UnhinderedbyTalent's Forum Replies

Why not start a few new threads of your own?

And this helps how?

If you haven’t got anything useful to add you can always not comment Rex.

I'm out.

I don't understand this.  Is this not just a "list some albums" thread?

Can you please add Katakomba from Sweden?

Orbital - 30 Something (2022)

Like me a bit of Orbital every now and again so happy to have found (another) compilation of remixed tracks this morning to compliment the sunny weather.  Lots of errands to run in the car today and now I have Spotify back working on my phone again I will be listening to this most of the afternoon.

I think Testament are consistent and I will spin most of their stuff over the course of a year at some point, but they never dug in and developed like some of the other artists mentioned here.  The first Sepultura releases where ugly as fuck and the path they went on up to and including Arise was amazing.  Metallica dropped the ball in latter years but that golden run of those first four albums has never been matched in my book.  Not a big fan of Anthrax having never viewed them as a total package.  Vocally they have always been poor and the fact that when Belladonna went and they somehow brought in a worse choice with Bush absolutely baffles me.

• Metallica - faded badly after the black album but that golden run across Kill 'Em All through to an including ...And Justice For All is timeless
• Sepultura - pretty much the same as above only they started from a very different (and much more extreme) place and in some ways herald more accolades from me for progressing so well over 5 releases
• Kreator - another example of a band who were pretty much flawless in terms of their progression for the first 15 years of their career.  Pleasure To Kill remains one of my favourite thrash metal releases.
• Exodus - (yes, not Slayer) and I mulled muchly over this one.  Although not in the same league as the others on the list in terms of consistency of output over a significant period, these guys still remain incredibly relevant to this day.  Last years Persona Non Grata release was a banger.  Had things turned out differently, the combination of Holt and Hammett on guitars would no doubt have been one of metal's more celebrated partnerships by now.  Also, flawed though it is, Fabulous Disaster was a huge record for me as a teenager.

You made it, nice one. 

Please can you add:

Lutto - Italian gothic black metal

Uzlaga - English atmo-black

Hi Ben, can you please add Rezet from Germany?

I have embarked on a campaign to improve my health recently.  Not that I ever had a drinking problem (which is what people who did have a problem with drinking probably say a lot) but I have successfully got myself in the habit of having 5 days out of 7 completely alcohol free.  On the two days that I do have a drink it is virtually no more than 2 bottles of beer and to be honest I am at the point of considering stopping altogether such is the improvement I have seen in some very basic aspects of life.

To begin with, I instantly noticed how much better I slept if I had no beer before going to bed of an evening.  I could guarantee waking up in the night and staying awake for at last an hour as my brain would wake up and focus on all the shit I would need to get done that week or mull over life in general.  However, now the alcohol intake has reduced I sleep through for at least 7 hours a night and have a very set routine of when I am in bed for and when I get up. With a good night's sleep I am also a lot more relaxed in my approach to work and life in general - this has been a little counter-intuitive as I have a job that demands that I am very dynamic and need to be thinking on my feet a lot and if I am honest I am a little too laidback nowadays but that can be remedied.

Over the past few months I have felt better and a lot more energetic throughout the day and my digestive system is much more placid than it used to be as I did suffer quite badly with reflux.  I am not off to climb any mountains or start running marathons or anything but I am looking to get back to daily walks in the coming fortnight before starting work.  I do need to work on my diet a bit, it is already pretty balanced but still a little light on vegetables and fruit in all honesty.

Not a million miles away from Daniel's description here.

On paper there is a fair old bit for me not to like on this record. A heavy instrumental stake in proceedings, all manner of influences from progressive through to black metal incorporated into tracks that rarely drop below six and a half minutes in length and a not always very tidy performance either. Most of these things in isolation can kill an album for me. Give me consistently long tracks and you must keep them interesting, but at the same time do not just throw shit everywhere that comes as influences from multiple sources just to mix it up especially if you do not have the necessary ability with your instruments to carry it off.

Fact is though, that for the most part at least, I enjoy Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm a fair old bit. There is an undeniable charm to the rough edges that are so obviously on show. Whether this is a conscious effort or not I would not be able to even guess but they give the album a feel of a band showing true heart in trying to expand their horizons beyond their current prowess as musicians. Admirable though this is, I can see how this is a curse to the ears of some listeners as it is a gift to mine.

Although not normally my bag the instrumentals here do bristle with energy and create a tangible sense of texture. They do not stray into the realm of being simply “showy” or grandiose (the limits to the artistry sorts that) they feel more robust and vaguely mechanical. This description probably does not do them sufficient justice as they are most definitely not boring, they are too charged with spirit for that, but they are almost like captures from a rehearsal or jam session thus giving them organic appeal.

As such I do not see the album as a regular release. It plays more like a compilation with some similarly themed tracks slotted besides each other that did not make the cut on previous releases. Not being the biggest fan of compilations, this again is a risk that somehow pays off here as I can comfortably sit through the album in one sitting. It is an album that carelessly arrives at success despite a few stumbles along the way (what the fuck is that title track about?) and the shifts of tempo on occasion sounding more like lurches. Structure of the Séance, ironically, lack’s structure and just feels like a relentless gallop with several time-changes thrown in. They might not have been the most capable musicians at this stage in their career but the gusto with which they approached this album is worth at least a nod of recognition, even if the overall product has more than obvious flaws.

3.5/5

Here's an interesting choice for the feature release.  I love me some The Chasm when it comes to Procession to the Infraworld but have never found them a band I could get on with across the rest of their discography so looking forwards to taking on this one in the coming days.

I had an unusually quiet Monday at work and so I got to listen to the whole The Horde playlist today.  Highlights for me were undoubtedly those tracks from Nightfall and The Chasm.  Had been unimpressed by the initial listens to the new The Chasm album but this track really grabbed me.  The same can be said for that Altars track as I had dismissed that album also but the track here has made me rethink and revisit.  Other standouts were the tracks from Origin, Skinless and Entombed A.D.

Less enamoured with the Six Feet Under track (WTF, Chirs Barnes - what has happened to your throat??) and Imperial Circus Dead Decadence were too melodic for my tastes.  Not feeling new Esoctrilihum either I am afraid.

September =

Panopticon - "Merkstave" (from "Collapse", 2022)

Denial of God - "Funeral" (from "Death and the Beyond", 2012)

Sargeist - "To Make Wolves of Men" (from "Death Veneration", 2019)

Amken - "Shattered Sanity" (from "Theatre of the Absurd", 2017)

Skulled - "Eat Thrash" (from "Eat Thrash", 2017)

Tumourboy - "Chernobyl Devastation" (from "Damaged System", 2016)

Chronosphere - "Brutal Decay" (from "Embracing Oblivion", 2014)

Skeleton Pit - "Drink Fast Or Die"  (from "Chaos at the Mosh-Reactor", 2015)

Raider - "Urge to Kill" (from "Urge to Kill", 2018)

Mindtaker - "Drink Beer for Thrash" (from "Toxic War", 2020)

September =

Torture Killer - "Forever Dead" (from "Swarm", 2006)

Knoll - "Callus of the Maw" (from "Metempiric", 2022) 

Asphyx - "Forerunners of the Apocalypse" (from "Incoming Death", 2016) 

Jarhead Fertilizer - "Product of My Environment" (from "Product of My Environment", 2021) 

Brutal Truth - "Birth of Ignorance" (from "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses", 1992)

Immolation - "Noose of Thorns" 9From "Acts of God", 2022) 

Terrorizer - "Storm of Stress" (from "World Downfall", 1989) 

Katakomba - "Embalmed In Concrete" (from "Katakomba", 2022) 

Daniel, Vinny, each of you guys have a good Sphere track you wanna submit? I plan to start working on the September playlist later this week.

Nothing from me thank you, Andi.

I also have done a review of this album and I largely stick by my words and rating.  Not withstanding that nostalgia plays a big part in my rating, given where I found myself musically at the time, this was a good pick me up for the hole I was digging myself out of.  Not perfect by any means but I still stand by that they have not come close to this since.

I recall a time when I had been away from the metal scene for a couple of years, away in fact from music altogether. Upon venturing back into metal one of the first albums I downloaded was Machine Head's The Blackening, the band's sixth offering. I had based my decision to buy this cold entirely based on their debut from some fifteen years earlier, an album that was very important in my metal development as well as being a widely recognised key release generally. The band had strayed off into nu-metal tinged releases more or less immediately afterwards and I had long lost touch with their output by the time I made this impulse purchase.

For an impules purchase, it wasn't too shabby. Coming back to the genre, at the time I though it was heavy as fuck, certainly closer to the original sound of the band that peaked my interest back in 1994. It made excellent gym music for my (then) regular early morning workouts and as such became an important part of my daily routine for a good number of months. Without reinventing any wheels, the album was just what I needed at that point in my life. It was a straight up, no frills , balls to the wall metal album that immediately reignited my taste for the genre.

From the opening throes of Clenching The Fists Of Dissent the album instantly began constructing a solid structure that was (largely) consistent throughout the whole album. The impact of the album went beyond just a couple of tracks, maintaining pace well for what at first glance of the tracklisting looks to be a short album, clocking in at just eight tracks but actually has a run time of just over an hour. Even when the album hits lulls or dips in quality it quickly re-establishes itself finding firm footing more or less immediately. After the lacklustre Slanderous for example, the album picks up straight away with the fan favourite Halo which then sets up a fine run of a trio of tracks that close out the album brilliantly.

Arguably Machine Heads last good album with the line-up of Flynn, Demmel, McClain and Duce the focus on more groove and thrashy elements makes The Blackening stand out from what came before. It fills in the gaps that were present on Through the Ashes of Empires and gave fans of the debut one last hope that the band were going to hark back to the intensity of what they delivered in the early nineties.

4/5

August 2022

01. Black Viper – “Hellions of Fire” (from “Hellions of Fire”, 2018)

02. Kreator – “Strongest of the Strong” (from “Hate Uber Allies”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

03. Death Angel – “Voracious Souls” (from “The Ultra-Violence”, 1987) [Submitted by Sonny]

04. The Crown – “Crowned in Terror” (from “Crowned in Terror”, 2002) [Submitted by Vinny]

05. Pestilence “Systematic Instruction” (from “Malleus Maleficarum”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny]

06. Municipal Waste – “Grave Dive” (from “Electrified Brain”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

07. Crumbsuckers – “Trapped” (from “Life of Dreams”, 1986)

08. Black Fast – “The Keep” (from “Terms of Surrender”, 2015)

09. Exmortus – “Foe Hammer” (from “Slave to the Sword”, 2014)

10. Wolf Spider – “It’s Your Time” (from “V”, 2015)

11. Deathhammer – “Thrown Into the Abyss” (from “Electric Warfare”, 2022) [Submitted by Sonny]

12. Exumer – “Hostile Defiance” (from “Hostile Defiance”, 2019) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. Hallows Eve – “Plunging to Megadeath” (from “Tales of Terror”, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny]

14. Whiplash – “Walk the Plank” (from “Ticket to Mayhem”, 1987) [Submitted by Vinny]

15. Overkill – “Devil By The Tail” (from “Kill Box 13”, 2003) [Submitted by Vinny]

16. Betzefer – “The Devil Went Down to the Holy Land” (from “The Devil Went Down to the Holy Land”, 2013)

17. Byzantine – “The Agonies” (from “To Release Is to Resolve”, 2015)

18. Fog of War – “Fog of War” (from “Fog of War”, 2009)

19. Traitor– “Exiled to the Surface” (from “Exiled to the Surface”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

20. Toxic Holocaust – “Nuke the Cross” (from “An Overdose of Death”, 2008) [Submitted by Sonny]

21. Battalion – “Thrash Maniacs” (from “Underdogs”, 2010)

22. Ultra-Violence – “Cadaver Decomposition Island” (from “Operation Misdirection”, 2018)

23. Attomica – “Deathraiser” (from “Disturbing the Noise”, 1991)

24. Toxik – “Power” (from “Dis Morta” 2022)

25. Witchery – “Witching Hour” (from “Witching Hour”, 2022) [Submitted by Sonny]

26. Speedtrap – “No Glory Found” (from “Straight Shooter”, 2015)

27. Heathen – “Death by Hanging” (from “Breaking the Silence”, 1987)

i managed to get through the playlists this month for all 3 of my clans, finally getting onto The Horde playlist today.  Highlights were Blood Incantation, Haunter and Decapitated (considering I hated the other track I heard from the new album).  Always good to have some Obituary and Dying Fetus on here although I really could not get on with that track from The Chasm.

Hi Ben, can you please update the releases for Sacred Son (UK) to include:

Levania 2020

The Foul Deth of Engelond 2022

Main takeaway from this month's list was Danish atmo-black band Sunken with their WITTR laden track Void and I have already made note to listen to that album more now I have completed the playlist.  The other standout was In Aphelion who are also now on my Trello board.  I remain on the fence with White Ward, perfectly acceptable atmo-black but that sax is irritating, although better applied than I feared it might be.  The tracklisting here is out of sync with the playlist btw, not that I noticed until now because I was just following on Spotify but that Sunken track is actually at position 15 in the list and not 2nd as above.  Good list again though.

Thornhill’s ability to replicate these Deftones-like structures landed in my rotation list at a perfect time, just as the UK basks in a heatwave of up to 40 degrees. This be lazy, hazy summer music for lazy, hazy summer days that incorporates just enough bite to remind the listener that even summer has teeth also.

Crooning vocals have a very limited place in metal, and they work well here, alternating between that nu-metal edginess and indie/alt influence. There are no bones about it, Thornhill know how to capture the less extreme side of my metal attention span, using a blend of chiming melodicism and jarring riffs to hold the earshot for almost the whole record. Whether it is the Portishead vibe of Valentine with its trip-hop beats or the drama-soaked instrumental of Something Terrible Came With the Rain, there is something different around each corner on Heroine.

Sections of songs on this album are driven by lurching riffs accompanied by rich melodies to give these slightly floundering moments real ethereal form. As such the true moments of absolute triumph on the record are the occasions when these juxtaposed elements combine with almost unexpected fluidity. The title track that closes the album is full of emotion in the vocals and instrumentation and boasts an arrangement that highlights layers for the listener to discover each time they listen.

Deftones worship? Probably to a point yeah, but there is so much more here if you take the time to pick away at the delicate skin and explore the innards of this glorious piece of alternative metal.

4.5/5

When I find the time, I am going to read up on the origins of the Chilean thrash scene. Following Sonny’s sharing of not just this month’s feature release but various recommendations throughout the site, it is clear that this is a scene that needs further investigation. Although, any cursory listen to Parkcrest straight away shows the influences that permeate the sound with Sepultura, Kreator and many other classic thrash bands prevalent here.

I do find the vocals to be the least appetising element of most of what goes on here though. Although I would not describe Javier Salgado as a poor vocalist by any means, I would go as far as to say he is one of limited capacity and the record shows this. It is fair to say that he is carried somewhat by the guitars (which of course he plays alongside Diego) with those textbook loops and bloops doing a fine job. Overall though it is the sheer intensity of what Parkcrest deliver that is most impressive to my ears. Setting a solid foundation early on the band build and build with each passing track and they certainly do have a penchant for song writing that can only get better with time.

The album does run out of legs I find though as we get near the finish line and I am not sure if this is just fatigue due to the sheer quantity of material that they throw into the track listing here. There is a lot going on during this album and absolutely all of it deserves your attention, however it does feel like the old shearing scissors got left in the draw too much as some tracks could do with a trim. For example, the middle section of the record that contains largely shorter tracks, not all of these are in the same league in terms of quality and I think we could easily cut one of these out and move the seven minute track that heralds the start of the final third of the album into a more appropriate position.

Arrangement gripes aside, Parkcrest have delivered a fine sophomore release here on which they are able to display a range of styles and technical ability without becoming boring. It is good to see a young band capable of delivering the riffs and yet keeping things interesting at the same time. I will certainly keep an out for Parkcrest in the future.

4/5

Hi Ben, could you please add:

Ultra-Violence (Italy)

Battalion (Switzerland)

Amken (Greece)

Skulled (Germany)

Tumourboy (China)

Chronosphere (Greece)

Thrashback (France)

Skeleton Pit (Germany)

Raider (Canada)

Mindtaker (Portugal)

The success of the first three tracks on Spheres is their ability to constantly apply layers atop of each other for a real tense death metal experience. Although upon first listen, the stabs of synths were not a popular inclusion, they soon cemented their relevance on repeated listens. Likewise, the undulating leads need some attitude adjustment also to understand the relevance of them.

Multiple Beings has an almost jaunty tempo with enough jazzy interludes and atmospheric keys to keep things interesting. Blooping and looping leads over an audible bass line truly mark an album highlight. Vocally, the record is a total match for Schuldiner and there are a lot of comparisons to drawn with Death overall across Spheres. The synths add a level of majesty that is not present on Death’s Human or Individual Thought Patterns though. The depths they plunge proceedings to is a really refreshing angle on most progressive death metal of the time.

The tracks have a great sense of space to them, like a conscious effort has been applied to ensure that all parts have the room to contribute. Although there are many things going on at any given time things never sound muddled or conflicted. Unfortunately, after the first three tracks I start to get problems with Spheres. I am not a fan of interludes on most albums in all honesty and although there is an argument to say that the interludes on here are far from out of place, they just break up any sense of cohesion for me.

The arrangement of Soul Search is not the best to my ears either and for the first time those synths are starting to grate a bit. The palette-cleanser that is Personal Energy, is an interesting if not altogether enjoyable concept. By far the most jazz-influenced of all the tracks, this brooding piece deploys some odd chanting vocals alongside the raspy death metal ones whilst fully exploring the bands repertoire of musical talent. Clearly, there is some effort by use of the interlude that precedes and then follow Personal Energy to make a statement on Spheres. In all honesty, I am not sure what the intention was, but it ruins the album for me.

After the middle section I sense a dip in quality and the synth solo on the title track – the standout moment on an otherwise very dull track – is a push too far me. Penultimate track Changing Perspective (final track proper) is a relevant title for how I feel about this album from track four onwards. It starts so strongly but fades away quickly.

2.5/5

I have strayed into unchartered waters by drifting into The Infinite feature release and I feel I may be about to alienate the clan residents somewhat with my attempt to review this release, but I am here now so might as well use the rope in my hand. I feel that in listening to Handmade Cities that I have just watched an eighties film were the protagonist has just overcome great evil (or maybe a serial killer) and I am revelling in the joy of the end credits having somehow missed the whole film. Sarcastic comment over, I promise.

If I focus on the talent required to make this album then I cannot failed to be impressed. It might not be my bag at all but despite there being more than one "WTF" moment for me, I could not quite bring myself to turn it off. Intrigue got the better of me even though I am not a fan of instrumental tracks (let alone full releases that are all instrumental tracks). It kind of reminded me of a Joe Satriani record I listened to years ago which although inoffensive never held my interest enough for me to ever explore it enough to truly get to grips with it. I guess that I find Plini to be decent enough background music and nothing more. Occasionally it does something interesting as it chops away at the aether around me enough to break through whatever it is I am focusing on to remind me that it is still there.

Overall, I find Handmade Cities just to be too safe a record for my extreme tastes, and whilst I acknowledge its merits I am coloured a dull, pastel shade by it. If I had the patience (not something that I have vast stocks of) then I would perhaps revisit over the coming days but I have to get my head around Spheres and that Parkcrest record yet as part of the monthly reviews and at least one of those has got me ruffled already this month so I feel they will be the focus of my attentions for the coming days instead.

2.5/5

Furia are a band I only ever bothered with for one album. After the debut album back in 2007, which I enjoyed muchly, they just fell off my radar. Whenever I got round to listening to something they had just released I was never in the right mindset to digest their brand of experimental black metal and as such, they are a band whom I find very hit and miss based entirely on my mood.

This 2009 EP is the very next release following their debut and shows a band that had already developed that experimental side further. Whilst still retaining black metal at the core of their sound, Furia stretch into proggy synthesisers dropped mid-track into melodic and rich structures that maintain a real sense of urgency throughout.

I will not pretend to follow it all from start to finish as for a short format release there is a lot to take in for my aging brain and I feel it really is a release that requires more studious listening to give justice to the experience. At times there is a folk vibe to the vocal patterns as they hold a pseudo-chant aesthetic for much of the release, but the real clever stuff is in the instrumentation. That solid build to the title track is probably the highlight, even if the rest of the track feels understated by comparison. Well-spaced structures allow Furia to put lots of things into Płoń, perhaps more than I need to enjoy the release in all honesty but I cannot deny the accomplished nature to what they do and that they are an interesting concept when my mood permits them to be.

3.5/5

I genuinely didn’t know MP3 players were still a thing.  I think the challenges with quality that you allude to are because they are probably considered a dying item.  Why would I need an MP3 player when I have a phone that goes everywhere with me and can host virtually every song I could ever want, and I can still use same phone for multiple other daily life transactions?

Just finishing five days of annual leave. The first two spent looking after sick kids. The last three spent sick as a dog from whatever I caught from them. Back to work tomorrow. It never ends!!

I feel like a part-time worker at present - been away over the weekend, back into work Tuesday, off today for a trip to the vets and do some wedding related stuff and off tomorrow morning for a hospital appointment for a series of test I have to have due to abdomen pain.  Still end up sat in front of my work laptop whenever I am off though, in fact today I get more done as people think I  don't have to answer dumb ass questions/problems via phone or email.  The weekend away was the first in over two years were I left the laptop at home.  Still had the work mobile with me though.

Further work planned on the garden this weekend with more plants/flowers to go into the beds and the never-ending battle with weeds to try and get on top of.  Sneakly got the lawns done today though whilst I was off.

August =

Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult - "Mardom"  (from "Echo Zmory Mardom", 2019) 04:31

Misþyrming - "Með svipur á lofti" (from "Algleymi", 2019) 07:06

Negator - "Dignity of War" (from "Panzer Metal", 2010) 04:49

16 minutes and 26 seconds

August=

Carnal Savagery - "Torn From the Grave" (from "Zombie Infested (demo)", 2020) 03:07

Severe Torture - "Hands and Head Not Found" (from "Fisting the Sockets", 2022) 05:14

Death Breath - "Twisted in Distaste" (from "Let It Stink", 2007) 05:36

Hate Eternal - "Nothingness of Being" (from "Upon Desolate Sands", 2018) 05:02

Fulci - "Splatter Fatality" (from "Tropical Sun", 2019) 02:49

Vomitory - "Chaos Fury" (from "Blood Rapture", 2002) 03:10

Monstrosity - "Fatal Millennium" (from "Millennium", 1996) 04:35

Total time = 29 minutes and 33 seconds

Following my gaff of posting my suggestions for July in the thread but then forgetting to add them to the actual list I have moved most of them over to August:

Traitor - "Exiled to the Surface" (from "Exiled to the Surface", 2022) 03:27

Kreator - "Strongest of the Strong" (from "Hate Uber Allies", 2022) 04:01

Municipal Waste - "Grave Dive" (from "Electrified Brain", 2022) 02:31

Whiplash - "Walk the Plank" (from "Ticket to Mayhem", 1987) 04:27

Overkill -  "Devil by the Tail" (from "Kill Box 13", 2003) 05:24

The Crown - "Crowned in Terror" (from "Crowned in Terror", 2002) 04:48

Exumer - "Hostile Defiance" (from "Hostile Defiance", 2014) 03:41

Total = 28 mins and 19 seconds

Hi Vinny, my suggestions for August are:

Pestilence - " Systematic Instruction" from "Malleus Maleficarum" (1988)
Deathhammer - "Thrown to the Abyss" from "Electric Warfare" (2022)
Hallows Eve - "Plunging to Megadeath" from "Tales of Terror" (1985)
Death Angel - "Voracious Souls" from "The Ultra-Violence" (1987)
Witchery - "Witching Hour" from "Witching Hour" single (2022)
Toxic Holocaust - "Nuke the Cross" from "An Overdose of Death... " (2008)

Don’t feel pressured to do so but with Daniel having a month off I am open to you adding more than your usual allotted minutes Sonny.  Fine if you want to stick with this though.

OK Vinny. When do you want any additional suggestions in by?

15th will do fella.

Hi Vinny, my suggestions for August are:

Pestilence - " Systematic Instruction" from "Malleus Maleficarum" (1988)
Deathhammer - "Thrown to the Abyss" from "Electric Warfare" (2022)
Hallows Eve - "Plunging to Megadeath" from "Tales of Terror" (1985)
Death Angel - "Voracious Souls" from "The Ultra-Violence" (1987)
Witchery - "Witching Hour" from "Witching Hour" single (2022)
Toxic Holocaust - "Nuke the Cross" from "An Overdose of Death... " (2008)

Don’t feel pressured to do so but with Daniel having a month off I am open to you adding more than your usual allotted minutes Sonny.  Fine if you want to stick with this though.

I won't be submitting any tracks for August Vinny. My month was consumed with my Southern Metal research & the only The Pit related release I listened to was the Sabbat feature which a) isn't on Spotify & b) would be too long anyway.

no worries fella

July 2022

01. Possessed – “Fallen Angel” (from “Seven Churches”, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny]

02. Ritual Carnage – “Death, Judgement & Fate” (from “Every Nerve Alive”, 2000) [Submitted by Daniel]

03. Shakma – “Spectres of Death” (from “House of Possession”, 2018)

04. Ripper – “The Last Day” (from “Raising the Corpse”, 2014) [Submitted by Sonny]

05. Agent Steel “Agents of Steel” (from “Skeptics Apocalypse”, 1985) [Submitted by Vinny]

06. Ambush – “Don’t Shoot (Let ‘Em Burn)” (from “Firestorm”, 2014) [Submitted by Daniel]

07. Hatriot – “Hymn for the Wicked” (from “Hymn for the Wicked”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

08. Bloody Falls – “Soul Ripper” (from “Burn the Witch”, 2021) [Submitted by Vinny]

09. Trepallium – “Sick Boogie Murder” (from “Alchemik Clockwork of Disorder”, 2006)

10. Pantera – “Slaughtered” (from “Far Beyond Driven”, 1994)

11. Gnostic – “Visceral” (from “Engineering the Rule”, 2009)

12. Tenet – “Being Nothingness”” (from “Sovereign”, 2009)

13. Extol – “Thrash Synergy” (from “Synergy”, 2003)

14. Voivod – “Korgull the Exterminator” (from “Rrröööaaarrr”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

15. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – “Organ Farmer” (from “Infest the Rats’ Nest”, 2019) [Submitted by Daniel]

16. Vulcano – “Dominios of Death” (from “Bloody Vengeance”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

17. Opprobrium – “The Battle of Armageddon” (from “Serpent Temptation”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny]

18. Aggression – “Forsaken Survival” (from “The Full Treatment”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

19. Exodus – “Sealed with a Fist” (from “Tempo of the Damned”, 2004) [Submitted by Daniel]

20. Darkness – “Hate Is My Engine” (from “First Class Violence”, 2018)

21. The Accüsed – “W.C.A.L.T.” (from “More Fun Than An Open-Casket Funeral”, 1987) Submitted by Daniel]

22. Funeral Nation – “After the Battle” (from “After the Battle XXV”, 1991)

23. Witchtrap – “Midnight Rites” (from “Evil Strikes Again”, 2020)

24. Nocturnal Breed – “Maggot Master” (from “Face Your Aggressor (25 Years in the Bunker)”, 2021)

25. Indestroy – “U.S.S.A.” (from “Indestroy”, 1987)

26. Bastardizer – “Whiskey ‘til Death” (from “Dawn of Domination”, 2018)

27. Bunker 66 – “Satan’s Countess” (from “Chained Down in Dirt”, 2017)

28. Diabolic Night – “Infernal Power” (from “Beyond the Realm”, 2019)

29. Witchburner – “Follow the Slaughterer” (from “Blood of Witches”, 2007)

30. National Suicide – “Death Roll” (from “Massacre Elite”, 2017)

31. Cro-Mags – “Malfunction” (from “The Age of Quarrel”, 1986)

The crashing and bashing tendencies of some death metal bands is not something that is always done to a reasonably high enough standard. When I hold such bands as Gorguts in the highest of regard then the bar is already set pretty high for avant-garde death metal. I will go on record as saying that Flourishing never hit the dizzy heights of Obscura on The Sum of All Fossils yet at the same time they do make a thoroughly entertaining record in the process. The urgency of the tempo that is set by album opener Thimble's Worth manages to set out a consistent taster for what is to come across the rest of their 2011 offering. What the band do particularly well is vary the pacing and tempo to give the album a real sense of dexterity.

The post-hardcore elements do not always work I admit and can lead to a sense of confusion or a rush of ideas all coming to a head in one place in particular. That being said I do get a real sense of there being a lot of thought behind the album, like time has been taken in the main to measure content and space it really well in terms of the arrangements as opposed to always pile tings on top of one another. The production job both helps and hinders this I feel. For the majority of the record there is a sense of a thin layer of murk just suppressing the content a little and not perhaps letting everything breathe as organically as the band may like based on their arrangements but at the same time the slower parts are given lots of room to build and present their more subtle nuances.

Flourishing could play though and there is very little on here not to get your head around as the band vary things up more than enough. It is not exceptionally technical overall and in fact relies on some quite simplistic repetition to provide build and crescendo in all honesty. Their playing just contains a solid amount of consistency that avoids sloppiness without ever becoming overly impressive. Whilst there are no weak tracks, there are many tracks that end up at the same place making track-blur a real problem. For an album that is weighted with the opportunity to rip up the rulebook to some degree it seems to somehow set its own limitations still on far they can actually take things. In so many ways I am torn between the comfort of the familiarity of it but also the lack of full-on bat-shit-crazy, spazzing that they never quite hit. The guitar flurries that open Momentary Senses are intriguing but do not play a big enough part in the track overall to realise that initial promise. Bits of The Sum of All Fossils tend to dominate other parts all too easily and those vocals cannot always keep up with everything that is going on, despite the measured approach and the obvious sense of arrangement there is still work to be done here. Interesting but not essential.

3.5/5

A few colleagues who came to Florida have since gone down with COVID upon return (I am not among the infected thankfully).  Florida was stupid hot (95 degrees Fahrenheit at one point) but was still a blast even though I had to work. Mad busy since getting back just over a week ago as been working in Scotland this past week so had little time to shake the jet-lag before getting out on the road.  Only this coming week to go then a long weekend in cabin near Snowdonia in Wales that has a hot tub so I will plonk myself in that for four days and enjoy some long overdue downtime.

Sorry Vinny, I forgot all about you requesting them be in by the 10th. If it's too late then no worries, but if you want to use my suggestions here they are:

Possessed - "Fallen Angel" from "Seven Churches" (1985)
Incubus (on Spotify as Opprobrium) - "The Battle of Armageddon" from "Serpent Temptation" (1988)
Ripper - "The Last Day" from "Raising the Corpse" (2014)

Thanks Sonny

July submissions from me:

Napalm Death - "Scum" (from "Scum", 1987) 02:38

Bolt Thrower - "War Master" (from "Earache Peel Sessions", 1988) 04:32

Grave - "Haunted" (from "Into the Grave", 1991) 03:38

Repulsion - "Black Breath" (from "Horrified", 1989) 02:16

Immolation - "Incineration Procession"  (from, "Acts of God", 2022) 03:27

Carcass - "Wake Up and Smell the Carcass/Emptor Caveat" (from "Torn Arteries", 2021) 04:37

Disentomb - "An Edifice of Archbestial Impurity" (from "Misery", 2019) 03:36

Horrendous - "Soothsayer" (from "Idol", 2018) 04:53

Total = 29:37

July:

Black Braid - "The River of Time Flows Through Me" (from "The River of Time Flows Through Me", 2022) 06:20

Abigor - "The Saint of Murder" (from "Totschläger: A Saintslayer's Songbook", 2020) 05:20

Uada - "The Great Mirage" (from "Djinn", 2020) 06:50

Total = 18:30

Think this is in the wrong thread Sonny.

Austrian’s Abigor are a band that I have somehow missed over the years. In fact, the very existence of an Austrian black metal scene was news to me actually. Having never heard much of any praise or criticism of the band they somehow just flew under my radar for the last three decades with only the praise amongst peers that their latest release was met with to pique my interest. Hailed as a return to form in more than one quarter the allocation of this for The North monthly feature release landed at a perfect time to bump it up my to do list.

I find the content on this record to be varied enough to hold the interest and it is delivered with a level of technical efficiency that manages to impress without becoming too showy or ever overly complex. The blend of densely layered riffs and epic song writing make for a keen ear to be needed to absorb all that Totschläger… has to offer. Just as I thought I had the measure of the record on the first listen through the album went off into a storytelling mode that appeared obvious from the moment it happened having reviewed the album title, yet somehow caught me off-guard.

The orchestral stabs of Orkblut (Sieg oder Tod) are perhaps the best example of Emperor-like structures this side of Prometheus…, yet the track itself is built from layer after layer of riffs. Literally piling the guitars atop of one another in some relentless frenzy of melodic and swarming architectural madness. At the same time, the track that follows this one, The Saint of Murder, needs no such assistance from any symphonic elements. With the guitar simply being allowed to host proceedings with its wailing tremolo supported by a solid rhythm section (twangy bass noted also) with actual licks being fired on occasion in the background. Replete with rich and lush melodies, this is the standout moment of the album for me.

After this (although I would not go as far as to say the album dips) things are just less memorable for me. I find that the complex layering becomes a tad fuddled for me on tracks like Scarlet Suite for the Devil and the conscious lean towards to a more epic sound towards the end does feel like it could be dialled down a lot. It almost feels to some degree that the flurry of ideas falls victim to some rush to get them all committed to tape before the end of the record. The dungeon synth opening to La plus longue nuit de Diable/Guiding the Nameless promises more than drawn out tempo of the main body of the track delivers sadly and the folk metal chant and battering ram drumming for Tartaros Rides just loses me sadly as my senses are more than a little lost by this point.

However, negative points aside, Totschläger… is an absolute triumph of a record in terms of being a rare breed in black metal in that it sounds like it was recorded by a band who genuinely enjoyed themselves. There is a real power behind every riff and note that those guitars spit out like fire from the bellies of hundreds of dragons. Whilst, not necessarily unique, those vocals are fitting for the sound of the music and add an important layer beyond the monstrous riffing, giving the opportunity for the mind to track something else a little more dialled down in the mix.

4/5

Bolt Thrower - Realm of Chaos (1989)

In November of '89, a year on from their debut, In Battle There Is No Law, Bolt Thrower issued sophomore album, Realm of Chaos. This album shows a band who have improved hugely in professionalism and who have honed their vision into sharper detail. Gone was the sloppiness of the debut, as had most of the crust influence and we had a much tougher-sounding, more brutal and heavier release as a result. This is no all-out assault of mindless brutality however and most of the tracks display some degree of progression. First track proper, Eternal War, may be the exception with it's nod to Napalm Death-style grindcore. Typically the tracks feature a slower, medium-paced, groove-laden riff with bursts of fast-paced, grind-like aggression and howling solos and they even turn in a creeping death doom riff to open the magnificant All That Remains. In Karl Willetts they have one of my absolute favourite death metal vocalists, his rasping growl epitomising what death metal vocals are all about for me.

Often with extreme metal, I will concede, an album can become a blur of similar-sounding tracks that struggle to stick in the memory after they have ceased playing and are more about the experience of listening, but in similar fashion to Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness, Realm of Chaos consists of tracks with enough memorable riffs and even melodies to stick with you after the disc has stopped spinning - a mark of exceptional songwriting I would suggest. Tracks like All That Remains and particularly World Eater are genuine death metal classics in my opinion, but there really isn't any filler on this album and I believe that Realm of Chaos can stand toe-to-toe with most of the classics of early death metal.

Although they are well-regarded, I still don't think Bolt Thrower get the credit they deserve. This was still 1989 and yet they had written the manual on brutal, grind-influenced death metal already (and went on to become one of the select few bands with decades-long careers who never put out a bad album) yet it seems to me that they remain the preserve of death metal enthusiasts and early grind adherents while lesser lights bask in the floodlights.
4.5/5

I recall having issue with this album on a production level but have to confess to it being a while since I listened to it and I may well have ended up with a horrible remastered version on CD somewhere.  Certainly need to revisit anyways.

The version on Spotify is the "Full Dynamic Range Version". So there are at least two versions available Vinny.

I was also reading on Discogs that the licence for the artwork from Games Workshop ran out in 2002 and they refused to renew it so subsequent re-releases have different cover art. The original vinyl LP is now going for £150 - £200!!

I have got this on this afternoon and a quick look on MA tells me that I have a CD reissue, remaster (THE HORROR!!!!!) which explains why it sounds stifled and horrible.  I really do not know off the top of my head of any remaster that has improved or benefited the sound.  I think I got this CD because it is a two disc affair with live footage on a DVD on disc two (which I have never watched) so after this spin I am going to get on the digital version and see how that measures up.  Familiar with FDR versions (have Altars of Madness and a couple of other classics on vinyl with that versioning) so be happy to check that one out.

I quite like this, more from the fact that the position in a fellow member's top 20 is visible on the release page.  My top 20 is pretty fluid outside of the top ten I find as number's one to ten are more or less locked in by now.

I think this approach works very well Xephyr. Like I said, the first hour or more worked extraordinarily well for me, more than I expected, but if the symphonic/power tracks were more randomly spread it may not have done so. I went into this playlist knowing full well that there would be stuff well outside my comfort zone, but I remained engaged throughout most of the runtime, so I would say a job well done 👍.

I actually use a similar method with The Fallen playlist, usually kicking off with more conventional doom or stoner metal and becoming increasingly extreme as the playlist proceeds, trying to end with the heaviest of the sludge/drone/funeral doom tracks. Hopefully this approach wouldn't scare off any casual listeners (not as I'm sure if we get any) before they get too far into it!

It's an interesting discussion as I consciously do the opposite on The Pit list, mainly because I fear people will get tired if I stack all speed together for example.  Now it is being touted in black and white on here I may switch up to follow the model you guys operate and see how that works when I do my initial run throughs.  Food for thought most definitely.

Heard positive things about this one and my first listen has proven these sentiments correct.  Not even a big fan of Abigor to begin with - they somehow just morphed into most of what was also coming out in the early to mid-nineties even though they were part of the Austrian scene.  That trademark heavy layering of guitars really hits home without smothering proceedings so I am looking forward to enjoying some more before committing to a review.

June 2022

01. Hexen – “Blast Radius” (from “State of Insurgency”, 2008) [Submitted by Vinny]

02. Nuclear – “World Depletion” (from “Jehovirus”, 2010) [Submitted by Sonny]

03. Sepultura – “War” (from “Morbid Visions/Bestial Devastation”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

04. Sodom – “Deathlike Silence” (from “Obsessed by Cruelty”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

05. Slaughtbbath “Amulets of Carnage” (from “Alchemical Warfare”, 2019) [Submitted by Sonny]

06. Madrost – “Charring the Rotting Earth” (from “Charring the Rotting Earth”, 2020)

07. D.R.I. – “Broke” (from “Full Speed Ahead”, 1995) [Submitted by Daniel]

08. Anthrax – “Indians” (from “Among The Living”, 1987) [Submitted by Sonny]

09. Metallicca – “Master of Puppets” (from “Master of Puppets”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

10. Strike Master – “Strong As Hell” (from “Death Based Illusions”, 2019) [Submitted by Vinny]

11. Whipstriker – “Mantas’ Black Mass” (from “Merciless Artillery”, 2018)

12. Hirax – “Black Smoke” (from “Immortal Legacy”, 2014)

13. Megadeth – “Five Magics” (from “Rust In Peace”, 1990) [Submitted by Sonny]

14. Slayer – “Angel of Death” (from “Reign In Blood”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

15. Hellish – “Souls of Destruction” (from “The Spectre of Lonely Souls”, 2018) [Submitted by Sonny]

16. Atrophy – “Violent by Nature” (from “Violent by Nature”, 1990) [Submitted by Vinny]

17. Sonic Assault – “Intellectual Singularity” (from “Neon-Lit Metropolis”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

18. Tankard – “(Empty) Tankard” (from “Zombie Atack”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

19. Go Ahead and Die – “Toxic Freedom” (from “Go Ahead and Die”, 2021) [Submitted by Vinny]

20. Lonescar – “Images from Mauthausen” (from “Lust for the End”, 2021)

21. Reign of Fury – “Infernal Conflict” (from “World Detonation”, 2012)

22. Hazzerd – “The Tendencies of a Madman” (from “Misleading Evil”, 2017) [Submitted by Vinny]

23. Possessed – “March To Die” (from “Beyond the Gates”, 1986) [Submitted by Sonny]

24. Num Skull – “Ritually Abused” (from “Ritually Abused”, 1988) [Submitted by Vinny]

25. Blood Feast – “Kill for Pleasure” (from “Kill for Pleasure”, 1987)

26. Terminalist – “Invention of the Shipwreck” (from “The Great Acceleration”, 2021)

Thanks for the warm welcome and the info. Feel like more websites should have a rating of covers.

Welcome, nice to see a new member, especially with Pit clan membership.