UnhinderedbyTalent's Forum Replies

Welcome brother Vinny!  

Cheers Ben *raises goblet of sacrificial virgin's blood*

I believe that all albums in THE FALLEN: Doom Metal - The Early Days challenge are now reviewed by me.  Barring Witchfinder General and Type O Negative, this was a pleasurable experience and I have found some new favourite bands and records to keep me happy.  Especially pleased with the Funeral Doom offerings I have discovered here which I enjoyed more than some of the death doom content that I thought would be my main preference.  I have learned that there is epic doom beyond Candlemass, you just have to search for it.  I can see from some of the other challenges in the clan that I have some reviews and ratings already submitted so they will probably be a good place to continue my exploration.

Therefore, I would like to request entry into The Fallen clan please.  

Solitude Aeturnus - Into the Depths of Sorrow (1991)

My struggles with Solitude Aeturnus (or more Rob's vocals) have been documented before on Metal Academy, so seeing their debut album crop up on The Fallen challenge hardly filled me with joy in all honesty. I deliberately left it to the end thinking that to some degree the outcome was more or less set that I would be disappointed with the album overall. Epic doom has a bar that was set high by the mighty Candlemass and is often a level that is failed to be lived up to in my experience so I go into most epic doom records with my guard firmly up.

Except, here I soon find myself dropping my dukes, within mere minutes in fact I am sat nodding appreciatively along to Into the Depths of Sorrow before I even know it. My concerns that Rob's vocals are going to be a whiny and whimpering affair are not founded as it turns out, in fact I think he submits a very measured and yet clearly strong performance over the eight tracks on offer. I will not pretend to love all of his work on here (things so go astray badly on closing track, Where Angels Dare to Tread) but in the main this is a much better experience than I was expecting. The album has much more to it than Rob of course. Rivera and Perez are a pair of riff demons and they are the real engine of Into the Depths of Sorrow. There are times when things are not exactly going to my liking in every other aspect of the sound but I still have no beef with the guitar work that is going on. It is more subtle than you would think at first also. They are happy to pick strings when necessary to let other parts of the music take a front seat but then out of nowhere comes a lead, fired like a bullet across the track to take things off in a new direction.

I have a couple of minor criticisms that are enough to keep the album away from the top end of the scoring chart. The drums have an odd sterility to them which half the time I think works well and the other half I feel is just a bit odd sounding. They have presence, absolutely they do, but at the same time they have an almost programmed feel to them which is odd considering that John Covington is sat behind the skins. Also, in parts, I feel the album is too epic for its own good. I mean when Transcending Sentinels starts, you are fucking ready for it to start as it seems to have an unnecessarily long build up. But these are minor quibbles on a record that has been a great end to my The Fallen clan challenge.

4/5

Pagan Altar - Volume I/Pagan Altar (1982)

Delighted to find a Pagan Altar release in my current clan challenge for The Fallen. Having espoused my love for The Lords of Hypocrisy already on the site, I get to fawn over their debut album now also. As you will see from my other review, I am totally onboard with Terry Jones' vocals to the point where I would say they "make" Pagan Altar who they are really. His vocals, coupled with the superb bluesy riffs of Jones' son, Alan and the Ward-esque drumming of John Mizrahi are the very essence of Pagan Altar.

This album is a thoroughly authentic experience for me to listen to. It requires very little unwrapping as this is not multi-layered by any means and that is why it works so well. This a real plug 'n play type of record. This is not to say that it is simplistic though, as I already mentioned the drumming of Mizrahi reminds me a lot of Bill Ward, dropping in little runs and fills that you do not always pick up at first listen - repeated listens really does reward the listener with this one folks. Again, far from being a dominant force, Trevor Portch's bass is ever-audible throughout the album giving a real completeness to the sound of the record with all members seeming to make as full as possible a contribution.

With an album that is themed on magic and mystical content it is interesting that the instrumental track that sits as the penultimate offering on the record was originally left as an untitled track. The title of Acoustics only appeared once the pressing plant undertook the task of producing CD versions of the album. The band apparently later referred to the track as being named The Dance of the Banshee which certainly seems more in keeping with the rest of the album. Clearly striding with a heavy metal influence throughout, Volume I is a romp of a retrospective jaunt down memory lane for fans of late 70s/early 80s psychedelic rock and heavy metal. Not quite as laden and oppressing as Black Sabbath but still the band's sound held a density and atmosphere that resonates to this day. All hail Pagan Altar! 

4.5/5

Unholy - The Second Ring of Power (1994)

The story of Unholy is one of a band who are honorary members of the "close but no cigar" award based on the biographic detail of their career available online. Make a record, convince yourselves it will sell millions, it doesn't sell millions and so you blame the record company and look for a bigger deal before splitting up anyway. Then, you get back together a couple of years later, make an album, convince yourselves...(etc, etc). The Second Ring of Power was their sophomore album from nearly thirty years ago and it is an album that sort of tracks the up and down nature of their careers.

For a start, it is fair to say that I have heard both better and worse death doom in my time. Unholy certainly knew their influences and were never afraid to get into the agonisingly slow zone when needed. The thing that resonates from the album after a few listens though is the more atmospheric and near gothic tropes that sporadically appear on the record. The guest vocal appearance of Merja Salmela is the main driver behind this sense of the gothic element and when coupled with the funeral keys often makes for a decidedly (un)death doom like experience.

I get the sense that Unholy were almost trying too hard to get into the upper echelons of death doom in the 90s with this record. Whether the gothic element was a conscious effort to sound different (or to sound less Thergothon and more My Dying Bride) I will never know but they lacked the song writing prowess to pull this off in all honesty and so parts of this record sound quite amateurish. Add to this experience the horrendous album closer Serious Personality Disturbance and Deep Anxiety and this album soon finds itself caught in the lower end of my score range. Competent guys but punching way above their weight on this one.

3/5

Bethlehem - Dark Metal (1994)

Having heard the delirious display of Dictus te necare many times before now, the album that comes before it has been quite a turn up for the books by way of comparison. Depending on your view of Bethlehem's sophomore release you will find the vocal performance on their debut effort much more controlled whilst still retaining the ghastly edge that goes into overdrive on the follow up record. Going into Dark Metal I was not expecting a predominantly death doom orientated record. The progression from this death march-paced release to the demented, depressive black metal of Dictus te necare in just two years is more obvious than your may at first think. Musically and often stylistically as well it is certainly structured differently, however Dark Metal is laden with a sense of the futility and despondency that spewed forth with such vitriol on the follow up album.

Feeling much more measured and balanced than its successor, Dark Metal feels more inviting a prospect to listen to. It is well constructed and thoughtfully produced death doom metal in the main that has an undeniable black metal aesthetic to it. This bm influence is undeniably in the vocals of Andreas Classen, however he does have variety in his kit bag to be able to pull off some great death metal vocals also. The latter part of his skillset certainly serves the direction of the album better overall. The riffs are simple yet effective and the drumming is perfectly serviceable if not all that remarkable overall. It is the daunting atmospheres however that really carry the album home. Combining these simple structures with a solid use of pacing really does create some density to proceedings and there is a constant sense of dread throughout Dark Metal.

For me, it takes a bit too long to truly get going and I would argue that for the first three tracks at least, the band are clearly finding their feet. I would say that the latter half of the record therefore is much stronger than the early track listing. Although not searching for an identity as such, the band are definitely unable to settle on a permanent direction at first. From 3rd Nocturnal Prayer onwards however the record is virtually a flawless experience. Colour me impressed though as I had always assumed Bethlehem to be an out and out bm band so their debut release is a neat find.

4/5

Hi Ben,

I have a few additions please:

Cyanide Grenade (Russia)

Nether (Croatia)

Hellbringer (Australia)

Must Kill (UK)

Exorcizphobia (Czechia)

Beastiality (Sweden)

March =

Craft - "The Silence Thereafter" (from "Terror Propaganda (Second Black Metal Attack)" ,2002)

Gnaw Their Tongues - "Purity Coffins" (from "I Speak the Truth, Yet With Every Word Uttered, Thousands Die" ,2020)

Grift - "Den stora tystnaden" (From "Arvet", 2017)

Sorry I am a little late this month Ben.

Skepticism - Stormcrowfleet (1995)

My initial exploration of the early funeral doom albums is coming to an end with Skepticism's debut album from 1995. This near-hour length experience is possibly my favoured to date and I am writing this review have just done a 90 minute walk through the cold and grey countryside near my house and it was the perfect grim accompaniment to my heavy footfalls. With repeated listens over the last few weeks of this album and the other funeral doom releases in this challenge I have come to finally understand the connection I am so easily able to make with this kind of music that appeals to me so much the more I discover of it.

Stormcrowfleet is a weighty offering. It never tries to present itself as being anything else, right from the off its dismal keys and crushing riffs hide none of its monolithic nature. Those slow and deliberate drums alongside those deep, guttural vocals only add to the tortuous pace of the album. I have already on previous funeral doom releases how important repetition is and of course we have that in abundance here again. The fact is that. end to end, Stormcrowfleet is utterly deathly. It creeps at the pace of the ages of time itself, showing now urgency to end its futile progression. In a world where I (like all of us) have my fair share of burdens and weight to carry on my shoulders, albums such as this are a welcome distraction.

The best visualisation of this is a deep silo, chute or vertical tunnel with a huge weight being slowly pushed down it on vast hydraulics. This weight (in this instance Stormcrowfleet) creates pressure that pushes the weight of my woes and worries up and away as a greater mass that needs to occupy the space they constantly reside in. This dispersal of the day to day banality of life is so welcome that I find albums such as this quite cathartic. There is a moment of such a subtle yet emotionally devastating explosion at about two-and-a-half-minutes into By Silent Wings that it genuinely stops me dead in my tracks every time I hear it.

Whilst not perfect, the production job here is better than on the debuts by Winter and Thergothon and this gives this album just enough elevation above those two releases to get it top marks out of the three of them. My best find to date on this journey without a doubt and I am looking forwards to more long walks with this as my soundtrack.

5/5

You got to hand it to these Icelandic bm bands, they are good at what they do. In researching this review, I had a look at a few names in the scene and from Abominor through to Zhrine, you are kind of spoilt for choice. Over the past five years or so, I have spent some considerable time with Revelations of the Red Sword from Svartidauði. I would say that in that half decade I have only grown more attached to its undulating dissonance the longer that I have listened to it. This statement is made more important by the fact that I will freely admit to hearing something new each time I listen to it.

This continued voyage of discovery is what keeps me coming back to the record. I almost con myself to some degree in thinking I am revisiting to enjoy those familiar moments when in fact I subconsciously know that I am here again to uncover yet more from this gift that keeps on giving. Decidedly French sounding in their take on the style (albeit a little less blunt than that particular geography), Svartidauði fill each track here with complex layers of dissonance that can take time to mould on the brain – hence my sense of constantly learning new things from this.

What you have here is thoroughly modern bm with some real depth to explore to boot. I cannot accurately plot into words how eleven-minute plus closer Aurem Lux makes me feel. It is one of the most complete pieces of music in metal that I have heard in a long time and is a perfect curtain call on a band who are sadly no longer together to give us anymore of this brilliance.

4.5/5

Deathchain - Deadmeat Disciples (2003)

Finnish death/thrashers Deathchain are a welcome discovery via this month's review draft choices. Featuring a couple of members who at one point in time were in Demilich (albeit one is still the live drummer), Deathchain like to always include the words 'dead' or 'death' in their album titles. It is by no means their best quirk. Instead I would simply draw attention to their raging death/thrash sound full of volcanic riffing and flesh-stripping vocals as being the biggest takeaway that I get from their debut release that I have somehow missed for the last twenty years.

Vocalist, Rotten (no longer with the band) has the perfect style for the death/thrash sub-genre. Ranging from harsh and scathing to match those riffs through to a low, guttural gurn being applied when needed to mix things up. Guitarists, Bobby Undertaker and Corpse (FFS) know their way along a fretboard and can fire in sonic leads as well as keep an intense riffing pattern going also. Sometimes with death/thrash I find myself trapped in a melodic death metal space with lots of groove metal elements applied which really are not the boxes that I want ticking when I choose me some death/thrash metal. Thankfully, there is none of that here as Deadmeat Disciples is bang on the money in terms of delivering exactly what they promise to.

Consistency is key on any album, and Deathchain almost fall foul of ending up as too consistent (almost folks, almost) as there are a couple of occasions where the album blends into familiar ground that has already been explored. The short run time mitigates this though at just under thirty-three minutes. My only real criticism is more to cry out the injustice of the mix on the drums. Kassara is clearly a talent and you can hear the power in that stick work, however it is never really allowed to shine and always feels like the drums have been included as an afterthought. Still a great discovery though and highly recommended to fans of The Crown and Legion of the Damned.

4/5

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

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

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

2/5

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

Doh!

"Without a Comscience" then please.

March

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thergothon - Stream From the Heavens (1994)

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

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

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

4.5/5

Winter - Into Darkness (1990)

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

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

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

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

4/5

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

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

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

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

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

Corpsessed "Succumb to Rot" (2022)

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

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

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

4/5

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

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

Over to you Xephyr...

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

Give me some of that Deathchain please.

Over to you Ben...

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

February 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Esoteric - Epistemological Despondency (1994)

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

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

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

3/5

Mogwai - Les Revenants (2013)

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

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

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

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

2.5/5

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

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

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

4.5/5

Pestifer - Reaching the Void (2014)

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

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

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

3.5/5

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

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

All added thanks Sonny

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

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

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

Katatonia - Dance of December Souls (1993)

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

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

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

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

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

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

5/5

Elegiac - Vampiric Odinism (2019)

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

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

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

3.5/5

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

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

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

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

4.5/5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4/5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gama Bomb - Sea Savage (2020)

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

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

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

3.5/5

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

Exmortus - The Sound of Boredom

EDIT

Exmortus - The Sound of Steel (2018)

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

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

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

1.5/5

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

I will go with Elegiac.

Over to you Ben.

Pestifer looks interesting, I will take that.

Ex Mortus for me.

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

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

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

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

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

5/5