UnhinderedbyTalent's Forum Replies

There is so much I enjoyed on this month's playlist that I don't quite know where to begin my analysis.  First off, where the fuck have Dauþuz been all my life, weird themed (traditional mining practices and history) black metal from Germany?  What's not to like?  Secondly, why have I not paid more attention to Nightbringer given the Naas Alcameth involvement and I fucking love Akhlys?  Thirdly, Teitanblood are bang up my alley also yet I have dedicated zero attention to them until today (an issue that will be rectified in the coming weeks I promise you).

I didn't mind the Deafheaven track even if I am honest.  I would not describe it as appropriate fodder for The North clan but when viewed as something different it landed okay with me overall, albeit I am not rushing out to discover more.  Plebeian Grandstand were interesting with their odd core/bm mix up going on - will be checking out more of their stuff as a respected internet acquaintance of mine speaks highly of them. 

Other highlights were Odz Manouk,  Sinmara, Inquisition, Zhrine and Sargeist - all of whom I am familiar with of course.

My only gripe was The Great Old Ones.  I have heard a lot of praise for these guys but that track did not justify that praise to my ears.

Thanks Ben for putting together.

Blood Tsunami are a a collection of musicians that contain a former host of Sweden’s MTV as well as Faust (yes, him) on drums. With such a well-known name on the skins you could be forgiven for thinking that this is no ordinary thrash band and in some regards you would be right but not necessarily for the reasons you might think. I found Grand Feast for Vultures to be quite a deceptive record in terms of its tagging here at least on Metal Academy as I find the thrash metal component of the sound to be often pushed into a secondary or supporting role depending on the song. If anything it is more the energy levels throughout the whole album compliments the tagging as ‘thrash metal’ the best as opposed to this being an out and out thrash sounding record.

If I had the time (or inclination) I would argue that there is a solid amount of heavy metal influence on Grand Feast for Vultures to warrant a dual tag with The Guardians. Although there are some absolute thrash tracks on here, there are more than a few tracks that are hi-octane heavy (yet somehow not speed) metal and there is even a fair old smattering of some more doomy riffs peppered across the record as well that are more in the epic doom realm of things. As such, I take the riffs away from the listening experience of this album as being my main point of memory as the guitar work drives the album so fluidly that it is impossible for me to focus much on anything else.

I find the vocals to be alright, a kind of blackened thrash type of style which work well enough but they do feel a bit out of place sometimes on the less thrash orientated passages. Considering the stature of the man behind the skins, the production job does not do him any favours in terms of me being able to pick up on his performance pretty much throughout the whole album. The drums are audible in the mix and Faust is most certainly doing his stuff well but the drums feel under-appreciated overall. This is a shame because the interest levels in predominantly the guitar work do start to wane as I approach the final two tracks of the record, one being a 12 minute instrumental and the final track being a largely instrumental 10 minute affair. If the drums had been allowed a little more presence then I perhaps could have enjoyed these protracted numbers a little better.

Rating this album is a tough one in all honesty as although it most certainly does not qualify for the high end of the scores, it is also no turkey either and displays a level of musicianship in places that is rarely maintained over such a varied and fluid soundscape like the one Blood Tsunami tread. In the end I surmise that my main gripes are with the production as opposed to any quality issues so I would describe this as being a strong middle scoring record.

3.5/5

Here's the feature release roster for July:

THE FALLEN: Ben, Vinny, Daniel, Sonny

THE GATEWAY: Saxy, Andi

THE GUARDIANS: Xephyr, Morpheus Kitami

THE HORDE: Ben, Daniel, Vinny

THE INFINITE: Saxy, Andi, Xephyr

THE NORTH: Vinny, Sonny, Daniel, Xephyr, Ben

THE PIT: Sonny, Vinny, Daniel, Ben

THE REVOLUTION: Andi, Daniel

THE SPHERE: Daniel, Andi

Hey Sonny, can you set up the feature release thread in The Pit for your nomination please when you get a sec?

Bram Stoker's Dracula - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1992)

This was a birthday gift from my appropriately named cats Vlad and Mina.  Each year , my wife challenges herself to buy me one vinyl record that she thinks I will like. Before now I have ended up with Asphyx records, ambient Nordic albums and now a movie soundtrack.  She has been spot on with each release and this one keeps her golden run going.  Dramatic and theatrical with a constant sense of underlying tension and darkness.  Might get round to watching the movie at some point.

Thanks gentlemen.  I have no qualms about any of your choices Daniel.  There will be no conscious submissions from myself for August as just not had the time to get through much in the way of albums of late.

Just one from me for August please Sonny:

Swallow the Sun - "All Hallow's grieve" (from "Moonflowers", 2021)

For August from me will be:

Raventale - "Sunset of the Age" (from "Long Passed Days", 2008)

Panzerfaust - "Promethean Fire" (from "The Suns of Perdition - Chapter II: Render Unto Eden", 2020)

Likewise from me.

Likewise, due to work pressures, time is at a premium right now.

Likewise, I am struggling for time with work pressures at present so will be abstaining as well.

Sorry Vinny, but I'm struggling for time at the moment, so won't be making or taking part in review drafts for a while. If anyone else wants to participate, feel free to create one without me.

Was just about to post the same mate.  No activity here for me this month at least.

July 2023

01. Slayer - “Metal Storm/Face the Slayer” (from “Show No Mercy”, 1983)

02. Seprevation – “Divine Devastation” (from “Consumed”, 2014)

03. Cavalera Conspiracy – “Morbid Visions – Re-recorded” (from “Morbid Visions (Re-recoreded”, 2023)

04. Deströyer 666 – “Australian and Anti-Christ” (from “Unchain the Wolves”, 1997)

05. Black Mass - “High Priest in Black” (from “Warlust”, 2019) [Submitted by Vinny]

06. Détente – “Shattered Illusions” (from “Recognize No Authority”, 1986) [Submitted by Vinny]

07. Tøronto – “Fast & Filthy” (from “Under Siege”, 2020)

08. Hallows Eve – “Speed Freak” (from “Monument”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny]

09. Deathstorm – “By Sword, By Pick, By Axe” (from “Reaping What is Left”, 2018) [Submitted by Vinny]

10. Kreator – “Impossible to Cure” (from “Out of the Dark…into the Light”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

11. Flotsam & Jetsam – “No Place for Disgrace” (from “No Place for Disgrace”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny]

12. Mortal Sin – “Terminal Reward” (from “Face of Despair”, 1989) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. Terrifier – “Death & Decay” (from “Trample the Weak, Devour the Dead”, 2023)

14. Riffobia – “God of Hate” (from “Riffobia”, 2023) [Submitted by Vinny]

15. Annihilator – “Alison Hell” (from “Alice in Hell”,1989) [Submitted by Daniel]

16. Bulldozer – “Art of Deception” (from “Neurodeliri”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny]

17. The Bleeding, James McBain – “Rise into Nothing” (from “Rise into Nothing”, 2021)

18. Grindpad – “My Name is Violence” (from “Violence”, 2020) [Submitted by Vinny]

19. Whiplash – “Snake Pit” (from “Ticket to Mayhem”, 1987) [Submitted by Sonny]

20. Metal Church – “Ton of Bricks” (from “The Dark”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

21. Destruction – “Cracked Brain” (from “Cracked Brain”, 1990)

22. Dead Heat – “Endless Torment” (from “Endless Torment”, 2023)

23. Farmer Boys – “Never Let Me Down Again” (from “Countrified”, 1995)

24. Earth Crisis – “Destroy the Machines” (from “Destroy the Machines”, 1995)

25. Mokoma – “Tienraivaaja” (from “Hengen pitimet”, 2018)

26. Aggression – “Torturing the Deceased” (from “Feels Like Punk Sounds Like Thrash”, 2018) [Submitted by Vinny]

27. Drain – “Devil’s Itch” (from “LIVING PROOF”, 2023)

28. Exhibition – “Bottom Feeder” (from “The Last Laugh”, 2023)

29. Hammers of Misfortune – “Overtaker” (from “Overtaker”, 2022)

30. Jurassic Jade – “The Yellowish” (from “Gore”, 1989)

31. Hellwitch – “Torture Chamber” (from “Annihilation Intercention”, 2023)

Hi Daniel, I will not be submitting anything for August as I am swamped with work at present so not listening to a lot of albums.

Absolutely killer playlist this month, Vinny. Nicely done, especially seeing as it was mostly free of the bigger names. The Cacophony and Sieges Even tracks were the only ones that didn't work for me which, seeing as they were the technical tracks, is no great surprise. The first ten tracks especially made for a brilliant opening salvo. Must check out that Slaughterlord album ASAP.

Cheers Sonny.

Raventale - На хрустальных качелях (2006)

Ukranian one-man black metal outfit, Raventale offer a predictable yet well crafted enough selection of earthy and atmospheric tracks that will inevitably bring to mind the music of countrymen Drudkh.  According to Astaroth, the brains behind Raventale, his music is "atmospheric blackened metal" which sound suspiciously like atmospheric black metal to me so I am unsure why the wording is different in his version.  Regardless of what pigeon-hole we are looking to put Raventale in, when he builds up a head of steam the train motors along nicely enough.  The riffs are big and chunky and rely less on a traditional tremolo to get the job done.  Backed by keyboards, these repetitive riff patterns seem to pound along forever making the forty plus minutes overall runtime feel a lot longer.  The programmed drums tend to just thud along in the background and let the riffs and atmospherics do the bulk of the heavy lifting with Astaroth's guttural vocal style proving a refreshing change from the usual grim vocals associated with black metal.

I wanted to avoid keep referring to Drudkh in this review as it seems a lazy comparator, however it is the most relevant and exact similarity to be referenced.  It is not to say that Raventale is a clone of Drudkh (I would argue it is a more clean and heavy metal inspired sound than the grimly melodic music of Drudkh) but quite like his fellow artists, Astaroth manages to make a long and consistent track sound so ethereal and haunting that you cannot tear yourself away from it.  Listening through the album again today as the intense heat of the day gives way to a welcome rain shower, I cannot but help to feel that на хрустальных качелях is acting as a soundtrack to the changing forces of nature just outside the window beside me.

As I listen to the melancholic keys of Дождя колыбель clink along to a far off thunderstorm (on the record not outside my window) I think that the Review Draft this month has uncovered an interesting prospect for me to get to know some more over the coming weeks.  I would not go as far as to say it is hidden gem, but is most certainly of a high and consistent enough quality for me to revisit.  (For anyone wanting to check out this record, I could not find on any mainstream streaming service other than Bandcamp or YouTube - the latter being the source for me on this occasion.)

4/5

Seprevation - "Consumed" (2014)

I had never heard of UK death thrashers Seprevation until the Review Draft for this month. Active since 2011 (with a hiatus around COVID seeing the band only just reactivated in 2023), Consumed remains the only album from these rabid Bristol boys. Unsigned acts are ten a penny nowadays but this independent release from nearly a decade ago smells strongly of the underground. The production does a superb job of allowing the scathing guitars and skin-stripping intensity of the band shine through. Influences such as Possessed and Sadus are obvious but are not delivered as mere band worship.

Guitarists Ian Aston and Joss Farrington can certainly play as they trade Slayer-esque sonics throughout the album whilst vocalist Lluc Tupman has a decent enough range to compliment both the death metal and thrash metal ranges also. Although a little lost in the mix sometimes the drums of Jamie Wintle are impressive still, mixing it up nicely between the more furious death thrash moments and some more measured pacing when also required. A shout out to Lluc’s bass work also which is consistent and even gets exploratory on tracks such as Dreams.

The OSDM traits really come to the fore on the superb Slave to the Grave with its rabid pace and diving leads this track cements the roots of Seprevation as being in death metal first and foremost with any thrash parts being a secondary bolt-on module to the bands core sound. If this was the kind of music Seprevation were able to pull off in their early years, then any planned full-length output moving forwards holds much promise.

Consumed seems to get better as the track listing progresses with the death metal elements increasing in footprint also. Based on the strength of this debut album I am surprised that Seprevation have never been signed up by any of the many labels that would lap this type of death thrash metal up. However, for as long as the band can put out releases of this quality then it matters not how we get our grubby little mitts on it I suppose.

4/5

I hit a challenge early on with Andacht. That clean singing on opening track Glück is awful and whilst I accept it adds some ethereal depth to the track it is (to coin Sonny’s phrase from his review) “gimmicky” and far too much so for me. Despite repeated listening to it and acknowledgement that there is a lot more interesting stuff going on than just those vocals, they are still all that I retain from the opening track.

The album does pick up more or less immediately after this though and the true dismal majesty of Lunar Aurora’s brand of atmo-black shines grimly through on Geisterschiff much better than it did on the opening eleven minutes of the record. Here is where the Paysage d’Hiver similarities really start to take hold for me with those cold windy atmospherics that close out the track. The strongest track from the opening half of the release though is Dunkler Mann. Reminiscent of the more straightforward traits of Darkspace with a hint of the earthy symphonia of Sear Bliss for good measure.

Some of the samples seem to veer the album off into a BAN style of experimentation without ever getting into the avant-garde and industrial territories you would associate with the French bm mentalists. In the main though, it is clear that Lunar Aurora knew their talents lay in the more atmospheric aspects of black metal and it is to this strength that Andacht leans upon heavily. Using programmed drums works in the sense that they are kept subtle enough in proceedings to never even be given opportunity to intrude on the softer aspect of the sound. Instead, you can focus on the tremolo riffs and chiming keys of the trio that recorded this. The lunatic vocals that are deployed give me the perfect amount of chaos that I need for the all-round authentic bm experience.

It is not difficult to get lost in the driving intensity of tracks like Findling as they grow in depth over nine-minutes plus. Likewise, it is often the simplicity of basic structures such as the opening 90 seconds of Der Pakt that command just as much attention. The closing track seems to take the levels of vocal lunacy up a couple of notches to finalise proceedings and the whole track possesses a seemingly enhanced energy level that rounds out an overall positive experience.

4/5

Ruby the Hatchet - "The Eliminator EP" (2014)

I was already familiar with RtH following my discovery of their Valley of the Snake release the year after this one.  I recall that although the nostalgic element of the sound shone through initially, that sheen soon wore off after a few tracks of Valley of the Snake and so this two-track single has chance to fair a bit better given its much shorter runtime.  Opener Paralyzed has all the hooks you would expect and is much more immediate than the more moody title track which relies on a slow build before it unleashes that hazy riff upon me.

This fuzzy, psychedelic brand of rock has some appeal for me even though I would not perhaps actively seek it out.  Despite the short release length I do find myself getting a bit tired of Eliminator long before the track comes to an end and the single soon ends up suffering the same fate as the sophomore full-length.  I just do not have the affiliation with this music unless I am really in the mood for it and I soon become exhausted of these two tracks even after several listens where sadly the enthusiasm levels never get even near simmering.

For fans of stoner rock this is probably entertaining enough and whilst this is not dripping with doom there is enough moodiness deployed to let it carry some doom credentials off and keep itself in the stoner metal tag for now.  Striking cover aside, there is not a lot here for me though.

2.5/5

All logged gentlemen.  Thanks.

General Surgery - "Lay Down and Be Counted" (2021)

Swedes General Surgery do a rip-roaring job of producing a very (early) Carcass-esque experience on Lay Down and Be Counted, one of two EPs released by the band in 2021.  There are mostly certainly elements of Exhumed in here also as the band splatter their way through seven tracks of medical related gore.  Unafraid to vary track lengths, the shorter stabs of grinding fury work as great palate cleansers in between some of the longer (and I mean grindcore full-length tracks of like four minutes max) tunes.  If this were just a constant barrage of longer tracks then I would probably turn off and go and play some Carcass in all honesty.

Vocally, Erik Sahlström borrows heavily from the Jeff Walker playbook with that vicious rasp lashing at the ears of the listener throughout.  The riffs of Joacim Carlsson and Urban Skytt mine the floor around them, churning out catchy and punishing chops over the thick percussion of Andreas Eriksson's bass and Adde Mitroulis' drums.  At Cut Throat Speed is a frantic paced effort that threatens to strip the plaster from the walls around you with it's diving leads and relentless blasting.  The infectious riffing of Liquefactive Decay of Remnant Lung Tissue will have you stomping around your house like a club-footed freak.  You can even sicken yourself at how easily you will be singing along to Psychotic Cerebral Procedure.

Given one word to describe this Ep, I would go with "fun".  It tries to be nothing that it isn't, wears its influences firmly on its sleeve and is thoroughly entertaining throughout.  Generic as it may be I have been throwing my limbs around like a teenager whilst listening to it.  Not sure I will be making regular visits back to it but I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with this release for the purposes of the Review Draft.

4/5

Hey there, welcome to our corner of the internet.  We share a couple of clans I see, looking forward to reading some of your reviews and ratings on the site.  Good to get some new blood.

Creux Lies - "Divine (Remix)" 2023

Pulsating darkwave from California that is actually their 2021 release remixed.

The less the sub-genre/tagging options the better.  I am all for the "this in the wrong clan/this is missing an obvious clan inclusion" argument (Nocturnal Graves feature this month for example), however creating boxes within boxes is too much.  Atmospheric sludge metal my arse! 

Whilst Nocturnal Graves brand of blackened death metal is most certainly something I enjoy, I have never managed to garner that much excitement from any of the bands releases to date. I have no issue with things sounding generic to some extent but if you stuck me a playlist on of Nocturnal Graves I would not be able to tell you which album the song came from. Similarly here, many of the tracks on An Outlaw's Stand might as well be left overs from the Titan album, such is the lack of any real deviation from the output on that record.

Now, this is not to say that Nocturnal Graves lack quality or talent. They have both in droves. Those Morbid Angel references are obvious and well executed. Whether it the guitar or vocal work that cites the heyday of the death metal legends, both are done with exceptional ability, even if those drums are not attempting to match Sandoval-era blasting. If I was awarding points for attitude then Nocturnal Graves would be in my high scores all day long with this record. There is an assuredness to the tracks here that does not waiver once, and when you are doing death metal this well you have no need to have any doubts. Even if I do not find the record all that versatile, I cannot argue with the stoic intent that sits behind the music.

That withstanding, I cannot commit any high scores to An Outlaw's Stand based on the resoluteness of its delivery alone. On balance, although well performed, it is a completely forgettable experience nonetheless. When it is on, I am enjoying it but had it not been a feature release this month to secure my attention for reviewing purposes then I would not have come back to it beyond one full listen through.

3/5

My relationship with deathcore is non-existent. There is precisely zero history of me listening to any of the sub-genre. Alright then, what the hell am I doing reviewing an authentic deathcore release then? Well, without wanting to kiss his ass publicly, Daniel’s review kind of inspired me if I am honest. He is clearly very passionate about extreme music and wrote a rational and sensible critique of how deathcore is represented (or isn’t represented more to the point) in metal today. The second reason I pressed on with listening through The Black Crown is because there is no logical reason for me to not try it.

I am a (near) forty-seven-year-old man who has been listening to metal for thirty-four of those forty-seven years. Whilst I absolutely wear my black metal, death metal, thrash and more recently doom metal clan badges with pride I own and listen to records that fall far from the traditional boundaries that would be set by my clans. Although I respect Metal Archives’ decisions to keep the content there governed by their own agenda, I can only highlight one current and obvious flaw with the methodology that deathcore is not “metal”. This month’s Infinite Clan feature release is by Dødheimsgard and although it has very much left bm at the heart of the sound, over the course of the record it deviates far away from metal on more than one occasion. In keeping with the not “metal” argument, parts of Dødheimsgard’s latest record are less metal than Suicide Silence but that record is on there. Jus’ sayin. (Not knockin’ your feature choice Xephyr, just using it as a current reference point having listened to it yesterday)

I am not going to go as far as putting a review against the record itself on the site, only because I know so little about deathcore that I would never be able to accurately do the album justice in my review. There is a lot of content here that does not resonate with me – I find the first three songs to be quite flat and lacking in variation, for example – however, there is a lot of content that I enjoy also. From track four onwards, those groovy Pantera and moody Korn references that Daniel cites kick in and the vibrant energy that I expected to see from that gnarly band logo slaps me across the face.

Like Daniel, I have no issue with Mitch’s vocal style either and think that the band are tight in their performance. It would be dishonest of me to say that I appreciate all the lyrical content. Fuck Everything has a very clear message that I do giggle at the immaturity of, but it is a perfect anthem for the disaffected of this world and the track itself is one of my album highlights alongside What Sets Us Apart.

Colour me interested.

3.5/5

After a few listens through Cosmic Doom Ritual, I find myself almost at the same point as I was after my first listen. Two thirds pleased and the remaining third confused. That is a basic reflection of the record, track by track. Whereas Pearl Snake and Black Lava Flow are well structured tracks that assert their authority easily and maintain a high level of consistency and presence it is the opening track Merkaba that I cannot get to grips with.

The EP almost works better for me if I listen to it in reverse as I get no sense of a strong listen being ahead for me from the opening track. It seems to float and drift aimlessly, lacking any real sense of direction or purpose and as a result I am left disappointed from the off. There are some good ideas on it, but they are not managed well and so the track just feels like a cluster of thoughts committed to tape.

Sonny’s Ufomammut reference is perfect for the EP though, those middle eastern elements adding some enchanting psychedelia to proceedings. The sludgier elements to the music sets Hexer apart from the reference as well though. They are perhaps not as chaotic and cloying enough for my sludge tastes, but they do a good enough job still in the grander scheme of things. Closing track Black Lava Flow is my favourite overall. There is a rumbling presence to the bass that underpins the track perfectly and those horrid rasping vocals work well also. Shame I just cannot get on with that opening track really.

3/5

I have been listening to Sky Void of Stars quite a bit in recent months. I would not class myself as a big Katatonia fan even (well not beyond Dance of December Souls anyway), yet something has kept me coming back over the recent sorties I have flown over this strangely endearing record.

Placing my finger exactly on what I like here is a tough call for me. Alternative metal is not anywhere near the top of my metal preferences. However, as with that Bad Omens’ record last year, I occasionally find a malignant tenderness in the less extreme metal formats that I stumble across, a sort of infrequent palate cleansing of the harsher tasting notes that linger on my tastebuds over time that helps me understand that aggression does not always have to be aggressive, darkness can exist through performing more in the light and that melancholy can be expressed without listening to someone bleed their very soul out on a record.

Katatonia it should be mentioned are amazing musicians and songwriters. They have had years of practice of honing their artform and it shows in spades on Sky Void of Stars. There is an engrained clumsiness in most of these tracks that they still manage to pull off without too many points of the cumbersome nature of some of the structures becoming unbearable. Tracks such as (my personal) album highlight Impermanence follow a trajectory where the lyrics sound like they are perhaps written for another song with different pacing and tempo altogether, yet they somehow end up so well suited to the track. I find this album therefore to be a very confident sounding release. Not cocksure or arrogant, just bold in their beliefs that their ability to express themselves need not always take a traditional or conformist path.

I would argue that the album stretches its legs beyond just the walls of alternative metal with those background keys and voluminous chunky riffs adding progressive climes to the overall construct. When they speak, the lead guitarist’s work of Roger and Anders possesses a sublime clarity that fills the very air around them with rays of colour that can at times seem lacking in the more mechanical rhythms that get deployed.

I have a feeling that over time my rating for this record will grow but for now it is a very comfortable listen that has duplicitous purpose as it can just as easily be background or driving music as well as lending itself equally well to a deeper and more exploratory listen.

3.5/5

Raventale looks interesting - over to Ben

Seprevation for me.

Off you go Ben.

Ruby the Hatchet for me please.

Off you go Ben

I will go with General Surgery

For July please Daniel:

Entrails - "Crawling Death" (from "The Tomb Awaits", 2011)

Immolation - "Close to a World Below" (from "Close to a World Below", 2000)

Outer Heaven - "Rotting Stone / D.M.T." (from "Infinite Psychic Depths", 2023)

Rotborn - "Praise the Downfall" (from "On the perspective of An Imminent Downfall", 2022)

Caustic Wound - "Invisible Cell" (from "Death Posture", 2020)

For July please Sonny:

Warning - "Footprints" (from "Watching From A Distance", 2006)

Windhand - "Halcyon" (from "Eternal Return", 2018)

For July please Ben:

Aosoth - "Her Feet upon the Earth, Blooming the Fruits of Blood" (from "V: The Inside Scriptures", 2017)

Thy Darkened Shade - "Revival Through Arcane Skins" (from "Liber Lvcifer I:Khem Sedjet", 2014)

Black Mass Pervertor - "Pollute the Minds of the Youth" (from "Lux Sodomiticum", 2021)

I will add:

Black Mass - "High Priest In Black" (from "Warlust", 2019)

Détente - "Shattered Illusions" (from "Recognize No Authority", 1986)

Deathstorm - "By Sword, by Pick, by Axe"  (from "Reaping What is Left", 2018)

Aggression - "Torturing the Deceased" (from "Feels Like Punk, Sounds Like Thrash", 2018)

Riffobia - "God of Hate" (from "Riffobia", 2023)

Grindpad - "My Name Is Violence" (from "Violence", 2020)

June 2023

01. Paradox – “Heresy” (from “Heresy”, 1989)

02. Wargasm – “Humanoid” (from “Why Play Around?”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

03. Enforced – “Hanged by My Hand” (from “War Remains”, 2023) [Submitted by Sonny]

04. Sadus – “Hands of Fate” (from “Chemical Exposure”, 1988) [Submitted by Vinny]

05. Holy Moses - “Cult of the Machine” (from “Invisible Queen”, 2023) [Submitted by Sonny]

06. Defiatory – “Bane of Creation” (from “Hades Rising”, 2018)

07. Testament – “Down for Life” (from “The Gathering”, 1999)

08. Overkill – “Twist of the Wick” (from “Scorched”, 2023) [Submitted by Vinny]

09. Grip Inc. – “Hostage to Heaven” (from “Power of Inner Strength”, 1995)

10. Crumbsuckers – “Just Sit There” (from “Life of Dreams”, 1986)

11. Iron Reagan – “Close to Toast” (from “The Tyranny of Will”, 2014) [Submitted by Vinny]

12. Sepultura– “Convicted in Life” (from “Dante XXI”, 2006)

13. Hobb’s Angel of Death – “House of Death” (from “Hobb’s Angel of Death”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

14. Cruel Force – “At the Dawn of the Axe” (from “At the Dawn of the Axe”, 2023)

15. Laaz Rockit – “Take No Prisoners” (from “City’s Gonna Burn”,1984) [Submitted by Sonny]

16. Exciter – “I Am the Beast” (from “Long Live the Loud”, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny]

17. Raider – “Trial by Chaos” (from “Trial by Chaos”, 2023)

18. Cacophony – “Where My Fortune Lies” (from “Speed Metal Symphony”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

19. Sieges Even – “Life Cycle” (from “Life Cycle”, 1988)

20. Panic – “Close My Eyes and Jump” (from “Fact”, 1993)

21. Death Angel – “Road Mutants” (from “Frolic Through the Park”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

22. Necrodeath – “At the Mountains of Madness” (from “Into the Macabre”, 1987) [Submitted by Sonny]

23. Parkcrest – “End of Times” (from “Hallucinative Minds”, 2017) [Submitted by Sonny]

24. Ragehammer – “Jesus Goat” (from “In Certain Death”, 2020)

25. Korgull the Exterminator – “Inquisitor Generalis” (from “Sharpen Your Spikes”, 2020)

26. Whiplash – “Last Man Alive” (from “Power and Pain”, 1986) [Submitted by Sonny]

27. Slaughterlord – “Destructor” (from “Thrash ‘til Death 86-87”, 2000) [Submitted by Daniel]

28. Demolition Hammer – “Crippling Velocity” (from “Tortured Existence”, 1990) [Submitted by Vinny]

29. Channel Zero – “Dark Passenger” (from “Kill All Kings”, 1993)

Hi Ben, please can you add Dutch thrashers Grindpad?

Amenra - Mass III (2005)

Finally got around to this.

The obscure and reclusive nature of black metal artists does occasionally uncover some real gems if you can travel far enough off grid (well, onto YouTube as it happens) to find them. Having never heard of either of these artists going into this EP I was suspicious as to why they had never surfaced in some of the conversations I have with internet peers who firmly reside in the underground part of the scene. Reading Daniel's mini-bio in his review helped me understand why and soon enough I was embroiled in the five tracks on offer, noting almost instantly of the difference between the swarming frenzy of Tukaaria and the more structured and intelligent form of Odz Manouk.

Suffice to say that I much more prefer the contribution of Odz Manouk here. There is a raw energy to the otherwise very accessible structures that really set the two tracks from him apart when compared to those of Tukaaria. Odz Manouk perform some foot-stomping black metal that bashes its way into your memory banks. The Scavenger looms over the listener hovering on ferocious tremolos and haunting atmospherics (and that mauling melodic guitar stab that cuts like a blunt and filthy blade across your flesh on a couple of occasions), whilst those abhorrent vocals just spew all over you. Meanwhile (the personal highlight for me of the release), The Sloth is a beast of a track. Starting off all crawling and rhythmically lumbering it rumbles on for nearly nine perfect minutes of uncomfortable and stifling black metal that rams it's tongue down your throat.

By comparison the Tukaaria tracks lack much in the way of presence for me. Whereas the Odz Manouk tracks stay with me and did so from the first play, the three Tukaaria ones sort of pass me by and I find very little to praise from his offering. If this was just an Odz Manouk EP then we would be seeing the higher scores. However, when taken as a whole the EP is not a consistent entity and so I struggle to get above the halfway point of the scorecard as a result.

3.5/5

Entrails - The Tomb Awaits (2011)

I often overlook Entrails for their more renowned Swedish compatriots, but the fact remains that had the band been happier with their demo recordings back in 1990 (they were not and so released nothing for 20 years) they could have made a bigger splash in the Swede-death scene.  Whilst perhaps not as much of a "go-to" option as say Entombed or Dismember, Jimmy and co are still an absolute machine of riffs as you would expect from any band present at the inception of the sub-genre back in the 90's.  Of the few albums I have heard of Entrails' (Obliteration is on CD somewhere from memory), The Tomb Awaits is perhaps the most powerful one I have heard.  Crowd pleasers such as Crawling Death and Undead are monster tracks that cannot fail to get the blood pumping.  Between Jimmy and Mathias there are enough riffs here to fill your house and still have enough spare to occupy the garage also.

Dan Swanö makes a guest vocal appearance on Eaten by the Dead and he was also responsible for mixing and mastering the album - and as usual does a fucking sterling job. Adde Mitroulis stamps his d-beat credentials all over tracks such as The Slithering Below and he and bassist Jocke share vocals on the album also.  What you end up with here is twelve tracks of solid and highly consistent in quality Swede-death that easily holds a candle to the likes of Dismember and Entombed.  Don't worry about eating your greens to grow up big and strong.  Eat these riffs instead and you will end up built like a brick shithouse!

4/5

Great review Sonny and got me up out of my chair and reaching for the CD in question immediately.  I recall now I bagged one of the Relapse re-releases and so I have a second disc with all the basic instrumental versions of the tracks plus some of the demos too.  Tonight will be a good night up at the Vinny Manor.

Death is the most obvious one but I'd also nominate Converge & Gorguts.

Gorguts would be my major call on this thread.  A band that not only consistently puts out quality material but actually improves with every release also.  Likewise, I would agree with Death being on the list, obviously.  BAN are another great call.  There are some golden runs that I cannot get away without mentioning - first 4 Metallica records and first 4 Sepultura also.  Both more or less went to shit afterwards unfortunately so would not qualify for the whole discography sphere of this thread.

Couple of others from me:

Nordicwinter, one man Canadian bm artist who can do no wrong in my book.

Sargeist, consistency is key in this accolade and this guys are as solid as they come.

Autopsy, I can't think of anyone else who produces such consistently sloppy and ugly death metal, release after release.  They pretend to be nothing other than what they are and make no apologies for being so.

I have done countless double-takes on this album purely on the basis that this was all put together by one person. A Chinese, one man bm project with an output frequency to rival Jute Gyte to boot. As with Jute, there is a lot going on here. The difference here is that not all of the content is bm. As other site members have pointed out there are elements of thrash metal in here and the spazzing delivery of it all definitely smells of mathcore aesthetic (even though there is no such content per se).

Those punishing levels of dissonance do get lost in the swarming chaos overall for me and I find this to come across as being more confused than well fused together. The variety in the content I sense (if I had the time and/or patience) is not that all far apart in terms of a range or scale of variation, but it is so inaccessibly pitched that I cannot bring myself to take the minutes out of my week to try and map out themes. Do not get me wrong, for one man to deliver all this is astonishing, even though it doesn't work all that well for me I have to admire the work. The fact that he is getting this out of a far flung corner of China is only all the more unbelievable. But this admiration can only go so far when I am largely unable to recall any of the record despite playing it four times this morning.

Too many ideas flung at something is never a good combination for my ears and Τρωθησομένη is no exception I am afraid.

3/5

Glorior Belli - "The Apostates" (2018)

"Black Metal (early); Stoner/Southern/Black Metal (later)". That is how a well known metal website describes the genre for Glorior Belli. Given that I had already picked the latest release in the band discography for my Review Draft for The North this month I soon found myself wondering what the hell just how the hell Stoner/Southern and Black Metal would go together. At first it is not so obvious a blend, with album opener Sui Generis sounding like a modern take on French bm with those familiar Deathspell Omega/Aosoth style vocals soon giving cold pleasure to my ears. As the track seems to have ended though, it kicks back in with a melodic sweep (vaguely Southern sounding in fact) and goes on for a few more seconds. Not sure why they chose to do that but it does not actually ruin the song as you might expect it to. With my interest piqued already, onwards into The Apostates I ventured.

The first thing that I note as being as different with Glorior Belli in terms of traditional bm stylings are the drums, they are a strong and powerful entity in the bands sound but are not your traditional blastbeats. They undertake varied runs and fills that provide individual entertainment whilst somehow not being distracting from everything else. The stoner influences seem to grow with every track as the album weaves its way through this expansive and intriguing landscape - like being drip-fed the band's wider influences, track by track. Part of me was flat-out ready to hate this album before I ever heard even one note of it and although I will not pretend to be madly in love with it, I cannot help but doff my hat in the general direction of Glorior Belli for having the balls to at least attempt something different.

The Apostates never seems to entirely lose sight of its bm roots, no matter how far away it sails from them at times (the title track in particular). Just when you get the sense the band have switched sub-genres altogether they soon bring you back into the coldest of our clans here at Metal Academy. For the devout, second-wave worshippers amongst you, this is probably an album that borders on the sacrilegious. If you like a bit of variety in your black metal then you would do well to give this one a few spins as it only grows with repeated plays I have found. It does not always work brilliantly (Hangin' Crepe is just a bad attempt at Stoner in all honesty) but it could have been a lot worse if the mix of these elements was even slightly off for the majority of this record. There is a strong argument here for dual-clan existence for The Apostates as it embraces both elements of its promise well enough to do a quality delivery of the equal parts. Hi ho, hi ho, off to the Hall of Judgement we go.

3.5/5

Faustcoven - "Rising From Beneath the Earth" (2008)

Gunnar Hansen and Johnny Tombthrasher's (yes, really) contributions on Rising From Below the Earth are varied in terms of actually being able to hear them as the production job on the bands second full length is so dense that it sounds a horrid, muddy muddle in parts. For a man who is bold enough to name himself Tombthrasher, Johnny's drums sound incredibly tishy throughout album opener At Night They Rise from Below the Earth to the point where they sound like drums on demo recorded in someone's basement. But, these guys are from Norway and those lo-value production influences are bound to rub off I guess. Although I see them tagged as "black/doom" on the internet, these guys are clearly blackened death doom. The riffs of Hansen rarely lift beyond some mid-paced tempos whilst his vocals manage to inhabit a crude void between guttural death doom growls and that familiar Scandinavian black metal inflection.

The kvlt and raw ethos to the record does not come across all that well though. When you listen to just a few tracks into the record you soon find the mind wondering as the under-mixed drums and over-produced bass soon start become the main focus instead of the actual song content. If you are going to do death doom of any kind then you need to get the balance of your instruments right or otherwise that repetition is soon going to get monotonous and boring. I remain unconvinced by the authenticity of the black metal mire that Faustcoven attempt to submerge themselves in and sound find myself believing that they are just inexperienced musicians who are hiding in the confines of a sub-genre where they believe that basic musicianship is an acceptable level at which to perform.

The solo/sonic efforts are painful in all honesty and boy do I regret not using my Review Draft pick more wisely this month folks. Somethings were supposed to stay underground I guess.

2.5/5

This month's playlist is what I believe cool folks would deem to a "banger".  I have taken away more acts to check out than I usually do and I am not sure if I will get round to all of them but the main standouts are Tentacult, Astiferous, Deiquisitor and Re-Buried.

I have discovered that Black Cobra are very much a tale of two halves. One half (the instrumentation and all round quality playing thereof) is superb. It is full of grimy grit and abrasive surfaces that literally hack bits off you as you venture through all eight tracks of Invernal. The pacing is relentless and scarring and literally feels like it is daring you to go any further, like it is goading the listener to have the stomach to delve further into the filthy mire of the record content. With slightly progressive rhythms being exposed at times, the record feels like it is a lot more calculating than you may at first give it credit for. It is this possession of a devious intellect that keeps me focused on the record for its whole duration in all honesty as for the first few listens at least I was second guessing the direction it would take next.

Still, a distinctly ugly nature permeates from Invernal and if anything it only gets uglier the longer you listen, it just happens to be in possession of a charming wit that sees you look past the unappealing façade and become drawn to the record like it is a supermodel in a flannel shirt and jeans. The intense layering that gets deployed here is dizzying to the point of being sickening at times with some tracks feeling like they are on an eternal upwards spiral. And, when there are brief moments of respite this tricky little record goes off into post-rock territory, just for shits and giggles before lulling you back in for another sludgey pummelling. The drums of Martine are consistent throughout and considering there is no bass whatsoever the punch in the guitar is nothing short of phenomenal when you take time to reflect (I mean, it took me a couple of listens to realise there was no bass on this).

My challenge with Black Cobra overall comes in that second half of the equation that I have managed to avoid for two paragraphs. The vocals.

I just cannot get on with Landrian's rugged style that although is true to form in the delivery of succinct, hardcore-influenced spats of raw aggression at the same time it suffers in the pitch and the tone department for me. They have a sort of melodic death metal edge to them that comes across as being a tad sterile overall and dilutes the impact of the vocal prowess on the record. Perhaps the lack of bass is where this vocal element finds itself more exposed in listening experience but I cannot help but feel that for all the power that the guitar puts into each track here, the vocals tip a fair old portion out whenever they appear. Tight as the Black Cobra unit so very clearly is, all the hard work of the drums and guitars does feel like it is undone considerably for me by the vocals and I actually would enjoy this more if it were an instrumental record.

3.5/5

Pig Destroyer - Explosions in Ward 6 (1998)

For no valid reason I have never previously sat down with a Pig Destroyer release. Coming into this month's Review Draft I decided it was time to rectify that and where better to start with their debut full-length offering from 1998? After four years of Agoraphobic Nosebleed material guitarist Scott Hull decided to treat the world to what "grindcore should be" with eighteen tracks of spazzing chaos that only ever really lets up for the most punky of vibes to bounce through.

No bass guitar is used at all here (that was still some fifteen years off for Pig Destroyer at this point) yet the guitar tone is so full and powerful and backed by a superb drum sound also that you do not miss the bass at all. When you add J.R. Hayes' vocals into the mix then I personally find myself in my complete element with this record. A succinct nineteen minutes and twenty seconds of eighteen individually clear explosions as the album title promises. Complete with a Melvins' cover also for additional variety.

Closing track, Pixie is a monstrous six minutes in length and is by far the slowest paced affair on the whole album. However, it still retains that air of primal violence that threatens to burst out across the track as Hayes' trademark vocals make no effort to change slant or angle despite the whole slowing down of proceedings to close out the album.

4/5

Sabbat - History of a Time to Come (1988)

I tell who would be really annoying at parties? Martin Walkyier. His clipped, posh English accent must permeate the room almost organically with its innate ability to fill the air around it without seemingly ever raising the decibels behind it. For most of History of a Time to Come it is Martin's vocals that dominate the aether, despite the raging riffs of Andy Sneap doing their upmost to unseat Walkyier from this lead role on the album. However, just like that person at parties who commands the attention of the room, Sneap's guitar work comes off as nothing more than a distraction when it is allowed some floor space.

This sounds harsher than I mean it to as I actually think that part of the major success of this album (and indeed the band) is down to that unique vocal style that is so recognisable. Although not quite the same, a fair comparison would be Judas Priest. Tipton and Downing for the most part battle to let their guitars do some talking but in reality they will never be considered ahead of Rob Halford's vocals. I actually prefer the guitar work on most Priest records as, if you listen closely enough, they more than stack up against the vocals of Halford. Here, within the ranks of Sabbat, Sneap simply does not stand a chance though. No matter how intently I listen, Walkyier is the main memory I take away with me after each spin.

That having been said, I cannot deny the energy behind this record and its infectious display of some raging thrash metal. History of a Time to Come is a "banger" most certainly. It is lauded in many quarters and I can most certainly see why, even though I cannot match these levels of enthusiasm for the entire duration. Touching upon NWOBHM and traditional metal influences there is most certainly variety present here, however I am not entirely sure I want there to be. The raging intensity of their thrash metal is where Sabbat thrive and I feel the loss of focus on this aspect of their sound is sometimes to the detriment of my enjoyment. Still, for an album that is 35 years old, it sounds as fresh as the day it was released and most certainly has aged well. 

3.5/5

Fuck yeah, Enforced are back.