Daniel's Forum Replies

An enjoyable folk/Viking metal epic for fans of Falkenbach, Finsterfrost & Viking-period Bathory.

I'd suggest that "V: Hävitetty" is one of the most definitive releases for The North in that it really encapsulates elements of all three major genres housed by the clan. It never feels like black metal however it certainly borrows plenty of tools from its more evil brethren. To my ears it's just as much of a Viking metal record as it is a folk metal one though as it's not only got plenty of theatrical hints at longboats & the like but it's also got that rolling, epic feel you expect from Viking metal. You'll also find some progressive flourishes in the synthesizer use at times although anyone suggesting that this is a progressive release is overstating things.

I first encountered Moonsorrow very quickly after my return to metal in 2009. I'd noticed that their 2005 album "Verisäkeet" was very highly regarded so I thought I'd better check it out. Unfortunately I found myself struggling with it for all of the reasons that I struggle with folk metal in general. The folk melodies just don't appeal to me & I find that this takes most of the intensity out of the music for me. But after experimenting a bit more with the rest of Moonsorrow's back catalogue I would find that they'd undergone a gradual transformation that would see me identifying more & more to grab onto with each subsequent release. I utterly despise their first couple of albums "Suden uni" & "Voimasta ja kunniasta" but 2003's "Kivenkantaja" & 2005's "Verisäkeet" both saw them edging progressively a touch closer to my affection without ever really threatening to become something I'd class as being genuinely enjoyable. Looking back now I can easily see that Moonsorrow's ability to provide me with any sort of value is generally dependent on what the ratio of folk-to-Viking is like. They seem to have gradually added more of the Viking-period Bathory influences in over time whilst toning back the folk metal cheese & that's definitely a good thing for me. And this bring us to their fifth album "V: Hävitetty" which finally sees Moonsorrow breaching my tough exterior & offering me some sort of appeal. 

"V: Hävitetty" is a little bit of a frustrating album for me though. It starts off in the most awe-inspiring fashion with the first third of the immense 30 minute opener "Jäästä syntynyt / Varjojen virta" being nothing short of mind-blowing & leading me to question whether I'm in for a significantly more noteworthy experience. The next ten minute section sees the quality dropping back a bit but maintaining a solid level before the last third unfortunately signals the arrival of some of those cheesier folk metal extravagances that I find so grating. Overall it makes for an enjoyable listen but I can't help but feel that it was a missed opportunity. The other huge track "Tuleen ajettu maa" sees things dipping a little further with several sections that are just so consciously trying to sound epic & the heavier sections being almost cancelled out by the most unintimidating synthesizers & folk instrumentation. It's beautifully produced, performed & executed of course which is always the case with this band but it just sits so far outside of my comfort zone that I find myself squirming all the time even if I can appreciate the clear artistic value. So my main concern with "V: Hävitetty" is that I find it progressively less appealing across the span of its run time & it leaves me feeling a touch disappointed at the end even though I never feel my effort was wasted. Thankfully "Jäästä syntynyt / Varjojen virta" is strong enough to make this the first Moonsorrow album to offer me a reasonable level of appeal as an overall package.

3.5/5

Godflesh's first genuine classic in my opinion. A brilliant example of early industrial metal.

I first became aware of Godflesh around 1989/90 through "Streetcleaner" which thoroughly blew me away. When I went back to check out this E.P. shortly afterwards it took me some time to warm up to it because it takes a very similar direction but is slightly inferior to its younger sibling in all areas. However given a bit of time & perspective I was able to judge the release on its own merits & within a year or so I found it to be a very solid introduction to the Godflesh sound which already possessed all of the elements that made them so great on subsequent releases. The very cold production makes this a noticeably inaccessible release as there's simply no brightness or colour on offer. Instead the listener has to contend with very dreary & lifeless existence which will appeal to some & discourage others. This does hold "Godflesh" back a little bit in my opinion & is one of the reasons that I rate it behind most of the band's later material. Justin definitely made the guitars more up-front following this release where their heavily down-tuned tone almost disappears into the distorted bass at times & that was a good move as the result definitely gives them more urgency & excitement as well as making them a a little more accessible. His early approach does make the influence of some of the more seminal industrial acts a little more obvious than it would be on their more unique sounding records though. Justin's vocal performance is probably a little more inconsistent here than it would become but let's be honest.... his vocal musings were never intended to be the focal point or the epitome of vocal talent. "Ice Nerveshatter" is the track that I find to be most complete & it represents Godflesh's first genuine classic in my opinion. In fact, it's still one of my favourites amongst their entire back catalogue. The bonus tracks give an even clearer view of the band's industrial roots as you won't find any metal there whatsoever. Both are of a very high quality though (particularly the stunning twelve minute epic "Wounds" which challenges "Ice Nerveshatter" for top honours for mine) & I'd encourage everyone to seek out the extended version of the E.P. over the traditional one. In fact, I'd suggest that this E.P. should be essential listening for Godflesh fans but, despite its chronological significance, I don't regard "Godlfesh" as a classic release for the industrial genre overall (at least not the original six-track version of it). We'd have to wait for their next release to see them change the world.

For fans of Pitchshifter, Fall Of Because & Skin Chamber.

4/5 

An example of premium level progressive rock from these Swedes. For fans of Riverside, Leprous & Dream Theater.

I first became acquainted with "Remedy Lane" back in 2009 & found it to be a pretty enjoyable listen although it would seem that my affection for it has grown over time which has resulted in my bumping up my score a half star this week. I'd suggest that "Remedy Lane" is comprised of a mixture of progressive rock & progressive metal with the pointer sitting a little further over towards the rock side than the metal one. Some of that is due to the production which isn't as heavy as you'd expect from most metal albums. The heavier material has clearly been heavily influenced by Dream Theater, particularly a concept album like "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory". I've never been terribly interested in the idea of concept albums as they tend to include a lot of filler that's intended primarily for enhancing the story. There's definitely some filler here (see "Dryad Of The Woods" & particularly "Second Love") but the majority is comprised of high quality progressive music delivered with impressive professionalism so, even though I couldn't give a bugger about the storyline, I find that I'm comfortably able to enjoy the album purely on the strength of the music. There's a noticeable Mike Patton influence in the vocals at times which I find pretty interesting while the guitar solos are beautifully composed with a lovely balance of melody & technical proficiency. I don't think "Remedy Lane" is a classic release but it's certainly a damn enjoyable one & I'll be surprised if fans of bands like Riverside, Leprous & Dream Theater don't really dig it.

4/5

It's a lovely gesture Andi however the Hall submissions serve a purpose as they're the only avenue people have to combat incorrect clan positioning. My older submissions are still just as relevant now as they were when they were submitted so I see no reason to remove them despite the time it might be taking for them to be completed. I mean it's highly unlikely that we're going to see too many Hall entries going through in less than a year until the site is significantly busier. With regards to your own submissions, I'm sure we can remove them if you've changed your position on those releases.

Andi, no need to apologize as you're bang on with your thinking there. I've never seen any indication that you enjoy the definitive sludge metal sound so it never occurred to me to recommend that Isis E.P. to you. Sludge metal is angrier, noisier & more aggressive than it's doom metal neighbour & the stuff you refer to as "atmospheric sludge metal" more often than not has very little to do with it. I tend to prefer a heavier, nastier style of metal in general so I don't think it would be much of a surprise to find that I prefer a release like "The Mosquito Control" E.P. but, in saying that, there's very little in it & I still regard releases like "Panopticon" & "Oceanic" as utterly essential no matter what brand of metal floats your boat.

Ben, please add US mathcore outfit Inside The Beehive.

I've always found Prong's "Force Fed" to be a bit flat but this track represents the band at their worst. It just sounds like a mess, particularly those vocals which don't seem to know what they want to do.

These two come from a crossover thrash album but aren't thrash tracks specifically:

This one's my favourite track from the "Force Fed" album which is perhaps an indication of how much I struggle with Tommy Victor's vocal performance. The band's New York hardcore roots are particularly obvious here.

This one's a little sludgier & isn't as effective. 

Prong - "Force Fed" (1988)

New York trio Prong's sophomore release saw them returning with a more metal-heavy brand of crossover thrash to their 1987 debut "Primitive Origins" which sat a little further over to the hardcore end of the spectrum. "Force Fed" kicks off in an obviously crossover direction before taking a few detours through more traditional thrash metal territory (see early Voivod & "Reign In Blood"-era Slayer), straight-up New York hardcore & even some slower material that borders on sludge metal. In fact, there are a couple of tracks included that sound remarkably like UK industrial metallers Godflesh only without the electronic component. It's so pronounced that I'd actually be very surprised if this record wasn't an influence on a young Justin Broadrick with the generally inadequate vocal performance of front man Tommy Victor regularly coming across like a drunken version of Justin. And while we're on that topic, Victor's vocal performance often borders on incompetence to tell you the truth & this is one of my main issues with this release.  The other is the production which is very flat & inconsistent & unfortunately these two flaws combine to limit the appeal that "Force Fed" has to offer. There's a plethora of quality riffs scattered across the tracklisting but I don't feel that they manage to overcome Prong's failings & this results in "Force Fed" sounding a touch flatter than the debut which did just enough to keep me interested. Thankfully Southern Records' English CD release of the album includes two strong bonus tracks which give it the extra oomph required to make it an enjoyable listen so I'd recommend you look out for that one if you feel the urge to be "force fed" some early Prong. Why those two tracks weren't included on the album in the first place is anyone's guess, particularly the very strong sludgy eight minute cover version of Chrome's "Third From The Sun" which is very solid indeed.

For fans of 1985-87 period Corrosion Of Conformity, Suicidal Tendencies & the first couple of Voivod records.

3/5

Ben, please add US thrash metallers Acrophet.

High quality atmospheric black metal from London with a strong post-metal component. For fans of Agalloch, Altar Of Plagues & Falls Of Rauros.

You'll be pleased to know that I really enjoyed "Winter" saxy. It made a great accompaniment for four hours of driving yesterday & was whacked on again at 5:30 AM this morning while I was lying in bed. I'd suggest that it's not as cold & frostbitten as the artists you mentioned as it takes more of a glistening & at times quite beautiful approach that reminds me a lot more of bands like Agalloch, Altar Of Plagues & Falls Of Rauros. Many of the riffs & melodies possess a positive atmosphere but are still obviously black metal as opposed to the more overtly gazey artists out there. The post-metal component is substantial & is really well done, as is the clean production which suits what Fen were trying to achieve very nicely. If I'm being picky then I'd probably say that the album is about 15 minutes too long but I've gone with a very solid 4/5 rating nonetheless.

"Into The Strange" wasn't a great album but I found this track to be a particular struggle.

Brazilian thrash metal from 1988. For fans of Defiance, 80's Metallica & particularly the first couple of Testament records.

Mutilator - "Into The Strange" (1988)

I quite enjoy this Brazilian outfit's 1987 debut album "Immortal Force" which offers some very raw & intense thrash metal in the vein of Slayer, "Darkness Descends"-era Dark Angel & 1980's Sepultura however a number of lineup changes saw them returning with an entirely different sound for their sophomore effort the following year. This time their approach is much more in line with the US model of thrash with more technicality & significantly less of the raucous intensity I enjoyed about the debut. Despite still being a little on the raw side, the lead guitar work has improved noticeably following the recruit of new axe man C.M. & is the highlight of the album. The production is simply awful though & doesn't ever get above demo quality with a fair amount of inconsistency between the tone & volume of the individual tracks. I actually quite like about half of the tracks here & they tend to be the ones with a better sound which tells me that there was untapped potential in this record. There's a flatness to the rest that's accentuated by the generic nature of the song-writing which comes very close to plagiarizing Testament a lot of the time. These guys definitely know how to thrash but they've failed in the execution.

For fans of Defiance, 80's Metallica & the first couple of Testament records.

3/5

I'm the same actually Andi. I won't rate anything unless I've actively listened to it a minimum of three times. That means that I'm consciously thinking about the music & how it makes me feel for the entire duration rather than reading something on the internet or working or playing with the kids at the same time. I feel like I owe it to the musicians in a way.

And for the record, when "Bonded By Blood" was released in 1985 it was the best metal album ever recorded as far as I'm concerned.

Don’t worry about that Andi. Ben has a very long & stormy relationship with “Bonded By Blood”. It’s a real shame that his opinion is wrong about it too.

Thanks for the heads up saxy. I have a long drive to make tomorrow so this could be just what I'm looking for.

5. Your worship of live releases over studio albums has always baffled me.

Quoted Ben

"Live" is a very strong term to use when referring to "Live Undead".

3. Any album with a track like Passchendaele on can't be bad in my book. Brave New World is my most disliked Bruce-fronted album.

Quoted Sonny92

I have to admit that I actually don't like "Paschendale". There are only a few tracks that I like on "Dance Of Death" with "Gates of Tomorrow" being the clear highlight for me.

Unpopular Maiden opinion: The "Satellite 15..." intro track on "The Final Frontier" is amazing & is amongst the best things Maiden have done since their classic period.

5. Live Undead is a great record but I love Show No Mercy and Haunting the Chapel too.

Don't get me wrong here. I love "Show No Mercy" & "Haunting The Chapel" too. In fact "Haunting The Chapel" is a genuine classic in its own right & "Show No Mercy" is the best of the Big Four debuts in my opinion. I just think that the band member's overall energy & fast improving techniques (particularly Lombardo's) give "Live Undead" an edge over "Show No Mercy" while its brighter, clearer production is an improvement on "Haunting The Chapel".

Here's another unpopular opinion by the way, "Chemical Warfare" is the weaker of the three tracks from "Haunting The Chapel". "Captor Of Sin" & "Haunting The Chapel" are the genuine classics for me, particularly the title track which is generally overlooked but is one of Slayer's best overall.

1. "No Prayer For The Dying" isn't a bad Iron Maiden record. It just suffers from comparisons with their previous material.

2. I'd take Maiden's 2006 album "A Matter Of Life & Death" over the self-titled, "KIllers" or "Brave New World".

3. "Dance Of Death" is the only bad Bruce Dickinson-fronted Maiden record.

4. "Divine Intervention" is a better record than "Hell Awaits" which is the weakest of Slayer's classic period releases.

5. "Live Undead" is a genuine classic & the best of Slayer's pre-"Reign In Blood" releases.

6. Slayer's "Repentless" isn't a bad record.

More subgenres =  more lists. This can only be a good thing in my opinion as lists sit amongst the world's crowning achievements as far as I'm concerned. Besides, there's an absolute requirement to have a subgenre like melodic death metal differentiated from slam death metal as there's a very clear separation in their audiences. If we're serious about the site being the best place on the internet to discover metal music that's in line with each individuals unique personal tastes (which we undeniably are) then it really is a must-have feature,  particularly as we've had a number of people suggest that they felt this was a gap for us compared to the competition & drift away from the site.

The additional subgenrification also helps me to keep the monthly Spotify playlists fairly varied & opens up some of the more passionate & interesting discussion on the forums so I can't see that the new feature is anything but positive.

Isis' "The Mosquito Control" E.P. is one of the most underrated metal releases I've ever heard & is actually my favourite Isis record which is really saying something.

Black Cobra's 2011 album "Invernal" is a massively underrated sludge metal release in my opinion. In fact it's quickly becoming somewhat of a minor classic for me. personally.

Sonny, I think you might dig this Japanese sludge metal debut from 1996. Go for the re-release pictured above as the three bonus tracks add to the experience.

As for NWOBHM, this is absolutely a scene and not a genre. Out of interest, how does Metal Academy view NWOBHM bands that are obviously not metal - Demon spring to mind - would you allow them or not because RYM classes them under a metal sub-genre?

We've really only used the RYM tagging as a way to get everything into the database with a reasonable (if not entirely accurate) tag so that each release at least resides in the right clan in 99% of occasions. For those releases that are attached to the NWOBHM scene without actually being legitimate metal releases, I'd suggest that we'll likely keep them on the site as they're still relevant to some metalheads & have an attachment to the scene but they can be changed to the "Non-metal" primary genre so they don't appear in the charts for The Guardians. That would include bands like Saracen, Def Leppard, Demon, Girlschool, Rock Goddess, Praying Mantis, Shiva, White Spirit, Vardis, Dark Star, More, Heavy Pettin, Marseille, Money, A-II-Z, Ethel The Frog, Speed Limit, etc.

January Feature Releases

The Fallen: Rosetta - "The Galilean Satellites" (2005) 5/5

The Gateway: Katatonia - "The Great Cold Distance" (2006) 4.5/5

The Guardians: Eternal Champion - "Ravening Iron" (2020) 3.5/5

The Horde: Immolation - "Here In After" (1996) 4/5

The Infinite: Devin Townsend - "Terria" (2001) 3.5/5

The North: Serpent Column - "Endless Detainment" E.P. (2020) 4/5

The Pit: Overkill - "Horrorscope" (1991) 4/5

The Revolution: Botch - "An Anthology Of Dead Ends" E.P. (2002) 4/5

The Sphere: Uniform - "Shame" (2020) 4/5

It was another ripper of a month of feature releases for me with not a dud amongst them. It was great to be able to share my long-time love for Rosetta's debut as it's undoubtedly one of my all-time favourite releases. The Immolation & Overkill release also confirmed my feelings that they are both strong examples of their type. Devin Townsend's "Terria" has grown on me a little since my last revisit & I quite enjoy it now, despite still finding it to be heavily overrated. The big surprise for me was just how much I loved the Katatonia album. It's a genuine classic for mine. The Serpent Column, Botch & Uniform releases were all new to me & they were all really impressive. Even the US power metal of Eternal Champion gave me some enjoyment. But most of all... I just love engaging with you guys on the monthly features. It's one of the best parts of Metal Academy for me personally & I genuinely look forward to hearing what you all have to say.

You're right. The link doesn't work at all.

Greenmachine - "D.A.M.N. + 3" (1996)

The debut album from this Japanese sludge metal band. Musically, this is heavily driven by stoner metal & doom metal with a dense, noise-laden guitar tone & an intense screaming performance from front man Monzawa bringing it comfortably over into sludge metal territory. The doomier moments represent Greenmachine's more appealing material for me personally but there are no weak tracks included with the overthetop vocal delivery giving even the rockier sections a healthy dose of underground street cred. I'd highly recommend chasing down the 2003 re-release pictured above over the original 1996 version as the three bonus tracks offer similar quality & only work to enhance the overall offering given the short run-time of the original release. "D.A.M.N." comes highly recommended for fans of Soilent Green, Eyehategod & Kyuss (in fact Greenmachine appear to have taken their moniker from one of the highlight tracks from Kyuss' classic 1992 album "Blues For The Red Sun").

4/5

Now that I've listened to that Eternal Champion album, I can hear quite a difference. To quote from my review summary: This album is slightly better than probably the only other 2020 Guardians album I've listened to, Nightwish's Human Nature, in every aspect, including the sound, riffs, vocals, and confidence. Sadly, no symphonic orchestra, but thankfully, no orchestra-only tracks! Vocalist Jason Tarpey really lets loose a lot of vocal diversity, which is a boost of benefit for the band and other Guardians bands. His lyrics and concept could build worlds at strong points, such as bad-a** verses in a few songs. Those songs bring forward great influences from bands like Manilla Road and Sanctuary, all in passion and love to continue US power metal reign all over Earth. Basically, this is Sanctuary-like US power metal with fantasy lyrics you might find in Manowar and European power metal bands like DragonForce and Rhapsody of Fire, all formed into US power metal's ideal new name, "Epic Metal"!

So what makes this release US power metal when it doesn't fit your previously mentioned criteria Andi? Are you saying that all US power metal is epic & that's the common link for these bands? Do you think that's a strong enough characteristic to command its own subgenre over?

Thrashy & aggressive US sludge metal from San Francisco. For fans of High On Fire, Torche & early Mastodon.

Black Cobra - "Invernal" (2011)

Thrashy, up-tempo & aggressive San Francisco sludge metal from the Southern Lord label. Black Cobra sound a lot like an ultra-angry super group comprised of members High On Fire & early Mastodon with Ministry front man Al Jourgenson behind the microphone here. It's fucking awesome actually & I can't believe it's received so little attention. I also can't believe that this has been produced by a two-piece.

4.5/5

I don't know a lot about epic doom either, but here's what I think. Sure there are some bands of that subgenre like Candlemass, Doomsword, Solitude Aeturnus, Solstice, and While Heaven Wept, and the classical influences and fantasy lyrics give the genre an "epic" feel. Those characteristics are unique, but they don't change a lot about standard doom metal. Plus, there are other metal genres that have that "epic" feel like all the Guardians genres, and the word "epic" has been done to death when describing genres that already have suitable names, which is a reason why the one subgenre with that feel that could use the name "Epic Metal" is the one with the questionable name, US power metal. And I'm sure most epic doom fans like the standard doom that inspired this "epic" subgenre.

I agree. I actually don't think there are enough epic doom bands to warrant its own subgenre &, from my limited experience with those bands, I don't think the unique identifiers are enough to warrant it either. It'll be interesting to hear what some of our more well informed members have to say on this topic though.

I know you directed that question to SilentScream, Daniel, but I know some unique characteristics of US power metal. The scene/subgenre has inspired speed metal, not been inspired by, drawing more influence from traditional heavy metal. Compared to European power metal, it's faster and more energetic with more riffs and less keyboards. It can be considered a more melodic thrash metal with greater guitar leads. And the Americans have started the usage of high operatic vocals that would carry over to the Europeans and even Australians. A couple examples that I enjoy are Sanctuary and the first two Nevermore albums. I guess because of the more epic musical/lyrical themes from bands like Manowar, Cirith Ungol, and Iced Earth that would inspire bands of other Guardians (sub)genres, we can change the name US power metal to... "Epic Metal", like "epic doom metal" without the doom!

Quoted shadowdoom9

See this is where it gets confusing for me because in my experience a good portion of European power metal utilizes speed metal as its basis (the last few tracks on the monthly The Guardian playlists are often made up of this stuff) & a good portion of US power metal is at more moderate tempos too. Let's take our current The Guardians feature release for example as it was the most highly regarded US power metal release of last year as far as I can tell. It never comes close to speed metal, let alone thrash. It's much more in line with the original intention of the US power metal scene term. It doesn't use operatic vocals either. It is however heavily slanted towards the epic atmospheres (particularly in the vocals, themes & imagery) & would fit comfortably under the "epic metal" tag if it was available. It's definitely closer to heavy metal than it is European power metal but has a couple of tracks that push into power metal territory. Have you heard it? How does it compare with your understanding of US power metal?

Maybe clan members should decide what subgenres are worth adding to their own clans as they've (presumably) the most knowledge, experience, and passion for those genres.

Great idea, SilentScream!

Quoted shadowdoom9

That's always been the intent guys.

Musically, USPM in my experience employs more double bass, more galloping, tremolo picking and palm muting, and more keys/piano than traditional heavy metal. This usually makes it sound quite a bit heavier and faster than pure HM, and much more rhythmic. Thematically it tends to play on fantasy (including sci-fi), history (including medieval/mythology) , and in general more "intellectual/nerdy" material than heavy metal. It often aims for an epic atmosphere and is more prone to melodramatic, hammy vocal deliveries (or conversely more gruff vocals akin to Thrash) and power ballads. 

See that just sounds like regular power metal to me.

I don't know as much about epic doom as some of you likely do but I have a few questions:

1. Are there enough bands that champion the epic doom sound to warrant it's own subgenre?

2. Are the unique characteristics of epic doom strong enough to command that it's kept separate from conventional doom metal?

3. Are there epic doom fans that don't like conventional doom & vice versa?

The traditional doom metal topic is a difficult one for me to find a firm personal stance on to be honest. I think the tag has been poorly used over the years & that's perhaps due to history as much as anything. I mean Witchfinder General's "Death Penalty" album certainly has some doomy riffs on almost every track but, when taken in holistically, it's only really the last couple of songs that could be classed as legitimate doom metal. In fact, "Death Penalty" is clearly just paying homage to Black Sabbath & the godfathers of heavy metal are not considered to be a doom metal band so I'm not surprised that someone going into it looking for doom would be a little disappointed. Saint Vitus' sophomore album "Hallow's Victim" is another one where I question the validity of its doom claim but it seems to be universally held up as a landmark release for the genre. So when you've got seriously important releases like those ones muddying the waters then more modern doom fans looking back in time for inspiration are bound to get confused, particularly when you've got a total doom-fest like Candlemass' "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" being labelled with the same subgenre tag. Don't ask me what's going on there as that record's about as doom as doom gets.

When it comes down to it, I actually don't think the genuine doom metal tracks on those early releases are different enough to modern doom to warrant a differentiator. If you had a full album of that stuff then I don't think it'd be open to discussion. The influence of 70's blues/psychedelic/hard/prog rock isn't a doom deal breaker when it's incorporated into that framework in my opinion. It's the inclusion of a number of tracks that aren't very doomy at all that starts blurring things (particularly the faster heavy metal driven ones) but that doesn't mean that we have a new subgenre in my opinion. We've just got a band incorporating a few different influences or possibly residing in two genres rather than an entirely different brand of doom metal. One person's proto-doom is another's hard rock if you know what I mean. So overall I think I lean closer to omitting traditional doom metal & using more discretion when using the conventional doom metal tag than I do to including it.

I'm not by any means an expert on modern US power metal SilentScream213 so I'm very open to learning. Out of interest, what are the unique characteristics of modern US power metal that differentiate it from your garden varieties of heavy metal, power metal or speed metal? Do you have an example you could show us? Even if there are some unique identifying characteristics in modern US power metal, I still have a problem with labelling a subgenre with a location. If we have our genre tags right then they should be linking bands that sound the same together & if we were to go with US power metal as a subgenre of heavy metal then a Japanese band that had the US power metal sound would presumably be excluded from the same subgenre as the US bands. That doesn't make any sense to me. Perhaps if this is a unique sound then a new subgenre label is a better way to go?

For the record, we're not going for simplicity or convenience. Ben & I just want to make each subgenre relevant & feel that our competition often doesn't do that. The question we often ask ourselves when discussing these topics is "are there metalheads that like this subgenre but not it's primary genre & vice versa?" If the answer is no then it sometimes tells us that the subgenre isn't all that relevant, at least not within the clan context we have here. When it's yes (as it most certainly is with melodeath) then there's a strong justification for providing the differentiator. But as Ben said above, Metal Academy is a constantly evolving process of improvement & we feel very strongly about taking our clan member's opinions onboard when looking for direction on these topics so keep the feedback coming.

they also demoted melodic metalcore to a secondary subgenre of metalcore.

I agree with that move. I've always felt that it was completely unnecessary to have a separate primary for melodic metalcore, particularly as there isn't one for melodic death metal or melodic black metal. I've always felt that melodic metalcore was simply a variant of the conventional metalcore model & my experiences with putting together the monthly The Revolution Spotify playlists over the last six months have seen me finding significant crossover between the two genres.

The other new move that RYM have made is to move Nintendocore out from under Melodic Metalcore & into Hardcore Punk. This is a good move for mine as I've been hearing very little metal in the Nintendocore releases we've been including.

The Southern metal thing has me baffled to be honest. I'm not really experienced enough in it to make a firm call one way or the other but my early experiences have seen very little need to separate the associated releases from heavy metal, stoner metal, sludge metal or any other subgenre for that matter. The tag is meant to indicate the strong influence of Southern rock bands like Lynard Skynard on an artist's sound however I haven't felt that the end result was even close to being significant enough for its own subgenre on the releases that I've heard to date & the basis for each band's sound always seems to fall into an already defined genre for its basic building blocks so I'd be more likely to see the term "Southern" as an additional descriptor than a primary genre, particularly as the bands it currently encompasses offer a wide array of sounds but just happen to have a little Southern influence. That shouldn't be a reason to link Down, Black Label Society & Glorior Belli together in my opinion. That's just my two cents but if we do end up including Southern Metal then The Fallen is the obvious choice as it seems to fit very comfortably there.

The NWOBHM thing seems like a no-brainer to me. It's referring to a scene from a distinct period rather than any defined sound & encompassed everything from heavy metal to hard rock to speed metal to doom metal & even progressive rock. There is kind of a trademark NWOBHM sound but the problem is that only a portion of NWOBHM bands sounded like that & if a band came out of Sweden with exactly that sound today we wouldn't be able to label it as NWOBHM because a) it's not British & b) it's not from 1979-83. Also, literally every British heavy rock/metal band from that period is considered to be NWOBHM which tells you it's not a subgenre of music. 

I have very similar feelings about US power metal as the original term was only ever intended to draw together American bands from the 1983-89 period that dropped the hard rock influence the NWOBHM was built on & went for a chunkier yet still melodic metal sound. All of these bands fit comfortably into the heavy metal, speed metal or progressive metal categories anyway (see Savatage, Queensryche, Armored Saint, Manilla Road, etc.) so why bother labelling them with another tag that only confuses fans of the European model of power metal. There's also a bit of contradiction in the fact that the early works from bands like Anthrax & Laaz Rockit were strangely omitted from the label despite seemingly ticking all of the required boxes. These days it seems that the younger audience have started taking the tag literally & are labelling modern American bands that have adopted the European power metal model as US power metal (which kinda makes more sense to be honest) & that's seen the tags original intention being muddied significantly. My opinion is that the US power metal tag doesn't refer to a specific sound & is totally location & period-specific so it's a scene & not a subgenre. If an American release is legitimate power metal then simply label it as power metal. If it's some fairly powerful & intense heavy metal then label it as heavy metal.

So you haven't noticed anything different about the site over the last 24 hours then Andi?

I've already asked Ben to add them.

Isis - "The Mosquito Control" E.P. (1998)

Sonny, I'd recommend that you check this angry little beast out if you haven't already.