Ben's Forum Replies

There are too many great Swedish bands to choose from. The first ones that come to mind for me are Opeth, Meshuggah, Katatonia, Draconian, Candlemass, Bathory, Shining and Trees of Eternity.

Welcome to The North Rexorcist! I believe the transition has been successful (I can see that your ratings are now counting as Clan Ratings for The North), but let me know if anything looks weird.

Thanks a bunch!

Weird like what?

Like a North album or cover you've rated that isn't being included in the Clan Rating section. It should be all good, but I have had to run a recalculation a couple of times in the past when site users change or add a new clan.

Welcome to The North Rexorcist! I believe the transition has been successful (I can see that your ratings are now counting as Clan Ratings for The North), but let me know if anything looks weird.

I do but I feel that comparing the opinions of yourself & our other regular contributors to those of the wider RYM community is like a winemaker arguing over the quality of fine wine with a teenage Passion Pop devotee if I'm being completely honest.

Yeah, I know. But it's a fun exercise that I think will get more interesting the more releases I rate. It's not like there's any valid alternative that has such a large audience for comparison.

My own top ten black metal releases:

01. Burzum - "Filosofem" (1996)

02. Deathspell Omega - "Kenose" E.P. (2005)

03. Akhlys - "The Dreaming I" (2015)

04. Darkthrone - "Transilvanian Hunger" (1994)

05. Oranssi Pazuzu - "Mestarin kynsi" (2020)

06. Burzum - "Hvis lyset tar oss" (1994)

07. Oranssi Pazuzu - "Värähtelijä" (2016)

08. Wolves in the Throne Room - "Two Hunters" (2007)

09. Bathory - "Blood Fire Death" (1988)

10. Mayhem - "De Mysteriis dom Sathanas" (1994)

Just in case you don't realise, my list is only taking into account releases in the RYM top 40 black metal releases.

No Darkthrone in your top ten is also where we would deviate in our opinion as I would definitely have at least two in there and Transilvanian Hunger has now become my #1 black metal album.

I do have Darkthrone at 11 and 13 though, so still obviously a big fan. My ratings spreadsheet calculates my average percentage for all the subgenres, which has really emphasized my passion for atmospheric black metal and death doom / funeral doom. It has also very clearly highlighted my dislike (bordering on complete bewilderment) of stoner metal. My further attempts to get into Electric Wizard and Sleep have failed dismally. Maybe some other stoner bands will tickle my fancy, but I don't think I'm ever going to enjoy these much-loved entities. I tried!

I don't know why, possibly your championing of Summoning, but I always thought you were better disposed towards folk metal than you evidently are.

Summoning are grand and bombastic for sure, but there's no folk in there. Speaking of which, while I shamelessly love Summoning, I'm fairly certain none of their albums will challenge my top 10 black metal releases. They do have a lot of 4.5 star albums though.

It was very ahead of it's time! 

Thanks for raising this luajaz. I've fixed it now. 

God, Ben is really on point.  The next Sear Bliss album I'm checking out, Heavenly Down, I've NEVER heard this kind of music.  It's... aquatic black metal, right out of Avalon and composed by the Lady of the Lake.  Enya black metal, and that is NOT an insult. Halfway through The Winding Path right now.  Perty freaking brilliant.  The blackest song so far, The Upper World, was a bit of a typical song, but the rest is quite inventive.

Yeah, they definitely have their own sound, and it's one that I return to over and over again. I'm thrilled that I've assisted another metal fan in discovering them.

I've mentioned that I can't even get behind Filosofem the way I used to.  I might as well post that review on the Atmo Black thread if I haven't done so already.  It IS Filosofem.

"Filosofem" is my second favourite metal album of all time. Every second of it is perfect as far as I'm concerned.

It's top 5 for me too. People can say whatever they want about Varg, but they can't take away the genius of his best work.

Fuck batsmen, fast bowlers are where its at.

As an opening bowler that learnt his craft while bowling endlessly at his annoyingly talented batsman brother (don't tell him I said that) in the backyard, I wholeheartedly agree!

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 12th to the 20th of December, 2025.

1. Ghostsmoker (FALLEN)

2. Red Eye (FALLEN)

3. KILL KARL (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

4. MC Lan (GATEWAY)

5. Pretty Wild, The (GATEWAY)

6. Rioghan (GATEWAY)

7. Dirkschneider & The Old Gang (GUARDIANS)

8. Hagane (GUARDIANS)

9. Abysmal Descent (HORDE)

10. Effluence / Tantric Bile / Steve Matthews (HORDE)

11. Hacked Apart (HORDE)

12. Pedestal for Leviathan (HORDE, NORTH)

13. Acid Age (INFINITE, PIT)

14. Beannachd Leibh (INFINITE)

15. Myriad Drone (INFINITE)

16. Ophelion (INFINITE)

17. Vertex (INFINITE)

18. Barbelith / Trhä (NORTH)

19. Chamberlain, The (NORTH)

20. Dakini (NORTH)

21. Garota (NORTH)

22. Puritan Bone (NORTH)

23. Tatterdemalion (NORTH)

24. Kidnapped The Princess, I (REVOLUTION)

As for good melodic black metal bands to check out, Sear Bliss get a high recommend from me. Particularly their Glory and Perdition, The Arcane Odyssey and Letters From the Edge albums.

Actually, Storm of the LIght's Bane is currently the number 1 black metal album on RYM. It seems that Filosofem has been massively down voted recently due to Varg's beliefs, despite the fact that everyone knew about them prior to the internet ever reaching the masses. Apparently there is less tolerance for judging art on it's quality rather than it's creator these days.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 5th to the 11th of December, 2025.

1. Bleak (FALLEN, REVOLUTION)

2. Drofnosura (FALLEN)

3. Entheomorphosis (FALLEN, INFINITE)

4. Hadean (FALLEN, INFINITE)

5. Shepherd (FALLEN)

6. Shrüm (FALLEN, SPHERE)

7. Accvsed (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

8. Excide (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

9. Heartist (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

10. Il Cremonese (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

11. Like a Storm (GATEWAY)

12. Silly Goose (GATEWAY)

13. Damascus (GUARDIANS)

14. Geddes Axe (GUARDIANS)

15. Gli Atroci (GUARDIANS)

16. Haven (GUARDIANS)

17. Mox Nix (GUARDIANS)

18. Phantasma (GUARDIANS)

19. Reflection (GUARDIANS)

20. RichaadEB / Amie Waters (GUARDIANS)

21. Stereo Nasty (GUARDIANS)

22. Uli Jon Roth (GUARDIANS)

23. Bloody Tyrant (HORDE, NORTH)

24. Castrensis (HORDE)

25. Demiurgon (HORDE)

26. Destructive Explosion of Anal Garland (HORDE)

27. Devilpriest (HORDE, NORTH)

28. Ephemeral (HORDE)

29. Forced Starvation (HORDE)

30. Light Dweller / Aoecist / Sleep Paralysis (HORDE, INFINITE)

31. scasm (HORDE)

32. Totten Korps (HORDE)

33. Twitch (HORDE)

34. Ur Draugr (HORDE, INFINITE)

35. Bank Myna (INFINITE)

36. First Signs of Frost (INFINITE)

37. Hungry Lights (INFINITE)

38. I, Valiance (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

39. Instrumental (adj.) (INFINITE)

40. Kailash (INFINITE)

41. KZOHH (INFINITE, NORTH)

42. Achathras (NORTH)

43. Acherontas / Horna (NORTH)

44. Autumn, Leaves, Scars (NORTH)

45. Black Howling (NORTH)

46. Cape of Bats (NORTH)

47. Daarlig Stemning (NORTH)

48. Haimad (NORTH)

49. Harifa (NORTH)

50. Hromovlad (NORTH) - requested by silentsteps

51. Lifeless (NORTH)

52. Nebokray (NORTH)

53. No Hand Path (NORTH)

54. Nosferatu (NORTH) - requested by silentsteps

55. Predatory Light / Vorde (NORTH)

56. Psychonaut 4 / Ofdrykkja / Vanhelga / In Luna (NORTH)

57. Ride for Revenge / Torturium (NORTH)

58. Sacrimoon (NORTH)

59. Serpents Athirst (NORTH)

60. Triumphant (NORTH)

61. TRTRKMMR (NORTH)

62. Wolfsmond (NORTH)

63. Andrew Hulshult (PIT, SPHERE)

64. Aragon (PIT)

65. Armoros (PIT)

66. Dmize (PIT)

67. North Syndrom (PIT)

68. 「Story of Hope」 (REVOLUTION)

69. Arbitrary Method, The (REVOLUTION, PIT, SPHERE) - requested by Andi

70. Cash Only Tony's / Autumn Sonata (REVOLUTION)

71. Laid 2 Rest (REVOLUTION)

72. Set to Stun (REVOLUTION)

73. Swear to God (REVOLUTION)

Stephen King's The Long Walk. Figured I'd finally read it before watching the recently released movie.

Always watching several shows. I'm currently watching Stranger Things and Welcome to Derry with my daughter along with a rewatch Fallout in preparation for season 2. My wife can't handle horror, so I'm watching Slow Horses and Plur1bus with her. It really is a golden age of TV, with directors and actors choosing longform storytelling over the restriction of movie length. That obviously comes with a downside, but I can't complain about all the great TV shows we get to experience.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 27th of November to the 4th of December, 2025.

1. 11Paranoias (FALLEN)

2. Amalthea (FALLEN, INFINITE)

3. Dying Sun (FALLEN, INFINITE)

4. Echoes (GBR) (FALLEN, INFINITE)

5. Hemelbestormer & Vanessa Van Basten (FALLEN, INFINITE)

6. Hooded Menace / Loss (FALLEN)

7. House of Capricorn, The (FALLEN)

8. Rainbows Are Free (FALLEN)

9. Sangharsha (FALLEN, REVOLUTION)

10. Wisdoom, The (FALLEN)

11. dEMOTIONAL (GATEWAY, HORDE, REVOLUTION)

12. District Unknown (GATEWAY, INFINITE)

13. Exotype (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

14. Moscow Death Brigade (GATEWAY)

15. Noturnall (GUARDIANS, INFINITE, PIT)

16. StarForce (GUARDIANS, PIT)

17. 55gore (HORDE)

18. Ancient Ascendant (HORDE)

19. Ass to Mouth (HORDE)

20. Bloodtied (HORDE)

21. Burning Cyborg (HORDE)

22. Clitgore (HORDE)

23. Death Vomit (CHL) (HORDE)

24. Defigurement (HORDE)

25. Dub Buk (HORDE, NORTH, PIT)

26. Engorgement (HORDE)

27. Exhumer (HORDE)

28. Frothing (HORDE)

29. Fuck You and Die (HORDE)

30. Gormathon (HORDE)

31. Grotesque Formation (HORDE)

32. Infliction (HORDE)

33. Intracranial Butchery (HORDE)

34. Mental Horror (HORDE)

35. Multinational Corporations (HORDE)

36. Poppy Seed Grinder / Defeated Sanity (HORDE)

37. Putrefied (HORDE)

38. Severance (HORDE)

39. Soulskinner (HORDE)

40. Vittra (HORDE)

41. Break My Fucking Sky (INFINITE)

42. Dimesland (INFINITE, PIT)

43. I, Omega (INFINITE)

44. Nexilva (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

45. Outrun the Sunlight (INFINITE)

46. Pervy Perkin (INFINITE)

47. rýr (INFINITE)

48. Acherontas / Arditi / Puissance / Shibalba (NORTH)

49. Anzv (NORTH)

50. apriltears / abriction (NORTH)

51. Clouds Collide / Sleeping Peonies (NORTH)

52. Dysangelium (NORTH)

53. Ered Wethrin (NORTH)

54. Heraldic Blaze (NORTH)

55. Kanashimi / Happy Days (NORTH)

56. Precaria (NORTH)

57. Psychonaut 4 / Cheerful Depression / Культура Курения / Hovert (NORTH)

58. Runeblade (NORTH)

59. Tårfödd (NORTH)

60. Tortorum (NORTH)

61. Alienator (PIT)

62. Poison the Preacher (PIT)

63. Pripjat (PIT)

64. Dead Rabbitts, The (REVOLUTION)

65. Martyr Defiled (REVOLUTION)

66. Netherwalker (REVOLUTION)

67. REX (REVOLUTION)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 21st to the 26th of November, 2025.

1. Bianca (FALLEN, NORTH)

2. Cain (FALLEN)

3. Emanation (FALLEN, NORTH)

4. Graves at Sea / Sourvein (FALLEN)

5. Hooded Priest (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

6. Huey (FALLEN, INFINITE)

7. Process of Guilt / Rorcal (FALLEN, INFINITE)

8. Rostau (FALLEN)

9. Soom (FALLEN)

10. Taurus (USA) (FALLEN)

11. PhaseOne (GATEWAY, SPHERE)

12. Villains (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

13. Aenimus (SWE) (GUARDIANS)

14. Astralion (GUARDIANS)

15. Morningstar (GUARDIANS, NORTH)

16. Scythia (GUARDIANS, INFINITE, NORTH)

17. Stilverlight (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

18. Trop Feross (GUARDIANS)

19. Vestal Claret (GUARDIANS)

20. Adversarial / Paroxsihzem (HORDE)

21. Coagulating (HORDE)

22. Divine Disorder (HORDE, INFINITE)

23. Euphegenia (HORDE)

24. Inhumano (HORDE)

25. Morfin (HORDE)

26. Narcotic Wasteland (HORDE)

27. Obscene Crisis (HORDE)

28. Pralay (HORDE, NORTH)

29. Primalfrost (HORDE, NORTH)

30. Sabbatory (HORDE)

31. Sick/Tired (HORDE)

32. Strigiform (HORDE, NORTH)

33. Suture (HORDE)

34. Syphilectomy (HORDE)

35. Thyrien (HORDE, NORTH)

36. Veiyadra (HORDE)

37. Anomaly (NED) (INFINITE)

38. Disforia (INFINITE)

39. Ipsilon (INFINITE)

40. K.F.R. (INFINITE, NORTH)

41. Lifeforms (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

42. Malpractice (INFINITE)

43. Room Colored Charlatan, The (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

44. Astral Gauze (NORTH)

45. Deadwood (NORTH)

46. Leviathan / Krieg (NORTH)

47. Toluca (NORTH)

48. Varuna (NORTH)

49. Vorde (NORTH)

50. Alitor (PIT)

51. Project46 (PIT, REVOLUTION)

52. amorebeautifulversionofyou (REVOLUTION)

53. Anita Velveeta (REVOLUTION)

54. Chamber of Malice (REVOLUTION)

55. Few Left Standing (REVOLUTION)

56. Focused (REVOLUTION)

57. One More Victim (REVOLUTION)

58. Sterilizer (SPHERE)

Could it be that metal fans don't only listen to metal anymore? With a lot of metal music itself playing around with outside genres, and a few popular genres being more accessible in general, perhaps the average metal fan isn't as "metal or nothing" as they used to be?

I know that I listen to quite a lot of stuff that wouldn't be found on this site. My passion will always be metal, but I have much broader tastes than I once did. This could explain why you don't see as many obvious "metalheads" anymore. We're all just a little bit more cultured.

I also think that podcasts have likely taken over much of the space that used to be reserved for music. I would spend as much time listening to podcases as I do music. Not sure about the rest of you?

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 14th to the 20th of November, 2025.

1. Blackfinger (FALLEN)

2. Dekonstruktor (FALLEN)

3. Doctor Smoke (FALLEN)

4. Mortuaire (FALLEN)

5. Mugwart (FALLEN)

6. Perishing (FALLEN)

7. Praetorian (FALLEN)

8. Primitive Man / Hexis (FALLEN, NORTH)

9. Telesterion (FALLEN, INFINITE)

10. Vainaja (FALLEN)

11. Woccon (FALLEN)

12. Caskets (GATEWAY)

13. Set It Off (GATEWAY)

14. Cobra (PER) (GUARDIANS, PIT)

15. Daydream XI (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

16. Divine Ascension (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

17. Force (GBR) (GUARDIANS)

18. Gentry Lord (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

19. Gone Jackals, The (GUARDIANS)

20. Hollow Ground (GUARDIANS)

21. Hypnos (SWE) (GUARDIANS)

22. Johnny Touch (GUARDIANS)

23. Mat Sinner (GUARDIANS)

24. Mausoleum Gate (GUARDIANS)

25. Melodius Deite (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

26. Aspherium (HORDE, INFINITE)

27. Benevolent (HORDE, INFINITE)

28. Black Cheating Spouses Meat Procession Caught On Tape, The (HORDE)

29. Cemitério (HORDE, PIT)

30. Coffin Dust (HORDE)

31. Defilementory (HORDE)

32. Depressor (HORDE, PIT, SPHERE)

33. Depths of Depravity (HORDE)

34. Digging Up (HORDE)

35. G.O.D. (HORDE)

36. Insineratehymn (HORDE)

37. Nexus 6 (HORDE, NORTH)

38. PeelingFlesh / Hounds of War (HORDE)

39. Pikakassa (HORDE)

40. Postcoital Ulceration (HORDE)

41. Pustulant Flesh (HORDE)

42. Separatist (HORDE)

43. Sonum (HORDE)

44. Tension (CA-USA) (HORDE)

45. Philippe Luttun (INFINITE)

46. Shades of Black (INFINITE)

47. Stick Men (INFINITE)

48. Wild Throne (INFINITE)

49. 1928 (NORTH) - requested by Vinny

50. Autarcie / B.M.H. (NORTH)

51. Doctor Livingstone (NORTH)

52. Kadotus (NORTH)

53. Lilith (NORTH)

54. Pogavranjen (NORTH, INFINITE)

55. Robust (NORTH) - requested by Vinny

56. Verdalack (PIT)

57. Earth From Above (REVOLUTION)

58. Fragile Line, A (REVOLUTION)

59. Secret Band (REVOLUTION)

I can have a shot at a top 10 for 1994... 

1. Burzum - Hvis lyset tar oss

2. Mayhem - De mysteriis Dom Sathanas

3. Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse

4. Amorphis - Tales From the Thousand Lakes

5. Incantation - Mortal Throne of Nazarene

6. Tiamat - Wildhoney

7. Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger

8. Solitude Aeturnus - Through the Darkest Hour

9. Enslaved - Vikingligr veldi

10. Godflesh - Selfless

(Haven't listened to Samael's Ceremony of Opposites for a while, but that's prob the only album I can think of that might push its way onto the list).

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 7th to the 13th of November, 2025.

1. Bongripper / Hate (FALLEN)

2. Circle Ends Here, The (FALLEN, INFINITE)

3. Erlen Meyer (FALLEN, INFINITE)

4. Eudaimony (FALLEN, NORTH)

5. Farseer (FALLEN, INFINITE)

6. Heteropsy (FALLEN)

7. Huldra (FALLEN, INFINITE)

8. Sink (FALLEN, NORTH)

9. Yagas, The (FALLEN)

10. Foxcult (GATEWAY)

11. Hearsay T.A.O. (GATEWAY)

12. Helen 55 (GATEWAY)

13. MergingMoon (GATEWAY, RVEOLUTION)

14. We as Human (GATEWAY)

15. Andi Deris and the Bad Bankers (GUARDIANS)

16. Asomvel (GUARDIANS, PIT)

17. Coven (IL USA) (GUARDIANS)

18. Gift of Gods (GUARDIANS)

19. Panthalassan (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

20. >_> (HORDE)

21. Art of the Legendary Tishvaisings, The (HORDE, PIT)

22. Bacteremia (HORDE)

23. Bibleblack (HORDE)

24. Burial, The (HORDE)

25. Descending (HORDE)

26. Dissonance in Design (HORDE, INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

27. Dve Bajage (HORDE)

28. Eternium (HORDE, NORTH)

29. Extremely Rotten (HORDE)

30. Feared (HORDE, PIT)

31. Funeral Inception (HORDE)

32. Impious Baptism (HORDE, NORTH)

33. Infectious Jelqing (HORDE)

34. Laceration (GBR) (HORDE)

35. Lascaille's Shroud (HORDE, INFINITE)

36. Oblivion (HORDE)

37. Resistance, The (HORDE)

38. Scorching Tomb (HORDE)

39. Soul Remnants (HORDE)

40. Splattered Spine (HORDE)

41. Voice of Destruction (HORDE)

42. Wound (HORDE)

43. Wrath of Vesuvius (HORDE, INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

44. 11 as in Adversaries (INFINITE)

45. Amiensus / Oak Pantheon (INFINITE, NORTH)

46. Dante (INFINITE)

47. Entities (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

48. Krimh (INFINITE)

49. Blóðtrú (NORTH)

50. Botanist / Palace of Worms (NORTH)

51. Černá (NORTH)

52. Der Märtyrer (NORTH, SPHERE)

53. Empillarist (NORTH)

54. Esoterica (NORTH)

55. Falgar (NORTH)

56. Hädanfärd (NORTH)

57. Hæresis (NORTH)

58. Hopelorn (NORTH)

59. Leucosis (NORTH)

60. Neige éternelle (NORTH)

61. Non Opus Dei / Morowe (NORTH)

62. Orlok (NORTH)

63. Solfatare (NORTH)

64. On Fire (PIT)

65. Claudia's Symptoms (REVOLUTION)

66. flowersforpersephone (REVOLUTION)

67. Loa Loa (REVOLUTION)

68. Rodeo Idiot Engine, The (REVOLUTION)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 1st to the 6th of November, 2025.

1. Benighted in Sodom (FALLEN, NORTH)

2. Cold Insight (FALLEN, HORDE)

3. Helen Money (FALLEN)

4. Jord (FALLEN, NORTH)

5. Noothgrush / Coffins (FALLEN)

6. Prophecy, The (FALLEN)

7. Rise of Avernus (FALLEN, GUARDIANS, HORDE, INFINITE)

8. Sea of Bones (FALLEN)

9. Symptom (FALLEN, HORDE)

10. Venus Star (FALLEN, HORDE, NORTH)

11. Boil (GATEWAY, INFINITE)

12. Burnside (GATEWAY)

13. Godmode (GATEWAY)

14. Mutation (GATEWAY, INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

15. Sleeping Romance (GATEWAY, GUARDIANS)

16. Artlantica (GUARDIANS)

17. Aura (RUS) (GUARDIANS)

18. Blackholicus (GUARDIANS)

19. Destrose (GUARDIANS)

20. Helker (GUARDIANS)

21. Hollow Haze (GUARDIANS)

22. Vermillion-D Alice Syndrome (GUARDIANS, HORDE)

23. Amphisbaena (HORDE, NORTH)

24. Barren Path (HORDE)

25. Cannibalistic Infancy (HORDE)

26. Cerebral Engorgement (HORDE)

27. COHOL / Heaven in Her Arms (HORDE, NORTH)

28. Cronos Compulsion (HORDE)

29. Eyeconoclast (HORDE, PIT)

30. Harmony Dies (HORDE)

31. Motociclistas Suicidas en el Círculo de la Muerte (HORDE)

32. Ogdru Jahad (HORDE, NORTH)

33. Orator (HORDE, PIT)

34. Seminal Embalmment (HORDE)

35. Severed Remains (HORDE)

36. Sil Khannaz (HORDE)

37. Subterranean Lava Dragon (HORDE, INFINITE)

38. Sunrise (POL) (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

39. Semantic Saturation (INFINITE)

40. Brazen Horde (NORTH)

41. Hate Meditation (NORTH)

42. Lovesilkpalemilk (NORTH)

43. Muvitium (NORTH)

44. Omega (GRC) (NORTH, PIT)

45. Psychonaut 4 / Happy Days / Dødsferd (NORTH)

46. Sadhaka (NORTH)

47. Sarkom (NORTH)

48. Sleep White Winter (NORTH)

49. Téleos (NORTH)

50. Theoria (NORTH)

51. Speedboozer (PIT)

52. Phantom Carriage, The (REVOLUTION)

53. Ada Rook (SPHERE)

54. Witt (SPHERE)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 24th to the 31st of October, 2025.

1. Bastard Noise / Lack of Interest (FALLEN)

2. Beelzefuzz (FALLEN)

3. Merkstave (FALLEN)

4. Oblachniy Kray (FALLEN, GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

5. Smote (FALLEN, INFINITE)

6. Stomach (FALLEN)

7. 6gig (GATEWAY)

8. Dayseeker (GATEWAY)

9. Fruitpochette (GATEWAY)

10. Not Enough Space (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

11. Asgard (ITA) (GUARDIANS, PIT)

12. Asriel (GUARDIANS)

13. Detest (GUARDIANS)

14. Heavatar (GUARDIANS)

15. Maple Cross (GUARDIANS, PIT)

16. Praying Mantis, Paul Di'Anno & Dennis Stratton (GUARDIANS)

17. Tears of Tragedy (GUARDIANS)

18. Witchgrave (GUARDIANS)

19. Absidia (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

20. Decomposition of Entrails (HORDE)

21. Dichotomy (HORDE)

22. Drowned Under Concrete (HORDE)

23. Embalmed (USA) (HORDE)

24. Immortal Suffering (HORDE)

25. Infested Angel (HORDE, NORTH)

26. Last Retch (HORDE)

27. Medicine Death (HORDE, INFINITE)

28. Menometrorrhagia (HORDE)

29. Orbweaver (HORDE)

30. Puig Destroyer (HORDE)

31. Set (HORDE, NORTH)

32. She'ol (HORDE)

33. Smothered (HORDE)

34. Squassation (HORDE)

35. Treblinka (HORDE, NORTH)

36. Aurora Project, The (INFINITE)

37. Autolatry (INFINITE, NORTH)

38. Devil's Slingshot (INFINITE)

39. Occulted Death Stance (INFINITE, NORTH)

40. Omb (INFINITE)

41. Portnoy / Sheehan / MacAlpine / Sherinian (INFINITE)

42. Annihilation Cult (NORTH)

43. Arx Atrata (NORTH)

44. Axis of Light / Death Fortress (NORTH)

45. Glorious Winds of Astral Sorrow, The (NORTH)

46. Golden Dawn / Apeiron (NORTH)

47. Helrunar / Árstíðir lífsins (NORTH)

48. Lux / Sadness (NORTH)

49. Nordreich (NORTH)

50. Samain (AUS) (NORTH)

51. Silent Millenia (NORTH)

52. Sonic Reign (NORTH)

53. Thallid (NORTH)

54. Vörnir (NORTH)

55. Birth A.D. (PIT)

56. Crucible (PIT)

57. Dave Brockie Experience (PIT)

58. Execution (PIT)

59. Masters of Disguise (PIT)

60. Armed, The / Tharsis They (REVOLUTION)

61. autopsy of jane doe, the (REVOLUTION)

62. Cry of the Afflicted (REVOLUTION)

63. Downpresser (REVOLUTION)

64. Manntis (REVOLUTION)

65. Myka, Relocate (REVOLUTION)

66. Dou Wei (SPHERE)

i have been looking at the new cover at the top of the homepage for the last few days, thinking what a horrible cover it is and it only occured to me today that it is A BRAND NEW EVOKEN ALBUM!! 

...and it is pretty damn good too (unlike the cover that still sucks).

Yeah, it's not the best. I'm very much looking forward to checking out the album though!

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 17th to the 23rd of October, 2025.

1. Arctic Sleep (FALLEN, INFINITE)

2. Horse Latitudes (FALLEN)

3. Nekrodeus (FALLEN, HORDE, INFINITE, NORTH)

4. Rituals (FALLEN, INFINITE)

5. Snailking (FALLEN)

6. Titan (CAN) (FALLEN)

7. When Icarus Falls (FALLEN, INFINITE)

8. Year of No Light / Thisquietarmy (FALLEN, INFINITE)

9. Downplay (GATEWAY)

10. Man With a Mission (GATEWAY)

11. Prefix (GATEWAY)

12. Royal Sorrow (GATEWAY, INFINITE)

13. Skillet (GATEWAY) - requested by Andi

14. Smile Empty Soul (GATEWAY)

15. Anti Tank Nun (GUARDIANS)

16. I AM I (GUARDIANS)

17. Anal Bag (HORDE)

18. Bombs of Hades (HORDE)

19. Colosso (HORDE, INFINITE)

20. Craving (HORDE, NORTH)

21. Dark Sermon (HORDE, REVOLUTION) - requested by Andi

22. Elysian (HORDE)

23. Entrapment (HORDE)

24. Gets Worse (HORDE)

25. Gortal (HORDE)

26. Mencea (HORDE)

27. Sakatat (HORDE)

28. Sapanakith (HORDE)

29. Stellar Blight (HORDE)

30. ...? (INFINITE)

31. Acyl (INFINITE, NORTH)

32. Self Spiller (INFINITE)

33. Solace (CAN) (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

34. What the Blood Revealed (INFINITE)

35. Angra Mainyu (NORTH)

36. Baltak (NORTH)

37. Blodhemn (NORTH)

38. Closed Room (NORTH)

39. Graveland / Biały Viteź (NORTH)

40. Kråke (NORTH)

41. Kuryong (NORTH)

42. Licht Erlischt... (NORTH)

43. Niburta (NORTH, REVOLUTION)

44. Nontinuum (NORTH)

45. Obolus (NORTH)

46. Sauroctonos (NORTH)

47. So Much for Nothing (NORTH)

48. Unjoy / Eurythmie / Psychonaut 4 (NORTH)

49. C4 (PIT)

50. Absolutist (REVOLUTION)

51. Beyond All Recognition (REVOLUTION)

52. Blood of the Martyrs (REVOLUTION) - requested by Andi

53. Ennui Breathes Malice (REVOLUTION)

54. Everything Went Black (REVOLUTION)

55. Hopes Die Last (REVOLUTION)

56. Upon This Dawning (REVOLUTION)

57. Without Remorse (REVOLUTION)

58. XBONGX (REVOLUTION)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 11th to the 16th of October, 2025.

1. Beyond Terror Beyond Grace (FALLEN, HORDE, INFINITE)

2. Black Prism (FALLEN)

3. Bone Dance (FALLEN, REVOLUTION)

4. Dark Reality (FALLEN, HORDE, INFINITE, NORTH)

5. Encircling Sea (FALLEN, INFINITE, NORTH)

6. Falling Leaves (FALLEN)

7. Galadriel (FALLEN, HORDE)

8. Kilslug (FALLEN)

9. Leeches of Lore (FALLEN, GATEWAY, GUARDIANS, PIT)

10. Mamont (FALLEN)

11. Moloch / Thou (FALLEN)

12. Mono Inc. (FALLEN)

13. .sPout. (GATEWAY)

14. Knives Out! (GATEWAY)

15. Soul Blind (GATEWAY)

16. Syqem (GATEWAY, INFINITE, SPHERE)

17. Cockney Rejects (GUARDIANS)

18. Devil's Train (GUARDIANS)

19. Germán Pascual (GUARDIANS)

20. M:pire of Evil (GUARDIANS, PIT)

21. Reverence (USA) (GUARDIANS)

22. Abhoth (HORDE)

23. After Oblivion (HORDE, PIT)

24. Animist (HORDE)

25. Azoic (HORDE, NORTH)

26. Cloud Rat / Republic of Dreams (HORDE)

27. Crustacea Zoëa Larvae (HORDE)

28. De Lirium's Order (HORDE)

29. Dead Goats, The (HORDE)

30. Disfigurement of Flesh (HORDE)

31. Ectovoid (HORDE)

32. Hivesmasher (HORDE)

33. Humiliation (HORDE)

34. Moonloop (HORDE, INFINITE)

35. Nutr (HORDE, NORTH)

36. Saccage (HORDE, NORTH, PIT)

37. Satanika (HORDE, NORTH, PIT)

38. Secreted Entity (HORDE)

39. Stranded, The (HORDE)

40. Test (HORDE)

41. Umulamahri (HORDE)

42. Bend the Sky (INFINITE)

43. Bitcrush (INFINITE)

44. Cthulhu Rise (INFINITE)

45. Pigeon Toe (INFINITE)

46. Collier d'Ombre (NORTH)

47. Desolate Winds (NORTH)

48. Eternum (NORTH)

49. Kaeck (NORTH) - requested by Vinny

50. Manetheren (NORTH)

51. Mondstille (NORTH)

52. Sorcier des glaces / Monarque (NORTH)

53. Tatir (NORTH)

54. Skull Hammer (PIT)

55. Guilt (REVOLUTION)

56. Shai Hulud / Another Victim (REVOLUTION)

57. xHellrazorx (REVOLUTION)

Hi Ben, could you add US deathcore / prog metallers Ænimus please. In truth I only ask because I want to rate the cover of their 2019 Dreamcatcher album!

Hi Sonny. The band and album are already on the site.

https://metal.academy/releases/42235

In fact, you already rated the album cover 4.5 stars.

Cheers,

Ben.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 3rd to the 10th of October, 2025.

1. Arrows (FALLEN, INFINITE, NORTH)

2. Evangelist (FALLEN)

3. Gawthrop (FALLEN)

4. Hawg Jaw (FALLEN)

5. Holy Scum (FALLEN)

6. Luna Obscura (FALLEN, HORDE)

7. Northless (FALLEN)

8. Rabbits (FALLEN)

9. Trepidation (FALLEN, HORDE, REVOLUTION)

10. Wooden Stake (FALLEN)

11. Muryoku-P (GATEWAY, GUARDIANS, INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

12. Paleskin (GATEWAY)

13. Project Wyze (GATEWAY)

14. Vampires Everywhere (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION, SPHERE)

15. MorningStarlett (GUARDIANS)

16. Razorwyre (GUARDIANS, PIT)

17. Trail of Murder (GUARDIANS)

18. Winterstorm (GUARDIANS)

19. Abacinate (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

20. Abörted Hitler Cöck (HORDE)

21. Abriosis (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

22. Athanatheos (HORDE)

23. Cystic Dysentery (HORDE)

24. Desultor (HORDE)

25. Eminenz (HORDE, NORTH)

26. Envenomation (HORDE)

27. Fags Hate God (HORDE)

28. Gored Embrace (HORDE)

29. Grave Hex (HORDE)

30. Gutfed (HORDE)

31. Korum (HORDE)

32. Nightbearer (HORDE)

33. Sewer Haul (HORDE)

34. Shavasana (HORDE)

35. Trivax (HORDE, NORTH)

36. Vaginal Penetration of an Amelus With a Musty Carrot (HORDE)

37. Voidfallen (HORDE)

38. Volturyon (HORDE)

39. Warsore (HORDE)

40. Abbey ov Thelema (INFINITE, NORTH)

41. Darth Vegas (INFINITE)

42. Aptorian Demon (NORTH)

43. Ave Maria (NORTH)

44. Caïnan Dawn (NORTH)

45. Destruction Ritual (NORTH)

46. Frostmoon Eclipse (NORTH)

47. Grisâtre (NORTH)

48. Konsortium, The (NORTH)

49. Kuxan Suum (NORTH)

50. Lamasy (NORTH)

51. Mélancholie du Dhampir (NORTH)

52. Nine Covens (NORTH)

53. Pergalė (NORTH)

54. Soerd (NORTH)

55. Generation Kill (PIT)

56. Abel Is Dying (REVOLUTION)

57. Alchimia (REVOLUTION)

58. Deaf Club (REVOLUTION)

59. Death Becomes Her (REVOLUTION)

60. Joh Lutheria (REVOLUTION)

61. Locust, The (REVOLUTION)

62. Ten After Two (REVOLUTION)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 27th of September to the 2nd of October, 2025.

1. Bastard Feast (FALLEN)

2. Brotherhood of Sleep (FALLEN)

3. Cosmonauts Day (FALLEN, INFINITE)

4. Dream of Poe, A (FALLEN)

5. Embers (FALLEN, NORTH)

6. Forge of Clouds (FALLEN, INFINITE)

7. Iron Witch (FALLEN)

8. Megachurch (FALLEN)

9. Tank86 (FALLEN)

10. Transport League (FALLEN, PIT)

11. Unholy Cadaver (FALLEN, INFINITE)

12. Fear and the Nervous System (GATEWAY)

13. lynch. (GATEWAY)

14. Nullset (GATEWAY)

15. President (GATEWAY)

16. Stink!#Bug (GATEWAY)

17. Absolute Power (GUARDIANS)

18. Blessed Offal (HORDE)

19. Ceremonial Perfection (HORDE)

20. Deathrite (HORDE, NORTH, REVOLUTION)

21. Erocis (HORDE, NORTH)

22. Eustachian (HORDE)

23. Grave / Deviated Instinct / Devolution (HORDE, PIT)

24. Heruvim (HORDE)

25. Images of Violence (HORDE)

26. Imperishable (USA) (HORDE, NORTH)

27. Internal Rot / Mutilated Cop (HORDE)

28. Kalaveraztekah (HORDE)

29. Malicious Onslaught (HORDE)

30. Morbid Flesh (HORDE)

31. Ordinance (HORDE, INFINITE)

32. Prevaricate (HORDE)

33. RoutaSielu (HORDE)

34. Sulfuric Cautery / Myxoma (HORDE)

35. Tenebris (HORDE, INFINITE)

36. Troglodyte (HORDE)

37. Unaligned (HORDE)

38. Unbreakable Hatred (HORDE)

39. Undead Creep (HORDE)

40. World Under Blood (HORDE)

41. Friend for a Foe (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

42. Halcyon (INFINITE)

43. Lux Terminus (INFINITE)

44. Beyond North (NORTH)

45. Demon Sluice (NORTH)

46. Embalmed (NORTH)

47. Fellwinter / Gauntlet Ring / Arbor / Atheosophia (NORTH)

48. Goatoimpurity (NORTH)

49. Gottesmorder (NORTH)

50. Iskra / Doom Siren (NORTH)

51. Svikt (NORTH)

52. Verwüstung (NORTH)

53. Assaulter (PIT)

54. Maurice (PIT)

55. Closing Skyline, A (REVOLUTION)

56. Confession (REVOLUTION)

57. Everyone Dies in Utah (REVOLUTION)

58. Seven Crimson Suns (REVOLUTION)

59. Shogun (REVOLUTION)

60. Sleeping Giant (REVOLUTION)

61. To Speak of Wolves (REVOLUTION)

62. withpaperwings (REVOLUTION)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 20th to the 26th of September, 2025.

1. (EchO) (FALLEN)

2. Bone Dance / Divider / Plebeian Grandstand (FALLEN, REVOLUTION)

3. Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire / Nesseria (FALLEN, HORDE)

4. Cower / Thou (FALLEN)

5. Dyskinesia (ITA) (FALLEN, INFINITE)

6. Goslings, The (FALLEN, INFINITE)

7. Maligno (FALLEN)

8. Moab (FALLEN)

9. Nar Mattaru (FALLEN, HORDE)

10. Professor Emeritus (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

11. Theurgion (FALLEN)

12. Deadly Medley (GATEWAY)

13. Alpha Tiger (GUARDIANS)

14. Elm Street (GUARDIANS)

15. FireForce (GUARDIANS)

16. Infinita Symphonia (GUARDIANS)

17. Kambrium (GUARDIANS, HORDE)

18. Prophets of Doom (GUARDIANS, PIT)

19. Affliction Vector (HORDE, NORTH)

20. Apocalypse Command (HORDE)

21. Bone Fetish (HORDE)

22. Brulvahnatu (HORDE, NORTH)

23. Chulo (HORDE)

24. Converge / Napalm Death (HORDE, REVOLUTION) - requested by Andi

25. Draugr (HORDE, NORTH)

26. HIRS Collective, The (HORDE)

27. Primate (HORDE)

28. Purgatory (GER) (HORDE)

29. Red Descending (HORDE)

30. Rest in Gore (HORDE)

31. Samans, The (HORDE, NORTH)

32. Cynthesis (INFINITE)

33. Glass Mind (INFINITE)

34. Joseph Magazine (INFINITE)

35. Red Seas Fire (INFINITE)

36. Stéphan Forté (INFINITE)

37. Crevices Below, The (NORTH)

38. Downward (NORTH)

39. Enterré Vivant (NORTH)

40. Funeral Frost (NORTH)

41. Lord Kaos (NORTH)

42. Nameless Coyote (NORTH)

43. Saligia (NORTH)

44. Skaur (NORTH)

45. Armor Column (PIT)

46. Narcotic Greed (PIT)

47. Tyranex (PIT)

48. Reclaim the Fallen (REVOLUTION)

49. Rot in Hell (REVOLUTION)

50. Rotting in Dirt (REVOLUTION)

51. Soulless, The (REVOLUTION)

52. Gevolt (SPHERE)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 12th to the 19th of September, 2025.

1. Downfall of Gaia / In the Hearts of Emperors (FALLEN, INFINITE)

2. Od Vratot Nadolu (FALLEN)

3. Wiht (FALLEN)

4. Die Spitz (GATEWAY)

5. Glassjaw (GATEWAY)

6. grandson (GATEWAY)

7. Screaming Monkey Boner (GATEWAY)

8. Silverstein (GATEWAY)

9. Starset (GATEWAY)

10. Vianova (GATEWAY, INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

11. Cream Abdul Babar / Teen Cthulhu (GUARDIANS, NORTH, REVOLUTION)

12. Demonlord (GUARDIANS)

13. Hellion (ARG) (GUARDIANS)

14. Illegal Bodies (GUARDIANS)

15. Merging Flare (GUARDIANS)

16. Neonfly (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

17. Phantom Lord (GUARDIANS)

18. Timelord (GUARDIANS, PIT)

19. Victory (GUARDIANS)

20. Volture (GUARDIANS)

21. War Kabinett (GUARDIANS)

22. Brought by Pain (HORDE)

23. Charon (GER) (HORDE, NORTH)

24. Compulsed (HORDE)

25. December Flower (HORDE)

26. Embrionic Death (HORDE)

27. Guillotined (HORDE)

28. Hypomanic Daydream (HORDE, INFINITE)

29. Invidious (HORDE)

30. Lymphatic Phlegm / Neuro-Visceral Exhumation (HORDE)

31. Mammoth Grinder / Hatred Surge (HORDE)

32. Mortify (POL) (HORDE)

33. Obsidian Resurrection, The (HORDE)

34. Ritual Mass (HORDE)

35. Wreck of the Minotaur (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

36. Zero Degree (HORDE)

37. Ära Krâ (INFINITE, NORTH, REVOLUTION)

38. Laputa (INFINITE)

39. Soul Secret (INFINITE)

40. Teodor Tuff (INFINITE)

41. White Arms of Athena (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

42. X-Panda (INFINITE)

43. Adhur / Aiumeen Basoa / Ilbeltz (NORTH)

44. Ereshkigal (NORTH)

45. Kiloton (NORTH)

46. Nebiros (NORTH)

47. Obeisance (NORTH, PIT)

48. Old Soul (NORTH)

49. Oremus (NORTH)

50. Posthum (NORTH)

51. Strix Askesis (NORTH) - requested by Miles Long

52. Svetovid (NORTH)

53. Zavod’ (NORTH)

54. War Hungry (PIT)

55. Erode (REVOLUTION)

56. Meek Is Murder (REVOLUTION)

57. Mejibray (REVOLUTION)

58. Rancor (REVOLUTION)

59. Shoot the Girl First (REVOLUTION)

Children of Bodom - "Follow the Reaper" (2000)

I think it might have been Ben who first introduced me to this Finnish act upon my return to metal in 2009 & it may have been through this very album too if memory serves me correctly. I can't say that "Follow the Reaper" does very much for me these days though with its power metal-infused melodeath sound largely flying straight over my head. This shit really lacks consistent aggression with the vocals of Alexi Laiho being fairly stereotypical for the melodic death metal scene & the neoclassical guitar solos removing whatever edge may have been achieved by some of the more heavyweight riffs. There can be no denying Laiho's talent as a shredder but I need more than that these days. European power metal has never been my thing either  so this record was always gonna be a challenge for me. It's certainly not a complete disaster but "Follow the Reaper" offers very little that fits into my wheelhouse in 2025.

For fans of Kalmah, Norther & Wintersun.

2.5/5

There are undoubtedly a lot of bands / albums that I've introduced you to over the years (and vice versa), but Children of Bodom are not one of them. I don't think I've ever got through a full track, let alone an album.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 5th to the 11th of September, 2025.

1. Fields of Locust (FALLEN, INFINITE)

2. Grave Flowers (FALLEN)

3. Kingdom (FALLEN, INFINITE)

4. Sarah Jezebel Deva (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

5. Trudger (FALLEN, INFINITE)

6. Who Dies in Siberian Slush (FALLEN)

7. Würm (FALLEN)

8. D:FI (GATEWAY)

9. Hayko Cepkin (GATEWAY)

10. Terminal (GATEWAY, INFINITE)

11. Hypnotica (GUARDIANS)

12. Winter's Verge (GUARDIANS)

13. As They Sleep (HORDE)

14. Combat Noise (HORDE)

15. Descarnado (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

16. Gaf (HORDE)

17. Graves of Valor (HORDE)

18. Macrophagous Gilled Larvae (HORDE)

19. Narcosis (HORDE)

20. Plasmodulated (HORDE)

21. Rancid Cadaver (HORDE)

22. Victim of Fire (HORDE)

23. Hord (INFINITE, PIT, SPHERE)

24. Iroha & Fragment. (INFINITE)

25. Mary Mortem (INFINITE)

26. Sal y mileto (INFINITE)

27. Astral Silence (NORTH)

28. Byfrost (NORTH, PIT)

29. Dekadent Aesthetix (NORTH)

30. Golgata (NORTH) - requested by Vinny

31. Jordfäst (NORTH)

32. Lightning Swords of Death (NORTH)

33. Murderess (NORTH)

34. Nokturne (NORTH)

35. Tornekrans (NORTH) - requested by Vinny

36. Westering (NORTH)

37. Wolfshade (NORTH)

38. Tuck From Hell (PIT)

39. Commissioner (REVOLUTION)

40. Eatmewhileimhot! (REVOLUTION)

41. Knives Exchanging Hands (REVOLUTION)

42. Scarlett O'Hara (REVOLUTION)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 30th of August to the 4th of September, 2025.

1. Aathma (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

2. Akem Manah (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

3. Albez Duz (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

4. Albino Python (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

5. Altareth (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

6. Archon (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

7. Attalla (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

8. Atten Ash (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

9. Averon (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

10. Blood Vulture (FALLEN, GATEWAY)

11. Consecration (FALLEN, INFINITE)

12. Gloombound (FALLEN)

13. Hydria (FALLEN, GATEWAY, GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

14. Khuda (FALLEN, INFINITE)

15. KVLL (FALLEN) - requested by Vinny

16. Lord of Doubts (FALLEN)

17. Re-Stoned, The (FALLEN)

18. Sardonis (FALLEN)

19. Talbot (FALLEN)

20. Uboa & Whitehorse (FALLEN, INFINITE)

21. Yrsel (FALLEN)

22. Kurban (GATEWAY)

23. Tribe After Tribe (GATEWAY)

24. Wurkt (GATEWAY)

25. Lacroix Desphères (GUARDIANS)

26. PowerWorld (GUARDIANS)

27. Six Magics (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

28. Voices of Destiny (GUARDIANS)

29. Baptized in Blood (HORDE, PIT)

30. Decrepid (HORDE)

31. En Love / Rabbit (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

32. Gadget / Phobia (HORDE)

33. Hexrot (HORDE, INFINITE)

34. Imipolex (HORDE, INFINITE, NORTH)

35. Kusari Gama Kill (HORDE)

36. Lost Dreams (HORDE)

37. Neuromist (HORDE, INFINITE)

38. Nordheim (HORDE, NORTH)

39. Viscera Infest / Paracoccidioidomicosisproctitissarcomucosis (HORDE)

40. Blutmond (INFINITE, NORTH)

41. Dianoya (INFINITE)

42. Dreamwake (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

43. Aad Sleck (NORTH)

44. Agarthi (NORTH)

45. Appalachian Winter (NORTH)

46. Arts (NORTH)

47. Autumn Strife (NORTH)

48. Bane (SRB) (NORTH)

49. Boreal Wind (NORTH)

50. Handful of Hate (NORTH)

51. Happy Days / Eindig (NORTH)

52. Lost Inside (NORTH)

53. Malphas (NORTH)

54. Morose (NORTH)

55. Movimento d'Avanguardia Ermetico (NORTH)

56. Rauhnacht (NORTH)

57. Royal Arch Blaspheme, The (NORTH)

58. SVNTH (NORTH)

59. Vlad Tepes / Belkètre (NORTH)

60. Abadden (PIT)

61. Statue (PIT)

62. King Conquer (REVOLUTION)

63. Kusudama (REVOLUTION)

64. Last Felony, The (REVOLUTION)

65. Octaves (REVOLUTION)

66. Wrath and Rapture (REVOLUTION)

67. Your Memorial (REVOLUTION)

A classic funeral doom release! Here's the review I wrote many years ago...

Deserving of its cult status! Full of intensely dismal yet utterly beautiful funeral doom metal.

I try hard not to be affected by the underground cult status of albums when reviewing them. So many times, I have come across releases that are considered cult classics, only to find that their status has more to do with the controversial or unique circumstances surrounding their creation, rather than the quality of the music itself. Worship’s Last Tape Before Doomsday seemed a perfect candidate for this, containing all the attributes that generally lead to cult status, to the point where I couldn’t help but be sceptical prior to listening. Before I disclose my own personal judgement of the album, it’s worth exploring the origins of Worship for anyone out there not yet familiar, and the reasons why Last Tape Before Doomsday is such a curiosity for so many. The band was formed in Germany early in 1999 by vocalist and drummer Max Varnier (aka Fucked-Up Mad Max) and guitarist Daniel Pharos (aka The Doommonger). At the time, Max was the editor for French zine Ocean Morphique as well as a member of black metal band Kult and death metal band Beer Vomit, while Daniel was the guitarist for little known doom band Somber Serenity. Within only a few months, the duo recorded a four-track demo called Last Tape Before Doomsday, which as the name suggests, was released in very limited cassette form by Max’s own Impaler of Trendies Productions label.

That’s right, this highly loved album, which currently sits at number three on the all-time funeral doom metal charts on Rate Your Music, was in fact never intended for official release at all. However, the positive response to the cassette led to it being re-released in 2000 by Japanese label Weird Truth, yet once again it was cassette only and limited to 300 hand-numbered copies. You’d have to think that by this stage Worship were known only to the smallest minority in the metal scene, which suggests that what occurred on July the 23rd 2001 had nowhere near the impact that it would have given Worship’s status today. During a trip to Canada, Max Varnier committed suicide by jumping off a bridge. It’s always difficult to tell in hindsight if an occurrence like this increased the interest in a band or whether the popularity growth would have transpired regardless, but Last Tape Before Doomsday’s rise unquestionably picked up from this point. Belgium label Painiac re-released the demo on vinyl in 2002, changing the name appropriately to Last Vinyl Before Doomsday, which was limited to 400 copies, before Weird Truth released Last CD Before Doomsday in 2004, this time limited to 500 copies. Worship’s rise to recognition was finally complete when Last CD Before Doomsday, which contains a bonus track titled Keep on Selling Cocaine to Angels, was given an unlimited release in 2006.

So, we’ve got a previously little-known extreme doom demo, with a gradually increased release through more and more accessible forms of media, by a band whose front man took his life a couple of years after recording. If that doesn’t demand cult status, then I don’t know what does! Thankfully, this treasure does in fact live up to all the “worship” and is yet another case where I owe the people of Rate Your Music a case of beer. Worship really had a point to prove with this release, seemingly choosing to create the antithesis of where so-called doom metal was heading at the time. Bands such as My Dying Bride, Anathema, Paradise Lost and Katatonia had all moved on to more progressive, more gothic or more alternative pastures in recent times. Mad Max and The Doommonger seemed determined to bring back the doom and Last Tape Before Doomsday is one of the most gut-wrenchingly crushing and beautifully emotive albums I’ve had the pleasure of submitting myself to. For a demo the production is not too shabby at all, with a chunky guitar sound, powerful vocals and a perfectly adequate drum sound. Even when things get quiet, the minimalistic acoustic and piano sections have an incredibly dense atmosphere without sacrificing clarity in the slightest. Its only inaccessibility comes from the fact that Worship play extremely depressive and sinister sounding funeral doom.

Opening track Whispering Gloom is without doubt the highlight of Last Tape Before Doomsday. Its gorgeously dark melodies, moody slower sections and Max’s passion filled, guttural emissions, make for an emotionally draining yet entrancing experience. Most lyrics on the album are in German but it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever, which is testament to both to Max’s performance and the sheer extremity of his style. Probably the closest comparison I can make to this sound when thinking of more modern bands is Johan Ericson’s Doom:VS, which has a similar vibe and use of varied techniques without sacrificing the doom for even a moment. Second track Solicide and the Dawning of the Moonkult is just as epic, if perhaps a little less memorable, as is the comparatively swift percussion driven Eclipse of Sorrow that recalls the more violent side of the apocalyptic Winter. Final track Worship is the deal-clincher for me. A monolithic beast with about one drum beat per minute (slight exaggeration in case you’re wondering) and a truly magnificent guitar melody (if you can call it that given how gloomy it is). By the time these fifteen minutes of blissful despondency, including the eerily hypnotic ambient central interval, have run their course, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that Last Tape Before Doomsday is worthy of its lofty position in funeral doom metal history, and I only regret that doomsday took so long to descend upon my world in the first place. Essential for all lovers of funeral doom!

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 21st to the 29th of August, 2025.

1. Adai (FALLEN, INFINITE)

2. Black Land (FALLEN)

3. Cebren-Khal (FALLEN, NORTH)

4. Cough / The Wounded Kings (FALLEN)

5. Drainland (FALLEN)

6. Fërtility Cült, The (FALLEN)

7. Kamni (FALLEN)

8. Leechmilk / Sofa King Killer (FALLEN)

9. Reka (FALLEN, INFINITE)

10. Shadowgarden (FALLEN)

11. Spoken (GATEWAY)

12. Spyndakit (GATEWAY)

13. World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, The (GATEWAY)

14. Vamps (GATEWAY)

15. Kredo (GUARDIANS)

16. Royal Jester (GUARDIANS)

17. War Machine (GUARDIANS)

18. Arsames (HORDE)

19. Cephalic Impurity (HORDE)

20. Colonize the Rotting (HORDE)

21. Depraver (HORDE)

22. Doomed (HORDE)

23. Grave Ritual (HORDE)

24. Irreverent (HORDE)

25. Mistweaver (HORDE)

26. Nihilvm (HORDE, NORTH)

27. Overoth (HORDE)

28. RenChei (HORDE)

29. Sabhankra (HORDE, NORTH)

30. Sarcastic (HORDE)

31. Sarcolytic (HORDE)

32. Wormrot / I Abhor (HORDE)

33. Book of Sand (INFINITE, NORTH)

34. Cyclamen (INFINITE)

35. Dreyelands (INFINITE)

36. Hiroe (INFINITE)

37. Lost Century (INFINITE, PIT)

38. name (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

39. nobody.one (INFINITE)

40. What's Left of Her (INFINITE)

41. WolfSpring (INFINITE)

42. Absolute of Malignity (NORTH)

43. Djur (NORTH)

44. Engraved (NORTH)

45. Ewiges Reich (NORTH)

46. Hexenmeister / Bergrizen (NORTH)

47. Mournful Moon (NORTH)

48. Ouroboros (CAN) (NORTH)

49. Photophobia (NORTH)

50. Selvnatt (NORTH)

51. Sorgeldom (NORTH)

52. Tenebrae in Perpetuum / Krohm (NORTH)

53. Total Genocide (NORTH)

54. Musica Diablo (PIT)

55. Pessimist (GER) (PIT)

56. Abrupt Decay (REVOLUTION)

57. Affiance (REVOLUTION)

58. Despot (REVOLUTION)

59. Impartial Dismemberment (REVOLUTION)

60. Kerouac (REVOLUTION)

61. uponbrokenapologies (REVOLUTION)

62. Kidneythieves (SPHERE)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 16th to the 20th of August, 2025.

1. Akelei (FALLEN)

2. All Men Unto Me (FALLEN, INFINITE)

3. Dopefight (FALLEN)

4. Mourning Lenore (FALLEN)

5. Radare (FALLEN, INFINITE)

6. Shattered Hope (FALLEN)

7. Knosis (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

8. Thousand Below (GATEWAY)

9. Aldious (GUARDIANS)

10. Eden (GUARDIANS)

11. Ghost Machinery (GUARDIANS)

12. Jameson Raid (GUARDIANS)

13. Kingsbane (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

14. Randy (GUARDIANS)

15. Sad Iron (GUARDIANS)

16. Terra Prima (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

17. Tierramystica (GUARDIANS, NORTH)

18. Cellgraft (HORDE)

19. Centuries of Decay (HORDE, INFINITE)

20. Discharge by Death (HORDE)

21. Fractured Insanity (HORDE)

22. Gtuk (HORDE)

23. Henker (HORDE)

24. Hexekration Rites (HORDE, NORTH)

25. Kraanium / Epicardiectomy / Dormant Carnivore (HORDE)

26. Mitochondrion / Gyibaaw (HORDE, NORTH)

27. Viral Load / Putrid Pile (HORDE)

28. Xipe Totec (HORDE)

29. Acute Mind (INFINITE)

30. Radiance (INFINITE)

31. Sailors With Wax Wings (INFINITE)

32. Vulning (INFINITE, NORTH)

33. Black Witchcraft (NORTH)

34. Claustrophobia (NORTH)

35. Cripta Oculta (NORTH)

36. Domgård (NORTH)

37. Flagellator (NORTH, PIT)

38. Gwydion (NORTH)

39. Helengard (NORTH)

40. Monarque / Neige et noirceur (NORTH)

41. Necrite (NORTH)

42. Necromantic Worship (NORTH)

43. Sepulchre (NORTH)

44. Tearstained (NORTH)

45. Unjoy (NORTH)

46. Vetala (NORTH)

47. Vitsaus (NORTH)

48. Volkana (PIT)

49. Voor (PIT)

50. Mauled (REVOLUTION)

51. Picture Me Broken (REVOLUTION)

52. Suburban Scum (REVOLUTION)

53. Unmoved (REVOLUTION)

54. Circle of Animals (SPHERE)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 8th to the 15th of August, 2025.

1. Art of Burning Water (FALLEN, REVOLUTION)

2. Forest of Souls (FALLEN, NORTH)

3. Habsyll (FALLEN)

4. Methadrone (FALLEN)

5. Nachtblut (FALLEN, NORTH, SPHERE)

6. Oak (USA) (FALLEN)

7. Omega Massif / Mount Logan (FALLEN, INFINITE)

8. Fox Lake (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

9. Matenrou Opera (GATEWAY, GUARDIANS)

10. Nik Nocturnal (GATEWAY, INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

11. Stick (GATEWAY)

12. Bare Infinity (GUARDIANS)

13. Drakar (GUARDIANS)

14. Acerbus (HORDE)

15. As You Drown (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

16. Bloody Phoenix (HORDE)

17. Brother Von Doom (HORDE)

18. Cancer Void (HORDE)

19. Cerebrum (HORDE)

20. Hedonist (HORDE)

21. Loch Vostok (HORDE, INFINITE)

22. Milking the Goatmachine (HORDE)

23. Nancial (HORDE)

24. Reciprocal (HORDE)

25. Samiarus (HORDE, NORTH)

26. Vomitoma (HORDE)

27. Baliset (INFINITE)

28. Euphrosyne (INFINITE, NORTH)

29. Astral Luminous (NORTH)

30. Barbaros (NORTH)

31. Bråkin Bråk (NORTH)

32. Cold Empty Universe (NORTH)

33. Gryla (NORTH)

34. Hopeless (NORTH)

35. Kyla (NORTH)

36. Percival Schuttenbach (NORTH)

37. Saidan / Trhä (NORTH)

38. Sancta Poenas (NORTH)

39. Voqkrre (NORTH)

40. Axegressor (PIT)

41. Malefice (REVOLUTION)

42. Take Back the Roman Empire (REVOLUTION)

43. Whisteria Cottage (REVOLUTION)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 2nd to the 7th of August, 2025.

1. Bidirna Dhamani (FALLEN)

2. Bloodhorse (FALLEN)

3. Bosque (FALLEN)

4. Crib45 (FALLEN, INFINITE)

5. Dead, The (FALLEN, HORDE)

6. Kodiak / Nadja (FALLEN, INFINITE)

7. Lordamor (FALLEN)

8. Majestic Downfall (FALLEN, HORDE)

9. Marble Orchard (FALLEN) - requested by Vinny

10. Moonfall (FALLEN, NORTH)

11. Sign of the Southern Cross, The (FALLEN, PIT)

12. Spacebong (FALLEN)

13. Struck by Lightning (FALLEN)

14. WhiteBuzz (FALLEN)

15. Flymore (GATEWAY)

16. Knives (GATEWAY)

17. Crimson Cult (GUARDIANS)

18. Harbinger (GUARDIANS, PIT)

19. Hysterica (GUARDIANS)

20. Jaded Heart (GUARDIANS)

21. Legenda Aurea (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

22. Deals Death (HORDE)

23. Embryonic Depravity / Gorevent (HORDE)

24. Filth (SWE) (HORDE)

25. Gamma Sector (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

26. Gorezone (HORDE)

27. Inevitable End (HORDE)

28. Malformed (HORDE)

29. Mindwork (HORDE, INFINITE, PIT)

30. Morbider (HORDE)

31. My Own Grave (HORDE, PIT)

32. Pus Vomit (HORDE)

33. Remnants of Flesh (HORDE)

34. Sanctification (HORDE)

35. Shackles (HORDE, PIT)

36. Vomepotro (HORDE)

37. Fool's Game (INFINITE)

38. Forgotten Suns (INFINITE)

39. Liquid Trio Experiment 2 (INFINITE)

40. Miosis (INFINITE)

41. Dark Blasphemer (NORTH) - requested by Vinny

42. Echoes of Gloom (NORTH) - requested by Vinny

43. Khaos Aura (NORTH) - requested by Vinny

44. Lord Foul (NORTH)

45. Panopticon / Lake of Blood (NORTH)

46. Parthenoid (NORTH)

47. Semen Drenched Slave of the Devil (NORTH, SPHERE)

48. Skagos / Wake (NORTH)

49. Skuggor (NORTH) - requested by Vinny

50. Total Negation (NORTH)

51. Unholy Matrimony (NORTH)

52. Varnheim (NORTH)

53. Missouri Executive Order 44 / Usurp Synapse (REVOLUTION)

54. Viatrophy (REVOLUTION)

The automated bots don't succeed in actually creating an account here as it would have to select clans during the process. We've only ever had a small amount of successful fake users created and I'm convinced it's done manually (as in a person actually bothered the manually create the account for the purpose). Anyway, I've deleted the user and review. It just takes a bit to disappear off the front page.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 26th of July to the 1st of August, 2025.

1. Atolah (FALLEN)

2. Death Row (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

3. Flood (FALLEN)

4. Goes Cube (FALLEN)

5. Hands (FALLEN)

6. Kodiak (FALLEN)

7. S:t Erik (FALLEN)

8. Zorn (FALLEN)

9. Deathgaze (GATEWAY)

10. Janus (GATEWAY)

11. Adamantra (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

12. Amadeüs (GUARDIANS)

13. Dead Silence Hides My Cries (GUARDIANS, REVOLUTION) - requested by Andi

14. Inmoria (GUARDIANS)

15. Wolfbane (GUARDIANS)

16. Claustrofobia (HORDE, PIT)

17. Cremation (HORDE)

18. Decode the Design (HORDE) - requested by Andi

19. Dismal Lapse (HORDE)

20. Hill to Die Upon, A (HORDE, NORTH)

21. Infected Disarray (HORDE)

22. Kadavar (HORDE)

23. Nervous Impulse (HORDE)

24. Obtenebris (HORDE)

25. Perpetuum (HORDE, INFINITE)

26. Perverse Dependence (HORDE)

27. Strigampire (HORDE, NORTH)

28. Subliminal Fear (HORDE) - requested by Andi

29. Survivors Zero (HORDE)

30. Yatagarasu (HORDE)

31. Om Mani (INFINITE)

32. Omela (INFINITE, NORTH)

33. Silent Memorial (INFINITE)

34. Vindictiv (INFINITE)

35. Bergrizen (NORTH)

36. Ignis Fatuu (NORTH)

37. Kärsimysnäytelmä! (NORTH)

38. Noenum / Vritra (NORTH)

39. Silberbach (NORTH)

40. Thanatorean (NORTH)

41. Urheimat (NORTH)

42. Expulsion (NED) (PIT)

43. Grave New World (PIT)

44. Primal Scream (PIT)

45. Alleviate (REVOLUTION) - requested by Andi

46. As God Is My Witness (REVOLUTION) - requested by Andi

47. Deadbeat Nightlife (REVOLUTION)

48. Demolisher (REVOLUTION)

49. Oracle Spectre (REVOLUTION) - requested by Andi

That is exciting! It took me a long time to devote the necessary time to Watching from a Distance, but once I did I couldn't give it less than 5 stars.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 19th to the 25th of July, 2025.

1. Another Life (FALLEN)

2. Coronatus (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

3. Nights Like These (FALLEN, REVOLUTION)

4. Sludge (FALLEN, HORDE)

5. Soulgrind (FALLEN, HORDE, NORTH)

6. Viking Skull (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

7. Callejon (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

8. Calva Louise (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

9. Luna Kills (GATEWAY)

10. Dead Child (GUARDIANS)

11. Fratello Metallo (GUARDIANS)

12. Gates of Winter (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

13. Kilmara (GUARDIANS)

14. Longings Past (GUARDIANS)

15. Thunderhead (GUARDIANS)

16. Anal Penetration (HORDE)

17. Ataudes (HORDE)

18. Aurora Black (HORDE)

19. Crystalic (HORDE)

20. Décryptal (HORDE)

21. Detrimentum (HORDE)

22. Extreme Violence (HORDE)

23. Fleshgod Apocalypse / Modus Delicti / Onirik / Septycal Gorge (HORDE)

24. Hackneyed (HORDE)

25. Hecatomb (HORDE)

26. Imperious Mortality (HORDE)

27. Pulmonary Fibrosis (HORDE)

28. Relicts (HORDE)

29. Scent of Death (HORDE)

30. Trencher (HORDE)

31. Dimscûa (INFINITE)

32. Four Question Marks (INFINITE)

33. Presence of Soul (INFINITE)

34. Andras (NORTH)

35. Anhedonia (SWE) (NORTH)

36. Dissimulation (NORTH, PIT)

37. Empire Auriga (NORTH)

38. Fuck Off and Die! (NORTH)

39. Heartless (NORTH)

40. Sieghetnar (NORTH)

41. Theoden's Reign (NORTH)

42. Thoth (NORTH)

43. Godskin Peeler / SILVER (REVOLUTION, PIT)

44. Prophecy (BRA) (PIT)

45. Sixty Nine (PIT)

46. 100DEADRABBITS (REVOLUTION)

47. Acedia (REVOLUTION)

48. Caligari (REVOLUTION)

49. Cholera (REVOLUTION)

50. Coffin Feeder (REVOLUTION)

51. Here I Come Falling (REVOLUTION)

52. Irish Front, The (REVOLUTION)

53. T3chn0ph0b1a (SPHERE)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 15th to the 18th of July, 2025.

1. Behölder (FALLEN)

2. Eleventh Ray (FALLEN, NORTH)

3. Gnaw Their Tongues / Sick to the Back Teeth (FALLEN)

4. Mossback (FALLEN)

5. Pelican / These Arms Are Snakes (FALLEN, INFINITE)

6. Ride for Revenge & Bizarre Uproar (FALLEN, NORTH)

7. Saattue (FALLEN)

8. Stonebride (FALLEN)

9. Exit Ten (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

10. Split Chain (GATEWAY)

11. Driver (GUARDIANS)

12. El Reno Renardo (GUARDIANS)

13. Hyena (GUARDIANS)

14. Viron (GUARDIANS)

15. 5 Star Grave (HORDE)

16. Abhorrently (HORDE)

17. Artery Eruption / Inhuman Dissiliency (HORDE)

18. Blasphemic Cruelty (HORDE)

19. Codeon (HORDE)

20. Faithful Darkness (HORDE)

21. Famine, The (HORDE)

22. Infinitum (HORDE)

23. Kid Hereafter in the Grinding Light, A (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

24. Landmine Marathon (HORDE)

25. Modern Age Slavery, The (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

26. Necroblaspheme (HORDE, NORTH)

27. Yogth Sothoth (HORDE)

28. Empyrios (INFINITE)

29. Gorath (INFINITE, NORTH)

30. Anfauglir (NORTH)

31. CrystalMoors (NORTH)

32. Dead Shell of Universe (NORTH)

33. Great Sea, The (NORTH) - requested by Vinny

34. Grim Funeral (NORTH)

35. In Chasms Deep (NORTH, REVOLUTION) - requested by Andi

36. Isa (NORTH)

37. Jammerskrik (NORTH)

38. Liholesie / Mor / Stielas Storhett (NORTH)

39. Meti Bhuvah (NORTH)

40. Necromantia / Αχέροντας [Acherontas] (NORTH)

41. Rebirth of Nefast / Slidhr (NORTH)

42. Subvertio Deus (NORTH)

43. Trhä & Midoran (NORTH)

44. Woodtemple (NORTH)

45. Headshot (PIT)

46. 25 Dollar Massacre (REVOLUTION)

47. Blaire (REVOLUTION)

48. katywentmissing (REVOLUTION)

49. Straight Reads the Line (REVOLUTION)

50. Years Spent Cold (REVOLUTION)

51. Moshpit (SPHERE)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 4th to the 14th of July, 2025.

1. Deep Jew (FALLEN)

2. Magdala Ju-nen (FALLEN)

3. Stormcrow / Coffins (FALLEN, PIT) - requested by Sonny

4. Voyager (FALLEN, INFINITE)

5. Calm (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

6. One-Way Mirror (GATEWAY, SPHERE)

7. Ravenface (GATEWAY) - requested by Andi

8. Resistant Culture (GATEWAY, HORDE)

9. Short of Breath (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

10. Auvernia (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

11. Cast Iron (GUARDIANS)

12. Crown of Glory (GUARDIANS)

13. National Napalm Syndicate (GUARDIANS, PIT)

14. Stygian Path (GUARDIANS)

15. Arhont (HORDE)

16. As Eden Burns (HORDE)

17. Atka / Shimetsu (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

18. C.A.R.N.E. (HORDE)

19. Disfigured (TX-USA) (HORDE)

20. Goreinhaled (HORDE)

21. Human Filleted (HORDE)

22. Internally Mutilated / Anal Birth / Biocyst / Vomitoma (HORDE)

23. Lymphatic Phlegm / S.M.E.S. (HORDE)

24. Ruinous (HORDE) - requested by Vinny

25. Supreme Pain (HORDE)

26. Synthetic Breed (HORDE, INFINITE, SPHERE)

27. Alpha Galates (INFINITE)

28. Aussitôt Mort (INFINITE)

29. Oficina G3 (INFINITE)

30. Scamp (INFINITE, PIT)

31. Altar of Woe (NORTH) - requested by Vinny

32. Anael (NORTH)

33. Baphomet's Horns (NORTH)

34. Bucium (NORTH)

35. Cataplexy (NORTH)

36. Deadnight (NORTH, PIT)

37. Foudre Noire (NORTH)

38. Mons Veneris (NORTH)

39. Mörkö (NORTH)

40. Underjordiska (NORTH)

41. Waning (NORTH)

42. Wesele (NORTH)

43. In Malice's Wake (PIT)

44. Sanctum (PIT)

45. Tiger Junkies (PIT)

46. Float Face Down (REVOLUTION)

47. Paddock Park (REVOLUTION)

48. Recon (NY-USA) (REVOLUTION)

49. Saints Never Surrender (REVOLUTION)

50. xDestroy Babylonx (REVOLUTION)

All fixed. It happens sometimes.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 28th of June and the 3rd of July, 2025.

1. Cwfen (FALLEN, INFINITE)

2. Great Coven (FALLEN)

3. Spiine (FALLEN)

4. Arizing (GATEWAY)

5. CrawlBlind (GATEWAY)

6. Innerstate (GATEWAY, INFINITE, PIT)

7. Leechseed (GATEWAY)

8. Nevada Tan (GATEWAY)

9. Omnitron (GATEWAY, PIT)

10. Pay money To my Pain (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

11. V-Mob (GATEWAY)

12. Sturm und Drang (GUARDIANS)

13. Westfalen (GUARDIANS, PIT)

14. Anal Nosorog (HORDE)

15. Apotheosys (HORDE, NORTH)

16. Arallu (HORDE, NORTH)

17. Cephalic (HORDE)

18. Chastisement (HORDE)

19. Chestcrush (HORDE, NORTH)

20. Creamface (HORDE)

21. F.U.B.A.R. (HORDE)

22. Human Excoriation (HORDE)

23. Kill the Romance (HORDE)

24. Krupskaya (HORDE)

25. Levelled (HORDE)

26. Lost Eden (HORDE)

27. Obscurity (SWE) (HORDE)

28. Enemy of the Sun (INFINITE, PIT)

29. G.U.T. (INFINITE, SPHERE)

30. Arabia (NORTH, PIT)

31. Art Inferno (NORTH)

32. Dark Inversion (NORTH)

33. Deathcult (NOR) (NORTH)

34. Frangar (NORTH)

35. Grimm (NORTH)

36. Ominous Grief (NORTH)

37. Shining / Funeral Dirge (NORTH)

38. Svarta Havet (NORTH)

39. Taarma (NORTH)

40. Executer (PIT)

41. Flageladör (PIT)

42. Unjust, The (PIT)

43. Decontaminate (REVOLUTION)

44. Earthmover (REVOLUTION)

45. xAFBx (REVOLUTION)

46. Jesus Loves Junkies (GATEWAY, SPHERE)