Ben's Forum Threads

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 13th to the 19th of April, 2024.

1. Lathe (FALLEN)

2. Castle Rat (FALLEN)

3. Isenordal (FALLEN, NORTH)

4. Evilgloom (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

5. Black Pantera (GUARDIANS, PIT)

6. Armagh (GUARDIANS)

7. LiveWire (GUARDIANS, PIT)

8. Lords of the Trident (GUARDIANS)

9. No Souls Saved (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

10. Omegavortex / Pious Levus (HORDE, NORTH)

11. Restrictor Plate (HORDE)

12. Vomitrot (HORDE, NORTH)

13. Carrion Vael (HORDE)

14. Cartilage (HORDE)

15. Cryptivore (HORDE)

16. Devoid of Life (HORDE, NORTH)

17. Moonshade (HORDE)

18. Mutilation Barbecue (HORDE)

19. Hemorrhoid (HORDE)

20. Defacing God (HORDE)

21. Epectase (INFINITE, NORTH)

22. Yawn (INFINITE)

23. Eidola (INFINITE, REVOLUTION)

24. Celestial Sword (NORTH)

25. Fortress of the Pearl (NORTH)

26. Gloamus (NORTH)

27. Niteris / Kryukokrest (NORTH)

28. Trijumf (NORTH)

29. Givre (NORTH)

30. Grieve (NORTH)

31. Kamra (NORTH)

32. Lune (NORTH)

33. Merihem (NORTH)

34. Nidernes (NORTH)

35. The Gloomy Radiance of the Moon (NORTH)

36. Ironhawk (PIT)

37. Species (PIT)

38. orphantwin (REVOLUTION)

39. Torena (REVOLUTION)

40. Despize (REVOLUTION)

41. Moral Law (REVOLUTION)

42. Despite Exile (REVOLUTION)

Strong month this time with me picking up the fantastic Narbeleth (props to Sonny).  Since listening through the playlist on Sunday, these Spanish residing Cubans have not been off my speakers much.  New Mütiilation slipped by me and that track sounds promising to my ears.  I was not too smitten with Suldusk or Moonlight Sorcery but it was great to see some BAN (underrated album that "Odinist..."), Rotting Christ and Xasthur getting some air time. 

Here's my review:

Florida technical death metallers Nocturnus were a fairly big player in our household from very early on in their recording career. I was lucky enough to discover their 1990 debut album “The Key” shortly after it was released & purchased a copy on cassette. It showcased a highly ambitious band of talented musicians that were looking to push the envelope when it came to both atmospherics, imagery & technique & I found it to be a very solid release indeed. Perhaps not the undeniable classic that many death metal fans will have you believe it is but a worthy purchase that has commanded consistent revisits over the years. 1992’s follow-up album “Thresholds” simply wasn’t in the same caliber from what I remember of it although it was certainly worth a listen at the time & didn’t discourage me from picking up this month’s The Horde feature release (i.e. Nocturnus’ self-titled 7” from 1993) on vinyl immediately after it was released. I don’t remember much about it now to be honest & have no idea what happened to the record I owned but I do recall being a touch underwhelmed even if I certainly found entertainment in it. I’m interested to see how those recollections stack up now actually as I recently revisited “The Key” & it’s renewed my interest.

The ”Nocturnus” 7” is nothing more than a two-song single but includes two previously unreleased non-album tracks intended to showcase the band’s brand new lineup. Bassist Emo Mowery had now filled the empty position that was filled by session musician Chris Anderson on the “Thresholds” album while James Marcinek had now joined the fold at the expense of founding member & band leader Mike Browning (Morbid Angel/Acheron) who had been controversially axed. The two songs take a similar stylistic approach to the one found on “The Key” but there are a few notable differences & characteristics that are worth pointing out.

The first & most obvious thing you’ll notice about this release is the shocking production job which is extremely rough & sees Nocturnus’ trademark flashy guitars being largely nullified. It’s a real shame because this flaw goes a long way to ensuring that the record was never going to have much of an impact, even if you absolutely loved the song-writing. Front man Dan Izzo had been brought in for the “Thresholds” album to enable Browning to focus purely on his drum kit. Here we see him trying awfully hard to sound like notorious Deicide vocalist Glen Benton & doing a reasonable job of it too. In fact, I’d have to suggest that it was a good move to swap him in for Browning as his more angry & aggressive delivery would seem to me to be a better fit for a death metal band. So would the drumming of Marcinek actually, at least I’d take it over the simplistic contribution that Browning gave us on “The Key”. The keyboards of Louis Panzer are still on show but don’t play as prominent a role in these compositions which was an interesting move given that this was one of the major drawcards that was seeing people flocking to Nocturnus. The other was the consistent layers of ultra-shredding guitar solos that were a majorly exciting prospect for this budding young lead guitarist but, once again, the solos have been toned down significantly here which I find to be a really strange decision. Perhaps that’s why we’ve seen these two tracks isolated on a dedicated single? I dunno but it was pretty annoying that Nocturnus had dropped a good chunk of their signature features.

When taken for what they are though, these two songs aren’t too bad & certainly offer enough to keep me interested & entertained. The lengthier “Possess The Priest” has a slight edge over the more aggressive “Mummified” but there’s not a lot between them as they’re both decent enough examples of the technical death metal subgenre. I’ve often seen people trying to utilize the progressive metal tag with this record but I don’t think that’s appropriate as this material is far more consciously technical than it is conceptually expansive. The riffs can sometimes be quite thrashy but I never feel that I’m listening to anything other than a death metal artist at any stage.

So, it would seem that the “Nocturnus” 7” single is bit of a mixture of positives & negatives overall, isn’t it? The production is arguably the most unfortunate & release-defining element but I’m pleased that Nocturnus possessed enough class to overcome that failure to give us a reasonable record nonetheless. Sadly, I can’t see it being enough to draw me back to the single at any point in the future but I don’t think your average Death. Atheist or Pestilence fan will find it to be too repulsive, even if it’s not on the same level as the universally worshipped releases that those bands were dishing out during that period. But then, I’m not sure I ever saw Nocturnus on the same level as those artists in the first place. Not many are though to be fair.

3.5/5

Here's my review:

Chilean thrash metallers Critical Defiance & I have enjoyed a very fruitful relationship over the last five years. In a scene that has largely maintained itself purely off the back of its distant heritage, these South Americans have managed to release a couple of records that have proven to been worthy of my interest in their own right, particularly 2022's "No Life Forms" sophomore album which I consider to be fairly essential for fans of the modern-day Chilean thrash scene. So, I think it's fair to say that I had high hopes for the brand new follow-up album "The Search Won't Fall..." which has predictably been receiving a fair amount of praise from the underground thus far. It hasn't disappointed either with Critical Defiance delivering yet another solid piece of thrash metal designed specifically for an audience that have been starved of high-quality material in recent times.

The production job that "The Search Won't Fall..." is built on is pretty decent but is perhaps a little too heavy on the mid-range frequencies & I think the album could have done with a little more highs as a result. The musicianship is top notch though with the five instrumentalists all proving themselves to be highly proficient in their chosen crafts. As with "No Life Forms", we once again see the unusual inclusion of a third guitarist, a differentiator that the band make good use of but probably won't be picked up by the band's less informed listeners. I really enjoy the shredding Slayer-esque guitar solos which are generally well timed with former Demoniac shredder Nicolás Young being a welcome addition to the band. The song structures feature a crap-tonne of changes too although I struggle to see any justification for the tech thrash claims that seem to be associated with the album as I honestly can't hear anything particularly technical here. Front man Felipe Alvarado's aggressive vocals are well-suited to this style of music but its drummer Rodrigo Poblete (also formerly of Demoniac) that's the clear highlight of the album with his powerful, precise & exciting contribution clearly indicating the role that Slayer's Dave Lombardo has played a clear role in his musical up-bringing.

Stylistically, there's a bit more to Critical Defiance than your run-of-the-mill 80's-worshipping thrash outfit these days. They tend to mix things up a bit by throwing in some well executed curve balls & also varying their track lengths & song structures fairly drastically. You'll no doubt notice that there are a few longer & more expansive pieces included than we found on "No Life Forms" with some progressive options having been explored. There are a couple of tracks that showcase a clear black metal component too (particularly the outstanding "Full Paranoia") while "Long Distance (The What's to Come)" & "Absolüt" are built as much on speed metal as they are on thrash. You can also expect to receive a classical guitar piece ("The Blind Divine"), a progressive rock instrumental ("Margarita") & a full-throttle grindcore number ("All The Powers") so you can hardly claim "The Search Won't Fall..." to be samey. There aren't any weak inclusions either so it's a very consistent affair from a highly competent & experienced artist.

"The Search Won't Fall..." really does pick up where "No Life Forms" left off. It's another very solid release from Critical Deception that will likely come into consideration for my end of year list & will no doubt be receiving return visits from me in the future too. I'd suggest ignoring the tech thrash claims & going into the record expecting more of a Kreator/Vio-lence brand of aggressive thrash only with a slightly more adventurous edge that sees them drawing upon a more diverse array of artists such as Hellripper & early Emperor for inspiration at times.

4/5

No need to be sorry. Every music listener will find certain albums / styles more compelling than others. It would be boring if everyone had the exact same tastes.

Evilfeast is a solo project of Polish multi-instrumentalist Jakub Grzywacz, who goes by the pseudonym of GrimSpirit. The project has been going since 1996, when it was then known as Darkfeast (changing name in '98) so he has some credibility as a relatively early adopter of the atmospheric black metal creed and not just some random bandwagon-jumper. So, I thought I hadn't listened to Evilfeast before and when it was pointed out that indeed I had (thanks, Daniel!), I still had no great recollection of the event. Not exactly a ringing endorsement I think you will agree. However, it says more about my insatiable appetite for listening to more and more unfamiliar metal albums and a resulting lack of retention of any but the most excellent (or utterly terrible), than it does about the quality of the release in question. This is because Elegies of the Stellar Wind is, in fact, a pretty decent slab of black metal with a pronounced symphonic element influenced by none less than the mighty Emperor, I would suggest. Although the keyboards are fundamental to the album's sound, it still feels like it sits more within the sphere of atmospheric rather than symphonic black metal because, although the synth sound can be traced back to Ihsahn & co, it isn't as bombastic as the Black Wizards, but rather it feels like it is heralding the majesty of the natural world rather than the machinations and achievements of powerful men.

The black metal component is generally of the uptempo, quite savage-sounding, thinly-produced type that harks back to a previous black metal age and doesn't contain the lushness of more recent atmospheric black metal efforts, but that feels no less effective for it. I must admit I like it's quite raw black metal stylings, whilst the keyboards are incorporated effectively and even though they have a significant presence they still work well in tandem with the riffing. It never really attains the hypnotic transcendence that the absolute top-tier atmospheric black metal releases achieve and, in truth, it probably feels a little more down-to-earth as a result, but whilst these ham-fisted attempts at describing Evilfeast's sound make it feel like it won't work, it absolutely does, it's just that it's not exactly what you would necessarily expect.

I'm gonna stick with my old RYM score of 4/5

Ben, please add the new DragonForce album Warp Speed Warriors.

My first question has got to be "did Daniel really suggest the Equilibrium track?!" I mean, I quite dug it too, surprisingly (it felt very cinematic), but it seems most unlike him.

It was a pretty lean month for me for The North releases so I thought I'd include it in the interest of diversity. It was probably the least offensive track from an album where I found nothing whatsoever that appealed to me.

Wow, today is the 30th anniversary of Cradle of Filth's first and best album, The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, a record I have a soft spot for, as it was one of the first albums I got into upon my return to metal in the late 90's.

Also a shout-out to the woefully ignored, The Wounded Kings, whose terrific doom album, Consolamentum, is ten years old today.

Very nice.

Wow! I've gotta say that the third full-length from these Finnish death metallers has well & truly blown me away which was perhaps somewhat inevitable given that it falls so clearly within my musical comfort zone. Gorephilia offer a dark & dank take on the classic 1990's death metal model with very little in the way of invention however they simply go about their craft so efficiently & effectively that I'm left feeling similar feelings to those that I first felt as an early teenager while discovering this great genre to begin with. The main influence is clearly classic Morbid Angel although (unlike Ben) I'd suggest that the era in question sits closer to "Blessed Are The Sick" & "Covenant" than it does to "Domination". Its actually pretty obvious a lot of the time too but the execution is nothing short of splendid which gives Gorephilia a strong sense of class & pedigree. Plus, there are a few more strings to Gorephilia's bow than that as they also possess a darker, murkier & slightly doomy Immolation/Incantation vibe that drags the atmosphere deeper into graveyard territory.

The guitar solos are perhaps the weak point as they lack a little finesse & often cross over into out-of-key territory but not in a way that feels intentional. It's more from a lack of understanding. The battering blast-beats, swampy yet powerful guitar tone & monstrous death growls more than make up for them though with the quality of the song-writing improving noticeably as the tracklisting progresses. "Devotion Upon the Worm", "Not for the Weak" & closer "Ark of the Undecipherable" are all devastating examples of modern death metal but the atmospheric interlude "Death Dream" is perhaps my favourite inclusion with its clean guitar arpeggios & eerie yet quite beautiful lead work providing a lovely change of scene before the final deathly assault. "In The Eye Of Nothing" is everything that a death metal band should aspire to be in my opinion & has been so successful in its undertaking that I'd even go so far as to sit it right alongside its more celebrated influences at the table of death metal's more elite performers.

4.5/5

The votes are in and we have our winners for Best Covers of 2023. Thanks to everyone that voted!

We had enough votes this year to apply a minimum of 5 votes criteria. Where that resulted in a tie for any given clan, the total amount of votes was the second criteria used, followed by the Clan Rating. Even applying these three levels of criteria, we still have a tie for The Revolution. Rather than apply some other random criteria, the aware for The Revolution will be shared this year.

THE FALLEN WINNER

Ocean of Grief - Pale Existence

THE GATEWAY WINNER

Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars

THE GUARDIANS WINNER

Elvenking - Reader of the Runes – Rapture

THE HORDE WINNER

Neuropath - At Damnation's Core

THE INFINITE WINNER

Blut aus Nord - Disharmonium - Nahab

THE NORTH WINNER

Thron - Dust

THE PIT WINNER

Holy Moses - Invisible Queen

THE REVOLUTION WINNERS (TIE)

August Burns Red - Death Below

Impending Doom - Last Days

THE SPHERE WINNER

In This Moment - Godmode

Yeah, I have to admit it was a quiet month for new North tracks. I agree that modern Inquisition seems to have lost some of what made it so enjoyable in the past. 

I corrected The Amenta track to be off Plague of Locus rather than Lord Kaos' Thorns of Impurity album, which of course the track was originally found on. The Lord Kaos album is now on Spotify too, which is a good thing. Daniel was mates with the guys in the band and I listened to that album a lot in the back end of the 90s.

The Frozen Dawn is awesome too - it's yet another from the masterful Mariusz Lewandowski, so it kind of goes without saying!

So with the start of a new year it's once again time to have a look at the covers for all the releases for each clan. I personally like to rate a whole stack of covers all at once, rather than doing them one at a time throughout the year, as it allows me to get a better feel for where each cover sits in comparison to others. With that in mind, I've just rated every cover for releases in The Sphere for 2023.

Below are the releases that are currently competing for the prestigious 2023 The Sphere Cover of the Year Award (i.e. they rate at least 3.0 and have 3 or more ratings). The winner will be announced on the 1st of February, so there's still time to get your ratings in.

Neurotech - Ave Neptune

In This Moment - Godmode

Till Lindemann - Zunge

Mechina - Cenotaph

HEALTH - Rat Wars

If you want to contribute and rate some covers, the easiest way is to go to The Gallery and select The Sphere and 2023.

https://metal.academy/gallery?cid=9&type=overall_cover_rating&myRating=&fromYear=2023&toYear=2023&exclude=0

I look forward to seeing which release gets up for the win!

So with the start of a new year it's once again time to have a look at the covers for all the releases for each clan. I personally like to rate a whole stack of covers all at once, rather than doing them one at a time throughout the year, as it allows me to get a better feel for where each cover sits in comparison to others. With that in mind, I've just rated every cover for releases in The Horde for 2023.

Below are the releases that are currently competing for the prestigious 2023 The Horde Cover of the Year Award (i.e. they rate at least 3.7 and have 3 or more ratings). The winner will be announced on the 1st of February, so there's still time to get your ratings in.

Neuropath - At Damnation's Core

Bodyfarm - Ultimate Abomination

Demon King - Vesania

Sulphur Aeon - Seven Crowns and Seven Seals

Catacomb - When the Stars Are Right

Suotana - Ounas I

7 H.Target - Yantra Creating

Fires in the Distance - Air Not Meant for Us

Darkthrone - Goatlord: Original

If you want to contribute and rate some covers, the easiest way is to go to The Gallery and select The Horde and 2023.

https://metal.academy/gallery?cid=4&type=overall_cover_rating&myRating=&fromYear=2023&toYear=2023&exclude=0

I look forward to seeing which release gets up for the win!

So with the start of a new year it's once again time to have a look at the covers for all the releases for each clan. I personally like to rate a whole stack of covers all at once, rather than doing them one at a time throughout the year, as it allows me to get a better feel for where each cover sits in comparison to others. With that in mind, I've just rated every cover for releases in The Pit for 2023.

Below are the releases that are currently competing for the prestigious 2023 The Pit Cover of the Year Award (i.e. they rate at least 3.7 and have 3 or more ratings). The winner will be announced on the 1st of February, so there's still time to get your ratings in.

Holy Moses - Invisible Queen

Legion of the Damned - The Poison Chalice

Horrendous - Ontological Mysterium

Overkill - Scorched

Xoth - Exogalactic

Terminalist - The Crisis as Condition

Bleeding, The - Monokrator

If you want to contribute and rate some covers, the easiest way is to go to The Gallery and select The Pit and 2023.

https://metal.academy/gallery?cid=7&type=overall_cover_rating&myRating=&fromYear=2023&toYear=2023&exclude=0

I look forward to seeing which release gets up for the win!

So with the start of a new year it's once again time to have a look at the covers for all the releases for each clan. I personally like to rate a whole stack of covers all at once, rather than doing them one at a time throughout the year, as it allows me to get a better feel for where each cover sits in comparison to others. With that in mind, I've just rated every cover for releases in The Infinite for 2023.

Below are the releases that are currently competing for the prestigious 2023 The Infinite Cover of the Year Award (i.e. they rate at least 3.7 and have 3 or more ratings). The winner will be announced on the 1st of February, so there's still time to get your ratings in.

Blut aus Nord - Disharmonium - Nahab

Oak Pantheon - The Absence

Haken - Fauna

Abbey, The - Word of Sin

TesseracT - War of Being

Horrendous - Ontological Mysterium

Dirge - Dirge

Enslaved - Heimdal

Ne Obliviscaris - Exul

Vvon Dogma I - The Kvlt of Glitch

If you want to contribute and rate some covers, the easiest way is to go to The Gallery and select The Infinite and 2023.

https://metal.academy/gallery?cid=5&type=overall_cover_rating&myRating=&fromYear=2023&toYear=2023&exclude=0

I look forward to seeing which release gets up for the win!

I first got into Swedish extreme metallers The Crown back in the mid-1990's. They were still called Crown of Thorns at the time I picked up their first two albums through the tape trading scene & I had time for both of them too, particularly a track called "The Lord of the Rings" from their debut album "The Burning" which became somewhat of an anthem for me back in 1995. I wouldn't become aware of the band under their more well-known moniker of The Crown until my return to metal in 2009 & it would be through 2000's "Deathrace King" which is arguably the most well-known release from the band's lengthy 34-year career. I remember finding it to be a pretty entertaining listen too if I'm not mistaken & I've always thought of it as one of The Crown's better releases. I can't say that I remember all that much of it now though as I haven't felt like revisiting it since that first foray which may be a telling fact in itself but we're about to find out.

I always thought of Crown of Thorns as a death metal band back in the day but "Deathrace King" sees The Crown expanding their horizons significantly by exploring a number of other subgenres in a tracklisting that jumps around a fair bit from a stylistic point of view. The record kicks off in really strong fashion with three of the first four songs sitting amongst the stronger inclusions of the eleven on offer & daring the listener to resist the urge to thrash around like a madman. The rest of the album is a little more hit & miss though with a couple of songs even missing the mark altogether (see the fairly flat death/speed metal of "Rebel Angel" & disappointing thrasher "Blitzkrieg Witchcraft"). Mid-paced groove metal stormer "Dead Man's Song" is probably the only track that sees The Crown upping the ante to somewhere like the levels they began the record with which is unfortunate given the promising start. I wouldn't say that there are any genuine classics here though so "Deathrace King" was never really pushing for my higher scores anyway.

The mishmash of sounds present at various times during the 49-minute run time includes thrash metal, death/thrash, melodic death metal, groove metal & speed metal but I'd suggest that the death/thrash tag is the best representation of what you can expect to hear overall. The couple of melodic death metal inclusions ("Back From The Grave" & "I Won't Follow") see me reminiscing about the band's earlier 1990's material & will no doubt remind some of you of fellow Swedes like At The Gates & Dimension Zero while the thrashier & groovier songs play in similar spaces to another group of countrymen in The Haunted. The couple of speed metal numbers take more than a few queues from German Motorhead disciples Sodom so I often find myself wondering if The Crown were experiencing a bit of an identity crisis at times as they seem to struggle for a bit of focus. The level of musicianship certainly doesn't suffer for it though & I particularly enjoy the blast-beats of drummer Janne Saarenpää.

I have to say that I've been a touch underwhelmed by my revisit to "Deathrace King" as I remembered it a little more fondly than my current day experience has portrayed. The Crown certainly hint at greater things here but never really reach the levels of the premier acts floating around the scene. I often find the better songs to have magnificent parts but rarely see them maintaining those sort of levels for a full track. Perhaps I'm not as into some of the subgenres that are toyed with as other fans might be & that's likely having an impact on my score but I can't help but feel that "Deathrace King" sits more comfortably in the third tier than it does the second which means that I'm probably not very likely to return to it in the future even though I've found it to be a generally enjoyable experience.

3.5/5

So with the start of a new year it's once again time to have a look at the covers for all the releases for each clan. I personally like to rate a whole stack of covers all at once, rather than doing them one at a time throughout the year, as it allows me to get a better feel for where each cover sits in comparison to others. With that in mind, I've just rated every cover for releases in The Guardians for 2023.

Below are the releases that are currently competing for the prestigious 2023 The Guardians Cover of the Year Award (i.e. they rate at least 3.7 and have 3 or more ratings). The winner will be announced on the 1st of February, so there's still time to get your ratings in.

Elvenking - Reader of the Runes – Rapture

Jag Panzer - The Hallowed

Kamelot - The Awakening

Sorcerer - Reign of the Reaper

Delain - Dark Waters

Sabaton - Heroes of the Great War

Bloodbound - Tales From the North

Gatekeeper - From Western Shores

Smoulder - Violent Creed of Vengeance

Burning Witches - The Dark Tower

If you want to contribute and rate some covers, the easiest way is to go to The Gallery and select The Guardians and 2023.

https://metal.academy/gallery?cid=3&type=overall_cover_rating&myRating=&fromYear=2023&toYear=2023&exclude=0

I look forward to seeing which release gets up for the win!

I've correct the tracklisting. Thanks Vinny.

So with the start of a new year it's once again time to have a look at the covers for all the releases for each clan. I personally like to rate a whole stack of covers all at once, rather than doing them one at a time throughout the year, as it allows me to get a better feel for where each cover sits in comparison to others. With that in mind, I've just rated every cover for releases in The Gateway for 2023.

Below are the releases that are currently competing for the prestigious 2023 The Gateway Cover of the Year Award (i.e. they rate at least 3.3 and have 3 or more ratings). The winner will be announced on the 1st of February, so there's still time to get your ratings in.

Within Temptation - Bleed Out

Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars

Spotlights - Alchemy for the Dead

Sleep Token - Take Me Back to Eden

Polaris - Fatalism

Klone - Meanwhile

MolyBaron - Something Ominous

In This Moment - Godmode

If you want to contribute and rate some covers, the easiest way is to go to The Gallery and select The Gateway and 2023.

https://metal.academy/gallery?cid=2&type=overall_cover_rating&myRating=All&fromYear=2023&toYear=2023&exclude=0

I look forward to seeing which release gets up for the win!

So with the start of a new year it's once again time to have a look at the covers for all the releases for each clan. I personally like to rate a whole stack of covers all at once, rather than doing them one at a time throughout the year, as it allows me to get a better feel for where each cover sits in comparison to others. With that in mind, I've just rated every cover for releases in The Fallen for 2023.

Below are the releases that are currently competing for the prestigious 2023 The Fallen Cover of the Year Award (i.e. they rate at least 3.8 and have 3 or more ratings). The winner will be announced on the 1st of February, so there's still time to get your ratings in.

Ahab - The Coral Tombs

Ocean of Grief - Pale Existence

Fires in the Distance - Air Not Meant for Us

Smoulder - Violent Creed of Vengeance

Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean - Obsession Destruction

Abbey, The - Word of Sin

Oromet - Oromet

Obelyskkh - The Ultimate Grace of God

Acacia Strain, The - Failure Will Follow

Witch Ripper - The Flight After the Fall

Lethvm - Winterreise

Soulmass - Let Us Pray

If you want to contribute and rate some covers, the easiest way is to go to The Gallery and select The Fallen and 2023.

https://metal.academy/gallery?cid=1&type=overall_cover_rating&myRating=&fromYear=2023&toYear=2023&exclude=0

I look forward to seeing which release gets up for the win!

It is quite timely for an Isole feature, as they have had a new album out this year, with Anesidora hitting the shelves back in March. For me, Isole have been on a bit of a downward trajectory since their late-2000s high water mark and listening to Bliss of Solitude and Anesidora back-to-back gives an illustation of why. The latter release feels stripped of any real emotional weight, with the band seemingly seeking a sound more palatable to the mainstream, stoner doom crowd.

So, enough of what went wrong and let us focus on what the band were doing well fifteen years ago, with Bliss of Solitude and it's follow-up Silent Ruins. After forming in 2004 the Swedes released a couple of solid doom metal albums in 2005's Forevermore and '06's Throne of Void, but it was with 2008's Bliss of Solitude that they found themselves nearing the summit of the doom metal mountain. Obviously they were influenced by Candlemass' bombastic style of epic doom metal, but that was certainly not the full extent of what Isole were about, that bombast being tempered by a sorrowful, emotionally resonant side like that being displayed by the likes of Patrick Walker's Warning. The result of this for a release like Bliss of Solitude is that it sounds at once romantically triumphant, but also heart-rending and mournful, like the emotions of the victors of a savage battle won at great cost.

The production is spot on and producer, drummer Jonas Lindström (also of Ereb Altor), have fashioned a perfect guitar sound, being at once huge and weighty whilst still possessing a sorrowful emotion that also keeps it quite personal-sounding. Additional weight is provided by the thundering basswork and Lindström's well-pitched drumming, which act as a perfect foundation for the emotionally-charged dirges of the riffs. The band employs dual guitarists / vocalists in Daniel Bryntse and Crister Olsson, their style of esoteric, layered clean vocals being another source of the album's essential melancholy, particularly on a slower, more inward-looking track like "Imprisoned in Sorrow" or "Dying".

There is a classiness to Isole's best work, of which this is definitely an example, to which not all doom bands are able to aspire. This isn't just about playing super-slow riffs, dragged-out to inordinate lengths, but it is about portraying sadness and sorrow in a relatable and humanly resonant way, being able to express negative emotion in a manner that hints at both redemption and hope without sounding trite or insincere. Bliss of Solitude is a classic slab of emotionally-charged doom metal that deserves a larger share of the praise that is heaped on lesser releases and as such is a perfect choice for a feature release. Nice work Ben.

4.5/5

Another top list this month, Ben. I don't know if it's because the winter is here and the music suits the mood so well, but the last couple have been very good indeed. In fact there wasn't a single track I could say I disliked. Sure there were a couple that were a bit more melodic than I prefer, but they were still fine in their own way. I'm with Vinny in thinking that Faidra track was a particular highlight. Deiphage, Ebony Pendant, Fork Of Horripilation, Glemsel and Auriferous Flame were fantastic too. And let's face it, any playlist with Mayhem, Emperor and Darkthrone is going to kick ass anyway. Nice work Ben and everybody who submitted their selections.

I'll definitely be starting Album Cover of the Year conversations in the coming weeks.

I've done my review. Here's its summary:

I felt up to facing one of my worst enemies, the heavier side of death metal. This is the kind of devilish aggression I'm normally in a feud with, and yet I can't help but take it on. The chaotic nature smashes me around and leaves me breathless. It's so horrifying yet so good! OK, I have to agree that this isn't death metal per se. Imagine blending together the standard death metal that you might find in 90s Hypocrisy and Bolt Thrower with the sludgy side of Neurosis and Will Haven, and a bit of Entombed's Wolverine Blues. You end up getting an excellent extreme death 'n' roll/sludge/groove metal sound, that barely any other band has tried, with songs ranging from sludgy and melancholic, to dynamic and groove-filled, to deathly while still melodic but not overly melodic, all in monstrous guitars, annihilating bass, devastating drums, and inhumane vocals. So get ready to face a true powerful beast!

4.5/5

Let's stick with what unites us and not what divides us, so saying I agree Vinny, the Mānbryne track was a standout and their album is near the top of my list of things to check out soon.  As you've already listened to it, is it any good?

I thought it was solid enough but not outstanding.  My fears of them being Mgla clones were not realised thankfully but I see little here to be attracting the top end of the rating spectrum, however I have only listened through a couple of times.

This is fucking fantastic Ben. Super-premium atmospheric black metal with a strong & highly original psybient component & some excellent extreme metal drumming. How could I not love that?! The mature use of melody, the knack for building tension & the inherent creativity are simply so impressive. "U.M.A." is the perfect Metal Academy feature release in my opinion as it's criminally underrated & underappreciated.

4.5/5

Taken at surface level, The Dance of the Four Elemental Spirits feels like the prototypical blackened thrash metal album. The thrashy instrumentals are prominent and almost annoyingly simple, while the shrill vocal timbre and the overall very loose, reverb-y production is a callback to the kind of satanic worship trope that is abundant throughout the early black metal of the 1990s. The record does have some nice riffage and motifs ("Nocturnal Trudge" and "Violent, Bloody & Cold" in particular), but the records simplicity is also to its determent as well since songs on their own have no distinguishing moments other than the instrumental closer. Everything sounds pretty basic and frankly, uninspired from "Goddess Death" and beyond. It is not a bad record by any stretch; the locale and the sheer number of high quality thrash bands coming out of Chile prevent that from happening, but even by those standards, this record is kind of average.

3/5

Nice list again Ben. Of the stuff I was unfamiliar with, Tsjuder and Profane Order chimed with me the most. I haven't ever listened to Rebel Extravaganza before and enjoyed the track from it a fair bit. I also enjoyed the Gespenst and Ifernach tracks.

I'm not sure about the last track by Bríi, I think I will have to check out a bit more from them, but it did pique my interest. Of the stuff I know, Ancient, Deathspell and Altar of Plagues were big yesses. Marduk sounded just how I expected them to and Trhä and Mgla didn't really set my world on fire.

All in all though, an enjoyable couple of hours whilst decorating the living room. How about a new tagline, "The Metal Academy Playlist - makes household chores almost bearable!"

Here's my review from a year or so back:

As most diehard extreme metal fans will know, there’s a rare & highly desirable brand of metal that is destined to forever bubble away beneath the service of the underground scene, leaving its blackened mark on only a chosen few who share knowing nods in dark, smoky dungeons of metal worship without ever daring to give up their unholy secret to those deemed to be unworthy. This particular brand of metal isn’t about glossy production jobs, technical prowess or pushing genres into previously untraversed territories. It’s about presenting extreme metal in it’s most evil & primal form & generally resides within the confines of the unholy trio of extreme metal subgenres i.e. thrash metal, death & black metal. The exact ratio of an artist’s composition isn’t important but it dare not step outside of those three. Additionally, there needs to be an element of mystery about the artist in question with much left to the listener’s imagination. It also helps a lot if these artists have never released an album but existed for just a relatively short time, releasing only a few crude demos, 7 inches or limited edition EPs so that the audience can always be left wondering what could have been & if the most pure realization of metal should stay in the underground forever. Sadistic Intent is one of these acts & I love them all the more for it.

I first discovered this underground Los Angeles death metal outfit back in the early 1990’s through the tape trading scene. From memory I found their 1990 “Impending Doom…” E.P. to be pretty interesting but it wouldn’t be until their 1994 “Resurrection” E.P. that they’d really get me raising an eyebrow or two with their talent for creating raw, dark & authentic old school death metal falling right in line with my musical preference at the time. I followed them onwards in the hope that I’d eventually see a full-length album being released at some stage. I’m glad I didn’t hold my breath because that’s still yet to eventuate but they did manage to release another excellent E.P. before drifting out of my sight in 1997’s highly regarded three-track effort “Ancient Black Earth”.

To cut to the chase, Sadistic Intent are a pure death metal band in the traditional sense of the term. They don’t provide a good imitation of late 80’s death metal here. "Ancient Black Earth" IS late 80’s death metal. It’s just that it was written, recorded & released in 1997. See what I’m getting at? These dudes simply get it. They understand what’s required to create a genuine old-school death metal atmosphere as they’ve clearly lived it. This sort of approach has become somewhat of a trend over the last decade or so & has seen lesser bands elevated to much higher levels of acclaim & fandom than Sadistic Intent can ever hope to achieve. They really are their own worst enemies as not releasing a full-length is never a great marketing ploy but one gets the feeling that they don't really care. The quality of their material however is very hard to deny.

It won’t take you long to figure out who Sadistic Intent were listening to around 1989. I’ll give you a hint. They start with “M” & end with “orbid Angel”. Ya with me? The short 16 minute duration of the “Ancient Black Earth” E.P. sounds almost exactly like “Altars Of Madness” & “Blessed Are The Sick” at times which certainly can’t be a bad thing now, can it? Are they as good as Trey & co? Well… in a word no but then who is? I mean “Altars Of Madness” is the still the greatest death metal release of all time in my opinion so I’ll take whatever I can get. Very few artists have been able to accurately replicate the riff structures that Trey Azagthoth created back in Morbid Angel's hey day but Rick Cortez & Vince Cervera make a really good fist of it here & even do a pretty decent job at the insanely chaotic guitar solos too even though they’re not in the same league as far as technical ability goes. The blast beats at the start & end of the title track (my personal fave) sound like they’ve been torn straight from Morbid Angel’s “Blasphemy” & I frankly lose my shit when that happens. Then you toss in some super-evil yet easily intelligible Dave Vincent-style death growls of pure darkness & I’m 100% in… hook, line & sinker. There are also a few riffs tossed in that remind me more of the early 90’s Swedish death metal sound but they’re very well done & still manage to maintain a blasphemous & undeniably evil atmosphere.

If you’re a fan of 80’s & early 90’s death metal then you probably owe it to yourself to give this E.P. a spin or four. “Ancient Black Earth” provides categorical proof that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to make high quality extreme metal. Sadistic Intent deliver on their promise with passion, substance & an unquestionable pedigree & in doing so prove themselves worthy of standing alongside their idols. This is underground death metal of a very high quality.

For fans of Morbid Angel, Repugnant & Mortem.

4/5

Hits this month for me to check out further = Hasard, RUIM, Urfaust

Pleasing familiar artists = BAN, Arkona, Paysage d'Hiver

Skips this month for me =Agriculture, far too upbeat and positive for how I like my bm to be.  Similarly, Liturgy and their bonkers blend of bm, noise and alt/indie rock

Plan on getting some quality time in with the new BAN this week and also want to check out that latest Arkona album based on the track I heard here.  Hasard reminds me a lot of Akhlys so is a natural hit for me.  Listening to the album now and it seems to be my bag.

Personally, I'll downrate anything that feels too monotone.  Length itself is only a common factor in this, but even a 20 minute album can feel samey and unimaginative.  This is part of why I consider Reign in Blood inferior to South of Heaven, and more appropriately, Pleasure to Kill under several Kreator albums.  Of course, length itself is an element that can be used properly, if the musician is good enough, like on many slower metal genres such as doom.  My favorite example of this would be The Dreadful Hours.  Or course, the absolute best I can think of is William Basinski's Disintegration Loops.

Great updates, Ben! We appreciate it.

In an unexpected quiet couple of days at work, I managed to get through both The Fallen and The North playlists early doors this month.  Standouts for me:

Thantifaxath - Surgical Utopian Love (from Hive Mind Narcosis, 2023) - was aware of these Canadians already and so was delighted to see things opening up with their weird mix of Deathspell Omega meets Jute Gyte alongside BAN sounding atmospherics.

None - Rest (from Inevitable, 2023) - unusually captivating for a depressive black metal release, I found Rest to be almost enchanting in the most desolate and utterly hopeless way imaginable - I listened to the full album today and soon got bored though so will see how it picks up with repeated listens.

Armagedda - Deathminded (from The Final War Approaching, 2001) - looking forwards to reviewing this in the coming month.  I have been on a real conventional black metal kick of late and so the timing of this release being a Feature could not be better.  Wondering how I ever missed these guys to date though.

Blackbraid - The Spirit Returns (from Blackbraid II, 2023) - despite all the hype (and frankly relentless advertising) this guy gets, I have to admit to being underwhelmed with the first record.  This track grabbed my attention though with its melodic yet icy chunks of riffage.

Fen - Scouring Ignorance (from Monuments to Absence, 2023) - up to about my third listen with this record now and although not an outright struggle, it was not as immediate as I had hoped.  This track shows best why it caught me off-guard.  Very aggressive and racing in comparison to what I expected and those clean vocal passages are yet to land with me fully if honest.  Yet at the same time I am still utterly intrigued and want to learn more about the record.

Miserere Luminis - Le sang des rêves (from Ordalie, 2023) - I have seen the dazzling artwork for the album this track comes off already and knew I would have to check it out.  Atmospheric and expansive to boot, the whole album is a joy to behold having played it through a couple of times off the back of this track in the playlist.

I seem to be one of the only ones who were familiar with the name Xibalba before checking out this debut full length record from Tzompantli. I heard 2020's Años en infierno by sheer accident and enjoyed the record enough, since for a death doom record, the album decided to focus most of its time on the "death" portion of that hybrid; a sound that I was not as familiar with as the "doom" focused hybrids.

And that also seems to be the case with Tlazcaltiliztli. "Tlatzintilli" begins with a heavy percussive element while the guitar plays a slowed down rhythmic motif. It's certainly an unfamiliar sound in the doom or death metal spheres and left me interested to hear where the band could go from there. Unfortunately, the record kind of finds its groove around "Eltequi" and does not attempt these sorts of hybrid sounds again; instead keeping the death and doom parts isolated. That's because the second half of the album spends a lot more time focused on the Indigenous timbres, which all told, isn't very much. But as I have said with many extreme albums in the past that add objectively softer passages (such as a string/orchestra section), their contributions always feel subdued to the loud guitars, percussion and vocals.

On this record though, these limited elements are fascinating and rarely interfere with the straight up metal passages so as to not overburden the listener. It also keeps them fresh when they return. As for the straight up metal passages, even though I mentioned how stale it can get later on with the death and doom sections kept apart, I cannot deny that some of these riffs are filthy; mostly on the tracks "Tlatzintilli", the title track, "Ohtlatocopailcahualuztli" and the closer "Yaotiacahuanetzli". If you're looking for a death-doom album with heavy emphasis on the "death" as opposed to the much more popular "doom" stylings of My Dying Bride or Swallow the Sun, this record can scratch some real itches.

3.5/5

I don't recall hearing a bad release by Bloodbath to date and Unblessing the Purity keeps this consistency going nicely. It is a nice break from the more traditional Swedish sound you would associate with the band and shows the bands versatility well.  If there was ever any doubt in anyone's mind around the ability of the reknowned artist that comprised the band at this time then this EP would immediately dispel them.  I note the references to Polish death metal which is not one of my preferred styles of death metal with me having very little time for Vader in all honesty.  However, there is a real bite to the riffing on this release that is so superbly tied into the percussion and vocal delivery that I find it exceeds those relevant comparisons pretty quickly.

This is Åkerfeldt at his very best for me.  No clean singing and throaty as that wolf in the main part of the great album artwork probably would be.  The guitar work, as well as being rhythmically superb, also generates fantastic atmosphere on tracks such as album opener Blasting the Virginborn.  Those urgent and stabbing riff sections really driving the tension of the track.  With its huge sound and tight performances, Unblessing the Purity is probably as perfect a 15 minute blast of raging death metal that you could ask for.

4/5

There is so much I enjoyed on this month's playlist that I don't quite know where to begin my analysis.  First off, where the fuck have Dauþuz been all my life, weird themed (traditional mining practices and history) black metal from Germany?  What's not to like?  Secondly, why have I not paid more attention to Nightbringer given the Naas Alcameth involvement and I fucking love Akhlys?  Thirdly, Teitanblood are bang up my alley also yet I have dedicated zero attention to them until today (an issue that will be rectified in the coming weeks I promise you).

I didn't mind the Deafheaven track even if I am honest.  I would not describe it as appropriate fodder for The North clan but when viewed as something different it landed okay with me overall, albeit I am not rushing out to discover more.  Plebeian Grandstand were interesting with their odd core/bm mix up going on - will be checking out more of their stuff as a respected internet acquaintance of mine speaks highly of them. 

Other highlights were Odz Manouk,  Sinmara, Inquisition, Zhrine and Sargeist - all of whom I am familiar with of course.

My only gripe was The Great Old Ones.  I have heard a lot of praise for these guys but that track did not justify that praise to my ears.

Thanks Ben for putting together.

Likewise from me.

Likewise, due to work pressures, time is at a premium right now.

Likewise, I am struggling for time with work pressures at present so will be abstaining as well.

Sorry Vinny, but I'm struggling for time at the moment, so won't be making or taking part in review drafts for a while. If anyone else wants to participate, feel free to create one without me.

Was just about to post the same mate.  No activity here for me this month at least.

Not enough evil in my North playlist?! That's something I'll have to remedy next month. 

I'm looking forward to it already!!

This is the 2nd blackened thrash album featured this year that was released last year (Autonoesis being the other) and to be honest, I was impressed by this. It took quite a few listens before I could finally “get” it, but once I did, I found myself returning to this record a lot more than anyone might have expected.

I think what makes this record stand out is its motivic development. Well, perhaps that’s an overstatement, but these tracks are connected beautifully with strong ideas that are repeated enough to remind the listener how they got to this destination. Now that could be the guitar riffing, a specific percussion motif, or vocal inflection; I never felt like I was getting lost in the music that I was hearing. It also helped how the thrash/black metal passages are not interwoven together, rather they are kept separated, allowing for Nocturnal Graves to follow that songwriting high I spoke of earlier without having to do very much to the compositions at all!

Sparse guitar solos and a dramatic slow down of pace on “No Mercy for Weakness” hit me like a brick when they appeared and created a real sense of tension and release. My two biggest issues however are that while the compositions are robust on their own, they start to lose grandeur when every track uses the same formula. In addition, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the death metal instrumental interludes that connect vocal motifs to one another. I would have expected more traditional thrash riffage in those sections and especially something with a little bit more melody, instead of the low string tremolo that we got. But overall, this was not bad. A nice brisk runtime with some solid ideas makes for a more than refreshing take on blackened thrash.

3.5/5

A bit of a milestone for the sight today, with The North being the first clan to hit 10,000 releases.

The Horde will probably pass the same mark in the next 6 months or so.

I hit a challenge early on with Andacht. That clean singing on opening track Glück is awful and whilst I accept it adds some ethereal depth to the track it is (to coin Sonny’s phrase from his review) “gimmicky” and far too much so for me. Despite repeated listening to it and acknowledgement that there is a lot more interesting stuff going on than just those vocals, they are still all that I retain from the opening track.

The album does pick up more or less immediately after this though and the true dismal majesty of Lunar Aurora’s brand of atmo-black shines grimly through on Geisterschiff much better than it did on the opening eleven minutes of the record. Here is where the Paysage d’Hiver similarities really start to take hold for me with those cold windy atmospherics that close out the track. The strongest track from the opening half of the release though is Dunkler Mann. Reminiscent of the more straightforward traits of Darkspace with a hint of the earthy symphonia of Sear Bliss for good measure.

Some of the samples seem to veer the album off into a BAN style of experimentation without ever getting into the avant-garde and industrial territories you would associate with the French bm mentalists. In the main though, it is clear that Lunar Aurora knew their talents lay in the more atmospheric aspects of black metal and it is to this strength that Andacht leans upon heavily. Using programmed drums works in the sense that they are kept subtle enough in proceedings to never even be given opportunity to intrude on the softer aspect of the sound. Instead, you can focus on the tremolo riffs and chiming keys of the trio that recorded this. The lunatic vocals that are deployed give me the perfect amount of chaos that I need for the all-round authentic bm experience.

It is not difficult to get lost in the driving intensity of tracks like Findling as they grow in depth over nine-minutes plus. Likewise, it is often the simplicity of basic structures such as the opening 90 seconds of Der Pakt that command just as much attention. The closing track seems to take the levels of vocal lunacy up a couple of notches to finalise proceedings and the whole track possesses a seemingly enhanced energy level that rounds out an overall positive experience.

4/5

It is always a pleasure to listen to Burzum, Dark Space, Ulver or Imperial Dekadenz and so this month's playlist did not disappoint.  I just cannot get on with Aara though despite numerous attempts and I have noted a growing aversion to symphonic bm as I grow older so that wrote off a few tracks for me.  Standouts for me were Totalselfhatred and Conqueror.

I am still trying to get my head around Portrayal of Guilt and Hoplites if honest.  Had no time whatsoever for Amesoeurs or Winterhorde.  Still a strong month as I always come away with something new to check out after listening each month.

Excellent idea, Morpheus! Having a similar feature to RYM so you can only see suggestive album covers when you're logged in and have certain filters off, with the ability to turn those filters on to hide specific topics, might get more people on to the site with no fear of anything they may be sensitive to, and therefore might boost the website's popularity. It might certainly help me a bit, as I'm still living with my sometimes suspicious parents. I know Cannibal Corpse and other standard/brutal death metal bands would get the hidden album cover treatment for their violence and gore. Same with the first few Type O Negative albums (pair of naked women about to kiss, close-up of the frontman's a****le, etc.), which is a good reason I stopped listening to that band besides my break from gothic/doom metal. So what do you think of Morpheus' idea, all?

Not a fan.  I simply skip over/hit the back button on anything I see I don't like (I find most of the depiction of women on metal album covers unpleasant but simply ignore them).  Do you really think Andi that the reason why MA isn't crawling with users is because there are some album covers that are offensive?  Creating a cottage industry out of album cover content (which I imagine can soon become a laborious task for admins) is precisely the wrong thing to do on a site that needs more members, surely a more open and transparent site is what would attract people. 

Let's stop believing that everyone else out there lives by our values, needs and wants - there are some out there who would actively seek such artwork as described on this thread (for whatever reason).  I am not saying it is wrong to be offended by violence, fascism, sexism, gore etc just that I believe that it is my own responsibility to decide if I want to look at it or not.

In all seriousness, I am with Vinny on this one - anything that smells of censorship raises suspicion in me. Filters of this kind just remove the need for any kind of personal responsibility for what we see and look at. Life isn't always pretty and neither are metal album covers. Metal is often a genre that likes to go for the "shock" factor and those of a sensitive nature need to bear that in mind.

Like Vinny, some of the depictions of women in particular on some metal covers I find particularly unpleasant, but I don't expect Ben to have to look at them all in order to keep the site's content comprehensive then have myself pretend that they don't exist by filtering them out.

I have actually listened to Wintaar a bit and have rated two or three of his albums, the best of which is Nordic Glares Bless the Dead which I described at the time as "Rabid-sounding, blasting, russian black metal that will strip the paint off your car at fifty paces!" Not bad, but not great either. I guess it's easier for a lone wolf outfit to keep going in the face of massive indifference than it is a full band. You have got to admire artist's like these tenacity in a way. Might check a couple more of his albums out now you've reminded me of him, Ben, as I haven't listened to him for a while.