Vinny's Forum Replies
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.
Now we are talking, one of the best Incantation releases in their discography. Corchado's input is certainly influential here but McEntee and co also put in a sterling effort. Less murky but by no means any less powerful. Probably the last great Incantation record. 4.5/5
Before I miss this altogether, to firstly state that I genuinely look forward to both the feature releases and the playlists each month as this usually means something to challenge me or at least present something new for me to discover, despite my best intentions I never quite get around to every release or playlist so this thread will highlight my inconsistency if nothing else.
Neptunian Maximalism - Eons 2/5
After much debate I decided that I just didn't really need this in my life. Nice to hear something a bit different but couldn't escape the feeling that it was just being put together for the sheer hell of being different instead of out of any genuine cohesive process. Played like some long and intense jam session (which fits the jazz influence perfectly) as opposed to a proper album
Faith No More - Angel Dust 4.5/5
Massive rediscovery for me. The jarring and unhinged nature of the performance, composition and song content makes it sound like some really adult black comedy on one of those art channels that you really have to be in the know to be watching.
Disillusion - Back To Times of Splendour 0.5/5
Terrible vocals that I just couldn't get past.
Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 2.5/5
Really don't understand the interest in this record. Not a patch on anything that came before it and some tired sounding performances. Glad they managed to pull themselves back on to form with the superb Sabotage after this record. Title track aside there's not much to praise for me here.
Undeath - Lesions of a Different Kind 4/5
One of my preferred releases of the month and probably not surprising knowing my tastes. Although no wheels get reinvented here the ability and attitude of the band carry through into the music brilliantly (although not the shit artwork). A great reminder of all the good reasons of why I got into DM.
Warbringer - Weapons of Tomorrow 3/5
Demolition Hammer worship it may be but who can argue with that if it is done well enough? Consistent delivery and energy levels of small children make the record memorable enough and the lead work gives it a little polish. Terrible lyrics though.
Shining - V Halmstad 4.5/5
Said pretty much all I wanted to say in my review. A touchy subject matter for me DSBM may be, but this record moves away from simply glorifying mental health problems and incorporates the actual essence of such illness into the fabric of the tracks. Superb and clever stuff.
Ben, please add Canadian death metallers Outre Tombe and their two full-length releases Répurgation (2015) and Nécrovortex (2018) - thanks.
Considered Daniel's comments thirded. The dedication is a credit to you Ben (and also Daniel). To see this level of commitment to an often dying means of community is uplifting - even to a ruined, dead, cursed soul like mine.
It's the same for reviewing only I add a 0 and 0.5 just specifically for anything Machine Head release nowadays.
And the Disillusion feature release apparently.
The "vocalist" in that band is stealing a living.
5 - exceptional
4 - good
3 - solid
2 - inconsistent
1- piecemeal
Simple man, simple means. That's what I use for owned albums. It's the same for reviewing only I add a 0 and 0.5 just specifically for anything Machine Head release nowadays.
I just thought this would be a little faster since activity in the Hall has been slowed to a standstill lately.
what makes you think activity on the forum is any more “alive”?
Hi Ben,
Could you please add:
Eternal Valley from the US (atmo-black)
Ifing also from the US (folk/atmo-black)
Ifing - Against This Weald (2014)
Folkly, atmospheric black metal from the US featuring recorders and tin whistles on the instrument list. The cover gives the game away in terms of what to expect. Enjoyable if not predictable.
3/5
Blut Aus Nord - MoRT (2006)
Industrial-edged, black metal, dissonant goodness for a Sunday morning wake up.
Great playlist this month Daniel, one of the best yet. Sorry though Vinny, the Jute Gyte track went right over my head. Summoning are only really any good for table-top RPGing and I found the Ensiferum track a bit fromage-friendly! I was also wondering why the Deafheaven track was so crap until... Bam!! When it gets going it is amazing. Everything else was terrific and to be honest how can any playlist that features Immortal, Bathory and Darkthrone not be awesome? A few I need to check out further too, such as Wiegedood and Anorexia Nervosa (I remember not being impressed by them before, but their track on here is very good indeed).
Ha, Jute Gyte is a challenge alright.
Review done and I will go on record as saying how much I love this. Aside from the fact that it worships the living shit out of the genre, it transcends just being fanboy regurgitation of old-school death metal by simply being so fucking well done. These guys know their death metal and it shows. They had me convinced on more than one occasion that they had been at this for years together because that's how tight they sound. Very well-informed death metal and you can hear it.
4/5
I agree with the theme in this conversation that there's too many "pretenders" in the DSBM scene who just latch onto a scene for attention and make a mockery of mental illness as a result, for this reason I don't actively seek out content of the sub-genre. As someone who spent several years of my life looking after a variety of age groups, hospitalised with various mental health problems the concept of any attempt to glorify depression or suicide is not one that sits well with me. In short if your going to deliver a record based on the themes of mental illness you simply have to represent the challenge in full in order for it to be a success. Yes, the image of a young woman with a gun in her mouth on the cover of the album could be deemed as pure theatre but with the context of the music itself I believe V-Halmstad to be one of the most honest iterations of the real challenges of mental health problems.
Depression, anxiety, personality, psychotic, eating and post-traumatic stress disorders etc are crippling and that's what comes across on this release. It doesn't focus on sadness in singularity (you can be in a very happy place and be struck by depression for no obvious reason/s), instead it focuses on the dramatic shift in mood that occurs with mental illness and as such presents a real journey over the six tracks. As Sonny says, this record gets under the skin of the issue.
That having been said, I disagree that fans of the genre are all sat there with scars of self-harm visible and that they are all seeking the misery promised by the sub-genre tag. I think as Daniel says, there's often not much difference to other iterations of bm and so I suspect that it a lot of people don't actually they know they are listening to a DSBM record without looking up further detail.
Review is done. Frankly, a masterpiece of creativity and subsequently a masterclass in how to write songs that are personal and able to effortlessly articulate the challenges of mental illness without coming off as attention seeking or just being miserable for the sake of a band image. Production job is great but the talent of the guitarists in particular frame the perfection of the album to me as they create consistency of performance alongside varied outputs across the album, touching on many different styles.
4.5/5
Hirax - Flesh & Blood from El Rostro de la Muerte (2009)
Nekromantheon - Cast Down To The Void from Rise, Vulcan Spectre (2019)
S.O.D. - Kill Yourself from Speak English Or Die (1985)
Dee Snider - Tomorrow's No Concern from For The Love of Metal (2018)
Falls of Rauros - The Cormorants Shiver on Their Rocks from The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood (2011)
Keys of Orthanc - Witchking from Dush Agh Golnauk (2018)
Förjord - Suohauta from Ajasta Ikuisuuteen (2008)
Twilight Force - Hydra from Dawn of the Dragonstar (2019)
Raven - Hung Drawn & Quartered from All For One (1983)
W.A.S.P. - Jack Action from The Last Command (1985)
Black Curse - Seared Eyes from Endless Wound (2020)
Vastum - Re-member from Carnal Law (2011)
Grave Miasma - Glorification of the Impure from Endless Pilgrimage (2016)
Why would you need to delete a cover rating? There's an update cover rating button already?
What if you don't like your own cover rating and wanna get rid of it altogether? That's what the delete button is for!
I can't think of a time where it would matter that much to me if I am honest.
Why would you need to delete a cover rating? There's an update cover rating button already?
I would change nothing. I don't always search by clan anyway and I am far too laidback to be concerned about things not necessarily sitting in the right place for me. Like Sonny says, I feel the clans promote discussion amongst like minded fans and this is really important in a developing community.
This be some murky shit right here! Elements of Bolt Thrower, Incantation and Finnish death metal with a clarity to the riffing not often heard in this gloomier style of death metal. Don't be put off by the artwork (the drummer did it - but he's much better at drumming) as the actual album content is nowhere near as amateur. Review to follow at some point.
This week it is:
1. Sepultura - Arise (1991)
2. Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss (1990)
3. Metallica - ...And Justice For All (1988)
4. Kreator - Pleasure To Kill (1986)
5. Sadus - Swallowed In Black (1990)
6. Demolition Hammer - Epidemic of Violence (1992)
7. Metallica - Master of Puppets (1986)
8. Sepultura - Beneath the Remains (1989)
9. Slayer - South of Heaven (1988)
10. Condor - Unstoppable Power (2017)
Ben - can you please add Condor - Unstoppable Power?
1. There's a consistent feed of new releases and bands added each week that help me to explore corners of genres that I haven't spread my wings over previously or simply shows me releases by artists I am familiar with but haven't ventured into the full discography of the band. I also love the playlists for the very same reason.
2. I really don't get the Hall of Judgement, in fact it bores the living bejesus out of me. Perhaps I am just not as focused on genres as some of the other members (and this is not a criticism of anyone who does enjoy the feature) but I really don't care if something is speed metal or thrash metal. It was fun for the first few months but nowadays I see little value to me.
3. Could we please have an action bar at the bottom of the page to navigate from instead of just at the top?
4. I don't have anything to add here. You guys have tread the fine line between making this a well-informed resource and community and it becoming a cottage industry of just trying to cram everything in. Your dedication shows in the content you develop and then maintain frequently.
Thanks for the response MacabreEternal, I really appreciate it. We're stoked that you're enjoying the site so much. Regarding the action bar at the bottom of the page, do you have an example of another site that has something similar? I want to make sure I understand exactly what you mean rather than make an incorrect assumption.
Hi Ben,
On another site I frequent I have this bar at the top of the page in the forum section:
If I scroll down that page to read something near or at the bottom I have the same bar at the bottom of the page to access "Home" or another thread in the same section I am in:
I hope this makes sense? So for example on the MA site if I am in the gallery section and go through all 100 entries in the list I have to scroll back up to the top to navigate away which isn't the end of the world but the option to pick up the action bar at the bottom as well as the top of the page would be helpful I feel.
My review is up for this one. I unlocked so many forgotten memories of my college years listening to this today, finally helping me to understand where my previously unknown affinity for the Gateway clan came from as I realised how much alternative metal I listened to back then alongside more staple genres within metal also. There's enough bluster about my jaunt down memory lane in my review, so in the interests of keeping it snappy in here I can only harp on about how brilliant this record is. It is a soundtrack to the blackest of comedies that appeals from it's broad spectrum that ranges from the accessible to the obnoxious often on the same track. FNM are a criminally underplayed band on my speakers and I need to address this soon.
4.5/5
Review completed and I have to confess I approached the album with a bit of trepidation but ended up pleasantly surprised. Full of Demolition Hammer influence I enjoyed most of what I heard even though there's a couple of improvements that need to be made to the lyrical quality and the song writing edge also. Some mighty riffage going on for sure and the band's style of no frills thrash metal certainly shines through the most but there are plenty of occasions when they expand their capabilities to deliver more lengthy and yet still memorable tracks, beyond just simple hi-octane delivery.
3/5
Given that Metal Academy is designed to be a community experience, I want to make sure that we give attendees the opportunity to provide feedback from time to time. With that in mind, I've put some questions below to get people thinking. If you want to provide any other feedback, go for it.
Feel free to leave your answers in this thread, but if you'd prefer to comment privately, send me a Private Message from your profile page. And please be honest. Daniel and I have pretty tough skin, and only want the best for the community and the site. Both positive and negative feedback is both useful and welcome.
- What aspects of Metal Academy excite you personally? In other words, what keeps you coming back?
- Are there any particular aspects that are of no interest to you whatsoever? Perhaps you don't care about rating covers, or anniversaries, or whatever...
- If we were to add one new feature to the site, what would you want it to be? Assume that we have endless funds and time. You can list more than one if you want obviously, the more ideas the better.
- Is there anything about the Metal Academy site that you really wish was different? Perhaps the Hall of Judgement is an interesting idea, but you think it's badly implemented? Maybe the way the Lists are presented annoys you?
Cheers,
Ben.
1. There's a consistent feed of new releases and bands added each week that help me to explore corners of genres that I haven't spread my wings over previously or simply shows me releases by artists I am familiar with but haven't ventured into the full discography of the band. I also love the playlists for the very same reason.
2. I really don't get the Hall of Judgement, in fact it bores the living bejesus out of me. Perhaps I am just not as focused on genres as some of the other members (and this is not a criticism of anyone who does enjoy the feature) but I really don't care if something is speed metal or thrash metal. It was fun for the first few months but nowadays I see little value to me.
3. Could we please have an action bar at the bottom of the page to navigate from instead of just at the top?
4. I don't have anything to add here. You guys have tread the fine line between making this a well-informed resource and community and it becoming a cottage industry of just trying to cram everything in. Your dedication shows in the content you develop and then maintain frequently.
Welcome Keleros, hope you enjoy your time here.
Vinny, I think this one might appeal to you. It was their best work to the time in my opinion.
Yep, ageeed it’s a good un. I was drawn to it back in the day because of that artwork but luckily the music behind it lives up to expectations.
I tried, I really tried. My ongoing battle with melodeath still leaves me cold and empty after most listens. It’s not that the album is terrible by any means. It is consistent and obviously delivered by a band accomplished in their field, but this is also the problem for me because largely the album sounds the same throughout and as a result I get bored really quickly. I have heard these riff structures on virtually every Amon Amarth record and if they were going to grow on me they would have done so by now.
2/5
Ghoul - Word Is Law from Dungeon Bastards (2016)
Municipal Waste - Headbanger Face Rip from The Art of Partying (2007)
Power Trip - Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe) from Nightmare Logic (2017)
Selbst - Relatos De Angustia (2020)
Powerful and melodic black metal from Chile (although originally from Venezuela), in the vein of Mgla only nowhere near as polished. Well paced and thoughtful stuff that can shift mood effortlessly. Thinking this (or the latest Gaerea) will be my next review.
Von - Satanic Blood Angel
Primitive and raw perhaps don't cover this accurately enough. There's more than just bm on this with doom riffs also being present but overall it is a nefarious beast with the drums unfortunately being far too forwards in the mix making it a bit "tippy-tappy" in places. Vocally it is more death metal in focus but that frantic tremolo pace in the guitar keeps things routed in the bm realm sufficiently.
Mystik - Ancient Majesty from Mystik (2019)
Cirith Ungol - Edge of a Knife from Frost & Fire (1981)
Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King from Hall of the Mountain King (1987)
Akhkys - Melinoë (2020)
Pre-order done for this and I can't wait for 14th Dec for the vinyl to arrive. The Dreaming I was excellent stuff and this follow up is a whole five years in the making. Listening to the track available for stream Pnigalion this album seems to pick up where the other left off. Swarming and chaotic black metal with a death metal attitude with a melodic mining tone also that is truly the stuff of nightmares. All hail Naas Alcameth!
Worked my way through this earlier, some interesting stuff in terms of new bands like Mystras, Manegarm and in particular I Shalt Become whose whole album I listened through this morning and subsequently have found my way to Krohm as a result. I found White Ward to be a bit odd, a bit forced if perfectly honest. They don't need that jazz edge (not sure if that's a whole trait of theirs or just limited to that song) as it brings nothing to the track. When the track did get going it was decent enogh BM to my ears so why f**k about is my initial ask.
Had forgotten how abrasive and harsh Jute Gyte was as it had been a while since I heard much of his stuff; hasn't helped my tinnitus anyway. Another enjoyable list thanks Daniel.
So, I went and got me a proper turntable and speakers set up and also a new PC to boot which means that as well as having a soundcard again that works I also have a vinyl player to play all the wonderful records I hear on Bandcamp again. I opted for Bluetooth on my speakers though so I can stream from my PC on one side of my lair and still connect up to the turntable easily and save space on my desk.
It's an expensive hobby vinyl collecting though and takes a lot of patience to balance the turntable perfectly as well as level the cartridge. So far though blasting my vinyl collection has made me smile muchly.
In no order, I'd bash out the following list of 25:
Mizmor - Cairn 2019
Immortal - Northern Chaos Gods 2018
Deathspell Omega - Drought 2012
Behemoth - The Satanist 2014
Portal - Vexovoid 2013
Hooded Menace - Never Cross the Dead 2010
Dying Fetus - Reign Supreme 2012
Autopsy - Macabre Eternal 2011
Disma - Towards the Megalith 2011
Alice in Chains - Rainier Fog 2018
Black Breath - Sentenced to Life 2012
Gorguts - Colored Sands 2013
Gorguts - Pleiade's Dust 2016
Ulcerate - Shrines of Paralysis 2016
Deftones - Koi no Yokan 2012
Condor - Unstoppable Power 2017
Akhlys - The Dreaming I 2015
Inquisition - Bloodsher Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zenith 2016
Bell Witch - Mirror Reaper 2017
Author & Punisher - Ursus Americanus 2012
Grand Magus - Hammer of the North 2010
Electric Wizard - Black Masses 2010
Bolzer - Aura 2013
Aosoth - The Inside Scriptures 2017
Cultes Des Ghoules - Henbane 2013
Manilla Road - Open The Gates (1984)
On a Manilla Road kick following my review earlier so took a couple of steps back in their discography to revisit their fourth offering. The guitars feel a little too far back in the mix here but this allows for them to feel matched with the percussion and rhythm and gives things a more doomy vibe on tracks like the title track. Lets Shelton's vocals really shine also.