and as a result had me hooked from the off. Songs feel like they are expanding even though there is little in the way of variation to suggest this is naturally the case. Any progression is deliberate and measured, feeling organic and unforced.
Tracks often end feeling like very little has happened in the way of change once the established format has been engineered, but still, I get sense of total satisfaction from the majority of what is on offer here. The interlude in the middle of the record feels a bit out of place though, even though it does in some ways introduce the dense, bassy opening of ‘Metric of Grief' nicely. Album closer ‘Scorched Hinds’ is one of the more obvious Neurosis sounding tracks, with its shifts and swells accompanied by chiming guitar notes that remind me of Kowloon Walled City. There is a lot to like in the simplicity of Black Rain Falls and it stands out as one of my happier new finds in The Fallen clan of late.
Thanks all.
After 17 years (little over 2.5 married) me and my wife have agreed to go our separate ways. Amicable thankfully, so no yelling and shouting. Hard few months ahead but looking forwards to some solitude at the end of it.
Ninkharsag - "The Black Swords of Winter" (2025)
Liverpool (UK) based black metallers, Ninkharsag caught my attention with their sophomore, The Dread March of Solemn Gods back in 2021. Claiming four well-earned stars for their efforts on that one, the future looked promising for what started out as a one-man project back in 2009 and had since grown into a four-piece band. Their brand of charging, rampant melodic black metal, instantly brought the likes of Dissection and Sacramentum to mind. Coupled with some Watain-like intensity, the sound of Ninkharsag soon found favour with these ears.
This EP nicely scratches my Ninkharsag itch as I wait for the next full-length. Continuing their themes of ancient history, magic and occultism, The Black Swords of Winter is a raging torrent of melodic black metal that ticks more than enough boxes for me over the six tracks on offer. Suitably opened by a moody and atmospheric intro track, the EP soon picks up the pace and barely lets up for the next twenty-two-minutes. Muhammad Candra’s artwork absolutely represents the icy content that lies within. As the flames of the dragon on the cover suggest, any burn here is a cold one.
It is nice to find a band in my local area that are forging a solid path through a ton of (mostly) unremarkable black metal releases so far this year. The nods to the Swedish bands mentioned above never feel like unbridled worship and they retain a freshness to the sound, like new life is somehow being breathed into a tried and tested formula. Looking forwards still to the next full length offering, if they can keep this standard up, it should be another winner.
4/5
Met with Gen Prac. Nothing conclusive, so we get to navigate the American Healthcare system. I have to schedule a catscan/mri. I have been feeling quite a bit better the last few days and I'm really hoping it's something small like my glass being out of focus (got new ones) or something trivial like that.
Sorry to hear this although I am sure you will be fine.
Gràb - Kremess (2025)
I was around some thirty albums into a black metal in 2025 discovery trip this week and if I am honest, I was starting to despair. Other than a couple of brief glimmers of hope which I will save the detail of for some further reviews, I was starting to think that 2025 was going to be a barren year. Now, there are a couple of caveats to that initial view, the first being that in general I make no effort to stay on top of new releases. Secondly, I am solely going off the new bm releases added to MA, so there will inevitably be gaps at whatever point of the year I bother to look since we cannot possibly capture all releases in these output trigger happy days that we live in. Anyway, after sitting through two of Drowning the Light’s five albums they have released so far this year, and wondering why the hell I was bothering, I finally landed on German duo, Gràb (German for “grey/old”).
I have listened to a lot of black metal over the years and the albums that I hold in high regard all exude passion for their artform. In a sub-genre that champions the minimalist approach it is easy to become lost in a sea of raw, primitive and yet utterly emotionless music. There is absolutely a time and place for that, however with where I am at in my bm musings nowadays I like to hear some heart in what I am listening to. Luckily for me, Gràb are full of passion for what they do. Yes, the melodicism helps no end here. That smattering of doomy atmosphere also does much to enhance the experience. But at the very core of Kremess is the undeniable presence of musicians revelling in what they love doing and in turn letting the listener revel in the majesty of the music they produce.
The Bavarian lyrics may be completely undecipherable to me, but it does not matter one bit. I feel I can still connect with the whole experience of Kremess regardless. There is a lot going on instrumentally here as well. With viola, flute and dulcimer all being deployed alongside keyboards, guitar, bass and drums, Kremess offers a real gamut of instrumentation. Yet nothing is ever allowed to override the core bm offering of the band’s sound. As eclectic as some of the instrument choices may seem, they are cleverly deployed and incorporated into the overall aesthetic. Gràb know how to write songs, and it shows in abundance here.
Produced by Empyrium’s Markus Stock, the members of Empyrium contribute light touches to parts of the album. The choral elements Thomas Helm adds on Im Hexnhoiz (A Weihraz-Gschicht, Kapitel Oans) and Deifeszeig add real depth to both tracks with the former being one of the standout moments on the album for me. It would be easy to get fooled by the slightly amateur (yet still somehow charming) artwork on the album cover that this is a base bm record that will be full icy atmospherics, and do not get me wrong, they are there. However, Kremess possesses a majesty to the grim musings that make up the eight tracks on offer. My initial fear that it was too long at fifty-five minutes was soon dispelled as the arrangement of the album is just as top notch as the content.
Triumphs such as Vom Gråb im Moos (A Weihraz-Gschicht, Kapitel Zwoa) at the midway point of the record and on album closer Dà letzte Winter, make the duration seem more than worth it. This record ends as strong as it starts, something which I rarely feel listening to new music nowadays. Hands down the best release of 2025 so far, Kremess restores my faith in black metal amidst the slew of gazey, avant garde releases (who needs samba black metal??) that was starting to seem the norm so far this year. It does of course also set the bar high from here on in.
5/5
Hi Ben, could you add the new EP from Ninkharsag please? The Black Swords of Winter.
Hi Ben, could you add the new album from Year of the Cobra please?
Here you go Sonny:
Kvist - "Stupet" (from "For kunsten maa vi evig vike", 1996)
Ungfell - "Im Ruusch" (from "De Ghörnt", 2024)
Satanic Warmaster - "Harken the Bells of Damnation" (from "Exultation of Cruelty", 2024)
Ruïm - "Fall of Seraphs" (from "Black Royal Spiritism - I - O Sino da lgreja", 2023)
March 2025
1. Metallica – “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” (from “Master of puppets”, 1986) [Submitted by Sonny]
2. Prong – “One Outnumbered” (from “Cleansing”, 1994) [Submitted by Vinny]
3. Power Trip – “Crossbreaker” (from ”Manifest Decimation”, 2013)
4. Onslaught - “Bow Down to the Clowns” (from “Generation Antichrist”, 2020)
5. Sepultura – “Last Time” (from “Quadra”, 2020) [Submitted by Daniel]
6. Hobbs Angel of Death – “The Journey” (from “Hobbs’ Satan’s Crusade”, 2003) [Submitted by Daniel]
7. Rampage – “Terrortaphobia” (from “Veil of Mourn”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]
8. Agressa - “Tunks” (from “Nuclear Death”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]
9. Mass Confusion – “Die by the Ward” (from “The Demos 88-92”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
10. Celtic Frost - “Fainted Eyes” (from “To Mega Therion”,1985) [Submitted by Sonny]
11. Kingdom of Hate- “Prayer” (from “The Search”, 2009) [Submitted by Sonny]
12. Massakre – “Red September” (from “Crematorium”, 2005) [Submitted by Sonny]
13. Mayhemic – “Triumph Portrait” (from “Toba”, 2024) [Submitted by Sonny]
14. Nimrod - “Mortality of the Sea” (from “Legacy of the Dead”, 2023) [Submitted by Sonny]
15. Possessed – “Burning in Hell” (from “Seven Churches”, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny]
16. Razor – “Edge of the Razor” (from “Violent Restitution”, 1988) [ Submitted by Sonny]
17. Fallen Angel - “Ice” (from “Faith Fails”, 1992)
18. Grinder – “Hymn for the Isolated” (from “Nothing is Sacred”, 1991)
19. Impaler – “Vicious Dreams” (from “Wake Up Screaming”, 1990)
20. Ulysses Siren – “Leviathan” (from “Above the Ashes”, 2003)
21. Pest Control – “P.M.C.” (from “Year of the Pest”, 2024)
22. Despair – “Decay of Humanity” (from “Decay of Humanity”, 1990)
23. Witchtrap – “Lemmy” (from “Trap the Witch”, 2015)
24. Violent Sin – “Malicious Stirring” (from “Serpent’s Call”, 2023)
25. Warbringer – “A Better World” (from “Wrath and Ruin”, 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]
26. Sadus – “it’s the Sickness” (from “The Shadow Inside”, 2023)
27. Heathen – “Dead and Gone” (from “Empire of the Blind”, 2020)
28. Battlecreek – “King of Rats” (from “Maze of the Mind”, 2024)
29. Take Offense – Assassination” (from “T.o.tality”,2024)
30. Refore – “Illusion of Existence” (from “Illusion of Existence”, 2024)
31. Megadeth – “Lucretia” (from “Rust in Peace”, 1990) [Submitted by SaxyS)
Mala - "Mirrors" (2016)
Pentagram - Lightning in a Bottle (2025)
After over five decades of drugs, crime and doom, Bobby Liebling returns with a whole new line up, some ten years after Pentagram's last album. Although I do not follow Pentagram releases (in fact, I lost track right after their self-titled debut if I am honest) but something about that vibrant artwork caught my eye and I thought to myself that if the content of the album was anywhere near as focused as the cover art then this could be a real treat. As it turns out, I am more than half correct. There are some absolute bangers on this record. Although I had not caught any of them as singles the three tracks that came out prior to the album release are all strongly written affairs. The opening track, Live Again certainly lives up to its billing as with the new line up in full flow, Pentagram sound just as good now as they did forty or fifty years ago.
Touching on psychedelia, stoner rock, hard rock and classic rock alongside the more doom-laden side to proceedings, Lightning in a Bottle is actually quite a varied affair. Full of lyrical absurdities ("I spoke to Death last night, he wore a nightmare gown, and when I spoke your name, he turned his eyes down to the ground" - from "I Spoke to Death") and widdling solos, all performed to a backdrop of solid and consistent percussion, I found this record way more interesting than I expected. The artists Bobby has recruited might have their moments of mistiming here and there (which somehow is just acceptable) but overall they have put together eleven consistent tracks. Unafraid to play with pace and tempo, the band create a distinct feeling of balance over the album. Starting off with the previously praised opening track, Live Again and then closing the album with the deliciously doomy Walk the Sociopath, Pentagram have managed to achieve a complete album experience here.
Whilst not flawless, all the tracks belong here and bring something unique to the table. Whether it is the spiralling, fuzzy chaos of Lady Heroin or the solid and direct punch of Thundercrest, most tracks leave a mark for me as I have listened through the album a few times today. Above all else, I am impressed with how good Liebling sounds. The guy is 71 for fuck's sake! On here he puts in a shift that belies any stereotypes linked to his age. Energetic, reflective and even outright thoughtful, Liebling gives a truly stellar showing here. Props also to guitarist Tony Reed who manages to mark his own identity on the record whilst still somehow staying true to the Pentagram sound at the same time. The bonus tracks on the digital version are not essential and of the main listing I can genuinely only call out I'll Certainly See You In Hell and Solve the Puzzle as being the items that should have been left on the cutting room floor.
4/5
Well, this was a neat little find as I went through the feature releases this month. My usual excuse of not having the time to listen to much of the releases was left to one side by virtue of this being an EP. That twenty-one minute run time was perfect for me to perform a few smash and grab raids on Contra iglesia y estado on breaks between work calls and it even accompanied a few workouts this past week also. What kept it on such frequent rotation was the obvious passion for their art that Dekapited clearly have. As thrash metal continues to be viewed with that regurgitated/retro lensed glasses on, it is clear that this band are just out for the fun of it. High energy levels with a consistent and scathing attack make for a very entertaining experience indeed for me.
Laden with Sepultura and Sodom vibes, Contra iglesia y estado does little to reinvent the wheel, and it is stronger as a result of this in my book. I cannot point to any weak tracks on here, even though the overall rating still sitting below a five star mark does mean that I equally cannot flag this EP as being truly remarkable overall. However, what is here is powerful sounding stuff. The blows hit with a consistent level of force and are certainly not pulling any punches as they rain down on the listener. The ferocious form of Chilean thrash that we have come to know and love (well me at least) from the likes of Critical Defiance and Ripper is certainly coursing through the veins of Dekapited as well.
The appeal of this EP for me is its earthiness. It sounds like a true reflection of the band. Never tryingto be something that they are not, Dekapited here simply play the music they love and provide a fine celebration of thrash metal at its best. Short, sharp and succinct whilst being delivered with a hell of a level of grit this leaves me full of promise for further exploration of their discography. My only reservation is how they make this style of balls to the wall intense thrash metal interesting across a full length release, but I guess I will have to wait and see.
4/5
Only just seen this. Actually just perfect for what I am looking for. Thanks for sharing.
For March please Sonny:
Shadowspawn - "Sacrament of Deceit" (from "Blasphemica", 2023)
Analepsy - "Witness of Extinction" (from "Atrocities from Beyond", 2017)
Unmerciful - "Ravenous Impulse" (from "Ravenous Impulse", 2016)
Waking the Cadaver - "Blood Splattered Satisfaction" (from "Peverse Recollections of a Necromancer", 2007)
Engulfed - "Occult Incantations" (from "Unearthly Litanies of Despair", 2024)
Twilight Glimmer - "Fate of Mankind" (from "Indignation", 2013)
Gatecreeper - "Patriarchal Grip" (from "Sonoran Depravation", 2016)
Obscura - "Silver Linings" (from "A Sonification", 2025)
Blood Red Throne - "Revocation of Humankind" (from "Union of Flesh and Machine", 2016)
Vinny, Karl, Xephyr, as Daniel has stepped back from the playlists and features you may now submit up to 30 minutes of suggestions.
Please submit your suggestions by 15th March for inclusion in the April playlist.
Got ya.
Vinny & Karl, as Daniel has stepped back from the playlists and features, you may now both submit up to 40 minutes worth of suggestions for the playlist.
Please submit them by 15th February for inclusion on the March playlist.
Daniel, if you still want to submit some then that is fine by me, your knowledge of the clan far exceeds my own and your picks better informed as a result, so are always welcome.
Thanks Sonny
Vinny, as it is just me and you now suggesting tracks for the Fallen playlist you may now submit up to 50 minutes worth (I will reserve some time for less popular sub-genres that you and I don't cover with our submissions).
Submissions by 15th April for May's playlist please.
I hear ya big man
Having recently rated every single 2024 release cover over a couple of weeks, it got me thinking about whether others use similar criteria to me. I know not everyone here is interested in rating covers, but as a lifelong lover of art, I think I value it more than many other metal fans. Below is a list of things that I love / hate, with so many of the ratings I give to covers being influenced by these aspects. I thought I'd provide some examples of each as well, just for fun.
As always, it's fine if you disagree with my assessments or processes. There is no wrong answer when assessing art, despite our tendency as humans to feel otherwise. And yes, I generally overthink everything in life.
1. Genre appropriate art will always rate higher
It's true that a good album cover is a good album cover, but it can be off-putting when, as an example, a doom metal album has a cover that would be more appropriate on a thrash metal album. I think thrash metal is a pretty good genre to showcase this. Would the latest Evildead cover be good for a gothic metal release? No, it would be weird. But it screams thrash metal, with a mixture of fun silliness and the political / environmental themes so prevalent in the genre while still being an attractive piece of art. There are themes that pop up for all the clans and when a cover jumps out as "feeling" wrong for the genre, I can't help but rate it accordingly.
2. Logos should be present, appropriate and positioned well
No matter how good the artwork is, I will always lower scores when a logo is not present on a cover. It's an album cover! If it doesn't have a logo, it's just a piece of art. Logos should also be appropriate for the material. I don't want to see an ineligible jagged black metal logo on a heavy metal release, nor do I want to see a pink fluffy logo on a brutal death metal release. Finally, logos can have a massively positive impact on a cover when they are positioned well. Often that means centre top, but other times they're better placed elsewhere to allow the artwork to have more impact. It's not a science, with symmetry and "feel" coming into play. Below (Thron's Pilgrim) is a good example of a pretty cool logo (that itself has great symmetry) for which it's positioning improves the overall impact of the art. The only question I had was whether it was ever so slightly interfered by overlapping with the face, but then that somehow seems fitting given the torturous position of the subject. Yes, these are the things that I think about!
3. No degrading or real life images of trauma / death / excrement
In a way I'm almost grateful for bands that put horrific real-life images of crushed heads, the results of suicide, and people shitting in the mouths of others. It allows me to ignore those releases entirely. I have zero respect for any artist that thinks it's cool to adorn their art with disgustingly offensive or blatantly inappropriate real world imagery, no matter how good their music is. It's just another reason why outsiders look upon metal fans with such disdain. That said, while I'm still not always a big fan of it, I have less hostility towards non-photo representations of violence. Violence very obviously has a place in metal, and many of my favourite album covers have an element of destruction, evil and death. There's a big difference between a painted image of a serial killer surrounded by butchered cadavers and an actual photo of a raped, decapitated body.
4. Fantasy, Horror and Sci-Fi will always get my attention
I admit it! I'm a massive geek. When I'm not listening to metal, I'm reading comics, playing videogames and watching horror, science fiction or fantasy movies / tv series. I've been obsessed with all things genre since I was a little boy (yes, Daniel and I collected Masters of the Universe figures and had watched every Friday the 13th, Halloween, Evil Dead and Nightmare on Elm Street by our early teens). I'm always going to be more attracted to album covers that cover these themes, whether it be the horror of The North and The Horde, the science fiction of the The Infinite and The Sphere or the incredible fantasy artwork that adorns The Guardians. On the flipside, I have far less interest in militaristic or purely historical imagery that doesn't crossover into genre. All this probably explains why Iron Maiden's album covers grabbed me instantly and have never let go!
5. Cutesy has no place in metal
Call me a traditionalist, but I just can't associate cutesy, cartoony imagery with anything related to metal. I know Anime has a lot of fans, but I instantly dish out low ratings to any album cover adorned by cutesy, big-eyed young girls, no matter how disconcertingly large their breasts are. Each to their own, but it's an immediate nope for me.
6. What's with all the cassette insert covers!?
Are there really metal fans out there listening to all their metal releases through cassette players? I highly doubt it, so why are so many bands making album covers seemingly designed to print out and fold into cassette cases. They make for awful covers and make the band seem completely amateurish. Where is the demand for this coming from?
7. I'm a sucker for symmetry and a central character
I've already mentioned symmetry and I think that's probably one of the main draw factors for me. I don't think I consciously realised it, but when I look at all my higher rated images, so many of them have a central character that draws the eyes to it, with a background that sets the mood and gives a sense of place while often building on that symmetry. The below image (Silhouette's Les dires de l'âme) is a very good example of this. Not only are the central character and the logo dead centre, but all of the imagery around them is entirely symmetrical. I find this highly satisfying, which probably says a lot about my general OCD behaviour (without which this site would certainly not exist).
I'm sure I could come up with more, but I'd like to hear from others. Do you care about album covers at all? What works for you and what doesn't?
With the exception of his cassette cover comments, Ben has basically hit the nail on the head with his post here. Item number 3 around degrading images of women is one particular sore point for me. Album covers that just scream "TITS" are just telling me not to bother listening. Similarily, the endless covers featuring sadistic, obese, bald and ugly as fuck males hacking bits off women hold very little interest for the same reason.
With regards to AI in art - it's not art, simple as for me. Seeing AI in use in hospital settings (for example) makes me think it is literally the greatest change of my lifetime. For me, there is a fine line between optimisation and AI as the latter should give you new data points, not just streamline existing processes and flows. So in this example getting a computer to do the artwork for you is just a waste of the technology in my book, before we even get to it being a giant slap in the face for artists.
P.S. if we can start a "Preachy Twat" clan then I am all over that.
I have a spreadsheet that is far less detailed than Ben/Daniel's version - mine is more of a catalogue as opposed to a ratings calculator though. Whilst the above method looks great, I don't have the time nor the patience to undertake such tasks so all credit to the boys for following this.
My lists would change so often that I would never keep up with them if I am honest. Just like those above, I have mainstays (first two Morbid Angel and Obituary records will always be top four I suspect) and that is largely down to me experiencing them under circumstances I can never recreate - in the main being young and capturing music that spoke to me so well in that youthful state of mind. As a result, most of what has come after the age of 21 that has made any list is virtually guaranteed to be interchangeable unless I heard it at a particularly difficult point in my life which added meaningfulness.
In short, lists are for nerds and catalogues rule.
Would you put me on rotation for The Fallen clan please Andi?
Negura Bunget - "Om" (2006)
Revisiting some of the discoveries I made during my time here at Metal Academy and I had clean forgotten I had this on CD. Still as impressive to my ears as it was when I reviewed this back in 2021:
It would be fair to say that my first encounter with Negura Bunget was not a resoundingly positive experience. My review of their 2002 offering ‘N Crugu Bradului alluded to me finding their lack of grounding to be disorientating and confusing. The obstacles that I hit there were in a shortened format for a full-length release at only four tracks and came across as being a gush of ideas without any of them really being developed fully and thus it sounded like they were just there for the hell of it.
Fast forward four years and the band released what many have claimed to be their crowning glory in the equally varied and more expansive, Om. From the off, I get along with this record instantly as it has presence that is felt before we ever get to any music being played. The ambient and haunting opening track might sound to some like a man whispering and eventually shouting in a field but to the more conscientious listener there is a dark undertone set by this opening three minutes on the album that never leaves. In fact, it permeates the album as it pervades all eleven tracks. Even in the “jollier” folk moments there is still this sense of a mournful tone to proceedings.
It is not that Om uses less influences as such or borrows from less genres and styles. It is obvious this time around that this glut of directions gets applied much more coherently on the album. Ideas feel much more well-developed here and not just thrown together. As the album evolves it unlocks folk, ambient, black metal, post-rock and progressive passages that may not always compute as being the next logical step in a track or indeed the track listing itself, but they are executed with such attention to detail that they rarely fail to hit the spot.
This album is far too much to take in on one listen. As a standalone record – which is how I really should be viewing it given my limited experience of the band – this is a truly remarkable opus that requires close and repeated listening to truly understand the extent of its depth. There are elements of symphonia thrown in here that could fall out of any Emperor or Summoning record, but they are not too grandiose to become a distraction.
It is an album that is driven by an engine of drums that at first listen you might not pick up on the quality of. My limited understanding of the band is that the now deceased drummer was the last remaining member of the band following the exit of all other members. The performance here (before the reshuffle) is commanding without being domineering, so the drums feel like they are maintaining the pace but are not entirely steering things on their own. With clever little runs and fills they make for a very entertaining venture when listened to in some sense of isolation from the rest of the instrumentation and vocals.
My overarching thoughts on Om are very positive. The album may well be conceptual in some parts given the epic sense of it being some movie soundtrack. Alternatively, it may just be very well written and could well be the career defining release that I have heard it described to be.
4.5/5
Sorcerer - “Devotion” (2024)
Having been a one time elitist, “all core is shit” type (until a few years of MA was under my belt at least), the metalcore world still occupies a very rare level of content in my listening habits. On paper at least, metalcore should not be that alien a concept to me. That combination of hardcore punk and the extreme elements of metal is a sum that I should have no problem with the outcome of. I don’t mind hardcore punk and I obviously love me some extreme metal. However, I think that true combination is not there in most of what I hear from the sub-genre, all too often getting infused with other elements that aren’t necessarily as advertised. Enter Sorcerer’s 2024 album, Devotion. This absolutely fits the above described blueprint perfectly.
Sorcerer are angry. Not “my Mom took my Game Boy off me because I called her fat” angry though. More of a gnarly level of pissed off that wouldn’t sound out of place on an Agnostic Front record. Devotion is a real middle finger to the world type of album that certainly gets things off its chest whilst still deploying a strong ear for melody and pacing as it goes along. Simply put, I could put Devotion on all day (in the right mood) and not need to change the record. It possesses a level of angst that somehow is not intrusive, a sort of “getting on with it in the background whilst I do my ironing” kind of vibe. Occasionally I am more engaged with it more than I am others because I too hate relationships/people in general (for example). As it stands Devotion has been on everyday for about three weeks. In the car, on the beanie earphones whilst in bed, in the office whilst I continue to battle the corporate monstrosity that I work for and even whilst gaming of late (this would make a healthy addition to the radio in GTA in particular I think).
My (largely untrained) ear picks up elements of Converge (whose You Fail Me album got a revisit off the back of listening to this Sorcerer record) and I am also reminded a lot of the gnarlier aspects of some crossover thrash that I have heard over the years also. The energy levels are high for pretty much all of the record yet as I mentioned above, there is some care, some level of thought and attention to Devotion also. Closing track Someone Else’s Skin, for example, starts off with a scathing almost bm tremolo sounding riff before veering into more familiar punk territory, settling into those crossover moments nicely again for me. However, by the end of the track we have gone through some almost tender moments of reflection and contemplation, giving the track a real wholesome feel. The photograph on the cover of the album is probably one of the best representations of what actually lies beneath. Battle-hardened, wounded and ugly as fuck music with the tenderness of those tears on the soldiers face suggesting the depth I have been able to describe.
4/5
Exhumed - "Limb from Limb" (from "Gore Metal", 1998)
I've already nominated an Exhumed track Vinny. Do you want to choose something else mate?
Sorry, it can be scrapped.
New The Pit playlist release schedule as follows:
There will be no February 25 playlist.
The playlist will recurr quarterly moving forwards, starting in March 25.
Submissions for Feb's playlist will be honored for March.
Deadline for submission of tracks (Max 40 mins for clan members) is still the 15th of the month before the playlist is published:
For June 25 playlist = 15th May
For Sept 25 playlist = 15th Aug
For Dec 25 playlist = 15th Nov
There’s nine clans, all to my knowledge still covered by a member to programme them. Sonny is master of three clans and Andi of at least two that I counted.
Although the consensus seems to be that people enjoy putting the lists together, I am sure nobody sees the connection with them that they think is going to happen.
I would suggest that in the spirit of keeping the playlists alive (if only for the pleasure of the members involved) that we just rotate a clan per month into the playlist, a sort of “Featured Clan Playlist” format that covers all the clans over 9 months and then just starts again. This facilitates programmers being able to cover more than one clan, without having additional time burdens and the nomination system can still be deployed.
I will be honest, having reviewed the above and seeing the “open” option for playlist frequency, I am looking at only doing The Pit playlist on a quarterly basis (from March) anyway.
Maybe even align the clan feature release with featured clan playlist for that month to avoid burnout with that also?
Just suggestions mind, but whilst I admire the dedication being shown here, it is not going to grow the site by largely doing the same things.
First of all, I am sorry to read that you are having some health issues Daniel. I too have slightly damaged hearing and you are right to protect your eardrums as best you can.
Secondly, the playlists as a concept are both rewarding and unrewarding at the same time. Rewarding because I get to discover some great music in programming the Pit playlist but unrewarding because the uptake on listens is low. I am lucky if I get chance to listen to one of my clan playlists over the course of a month and equally, staying on top of the feature releases requires me to remember to create the time against a hefty workload, fitness and family schedule.
Although the features and playlists are a couple of things that keep MA a unique experience, I do not believe we have the footprint to justify continuing them. I say that with a really heavy heart since as a concept I really like the site. Even if they are only discontinued for a period of time, I sense they will never come back.
There’s no way I could takeover The North or The Horde playlists, as much as I would love to have a run at either, I am barely finding time for The Pit playlist.
In short, as hard as it is to say, I think both the feature releases and playlists should be stood down, even if only on an interim basis.
Anthony Linell - "Outlines (Repurposed) - 2013-2019"
I am on around my seventh or eighth listen through of Matter of a Darker Nature as I write this review. With Turkish death metal being somewhat of an unexplored geography for me it has been surprising to see such a healthy influence from Suffocation, even though they are the band with probably the most copied style in all of death metal (well Incantation aside maybe). As I have sat with this album over the past couple of weeks, I have swung between being in awe of the technical mastery that unites effortlessly with the more brutal elements of the sound and wondering if this is just outright Suffocation worship or even plagiarism. If I am honest, I think both reactions have a degree of validity to them. However, whilst this style of death metal is well-known to be plagiarised for years, it does still require a level of technical ability to execute this well.
Wherever your standpoint is, Carnophage certainly have the years of playing under their belts to have honed their art form. Playing as one of the key acts in the Turkish Death Metal movement (TRDM – founded by Cenotaph’s Batu Çetin) for nearly twenty years clearly, they are more than just a Suffocation tribute act. The sound on their third album is monstrous to say the least. From the very start there is a suffocating (pun intended) element to the weight of the riffs and when combined with that stabbing urgency that features through the album, it all soon comes together to suggest a group of musicians who are of a significant level of repute. Onur Özçelik on the drums is unbelievable at times. The successes of Matter of a Darker Nature would be much reduced without his presence I sense.
However, as a band, they sound like a tight unit overall. Pace changes seem to be done as shifts as opposed to jarring hairpin turns. Even in the more frenetic moments everyone seems to be in line with everyone else. No one instrument or performance dominates proceedings yet at the same time all the component parts can establish themselves notably. They remind me of Blood Red Throne in places whilst also echoing elements of Defeated Sanity also.
What places the cherry on the cake for the record is the measured songwriting that leads to a succinct run time of just over thirty-two minutes. This makes for a real palatable experience for me since my experience of some technical brutal death metal albums is that they are either quite lengthy or all tracks fall into a three-minute maximum time limit and are over before I can blink. With only one song kissing the five-minute mark, it appears that Carnophage know how to showcase their skills without overstaying their welcome or falling into formulaic territory.
4/5
Wyatt E. - "Zamāru Ultu Qereb Ziqquratu Part 1"
Mesopotamian myth obssessed, drone/doom band, Wyatt E. have released their third full-length on 10th January. Never heard of these Belgians and drone is not usually my thing, but the history angle intrigues me enough to want to check it out regardless.
Onirophagus "Revelations from the Void"
Spanish death doom due out 17th January. Two tracks streaming over on their bc page. This will be their third album, first one since 2019.
Häxkapell - "Om jordens blod och urgravens grepp"
Swedish one-man bm out Häxkapell releases his sophmore album some four years after his debut Eldhymner. The two promo tracks are decent enough to see me park this for a full run through when it is released on 17th January.
Feathers - "If All Here Now" 2013
Instead of just endless metal records this year, I have set myself the challenge of discovering at least one new non-metal artist or album a week in 2025. Feathers was an easy pick up after I heard the song Dark Matter on GTA V, Mirror Park Radio the other evening and I soon found myself knee deep in the driving synthpop and dreamy indietronica of If All Here Now which is the artists only album to date. It is a hook-laden and enchanting listen would please any Depeche Mode or Cold Cave fan.
Standouts are the superb opening track Land of the Innocent, the infectious Familiar So Strange and the brooding Leaves Start Trembling.
4/5
Strong month. For a start, we have Kvist and Thorns on here with tracks from two of my favourite albums. Then we have Drudkh and Immortal too boot, again with tracks pulled from two great albums. Missed both the Ungfell and Nachtmystium albums from last year and so seeing those tracks put me on to two decent (if not all that remarkable) releases I had missed. Could not get on with that Bathory track or whatever the hell the final track was, but still a great accompaniment to this icy cold weather we are having in England.
Technical thrash?
Here's my review:
There is a lot for me to like about Excursion Demise. In theory at least, those clear Demolition Hammer and Dark Angel influences postively kick down the front door as the album announces its own arrival with a an intensity level touching on nuclear. Everything is frenzied more or less from the off (well once the fade up of the intro lapses), and with a vocal style that I always feel sounds like the lyrics are tripping over the music in some clumsy yet somehow with a rhythmic relationship to the music, things look promising for Invocator early on. The drums also show a welcome presence on the opening, title track. Not technical as such, but interesting enough to be able to mix it up whilst hitting a consistent level of power at the same time, against a mix that does not necessarily sound like it wants to help them at all. I am unsure though as to why the band elected to put in a thirty-two second track instead of just using it as an intro to what they bill as track number three, yet to me it is all clearly one track?? It is not a massive issue but is certainly an early annoyance.
Strong start though it has, Excursion Demise suffers badly from a poor production job on the guitars. The riffs are lacking any power in the mix at all, playing at times as if they are black metal riffs, such is their lack of meat. Conversely, the sonic chaos that I would describe the lead work as being offers a much more scathing and memorable experience for me. It is like the guitars got recorded on a different day inside a barrel with just a couple of holes in it, whilst the rest of the instruments and vocals got done in a studio proper. Whlst I can still put the album down as being overall a suitably frenzied and frantic experience for my metal tastes, the rhythm guitar does ultimately detract from my otherwise positive listening experience here. Only on the excellent The Persistance from Memorial Chasm comes close to being able to overcome these production struggles but if ever there was a case for a remix of an album, Excursion Demise is top of the list in my book.
Still, for me to find an album of this style from the 90's that I had never heard of before (although I recognise their sophomore, Weave the Apocalypse from programming the playlist) is a good enough treat. There are not many albums of this intensity that I discover on a frequent basis. Just as I thought I had swept the decks clean of most decent thrash metal releases from back in the day, Ben churns one up as a feature release to keep me on my toes. I just wish the quality of the production, matched the quality of the music. Whether a conscious effort or not (I doubt it was conscious) it is the main thing that keeps Excursion Demise away from the higher scores range.
3.5/5
Obvs it’s Ulcerate all the way for me. I am such a fan boy of them though. By comparison, I found that Blood Incantation record to be an absolute yawnfest! Civerous didn’t move me all that much on reflection. I would add Vitriol (USA) and Noxis’ records from this year also.
Also Replicant, Gatecreeper and Slimelord.
I would suggest Mayhemic's "Toba" - only discovered it yesterday mind thanks to Sonny, but it is superb blackened thrash metal.
For Feb please Ben:
The Great Old Ones - "Me, the Dreamer" (from "Kadath", 2024)
Ellende - "Ballade Auf Den Tod" (from "Todbringer", 2016)
For Feb please Daniel:
The Fallen Prophets - "Beneath the Veil of Flesh" (from "Beneath the Veil of Flesh", 2024)
Black Curse - "Ruinous Paths…" (from "Burning in Celestial Poison", 2024)
Revocation - "Lessons in Occult Theft" (from "Netherheaven", 2022)
Burn Down Eden - "Fake News for Breakfast" (from "Epiphany", 2024)
Vitriol - "Flowers of Sadism" (from "Suffer & Become", 2024)
Exhumed - "Limb from Limb" (from "Gore Metal", 1998)
For Feb please Sonny:
Paradise Lost - "No Forgiveness" (from "Shades of God", 1992)
Woods of Ypres - "Shards of Love" (from "Woods 4: The Green Album", 2009)
Slimelord - "The Hissing Moor" (from "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished", 2024)
Thanks all.