Ben's Forum Replies

Time for another Review Draft for The Pit. This month's pick order will be as follows...

1. Vinny

2. Ben

3. Sonny

The six releases to select from are... (drumroll)...

Vinny gets first pick this month...

Just realised I never posted my Whiplash review here...

Whiplash - Insult to Injury (1989)

The Metal Academy Review Drafts are certainly making me check out releases that I probably never would have otherwise. As much as I enjoyed Whiplash's debut album Power and Pain from 1986, I'd never considered delving any further into their discography. Having now spent some time with their third release, Insult to Injury, I don't think I've missed out on all that much, but that's not to say that there's no enjoyment to be had. By this point the band had taken a significant step away from the Exodus-like aggression of the debut and moved into more Judas Priest style heavy metal. In fact, there's so much heavy metal on this album that I don't think it would sound out of place in The Guardians. I think this transition is a bit problematic for the band though. When you can no longer hide behind thrashing intensity, songwriting ability becomes far more important, and unfortunately Insult to Injury is a bit hit and miss on that front. For every good track, such as the title track and highlight Essence of Evil, there's a less memorable effort, such as Hiroshima and the appropriately titled Rape of the Mind. In the end this is a decent listen for anyone that enjoys bands that straddle the heavy / thrash line (such as Metal Church), but it's an album I likely won't go back to very often.

3 stars

Time for another Review Draft for The North. This month's pick order will be as follows...

1. Sonny

2. Vinny

3. Ben

4. Xephyr

The six releases to select from are... (drumroll)...

Sonny gets first pick this month...

Will anyone be brave enough to pick the Gnaw Their Tongues album!?

Time for another Review Draft for The Horde. This month's pick order will be as follows...

1. Ben

2. Vinny

The four albums to select from are... (drumroll)...

Since it's my first pick, I'll go for...hmmm...I'm really torn between Gorephilia and Corpsessed. The multiple mentions of Morbid Angel in reviews of the Gorephilia album have convinced me to take that path.

Gorephilia - In the Eye of Nothing it is!

Over to you Vinny...

Time for another Review Draft for The Fallen. This month's pick order will be as follows...

1. Ben

2. Sonny

The four albums to select from are... (drumroll)...

Since I have first pick this month, I'm going to go with the Ufomammut album. It's a great opportunity for me to finally give this band a proper go. I note it's their highest ratest release too, which bodes well.

Over to you Sonny...

February 2023

1. Thy Darkened Shade - Noxious Witchery of the Titans (from Liber Lvcifer II: Mahapralaya, 2023)

2. Deafheaven - Tunnel Of Trees (from Roads To Judah, 2011) [Submitted by Daniel]

3. Leviathan - Within Thrall (from Scar Sighted, 2015) [Submitted by Sonny]

4. None - A World, Dead and Gray (from Life Has Gone On Long Enough, 2018)

5. Barshasketh - Ruin I (from Barshasketh, 2019) [Submitted by Vinny]

6. Summoning - Aamongandr (from Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame, 2001) [Submitted by Daniel]

7. Satanic Warmaster - Duke's Ride (Ride of the Spectral Hooves) (from Aamongandr, 2022)

8. Drudkh - Resurrectiónem Mortuórum (from All Belong to the Night, 2022) [Submitted by Sonny]

9. Decayed - Archdemon (from Resurrectiónem Mortuórum, 1996) [Submitted by Sonny]

10. Melechesh - Ghouls of Nineveh (from The Epigenesis, 2010)

11. Svartidaudi - Burning Worlds of Excrement (from Revelations of the Red Sword, 2018) [Submitted by Vinny]

12. Fellwarden - Sun of Ending (from Oathbearer, 2017) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. Hoplites - Ὁ τῶν δακρύων ψεῦδος (from Ψευδομένη, 2023)

14. …And Oceans - The Collector and His Construct (from As in Gardens, So in Tombs, 2023)

15. Gnaw Their Tongues - All the Dread Magnificence of Perversity (from All the Dread Magnificence of Perversity, 2009)

16. Nocte Obducta - Atme (from Nektar - Teil 2: Seen, Flüsse, Tagebücher, 2005)

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 19th to the 25th of January, 2023.

1. Faetooth (FALLEN, INFINITE)

2. Seep (FALLEN, HORDE)

3. Zakk Sabbath (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

4. Wyatt E. (FALLEN,  INFINITE)

5. The Night Eternal (GUARDIANS)

6. Gonemage (HORDE, INFINITE, NORTH)

7. The Devouring Void (HORDE, NORTH)

8. Diploid (HORDE)

9. i love bees (HORDE)

10. Barn (HORDE)

11. Pneuma Hagion (HORDE)

12. Diabolic Oath (HORDE, NORTH)

13. Labor Intvs (HORDE, NORTH)

14. Azaab (HORDE)

15. Arsebreed (HORDE)

16. Exaugurate (HORDE)

17. Intellect Devourer (HORDE, PIT)

18. Prometheus (HORDE, NORTH)

19. Fornicus (HORDE, NORTH)

20. Livløs (HORDE)

21. Insect Inside (HORDE)

22. Issolei (INFINITE, NORTH)

23. Void Paradigm (INFINITE, NORTH)

24. Gargoyl (INFINITE)

25. Vexed (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

26. Winterquilt (INFINITE, NORTH)

27. Interloper (INFINITE)

28. Sorry... (NORTH)

29. Sadness / For Her... (NORTH)

30. A Rose Dying in the Rain / Sadness (NORTH)

31. Belliciste (NORTH)

32. Sordide (NORTH)

33. Sznur (NORTH)

34. Odium Humani Generis (NORTH)

35. Limbs (NORTH, REVOLUTION)

36. Hajduk / NIMBIFER / Akantha / Sørgelig (NORTH)

37. Occult Burial (NORTH, PIT)

38. Folterkammer (NORTH)

39. Varmia (NORTH)

40. Szary Wilk (NORTH)

41. Wesenwille (NORTH)

42. Soulless (NORTH)

43. Void Prayer (NORTH)

44. Zmarłym (NORTH)

45. Vended (PIT, REVOLUTION)

46. Ingrown (REVOLUTION)

47. Distant (REVOLUTION)

I've rated all covers for 2022 Sphere releases now.

Colosseum - Chapter 3: Parasomnia (2011)

Funeral doom metal is not for everyone. I can fully appreciate that some metal fans would find it boring and monotonous. It's actually difficult to describe why I love it so much, but ever since I first heard Esoteric, Skepticism and Shape of Despair back in 2001, I've found it to be the metal subgenre that I connect with the most consistently. That said, even I have to give many funeral doom albums a few listens before they wrap their tendrils around me and drag me into their heavenly depths. Colosseum's third and final release, Chapter 3: Parasomnia, is a prime example of an album that needs to sit for a while before it can be fully appreciated. What first seems to be an overly long and simplistic album has many subtleties that only work their magic with time, at which point you find yourself wondering why you didn't appreciate them the first time. In particular, the band utilises synths and strings in a very unobtrusive way and it's possibly more effective for it, as the doomy metal aspects remain front and centre throughout. Anyone that enjoys the beautifully crushing sound of fellow Finnish doomsters Shape of Despair will no doubt find euphoric pockets here, but Colosseum don't quite reach the emotional heights of their countrymen. As much as I hate to say it, given he committed suicide prior to the album's release, I do feel that frontman Juhani Palomäki's deep vocals are not quite as strong as I'd like them to be. Even still, this is pretty close to a 4.5 star album for me. It may even get there with a few more spins.

4 stars

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 17th to the 18th of January, 2023.

1. Knoll / Autolith (FALLEN, HORDE)

2. ÂGE ⱡ TOTAL (FALLEN)

3. Omega Lithium (FALLEN, SPHERE) - requested by Andi

4. Kabbalah (FALLEN)

5. Slope (GATEWAY)

6. Through Fire (GATEWAY) - requested by Andi

7. Mega Colossus (GUARDIANS)

8. The Devils of Loudun (GUARDIANS, HORDE)

9. Kakofonium (HORDE, INFINITE, NORTH)

10. Chloroma (HORDE)

11. Writhing Shadows (HORDE)

12. Deiquisitor (HORDE)

13. Putrescine (HORDE)

14. Undeciphered (HORDE)

15. Dyskinesia (HORDE)

16. Klexos (HORDE)

17. Hoplites (HORDE, NORTH)

18. Comforting (INFINITE)

19. Shy, Low (INFINITE)

20. Musashi (INFINITE) - requested by Morpheus Kitami

21. Troll Gnet El (NORTH) - requested by Morpheus Kitami

22. Savage Necromancy (NORTH)

23. Hexerei (NORTH)

24. Balmog (NORTH)

25. Kūka’ilimoku (NORTH)

26. Acheulean Forests / Trhä (NORTH)

27. Windfaerer (NORTH)

28. Gràb (NORTH)

29. Solipsism (NORTH)

30. Mossgiver (NORTH)

31. Nordgeist (NORTH)

32. Iravu (NORTH)

33. Askeregn (NORTH)

34. Perennial Isolation (NORTH)

Temple Nightside - The Hecatomb (2016)

Temple Nightside were completely unknown to me prior to picking The Hecatomb for this month's Horde Review Draft (apart from noting the great artwork on this album's cover while adding it to the site). I'm so very grateful for the introduction, as this is way up my alley. I'm most attracted to death metal when it's dark as fuck and sounds like it was created by demons in the bowels of hell. Well that's exactly what we have here! With a really organic sounding production (particularly the drums, which I love) and growled echoing vocals that feel like they're coming out of the music rather than being placed on top of it, I find myself reminded of the legendary disEMBOWELMENT, despite Temple Nightside leaning far more into the blasting death metal spectrum. If that comparison seems odd, given this is listed as a death / black metal album, I personally think it contains much more doom than black, and disEMBOWELMENT were one of the few death doom bands that actually contained legitimate death metal. The riffs on The Hecatomb are also incredibly dark and heavy, not to mention memorable and genuinely effective, making this album one of the finds of the year for me. The fact that Temple Nightside, like disEMBOWELMENT, hail from my home country, make it just a bit sadder that I haven't discovered them until now. It's exciting to see that they have three other albums and an EP to sink my teeth into.

4.5 stars

Hi Aapokalypt, and welcome to Metal Academy!

If you want any releases added to the site, simply request them in the appropriate clan forum. For example, if you want a Thrash, Speed or Groove Metal album added to the site, you can go to the Requests for The Pit Releases / Bands to be added to Metal Academy thread in The Pit forum. You should find them at the very top of each clan forum.

If you have any other questions, please ask either on the forum or you private message me whenever you like.

Cheers,

Ben.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 22nd of December, 2022 to the 16th of January, 2023.

1. Persher (FALLEN)

2. Remina (FALLEN)

3. Blasphematory (HORDE)

4. Werewolves (HORDE)

5. Strychnos (HORDE, NORTH)

6. Jade (INT) (HORDE)

7. Devenial Verdict (HORDE)

8. Static Abyss (HORDE)

9. Deadbody (HORDE)

10. Labyrinth of Stars (HORDE)

11. Mutilatred (HORDE)

12. Near Death Condition (HORDE)

13. Ectoplasma (HORDE)

14. Autophagy (HORDE)

15. SkyThala (INFINITE, NORTH)

16. OU (INFINITE)

17. Trolldom (NORTH)

18. Woe Bather (NORTH)

19. Bad Manor (NORTH)

20. Krvvla (NORTH)

21. Gnyot (NORTH)

22. Pestilent Hex (NORTH)

23. Rigorous Institution (NORTH)

24. Ante-Inferno (NORTH)

25. Wolfbastard (NORTH)

26. The Wind in the Trees (REVOLUTION)

27. Pridelands (REVOLUTION)

...And Oceans - A.M.G.O.D. (2001)

I've always considered myself a fan of this album, having picked it up on release. At that point in my metal journey, I'd become increasingly interested in bands that took the black metal blueprint and mixed in other influences. Bands like Ved Buens Ende....., Fleurety, Arcturus, Aborym and Dødheimsgard excited me greatly, so I had no issue at all with ...And Oceans giving their black metal a healthy dose of cyber symphonics. I've since listened to it many times while doing other things, enjoying its strange atmosphere and numerous special moments, thinking that one day I'll finally sit down and write a review to inform others of this hidden gem. Well, it hasn't quite worked out that way! Now that I sit down and totally focus on A.M.G.O.D. as an album, it's actually a hit and miss affair that I just can't rate as highly as I expected to. It starts strongly, with the first three tracks showcasing the band's interesting approach of injecting invasive symphonic aspects into otherwise decent melodic black metal (this sounds nothing like Emperor in case you're wondering), but sadly goes a bit downhill from there. By the time I get to the admittedly atmospheric but highly repetitive instrumental TBA in a Silver Box and the divisive techno beast that is New World Model, I have to admit that I was previously overrating A.M.G.O.D. as an album, if not as an enjoyable sideshow that has numerous great moments.

3.5 stars

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

I'll take the ...And Oceans album. I know it well, but have never rated / reviewed it.

Over to you Xephyr...

I'll take Temple Nightside. Cool cover, so it can't be bad... right?

I'll take the Colosseum album, as I've not heard that one.

Time for another Review Draft for The Pit. This month's pick order will be as follows...

1. Ben

2. Sonny

3. Vinny

The six releases to select from are... (drumroll)...

I'll take the Whiplash album. Not sure I've listened to that one.

Over to you Sonny...

Time for another Review Draft for The North. This month's pick order will be as follows...

1. Vinny

2. Ben

3. Xephyr

4. Sonny

The six releases to select from are... (drumroll)...

Over to you Vinny...

Time for another Review Draft for The Horde. This month's pick order will be as follows...

1. Vinny

2. Ben

The four albums to select from are... (drumroll)...

Over to you Vinny...

Time for another Review Draft for The Fallen. This month's pick order will be as follows...

1. Sonny

2. Ben

The four albums to select from are... (drumroll)...

Over to you Sonny...

January 2023

1. Misþyrming - Aftaka (from Með hamri, 2022)

2. Stormruler - Sacred Rites & Black Magick (from Sacred Rites & Black Magick, 2022)

3. Darkthrone - Caravan of Broken Ghosts (from Astral Fortress, 2022)

4. Ellende - Hand aufs Herz (from Ellenbogengesellschaft, 2022)

5. Windir - The Spiritlord (from 1184, 2001) [Submitted by Daniel]

6. SkyThala - Eternal Nuclear Dawn (from Boreal Despair, 2022)

7. Abhorrency - Feces Aspergillum (from Climax of Disgusting Impurities, 2022)

8. Woods of Desolation - Beneath a Sea of Stars (from The Falling Tide, 2022)

9. Departure Chandelier - Between This World and the Next (from Dripping Papal Blood, 2020) [Submitted by Vinny]

10. Verberis - Autumn Aurora (from Adumbration of the Veiled Logos, 2022)

11. Drudkh - The First Snow (from Autumn Aurora, 2004) [Submitted by Daniel]

12. Behemoth - The Deathless Sun (from Opvs Contra Natvram, 2022)

13. Horna - Rautamyrksky (from Horna / Behexen, 2004) [Submitted by Vinny]

14. Djevel - Afgrundsferd (from Naa skrider natten sort, 2022)

15. Liturgy - PASAQALIA (from H.A.Q.Q., 2019) [Submitted by Daniel]

16. Aara - Phthonos I (from Phthonos, 2022)

17. Kampfar - Urkraft (from Til klovers takt, 2022)

18. Nordicwinter - Beneath the Fleeting Light (from Beneath the Fleeting Light, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 17th to the 21st of December, 2022.

1. Vile Creature & Bismuth (FALLEN)

2. Early Moods (FALLEN)

3. Shit and Shine (FALLEN)

4. Humanotone (FALLEN) - requested by Xephyr

5. Hydra (POL) (FALLEN)

6. Medication (GATEWAY)

7. Vault (GUARDIANS)

8. Vanadium (GUARDIANS)

9. Ace Lane (GUARDIANS)

10. Cacumen (GUARDIANS)

11. Panzer (GUARDIANS)

12. Dedringer (GUARDIANS)

13. Impeccable (GUARDIANS)

14. Michael Schenker Group, The (GUARDIANS)

15. Lady Killer (GUARDIANS)

16. Hyksos (GUARDIANS)

17. Audrey Horne (GUARDIANS)

18. Lykotonon (HORDE, NORTH, SPHERE)

19. Cemetery Rapist (HORDE)

20. Triac (HORDE)

21. Clairvoyance (HORDE)

22. Deathcult (HORDE, PIT)

23. Organic Infest (HORDE)

24. Deliriant Nerve (HORDE)

25. Occulsed (HORDE)

26. A Hope for Home (INFINITE)

27. Bootlxgg (NORTH)

28. Glyph (NORTH)

29. Greve (NORTH)

30. Vermilia (NORTH)

31. Stormruler (NORTH)

32. Void of Vision (REVOLUTION)

33. From the Shallows (REVOLUTION)

34. Black My Heart (REVOLUTION)

35. Harvest (REVOLUTION)

Yes please Sonny...

• Mortiferum - Incubus of Bloodstained Visions off Preserved in Torment (2021)
• Procession - To Reap Heavens Apart off To Reap Heavens Apart (2013)
• Rapture - This Is Where I Am off Futile (1999) - I'm pretty chuffed that this is finally on Spotify
  

Cheers!

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 14th to the 16th of December, 2022.

1. Space Coke (FALLEN) - requested by Xephyr

2. Final Light (FALLEN, INFINITE) - requested by Xephyr

3. Fucked Up (FALLEN)

4. Nadja / Aidan Baker (FALLEN)

5. Cardinals Folly (FALLEN)

6. Scene Queen (GATEWAY)

7. Breaker (GUARDIANS, PIT)

8. Havoc (GUARDIANS)

9. Veto (GUARDIANS)

10. Steel Vengeance (GUARDIANS)

11. Jade (GUARDIANS)

12. Wizz (GUARDIANS)

13. Dark Wizard (GUARDIANS)

14. Spellbound (GUARDIANS)

15. Leviticus (GUARDIANS)

16. Steeltower (GUARDIANS)

17. Ultima Grace (GUARDIANS) - requested by Xephyr

18. Moonlight Haze (GUARDIANS) - requested by Xephyr

19. Shield of Wings (GUARDIANS) - requested by Xephyr

20. Crystal Ball (GUARDIANS) - requested by Xephyr

21. Eternal Ascent (GUARDIANS) - requested by Xephyr

22. Mirage (GUARDIANS)

23. Saints' Anger (GUARDIANS)

24. Bloody Six (GUARDIANS)

25. Stray Gods (GUARDIANS) - requested by Xephyr

26. Nonexist (HORDE)

27. Experiment Fear (HORDE)

28. Sisyphean (HORDE, NORTH)

29. Anal Stabwound (HORDE)

30. Horror God (HORDE)

31. Craniotomy (HORDE)

32. GROG (HORDE)

33. Cobra the Impaler (INFINITE) - requested by Xephyr

34. Riverwood (INFINITE)

35. Epistasis (INFINITE, NORTH)

36. Forbidden Temple (NORTH) - requested by Xephyr

37. Nightgaunt (NORTH)

38. Girtablullû (NORTH)

39. Almach (NORTH)

40. SS-18 (NORTH)

41. Erupt (PIT)

42. Atomic Genocide (PIT)

43. Hanabie. (REVOLUTION)

44. Holding Absence / Alpha Wolf (REVOLUTION)

45. Sea of Treachery (REVOLUTION)

Happy to see that you're digging more of what The Fallen has to offer. Turn Loose the Swans has always been a favourite album for me. One of the first that I think of when coming up with any sort of favourite albums list.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 3rd to the 13th of December, 2022.

1. The HIRS Collective / Thou (FALLEN)

2. Hearse (FALLEN, HORDE)

3. Svartmálm (FALLEN, NORTH)

4. Mother of Graves (FALLEN, HORDE)

5. Saint Asonia (GATEWAY) - requested by Andi

6. Mythra (GUARDIANS) - requested by Daniel

7. Mortal Kombat (GUARDIANS) - requested by DinaricWarrior

8. Giuntini Project (GUARDIANS)

9. IRA (GUARDIANS)

10. Kryst the Conqueror (GUARDIANS)

11. Noisehunter (GUARDIANS)

12. Adrian (GUARDIANS)

13. Angel of Mercy (GUARDIANS)

14. Tarantula (GUARDIANS)

15. Panther (GUARDIANS)

16. Bane of Winterstorm (GUARDIANS)

17. Doyle (GUARDIANS)

18. Mendel (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

19. Winterborn (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

20. Böhse Onkelz (GUARDIANS)

21. Killer Fox (GUARDIANS)

22. Citron (GUARDIANS)

23. Titan (GUARDIANS, PIT)

24. Vortex (GUARDIANS)

25. Septage (HORDE)

26. Snuffed on Sight (HORDE)

27. Tchornobog / Abyssal (HORDE, NORTH)

28. Heretical Sect (HORDE, NORTH)

29. Estuary (HORDE, PIT)

30. Merlin (HORDE)

31. Mucupurulent (HORDE)

32. Loudblast / Agressor (HORDE, PIT)

33. Obsidious (HORDE, INFINITE)

34. Kadinja (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

35. Swampborn (INFINITE, NORTH)

36. Gauntlet Ring (NORTH)

37. Celestial Sword / Trhä (NORTH)

38. Old Growth (NORTH)

39. Riivaus (NORTH)

40. Omega Centauri (NORTH)

41. Beltez (NORTH)

42. Owl's Blood (NORTH)

43. Fluisterwoud (NORTH)

44. Amduscias (NORTH)

45. Felvum (NORTH)

46. Souls at Zero (PIT)

47. Mystik (PIT)

48. Lobotomia (PIT)

49. Clown Alley (PIT)

50. Armagedom (PIT)

51. Executioner (PIT)

52. SpiritWorld (PIT, REVOLUTION)

53. Mayhem (USA) (PIT)

54. Cruel Bomb (PIT) - requested by Vinny

55. Asgard (PIT)

56. Impalers (PIT) - requested by Vinny

57. Chemicide (PIT) - requested by Xephyr

I see Darksynth, Electronic, and Djent as main genres and a Cyber Metal subgenre on RYM, unless you use another way to determine it. If Polymorphic Code and Compiler Optimization Techniques are considered to have Djent as a main genre then I'm not sure why Data Renaissance cannot as well. Which I now realize is The Infinite and not The Sphere, which is probably another issue as these albums definitely have a Cyber Metal component to them due to all the electronics. 

We use a 50% rule when looking at genres on RYM, meaning the amount of No votes for a release cannot be over 50% of the Yes votes (unless there is only one primary genre selected, in which case it's accepted). So in the case of Data Renaissance, Djent is currently 6 Yes and 5 No. Since No is well over 50% of the Yes votes, it's discounted. Note that Electronic is 5 Yes and 4 No, making Darksynth the only Metal Academy acknowledged primary genre for the album.

This system has really helped to remove a LOT of the dubious genre selections on RYM, particularly releases that have 200 Yes to 180 No for any given genre. I'm always happy to adjust a release's genre(s) over time without needing to go through the Hall if things change dramatically on RYM. So if in 6 months time, Djent is upvoted to 20 Yes and 8 No, I'll just change it. Otherwise I can add it as Non-Metal and it can be added to the Hall for judgement.

I note that both the secondary genres for the release are metal (Djent is 6 to 1and Cyber Metal is 7 to 2), so it seems a lot of voters are not hearing metal when they listen to it.

Hi Xephyr... The Algorithm's Data Renaissance release is considered a purely Darksynth release on RYM. I can add it as Non-Genre if you plan to add it to the Hall of Judgement.

Hi Xephyr. Pain Into Power is considered a purely Hardcore Punk release on RYM. I can add it as Non-Metal if you plan to add it to the Hall of Judgement.

Tempted by the Schizophrenia EP after enjoying their full length, but I've never heard Violator so that's my pick.

Great discussion, and a HUGE welcome to DinaricWarrior. You are most welcome here!

I must admit that I have nostalgia for the time when I could genuinely keep up with the majority up metal releases. Back in the early to mid 90s, I could genuinely check out every black and death metal album that appeared on any label of significance, not to mention a whole heap of albums from other genres. Nowadays I scratch that OCD itch by trying to add every relevant release to Metal Academy, but I have zero chance of listening to them all.

This was actually the first year that I made an attempt to review every release with over 100 ratings on RYM in my favoured genres. I made it to about August before realising I a) was already way behind and b) was starting to find it to be a bit of a chore. I've since started doing the Review Drafts to make sure I check out something I've never heard, while also attempting to finally figure out what my top 20 / 50 metal albums of all time are. It's been awesome listening to all my favourite releases rather than slogging through a heap of albums in the hope of finding something that floats my boat.

All that said, I think it's only my own personal completist nature that makes the huge number of releases coming out feel like a problem. When I take a step back and just listen to what grabs my attention at any given time, and ignore the mass of releases passing me by, I find myself in a healthier headspace. It's a certainty that future albums will end up favourites. It might be harder to discover them, but that's much better than them not existing at all.

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 19th of November to the 2nd of December, 2022.

1. Gnome (FALLEN)

2. Run After To (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

3. The Otolith (FALLEN)

4. De Profundis (FALLEN, HORDE, INFINITE)

5. Eyes of Eden (FALLEN)

6. Lost Breed (FALLEN, GUARDIANS)

7. Proletaryat (GATEWAY)

8. Clockhammer (GATEWAY)

9. Richie Kotzen (GATEWAY, GUARDIANS)

10. Stompbox (GATEWAY)

11. Ignorance (GATEWAY)

12. Into Another (GATEWAY)

13. Crush (GUARDIANS)

14. Cherny Obelisk (GUARDIANS)

15. WWIII (GUARDIANS, PIT)

16. Cronos (GUARDIANS)

17. Detritus (GUARDIANS, PIT)

18. Kinghorse (GUARDIANS)

19. STS 8 Mission (GUARDIANS)

20. Moon of Steel (GUARDIANS, INFINITE)

21. Guardian (GUARDIANS)

22. Strana Officina (GUARDIANS)

23. Leader (GUARDIANS, PIT)

24. Neon Cross (GUARDIANS)

25. Exit Eden (GUARDIANS)

26. Arcane (USA) (GUARDIANS, INFINITE, PIT)

27. Moby Dick (GUARDIANS, PIT)

28. Show-Ya (GUARDIANS)

29. Drakkar (GUARDIANS, PIT)

30. Muro (GUARDIANS, PIT)

31. Fisc (GUARDIANS)

32. Wrust (HORDE)

33. Splattered Cadaver (HORDE)

34. Aggressor (HORDE)

35. Schismatic (HORDE)

36. Crusher (HORDE)

37. Phlegethon (HORDE)

38. Graveside (HORDE)

39. Maceration (HORDE)

40. Dark Half (HORDE)

41. Ósserp (HORDE)

42. Kinetic Dissent (INFINITE, PIT)

43. Spectral Incursion (INFINITE)

44. Nishaiar (INFINITE, NORTH)

45. Toadeater (INFINITE, NORTH)

46. Mortuus (NORTH)

47. Marxthrone (NORTH)

48. The Meads of Asphodel / Mayhem (NORTH)

49. Dinbethes (NORTH)

50. Serpents Lair (NORTH)

51. G.B.H (PIT)

52. Explicit Hate (PIT)

53. Savage Steel (PIT)

54. Last Descendants (PIT)

55. Holocross (PIT)

56. Panic (USA) (PIT)

57. Dementia (PIT)

58. Eudoxis (PIT)

59. Witchhammer (BRA) (PIT)

60. Vulture (NED) (PIT)

61. Ananda ((REVOLUTION)

62. Malhavoc (SPHERE)

Time for another Review Draft for The Pit. This month's pick order will be as follows...

1. Sonny

2. Vinny

3. Ben

The six releases to select from are... (drumroll)...

Sonny gets first pick...

This is an easy pick for me. I'm not sure I've ever listened to Furia! I don't know how, given how highly rated a number of their releases are. So I'll take Furia's Nocel release.

Over to you Xephyr...

Time for another Review Draft for The North. This month's pick order will be as follows...

1. Ben

2. Xephyr

3. Sonny

4. Vinny

The six releases to select from are... (drumroll)...

I have first pick, so I'll go for Dischordia's Triptych album. Don't know anything about it, but decent ratings for a Technical Dissonant Brutal death metal release.

Time for another Review Draft for The Horde. This month's pick order will be as follows...

1. Ben

2. Vinny

The four albums to select from are... (drumroll)...

Hmmm... this is not a great draft for me. Even with first pick, I'm not certain any of them are up my alley. I'll go with the Sacred Monster EP, partly because it's under 10 minutes in length, but mostly because the first track is Charles Dexter Ward. Sure, Lovecraft in metal is overdone, but I'm all for that.

Over to you Sonny...

Time for another Review Draft for The Fallen. This month's pick order will be as follows...

1. Ben

2. Sonny

The four albums to select from are... (drumroll)...

Memory Garden - Forever (1995)

I'll say straight off that if you enjoy Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus, I thoroughly recommend checking out this debut EP from Swedish band Memory Garden. It contains the sort of doomy riffs and soaring vocals that you'd expect from both of those classic bands. So why am I only giving it 3 stars? Well, for starters, it's only 18 minutes in length which is, particularly for a doom release, reasonably insubstantial. But the main reason I can't give Forever the sort of score that it probably deserves is due to vocalist Stefan Berglund. He's a fantastic singer, clearly having a level of training to match the legendary vocalists from the aforementioned bands. But, well, he has such a strong lisp that I find myself laughing at how hilarious it all sounds. If you've ever watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail, well imagine if Biggus Dickus joined a doom metal band and sang lyrics such as "With my thord and thpear, I'll make the hereticth thuffer." It's such a shame really, as this is otherwise great.

3 stars

Sorry Ben, I haven't found time to review the Draft release for November. If I get time I will try to get it done early in December.

All good Sonny. I don't think anyone should feel pressure to review every draft release they pick. Like everything, once it feels like a chore, the fun rapidly dissipates. I've missed a couple of releases in the first few drafts. 

December 2022

1. Patristic - 03 (from Apologetica, 2022)

2. Negativa - XVII (from 03, 2018)

3. Cirith Gorgor - The Declaration of Our Neverending War (from Onwards to the Spectral Defile, 1999) [Submitted by Daniel]

4. Sear Bliss - Omen of Doom (from The Arcane Odyssey, 2007) [Submitted by Vinny]

5. Aborym - U.V. Impaler (from With No Human Intervention, 2003)

6. Drudkh - Till We Become the Haze (from All Belong to the Night, 2022)

7. Axis of Advance - Of One to Conflict It (from Obey, 2004)

8. Coldworld - Wound (from Isolation, 2022)

9. Thy Darkened Shade - Or She-Ein Bo Mahshavah (from Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet, 2014) [Submitted by Vinny]

10. Ateiggär - Us Lyschegiftig Schlaf verwached (from Tyrannemord, 2022)

11. Gudsforladt - The Three Sights (from Friendship, Love and War, 2022)

12. White Ward - Love Exchange Failure (from Love Exchange Failure, 2019)

13. Gevurah - Towards the Shifting Sands (from Gehinnom, 2022)

14. Lord Belial - Enter the Moonlight Gate (from Enter the Moonlight Gate, 1997)

15. Fleurety - Englers piler har ingen brodd (from Min tid skal komme, 1995)

Here's my list for the year...

1. Inanna - Void of Unending Depths

2. Immolation - Acts of God

3. Artificial Brain - Artificial Brain

4. Ataraxy - The Last Mirror

5. Pharmacist - Flourishing Extremities on Unspoiled Mental Grounds

6. Hath - All That Was Promised

7. Cosmic Putrefaction - Crepuscular Dirge for the Blessed Ones

8. Allagaeon - Damnum

9. Aeviterne - The Ailing Facade

10. Schizophrenia - Recollections of the Insane

11. Shadow of Intent - Elegy

12. Esoctrilihum - Consecration of the Spiritüs Flesh

13. The Chasm - The Scars of a Lost Reflective Shadow

14. The Halo Effect - Days of the Lost

15. Undeath - It's Time... to Rise From the Grave

16. Imperial Triumphant - Spirit of Ecstasy

17. Needless - The Cosmic Cauldron

Unlike the last few years, I can actually contribute here, having listened to a lot of 2022 albums. I should caveat this by saying I haven't listened to Dvvell of Funeral Orchestra yet, both of which have potential to sit towards the top of my list.

1 - Shape of Despair - Return to the Void

2 - Mournful Congregation - The Exuviae of Gods - Part 1

3 - Mizmor & Thou - Myopia

4 - Epitaphe - II

5 - Messa - Close

6 - Ataraxy - The Last Mirror

7 - Tzompantli - Tlazcaltiliztli

8 - Druid Lord - Relics of the Dead

9 - Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard - The Harvest

10 - Friends of Hell - Friends of Hell

11 - Primitive Man - Insurmountable

12 - Konvent - Call Down the Sun

13 - Night Hag - Phantasmal Scourge

14 - Hangman's Chair - A Loner

15 - Temple of Void - Summoning the Slayer

16 - Obsidian Sea - Pathos

17 - Mizmor - Wit's End

18 - Bog Body - Cryonic Crevasse Cult

Assassin - Combat Cathedral (2016)

While I've always been aware of Assassin (their debut album The Upcoming Terror is held in reasonably high regard), I'm not certain I'd ever checked them out. Selecting their 5th album, 2016's Combat Cathedral, as my November draft pick for The Pit has given me the opportunity to do just that. Right from the get go I've been impressed with what I've heard. The production is strong, and the band certainly know how to write punchy thrash riffs. Vocalist Ingo Bajonczak is a definite highlight too, being a cross between Testament's Chuck Billy and Pantera's Phil Anselmo, albeit with a German accent. When I listen to the album while doing other things, I'm consistently drawn in by the album's highlight moments, but I have to admit that it's formulaic approach and 53 minute running time have made it a bit of a slog to really focus on in one sitting. In the end I think I get enough enjoyment out of Combat Cathedral to go with 3.5 stars. If you enjoy traditional thrash metal, you could do a lot worse than this.

3.5 stars

Dead to Fall - For the Memories

Metal-Archives has this release listed as a demo. The lack of ratings on RYM also suggests this is likely the case. Do you have anything to suggest otherwise?

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 12th to the 18th of November, 2022.

1. Forbidden Site (FALLEN, NORTH)

2. 7Zuma7 (FALLEN)

3. Cattle Press / Agoraphobic Nosebleed (FALLEN, HORDE)

4. Profecium (FALLEN, NORTH)

5. Ashbreather (FALLEN, INFINITE)

6. Lilitu (FALLEN, HORDE)

7. Poundhound (GATEWAY)

8. Zebrahead (GATEWAY)

9. Catupecu Machu (GATEWAY)

10. Manhole (GATEWAY)

11. Rainbow Butt Monkeys (GATEWAY)

12. Unjust (GATEWAY, PIT)

13. Nothing More (GATEWAY)

14. Roland Grapow (GUARDIANS)

15. October 31 (GUARDIANS, PIT)

16. Holy Martyr (GUARDIANS)

17. Prophanity (HORDE)

18. Systral (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

19. HatePlow (HORDE)

20. Judgement Day (HORDE)

21. Necrotic Mutation (HORDE)

22. Nembrionic (HORDE)

23. Maat (HORDE)

24. Crimson Midwinter (HORDE, NORTH)

25. Withering Surface (HORDE)

26. Ever Dark (HORDE)

27. Christ Denied (HORDE)

28. Stabbing (HORDE)

29. I Am (HORDE, PIT, REVOLUTION)

30. Altura (INFINITE)

31. The Afterimage (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

32. Nächtlich (NORTH)

33. Psychonaut 4 / Nocturnal Depression (NORTH)

34. Grimoire (ISR) (NORTH)

35. Thy Repentance (NORTH)

36. Grabunhold (NORTH)

37. Nekrasov (NORTH)

38. Surrender of Divinity (NORTH)

39. Arathorn (NORTH)

40. Unlord (NORTH)

41. Nahash (NORTH)

42. Mussorgski (NORTH, SPHERE)

43. Thornium (NORTH)

44. Grafvitnir (NORTH)

45. Malón (PIT)

46. Johnny Booth (REVOLUTION)

47. Training for Utopia / Zao (REVOLUTION)

48. Culture (REVOLUTION)

49. Spread the Disease (REVOLUTION)

If I'm not too late...

• Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard - Valmasque off Y proffwyd dwyll (2016)
• Candlemass - Solitude off Epicus Doomicus Metallicus (1986)
• Daylight Dies - Dismantling Devotion off Dismantling Devotion (2006)