UnhinderedbyTalent's Forum Replies
Ozzy Osbourne - Fool Like You from The Ultimate Sin (1986)
Judas Priest - Love You To Death from Ram It Down (1988)
Crimson Glory - Lady of Winter from Transendence (1988)
Persuader - Judas Immortal from When Eden Burns (2006)
Midnight - You Can't Stop Steel from Satanic Royalty (2011)
Dark Angel - Pain's Intervention, Madness from Time Does Not Heal (1991)
Megadeth - Poisonous Shadows from Dystopia (2016)
Slayer - Mr. Freeze from Undisputed Attitude (1996)
Sacred Reich - Death Squad from Ignorance (1987)
Gama Bomb - Ninja Untouchables/Untouchable Glory from Untouchable Glory (2015)
We still have a three track limit for The North playlist Vinny. That's mainly because of the longer track durations that people have been selecting which tend to fill up the run time without the need for anything additional but also because most of those selections tend to be in the same couple of subgenres so I leave a little room to add some material from the large number of other subgenres.
Cool, knock the last two off my list WITTR and Craft can wait for another month.
Drastus - Cygnus XI from Serpent's Chalice-Materia Prima (2009)
Enslaved - Kvasirs Blod from Eld (1997)
Malokarpaten - Ked' svetionosi započnú v močariskách nazeleno svícit from Nordkarpatenland (2017)
Wolves in the Throne Room - The Old Ones Are With Us from Thrice Woven (2017)
Craft - Assassin 333 from Fuck The Universe (2005)
Yes, well I was wrong. I listened to a few Amaranthe tracks on YouTube and found them to be jaw-droppingly awful. But, that's fine - I somehow don't think a grizzled old cynic like me is their target demographic. As for picking a track from In Waves for next month's playlist, I didn't really think anyone would be interested in listening to a track from the previous month's featured release again so soon. But I pledge that I WILL find a track to suggest sometime during the next week or so.
Ha ha, I stumbled across Amaranthe yesterday also when exploring the genres of The Revolution clan and have to say I was of the same opinion.
Bolt Thrower - What Dwells Within from War Master (1991)
Morbid Angel - Rebel Lands from Blessed Are The Sick (1991)
The Chasm - Architects of Melancholic Apocalypse from Procession to the Infraworld (2000)
Dead Congregation - Teeth Into Red from Graves of the Archangels (2008)
Krisiun - A Thousand Graves from Scourge of the Enthroned (2018)
Great idea and will help me broaden my horizons. I have always held a soft spot for The Gateway as it predominantly caters for a very niche time in my life where I was yet to bury myself in the more extreme genres of metal. I listen through the playlist for that clan most months already so grateful of the opportunity to contribute as well as continue to explore new bands. The Sphere and Revolution clans will be on catch up inevitably but planning to take up the option to add my two penneth.
Managed to get through this over yesterday evening and this morning before work and have picked up a couple of albums to explore more from the list (Death Angel & Overkill). Killer Be Killed are unknown to me until this list so will check out more of their stuff definitely. Still not getting the new Sodom album at all and even in piecemeal I find it lacking. First ever taste of Mr Bungle and it was as bat shit as I thought it would be but enjoyable all the same.
That Pantera track took me back to my youth as did Holy Wars.... Another great list this month.
Good month on the playlists so far with me finding more new bands to pick up on this Guardians list than any of the others I have gone through. That Blind Guardian track is my favourite one of theirs so glad to see it up there. My first time ever listening to Therion and I am suitably intrigued to discover more as I get chance. Nice to see the Maidens and Priests of this world get on the list also.
Strong list this month. Pleasing to see the Yoth Iria track as well as some Revenge.
Found myself tolerating the Primordial track (usually skip these guys) and have picked up a couple of new acts to explore more. Didn't hate Deafheaven as much as I predicted I would but was still relatively underwhelmed by it.
P.S. really want to play Winter by Fen all day now.
All done, I will update moving forwards.
Lists updated to include the featured releases for The Infinite, The Guardians, The Gateway and The Fallen from Jan 20 to present as a guide of what has gone before.
I notice you haven't rated this one Vinny. Can I assume you're acquainted with it?
I am mate. Not one of my preferred releases of theirs from memory but would need to revisit to fully recall why. It was following a great record of course in Close to a World Below so it may be that it is not a bad album per se, just not on the same par.
Didn't enjoy this at all really. Felt very much like it was made on the fly with long instrumental passages just switching me off all too easily. I got no sense of what the band were driving at achieving as it all just felt excessive but never bloating even as the content wasn't ever really mind-boggling or all that delicious to warrant much in the way of conscious consumption.
2/5
Great idea, a bit of responsibility for me will help make me a little more sticky with the place again.
Don't think the collaborative approach would work in all honesty so happy with this approach outlined of the rotation.
What's the process then? Do we just start the thread ourselves for the featured release or do you still hold posting responsibility Daniel? Happy either way.
I have also puled together a list below for The Horde, The Pit and The North "Featured" releases from Jan 20 to present so folks picking don't replicate old picks.
Ulcerate - Shrines of Paralysis (2016) - Relapse Records
The pinnacle of their output (at the time). An improvement on Vermis which in its own right was a superb record. Probably the first time it all really came together with the mix allowing the component parts to breath independent of each other yet appear cohesive in their own dissonant and chaotic manner. Listening to Ulcerate gives me a massive sense of connection with disorder and the conflict of emotions which just connects with my own often complex mindset and thought process.
5/5
Decidedly entertaining album if not at risk of death by repetition in the main. Sterling lead work and a solid, driving percussion section. Tony's vocals I find a bit hit and miss overall but decent enough.
3/5
https://metal.academy/reviews/16837/2188
Pantera - By Demons Be Driven from Vulgar Display of Power (1992)
Evile - Thrasher from Enter The Grave (2007)
Nuclear Assault - Critical Mass from Handle With Care (1989)
Morta Skuld - Devoured Fears from Dying Remains (1993)
Baphomet- Streaks of Blood from The Dead Shall Inherit (1993)
Hate Eternal - Lake Ablaze from Phoenix Amongst the Ashes (2011)
Accept - Stampede from Blind Rage (2014)
Visigoth - Blades in the Night from Conqueror’s Oath (2018)
Metal Church - The Dark from The Dark (1986)
Tsjuder - Ancient Hate from Demonic Possession (2016)
Forgjord - Surman Sakeet from Ajasta Ikuisuuteen (2009)
Devouring Star - Sin Assimilation from The Aeteries of Heresy (2018)
Pleasing to see the high praise for Ulcerate and Oranssi Pazuzu in the album section. I do need to pick up on that Cirith Ungol album actually as never got around to it. Like Ben, I have very little time for online presence currently (although some of this is a conscious effort to be spending less time in front of a screen outside of work hours) so my contribution levels are dropping here sadly.
Reviewed this without knowledge it was featured (not been about much admittedly) so was a timely review. The issue I have in the main is Leverman's mix and the large amount of filler on display. Not a terrible record by any means but heavily front-loaded and I expected better.
Not a fan of this. The very concept of everything needing to fit into neat little boxes drives me up the wall if I am honest. Obviously a passionate subject for some and each to their own but this won't make my Metal Academy experience any different I sense.
Panopticon - Kentucky (2012)
I have grown really fond of this record in recent weeks (think I picked up on it from a track on the North playlist the other month). It is such a well composed album that deals with a very emotive subject very sensibly in terms of how the folk, bluegrass and black metal elements are deployed to tell the story. Need to find time to get a review done on this so will hold off rating at this stage.
1. King Diamond is a terrible vocalist and the real talent in Mercyful Fate has always been Denner and Shermann. That withstanding, none of their albums are worthy of nearly half of the praise they receive and all of KD's solo releases are boring.
2. Likewise, Joey Belladonna is an overrated vocalist and Anthrax's output is patchy at best.
3. Voivod have never released a good album and are none of my business.
4. Amon Amarth have been releasing the same album for the last 29 years and it is still boring.
5. The internet has too many fucking lists on it.
6. Iron Maiden were at their best when Paul Di'Anno was on vocals.
7. Meshuggah sacrifice power and passion in their music in favour of unnecessary complexity.
8. AC/DC are massively overrated and nowhere near as influential as fans make them out to be.
I still can't call whether it is the debut or this album that I prefer but this release is full of looming and complex angles that have enough light on them to make them catchy and memorable. Accessible without sacrificing the threat of each track the album has a level of engagement and instant appeal that is not always present on such releases. Helped in no small part by Dolan's appropriate yet legible vocal delivery and those cutting and entertaining riff patterns the album offers points of interest at every turn.
4.5/5
https://metal.academy/reviews/19644/642
I am a slow reader nowadays, considering when I was younger I read 2 books most weeks with horror fiction being my genre of choice. I have currently been reading the same book for 2 years now, Orlando Figes - The Russian Revolution: A People's Tragedy and then I have the complete works of Poe to get through.
In answer to the question though, no I am not into science fiction be it classic or otherwise. Not against picking up something in the future but never had any overarching desire to pursue it as a genre.
My favourite Overkill album from what I have heard and spent quality time with. A real riff ripping thrash metal album that maintains a high level of consistency throughout. Had I not been able to get over my initial dislike of Bobby's vocals then I may never have discovered what a great album Horrorscope is. I kind of want all Overkill records to sound like this but then of course that's what keeps this one top of the pile of favourites from the band.
4.5/5
Great start to 2021 with this and my favourite Overkill album in The Pit too. Will be flexing my fingers on a couple of reviews over the bank holiday weekend.
EDIT : Already reviewed Overkill. Doh!
Pentagram - Day of Reckoning (1987)
A band I finally got around to checking out in 2020 and in the last few days of 2020 I went on a doom trip listening to Windhand then a sharp turn back in time to The Obsessed and then Pentagram. Very mellow vocals to my ears that still retain a sense of malice and sinister intent to add some edge to things. Worth a punt to get me to check out more of their back catalogue at least.
Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss (1990)
A recent CD (re) purchase - I sold my original copy back in the 90s - and boy does this take me back to happy times. Hands down my go to Slayer record even though I acknowledge South of Heaven and Reign in Blood to be superior, but what the 1990 release offers is the urgent and yet dogged pace coupled with some atmospheric gems like Dead Skin Mask and the title track. Slight lull towards the end but still a great record.
4.5/5
Atomic Rooster - Death Walks Behind You (1970)
Since listening to Oranssi Pazuzu yesterday I immediately went on a Hawkwind trip and have found myself on a backward journey regressing into the 70's. After some Edgar Broughton Band I ended up settling next on some Atomic Rooster for my old school itch.
Just caught on to Onirik's latest release and have spent most of the weekend with that so far. But also dusted off some old vinyl (second hand purchases) that wouldn't play on my old vinyl player - because the player was shite - but now seem to be okay, so last night I got through Winger's self-titled (shut up) with a few whisky and cokes in me and sang along like a teenage girl! Onirik and Winger in the same day, what an eclectic bastard I am.
That is an incredible amount of work Ben and your dedication is amazing. Thanks 25,000 times for all your stellar efforts to provide your members with a satisfying experience.
In these crazy times we are all living in, it is fantastic to have a place where you can just "hang out" and shoot the shit with like- (or sometimes unlike-) minded individuals about music, nothing more and nothing less. No pandemic, no mentally unhinged politicians, just talking with (and hopefully listening to) others about something we all love. Many, many thanks to both you, Ben and Daniel for all the hours you both must spend to provide this all for us.
Best wishes to both of you and your families for Xmas and the New Year and also to all the Academy members.
Seconded.
I think on reflection that although it has never been my exclusive genre of music to listen to, it is clear that metal has consistently been the genre I return to after any foray into other styles. I listen to electronic, pop, hip-hop, classical, jazz and some folk music and for a period of about 2 years in the late nineties was not listening to any metal at all.
I think the thing that always brought me back to it was the fact that it was such a massive part of my growing up as a teenager and therefore represents vital importance in terms of nostalgia and a key period of my life. I recall I was interested in a couple of tracks (Gary Moore Over the Hills and Far Away seems to be one I recall) that were borderline metal on the music tv channels and so knowing my cousin had a decent collection of albums I borrowed those and never looked back.
The underlying rationale in getting into metal though was because everyone else in my peer circle at the time had started to listen to indie bands like Inspiral Carpets and the Stone Roses and like sheep everyone in school went down the same path. A couple of us "rebelled" and went down our own path of non-conformity as we saw it then and as such I have always felt like metal is somehow personal to me as a genre, like it is mine oddly.
I can't say if I will always listen to metal (my Dad fell out of love with music 30 years ago - he donated his classical music collection to me - and has never bothered to return), but it has brought much value to my life at various points and most definitely has shaped me as a person.
Yeah I've always thought "Louder Than Love" was awesome. It's highlights ("Hands All Over", "Loud Love", "Gun", etc.) are sensationally bad-ass & heavy as fuck. It's definitely got some of Soundgarden's best material. I don't think the overall album is as as consistent as the two albums that followed it though, particularly "Badmotorfinger" which is my personal favourite.
Interestingly I am the other way. I find both later albums inconsistent and flawed despite their being obvious "hits" on them.
Soundgarden - Louder Than Love (1989)
For some reason I never bothered much with this record back in the 90's. It's great though, playing like a really alternative version of Led Zeppelin. In hindsight probably better than Badmotorfinger and most of Superunknown which were my go to albums throughout the period. 4/5
I think on a site with limited members already (not meant to sound harsh) I would not see the point in further division of the existing clans. Look at The Sphere which is I agree a defined genre of metal that has the lowest activity of the clans. If you take out Viking Metal and Folk Metal and Trance Metal/core (whatever the fuck that is?) you're just diluting the coverage of these sub-genres and potentially limiting exposure to them across the site.
I grow tired easily of "boxes" talk so I am probably in my own "box" (the irony) in terms of what seems to be a very passionate subject for other members but in all honesty I just don't care that much about what fits into what genre/sub-genre.
January:
Drautran - Blót - Lohen der Opferung from Throne of the Depths (2007)
Akhlys - Succubare from Melinoë (2020)
Wallachia - Heathen Shores from Monumental Heresy (2018)
Much to enjoy here for me and a couple of takeaways for me to explore more in Kawir, Katavasia and Panopticon. Heard Panopticon before but never explored beyond the one album I own. I think I have the Nocternity half of a spit they did with Kawir and have never heard any Katavasia until now so got some warm black metal tones to listen to over the coming weeks.
This one was a bit too grindy for me this time around and so I didn't really pick out too much to explore off the back of it. Will be listening through Despise The Sun again though as I have never given it much attention for some reason before now. I did get through the Entombed track and quite enjoyed it which is bolt from the blue as I have no time normally for Clandestine, so perhaps time for another spin of that too.
Hi Ben,
Please add Norway's Wallachia to the North clan?
Wallachia - Monumental Heresy (2018)
An unexpected freebie from Debemur Morti Productions when my copy of Akhlys Melinoë arrived today. Tucked into the packaging was this CD. It's an album I am familiar with but have never infested much time in. It's symphonic elements feel more folk than outright Emperor like grandiosity and when it goes bm it does so with sufficient abrasiveness to please my kvlt tendencies.
4/5
That's a great message. How are you catering for that while listening to music in your home office if you don't mind me asking? I'm asking for.... a friend.... who is still addicted to loud music despite knowing he's done himself irreparable damage & is not doing himself any good for later life. (That's my story & I'm sticking with it.)
I am fortunate to live in a house big enough for the music I play to be relatively isolated from other spaces in the house so my fiancée isn't disturbed (plus I don't listen to music loudly all that often) and my office is at the side of the house that is not attached to an adjacent property. I have started to try and open my day with an album to stop me logging straight onto my work laptop each day and then also making effort to play an album at the end of my working day to acknowledge that's done and I am out of work mode.
Review is up and I stood by my original 4 star rating. Strong debut that shows the huge potential of Chuck, Alex and Eric in particular. Held back by a lazy mix that makes it hard to hear all the performances.
I am not entirely sold on this release if I am honest. There’s enough functional change of pace and style throughout the track to keep me interested but in all honesty it would have worked better as a three track EP as opposed to one long track. Whilst I enjoy it in it’s current format, I don’t love it and feel that the band are not utilising their resources to maximum effect. It plays like one long jam session that somehow is able to be edited together to make some semblance of continuous progress only there’s not enough cohesion to marry it all together harmoniously. As such it feels like the entertainment is by chance as opposed to anything planned.
I will stick with Paracletus and Drought in the main but this release at least shows the versatility of the band.
2.5/5
Review is up. Not a bad record tbh, just very safe and sterile to my ears. Feels like the band are trying to recapture old vibes from twenty years ago and force them upon the listener as opposed to genuinely sharing something with us. Better than Gore (I mean - how could it not be) but far from their best.
Actually a release in The Sphere clan I have already reviewed. Not my usual bag this but it still holds merit as great background music (and driving music as it turns out also). Can see how it fits the game perfectly based on what I hear throughout the 31 tracks here. It doesn't get me nostalgic like I expected it would but at the same time I actually was surprised I could listen to the whole thing at all.
3.5/5
Ah, I rated this but never wrote an actual review so this will be a good opportunity to put some words to the stars.