Ben's Forum Replies
I'll do a "no order / only one release per band" list, as I've haven't listened to a lot of these in a long time. Plus the list would be dominated by Shape of Despair and Esoteric too.
Thergothen - Stream from the Heavens (1994)
Esoteric - Pernicious Enigma (1997)
Skepticism - Lead and Aether (1997)
Worship - Last Tape Before Doomsday (1999)
Shape of Despair - Angels of Distress (2001)
Evoken - Quietus (2001)
Tyranny - Tides of Awakening (2005)
Monolithe - Monolithe II (2005)
Ahab - The Call of the Wretched (2006)
Bell Witch - Mirror Reaper (2017)
I'm in The Fallen, but have very little interest in Drone Metal or Sludge Metal. It's really only Death Doom and Funeral Doom that I'm that passionate about.
I'm in The Pit, but can't stand Crossover Thrash. I'm not all that keen on Groove Metal either.
I'm in The Horde, but find very little to enjoy in Grindcore. I struggle with a lot of Brutal and Slam Death Metal too, and despise Death 'n' Roll.
I'm in The North, but haven't discovered much that I like in Folk Metal. Viking Metal is just a confused genre, so hard to discuss.
I think it's rare that someone will connect with every style of metal related to each of their clans. I say don't overthink things, and just join the clans that you feel most connected to. The system was designed to work on a macro scale, and can't possibly capture every taste discrepancy that individual attendees have.
And you know my general rule of thumb. Why spend lots of time listening to styles of music you know you hate. Life's just too short to subject yourself to that sort of thing. Why bother listening to the latest Mägo de Oz (which you're clearly going to despise), when you can just crank up Dead Congregation or Akhlys instead? You might as well listen to Britney Spears.
Of course, each to their own though. 
I can't say this interests me personally, but if others want it...
This is an easy question for me, as probably 80% of my metal listening is Black Metal these days. I just have The North running through my blood I guess, feeling so much more affiliated to it than any other clan. I actually made my graphic artist redo the North icon three times (at great cost), as it needed to be 100% right, which I didn't do for any of the others. I'm stoked with how it ended up if you're wondering.
I think about why I have such an affinity with the genre sometimes. I give plenty of Death Metal and Doom Metal releases 4.5 to 5 stars, and genuinely love them, but when I open up Spotify and decide what I'm going to listen to, rarely do any of those releases come to mind. I consistently turn to Black Metal (both old and new), and I'm currently working my way through every Black Metal release from the 80s and 90s, filling in all the gaps I had the first time around.
As for my inclusion in The Pit, I honestly don't think I've listened to more than a handful of albums released in the past 15 years, so I couldn't even tell you how I feel about modern thrash metal. I just know that 80s thrash metal will always be super important to my development, and it will never fail to capture me when I finally get around to revisiting it.
Here's my review of this great release, once again written a long time ago...
Samael certainly shocked their fans with Passage. Beginning their existence as an extremely raw and simple black metal band (as can be heard on debut Worship Him and follow-up Blood Ritual), this Swiss band had already evolved into a more intense and hard-hitting blasphemous outfit on 1994’s Ceremony of Opposites. They’d gained a lot of new fans with that release (myself included), all of which were waiting anxiously to see where this evolution would go next. 1995’s stop gap EP Rebellion should have warned us all of what might be coming with its increased use of keyboard atmospherics, not to mention an Alice Cooper cover, but this resulting full length album was still an immensely brave release. The industrial elements that had been hinted at on previous releases had been amplified dramatically, the keyboards given far greater importance, and the whole thing was seemingly designed for a mainstream audience. Surely none of these changes were going to please black metal fans!
Yet somehow, despite this huge shift in tone and sound, Passage is blatantly Samael! The heavy, simple, yet effective riffs are there, the energy the band had found on Ceremony of Opposites is if anything amped up and Vorph’s vocals still contain that accented venom we all know and love. This is most definitely the same Samael engine used to create their early albums, but the chassis it runs in is a completely upgraded, shiny new model. Samael made the correct judgement that their previous Satanic themes wouldn’t sit too well with the shift in approach and took on a more Occult / Cosmological subject matter, which is perfectly synchronized with the striking yet simple artwork that adorns the cover. The symphonic aspect is wonderfully executed, with tracks such as Liquid Soul Dimension and Moonskin driven by gripping, and in the latter’s case, beautiful keyboard work. While the focus was certainly taken away from the guitars, it’s worth noting that the band added a second guitarist for the recording, which gives the album a far bigger sound all up.
Not everything the band attempted on this album turned to gold. The programmed drums are great in general, giving the album an almost mechanical and powerful quality, but they occasionally make things a bit too sterile. The beginning of Angel’s Decay is an example of where they sound too characterless, perhaps even too clean for my liking. But 90% of the time they achieve their goal perfectly, with The Ones Who Came Before’s double bass kicking combination with dance beats displaying possibilities conventional drumming could never accomplish. Passage is an example of a band that was willing to take a risk, breaking down the restrictive boundaries that black metal fans often place on their beloved genre, and coming up with something that not only brought them a new audience, but was good enough to impress their existing fan base. If you’re into black metal, industrial metal or even gothic metal, there’s a lot to enjoy here. Highlight tracks are Rain, My Savior, The Ones Who Came Before and Moonskin.
4.5/5
The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 27th of August to the 2nd of September, 2021.
1. Plague Years (PIT)
2. Vulvocrania (REVOLUTION, HORDE)
3. Biolich (INFINITE, HORDE)
4. Iress (INFINITE, FALLEN)
5. Voices From the Fuselage (INFINITE)
6. De Magia Veterum (INFINITE, NORTH)
7. Epiphanic Truth (INFINITE, HORDE)
8. The Beast of Nod (INFINITE, HORDE)
9. Thrones (FALLEN)
10. Sorta Magora (FALLEN, NORTH) - requested by Sonny
11. Völur (FALLEN)
12. Hellish Form (FALLEN)
13. Light This City (HORDE)
14. Invultation (HORDE, NORTH)
15. Stormcrow (HORDE)
16. Blind Stare (HORDE)
17. Terminally Your Aborted Ghost (HORDE)
18. Wizardthrone (HORDE)
19. Asphyxiate (HORDE)
20. Beastcraft (NORTH)
21. Wold (NORTH)
22. Hell Militia (NORTH)
23. Malicious Secrets / Antaeus / Mütiilation / Deathspell Omega (NORTH)
24. Akitsa / Prurient (NORTH)
25. Marblebog (NORTH)
26. Malign (NORTH)
27. Hantaoma (NORTH)
28. Adorior (NORTH)
29. LIK (NORTH)
30. Khandra (NORTH)
Here's my review. It was written many years ago, but I doubt I'd feel very different about it today.
It’s always difficult to write a review for a favourite album. Expressing how much music means to you in words can be a daunting prospect, as the thought of not doing an album justice weighs heavily on the mind whenever attempting it. Brave Murder Day is such an album for me and I hope that I manage to convey my adoration for it over the next few paragraphs. These Swedes had already impressed me greatly by the time I came across this treasure, with their debut full length album Dance of December Souls and the following For Funerals to Come EP both containing hauntingly atmospheric death doom metal, with fantastic melodies and passion-filled vocals. However, as much as I found their music to be moving and entertaining, there’s no doubt that it displayed some signs of immaturity, with less than tight musicianship on occasion and room for improvement in the way their tracks were structured. Taking all this into account, I figured Katatonia would be all the better for the experience, and that their next album would in all likelihood overcome these awkward moments and deliver something very special indeed. Little did I know that this next album would come very close to never eventuating at all, and how dramatically different it would be once it finally did.
After the success of Dance of December Souls, Renkse and Blackheim were not only struggling to find a stable line-up, but they were also finding it difficult to decide exactly where to take their sound. They had toyed with the idea of performing gothic rock with the Scarlet Heavens recording (eventually appearing on a split vinyl with Primordial) before ditching the idea and reverting back to their original sound. This indecision appears to have come to a head after the For Funerals to Come session in 1994, which led to these long term friends putting Katatonia on hold for an indefinite period of time. Blackheim used the sabbatical to explore other genres of metal, putting his energy into the black metal carnival that is Diabolical Masquerade (creating the amazing Ravendusk in My Heart in the process), and also taking part in a thrash metal band called Bewitched. Renkse on the other hand combined with Fredrik Norrman to form October Tide, recording Rain Without End before the end of 1995. It has to be said that October Tide’s debut album, which wouldn’t be officially released until 1997, is where the Brave Murder Day sound was really established, and one has to wonder whether Katatonia would have gone down this path at all had this short hiatus not taken place.
In early 1996, the duo reformed Katatonia and significantly brought Norrman into the fold. There was however one more issue they needed to deal with before getting down to business. Jonas could no longer perform the harsh vocals he was known for due to the extensive damage it was doing to his throat. They’d have to find a replacement vocalist and what better place to look than amongst your own country mates. In steps Mikael Åkerfeldt from Opeth fame. While the man may receive criticism from a growing number of Opeth bashers (as is the case with anything popular it seems), there’s just no doubt in my mind that Mikael is one of the finest vocalists in metal. His performance on Brave Murder Day may not demonstrate the extent of his capabilities, but the controlled anger and melancholy he brings suits the musical themes perfectly. Blackheim and Fredrik produce multitudes of sumptuous melodies throughout, but the other technique that they utilise to achieve their goal is repetition. These tracks have such a calming, hypnotic effect on the listener, despite the extreme despondency that this sound conveys. The album has influenced so many other bands (not least of all Finnish band Rapture) and changed the perception of what doom death metal is capable of. After all, there’s nothing romantic or gothic about Brave Murder Day. It’s mid paced, droning and raw!
Brave Murder Day’s title is taken directly from the first three tracks on the album, but there are six tracks in all totalling just over forty minutes. The first of these (Brave obviously) is the best of the lot in my opinion, being a ten minute classic built around constant rhythmic riffs and Mikael’s grief-stricken vocals. Murder, Rainroom and closer Endtime come awfully close to matching Brave and are all brilliant, but their lesser running times don’t quite allow them the room to outshine it. 12 stands out as having a slightly different structure to the rest, which isn’t surprising considering it’s actually a reworking of an earlier Katatonia track called Black Erotica, originally recorded for the W.A.R. Compilation Volume 1 for Wrong Again Records in 1995. There’s no question that it’s third track Day that causes the most controversy amongst fans of the band. This depressing little “ballad” was the first track to contain entirely clean vocals from Renkse and many consider his performance here to be a bit weak, despite the fact that he would take over full time clean vocals on all albums from this point onwards. While I agree that he would go from strength to strength with each subsequent album, I still think this track gives the album a much needed shift in intensity and his emotional, vulnerable style only adds to the melancholy.
One of the other things of note when discussing Brave Murder Day is that the album was originally released completely un-mastered. Why this happened is anyone’s guess (perhaps the band felt no need to tinker with the result) but it wasn’t until 2006 that Peaceville would re-release the album in mastered form for the very first time. I haven’t heard this updated version, but to be honest, I see no need to. The production on the original has nothing of note that needs adjusting and the organic sound of the instruments works in its favour rather than against it. The thing that does make the Peaceville release appealing is that it also includes the fantastic EP Sounds of Decay. This three track EP contains the only other material recorded with this line-up and therefore sits perfectly alongside Brave Murder Day, unlike the For Funerals to Come EP which is included on the Century Media version. That being said, both of these EPs can be found on the Brave Yester Days compilation (along with stacks of other rare and unreleased material), so there’s no real reason in my mind to upgrade from the original pressing of this classic album. In the end, Brave Murder Day is an album that all fans of depressive metal should own, regardless of which version you choose. It’s an album I can never get sick of and is thoroughly deserving of five stars.
5/5
Hey, this is pretty cool Xephyr! You've definitely got a voice for radio (and that's not a comment about your face haha!). It's really great to actually see / hear you after reading so many of your posts / reviews.
It's a shame that you can't include some tracks or even partial tracks. Thanks for the Metal Academy mention!
Also, props for including Perturbator.
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement. I've gone with the first entry, and will add the second if successful.
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.
This release had been added to the Hall of Judgement.
This release had been added to the Hall of Judgement.
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.
The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 23rd to the 26th of August, 2021.
1. Usurpress (FALLEN, HORDE)
2. Bala (FALLEN)
3. Lamented Souls (FALLEN)
4. Mythological Cold Towers (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny
5. Green Dragon (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny
6. Ishmael (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny
7. Grey Daturas (FALLEN)
8. Horndal (FALLEN)
9. The Big F (GATEWAY)
10. Ethel the Frog (GUARDIANS)
11. Tower of Rome (HORDE)
12. Hentai Cum Dungeon (HORDE)
13. Thøtcrime (HORDE, REVOLUTION)
14. Gendo Ikari (HORDE)
15. 暗狱戮尸 (HORDE, INFINITE)
16. Korpse (HORDE)
17. Enbilulugugal (HORDE, NORTH)
18. Diskord (HORDE, INFINITE)
19. ByoNoiseGenerator (HORDE)
20. Tombstoner (HORDE) - requested by Vinny
21. Ænigmatum (HORDE, INFINITE) - requested by Vinny
22. Aereogramme (INFINITE)
23. Terra Odium (INFINITE)
24. Power From Hell (PIT, NORTH)
25. Czarci Świt (NORTH)
26. Auld Ridge (NORTH)
27. Leviathan / Crebain (NORTH)
28. Wanderer (REVOLUTION)
29. Magnitude (REVOLUTION)
30. The Browning (REVOLUTION)
Ah, I see. Let me see if that can be done.
I'm proud of all the cool stuff we have here at Metal Academy, but I do worry that it could be daunting and/or confusing for newcomers. It doesn't help that the FAQ is outdated and hidden in fine print at the bottom of the site. I want to update it and make it more visible, but ideally in a cool way that really showcases what the site is all about. I'm going to think about how to achieve that, but if anyone has any ideas or has seen something great on another site, please let me know. I wish I had the skills to make an awesome animation that guides people through everything the Metal Academy has to offer its attendees, but alas, I don't.
I'd also like to get an idea from people which features we currently have are valuable to you and which ones aren't particularly. Note that I'm not intending to remove features, but maybe they don't all have to be in the main menu bar? Could we "dumb" down the front page to make it more accessible?
Personally, I mostly use the Releases and Forums buttons, but regularly access the Gallery, Lists and Anniversaries pages too. While I think we need it, I don't personally find value in the Bands page, but maybe others do? I also basically never access the Charts now, as the Releases page allows me to achieve the same functionality with way more options (such as year, format and sub-genre). The only thing the Releases page doesn't have is a numbered order for your results. Do people still find value in the Charts page?
As usual, all feedback is welcome.
Vinny and Sonny, I want to make sure that I fully understand what it is when you're suggesting improvements to the navigation. Are you saying that you want to be able to see the icons / field selectors at the bottom of the page as well as the top on the Releases and Bands pages specifically?
The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 14th to the 22nd of August, 2021.
1. Berri Txarrak (GATEWAY)
2. Depswa (GATEWAY)
3. Passenger (GATEWAY)
4. Motograter (GATEWAY)
5. Ildjarn-Nidhogg (NORTH)
6. Hail (NORTH)
7. Illnath (NORTH, HORDE)
8. Paysage d'Hiver / Vinterriket (NORTH)
9. Algor (NORTH)
10. Teen Cthulhu (NORTH, REVOLUTION)
11. Koldbrann (NORTH)
12. Aaskereia (NORTH)
13. Kadenzza (NORTH)
14. Barbatos (NORTH, PIT)
15. Von (NORTH, FALLEN)
16. Epheles (NORTH)
17. Tenebrae in Perpetuum (NORTH)
18. Furze (NORTH, FALLEN)
19. Vargsang (NORTH)
20. Luror (NORTH)
21. Tvangeste (NORTH)
22. Since by Man (REVOLUTION)
23. Comity (REVOLUTION, FALLEN)
24. Sworn Enemy (REVOLUTION)
25. Blood Has Been Shed (REVOLUTION)
26. Bridge Burner (REVOLUTION)
27. Himsa (REVOLUTION)
28. Goatsblood (FALLEN)
29. Rune (FALLEN, HORDE)
30. Buried at Sea (FALLEN, INFINITE)
31. Brainoil (FALLEN)
32. For My Pain... (FALLEN)
33. Bedemon (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)
34. Aina (GUARDIANS)
35. Balance of Power (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)
36. MinstreliX (GUARDIANS)
37. Electrocution 250 (INFINITE)
38. Taal (INFINITE)
39. Farmakon (INFINITE, HORDE)
40. Sun Caged (INFINITE)
41. Traun (INFINITE)
42. Mi'Gauss (HORDE)
43. Brutus (HORDE)
44. Curse of the Golden Vampire (HORDE)
45. Dave Phillips (HORDE)
46. Soils of Fate (HORDE)
47. Slugathor (HORDE)
48. Pavor (HORDE)
49. Dungeon Serpent (HORDE)
50. Panzerchrist (HORDE)
51. Unmoored (HORDE)
52. Verminous (HORDE)
53. Frightmare (HORDE, PIT)
54. Inhume (HORDE)
55. Funerus (HORDE)
56. Wayd (HORDE)
57. Ahumado Granujo (HORDE)
58. Gruesome Malady (HORDE)
59. Charnel Grounds (HORDE)
60. Inoculation (HORDE)
61. Inveracity (HORDE)
62. Ulysses Siren (PIT)
63. Traitor (PIT)
I agree Sonny, and sadly I feel like it's just how the internet is these days. It seems to be "cool" to totally troll something that everyone has been anticipating, whether it be a movie, a TV show, an album, or whatever. Before things are even released now, you have people giving things 0 out of 10 just for the heck of it, and making "worst thing ever" type comments (or even throwing around terms like incel I see). Apparently it's a fun thing to do, but I'll never understand it.
Metal Academy has been designed with this in mind (it's obviously not completely avoidable), and if that means we dramatically limit our numbers, then that's a price I'm sure we're all willing to pay.
I've tried to enjoy Power Metal over the years, but really struggle with it. And yet I LOVE this album!
So either this isn't actually Power Metal at all (or at least not straight Power Metal), or there have to be other bands / albums in the genre that I'll enjoy. Maybe someone with experience can advise?
The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 7th to the 13th of August, 2021.
1. Five Pointe O (GATEWAY)
2. 3rd Strike (GATEWAY)
3. Downthesun (GATEWAY)
4. Corey Feldman (GATEWAY)
5. Pulse Ultra (GATEWAY, INFINITE)
6. The Apex Theory (GATEWAY, INFINITE)
7. Trust Company (GATEWAY)
8. Sweet Noise (GATEWAY)
9. Sôber (GATEWAY)
10. Cadacross (GUARDIANS, HORDE)
11. Daisuke Ishiwatari / Koichi Seiyama (GUARDIANS)
12. Arrayan Path (GUARDIANS)
13. Crystalium (NORTH)
14. Mütiilation / Deathspell Omega (NORTH)
15. Graven (NORTH)
16. Gospel of the Horns (NORTH, PIT)
17. Apotheosis (NORTH, INFINITE)
18. Leviathan (SWE) (NORTH)
19. Nazgûl (NORTH)
20. Bestial Mockery (NORTH, PIT, HORDE)
21. Nordlicht (NORTH)
22. Demiser (NORTH, PIT)
23. Valac (NORTH)
24. Felled (NORTH) - requested by Vinny
25. Duskmourn (NORTH, HORDE)
26. Thunderstorm (FALLEN)
27. The Fantômas Melvins Big Band (FALLEN, INFINITE)
28. Floor (FALLEN)
29. Racebannon (FALLEN, REVOLUTION)
30. Sourvein (FALLEN)
31. Somnuri (FALLEN, INFINITE)
32. Merzbow / Shora (REVOLUTION)
33. Circuit Circuit (REVOLUTION)
34. Osiah (REVOLUTION)
35. Ron Jarzombek (INFINITE)
36. Dripping (INFINITE, HORDE)
37. HAH (INFINITE)
38. Alienation Mental (HORDE)
39. Lymphatic Phlegm (HORDE)
40. Asesino (HORDE)
41. Paracoccidioidomicosisproctitissarcomucosis (HORDE)
42. Pustulated (HORDE)
43. Excommunion (HORDE)
44. Dimension Zero (HORDE)
45. Birdflesh (HORDE)
46. Crypta (HORDE)
47. ThrashWall (PIT)
Misery by Disbelief off Worst Enemy (2001)
Ceremonies of Deceit (Effulgence Rituals) by Internecine off The Book of Lambs (2002)
Venator by Be'lakor off Stone's Reach (2009)
Crucifixation by Deicide off Deicide (1990)
Relics by Nasum off Helvete (2003)
Stench of Paradise Burning by Disincarnate off Dreams of the Carrion Kind (1993)
Total Running Time: 30 minutes and 16 seconds (sorry!)
A Dying Wish by Anathema off The Silent Enigma (1995)
Coalescent of the Inhumane Awareness by Tyranny off Tides of Awakening (2005)
Stellar Tombs by Draconian off Sovran (2015)
Total Running Time: 23 minutes and 13 seconds
Cursed Excruciation / The Sinuous Serpent of Genesis (Leviathan) by Mystifier off Goetia (1993)
Diabolical Beauty by Dawn off Nær sólen gar niþer for evogher (1994)
Epitome XI by Blut aus Nord off 777 - The Desanctification (2011)
Total Running Time: 21 minutes and 44 seconds
The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 1st to the 6th of August, 2021.
1. Onward (GUARDIANS)
2. Crom (GUARDIANS, HORDE)
3. Beatallica (GUARDIANS)
4. Lullacry (GUARDIANS, FALLEN)
5. Lordian Guard (GUARDIANS)
6. Wayne (GUARDIANS, PIT)
7. Beto Vázquez Infinity (GUARDIANS)
8. Wardrum (GUARDIANS)
9. Vediog Svaor (NORTH, INFINITE)
10. Passéisme (NORTH)
11. Enslavement of Beauty (NORTH, HORDE)
12. Apokalyptic Raids (NORTH, HORDE, PIT)
13. Arthemesia (NORTH)
14. Legion, The (NORTH)
15. King's-Evil (PIT)
16. Condition Critical (PIT)
17. Shizit, The (SPHERE, GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)
18. Crossbreed (SPHERE, GATEWAY)
19. Corrupted / 324 / Discordance Axis (HORDE, FALLEN)
20. The Sawtooth Grin (HORDE, REVOLUTION)
21. Winter Bestowed (HORDE)
22. Arsedestroyer (HORDE)
23. Murder Squad (HORDE)
24. Gronibard (HORDE)
25. 324 (HORDE, FALLEN)
26. Virulence (HORDE, REVOLUTION)
27. Pyaemia (HORDE)
28. Deteriorot (HORDE)
29. Circle of Dead Children (HORDE)
30. Fuck...I'm Dead (HORDE)
31. Hellchild (HORDE, REVOLUTION, FALLEN)
32. Ophidian I (HORDE)
33. 5ive (INFINITE, FALLEN)
34. Karaboudjan (INFINITE)
35. Death Engine (INFINITE, FALLEN)
36. Heaven's Cry (INFINITE)
37. Terra Firma (FALLEN)
38. Acid King / The Mystick Krewe of Clearlight (FALLEN)
39. Dozer (FALLEN)
40. Avrigus (FALLEN)
41. Astroqueen (FALLEN)
42. Wormphlegm (FALLEN)
43. Laudanum (FALLEN)
44. Well of Souls (FALLEN)
45. Darko (REVOLUTION)
46. Converge / Hellchild (REVOLUTION)
47. Luti-Kriss (REVOLUTION, GATEWAY
48. Dry Kill Logic (REVOLUTION, GATEWAY)
49. Stereomud (GATEWAY)
50. 40 Below Summer (GATEWAY)
51. Boy Hits Car (GATEWAY)
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.
The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from 24th to the 30th of July, 2021.
1. Seo Taiji (GATEWAY)
2. Primer 55 (GATEWAY)
3. Lostprophets (GATEWAY)
4. Thousand Foot Krutch (GATEWAY)
5. Methods of Mayhem (GATEWAY)
6. The Union Underground (GATEWAY)
7. Apollo Ra (GUARDIANS)
8. Majestic (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)
9. Sabïre (GUARDIANS)
10. Thaurorod (GUARDIANS)
11. Veiled in Scarlet (GUARDIANS, HORDE)
12. Silver Talon (GUARDIANS, INFINITE) - requested by Sonny
13. Swarrrm (HORDE, REVOLUTION, FALLEN)
14. Clotted Symmetric Sexual Organ (HORDE)
15. Nunslaughter (HORDE, NORTH, PIT)
16. Coffin Texts (HORDE)
17. Abhorrence (HORDE)
18. Siderean (HORDE, INFINITE)
19. Blood Freak (HORDE)
20. Biomorphic Engulfment (HORDE)
21. Leechmilk (FALLEN)
22. Havayoth (FALLEN)
23. Sea of Deprivation (FALLEN)
24. Abdullah (FALLEN)
25. Blazing Eternity (FALLEN, NORTH)
26. Witchrot (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny
27. To Cast a Shadow (FALLEN)
28. Lengsel (INFINITE, NORTH)
29. Platypus (INFINITE)
30. Everon (INFINITE)
31. Planet X (INFINITE)
32. Spiral Architect (INFINITE)
33. Black Witchery / Conqueror (NORTH)
34. Ordinance (NORTH) - requested by Vinny
35. Megiddo (NORTH)
36. Sirius (NORTH)
37. Moonblood / Deathspell Omega (NORTH)
38. Morwinyon (NORTH)
39. Raised Fist (REVOLUTION)
40. To the Grave (REVOLUTION)
Sorted. Veiled in Scarlet
Hmmm... your number 1 release isn't even on Metal Academy. I guess I'll have to fix that.
Congrats mate! It's nice to see that these challenges are still getting attention.
Congrats for completing the challenge Vinny! It's always a big effort, regardless of how much past knowledge you have.
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.
These releases have been added to the Hall of Judgement.
This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.
The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from 16th to the 23rd of July, 2021.
1. Mefisto (PIT, HORDE, NORTH)
2. Forté (PIT, GUARDIANS)
3. Skinlab (PIT, GATEWAY)
4. Cranium (PIT)
5. Racetraitor (REVOLUTION)
6. As the Sun Sets (REVOLUTION, HORDE)
7. More Than a Thousand (REVOLUTION, GATEWAY)
8. Subway to Sally (GATEWAY, SPHERE, NORTH)
9. Pleymo (GATEWAY)
10. Ultraspank (GATEWAY)
11. Engine (GATEWAY, GUARDIANS)
12. Puya (GATEWAY)
13. Reveille (GATEWAY)
14. Gonkulator (HORDE, NORTH)
15. Koreisch (HORDE, FALLEN)
16. Brimstone (HORDE, GUARDIANS)
17. Violent Dirge (HORDE, INFINITE)
18. Regurgitation (HORDE)
19. Autumn Leaves (HORDE)
20. Infestdead (HORDE)
21. The Elysian Fields (HORDE, NORTH, SPHERE, GUARDIANS)
22. Godgory (HORDE, FALLEN)
23. Vomit Remnants (HORDE)
24. Steel Attack (GUARDIANS)
25. Dreams of Sanity (GUARDIANS, FALLEN)
26. Sinergy (GUARDIANS)
27. Saber (GUARDIANS)
28. Steel Prophet (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)
29. Fall of Because (SPHERE)
30. Seth.ECT (SPHERE)
31. Slutet (NORTH)
32. Sortsind (NORTH)
33. Betray My Secrets (NORTH, FALLEN)
34. Conqueror (NORTH)
35. Triumphator (NORTH)
36. Frozen Shadows (NORTH)
37. Lucifugum (NORTH)
38. Rakoth (NORTH, FALLEN, INFINITE)
39. Shaman (NORTH)
40. Voidsphere (NORTH)
41. Mundanus Imperium (NORTH, INFINITE)
42. Stone Healer (NORTH, INFINITE)
43. Nameless Mist (NORTH)
44. Ühtceare (NORTH)
45. Vordven (NORTH)
46. Wind of the Black Mountains (NORTH)
47. Ebonylake (NORTH, INFINITE)
48. Warloghe (NORTH)
49. Malvery (NORTH)
50. Thorns / Emperor (NORTH)
51. Ofdrykkja (NORTH)
52. Ice Age (INFINITE)
53. Dali's Dilemma (INFINITE)
54. MullMuzzler (INFINITE)
55. Papangu (INFINITE, FALLEN)
56. Others by No One (INFINITE)
57. Cavity (FALLEN)
58. Otkroveniya Dozhdya (FALLEN)
Haha... I think we can expect a triple CD concept album by the end of COVID.
Here's another band that I just added today: Lucifugum
17 full length albums, with only the debut having more than 52 ratings on RYM. None of the last 11 albums rate higher than 2.78 (if you ignore the most recent album that only has 3 ratings).
I admire their passion and longevity, but what keeps them going?!
I feel like Two Hunters might also make my list at some point. Need to give it a bit more time.
I'm not entirely sure these days. I could easily create a top 50 black metal albums, but making a top 10 list is much more challenging.
Here are 10 that instantly come to mind, so I'm just throwing it out there with little real consideration. The last four may not actually make my true top 10 list, but it's boring including something like Darkthrone or Bathory when I could put something potentially surprising. I hope to rate all my favourites in the next couple of years and then I'll be able to do a proper top 10.
1. Burzum - Filosofem
2. Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse
3. Mayhem - De mysteriis dom Sathanas
4. Burzum - Hvis lyset tat oss
5. Blut aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God
6. Ulver - Bergtatt
7. Darkspace - Dark Space III
8. Nehemah - Requiem Tenebrae
9. Lurker of Chalice - Lurker of Chalice
10. ColdWorld - Melancholie2
Esoptron by Septic Flesh off Esoptron (1995)
I never considered this to be a Death Doom Metal album, but RYM clearly does. This was the first Septic Flesh album I ever heard (thanks Daniel!) and I immediately loved it.
Allegoria by Bethlehem off Mein Weg (2004)
Well, given few Metal Academy attendees seem very keen on my standard Gothic Metal representation, allow me to throw you a curve ball. Mein Weg is a HUGELY underrated album, that can't possibly be represented by a single track. Yes, it's insane. Yes, the Gothic Metal tag doesn't really capture it. But hey, everyone should be introduced to this at some point. There's nothing else like it.
Through Her Silvery Body by Swallow the Sun off The Morning Never Came (2003)
It took about 60 seconds for me to believe that this band was going to be one of my absolute favourites...ever! Sadly, they've not quite lived up to that, but this track is a good example of why I thought that.
Relention by Katatonia off Discouraged Ones
An album that confused me at first (I wanted more Brave Murder Day), but I soon came to appreciate it almost as much. This isn't the best track off this melancholic classic, but it's a good one, and my 24 minutes were dangerously close to running out.
Running Time: 23 minutes and 33 seconds.
Perturbator - Lustful Sacraments (2021)Been really enjoying Perturbator's newest album since it's a decently big style shift for him. Lot of darker, gothic elements that push him farther away from the slightly cheesy 80's Synthwave style that he's so known for. Most of the vocals sound like they could have come directly from a Gothic Metal record, minus some of the enthusiasm. Managed to write a full review linked below.
Well well, another Perturbator fan! Definitely one of my favourite non-metal artists. I have to admit I'm finding the new album to be a little hit and miss, but I'll give it time to grow on me. The Uncanny Valley has been a highly regular listen for me for the past 5 years.