Vinny's Forum Replies

Sorry, Vinny, I have nothing for The Pit this month.

No worries Sonny.

Dave Lombardo - Rites of Percussion (2023)

Not my normal bag, in fact I would go as far as to say that the prospect of an entirely percussive record would normally sound dull as fuck, however it turns out there's more to this than just Lombardo showboating his skills.  There are some hints at ambient textures and the creation of atmospheres undertaken along the way also.  The album never quite falls into predictable tribal beats although he most certainly is embracing many elements of world music in his exploration and experimentation.  It does not sound like a guy just cocking around on his selection of drums either.  Although I suspect the album is not 100% composed pieces there is no obvious shabbiness to proceedings.  If anyone has any lingering doubts that Lombardo was only good when he was in Slayer then (should their mind allow) this record will dispel such illusions as his creativity is obvious throughout Rites of Percussion. Forget the blistering performances of his thrash heyday, this is beyond that and more than worth a quick listen through at just 35 mins long.

HEALTH - Disco4+

Been playing a lot of HEALTH this past couple of days.  Probably my latest favourite new discovery.  Lots of collabs going on with artists I know well - Perturbator, Full of Hell, NiN and Chino Moreno, however there's also lots of artists and genres on the Disco4 series that I am eager to learn about based on this experience (Nolife, Brothel, Soccer Mommy and The Body)

Where to start with Sodom, eh? The grandfathers of Teutonic thrash metal as I view them today were still a little under twenty years into their existence at the point of them recording M-16. With a stable line-up in place for the past four years, the band were starting to look like they were hitting a solid run of form with ‘Til Death Do Us Unite and Code Red being improvements on the lacklustre Masquerade in Blood. The stage was well set then for them to continue this run with M-16.

With typically eye-catching artwork adorning the cover, the tracks soon follow this blistering war theme with the relentless pummeling of I Am the War in particular presenting a salvo of Angelripper spat bullets early on in proceedings. These faster paced thrashers such as Genocide are where the album really shines with these, the title track and Lead Injection being the better written of the tracks on offer.

At the same time though there are some goofy and clumsy moments as well. The incredibly corny Napalm in the Morning, the borderline irritating Little Boy and that fucking terrible Surfin' Bird cover are all examples of where a full near fifty-minutes of runtime was not necessarily needed. Even in the better tracks on the album, I would still say that for all the pace and frenzy there is not always the equal amount of punch to really elevate M16 to any real highlight in the band’s discography. This is most certainly not an album that will wrestle Agent Orange from the top spot in my all-time favourite Sodom records.

Whilst hinting at some of the better parts of the Sodom kitbag, this record comes off as being al little more than average in all honesty and it is not one that I have plans to be revisiting anytime soon. There are better records further along in the back-catalogue that you would get more from.

3.5/5

Good to see it land well with you Daniel.  My review is barely a month old but I now have this album on vinyl and am still playing it to death

Following my review of Old Star I soon found myself pressing on into the Darkthrone "latter day" discography. Having found very little wrong with the 2019 release I found my focus switched to the latest new release (at the time of writing) from the legendary Norwegians. I am aware that Eternal Hails is sandwiched in between the two releases I have now written a review for, and I have heard that through a few times also. However, it is yet to make as an immediate impact as Astral Fortress did after just a couple of spins. Once again the paired-back, non-black metal style of metal that embraces doom and heavy metal wins the day.

With the increasing sense that the number of fucks Fenriz and Nocturno Culto have left to give reduces with every passing year, Astral Fortress is a structure built with an almost nonchalant level of attention. The walls are not necessarily flush against one another and the floor is almost certainly not level either, but it is just still so fucking homely to listen to the record that you do not care if the roof has a couple of holes in it where polished production values and a high quality of technical capability got kicked out of the building. The guys are not trying to impress anybody necessarily, yet they organically manage to make an album that presses a sense of nostalgia on the listener without becoming oppressive as a "retro" record.

Those soothing synths on Stalagmite Necklace are trance-inducing, such is their level of dreamy and hazy magic. Who fucking cares if NC's vocals are cumbersome when there's a Mellotron to keep you company along the way? Fenriz's drumming is consistent throughout without ever straying anywhere near the realm of technical or overtly showy. There is a power in simplicity and this has never been better exemplified than the performance of the man on the stool behind the skins. Above all else though, it is the mournful and melancholic wail of the guitars on tracks such as The Sea Beneath the Seas of the Sea (great track title) that steal the dank limelight on Astral Fortress. Indeed, for a perfect example of "no frills" metal, we need look no further than Darkthrone's twentieth full length release.

By now a thousand football fields away from their black metal days, Darkthrone have almost undertaken a complete reinvention of themselves in terms of their sound and style. However, the true success of their modern day output that I have heard to date is that it does still retain that sense of irreverence for their art form that only black metal can ever truly teach. Whilst it may be so far away stylistically from black metal, the cult is very much still alive.

4.5/5

The past few months I have been listening to a lot of modern day Darkthrone and have reviewed a couple of recent records from the Norwegian legends of black metal, commenting how they sound very little like their bm heyday. This has been something to celebrate in my opinion as they truly have reinvented themselves in comparison to the band that dropped A Blaze... and Transilvanian Hunger some thirty years ago. If ever proof was needed that the influence of black metal era Fenriz and NC is always destined to be alive and kicking then Armagedda are it. Notwithstanding that at the time of this release, Darkthrone were dropping Plaguewielder, one of their less popular releases and one that was certainly far away from the quality of their nineties' output. There is an argument to say that come 2001, Armagedda were better at being Darkthrone than Darkthrone were at the time.

Talk of obvious influences aside, Armagedda themselves were only two years into their existence come the release of their debut album. Having formed as Volkermord in 1999 before changing their name to Armagedda just one year later, the band certainly lived up to their apocalyptic band name with their primitive yet relentless eight song offering to the black metal world. The scathing and impertinent vocals of Graav being a perfect accompaniment to the clumsy and cumbersome riffs he was also responsible for (closing track My Eternal Journey in particular exposes these riff challenges). Yet at the same time when in full-tilt black metal mode (Deathminded), Armagedda more than make a case for them justifying those heady Darkthrone comparisons. Whilst not innovators (who the fuck was in black metal come 2001??) I would not say the Swedes class as imitators either. Their passionate sense of belonging to that second wave sound is obvious for all of The Final War Approaching.

With their thin guitar tone and strong tremolo presence, Armagedda more than make their mark on their debut full-length. If you are looking for a great second wave bm album from after the actual scene itself had been and gone, then you would be hard-pressed to find a better offering than this. Looking at their discography, Armagedda rarely seem to put a foot wrong and why would they based on this solid foundation stone to kick start their back-catalogue?

4/5

Predatory Light - Death and the Twilight Hours (2022)

Another band I missed completely to date.  Criminal considering they are on 20 Buck Spin whom I normally keep some track of.  Anyway, very Negative Plane like black metal with a hint of Mortuary Drape for good measure.

Ben / Daniel were you aware that it is possible to give a release no stars? I inadvertently saved my rating for High on Fire's De Vermis Mysteriis before I had actually chosen a rating and this registered my rating as 0.0 and the average went from 4.0 to 3.2. It isn't a problem as such because I know you can change or delete ratings and I point it out merely because I wonder if this is something you want to be allowable or if you would like to remove this errant rating option during some future site update.

I was aware of this, used it to good effect for Machine Head “Catharsis”.  It has served its purpose for me.

I would agree with the above.  I have State.. down as a 3 star rating as I recall once the initial adrenaline levels dropped, there wasn't a lot to shout about.  I have never fully gotten onboard with Belladonna as a vocalist either.  Great at the shrill and shriek when needed but just lame sounding overall.  I was baffled how they managed to replace him with someone even worse though when they brought Bush in - I mean how can you have such a gruff voice yet not be suited to being a thrash vocalist?

I still goof around to Madhouse or Indians every now and again but my airtime with Anthrax nowadays is a rare occurrence. 

In an unexpected quiet couple of days at work, I managed to get through both The Fallen and The North playlists early doors this month.  Standouts for me:

Thantifaxath - Surgical Utopian Love (from Hive Mind Narcosis, 2023) - was aware of these Canadians already and so was delighted to see things opening up with their weird mix of Deathspell Omega meets Jute Gyte alongside BAN sounding atmospherics.

None - Rest (from Inevitable, 2023) - unusually captivating for a depressive black metal release, I found Rest to be almost enchanting in the most desolate and utterly hopeless way imaginable - I listened to the full album today and soon got bored though so will see how it picks up with repeated listens.

Armagedda - Deathminded (from The Final War Approaching, 2001) - looking forwards to reviewing this in the coming month.  I have been on a real conventional black metal kick of late and so the timing of this release being a Feature could not be better.  Wondering how I ever missed these guys to date though.

Blackbraid - The Spirit Returns (from Blackbraid II, 2023) - despite all the hype (and frankly relentless advertising) this guy gets, I have to admit to being underwhelmed with the first record.  This track grabbed my attention though with its melodic yet icy chunks of riffage.

Fen - Scouring Ignorance (from Monuments to Absence, 2023) - up to about my third listen with this record now and although not an outright struggle, it was not as immediate as I had hoped.  This track shows best why it caught me off-guard.  Very aggressive and racing in comparison to what I expected and those clean vocal passages are yet to land with me fully if honest.  Yet at the same time I am still utterly intrigued and want to learn more about the record.

Miserere Luminis - Le sang des rêves (from Ordalie, 2023) - I have seen the dazzling artwork for the album this track comes off already and knew I would have to check it out.  Atmospheric and expansive to boot, the whole album is a joy to behold having played it through a couple of times off the back of this track in the playlist.

Another solid playlist this month.  To call out the standouts for me:

Katatonia - I have this weird "bookend" scenario with this band in that I have only ever listened to the Dance... and then their latest release and nothing in between.  Brave Murder Day has been landing on a few playlists as suggestions around the streaming services I am on of late and so it is liable to be the next full-length I venture along with from this band.  This track proves to me that I am missing out by not listening to the rest of their discography in some more detail.

Saturnalia Temple - well, this is a fucked up sounding box of frogs if ever I heard one.  It is still so damn entertaining though, not in the least because it is so blatantly obvious that these guys have zero fucks to give

Mournful Congregation -  starting to wonder if these Aussies can do any wrong at all as there is virtually endless win in everything I hear from them.  Still sounding relevant thirty years on, this track bodes well for me getting around to the album at some point.

Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean - dumbass name aside, I had very little to argue with here.  Agonising sludge metal that is punishingly repetitive

Iron Monkey - more sludge metal only this time it is raging and ugly as fuck - me like.

Woorms - I have be eyeing that astonishingly good artwork on the Slake record and wondering if the music could ever be as good as the artwork.  Good news, it is.  With a measured level of confrontation in their sound, Woorms sound alienating and hostile whilst tipping their hats to some fine doom metal along the way also.

I was thinking about the one-listen-review concept some more last night & there are two other elements that come into play (at least they do for me personally). I find that mood & context can skew my view on a release one way or the other. For example, if I'm tired & listen to a highly intense or complex death metal album, there's no way that I'll appreciate it as much as if I'm wide awake & energetic. Or if I've just listened to Marduk & then decide to put on Twisted Sister, I'm always going to find Twisted Sister to be fairly light-weight in comparison which may impact my scoring but I still might feel like listening to them. The same goes for production as some production jobs will inevitably sound dodgier or more impressive than they are depending on what you play them after. For that reason, I like to listen to my music in a couple of different headspaces & environments before reaching a consensus on what rating I'll award a particular release & I never do my final listen late in the day when I'm not alert. Perhaps I take this process a little too seriously but... ya know what... Ben & I run an online metal ratings/reviews website so the integrity of our views can be kinda a big deal for parts of our audience.

This.  Exactly this.

Let's not continue any further down this path.

Noted Ben.

And just as easy as that we get to you attacking the site.  Your lack of self-reflection is astonishing.  The site does need more people but I am convinced it doesn't need you Rex.

I have to concur with the others that my planned listening time is already maxed out by the monthly feature releases, particularly given my refusal to rate or review a release without giving it at least 3-4 active listens over a couple of days. I work 50+ hours a week & have three young kids who command all of my free time so I'd be reluctant to reduce my free listening time any further at this point when it only really amounts to the time before anyone else wakes up.

Rex, regardless of whether other members would like to participate in your suggested initiative, can I suggest that you join the feature release rosters for your chosen clans? That way you can choose releases that you'd like to have your fellow clan members attention drawn to &, in doing so, can potentially contribute to the cause listed above. It's not a bad way to see Hall of Judgement nominations coming to fruition too & I know you've been keen to contribute there too.

Lemme stop you at the 3-4 times bit.  Don't take this the wrong way, and I understand you have a lot on your plate.  But if a nobody like me can write a detailed review after one listen, I know you have the brainpower to do so.  With so much on your plate, you have to have developed a good skill in multitasking by now.  I always stand by a strict belief that anyone is capable of anything with real practice.  You don't have to memorize an album in order to review it.  So whatever you're doing when you're listening to an album, likely working on this site, all you gotta do is let once be enough and keep in mind similar albums to compare it to.  Example, right now I'm planning all of this out while listening to White Pony.  I've already sensed some major creative differences between this and Around the Fur.

Whether or not you still agree with the actual purpose of this thread, I'm pretty much telling everyone this due to personal beliefs: if time is ever a problem for you, then this skill is for you, and I choose willingly not to "brag" about it because I firmly believe, again, that anyone can catch a whole album even while doing other stuff.  Even now I feel educated enough to write about the effect on my body and soul that those noisy shouts on Elite do and how well they blend with the sound effects, leaving the lyrical content to gleefully remain a mystery and let the emotion of the instruments and presence do all the talking.  I might even like Elite more than Digital Bath for its incredible and unique artistry, while still remaining somewhat consistent with the calmer and more introspective Digital Bath.  And I could go on about how much I adore the shift in style and weird behavior of Rx Queen's percussions, but I have a point to prove: I admit, I struggled a bit with the multitasking at first, but after years of practice, I came to one conclusion: I doubt I'm the only one who can do this.  And while I have this ability, I won't brag about it, but I WILL own it.

And before anyone can say it, yes I heard White Pony once years ago, and completely forgot everything about it later because alt-metal isn't my style.  So memory has nothing to do with it.

In my experience, needlessly burning through album after album without taking the time to enjoy them and grow to understand them for me defeats the point of listening to music in the first place.  Don't assume everyone is as "skilled" as yourself either because although you stipulate you are not bragging, it most certainly comes across that way in this post.  How's about "sharing" your personal beliefs instead of "telling everyone"?  Otherwise the above just looks incredibly preachy.

As the other established members of the site have stipulated above, we don't have need for any other challenges as there is more than enough already in place and these have been developed by Ben and Daniel who have put significant amounts of time into the site to get it to where it is today, supported by the members of course - which as Daniel says, you are free to contribute to also.  Your "fifth wheel" seems to be one of your own making.

September =

Sarcofago  - "Deathrash" (from "I.N.R.I.", 1987)

Phantom G.D.L. - "Reaper's Bane" (from "Reaper's Bane", 2023)

Hirax - "Hostile Territory" (from "A New Age of Terror", 2004)

Fugitive - "Standoff" (from "Blast Furnace b/w Standoff", 2023)

September =

Kanonenfieber - "Die Schlacht bei Tannenberg" (from "Menschenmühle", 2021)

Doedsvangr - "Lord ov Pits" (from "Koinonia", 2023)

Bethlehem - "Die Dunkelheit darbt" (from "Bethlehem", 2016)

September =

Toke - "Within the Sinister Void" (from "(Orange)", 2017)

Acid Mammoth - "Tree of Woe" (from "Under Acid Hoof", 2020)

Crowbar - "The Lasting Dose" (from "Sonic Excess In Its Purest Form", 2001)

September =

Voidceremony - "Abyssic Knowledge Bequeathed" (from "Threads of Unknowing", 2023)

Mutilatred - "Sickened to Death" (from "Determined to Rot", 2014)

Torture Rack - "Lord of the Massgrave" (from "Pit of Limbs", 2022)

Immolation - "A Glorious Epoch" (from "Majesty & Decay", 2010)

200 Stab Wounds - "Masters of Morbidity" (from "Masters of Morbidity", 2022)

Atheist - "Enthralled in Essence" (from "Unquestionable Presence", 1991)

Omnivortex - "Dwells" (from "Circulate", 2023)

August 2023

01. Flames - “Eastern Front” (from “Summon the Dead”, 1988)

02. Sword – “Outta Control” (from “Metalized”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

03. Overkill – “Shred” (from “Under the Influence”, 1988)

04. Morbid Saint – “Crying for Death” (from “Spectrum of Death”, 1990) [Submitted by Sonny]

05. Sacred Reich – “Awakening” (from “Awakening”, 2019) [Submitted by Vinny]

06. Pantera – “Mouth for War” (from “Vulgar Display of Power”, 1992)

07. Pissing Razors – “Fall Away” (from “Evolution”, 2003)

08. Power Trip – “Soul Sacrifice” (from “Nightmare Logic”, 2017) [Submitted by Daniel]

09. Raging Death – “Raging Death” (from “Raging Death”, 2015)

10. Bluuurgh – “Corrupt Fairy Tale” (from “In My Embrace”, 1992)

11. Crucified Mortals – “Dusk of the Advent” (from “Psalms of the Dead Choir”, 2016) [Submitted by Sonny]

12. Evildead – “No Difference” (from “United $tate$ of Anarchy”, 2020)

13. Running Wild – “Merciless Game” (from “Under Jolly Roger”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

14. Vulcano – “Death Metal” (from “Bloody Vengeance”, 1986) [Submitted by Sonny]

15. Sepultura– “Refuse / Resist” (from “Chaos A.D.”,1993)

16. Heir Apparent – “Nightmare” (from “Graceful Inheritance”, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]

17. Minotaur – “Beast of Nations” (from “Beast of Nations”, 2016)

18. Juggernaut – “Without Warning” (from “Trouble Within”, 1987)

19. Pentagram Chile – “The Death of Satan” (from “The Malefice”, 2013) [Submitted by Sonny]

20. URN – “Funeral Oath” (from “Iron Will of Power”, 2019)

21. Grave Desecrator – “Black Vengeance” (from “Insult”, 2010) [Submitted by Sonny]

22. Expulser – “Christ’s Saga” (from “The Unholy One”, 1992)

23. Hellcannon – “Disarmed & Deceased” (from “Return to the Wasteland”, 2017)

24. Vomitor – “Hells Butcher” (from “Pestilent Death”, 2018)

25. Torture – “Ignominous Slaughter” (from “Storm Alert”, 1989) [Submitted by Sonny]

26. Slayer – “Mandatory Suicide” (from “South of Heaven”, 1988)

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

28. Lawnmower Deth – “Betty Ford’s Clinic” (from “Ooh Crikey It’s Lawnmower Deth”, 2023) [Submitted by Sonny]

29. Forseen – “Chemical Heritage” (from “Grave Danger”, 2017) [Submitted by Vinny]

30. Vektor – “Cosmic Cortex” (from “Outer Isolation”, 2011) [Submitted by Daniel]

Could you please add North Carolina's, Winter Lantern please Ben.  Most of her releases are classed as demos and I don't recall the rules on demos getting added (or not) but there is one compilation release from last year that qualifies at least.

Winter Lantern - Festering Vampirism (2021)

All female black metal outfit from North Carolina in the US.  One of many demos they have released over the past couple of years.  With suitably lo-fi values and a clever use of some dungeon synth sections this has been a cold and welcoming start to Friday morning for me.

Following my enjoyment of the Suicide Silence feature release last month I was intrigued to see if I was about to go on a deathcore streak with the arrival of Whitechapel in The Revolution hot seat this month. After 3 or 4 listens I remain distinctly underwhelmed in comparison to the more immediate entertainment I found with The Black Crown. First off the bat though, it is important to say I do not hate A New Era of Corruption. It lacks any real depth or grit overall for me though. Despite some interesting breakdowns that allow for the vocals to play just a big a part as the guitars I find them still to be nothing more than a welcome distraction to what I deem to be otherwise quite a monotonous record.

There is an almost mechanical (sadly lacking the "necro" aspect promised by the penultimate track) undertone to this album for me, a real sense of going through the motions. Punctuated only by the all too brief moments of true death metal guttural gurns and the hint of groove to a riff every now and again, this machine-like edge to proceedings soon becomes all I am focusing on. Album closer Single File to Dehumanization is the least enjoyable of all the eleven tracks on offer here and is perhaps the best example of the challenges I have with this record. The added frustration is that it sounds like these guys are better than this record actually shows them to be and that they somehow along the way lost any sense of soul or even fun in what they were doing and fired out a technically proficient yet ultimately boring album.

2.5/5

Brian Ortiz of Xibalba fame has put together a groovy yet ultimately abysmally dank piece of death doom on his debut full length release. Having never really hit it off with Xibalba in either their death metal or earlier metalcore guises, I was not expecting to engage so well with Tlazcaltiliztli as well as I have done. Over a short, yet still fulfilling enough runtime, Tzompantli do a great job of scratching my sick yet catchy death metal itch. The infectious groove of the title track stays with me for days after I hear it and I find myself constantly going back to that track in particular.

There is more hear than just some memorable riffs though. There are cavernous and guttural vocals that reverberate through the tracks (with a less successful, hardcore-esque shouting on occasion also) and some straight up d-beat drumming to remind me that this is no ordinary death doom release. With lots of references to indigenous and ritualistic practice, Tlazcaltiliztli deploys a variety of instruments to keep things interesting and morbidly atmospherics. Utilising death whistles, animal flutes, didgeridoos, shells, shakers and a Huehuetl drum circle to mention a few of the unusual instruments that sit alongside the more traditional guitars and standard drums, this is a record where the artists (Brian is assisted by a couple of others in the studio with G-Bone being the only other full-time member of the band) wear their heritage on their sleeves with pride and execute a consistent and entertaining album as a result.

It feels longer than the actual runtime somehow when you play this through and the tracks are all quite evenly measured in length apart from album closer Yaotiacahuanetzli which goes over the seven-and-a-half-minute mark. Were it not for those occasional shouty vocals, I could have awarded this a perfect score. Immediate and menacing and steeped in cultural references that ooze ritualistic undertakings - count me in!

4.5/5

From very early on all I wanted was for it to end 

I had no idea that the Farmer Boys track was a cover in all honesty.  It is fucking terrible though.

Destroyer 666 have some less than desirable views according to the internet.  I detach the music from the person quite easily (never meet your idols, and all that) and accept that although I like their music I would probably not get along with 80% of the bands who's albums I own if I was left alone in a room with them.

I think anyone who is serious about extreme metal has to be able to separate the art from the artist, particularly in black metal circles. Like you, I have no problem doing so, but it seems some people can't get past it. It's only like, whilst being very far idealistically from someone like Mel Gibson, I can still watch Mad Max (the original movie anyway) and love the shit out of it.

I can't imagine not listening to Burzum, Deathspell Omega, Emperor, Gorgoroth or Dissection just because they are (allegedly) knobheads. I only raised the issue because I had never seen Destroyer 666 linked with far-right ideology before and wondered if there was any basis in fact for the assertion.

Yeah, I can't give any assurance of fact based on what I have heard.  Usually, when artists get asked this question directly they spend about four paragraphs of a written interview talking in smoke and mirrors.  The internet is full of alleged and also bonafide knobheads I suspect.  I have had to ban a few outright fascist members on my other forum because they literally just said "black metal is the music of the master race..." in their opening posts.  That's the real dumb shit that is out there.  There was a metal forum (may still be around) and you only got to join if a member recommended you like it was some exclusive metal community or something.  When I got in there it was largely the realm of Trump supporters and white supremists so I did not last long on that board.

I had no idea that the Farmer Boys track was a cover in all honesty.  It is fucking terrible though.

Destroyer 666 have some less than desirable views according to the internet.  I detach the music from the person quite easily (never meet your idols, and all that) and accept that although I like their music I would probably not get along with 80% of the bands who's albums I own if I was left alone in a room with them.

Tilintetgjort's brand of loose black metal first caught my ear back in March of this year when In Death I Shall Arise first dropped. It was obvious to me from the outset that the millstone around the neck of the album was the production. Whether a conscious decision or not to go with this demo-style of production, it is by far the most limiting and overall distracting element of the experience and is one decision (if consciously made) that would need rethinking the next time out. This compressed sound creates some pretty odd clicking on the drums and adds a condensed layer over the guitars that sees them very much in the background of things, albeit they do not ever sound lost entirely.

However, I think there is enough else going on throughout In Death I Shall Arise to make it on of the more promising offerings of 2023 to date. Me being on a Darkthrone in the past few months is no doubt what taught the AI on my streaming service to suggest Tilintetgjort as a potential like for me. There is a lot of modern black metal on display here but it is more or less all delivered with tether firmly pegged back with Fenriz and Nocturno Culto sitting astride it. At the same time, Tilintetgjort are trying to take an avant-garde direction at times - albeit they lack maturity, direction and an anywhere near decent enough production job to achieve it. There are drum and riff patterns here that are not from any black metal playbook. Whilst I would not go as far as to say they are successful forays every time, the intent is there even if the delivery is at times off. With a better production, the flourishes of expansive structure and timings would land much better. As it stands they are coming out of somersault and landing with too much weight pulling them onto their arse, instead of being able to have the freedom to land and arch their spine to balance the execution out in full.

I still applaud the effort, even though it is only a middle of the range number that I can hold aloft on my judging scorecard. Give these guys a couple of years, a decent studio and a producer who isn't the vocalist in the band and they will be a different prospect. Closing track Dommedagsmonument is where the real promise for future songwritng forays lies. As bold a concept as it is at over twenty-minutes long, the ambition still shines through against the clashing of instruments in the mix. I am watching this space.

3.5/5

I don't recall hearing a bad release by Bloodbath to date and Unblessing the Purity keeps this consistency going nicely. It is a nice break from the more traditional Swedish sound you would associate with the band and shows the bands versatility well.  If there was ever any doubt in anyone's mind around the ability of the reknowned artist that comprised the band at this time then this EP would immediately dispel them.  I note the references to Polish death metal which is not one of my preferred styles of death metal with me having very little time for Vader in all honesty.  However, there is a real bite to the riffing on this release that is so superbly tied into the percussion and vocal delivery that I find it exceeds those relevant comparisons pretty quickly.

This is Åkerfeldt at his very best for me.  No clean singing and throaty as that wolf in the main part of the great album artwork probably would be.  The guitar work, as well as being rhythmically superb, also generates fantastic atmosphere on tracks such as album opener Blasting the Virginborn.  Those urgent and stabbing riff sections really driving the tension of the track.  With its huge sound and tight performances, Unblessing the Purity is probably as perfect a 15 minute blast of raging death metal that you could ask for.

4/5

Reddit’s pretty big on elitism too just quietly. 

At the risk of showing my age, I don't even know what Reddit is! I have seen the name, but have no idea what it is all about. Am I missing out?

I am thinking of becoming a full-time elitist as it seems to pay well, so what is the best site to go to to have my opinions spoon-fed to me?

Reddit is basically porn and videos of crime, war and everything else people seem to want to film instead of simply getting the fuck away from.  

I need to refresh my memory with this feature release as if we are going to throw the "avant-garde" term at it (or not) then there would, by very definition of the term, need to be some experimental or boundary pushing elements in there to justify the tag.  I myself used the term when posting the feature release thread so would be eager to see if my initial impressions last into a few more listens.

I am still finding my mish-mash set-up of a Marantz CD5005 player and Audio-Technica AT-LP120XBT-USB hooked up to my EDIFIER R1280DB speakers works well enough.  Can get the turntable to hook up via bluetooth if needs be but usually spin it through Line 2 on the speakers and leave the desktop PC to use bluetooth. No headphones for me as simply irritates my ears too much nowadays.

With a heavy workload, I still predominantly play from my desktop PC as it works best if I am working at home.  The next job on list with my vinyl is to get something to protect my vinyl from my cat (the appropriately named Vlad) who loves to chew anything with a soft edge - LIKE MY RECORD COLLECTION!!! (good job I love him).  The unit that my kit sits on has upright vinyl storage racks on it but no doors on the unit.  Currently have cushions in there to keep the records safe from Bitey McBitey Face but looks shit so my wife has suggested locating sufficient sized metal sheet wall art and screwing a grooved piece of wood in to sit the metal sheet in so I can move easily when I want to get at the collection.

Since I got my PS5 I can get Spotify through that also so now have the option of playing music downstairs through the TV instead of relying on that shite Alexa speaker we have in the kitchen which has a mind of it's own half the time.

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