Vinny's Forum Replies

In a parallel universe somewhere, Proggy Vinny is writing a review about an album he discovered from a band called Anacrusis who took a traditional thrash metal foundation and built a progressive (if not all that daring) structure on top of it. Proggy Vinny and Anacrusis moved into that structure and lived happily ever after.

Here, in this miserable excuse of a universe, this Vinny was not looking for a progressive thrash metal album and so wished Anacrusis all the best and declined to go to more than 50 or so minutes of the house-warming. Joking aside, Screams and Whispers is not a bad record. It is not something I ever want to hear again but I accept that the issue there is more me just not liking this as opposed to Anacrusis sounding just downright offensive. I can easily acknowledge the instrumental work and do on occasion find myself nodding and tapping along to sections of songs on the record. However, I cannot get on with Kenn Nardi's vocals. They absolutely ruin every track without fail. Even when he tries to go a bit Chuck Billy (agree entirely with Daniel) it just doesn't work.

It is baffling to think that he is noted as the originator and "mastermind" of the band because he is by far the weakest link. He can't sing. End of. His voice is only unique because of how weak it sounds and to try and keep any thrash credentials here is bordering on bizarre with such an unsuitable vocal style present. Not for me folks.

2/5

Vinny, "Torn Apart" was included in this month's playlist. Feel free to pick an alternative track.

Doh!

"Without a Comscience" then please.

March

Obituary - "Torn Apart" (from "Dying of Everything", 2023)

Intoxicated - "Watch You Burn" (from "Watch You Burn", 2022)

Corpsessed - "Profane Phlegm" (from "Succumb to Rot", 2022)

Bloodbath - "Like Fire" (from "Resurrection Through Carnage", 2002)

Cannibal Corpse - "Pit of Zombies" (from "Gore Obsessed", 2002)

Decapitated - "Babylon's Pride" (from "Nihility", 2002)

Nile - "The Blessed Dead" (from "In Their Darkened Shrines", 2002)

Thergothon - Stream From the Heavens (1994)

Exploring early funeral doom is fast becoming my favourite way to relax. It really is testimony to the knowledge of the creator of this clan challenge (The Fallen: Doom Metal - The Early Days) as to how good an introduction to the clan this list of releases is. Until recently I had only really listened to Bell Witch's Mirror Reaper as my only regular experience of funeral doom. Understanding where the whole sub-genre that influenced that record comes from is a real treat. As with my review of Winter's Into Darkness, I find the sheer simplicity of Thergothon's Stream From the Heavens to be remarkable in the sense of the immersive atmosphere that it creates. Not that Winter's debut was dripping with high production values, but Thergothon's debut sounds like it was recorded in a basement somewhere in their native Finland.

What makes this album more remarkable is that there was only three members who recorded all this. Sharing vocal, keyboard and guitar duties across all three of them (with drums handled solely by Jori Sjöroos), Stream From the Heavens is a real team effort. This is not only dripping in atmosphere folks, it is heavy as fuck as well. It takes the blueprint of Into Darkness and ramps up the weight dramatically. The funeral atmospheres are serviced brilliantly by the almost black metal vocal style that sits alongside those dreary clean vocals (that also have a fair amount of spoken word alongside them). These grim and deathly croaks add a real dimension to this record and are perhaps my favourite part of the whole experience.

I guess my only mystery here is why this album is called Stream From the Heavens when this sounds like it comes up from the opposite direction altogether. Consistently, the record pulls you further and further into the agonisingly slow and dense atmosphere that it creates without making the whole experience feel like it goes on for too long. At a shade under 41 minutes, this album is a perfectly palatable slab of music that never feels like it outstays its welcome. It is bizarre how such fetid sounding vocals and crushing riffs can relax me so much but this album replaces any weight on my shoulders with a much different and more interesting weight I guess.

4.5/5

Winter - Into Darkness (1990)

In my book, 1990 was a sterling year for releases. Just take a look in the Releases section on the site folks and tell me otherwise amigos! It was one of the key formative years of discovery for me in metal and one that is close to my heart as a result. Now, although not on any "top" release list of mine for the year, I am already aware of the existence of Winter and their classic debut album Into Darkness having read much love for it and venturing into numerous listens over the years. The fact is, not having been that into most of the doom metal world and associated sub-genres, I hadn't really paid it that much attention until having to revisit for The Fallen clan challenge I am undertaking.

Having heard it several times in recent weeks I would describe it as a very functional album. Backhanded compliment though that may be it is most certainly true to my ears at least. I don't recall an album that marries the sum of its parts so well in all honesty. Servants of the Warsmen for example is so simplistic yet effective that it actually makes me smile (not the intention of the record - I know!) with its almost arrogant presentation. At the same time, the album overall is a (deliberately) monotonous affair that uses repetition extensively. This does not get boring at any point since the idea is to create an atmosphere and inhabit that dank space for the entre 46 minutes of the album run time.

My "functional" comment therefore is aimed as nothing but praise, certainly when we add the context of the timing of this record (there wasn't much of anything like this out there at the time). To create such an immersive experience with such a stripped back and down-tuned set of parts is truly interesting to me. It is almost an effortless record to listen to because it does the job it intends to do so well. As if opening up the album with an instrumental track is not bold enough a move, we get another one in the middle of the album which kicks off the whole tortuously slow second half of the record.

I would describe Winter's one and only full-length as "nonchalant" in delivery, designed to baffle by the sheer weight of the basic arrangements alone. But the bafflement is dulled by the slow doping your brain gets track after track as Into Darkness washes over you. One of the most relaxing listening experiences of my Fallen clan journey so far.

4/5

In terms of The Pit, although I did not find it that remarkable, Critical Defiance was destined to win as nothing else really stood out across the site for all the regulars (based on what I read anyway).  MegaDave and Kreator or Destruction were never going to get anywhere near most certainly.  My standout releases were Autonoesis and Schizophrenia (although I can't say I revisited the latter much since my four star rating).

The North felt much more like my home last year.  Although I have come to it late, the BAN album is really good but I feel I need a lot more time with it at present before settling on a rating.  I really enjoyed Gaerea the most out of the releases I cottoned on to last year.  Such a mature and accomplished release and great to see a band I have found myself following increasingly over the years really hitting their stride.  Although not quite hitting full marks, Wiegedood's release is another proud physical trophy in my vinyl collection from last year.  That's some ugly shit right there folks.  A special shout out to Nordicwinter who has fast become a firm favourite over the last 18 months since my discovery of his music. 

Upon reflection, The Horde enjoyed a mediocre year.  I did my fair share of dishing out 4 star ratings but nothing (not even the mighty Immolation) could hit top marks last year.  Abhorrency were a fucking blast and Tribal Gaze took my face off but I just do not find myself going back to it that much since the first month of repeated plays.  Ripped to Shreds and Mortuous would be my shout outs.

Although no longer affiliated with The Guardians, I agree that The God Machine was a standout record for the clan and Blind Guardian themselves.  A welcome return to form after several pompous and over the top releases.  Super pleased to see Krüller win The Sphere, another mature release from an artist I see going from strength to strength with every release. 

Only heard that Messa record from The Fallen and that hit top marks for me.  I have to fess up that I have played that Death of Piece of Mind record by Bad Omens so much in the car last year that it is probably my most played release of the year, so unusually, The Gateway tops my list in terms of most played release of the year.

Corpsessed "Succumb to Rot" (2022)

Back in 2014 I stumbled across the distinctly Finnish yet still decidedly modern death metal of Corpsessed. It took me a while to forgive their stupid band name choice but thankfully their brand of death metal spoke to me a lot better than their moniker does. Back then, their debut, Abysmal Thresholds was a perfectly respectable slab of death metal that offered consistency in bundles if not suffering a little in terms of being able to standout from the pack. Fast forwards nearly a decade and it is clear these Finns have matured tenfold and they show throughout Succumb to Rot that they can hold their own against the likes of Krypts and Cruciamentum in the modern death metal arena. Whilst most certainly still borrowing from the Funebrarum and Incantation rule book, Corpsessed have developed their own sound.

Taking those textbook mining riffs and a keen ear for catchiness, this quintet have made a memorable and explosive album of raging death metal. At a shade over thirty-six minutes the album is delivered relentlessly and without any hope of mercy. Niko Matilainen's ghastly vocals alone are an unnerving focal point for the weighty tunes that land track after track. With the rhythm section of Jussi-Pekka Manner (drums) and Tuomas Kulmala (bass) superbly supporting the guitars of Jyri Lustig and Matti Mäkelä, Succumb to Rot soon starts to feel almost welcoming with its macabre embrace after only a few spins.

Accepting this is not ground-breaking stuff, this is so well done you won't really care that the leads and sonics are non-existent. You'll be far too busy get bludgeoned by the groovy riffs to care anyways. Strong and powerful from start to finish, Succumb to Rot gets your attention by smacking you aside the head constantly for eight tracks. The last decade may contain some further gems from Corpsessed and based on this experience a review of the past releases is definitely needed.

4/5

A solid month on the North list this month.  Really impressed by Hoplites, Decayed and None tracks.  Not so hot on that new Drudkh, and those ...And Oceans or Nocte Obducta tracks.  However, I skipped none of the list (not even Deafheaven).

I have heard that Varathron before so that is out and I do not fancy any "gaze" this month so Autumn for Crippled Children is out too.  De Arma doesn't look my thing either with rumours of "post-rock" early in their career.  As interesting as Feminazgul sound I will pick up the gauntlet laid down by Ben and go with Gnaw Their Tongues.

Over to you Xephyr...

Mine worked without the new link.  I just went on the app, cleared off last month's tracks then added my playlist to it.

Give me some of that Deathchain please.

Over to you Ben...

Corpsessed for me - quite liked Abysmal Thresholds back in 2014 so will be good to get to grips with them again.

February 2023

01. Slaughter Messiah – “From the Tomb into the Void” (from “Cursed to the Pyre”, 2020) [Submitted by Vinny]

02. Nifelheim – “Black Evil” (from “Servants of Darkness”, 2000)

03. Nocturnal Breed – “Manskinner” (from “Fields of Rot”, 2007)

04. MunicioN – “Zombie Terror” (from “Fukk Off in Hell”, 2021)

05. Acid - “Lucifera” (from “Maniac”, 1983) [Submitted by Sonny]

06. Manilla Road – “Black Cauldron” (from “Out of the Abyss”, 1984) [Submitted by Vinny]

07. Razor – “Legacy of Doom” (from “Evil Invaders”, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny]

08. Retador – “Furia” (from “Retador”, 2022)

09. Critical Defiance – “Misconception” (from “Misconception”, 2019) [Submitted by Sonny]

10. Armagedom – “Sofrer Demais” (from “Silêncio Fúnebre”, 1986) [Submitted by Vinny]

11. Overkill – “The One” (from “Killbox 13”, 2003) [Submitted by Daniel]

12. Lazarus A.D. – “The Ultimate Sacrifice” (from “Black Rivers Flow”, 2011) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. Zimmers Hole – “When You Were Shouting at the Devil…We Were in League with Satan” (from “When You Were Shouting at the Devil…We Were in League with Satan”, 2008)

14. Metal Allegiance, Randall D. Blythe – “Gift of Pain” (from “Metal Allegiance”, 2015)

15. Meshiaak – “Chronicles of the Dead” (from “Alliance of Thieves”, 2016)

16. Mnemic – “Liquid” (from “Mechanical Spin Phenomena”, 2003) [Submitted by Daniel]

17. BabyMetal – “BabyMetal Death” (from “BabyMetal”, 2014)

18. Sanctity– “Beneath the Machine” (from “The Road to Bloodshed”, 2007)

19. Judiciary – “Social Crusade” (from “Surface Noise”, 2019) [Submitted by Vinny]

20. Autonoesis – “Raise the Dead” (from “Moon of Foul Magics”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

21. Blessed Death – “You Are Nothing” (from “Hour of Pain”, 2006) [Submitted by Sonny]

22. Slayer – “Hallowed Point” (from “Seasons in the Abyss”, 1990) [Submitted by Sonny]

23. Despair – “Freedom Now” (from “History of Hate”, 1988)

24. Deviated Instinct– “Scarecrow” (from “Welcome to the Orgy”, 2006)

25. Hellshock – “Darkness Will Endure” (from “They Wait for You Still”, 2009)

26. Feared – “Lords Resistance Army” (from “Reborn” 2016)

27. Dr. Living Death – “Crush the Sublime Gods” (from “Crush the Sublime Gods”, 2015) [Submitted by Daniel]

28. Warfect – “Purveyors of Cadavers” (from “Scavengers”, 2016)

29. Ultra-Violence – “Burning Through the Scars”(from “Deflect the Flow”, 2015)

Esoteric - Epistemological Despondency (1994)

Esoteric as a word is defined as being 'intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with specialised knowledge or interest' which is absolutely applicable to this monstrosity of a record. I do not think that I am an expert in funeral doom by any stretch of the imagination but the content I found on the six tracks present on this debut release is anything but confined to just one sub-genre of music. There is no doubt (even without reading the liner notes that Ben refers to in his review) that this was a record for an exclusive club and that you would not necessarily know whether you were in that club or not until you started listening to the record.

I like my music as extreme as the next cave-dwelling Metal Academy scribe but there are moments on Epistemological Despondency were even I begin to struggle. It may be the less than successful deployment of the death metal elements or the horrific noise intrusions and oddly muffled (maybe too down tuned) instruments - or in fact all of the above - but something is definitely off for me here. There are not a lot of moving parts I sense, yet they some how bash into one another far too much like an extra-large dodgem set up at a fair with only 6 cars on it. Logically they have a bigger area to move around in yet somehow they still continue to bump into one another.

It could be that I have come to this record too late and that the boundaries of acceptable extremity in my music have been stretched enough already at my age for me to be able to judge this record appropriately without the context of what it was trying to do in 1994. Whether I am 18 or 47 though I do not think that Epistemological Despondency is for me. There is too much to get through, being delivered by sparse component parts for me to want to get behind the cluttered arrangements and oppressive presentation to be bothered to understand what it actually wants to say about justified belief or opinion (if we take the album title by its intended definition of course).

3/5

Mogwai - Les Revenants (2013)

The 3rd and Mortal - Tears Laid in Earth (1994)

My Fallen clan challenge starts to take me to come very different waters as I get into the final third. Having been a largely positive experience thus far, there has been some genuinely unexpected discoveries along the way. The 3rd and Mortal however present a very different experience, one that has its high points as well as its lows it has to be said. Considering what I normally listen to from the country of Norway, these guys are a few football fields away from my usual black metal fodder that I consume with the vigour of a rabid animal. When I got Tears Laid in Earth between my teeth however I instantly started pulling the face of a confused dog, tilting my head from side to side like I could not believe what I was hearing.

First of all, I cannot ignore how good a vocalist Kirsti Huke is. Although she is entirely the wrong fit for this band and indeed this genre, she has a beautiful and shrill vocal style that when considered in isolation is undeniably good. The challenge is that the rest of the band/the music just cannot fit around her. Listen to this album and what you will hear is the instrumentation doing its upmost to play some doom, using keyboards, pianos and atmospherics alongside the guitars and drums to create some haunting (although never oppressive) music. Meanwhile, whenever Kirsti sings, everything else takes a back seat. The structures to tracks become so predictable, so quickly that I soon start to lose interest. Indeed, the only thing that keeps me present with the album are the two instrumental tracks in the middle of the album (arguably the high point of the record for me) where Kirsti does not sing but cries out alongside the instrumentation instead - more evidence that the two do not fit together well at all.

Trond and Geir are perfectly competent guitarists, that much is obvious here. However, they clearly want to play doom metal - not some ethereal gothic metal - and as a result the album feels constantly short-changed by these opposing elements. Forget you are listening to a doom record and the album is not half-bad but I am on the Fallen clan challenge, not some easy-listening playlist challenge.

2.5/5

Monstrosity sort of passed me by in the 90's. I do not recall that I even heard anything by them until last year when I went through Millenium over a number weeks, purely because I had only just cottoned on to the fact that George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher started out in the band before he got in Cannibal Corpse. At the time of releasing In Dark Purity, three years had passed and George was gone having exited the band in late 1995. Replacement Jason Avery however was more than up to the job and I feel he filled the vocalist vacancy really well. His vocals bring Cannibal Corpse to mind a lot in all honesty which is ironic. Any fear of a lull in quality amongst fans of the band, having seen their long standing vocalist defect I would imagine were instantly quashed. Avery's bellows are just as demented as you like and accompany the horrifying backdrop of the instruments perfectly.

Musically, if you think of the fury of Deicide coupled with the sonic swarms of Morbid Angel, you could pitch In Dark Purity somewhere in between the two. Tony Norman certainly knew his way around the six strings he had slung around his shoulders, igniting tracks with an Azagthoth-esque sonic intensity whilst at the same time being able to give us a fair share of Hoffman-esque pacing and the riffing rhythm of a Jack Owen or Rob Rusay. The drumming of Lee Harrison is functional enough without him getting Pete Sandoval in ability at any point.

In Dark Purity is probably one of the most underrated death metal albums from the 90's. It is an improvement on Millenium, its predecessor, which is no mean feat and one that shows there was a lot more to Monstrosity than just their original vocalist. Whilst it may not be a lot different to most of what else already came out in the heyday of death metal it is well crafted and agile in its performance. There are occasional time changes and obscure signatures that herald the opening of a new section or sound that show this was a band with something extra in the tank to keep them slugging it out with the big shots of the scene. I would not go as far as to describe it as technical death metal but there is certainly some depth to it.

4.5/5

Pestifer - Reaching the Void (2014)

Rising from the ashes of various bands dating back to the late 90s, Belgian tech-death band Pestifer boast a three album discography of pretty much exactly what you would expect from any performers in this sub-genre of death metal. We have twangy bass lines, melodic and crisp leads and grim vocals uttered over racing passages. I will not profess to be a massive fan of technical death metal (unless it is done really well with some avant-garde and progressive elements at least) and so Pestifer do have a slight disadvantage in falling into my hands for Review Draft this month.

Getting the negatives out of the way first. Where are the drums here? There appears to a light (thankfully not clicking) tapping noise in the background but I am getting no real sense of inclusion from Philippe Gustin here (his brother plays bass btw). As a result, Reaching the Void lacks any power overall. The riffs are too sterile to carry any power and in all honesty the only prominent parts of the album are the vocals and bass. I do not think that the drums suffer from any issues with their placement in the mix either. It sounds like they were deliberately recorded to be timid.

Now, although I highlight the riffs as sterile, this is a common sound in tech-death to my ears and actually works as a standalone and memorable section to proceedings. The lead work though is the main success from the guitars. It resonates through the tracks it inhibits leaving a clean, intricate and rich experience as it goes. Although I might not be entirely onboard with all of what Pestifer do, I cannot deny that there is some talent here and this does shine through on a consistent basis. With a bit more strength behind those drums (just a bit of presence really) then I sense that Reaching the Void would present more of an intriguing listen. 

3.5/5

Here's my selections for Febtruary, Vinny. Hope I'm not too late.

Acid - "Lucifera" from "Maniac" (1983)
Blessed Death - "You Are Nothing" from "Hour of Pain" (2006)
Critical Defiance - "Misconception" from "Misconception" (2019)
Razor - "Legacy of Doom" from "Evil Invaders" (1985)
Slayer - "Hallowed Point" from "Seasons in the Abyss" (1990)

All added thanks Sonny

Hi Ben, can you add the new Obituary record please?  "Dying of Everything"

The last five Fallen releases you've reviewed here have received 5.0, 4.5, 4.5, 5.0 and then 5.0.  I feel like a decaying brown icon may be added to your profile shortly Vinny. 

It is looking increasingly likely, I will finish the current challenge though first.

Katatonia - Dance of December Souls (1993)

In my many years of listening to metal there are a few albums that I struggled to grasp the appeal behind. For example, The Karelian Isthmus by Amorphis has long enjoyed the praise of my peers but I personally find it dull as dishwater. I even bought it on CD at a second-hand store one year off the basis of one of my internet acquaintances telling how good a record it was. That same acquaintance has also waxed lyrical about Dance of December Souls by Katatonia for years.

This time around I must acknowledge that the point of Dance of December Souls was largely lost on me because I gave it the incorrect amount of attention required to really appreciate how good an album this was. Criminally, I did this for years. Just applying the occasional spin of the record every now and again whilst doing something else entirely and then asking myself what all the fuss was about. Such scant regard for the true quality of Katatonia’s debut album means that I have missed the impact of a very important album for around five years.

This as a debut release for any band is an achievement. For a band who in 1991 recorded a demo that Anders Nyström himself described as “… is not Katatonia. It's some fuzzy, noisy necro shit done completely aside" to release this masterpiece some two years later shows a massive leap forward in maturity. Sitting listening to the bass work of Guillaume René Le Huche (Israphel Wing on the album notes) alone is a joy to behold. The flowing deep tones that run alongside the dark gothic melodies of the guitar and the crisp and brittle drums make for a real individual journey for the listener to chart the progress of. Factor in the ghastly vocals of Jonas Renkse and you get a real sense of the variation of Dance of December Souls.

Even the instrumental tracks possess an astonishing level of quality to savour over their short runtimes. Elohim Meth is superbly placed in this record to bridge the two halves of the album as it closes off the aggressive mentality of Without God and leads us into the more melancholic Velvet Thorns (of Drynwhyl). The real standout track however is Tomb of Insomnia. A thirteen-minute track straight after a near fourteen-minute track is a bold move but the build of this track is just so well measured and although it clearly has distinct passages at no point is their any disconnect during the track.

Listening through the album a few times again as I wrote this review it occurred to me that the album has an almost classical music theme to it, with certain guitar work sounding like a dank version of some Mozart or Beethoven concerto. Not flashy like Ywngie would do it, no this is much more subtle and might not be all that conscious, but it comes across to me as this was (maybe still is) a band that are really in touch with music and that they feel as opposed to just perform this album.

I have but one, very minor quibble of Dance of December Souls. The drumming appears upon first listen to deploy no cymbals or hi-hats. After many more listens, I do believe that they are there, but they are not well mixed. As a result, I feel the album could have a greater sense of drama than the already dizzy heights of gothic theatre that we have. This in way can detract from my perfect score.

5/5

Elegiac - Vampiric Odinism (2019)

The frenetic release output of Elegiac is the first thing that caught my eye when researching this review. This one man bm outfit (Zane Young) has released 4 EPs, 15 splits and 9 full lengths since 2014. That is pretty prolific output who has eight other "active" projects on the go on top of Elegiac. The New York based artist deploys a good mix of conventional black metal fodder with a heavy dose of black 'n roll added for good measure on his seventh release, Vampiric Odinism from 2019. Looking at the artwork that adorns the release and pictures of Zane online I had expected a more shamanic or ritualistic offering than is actually the case. Although there are some distinct parts where this is the case the more catchy moments are actually the better ones.

I would loosely assign Behexen and maybe Sargeist as influences I hear in the sound although they lack the scathing attack of Behexen and are lacking some of the primitive elements of early Sargeist to say the least. There are occasions were the vocals take more of a front seat and sound like the breathy incantations of any credible atmo-black artist but in the main it is the tremolo that rules the roost here with Zane's vocals a rasping accompaniment with a background setting of very basic and sometimes barely audible drums.

Overall, Elegiac offer very little in the way of impressing more than any other USBM artist. The deep voice that Zane adopts on occasion to (I assume) add some threat or menace to proceedings is laughable in all honesty and the whole release just bubbles instead of reaching boiling point all that much. The shamanic/ritualistic parts sound lazy and disinterested and when some sense of momentum or energy does start to form it gets killed by them on a consistent basis. Left to power on through the tracks with their heavy metal-esque drive (Sacrifice) then things take on a much more impressive shape and sound and it is a shame there is less of this to enjoy overall.

3.5/5

I had forgotten just what an unsettling experience Scar Sighted truly is until revisiting it for this month’s feature release. From the off it is undulating and unnerving experience. It begins in an uncomfortable space and stays within those claustrophobic confines for over an hour. This tormented state is one of the albums key strengths in that it never once gets drawn into safer structures or any sense of conformist principles of song writing. Cleverly it balances atmospheric horror, (whether that is spoken word passages or palpitation-inducing cries of dementia, take your pick it is all on here) with actual instrumentation. As such it is not a constant wall of noise that lacks form.

Full of mocking tremolo and bent string mischief, Scar Sighted wastes no time in making its disdain for humanity known. It would be too easy to constantly plunge the listener into the very depths of despair track after track but during the depressive misanthropy are some real entertaining moments. Whether that is a stripped back, bare-naked riff or string, a nefariously awkward melody or just incoherent howls, Wrest keeps things up his sleeve nicely (the keys in Wicked Fields of Calm, the horrid singing that greets the opening of Within Thrall) and produces them with his own macabre version of “ta da!”.

More impressive is that Wrest does all of this himself, only relinquishing responsibility for production and mastering to Billy Anderson and Bradleigh Boatright respectively. The production job is good enough, but I am not sure if the drums are supposed to be that far back in the mix as they are the one element that does feel lost in the swarming terror here.

My only criticism (other than the drum mix) is that Scar Sighted is shade too long at just over an hour. It is hard to call out tracks to cut though as all feel like they contribute to the overall aesthetic of the record well. Tracks that clock in at over ten, eight and seven and a half minutes to close the record out are a struggle in all honesty and maybe a couple could have been held back for an EP? There is however a real sense of conviction behind Scar Sighted that spurs it on and makes it virtually impossible to put down or turn off, once you are in that tight and cloyingly dank space, you are in it for the duration.

4.5/5

I gave that Celeste release a spin last night to settle me into some semblance of sleep mode and it is actually a marked improvement from my experience of the their release 5 years ago.  Not going to say it is amazing but it is one of the most mature records I have heard from last year.

I don't mean to ruin the fantasies of any of you kvlt/elitist types out there but Autonoesis is apparently this guy:

Fucking red-neck, mullet-sporting,  Bret "Hitman" Hart shades wearing, clean-shaven lumberjack black metal is my pet hate.  I feel dirty.

I gave that Tómarúm release a go earlier on and was not impressed with it tbh.  What the hell is going on with that bass?  Odd that I have not gelled with that BAN release enough to sit through a full run through.  Will try to rectify that over the weekend as I normally like anything they do but that having been said I was not massively in love with their previous release.  As you will see from my year end list I only got through 9 releases proper this year (at least 9 that were any good anyways) and I soon tire of over saturation from new releases.

Predictably (it is the monthly feature release) Autonoesis is now in the mix also.

Strong list this month Ben.  Particularly liked Stormruler, Ellende and Skythala.  Didn't mind that Darkthrone track strangely as normally I find them pretty boring nowadays.  Only duds for me were Woods of Desolation and Liturgy (although not massive fan of that Kampfar either).

P.S. you have got the title wrong on that first track in the list, looks like you have duplicated the Stormruler track from beneath.

I repeat, this was an excellent choice Daniel.  Despite my reservations that I highlight in my review below, I still find this an enthralling experience.  In my handwritten notes for this review I referenced Vektor but noted that this was a more "meloblack" banger style of thrash metal (and I absolutely stand by that this belongs in both The North & The Pit).  I would not be adverse to some recognition of the progressive elements but wold need far more listens to this to really decide.  Anyway, my review:

This is a devious little release (although given the length of it I am not sure that "little" quite covers it). I have read the other reviews from my esteemed academites (?) and I do not really have anything different to add in all honesty. I am less inclined to agree that this does not have a place in The Pit - I would equally argue that it has some argument for addition into The Infinite clan as well as The North. What this all means in real world terms, for the uneducated reader of this review is that Autonoesis cover a lot of ground on this record. This in itself is impressive based on the effort alone and that is one of the main takeaways from this record, the work ethic and amount of stuff that is in here is really commendable. Does it all work within the confines of one single release? Well yes and no.

Give me tracks like Raise the Dead all day and I am a happy enough bunny. This high-intensity track is arguably were Autonoesis are at their least stretched in terms of technical ability but it shows their heart better than most other tracks on here, largely because it is one of the shorter and more direct tracks that bleeds pure thrash from start to finish. Where things start to come unstuck a little for me are on the longer tracks and there are far too many of them. With three tracks over or around nine-minutes in length (plus an eleven-minute plus closing track) I do find myself a bit lost in Moon of Foul Magics at times. There is a sense of frustration in hearing a track go through multiple sub-genres and influences over a protracted runtime. Often when listening to one of the more lengthy tracks on here I cannot help but think that some of these ideas could be more succinctly deployed as individual tracks. There would be nothing wrong with letting a thrash track just thrash and chop its way through three or four-minutes and parking that progressive interlude or epic black metal passage into a track all of their own.

This is not to say that they do not blend elements well as a group or individual artist (I have no idea how many people are in Autonoesis but I suspect it is a one-man project with contributors), the musicianship on here is superb and the lead work in particular is sublime. I just cannot help but feel that there is more going on here than can be comfortably digested by many listeners. Even with dedicated, alone time with this record the lack of distractions does not necessarily make the focus on everything anymore acute.

I still think this is an ambitious and highly recommendable record, not in the least because I am actively looking to expand the range of offerings in The Pit playlists each month and this is a refreshing "take" on a few sub-genres that still has the riffs to pull enough punches in the thrash metal realm.

4/5

This is a great choice for feature release and I would say replicates the direction of travel I was looking to take The Pit playlists in terms of expanding the range and scope of the tracks beyond just the conventional thrash, speed metal nominations and the groove, technical and crossover sub-genres as well. 

A review for this one is not ready yet but my listens so far have been nothing short of enthralling.

BABYMETAL - "BABYMETAL DEATH" (from "BABYMETAL", 2014)  Yes, I'm serious! Feel free to exclude it but tell me this isn't a death/thrash track.

Bitches Sin - "Haneka" (from Predator", 1982) Feel free not to exclude this one too but I'd suggest that it's an early example of speed metal.

I can't believe I am about to do this but I am actually going to listen to a Babymetal track later today.  

EDIT - it was not as bad as first feared.  You are right Daniel, absolutely has a place here in The Pit playlist.

However, I am not convinced by Bitches Sin, too much Motorhead for me to justify it going in The Pit list so I will be excluding this one.  Happy to take another alternative id you have one?

Gama Bomb - Sea Savage (2020)

So, as I said before, I haven't listened to Gama Bomb since 2008's Citizen Brain album, which I bought at the time, but haven't spun a whole lot since as, to be honest, it didn't do much for me (I will have to revisit it though after this). Gama Bomb write short, breakneck, often humourous, thrash metal that makes no attempt to break new ground and I have no problem with that. Of the twelve tracks on Sea Savage, the longest is four and a half minutes with half the album's songs clocking in at under three minutes and, I must admit, the band in full flow do thrash fucking hard. The tongue-in-cheek humour that is employed throughout isn't especially jarring and doesn't detract from the music at all - and let's be honest here, thrash metal, lyrically, can often be ridiculous even when played straight-up.

No, by far my biggest bugbear with Sea Savage is regarding the vocals. Mostly they are fine, but way too often vocalist Philly Byrne resorts to a ridiculous falsetto that feels like it may be a parody of Painkiller-era Rob Halford and I hate it. It occurs at some point in nearly every track and totally ruins them for me. It's use is most prevalent on the title track and it makes that track virtually unlistenable to my ears.

Despite this quite substantial misgiving, I still have to give the album a 3.5/5 because, as I said earlier, it does thrash so fucking hard and at it's best it is quite infectious, but that damn scream is just so fucking annoying that I can't ignore it and must reflect it in the score.

3.5/5

Being my usual picky self, I find the irony of the "Sea Savage" being a beast of ape descendance (i.e. a land mammal) and not anything associated with the sea particularly laughable. 

Exmortus - The Sound of Boredom

EDIT

Exmortus - The Sound of Steel (2018)

Sigh. I kind of feel like Exmortus exist in the wrong era. The old-school album artwork should really be clue enough but those retro heavy/speed metal vibes are not just isolated to the album cover alone. Within the ten tracks here there is enough 1990's neoclassical references as you could ever hope to find (if "hope" is the right word for you - it is not for me, "misfortune" is a much more accurate word). All this guitar wankery is played at breakneck speed to try and impress further upon the listener how talented the artist is. Problem is it is all the energy of Vektor, rehashed into some dull attempt to sound vaguely as interesting as they were; I mean this album is one of the main reasons that I left The Guardians clan behind last year.

Literally no opportunity to show-off is missed on here. However long the intro to a song is, rest assured that some lead or over the top melodies are right around the corner. They even have the nerve to park an instrumental track in the middle of the album and call it A Minor Instrumental. If only they would have confined all the showboating to this one track! When not widdling their way to eternity the band try and get the chops going but it lacks any edge to make this anything like a thrash release with any concrete credentials. This is just an exhausting record and I do not not what tired me out soonest, the content or the continued reaching for the mouse to skip the album along.

Utterly pointless and instantly forgettable, The Sound of Steel is all filler and no killer. Yes the guitarists can play and the sub-genre (Neoclassical thrash??) demands more of this stuff but it is just so dull and presents zero appeal to me.

1.5/5

I am familiar with this one, his first release after his domestic troubles saw him arrested and put on probation.  It is a deep record and takes some time to settle in my experience but is worth the effort.  Odd that I have not reviewed or rated it to date but I guess that's the features doing their job.

I will go with Elegiac.

Over to you Ben.

Pestifer looks interesting, I will take that.

Ex Mortus for me.

I had this in my top 9 releases of 2022.  My review below.

In niche sub-genres such as drone metal and industrial metal the ideal scenario for me is to have a go-to artist I can really rely on. I cannot say that I listen to much of anyone else in either genre and so the assured and emotional consistency of Tristan Shone's output in Author & Punisher is a real bonus for me in a world of thousands of artists and much less time than needed to fully explore many of them. As time has gone on I have discovered two main themes in his work. Firstly, he gets better with every release. The maturity he is now able to exhibit on Krüller is just so confident that it is obvious in every track on the album; his experience over each passing year and release simply makes him better. Secondly, as time has gone by I have ceased to be astonished by just his incredible ability to make all manner of alien and horrifically atmospheric noises from whatever ungodly bit of tech he has made with his bare hands. I am now just as astonished by the emotional tautness of his output that stirs responses in me that I had not thought possible with this type of music.

At this point in his career, Shone is untouchable in terms of not needing to rely solely on the harsh, abrasive and heavy aspects of his music to get his message across. If there is anyone using textures better than he does on tracks like Incinerator then I damn well demand a recount! This track in particular is a rollercoaster that goes from broody and sultry onto anger and sadness before giving way to mental torture. Listen to this album through a couple of times and you will understand that Shone is able operate on multiple levels and can hammer home his message without the need for blunt force every time. Centurion relies on a subtle yet ever-present urgency to press home its threat. Maiden Star operates meanwhile in a whole separate stratosphere with dreamy melodies and blatant rock guitars as its main ingredients.

Whereas previous A&P releases lacked range, on Krüller this is not a problem that is even on the horizon. Without having to go avant-garde or just plain old wacky, album number nine just delivers on every level. The drone elements are stable without being excessive and the industrial elements play as influences (albeit big influences) that do not rule the roost as such yet the album is still so very industrial at its core but feels so open and varied without disrupting the sense of balance that permeates the record. The cover of Glorybox by Portishead feels like a huge moment for the album and indeed Shone's career itself. Taking the elements that make it such a brilliant piece of dreamy trip-hop in the first place, A&P manages to elevate this with his trademark droning, industrial intensity whilst still capturing the heartfelt message at the centre of the track.

Krüller is Tristan Shone at his best and is far and away his finest hour. Able to command enough respect at this stage to have Tool's Justin Chancellor and Danny Carey guest on the album, Shone can use his ever-growing confidence to allow his vocals to shine more as he (consciously) removed much of the trademark distortion that layered them in the past in favour of what to me is a more personal connection. One of the best finds of 2022 so far.

5/5

February 2023 nominations:

Barshasketh -"Ruin I" (from "Barshasketh", 2019)

Fellwarden - "Sun of Ending" (from "Oathbearer", 2017)

Svartidaudi - "Burning Worlds of Excrement" (from"Revelations of the Red Sword", 2018)

February 2023 nominations:

Atrocity - "Defiance" (from "Todessehnsucht", 1992)

Entombed - "Severe Burns" (from "Clandestine", 1991)

Mortuous - "Defiled by Fire" (from "Upon Desolation", 2022)

Monstrosity - "Manic" (from "Millennium", 1996)

Blood Incantation - "Inner Paths (To Outer Space)" (from "Hidden History of the Human Race", 2019)

Exocrine - "End of Time" (from "The Hybrid Suns", 2022)

I think the most important question here is, why is there a toilet roll tube on that pew?

January 2023

01. Anthrax – “Caught in a Mosh” (from “Among the Living”, 1986) [Submitted by Vinny]

02. Impalers – “Prepare for War” (from “God From the Machine”, 2015) [Submitted by Vinny]

03. Daeva – “Clenched Fist of the Beast” (from “Pulsing Dark Absorptions”, 2022)

04. GAME OVER – “Two Steps in the Shadows” (from “Claiming Supremacy”, 2017)

05. Cavalera Conspiracy - “Spectral War” (from “Psychosis”, 2017)

06. Coroner – “Internal Conflicts” (from “Grin”, 1993)

07. Prong – “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck” (from “Cleansing”, 1994) [Submitted by Vinny]

08. Suicidal Tendencies – “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow” (from “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow, When I Can’t Even Smile Today”, 1988)

09. Stälker – “Total Annihilation” (from “Shadow of the Sword”, 2017)

10. Testament – “Absence of Light” (from “Souls of Black”, 1990) [Submitted by Vinny]

11. Hellhammer – “Revelations of Doom” (from “Apocalyptic Raids”, 1984)

12. Frosthelm – “The Endless Winter” (from “The Endless Winter”, 2015)

13. Obsolete – “Still” (from “Animate//Isolate”, 2021)

14. Acid Death – “Liquid Heaven” (from “Pieces of Mankind”, 1997)

15. Believer – “The Need for Conflict” (from “Gabriel”, 2009)

16. Critical Defiance – “Elephant” (from “No Life Forms”, 2022) [Submitted by Daniel]

17. Faith or Fear – “Straight to Hell” (from “Instruments of Death”, 2009)

18. Eruption – “Drones” (from “Cloaks of Oblivion”, 2017)

19. Oxygen Destroyer – “Cleansing the earth of Humanity’s Existence” (from “Bestial Manifestations of Malevolence and Death”, 2020) [Submitted by Vinny]

20. The Troops of Doom – “Dethroned Messiah” (from “Antichrist Reborn”, 2022)

21. Deströyer 666 – “Guillotine” (from “Never Surrender”, 2022)

22. S.O.D. – “Speak English or Die” (from “Speak English or Die”, 1995)

23. Aura Noir – “Wretched Face of Evil” (from “Black Thrash Attack”, 2011)

24. Hellbastard– “Heading for Eternal Darkness” (from “Natural Order”, 1990)

25. Terrörhammer – “Graveyard Witch” (from “Under the Unholy Command”, 2015) [Submitted by Vinny]

26. Bulldozing Bastard – “Under the Ram (from “Under the Ram” 2015)

27. Pantera – “Suicide Note, Pt. 2” (from “The Great Southern Trendkill”, 1996) [Submitted by Daniel]

28. Hatchet – “Living in Extinction” (from “Fear Beyond Lunacy”, 2015)

I have no issue with this.

Messa - Close (2022)

There are some records that you simply feel daunted at the prospect of having to review. Some records are so diverse and eclectic, so bristling with organic energy and vigour that committing some paragraphs to state the success of their content seems an almost injustice of near epic proportions. I mean, I can be impressed by some albums I hear and easily transpose my thoughts on the highlights to word format, but the albums that constantly challenge and surprise you are the tricky ones to truly interpret in a review. Close is one such record. Looking back at the year as a whole it is hard to understand how this release initially passed me by back in March and only really fell onto my radar at all in the final three months (breaking my end of year list to boot). My exploration of The Fallen clan certainly helped bring this to my attention but there is so much more here than the simple doom aesthetics of this record.

In simple terms, this is a cool record. Not cool as in being representative of some mainstream avenue of music but more just cool in how it sounds. There are enough instruments in use over this album to make it easy to understand just how well this record embraces influences form doom, psychedelia and world music. Crossing continents and exploring cultural boundaries along the way, Close is a celebration of all the influences that this band have been subjected to over their various pathways into Messa. Even on the grindcore track towards the end, none of this feels forced (vocalist Sara, formerly being a member of death metal/grindcore crew Restos Humanos makes the grindcore inclusion a little less surprising perhaps).

With this variety comes the potential for me to get lost in the record and find myself struggling to balance the complexity of such a mixed palate of sounds (the album being over an hour long doesn't initially bode well either) but everything is done so effortlessly it just sounds so authentic throughout. Somehow, Messa manage to sound modern and relevant yet capture the very essence of the retro vibes that ooze through those fuzzy guitar tones, ably assisted by the amazing vocal talent of Sara Bianchin. Although it is obvious where her limitations lie she still compliments each track on here perfectly and is easily one of the standout contributors to the record.

I bought this album on vinyl yesterday, such was my urgency to add this to my library in some kind of physical format and it has worked its way into my top three albums of the year, despite its late arrival on my radar. There is so much that can be said about this record that I could go on for days about it and never still get all my reflections down about it. As I said, in simple terms, this is really cool.

5/5

It sounds like you are slowly succumbing to the melancholy charms of The Fallen, Vinny.

Still working away at the clan challenge as that way I will truly understand what I do and do not like.  Monotheist was a curved ball though whilst in a quiet period at work and just threw it on stream, to great success clearly.  If all doom metal sounds like this then I am in!

Hooray, after a mere eleven days of sub-zero temperatures and no hot water, we have finally got a new boiler fitted. You sometimes take for granted the simple things like having a shower, but after washing in a bucket with kettle-boiled water for a week and a half, it feels like one of life's great luxuries!

Good news, having lost heating and hot water for a mere 2 days by comparison last week due to a frozen pipe I cannot agree more how the simple things can be taken all too easily for granted.  Glad your sorted.

Celtic Frost - Monotheist (2006)

Song writing is a fine art form. A skill that only very few excel at. You can admire well-structured and cleverly built songs all you like, however for me the real praise needs to be reserved for those that elevate their song writing to truly deranged levels of morbid grandiosity. That ability to truly detach from the expected, to actively seek to shy away from the conventional is where my eyes go all glossy with adulation. To that end, my discovery of Monotheist today for the first time has been nothing short of a revelation.

To be honest, I rarely listen to Celtic Frost and had most certainly not thought to connect them with doom metal. Of course, now I sit down and acknowledge that this last offering from CF sets the scene perfectly for the very similar sounding Triptykon, it all falls into place nicely. That having been said part of my stunned and slightly quizzical look on my face cannot hide that sense of being caught genuinely off-guard by a record for the first time in absolutely years. Although relevant, comparisons with Tom’s latter day output are not altogether an accurate reflection of just how good Monotheist is.

Which ever release I listen to from Triptykon, it exudes some sense of measure and control. It feels like some of the rampant emotions of Monotheist have been brought to heel in the intervening years that have passed since CF ducked out (on a high). That is not to say that Monotheist is bat shit crazy either, whilst it most certainly lacks some of the dark composure of Triptykon it is still a deviously calculated record to listen to. Whilst it starts off perfectly normal with heavy opener Progeny providing an above average welcome to proceedings, this is a record that slowly unravels and unhinges itself the further you get into it.

As well as Tom’s increasingly demented vocals there is a growing sense of groove and bend to those riffs also. As songs start to crash into feedback-soaked endings it is with a degree of wonder that you must ask yourself if the four years of recording was the route the band should have stuck with for their entire careers, such is the level of accomplishment prevalent over these eleven tracks.

Clear album highlight is the penultimate track (proper), Totengott. Its blend of harsh black metal vocals and noise-like atmospherics are a stunningly macabre glorification of evil music and Tom sounds rabid on his performance on here. The fourteen minutes plus offering, Synagoga Satanae is a wonderful exploration of doom metal, full of big and memorable riffs. For me, they could end the record right there and do away with the instrumental track that closes proceedings but this still acts as a great palette cleanser to end on.

4.5/5

Pentagram - self titled (1985)

I have been meaning to catch up on my exploration of The Fallen clan with Pentagram’s opening offering to the world being on my challenge list. Last night I was flicking through a magazine and an interview with Mirai from the band Sigh referenced Pentagram’s debut record as “Heavy, simple and evil” and so my task for today was set. Mirai listed it as one of his five most influential albums, citing the simplicity of the riffs as being one of the key successes of the record. I would agree with this to some extent as the riffs here chart no complicated or technical patterns. Equally, the drums and bass do nothing extraordinary in the main part, but then Joe Hasselvander suddenly pulls amazing runs and fills out of thin air (Run My Course) or Martin Swaney steps in from nowhere with his charging bass line (Dying World) and suddenly this is not such a simplistic album anymore.

What works well on this record is the restraint that is showed to showcase individual performances. Whilst the riffs stick that effective level of basic ability during verses, for example, Bobby’s vocals really get to shine. His dulcet croons are given centre stage in these scenarios but then when it comes to the lead work, Victor Griffin gets the spotlight delivering brief but enchanting solos. This sharing of the limelight gives the album a real sense of cohesion and camaraderie; no individual element rides roughshod over another here folks.

There is no doubting the doom credentials on display here, the production job is light touch and the whole sound has an authentic and organically dark feel. The fuzzy edge to things gives a cruel comfort against the backdrop of Bobby’s marauding vocals. Listening to this album some near forty years after its release, it is not difficult to see why Pentagram have remained such a revered name in the doom metal scene. Simple, without being boring and clever without being complex.

4.5/5