Vinny's Forum Replies

That Kaatayra record is barely bm in my book so has been given an appropriate rating of 2.

I have listened to it today and I agree that it is barely metal at all apart from the vocals and percussion, but it presents a bit of a dilemma because I still actually like it, so I have given it a 3.5.

As a non-metal record that's a fair score but I think it should be in that Hall thing for a decision.

That Kaatayra record is barely bm in my book so has been given an appropriate rating of 2.

Coprolith - "Putresence" (2026)

Dropping a 2026 discovery in here that I bought on Bandcamp recently.

If you’re going to essentially name your band “fossilized faeces” then you darn well better had make sure that your sound is some heavy shit. I can assure you dear reader, that box is firmly ticked on Putresence. Canadians, Coprolith waste absolutely no time whatsoever on their debut full length, coming straight out of the stocks fully armed with all manner of limbs, torn from previous unsuspecting listeners, being brandished like weapons and trophies at the same time. Ranging somewhere between the near crawl of death doom and the more mid-paced muddiness of modern acts like Fetid, Coprolith tread a consistent path in terms of quality yet are unafraid to stretch just enough to show that they have varied influences also.

Except you don’t pick up records such as this to find dashes of progressive wankery or lightning-fast solos. You pick up albums like these because they have ghastly artwork (a modern Altars of Madness take is what jumps to mind here) and even nastier, in fact fucking filthy, contents. Riffs carry weight and groove in equal amounts. The vocals are cavernous, reverberating around the room as you listen. The bass motoring along as but a distant rumble in the background whilst the drums chart a solid yet varied path across the tracks. Pacing and tempo ease down through gears seemingly effortlessly and just when you think we can’t go any lower you come back into consciousness face down on the floor of the bowels of Hades itself.

‘Defiling Incantation’ is a real standout track for the overall journey it takes you on as it shifts effortlessly in front of your very ears and eyes. Yet ‘Birthed by Remorseless Flames’ is straight out for the jugular, coming immediately afterwards with an almost jaunty, bouncy rhythm being deployed. Putresence is almost like a lesson in controlled ultra-violence, pitching that the speed of the attack is no more or less important than the intensity you generate in building into the offensive. In a way, you could argue that there is a bit of a loss of identity, or more likely a lack of clarity in some regards as the album does make changes regularly. However, to my ears at least, Coprolith have made a fantastic debut. It is a clear and believable statement of intent. Bring on the sophomore folks!

4/5

So far ten releases have gained sufficient ratings to be considered and currently sit thus:

1= Cryptic Shift Overspace & Supertime [4.33]

1= Fires in the Distance Circadian Promise [4.33]

3. Immolation Descent [4.25]

4. Slaughterday Dread Emperor [3.83]

5. At the Gates The Ghost of a Future Dead [3.67]

6= Fossilization Advent of Wounds [3.50]

6= Inferi Heaven Wept [3.50]

6= Invictus Nocturnal Visions [3.50]

9. Ectovoid In Unreality's Coffin [3.13]

10. Enshine Elevation [2.67]

I have listened to and rated a few of these but, tellingly, not the first two. I have just got my vinyl copy of the Immolation album and that would be my pick for the top at the minute, with Invictus and Fossilization not far behind.

Quoted Sonny

I listened through Fires in the Distance earlier, cowering at the propspect of it being too melodic for my death metal tastes, but I was actually surprised how well it flowed.  I am also two tracks into that Cryptic Shift album and not overly alienated by it but at the same time I cannot say I am enjoying it as much.  The 29 minute track that is second up on the album doesn't help it if I am honest.

I too have Immolation on vinyl.  I am aware of Slaughterday and Fossilization but none of the others so will check them out as I go this week.  Archspire can fuck off though.

“Buy everything they have put out! You will not be disappointed!”

“Perfect in every way.”

“Quite simply the best black metal album of this millennium…”

These are just some of the accolades posted on the Bandcamp page for this release. High praise indeed, as you can all see. For an artist that I have never heard of until this month, it appears that I may have been missing out on an underground treat based on these lashing of superlatives at least. With demos appearing as far back as 2009, Black Cilice are hardly a new outfit either. Perhaps their shady persona/s have kept them off my radar, given that “none” is the consistent lineup information for each release they have done (a similar trait to fellow Portuguese bm outfit, Candelabrum). The cavernous black metal, littered with Xasthur-esque howled vocals, produced with a muffled overall sound effect, certainly points to a one-man project. Raw is the order of the day here, and whilst that can spell “indecipherable tosh” for some ears, to me it is my preferred style nowadays.

Having done a couple of listens through the record now, I am not as excited by it as some of those exuberant reviewers are. Likewise, I cannot say I dislike the album either. One of the key aspects that I do find challenging are the raw values in the production, as they aren’t all that raw to my ears. The vocals most certainly are, but the rest of the sound has such a muffled filter applied that it almost blunts the rawness of the intended approach. This can make listening to tracks quite a jolting and disorientating experience (closing track ‘Boiling Corpses’ being a particularly difficult one to follow).

Yet, I must balance the above against the melodic tremolo that shines through on ‘Timeless Spectre’. Spending some headphone time with Banished from Time does unearth more detail that is otherwise buried in the initial, speaker-only based listening experience. The acute sense of isolation and desperation of the vocals take on a whole new level of impact when you bring the music that bit closer. It sounds like there is someone trapped somewhere cavernous, howling out all the negativity of their life in its most terrifying moment. I would describe Banished from Time as a culmination of sound. The pinnacle of pity, sorrow and suffocating misery laid bare in audible format. In a way it is acceptable for things to sound lost, for the component parts to clash in places to highlight the confusion around such a tumult of emotions. Maybe that jolting and disorientating effect is more intentional than I first thought. Definitely one for future revisits as not sure I have a full wrap around on this release yet.

3.5/5

Something about Impelling Rebirth just doesn’t stick with me. I have listened to it on various days, in different moods, with varying levels of focus and even if I sit and do nothing other than listen to the blackened death metal tropes of Suffering Hour, minimising all other distractions, it just sort of passes me by. I can see that they do carry an “avant-garde” tag depending on where you look on the internet, which I wouldn’t necessarily agree with; it is a frenzied experience to listen to Impelling Rebirth, but that doesn’t make it “avant-garde”. The furious, dashing nature of the compositions are certainly a challenge to keep up with mind, and very few stick around to get close to the four-minute mark. Given this is an EP, that is expected I suppose.

When the band settles down into a rhythm, it works extraordinarily well. These moments on ‘Revelation of Mortality’ and ‘Inexorable Downfall’ are the standout moments in an otherwise frenetically infused affair. This combination of Bölzer, DSO and Gorguts is fine in a more isolated instance but here there is too short a space for them all to work together with any sense of unity. I do think that some bands have a style that does not suit shortened formats. This has not put me off Suffering Hour and I do intend to revisit them on a full-length offering in the future, but I just can’t get my head around this EP.

3/5

It has gotten to the point now where it is laughable for me to have thought at one point that metalcore was not for me. It took me such a ridiculous amount of time to understand its quite simple roots, with those origins far from being alien to me. In some of its later formats, modern metalcore does get lost on me, with Rorschach’s debut however, this bemusement is not present. Whilst they appear to have only been a short-lived outfit, the New Jersey quintet made their presence felt on Remain Sedate. Their anti-authority messaging is delivered in a frenzied manner across the twelve tracks here and whilst I do find the sound to be a little thin, which possibly gives them extra points on the underground sound in some opinions, there is no denying their intentions here.

I do not find that Remain Sedate plays too well as background music; it is over far too quickly to be fully appreciated in such circumstances. On the version I have on Spotify, the album is combined with their final full-length release, Protestant and the variation is interesting to hear as the band move into a more screamed vocal style that embraces more sub-genres than the debut does. Remain Sedate though is the darker child of the two that the band birthed. Protestant certainly upped the ante with the grindcore elements and overall heaviness, but in terms of if one album is better than the other, I would argue that they are two different albums from two different points in time.

Whilst it may not start off the best (the opening to Pavlov’s Dogs does annoy me) the album soon settles into a consistent rhythm of a series of short, sharp shocks that jolt the listener along the way. Cleverly though, Rorschach do leave some spaces for breath and atmosphere such as the more “sedate” No one Dies Alone. Whilst this is an obvious change of pace the track lacks none of the grit that is so prevalent across the record. It is clear to see that Rorschach had hit their stride early on in their career and had some great ideas and control around them also. I would hazard a guess based on the second album that they probably went when they were supposed to.

4/5

I would also highlight that when I listened through this last night on YT, there was indeed a track with some jazzy flourishes anyway.  Not my bag regardless, despite being one of the fewer Sphere releases I have been able to sit through in full.

Nope.  Not feeling this one I am afraid.  My usual understanding of progressive elements on a record usually sound to me like it is all over the place as an opus, and this is exactly my experience here.  Not for me.

Ben, could you please add US (California) thrashers, Frolic?

Through no conscious effort on my part, I completely missed the Blaze-era albums that Maiden put out in the 90s. The fact that I have never heard or read a good word about that period anywhere has ensured that I have never bothered to find out if I was missing anything at all. I guess I am comfortable for once in not knowing if the criticism was justified or not. As such, listening to Brave New World is essentially me listening to the follow up to Fear of the Dark. Acknowledging that this approach does neglect an important comparator, it is still more than a valid reference to base my review on and arguably is unique amongst the Bayley-bashing that normally goes on.

Fear of the Dark was poor, making up for none of the lost ground that No Prayer for the Dying sacrificed before it. In my review scenario then, if I am not treating Brave New World as a standalone release, it has an easy task. The bar was already low, let’s be honest, before BB entered the fray. Brave New World feels like it would have been a great opportunity to kick on from the duller years and make this a proper reunion album that realised once again the glorious melodies that Maiden had for so many years been able to consistently deliver. And you know what? They almost get there. In fact, no, in fairness they do get there for some of the album. The first three tracks are consistent winners, well-written and hooky as you like. Later, too there are treats like ‘The Mercenary’, ‘The Nomad’ and ‘Out of the Silent Planet’. Whilst I could not go so far as to say the reunion is held together by the same glue that made them such a strong songwriting machine for so many years (Bruce does sound a little disconnected at times), it is encouraging to find some enjoyment from an artist I had all but written off some years before this album had been released.

Consistency is my main gripe with Brave New World. Tracks like ‘Blood Brothers’ and ‘Fallen Angel’ are just not of the same quality as the above-mentioned ones. The terrible closing track is perhaps one of the worst tracks I think Maiden have ever released and I can only guess that they simply had little other material to bring for consideration given the track is frankly laughably bad. Has this album managed to pique my interest into any later releases? Well, yes and no. I won’t be dashing off to jump into Dance of Death by any means but I have been able to take heart from some semblance of quality still being present in one of my teenage go to bands of yesteryear.

3.5/5

Good month again.  I am starting to get my ear for this stuff back a little bit.

Takeaways:

Desecresy

Ceremony of Silence

Fleshcrawl

Aurora Borealis

Hope never to hear again in my life:

ZOMBIESHARK!

Thanks Xephs

Thanks all

I am taking nominations from non-clan members for the Sept playlist for The Pit.  Any submissions by 15th Aug please

It's okay to give things a pass though, especially if it preserves individual contentment at the time and a review being irrelevant also.  I have come to see the feature releases as an opportunity to share an album with others which is entirely at their own discretion to check out or not.  The ethos of the MA is that not of it is mandatory which is why the place works so well.

I don’t know that any of these tracks work particularly well in isolation, with my thinking being that they are best consumed as part of a whole album sitting. There are no finger buffet style pickings here, Damned is an experience to be immersed in. Herein could lie potential weaknesses for some listeners seeking a more immediate listening experience. It took me a few goes to understand exactly how to listen to Damned before its true majesty became obvious. Glad I got there though.

4/5

To some extent that is an observation that could be levelled at drone metal as a whole. It is a genre that relies heavily on atmosphere creation and doesn't really lend itself to today's pick 'n' mix listening habits.

Yeah, I think that has probably been my Achilles heel with drone in general, trying to pick at it.  Suggestions to “try this band” or me simply just dipping into single tracks have left me a bit confused as to what the hell is going on.  Based on this feature release, I will learn to listen to any such albums in full moving forwards.

I also believe that choosing the right time to listen to drone, or any more challenging style of music for that matter, is really important. I have found too often that since I have been checking out music from an internet nerd perspective I am sometimes listening to stuff that I am just not in the right frame of mind for, but continue on anyway and don't enjoy or appreciate it, only to return to it at a later date and wonder what I was thinking as it is actually pretty good (and sometimes vice-versa).

This was more obviously self-evident when we were reliant on physical music collections for the totality of our listening experience. Often when searching for something to listen to you would think to yourself "Nope, not in the mood for that today". Human perception can't have changed that much in thirty years, I just don't think we are as consciously aware of it as we were,  or we plough on anyway because we just have to check this particular album out right now. Sometimes we just aren't in the right frame of mind for it and that is fine. 

Of course, this may just be me!

No, not just you Sonny.  A lot of what you have written there resonates with me.  In fact, it is one of the things that can make the feature releases more challenging as these are (polite) intrusions into our listening habits which do require us to go into them with an open mind, especially when the clan in question may not be one of our own choosing.  I could not for example have appreciated The Revolution features probably at all last year, but now with a solid bed of hardcore punk listening under my belt they are much more valuable to me.  I make it sound like I have trained my listening habits and in some way I suppose I have.  Timing, mood and mindset is important, I definitely agree.

I don’t know that any of these tracks work particularly well in isolation, with my thinking being that they are best consumed as part of a whole album sitting. There are no finger buffet style pickings here, Damned is an experience to be immersed in. Herein could lie potential weaknesses for some listeners seeking a more immediate listening experience. It took me a few goes to understand exactly how to listen to Damned before its true majesty became obvious. Glad I got there though.

4/5

To some extent that is an observation that could be levelled at drone metal as a whole. It is a genre that relies heavily on atmosphere creation and doesn't really lend itself to today's pick 'n' mix listening habits.

Yeah, I think that has probably been my Achilles heel with drone in general, trying to pick at it.  Suggestions to “try this band” or me simply just dipping into single tracks have left me a bit confused as to what the hell is going on.  Based on this feature release, I will learn to listen to any such albums in full moving forwards.

Woah!! Come to halt there and apply the handbrake, taking the car out of gear please. Did you just say, “drone metal”? I mean, I know what that is, and usually I don’t like it, but I have been nodding along appreciatively for the past few spins of this one. Maybe we should hit play again and go around the block a few more times to make sure one of us isn’t wrong? That, or I could just admit that my tastes are broader than I thought and we can all just get on with our lives. Either way, as it turns out, Damned is a great record, whatever it is.

Before I had even picked up on the details for this one I had picked up on the Hell comparison and was therefore delighted to see that MSW was involved in the record. Crawl certainly inhabits that same claustrophobic, smothering space that Hell revels in yet at the same time I get a lot of Primitive Man in Crawl’s sound, which is equally high praise also. Considering I had never heard of Michael Engle until this release, it was surprising that his output musically was limited to this solo project and him also being the one-time drummer of a progressive sludge band called The Grasshopper Lies Heavy. I can see that he also toured with Boris in 2022 on their US tour, so this is a man with some serious heavy credentials.

This combination of rattling bass and oppressive atmospheres that dredge their way through various elements of noise, doom and drone creates a unique sense of discomfort, of solid things being displaced. The opening track is little more than heavy atmosphere, but it works so well as an introduction to the rest of the album that it is in its own way, perfect. I don’t know that any of these tracks work particularly well in isolation, with my thinking being that they are best consumed as part of a whole album sitting. There are no finger buffet style pickings here, Damned is an experience to be immersed in. Herein could lie potential weaknesses for some listeners seeking a more immediate listening experience. It took me a few goes to understand exactly how to listen to Damned before its true majesty became obvious. Glad I got there though.

4/5

Is there a version of this on YouTube that doesn't have ads does anyone know?  I just can't listen to albums on YouTube with ads in, it ruins them.  Doesn't appear to be on any streaming services either.

It is definitely on Spotify here in the UK Vinny, Link below:

https://open.spotify.com/album/0vVJHcXVSGVJHCwW78HLIJ

Thanks, I don't know how I couldn't find that.

As the hotter months start to draw to a close let's keep The North tradition of having zero summer fun and dive into something probably a bit divisive that I came across this past month. Portugal one man Black Metal act Black Cilice came onto my radar with the release of Votive Fire this year and it reminded me of just how lo-fi Black Metal can really get after all this time. Apparently he's very consistent with his ideas, so I was interesting in diving into the back catalogue a bit to apparently his most popular release, 2017's Banished From Time.

So, let us know where you land on this one. Is this the true kvlt Black Metal atmosphere that people clamor for, or is it too much of a gimmick nowadays?

https://metal.academy/releases/14643

New one on me Xephs.  Looking forwards to checking it out.

Is there a version of this on YouTube that doesn't have ads does anyone know?  I just can't listen to albums on YouTube with ads in, it ruins them.  Doesn't appear to be on any streaming services either.

Are we due a Pit playlist for September, Vinny? If so, I am still compiling a few selections, but will get them to you as soon as I can and certainly well before the 15th.

Yes, that's crept around.  Good job you are on the ball Sonny.

I can see I have rated this one already but never took the time to write a review.  Initial listen through this morning stacks up with the rating but I will put some thoughts down at some point this month.

Hi Ben,

Could you please add the latest album from Altarage, “Cogwheel”.

For September please Sonny:

SolNegre - "A Path of Aloness (Parts I & II)" (from "Anthems for the Grand Collapse", 2026)

The Fifth Alliance - "Benandanti" (from "Stenahoria", 2026)

Hrob - "Genocída snov" (from "Brána chladu", 2026)

Saint Vitus - "Sloth" (from "Die Healing", 1995)

Sept please Sonny:

Doedsvangr - "Blodskam" (from "Within the Flesh", 2026)

Dessication - "Cursed in Cold Silence" (from "Legatum Motuorum", 2026)

Taubrą - "Rembrandt of Death" (from "Therizo", 2023)

Emperor - "Sworn" (from "IX Equilibrium", 1999)

Can only access via Safari on my iPad.  

Sandrayati "INHABIT" (2025)

I have fallen in love with this record (although I oddly found the largely instrumental version from this year first) from this multi-sub-genre embracing artist.  This is largely an ambient affair but there is a folk mentality to the songwritng also.  I am increasingly a sucker for an ethereal female vocalist and Sandrayati is amazing in this regard.  A possible purchase here.

I own in excess of 1000 releases on CD, but since my last laptop packed in, well over a year ago now, I have been unable to play them as my new one has no disc drive. I have been getting increasingly frustrated by my inability to listen to my own stuff, especially the ones that don't appear on streaming, so I finally bought an external CD/DVD player for my latest laptop from Amazon. I ordered it at lunch time on Saturday and it was here by teatime, which is frankly amazing to me. It's a cheapo chinese bit of kit (Bunud - never heard of them before), it only cost £20, but it is actually pretty fucking good and I get to listen to all my obscure doom shit once more, so thumbs up all round. 

I have nowhere near that amount of CDs but I have a couple of shelves worth and I have a Marantz CD player as part of my hi-fi set up.  I should play it more but life just gets in the way and if I am sat at home working next to my desktop PC it is easier to click on something to stream it.  My grandad on my mother's side had an amazing hi-fi set up in his living room, he was a proper connoisseur of set up.  He only did vinyl or cassette though on that set up, there was a CD player in the back kitchen dining room from memory as they used to live more or less exclusively in that room (despite having a three bedroom terrraced).  There's a few recordings of him singing songs to his wife for when he was away working so she could listen to them which is kinda cute considering to look at him, he was this big tattoed guy with a missing finger (in reality the nicest man I ever knew). He only used to play country and western though but whenever I went round with some records he'd let me play them.  I'd love to eventually emulate that set up that he had. 

I am really gonna show my age now, but I remember when I was a kid going to my gran and grandad's, they had a wind-up gramaphone that played 78s. The ones they had were almost exclusively brass band music because the local truck firm had a pretty famous brass band that my mum and her sister used to travel all over the country with. I don't really have any wish to emulate their setup!!

I own in excess of 1000 releases on CD, but since my last laptop packed in, well over a year ago now, I have been unable to play them as my new one has no disc drive. I have been getting increasingly frustrated by my inability to listen to my own stuff, especially the ones that don't appear on streaming, so I finally bought an external CD/DVD player for my latest laptop from Amazon. I ordered it at lunch time on Saturday and it was here by teatime, which is frankly amazing to me. It's a cheapo chinese bit of kit (Bunud - never heard of them before), it only cost £20, but it is actually pretty fucking good and I get to listen to all my obscure doom shit once more, so thumbs up all round. 

I have nowhere near that amount of CDs but I have a couple of shelves worth and I have a Marantz CD player as part of my hi-fi set up.  I should play it more but life just gets in the way and if I am sat at home working next to my desktop PC it is easier to click on something to stream it.  My grandad on my mother's side had an amazing hi-fi set up in his living room, he was a proper connoisseur of set up.  He only did vinyl or cassette though on that set up, there was a CD player in the back kitchen dining room from memory as they used to live more or less exclusively in that room (despite having a three bedroom terrraced).  There's a few recordings of him singing songs to his wife for when he was away working so she could listen to them which is kinda cute considering to look at him, he was this big tattoed guy with a missing finger (in reality the nicest man I ever knew). He only used to play country and western though but whenever I went round with some records he'd let me play them.  I'd love to eventually emulate that set up that he had. 

Chaotic month at home for me and so I have been more mercenary with what I have been listening to from across the features this month.  Saint Vitus hit top spot for me this month, with that 7 Angels 7 Plagues album a close second.  I lasted appprox 3 mins of that Lovebites record and only marginally more of that Krallice album (who appear to have taken to writing movie soundtracks).

I lose track of Gorgoroth very easily I find. The early movement of vocalists proper gets confusing for me and by the time we get to this record there’s three of them doing the vocals. There are also four different drummers (albeit one of them only does track three – and it is the mighty Frost). Taking time to bring myself up to speed on Gorgoroth goings on, I can see legal battles, prison sentences, court appearances, trademark registration challenges, firings and assaults of band members. No wonder the line up appears to stick in my mind as being unstable then.

Aside from the fact that most people involved sound like abhorrent individuals, Gorgoroth have always managed to make vicious and scathing black metal that is pleasing to my ear. Aside from the fact that this album has a stupid title that screams immaturity, the content itself is most entertaining. Anyone who thinks that Gorgoroth are smash and grab, one blistering pace of black metal in the vein of Marduk style of band, will find evidence to the contrary on their fourth full length offering. There is variety of pace and tempo on this album and tracks like ‘The Virginborn’ employ a much more exploratory style of writing than I was expecting going into the record.

At the same time, there is still enough necro to keep the kvlt crew happy. Album closer ‘Slottet i det fjerne’ (a Darkthrone cover) caters for this element perfectly, awash with feedback and production values straight from 1994. Similarly, opening track, ‘Destroyer’ makes no bones about the lack of pleasantries to begin the album. Whilst I accept discomfort as being expected and acceptable on a Gorogorth record, there is elements of a little overkill here. It could be my subconscious playing with me a little, knowing that there are multiple different performers on a revolving platter contributing to the record, but the album at times does sound like it may be two different albums put together. Not in terms of the pace and tempos, just more in terms of the content of the album overall.

I cannot say it is a fault, or a criticism as such even, yet there is a sense of layering being applied that sort of catches me off-guard. ‘The Devil, The Sinner and His Journey’ is a bit of a weird track for inclusion in my book and I would argue that the album is at its strongest in terms of consistency through the middle section of the record onwards. There is also a tendency for a crooning, folk-tinged vocal effect to creep into tracks at times, which sounds a bit amateur in all honesty. Still, it is distinctly a Gorgoroth record at the end of the day so there is still plenty to enjoy overall, despite my little niggles with it.

3.5/5

In my review of Saint Vitus’ self-titled debut album, I called out my enjoyment of Scott Reager’s vocals, highlighting their deranged style being a perfect fit for Chandler’s guitar sound. Just as with the debut album, Reager’s performance is front and centre on Die Healing also, yet this is never at the detriment of anything else on the record. For a guy who had straight up gone to ground for a decade, he appears to have just walked back into the studio like he had just nipped out for ten minutes to get a packet of cigarettes and some bourbon. There is no scenario in any parallel universe whereby Saint Vitus records this album with any other vocalist, and it works at all. He’s creepy to the point of having a skin-crawling effect. Tracks like ‘Dark World’, ‘Let the End Begin’ and ‘In the Asylum’ are perhaps unrivalled within my doom listening experience to date in terms of that true force being formed by this perfect marriage of the vocals and guitar.

Listen to the psychedelic musings on ‘Trail of Pestilence’ and just try and keep your jaw off the floor. Die Healing is a real all round band record though. For all the waxing lyrical I am doing about the vocals and guitar the album would not be anywhere near as successful without the drums of the late Armando Acosta and the bass of the also sadly departed Mark Adams. ‘Sloth’ might be one of the most appropriately named doom tracks in the history of the genre, it is so oppressively heavy it reaches the point of suffocation. It is albums like this that are the reason why I switched from The Guardians into The Fallen clan. The atmospheres here are so wonderfully threatening in such an effective yet completely inoffensive way; they are a genuine by product of the instrumentation, just so unforced sounding and organic in nature.

My only real criticism of the album is the lacklustre closing track. They should have closed the album with ‘In the Asylum’ in all honesty as anything trying to follow that was going to be struggling. ‘Just Another Notch’ is primetime filler unfortunately which even Reager’s vocals can’t save. Oddly, he sounds the tamest of all on this track in comparison to the others. Final track aside, there is much to be celebrated on Die Healing even if it marks the end of the band for at least a decade.

4/5

I have given this one a couple of spins over the past few weeks and whilst I could not say that it is as a direct result of this release, I did notice how much more accommodating I have become of these metalcore releases nowadays.  I think there is something about intelligence in most of the music I enjoy nowadays and this possesses intelligence no small quantity, and given that hardcore punk is often thought of as being such a simple style of music this perhaps seems like an OTT statement to some degree.  7 Angels 7 Plagues go beyond any basic template though.  The death metal chug on ‘Someday’ being one such example of this more exploratory attribute that the band can muster without making it sound intrusive, or just a selection of ideas thrown together.  At the same time the melodic elements of the album seem to possess an almost Deftones, nu-metal quality to them which only manages to further my enjoyment of the album.

I am on the fence about the vocals if I am honest.  They grate, yet at the same time I have to agree that they sort of fit perfectly.  As a contrast to some of the post-metal moments or just as a more stark opposing force to the great use of melody in general, it is hard to argue that they are not performed in an interesting way.  I am not offended by the inclusion of the interludes, but I could quite easily get through the album without them; they most certainly are the weaker tracks overall from the listing.  For a band that seemed to be capable of filling the space around them well enough with sound that was intriguing and thoughtful it does strike me as odd that they have included these “palate-cleansers” at all.  When you can write the droning chaos present on tracks like ‘Away with Words’ and accompany them to a backdrop of near cinematic percussion, you don’t need to provide fiddling acoustic numbers to prove anything really.

The mood for this current listen through this album tonight is perfect.  After a long day with lots of elements jostling for possession of my time, it is cathartic to listen to an album of a similar pulsing multitude of parts and hear them all so well balanced and clearly given space around each other.  Perhaps other than the vocals, there is little in the way of any one element dominating proceedings.  Overall it feels more of busy as opposed to a heavy record, and I say that without aiming it as a criticism.  It does settle into some weighty rhythms I concede but this is not my overarching takeaway from the listening experience.  I have a sense that as I listen to more early metalcore, I may get to understand better the importance of this record in terms of it genre developing credentials but at this early stage of my understanding of these things, I can only rate this record on individual merit.

4/5

  I think (if they do stay) they need freshening up a bit.  In terms of the playlist, maybe give them up to a rotation of the clan members involved in them, like the feature releases have a rota, do the same for the playlists, although this would work better with more active users.

This is a good idea, Vinny, obviously depending on who wishes to be involved. Bringing this idea back to the present, however, between us, you and I are responsible for the playlists for the four clans we are both members of, so I would be quite happy to work out a rota for the two of us to produce the playlists for those clans if that is something you would like to try now.

Thanks Sonny, but right now, time is not on my side.  Between work and effectively setting up my home for scratch following the break up, I would not be doing any of the playlists much justice - struggling to keep up with my nominations as it.  Let’s see how things are rolling into the new site when it comes.  Or if that is some ways off then we could review in new year.

If you were to implement the new site, Ben, would you still retain features such as the playlists and monthly clan features or do you envision moving on from them or replacing them with something else?

These are fun, when the time permits and the activity levels compliment them better.  The busier the site, in terms of membership numbers, the better these two features should be.  I think (if they do stay) they need freshening up a bit.  In terms of the playlist, maybe give them up to a rotation of the clan members involved in them, like the feature releases have a rota, do the same for the playlists, although this would work better with more active users.

The “party” playlist that Daniel does is a neat idea, one that could have some further legs in terms of a community playlist that everyone contributes to, showcasing the range of genres and sub-genres the site encompasses on monthly/quarterly basis.

I would highlight the same concerns around the points system in that there would need to be some controls on what is a genuine “accrual” contribution.  Years ago, over on my other forum, the owner had such a system in and the member with the highest number of points each month won some merch of their choice from limited lines in the shop.  First of all, posts in the “…Listening to” thread stopped contributing to the points tally and pretty soon then because nobody posted anywhere else, the system overall became redundant.  A lot of us also post our reviews both against the release page and also in the relevant forum thread (especially if a feature release) so there’s a risk of double counting I would guess.

I also agree on the cover art votes.  I rate a lot of album covers and can often have no idea what is going on in the album, sub-genre, genre or clan for that matter.  The Hall of Judgement has always been my least favourite feature of the site.  Even though it has grown on me slowly over the years, I still find it hard to see much value in it, but I can see the appeal for others.

I was just coming here to post the same as Sonny.  Feature release section is about two months behind I think.  Thanks Ben.

Death and Mayhem (D.A.M. for short) hailed from the northwest England seaside town of Morecambe Bay, which is not far from where I live. I can remember seeing them in the various metal mags back in the day advertising their wares, with the mascot that reminded of an unmasked Dr Doom from the Marvel comics, but somehow, I never got around to hearing them at the time. With this being my month for a nomination in The Pit, I thought there was no better an opportunity to sample their debut album from 1989. Human Wreckage scrapes a 50% mark on Metal Archives, but we all know how bonkers people’s opinions can be, right?

Well, Human Wreckage starts off well enough. Opening track proper, ‘Death Warmed Up’ sounds a lot more alert than the title would suggest. Some rugged chops and a decent solo make it a finer opener indeed. The first criticism is hard to ignore as an issue though. The drums are way too far back in the mix, relegated to more of a supporting role as opposed to a central driving position in the mix. This certainly helps the guitars and vocals to shine. However, it adds a timidness to the edges of what I am listening to. Riffs and vocals can only go so far as to flesh out a song, and without the firm skeleton of the percussion department things soon start to sound a little wishy-washy.

Some of the song writing is also unfortunately questionable. When they slow down the pace on Prophets of Doom, the cracks do start to show. The track at times sounds like it is falling over itself and this a theme that recurs sadly over the course of the rest of the album. It is as if D.A.M. exhaust their song writing prowess after three tracks. When they go slower, it really is a mistake. ‘Infernal Torment’ would only work with a Dave Mustaine style sneer on it, and Jason McLoughlin ain’t no MegaDave unfortunately. It is only really the late Mark “Elly” Etherington’s lead work that saves Human Wreckage from being a complete car crash at times. This is their debut album, coming just a year after their demo, so some leniency is perhaps well entertained in reviewing this album. However, as feature releases go, I have picked better.

2.5/5

Finaly catching up on my MA admin:

Slaughterday - "Astral Carnage" (from "Dread Emperor", 2026)

Ablation - "Lethal Abuse" (from "Lethal Abuse", 2026)

Six Feet Under - "Destroyed Remains" (from "Next to Die", 2026)

Sanguisugabogg - "Rotted Entanglement" (from "Hideous Aftermath", 2025)

Allegaeon - "Of Beasts and Worms" (from "Damnum", 2022)

Nile - "Annihilation of the Wicked" (from "Annihilation of the Wicked", 2005)

Devourment - "Mortiferous Dependency" (from "Pious Impiety", 2026)

Here you are fella:

Flame, Dear Flame - "The Millennial Heartbeat Part I" (from "Aegis", 2021)

Messa - "Thicker Blood" (from "The Spin", 2025)

Monolord - "Iodine" (from "Neverending", 2026)

Melvins - "Queen" (from "Stoner Witch", 1994)

Godthrymm - "Endure My Skin" (from "Projections", 2026)

Crowbar - "Planets Collide" (from "Oddfellows Rest", 1998)

Hi Sonny, for August please:

Sakna - "Alltid" (from "De Syv Dødssynder", 2025)

Mork - "Utryddelse" (from "Monolitt", 2026)

Svrm - "Попіл" (from "Мертвий край", 2026)

Bizarrekult - " Blikket Hennes" (from "Alt som finnes", 2026)

Vafurlogi - "Úr himinsölum" (from "Gneisti af eldi Guðs", 2026)

Finally found my contentment in gaining a well-ordered life after my estranged wife finally found a place to live.  She took one of the cats with her but I retained the other two and we are civil enough to have shared custody of all of them as we want to.  I work away a lot of late so it works as a cat sitting arrangement.  I had lunch with my mother and father at the weekend and my mother described this as “the end of an era”.  I disagreed as I genuinely see it as the start of a new era if anything.  I learned recently that the best sound in the world is the sound of your own feet walking away from things that were not meant for you.  

I turned 50 last week and genuinely had the best birthday ever by just doing it on my terms and spending most of the week with books as I had no internet (Ernest Hemingway is fast becoming one of my favourite writers).  The lack of WiFi for over a week was inconvenient, there is no point pretending otherwise, but it still provided a welcome break for the old brain, helping me to focus on reality for a bit.

Music wise, I have been enjoying my physical collection a lot more; one of the great advantages of having physical media when the internet is not available.  I have reconnected with some albums I hadn’t heard in a while (Horrorscope by Overkill and Storm of the Light’s Bane by Dissection to name a couple) and I am now looking forward to catching up on some releases I caught wind of during a brief hotel stay last week that fortuned me with some WiFi for a night.  The new Mork album is a banger and so my vinyl copy should arrive tomorrow to keep that physical collection a viable option in the future also.

I found metal thirty-seven-years ago and I am still at it, with no intention of stopping anytime soon.  Sure I don’t have another thirty-seven years to run at though, but I will more than make the most of whatever I have left.

So, this all looks fucking cool and I am sure however long it takes to come to fruition it will be worth it.  I am pretty flat on ideas at present as just got too much going on in my personal life right now to sit down and think about any valuable development suggestions to this venture.  Thanks for sharing Ben and best of luck with it.

I will echo the doubts about the value of lyrics being on the site as I am not a big lyrics guy and I tend to focus on the music more with the vocals rarely needing deciphering to a lyrical level to add any further depth.  That cover search feature sounds cool as I spend a lot of time rating covers.

On the new clan badges, I would think a younger looking figure would work better, or at least one that did not look like an ancient God.  I always have associated thrash, groove and speed metal with a more youthful or rebellious strain than that image may suggest.

??

Back from the dark ages and I have WiFi again so lots to catch up on.  Thanks Sonny for posting my feature picks.

Wojciech Kilar - "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992)

I purchased this film score shortly after the cinematic release, having very quickly fallen in love with the gothic romanticism of the movie's atmosphere. Ukrainian composer Kilar does a marvelous job at building tension & highlighting the nuances of the plot, creating an intimidating backdrop that played a big part in the success of the film as an unapologetically gothic piece of art. If my CD was vinyl it would have been worn out decades ago as I still return to this release quite often to bask in the glory of its dark majesty. I could probably do without the Annie Lennox pop song that closes out the tracklisting though.

For fans of Danny Elfman ("Sleepy Hollow"/"The Wolfman"), Trevor Jones ("From Hell") & Elliot Goldenthal ("Interview with the Vampire").

4.5/5

With you on this one.  Although I don’t play this nearly enough (which is good because mine is the vinyl copy).  Annie Lennox has no place here on such an otherwise dark and mysterious release.

Aron Shute may just be my new favourite black metal vocalist. His performances at times on The Transformation Room are deranged and demented which just so happens to be how I like my black metal orations to be decanted. He is also bassist and one of three vocalists in Koma, a sludge/doom band who are on my to do list also now. I stumbled across Crystal Coffin whilst researching inclusions for my The North clan playlist suggestions and I soon went all in on listening to the whole album. Whilst the conventional black metal tropes are more than evident, what appeals to me about CC’s sound is that there are also prog, ambient and electronic musings going on throughout the album. The band manage to incorporate these different elements without afflicting the listener with a sense of alienation from these perhaps unexpected inclusions.

Taking up the unusual or unexpected is not just limited to the music though, The Transformation Room takes the Holodomor that occurred in the Ukraine in the 1930’s (a man-made famine around the Soviet Union at the time that it is debated whether it was intentional or not, and was responsible for millions of deaths) as its theme, whilst exploring the relevance to personal suffering, pain and higher plains of existence. Despite its macabre subject matter, the album sounds like a thorough examination of this entire concept. It flows the earthiness and grounded nature of a reality of hell on earth into the transcendental possibilities of what lies beyond through those more eclectic musical choices well.

I am not a fan usually of instrumentals or passages in the middle of records but ‘The Inverted Burial of Taras’ is one of those ambient moments that provides some real respite before the band charges headlong into album highlight ‘I Emerge’ where Aron’s vocals really get to show their nefarious side. This an almost doom metal track. Where it not for the rasping vocals in fact, there would be little to stop you thinking this was a guest track. Lenkyn Ostapovich’s guitar and keyboards both get to really shine on this track and with drummer Rob Poirier also being in Koma, it should not perhaps be such a surprise of the doomier direction of this track. This horrendous event from 20th century eastern Europe is effectively portrayed in this melodic, harrowing and compelling concept album. If you like your black metal with a bit of variety, then this is most certainly worth a go.

4/5