Ben's Forum Replies

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.

I'd have to listen to quite a bit of it to form an opinion, and based on this track, that won't be happening anytime soon.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 29th of October to the 8th of November, 2021.

1. Demians (GATEWAY)

2. The Murder of My Sweet (GUARDIANS)

3. Ryan Adams (GUARDIANS)

4. Heljareyga (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

5. Dawnbringer (GUARDIANS, NORTH, PIT)

6. Sister Sin (GUARDIANS)

7. Holy Grail (GUARDIANS, PIT)

8. Charred Walls of the Damned (GUARDIANS)

9. Steelwing (GUARDIANS)

10. Züül (GUARDIANS)

11. Acrassicauda (PIT)

12. Besieged (PIT)

13. Cruel Force (PIT, NORTH)

14. Children of Technology (PIT)

15. Dishammer (PIT)

16. Young and in the Way (REVOLUTION, NORTH, HORDE)

17. Short Bus Pile Up (REVOLUTION, HORDE)

18. Early Graves (REVOLUTION)

19. This or the Apocalypse (REVOLUTION)

20. All Pigs Must Die (REVOLUTION)

21. Structures (REVOLUTION, INFINITE)

22. Shadow of the Colossus (REVOLUTION, INFINITE)

23. Woe, Is Me (REVOLUTION)

24. Our Last Night (REVOLUTION)

25. I Am Abomination (REVOLUTION, INFINITE)

26. Mutiny Within (REVOLUTION, INFINITE, HORDE)

27. And Hell Followed With (REVOLUTION)

28. Brobdingnagian (INFINITE, NORTH)

29. Son of Aurelius (INFINITE, HORDE)

30. Vestiges (INFINITE, FALLEN)

31. Les Discrets (INFINITE)

32. Kälter (INFINITE, HORDE)

33. Echoes (INFINITE)

34. gru (INFINITE)

35. The Shadow Theory (INFINITE)

36. Aspera (INFINITE)

37. Candy Cane (INFINITE, NORTH)

38. Candy Cane / Oranssi Pazuzu (INFINITE, NORTH)

39. Division by Zero (INFINITE)

40. Wharflurch (HORDE)

41. Sete Star Sept (HORDE)

42. Nocturnal Blood (HORDE, NORTH)

43. Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire (HORDE, FALLEN)

44. Bologna Violenta (HORDE)

45. Enthrope (HORDE)

46. Witchrist (HORDE, FALLEN, NORTH)

47. Calm Hatchery (HORDE)

48. Prosanctus Inferi (HORDE, NORTH)

49. Blood Revolt (HORDE, NORTH)

50. Arkaik (HORDE)

51. Cerebral Effusion (HORDE)

52. Odz Manouk (NORTH)

53. Mortualia (NORTH)

54. Bagatur (NORTH)

55. Manierisme (NORTH)

56. Clair Cassis (NORTH)

57. Sexdrome (NORTH)

58. Dopamine (NORTH)

59. Duszę wypuścił (NORTH)

60. Sleeping Peonies (NORTH)

61. Anguished (NORTH)

62. The Austrasian Goat (NORTH, FALLEN)

63. Aiumeen Basoa (NORTH)

64. Morowe (NORTH)

65. Marțolea (NORTH)

66. Odem Arcarum (NORTH)

67. Skagos / Panopticon (NORTH)

68. Темнозорь (NORTH)

69. Nàttsòl (NORTH)

70. Ov Hell (NORTH)

71. Exiled From Light (NORTH)

72. Black Space Riders (FALLEN)

73. Ophis (FALLEN)

74. Noctum (FALLEN)

75. Stonehelm (FALLEN)

76. Eibon (FALLEN)

77. Oryx (FALLEN)

78. Djinn and Miskatonic (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

I thought I'd forgotten to post my suggestions, but I've just noticed they are there.

Never fear Sonny. Your entries meant there was no need for me to hunt down War Metal tracks for inclusion. You covered that for me perfectly! I'll add your name now.

There was really contrasting material to include in this playlist, so I decided to spread it all out rather than bunch similar track styles together. I personally enjoy regular shifts in style throughout playlists to add that attention grabbing surprise factor. I still tried to make the tracks flow as much as I could, but I like the feeling of never knowing quite what you're going to get next.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. I discovered a few interesting new bands in the process. 

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy on the 28th of October, 2021.

1. Swashbuckle (PIT, HORDE)

2. Veilburner (INFINITE, NORTH, HORDE)

3. Apparition (HORDE, FALLEN) - requested by Vinny

4. LANDMVRKS (REVOLUTION)

5. Altar of Oblivion (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

6. Lament Christ (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

7. Astralium (GUARDIANS)

Plus a bunch of new releases from existing bands.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 14th to the 27th of October, 2021.

1. In Fear and Faith (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

2. Dead by April (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

3. Elysion (GATEWAY, FALLEN)

4. Slagmaur (SPHERE, NORTH)

5. Black Light Discipline (SPHERE)

6. Nachtreich (GUARDIANS, NORTH)

7. Ketzer (GUARDIANS, PIT, NORTH)

8. Sarke (GUARDIANS, PIT, NORTH)

9. Demetori (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

10. Illusion Suite (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

11. Iron Claw (GUARDIANS)

12. Horrific (GUARDIANS, HORDE)

13. Tim "Ripper" Owens (GUARDIANS)

14. Sinister Realm (GUARDIANS, FALLEN)

15. Gwyllion (GUARDIANS)

16. Armour (GUARDIANS, PIT)

17. Excoriate (HORDE)

18. Soulfallen (HORDE, NORTH)

19. Ignivomous (HORDE)

20. Goreaphobia (HORDE)

21. Gwynbleidd (HORDE, INFINITE)

22. Luna Mortis (HORDE)

23. Amputated (HORDE)

24. The Slamburglars (HORDE, INFINITE)

25. Oblomov (HORDE, NORTH)

26. Kalisia (INFINITE)

27. Nesseria (FALLEN, REVOLUTION)

28. Centaurus-A (HORDE)

29. The Few Against Many (HORDE)

30. Denial (HORDE)

31. Squash Bowels (HORDE)

32. Ascended (HORDE, FALLEN)

33. General Surgery (HORDE)

34. Maim (HORDE)

35. Heathen Foray (HORDE, NORTH)

36. Claws (HORDE)

37. Cerebral Incubation (HORDE)

38. Gnostic (HORDE, PIT)

39. Conducting From the Grave (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

40. The Boy Will Drown (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

41. Vomit the Soul (HORDE)

42. Iron Age (PIT)

43. Children (PIT, INFINITE)

44. AssJack (PIT)

45. Alkoholizer (PIT)

46. Razor of Occam (PIT, NORTH)

47. Tenet (PIT)

48. Bywar (PIT)

49. Process of Guilt (INFINITE, FALLEN)

50. Les Discrets / Alcest (INFINITE)

51. Exivious (INFINITE)

52. Proghma-C (INFINITE)

53. Echoes of Yul (INFINITE, FALLEN)

54. Circle of Contempt (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

55. Eryn Non Dae. (INFINITE, FALLEN)

56. Roswell Six (INFINITE)

57. CiLiCe (INFINITE)

58. Fu Xi (NORTH, FALLEN)

59. Plaga (NORTH)

60. Sui Caedere (NORTH)

61. Miserere Luminis (NORTH)

62. Apati (NORTH)

63. Black Vomit (NORTH)

64. Skitliv (NORTH, FALLEN)

65. Fenriz' Red Planet / Nattefrost (NORTH, FALLEN)

66. Orcustus (NORTH)

67. Serpent of the Abyss (NORTH)

68. Helleruin (NORTH)

69. Irminsul (NORTH)

70. Skagos (NORTH)

71. When Mine Eyes Blacken (NORTH)

72. Askival (NORTH)

73. Anal Blasphemy (NORTH)

74. Happy Days (NORTH)

75. Рожь [Rozh] (NORTH, FALLEN)

76. Geïst (NORTH)

77. Here Comes the Kraken (REVOLUTION)

78. ABACABB (REVOLUTION)

79. The Arusha Accord (REVOLUTION)

80. Narrows (REVOLUTION, FALLEN)

81. Adept (REVOLUTION)

82. Texas in July (REVOLUTION)

83. Dying Wish (REVOLUTION)

84. Molotov Solution (REVOLUTION)

85. A Skylit Drive (REVOLUTION)

86. Arkaea (REVOLUTION)

87. Griftegård (FALLEN)

88. Wine From Tears (FALLEN)

89. Scott Weinrich (FALLEN)

90. Dark Castle (FALLEN)

91. Ablaze in Hatred (FALLEN)

92. Celan (FALLEN)

93. Megasus (FALLEN)

Huge anniversary for me today... Death's Human turns 30!

1991 was such an exciting year in my life. I was 14, with all the freedoms and experiences that come with that age. I think it was the year that I really started moving beyond my Metallica / Slayer / Iron Maiden roots, and into the formerly scary world of extreme metal. This album, along with Morbid Angel's Blessed Are the Sick, Sepultura's Arise, Carcass' Necroticism, Entombed's Clandestine, Pestilence's Testimony of the Ancients and Bolt Thrower's War Master set me on an extraordinary journey of extremity, darkness, and dare I say beauty. It's a journey I'm still on today, and there have been very few destinations on the way that are as perfect as Death's Human.

I want to take this moment to thank my big brother Daniel for guiding me down this path. I'm fairly certain I would never have found it without him.

R.I.P. Chuck! I still genuinely feel like crying when I think about the loss. I'm not ashamed to say that I did cry on the day I found out that he'd passed away. I'd be shocked if Daniel didn't shed a tear too.

I have this conversation with people all the time. I don't hide the fact that metal music (not to mention horror movies) is one of the most important things to me in my life. This shocks people no end, particularly in my workplace where I'm in a senior role, and normally results in immediate comments like "But you seem like such a nice person" and "You mean that shouting, angry stuff? I can't understand how anyone can actually like that. It all sounds the same doesn't it?"

I generally respond by saying "I genuinely love the shouting, angry stuff if it's performed really well, but that's only part of metal. Metal is a hugely varied, internationally huge genre, with so many different styles that really don't sound anything alike." This is normally met with disbelief and another negative comment like "You can't even understand what they're saying! Why do they have to be so angry all the time!", to which I inform them that I'm 100% certain that they've never heard a single second of any of my favourite bands, so perhaps their judgement is premature. How would they feel if I told them all their favourite artists and TV shows are rubbish when I've never experienced any of them? There's a lot of beauty and differing emotions to be found in metal music, and I'd be more than happy to showcase some of it for them if they'd be willing.

I've never had anyone (ever) choose to actually listen to what I enjoy after having that conversation. It always goes the same, with them shaking their heads and seeing me in a very different light after the discovery that I clearly worship Satan and have very, very bad taste.

Now this is all face to face, "real world" stuff. I don't think it's any surprise that the anonymity of the internet and the general trolly nature of its inhabitants results in this negative response being exacerbated to an aggressive degree (which is rather ironic). I can't see it ever changing, so choose to ignore it.

I'm all for people making lists like "10 albums that other metal fans love that I just don't connect with" or "my top 10 most disappointing albums". I have no time for videos like this one, that exist only to shit on someone else's birthday cake for the controversy (apparently the only way to get attention these days).

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 10th to the 13th of October, 2021.

1. Tel (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

2. Age of the Wolf / Tel (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

3. Age of the Wolf (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

4. KK's Priest (GUARDIANS)

5. Heavy Sentence (GUARDIANS)

6. Immortal Guardian (GUARDIANS, INFINITE) - requested by illusionist

7. Ekulu (PIT)

8. Zombie Shark (REVOLUTION, HORDE)

9. This Day Forward (REVOLUTION) - requested by shadowdoom9

10. Crypts of Despair (HORDE)

11. Groza (PIT)

Also added a heap of new releases from bands already on the site.

October Tide - Grey Dawn off Grey Dawn (1999)

Forest of Shadows - Eternal Autumn off Where Dreams Turn to Dust (2001)

Un - Sentiment off Sentiment (2018)

Total Running TIme: 25 minutes and 57 seconds

Pestilence - Presence of the Dead off Testimony of the Ancients (1991)

Gorefest - The Glorious Dead off False (1992)

Cephalic Carnage - Wraith off Anomalies (2005)

In Mourning - The Shrouded Divine off Shrouded Divine (2008)

Septicflesh - The Vampire from Nazareth off The Great Mass (2011)

Artificial Brain - Absorbing Black Ignition off Labyrinth Constellation (2014)

Total Running Time: 29 minutes and 58 seconds

Mayhem  - View From Nihil off Grand Declaration of War (2000)

Windir - Fagning off Likferd (2003)

Schammasch - Metanoia off Triangle (2016)

Total Running Time: 19 minutes and 36 seconds

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 24th of September to the 9th of October, 2021.

1. Viikate (GATEWAY, GUARDIANS)

2. Head (GATEWAY)

3. Day Without Dawn (GATEWAY)

4. Eyes Set to Kill (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

5. Attack Attack! (REVOLUTION)

6. Black Tide (GATEWAY, GUARDIANS, REVOLUTION)

7. Dub Trio (GATEWAY)

8. The Gentle Men (GATEWAY)

9. Iamerror (REVOLUTION, HORDE)

10. For the Fallen Dreams (REVOLUTION)

11. Fellsilent (REVOLUTION, INFINITE)

12. Maruta (HORDE)

13. Greeley Estates (REVOLUTION)

14. Salt the Wound (REVOLUTION)

15. Oceana (REVOLUTION)

16. For Today (REVOLUTION)

17. Blessed by a Broken Heart (REVOLUTION)

18. I Set My Friends on Fire (REVOLUTION)

19. Capsule (REVOLUTION, FALLEN)

20. Saviours (PIT, GUARDIANS, FALLEN)

21. Eliminator (PIT)

22. Hayaino Daisuki (PIT, HORDE)

23. Syphilitic Vaginas (PIT, NORTH, GUARDIANS, HORDE)

24. Necrovation (HORDE)

25. Go Ahead and Die (PIT)

26. Austrian Death Machine (PIT)

27. Njiqahdda (FALLEN, NORTH, INFINITE)

28. Unto Others (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

29. Trinacria (FALLEN, NORTH, INFINITE)

30. Jesu / Battle of Mice (FALLEN, INFINITE)

31. Exoskeleton (FALLEN)

32. Pentemple (FALLEN)

33. Salome (FALLEN)

34. Black River (FALLEN)

35. Thou / Leech (FALLEN, NORTH)

36. Nadja & Black Boned Angel (FALLEN)

37. Withered (FALLEN, NORTH, HORDE)

38. Swallow the Ocean (FALLEN, INFINITE)

39. TESA (FALLEN, INFINITE)

40. Electric Wizard / Reverend Bizarre (FALLEN)

41. Outlaw Order (FALLEN)

42. Nivathe (FALLEN, NORTH)

43. Plaguewielder (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny

44. Unsun (FALLEN)

45. Abyssmal Sorrow (FALLEN)

46. Samothrace (FALLEN)

47. The Lamp of Thoth (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

48. Trenches (FALLEN, INFINITE)

49. Kivimetsän Druidi (GUARDIANS, NORTH)

50. Obtest (GUARDIANS, NORTH)

51. Revolution Renaissance (GUARDIANS)

52. Ocrilim (NORTH, INFINITE)

53. Arkan (NORTH, HORDE, INFINITE)

54. Armanenschaft (NORTH)

55. I'm in a Coffin (NORTH)

56. Austere / Isolation (NORTH)

57. Isolation (NORTH)

58. Trancelike Void (NORTH)

59. Impavida (NORTH)

60. Brocken Moon (NORTH)

61. Wrath of the Weak (NORTH)

62. Krypt (NORTH)

63. Angst Skvadron (NORTH, INFINITE)

64. Svarti Loghin (NORTH)

65. Ofermod (NORTH, HORDE)

66. Ayat (NORTH)

67. Pyha (NORTH)

68. Deathspell Omega / S.V.E.S.T. (NORTH)

69. Austere / Lyrinx (NORTH)

70. Wehmut (NORTH)

71. Sorgsvart (NORTH)

72. Svartediket (NORTH, INFINITE)

73. Ansur (NORTH, INFINITE)

74. Blasphemophagher (NORTH, HORDE)

75. Behexen / Satanic Warmaster (NORTH)

76. Celestial Bloodshed (NORTH)

77. Grave Desecrator (NORTH, PIT, HORDE)

78. Thron (NORTH)

79. Cause for Effect (INFINITE, HORDE)

80. Ephrat (INFINITE)

81. Paul Gilbert (INFINITE)

82. Oceans of Sadness (INFINITE, HORDE)

83. Emir Hot (INFINITE)

84. Benea Reach (INFINITE)

85. Iron Thrones (INFINITE, HORDE)

86. Noism (HORDE)

87. Nervecell (HORDE)

88. Agoraphobic Nosebleed / Insect Warfare (HORDE)

89. Animosity & Drumcorps (HORDE)

90. Made of Hate (HORDE)

91. Orchidectomy (HORDE)

92. Flagitious Idiosyncrasy in the Dilapidation (HORDE)

93. Venomous Concept (HORDE)

94. Kill the Client (HORDE)

95. Sermon of Flames (HORDE)

96. Human Mincer (HORDE)

97. The Rotted (HORDE)

98. Captain Cleanoff (HORDE)

99. Vacant Coffin (HORDE)

100. Burning the Masses (HORDE)

101. Lunarsea (HORDE)

102. Hail of Bullets (HORDE)

103. Archons (HORDE)

104. Blaze Inside (HORDE)

105. Devoid of Thought (HORDE)

106. Helslave (HORDE)

What gives you that impression Daniel?

"God this is juvenile!"

"There is no entertainment value for me to Lard."

"There is a difference between repetition and predictability folks."

"Just want it to stop and leave me alone."

"It cements for me the ever-growing notion that Al Jourgensen is one of the most over-rated artists in the history of metal."

"Mindless song structures and terrible vocals."

"One painful listen."

Rest assured that when I decide to include a My Dying Bride track, it will be one you can enjoy Sonny. There has been a big focus on the gothic side of the band, instead of the doom, which they're more than capable of doing well.

When I'm not listening to metal, I mostly listen to a variety of electronic, ambient  and synthwave artists, not to mention videogame soundtracks. That means mostly Boards of Canada style IDM, Perturbator-ish synthwave and a smattering of straight ambient (James Murray has been a fave lately).

Today I've listened to the new Thomas Barrandon release Tin Can three times while working, which I can only describe as ambient synthwave. It's really great, so if that sounds at all like your thing, check it out.

Hi Ben, if you weren't going to already, can you please add Skepticism's new album Companion.

I can most definitely do that! I hope it's a good one!

Another 1000 releases added in just over a month. This lockdown working from home thing isn't all that bad. 

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 13th to the 23rd of September, 2021.

1. abingdon boys school (GATEWAY)

2. Girugämesh (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

3. Cosmosquad (GATEWAY, INFINITE)

4. Polkadot Cadaver (GATEWAY, INFINITE)

5. EkoTren (GATEWAY)

6. Mustasch (GUARDIANS, FALLEN)

7. Jelonek (GUARDIANS)

8. Krypteria (GUARDIANS, FALLEN)

9. Northern Kings (GUARDIANS)

10. Ari Koivunen (GUARDIANS)

11. Andre Matos (GUARDIANS)

12. Andrew W.K. (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

13. Odious (GUARDIANS, NORTH, INFINITE)

14. Sebastian Bach (GUARDIANS)

15. Powerglove (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

16. Excalion (GUARDIANS)

17. Versailles (GUARDIANS)

18. Ride the Sky (GUARDIANS)

19. Wolfchant (GUARDIANS, NORTH)

20. Depressed Mode (FALLEN)

21. Funeralium (FALLEN)

22. Unpersons (FALLEN)

23. Zozobra (FALLEN, INFINITE)

24. Birushanah (FALLEN, INFINITE)

25. Asbestosdeath (FALLEN)

26. Arachnotaur (FALLEN)

27. Indricothere (FALLEN, HORDE)

28. Atavist & Nadja (FALLEN)

29. Во скорбях (FALLEN)

30. Pulling Teeth (FALLEN, REVOLUTION)

31. Before the Rain (FALLEN)

32. Häive (NORTH)

33. Souvenir's Young America (FALLEN, INFINITE)

34. Lesbian (FALLEN, INFINITE)

35. Middian (FALLEN)

36. Concept of God (FALLEN)

37. Dead Elephant (FALLEN, INFINITE)

38. Abysmal Grief (FALLEN, NORTH)

39. Baroness / Unpersons (FALLEN)

40. Kongh (FALLEN)

41. Direwolf (INFINITE)

42. 1980 (INFINITE)

43. Long Distance Calling (INFINITE)

44. Bergraven (INFINITE, NORTH)

45. Neoandertals (INFINITE, HORDE)

46. Amaran's Plight (INFINITE)

47. Whourkr (INFINITE, HORDE)

48. Sickening Horror (INFINITE, HORDE)

49. Echoes of Eternity (INFINITE)

50. Grayceon (INFINITE)

51. Hacride (INFINITE, HORDE)

52. Child Abuse (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

53. Dominici (INFINITE)

54. Mind's Eye (INFINITE)

55. Gire (INFINITE)

56. Nahemah (INFINITE, HORDE, NORTH)

57. Animations (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

58. Thought Chamber (INFINITE)

59. Psyclon Nine (SPHERE)

60. C-187 (PIT, GATEWAY)

61. Terrordome (PIT)

62. Be Persecuted (NORTH)

63. Ash Pool (NORTH)

64. Angmar / Alcest (NORTH)

65. Blutklinge (NORTH)

66. Strid (NORTH)

67. Christicide (NORTH)

68. Truppensturm (NORTH, HORDE)

69. Trist (NORTH)

70. Raate (NORTH)

71. Noctule (NORTH)

72. Pessimista (NORTH) - requested by Sonny

73. Hardingrock (NORTH)

74. Demonical (NORTH, HORDE)

75. Bloodoline / Reverence / Blut aus Nord / Karras (NORTH)

76. Bloodoline (NORTH)

77. Angmar (NORTH)

78. Arkha Sva (NORTH)

79. Lönndom (NORTH)

80. Corpus Christii (NORTH)

81. Dodsferd (NORTH)

82. Austere (NORTH)

83. Lyrinx (NORTH)

84. Friisk (NORTH)

85. Aonarach (NORTH) - requested by Sonny

86. See You Next Tuesday (REVOLUTION, HORDE)

87. Vanna (REVOLUTION)

88. Dr. Acula (REVOLUTION, HORDE)

89. Destroyer Destroyer (REVOLUTION, HORDE)

90. Duck Duck Goose (REVOLUTION)

91. Anterior (REVOLUTION, HORDE)

92. I Declare War (REVOLUTION)

93. Life in Your Way (REVOLUTION)

94. Misericordiam (REVOLUTION, HORDE)

95. Architect (REVOLUTION)

96. Rose Funeral (REVOLUTION)

97. Cephalotripsy (HORDE)

98. Blinded Colony (HORDE)

99. Vulvectomy (HORDE)

100. Hacksaw to the Throat (HORDE)

101. Orgone (HORDE)

102. In Disgust (HORDE)

103. Agents of Abhorrence (HORDE)

104. Infernal Revulsion (HORDE)

105. Demiurg (HORDE)

106. Nerlich (HORDE)

107. County Medical Examiners, The (HORDE)

108. Zonaria (HORDE)

109. Evocation (HORDE)

110. Funebrarum / Interment (HORDE)

111. Death Breath (HORDE)

112. Dawn of Tears (HORDE)

113. Deathevokation (HORDE)

114. Gosudar (HORDE)

115. Tougher Than Nails (HORDE)

Absolutely correct! 

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.

I guess it should come as no surprise that another genre discussion has resulted in very little clarity around a best way forward, if indeed there is one. I just want to say that I respect everyone's opinions before I continue, so please don't read any of my comments as combative.

The big issue I have with all of this is the contrasting ways that we're expected to deal with different genres. With Thrash Metal, it's easy. Is the band playing using Thrash Metal techniques (in other words, are they playing Thrash Metal)? Yes? Then it's a Thrash Metal release. The same can be said for the vast majority of metal genres.

For some reason we're expected to treat Progressive Metal in a completely different way. We're not asking whether the band is playing any particular style of metal. We're now asking whether it "takes a more expansive & often quite cerebral approach to composition & possesses accomplished performances, complex song structures, clean & precise production qualities & the ability to build an atmosphere that takes the listener to places that are in direct contrast to their everyday lives". This seems HUGELY subjective to me. The bands could be playing absolutely any style of metal and fit the above description, or they could sound extremely similar to Dream Theater but not meet several of the criteria.

I still think Progressive Metal is flawed as an idea in general. I still stand by the opinion that there should be a genre that covers all the Dream Theater-ish bands, which ideally would not be called Progressive Metal. Almost everything else that gets lumped into Progressive Metal has (or can easily have) a logical place for it to go that doesn't require a this highly misused catch-all.

So in conclusion, Viking Metal is a real thing. 

The same idea could be used to solve our "symphonic" problem in my opinion although there is one problem we'd have to overcome. If we had an "extreme symphonic metal" subgenre it'd solve the issue of extreme metal releases residing within The Guardians. The only question would be what clan would you associate an extreme symphonic metal subgenre with. We've already got a symphonic black metal one too.

I personally don't think the Extreme thing solves much. One man's (or woman's) extreme is another's soft. It's pretty subjective, and isn't representative of any particular sound.

That's just my opinion though.

I think the Metal Academy clans should be a secondary consideration to creating a simplified and practical metal genre tree. Or maybe not? 

Plus there's no reason why we couldn't have a rule that any of the Progressive subgenres are connected with their natural clan and The Infinite.

So then Extreme Progressive Metal would become the catch all for any releases that have progressive qualities but aren't actually Progressive Metal. It improves things slightly, but all those releases (that we agree aren't actually Progressive Metal in the truest sense) would still sit under the Progressive Metal genre. It still feels like sweeping things under the carpet.

Why can't we just call Individual Thought Patterns "Progressive Death Metal"? If that subgenre existed under Death Metal, then that album is perfectly covered. Same with Atheist.

Well, let's continue down the theoretical rabbit hole and see where we end up.

If you created all sorts of Progressive subgenres to strip out all the releases that have progressive tendencies (Progressive Death Metal, Progressive Black Metal, Progressive Thrash Metal etc.) what genre would be applied to the likes of Dream Theater, Queensryche, Fates Warning, Symphony X, Circus Maximus, Liquid Tension Experiment etc.

If we don't want an overly thematic or descriptive genre title, we have to come up with something that feels right without drawing unsuspecting metal listeners into choosing it incorrectly. My first thought is Dream Metal. I know it sounds too fluffy for a metal genre, but it really draws attention to the link to Dream Theater. Plus many musicians could only "dream" of being able to perform some of the stuff these bands play.

Anyone got another idea? I'm trying to come up with a word that relates to technical proficiency, or virtuosity or something like that.

Back to the actual topic though... I agree with Daniel that Viking Metal is an actual sound, as found on Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods. I just don't think there are many bands that actually play it. I was listening to one just yesterday though that certainly fits the bill. Check out this Hades track.

They definitely need to be genres. I just think the names are misleading. I believe descriptive names should be saved for Subgenres. For example, Death Metal is a top level genre, then it has more descriptive subgenres, such as Melodic Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal and Technical Death Metal. This is how genres should be IMO.

Terms like Symphonic, Melodic, Brutal, Technical, Progressive, Depressive, Atmospheric should be saved for subgenres, otherwise you run the risk of people using them incorrectly. Having descriptive genre names results in a band like Fleshgod Apocalypse getting linked to Symphonic Metal, and absolutely EVERYTHING that has progressive qualities being linked to Progressive Metal.

Take a look at the top 30 or so albums for Progressive Metal on RYM. Do the likes of Tool, Opeth, Mastodon, Gojira, Atheist, Queensryche, Maudlin of the Well, Voivod, Dream Theater, Enslaved and Nevermore actually sound at all similar? Is there any reason for a fan of Dream Theater to assume that they would enjoy Atheist? Is there any real reason to assume that a huge fan of Voivod would totally dig Maudlin of the Well too? I see Orphaned Land has Progressive Metal as its primary genre too. Is it progressive? Yeah, sure. Does it sound like Queensryche?

Gothic Metal is another example. Having such a descriptive name results in a whole heap of black metal bands like Cradle of Filth getting dumped into that genre. There are also heaps of bands that are definitely what we consider to be Gothic Metal that have absolutely nothing to do with gothic in its literal sense (The Gathering and Lacuna Coil come to mind). It's confusing, so no wonder people get it wrong.

Note that this is all a theoretical conversation. I'm not suggesting we get rid of any of these genres or even that we should change them to something else. I just wish they were different. Imagine a world where there are between 10 to 20 non-descriptive metal genres that are used to clump together releases that actually "sound" somewhat similar, rather than merely having the same theme or some musical element like being progressive or contain symphonic instrumentation. Genres would be so much more useful then, allowing people to easily discover music that's actually similar in style to something else they've enjoyed.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 3rd to the 12th of September, 2021.

1. Jazkamer (FALLEN, INFINITE)

2. Suma (FALLEN, INFINITE)

3. Toner Low (FALLEN)

4. Orthodox (FALLEN, INFINITE)

5. Akimbo (FALLEN)

6. The River (FALLEN)

7. Accept Death (FALLEN)

8. Om / Current 93 (FALLEN)

9. Earth / Sunn O))) (FALLEN)

10. Red Sparowes / Made Out of Babies / Battle of Mice (FALLEN, INFINITE)

11. Sahg (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

12. Inborn Suffering (FALLEN)

13. The Abominable Iron Sloth (FALLEN)

14. Kalas (FALLEN)

15. Angtoria (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

16. Across Tundras (FALLEN, INFINITE)

17. Dominia (FALLEN, GUARDIANS, HORDE, NORTH)

18. Marche Funèbre (FALLEN)

19. Youth Code & King Yosef (SPHERE)

20. Drottnar (INFINITE, NORTH)

21. Shaolin Death Squad (INFINITE)

22. Naikaku (INFINITE)

23. Sebkha-Chott (INFINITE)

24. Lye by Mistake (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

25. Sleep Terror (INFINITE, HORDE)

26. Axamenta (INFINITE, NORTH, HORDE)

27. Ikuinen Kaamos (INFINITE, NORTH, HORDE)

28. Twisted Into Form (INFINITE)

29. To-Mera (INFINITE)

30. The Flying Luttenbachers (INFINITE)

31. Outworld (INFINITE)

32. Kayo Dot / Bloody Panda (INFINITE)

33. Electro Quarterstaff (INFINITE)

34. Prototype (INFINITE, GUARDIANS)

35. Sir Lord Baltimore (GUARDIANS)

36. Crescent Shield (GUARDIANS)

37. Chrome Division (GUARDIANS)

38. Beautiful Sin (GUARDIANS)

39. Luca Turilli's Dreamquest (GUARDIANS)

40. Edu Falaschi (GUARDIANS)

41. Leverage (GUARDIANS)

42. Significant Point (GUARDIANS, PIT)

43. Evil Army (PIT)

44. Space Chaser (PIT)

45. Blockheads (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

46. Negativa (HORDE)

47. Astomatous (HORDE)

48. Magrudergrind / Shitstorm (HORDE)

49. Shitstorm (HORDE)

50. Dim Mak (HORDE)

51. Cretin (HORDE)

52. Masturbation (HORDE)

53. Graf Orlock (HORDE)

54. Cutting Pink With Knives (HORDE)

55. Atheretic (HORDE)

56. Cloacal Kiss (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

57. Torchbearer (HORDE, NORTH)

58. Guttural Secrete (HORDE)

59. Robinson (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

60. Infected Malignity (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

61. Mumakil (HORDE)

62. Gory Blister (HORDE)

63. Pitbulls in the Nursery (HORDE)

64. Miseration (HORDE)

65. Lividity (HORDE)

66. Coldworker (HORDE)

67. Proclamation (NORTH)

68. Inferi (NORTH)

69. Anti (NORTH)

70. Hypothermia (NORTH)

71. Urfaust / Circle of Ouroborus (NORTH)

72. Szron / Kriegsmaschine (NORTH)

73. Ulytau (NORTH)

74. Fauna (NORTH)

75. Monte Penumbra (NORTH)

76. Leiþa (NORTH) - requested by Vinny

77. Sapthuran (NORTH)

78. Sapthuran / Leviathan (NORTH)

79. Branikald (NORTH)

80. Ljå (NORTH)

81. Forest Silence (NORTH)

82. Pagan Reign (NORTH)

83. Black Messiah (NORTH)

84. Wedard (NORTH)

85. Heresi (NORTH)

86. Melencolia Estatica (NORTH)

87. Szron (NORTH)

88. Sterbend (NORTH)

89. Jotunspor (NORTH)

90. Downcross (NORTH)

91. Silent Civilian (REVOLUTION)

92. Phoenix Bodies (REVOLUTION)

93. Arsonists Get All the Girls (REVOLUTION)

94. Burning Skies (REVOLUTION)

95. As Blood Runs Black (REVOLUTION)

96. First Blood (REVOLUTION)

97. Destroy the Runner (REVOLUTION)

Viking metal is one of those sub-genres that has so few genuine adherents that it feels almost irrelevant to me. I honestly wonder sometimes whether life is too short to contemplate for any length of time whether an album fits snugly into a micro-genre or not. If the purpose of genre tagging is to guide people to other releases similar to ones they like, do these really niche genres serve much of a purpose at all as they feel way too specific.

As a more general Academy question, which I guess needs to be directed to Ben or Daniel, does downvoting a genre in the genre tags on a release serve any purpose on the site or can the genre tags only be changed via The Hall? I have downvoted Viking Metal on Vredens Tid so it has zero positive and one negative vote, but it still shows folk and viking metal as it's genre tags.

We don't want the Clans for a Release to change without going through the Hall of Judgement. For that reason, we didn't want Genres to automatically be affected by people downvoting a Subgenre. Think of the Subgenres as just a helpful additional filtering tool. Then again, if a release is having a particular subgenre downvoted significantly, that could be grounds for adding it to the Hall for proper judgement, or as Andi suggested, treating it as judgement itself.

As for Viking Metal, it's the same issue raised many a time. Genres shouldn't have names that relate to a location (NWOBHM, US Power Metal), nor should they have purely thematic names (Viking Metal) or vaguely descriptive names (Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal). Just go and look how many people have tried to give Amon Amarth albums the Viking Metal genre to see why Viking Metal is a problem. Sure, they've been correctly downvoted, but many listeners were obviously convinced to select it by the name.

Thrash Metal is a perfect name for that genre. People know what Thrash Metal is based on the style of music they're listening to, because the name itself isn't suggestive enough to lead them astray. Death, Black  and Power Metal are also great genre names.

All good points Ben. I agree with you that you are not well qualified for any of your four clans & should consider not having any. ;)

P.S. Please dump my ass back in The North when you get a minute. *runs off to review the latest Mago de Oz record*

Done! Welcome back brother of The North!

Runemagick - Dethrone the Flesh off Enter the Realm of Death (1999)

Vital Remains - Dechristanize off Dechistianize (2003)

Arch Enemy - Nemesis off Doomsday Machine (2005)

Funebrarum - Perish Beneath off The Sleep of Morbid Dreams (2009)

Nile - In the Name of Amun off What Should Not Be Unearthed (2015)

Total Running Time: 29 minutes and 26 seconds

Abigor - The Rising of Our Tribe off Orkblut (1995)

Anaal Nathrakh - When Fire Rains Down From the Sky, Mankind Will Reap as It Has Sown off When Fire Rains Down From the Sky, Mankind Will Reap as It Has Sown (2003)

An Autumn for Crippled Children - To Set Sail to the Ends of the Earth off Lost (2010)

Progenie Terrestra Pura - subLuce off oltreLuna (2017

Total Running Time: 23 minutes and 18 seconds

Esoteric - Dominion of Slaves off The Pernicious Enigma (1997)

Black Lodge - Dissonance off Covet (1995)

Lacuna Coil - Senzafine off Halflife (2000)

Total Running Time = 28 minutes and 23 seconds

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.