Daniel's Forum Replies

Anyone who has much knowledge of my musical taste would probably know that I'm not the biggest fan of European power metal. The major cheese factor manages to turn me off in a pretty major way to be brutally honest however this record manages to transcend all of my concerns. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that it's my favourite power metal studio album of all-time & it sits behind only Iced Earth's "Alive In Athens" triple live set for power metal releases overall.

4/5

Good luck brave metal warrior. While your path may be filled with peril & danger, may you draw guidance & strength from the united powers of the fallen metal brethren of eons past.

Yeah good call. "Vermis" is a real favourite of mine. I was lucky enough to see them on the tour for the album too.

Not to mention the fact that only one or two releases in Anathema & Katatonia's entire combined discographies fall into gothic metal territory. It just goes to show how misguided the Metal Evolution series was.

Well said Xephyr. I've read an interview with Godflesh mastermind Justin Broadrick where he says that "Streetcleaner" was the outcome of the group repeatedly watching David Lynch's "Eraserhead" whilst under the influence of LSD. That makes a lot of sense once you hear "Streetcleaner" because it's just as confronting & polarizing in its incredibly cold atmosphere. I absolutely love this record. In fact, I regard it as the absolute pinnacle of the industrial metal subgenre.

The high quality opening track from Swiss thrash metallers Apocalypse's self-titled debut album from 1987. It sounds very much like Metallica's "Battery" crossed with "Bonded By Blood"-era Exodus only the bridge is clearly ripping off Slayer's "Raining Blood".

Apocalypse - "Apocalypse" (1987)

Some pretty sophisticated Swiss thrash metal with tech thrash & speed metal influences. Fans of Testament, Xentrix & "Master Of Puppets"-era Metallica should get some enjoyment out of it.

3.5/5

Tee he he.... I wondered how long it would take for that response. :)

P.S. I am legitimately going to review "Desiccation in Progress (Version II)" so please add that release at the very least.

Ben, please add Phyllomedusa (USA).

maudlin of the Well - "Bath" (2001)

Shezma, saxy, Xephyr & Andi, you guys should get onto this quality piece of avant-garde progressive metal if you haven't already.

The new single from London-based progressive metallers The HAARP Machine.

I have to admit that, despite being a huge fan of brutal death metal, owning a "None So Vile" era Cryptopsy t-shirt & having a relationship with the band that runs way back to the "Ungentle Exhumation" demo in 1993, I've never quite understood the immense praise that "None So Vile" seems to unanimously draw. I mean don't get me wrong. I quite like it. But it's never commanded more than the occasional listen from me.  It's a 3.5/5 for mine. Each to their own I guess.

I'll definitely be giving the Ulcerate one a spin in the next couple of weeks. I like everything they've done.

Stunning ambience from these Boston-based avant-garde prog metallers. This track is in the vein of Tiamat's "Wildhoney".

maudlin of the Well - "Bath" (2001)

Beautifully executed avant-garde & expansive progressive metal from Boston, USA. Fans of Kayo Dot (who motW later became), Thy Catafalque & In the Woods... will surely love this release.

4/5

I've got "World Coming Down" here. It was the bigger record for me personally. I love that Type O Negative elected to take the newly found commercial success they'd gained through the more accessible "October Rust" album & give it a firm middle finger up the back side with a much darker & doomier record.

Ben, please add Apocalypse (Switzerland).

The new album from German medieval folk metallers In Extremo entitled "Kompass zur Sonne" which is due for release on 8th May.

I just wanted to inform all of you thrashers that are a partial to a bit of crossover thrash that I've just posted my "Daniel's Top Ten Early Crossover Thrash Releases (1985-1986)" in the METAL ACADEMY LISTS section. If you've never really explored where this niche subgenre comes from or don't have much experience with it & are interested to know what it's all about then this would be a great place to start. I'll be interested to get your feedback & would love to see your own top tens if you'd care to share them.

https://metal.academy/lists/single/66 

Anathema have always been a class act & are still a strong favourite of mine today. They're amazing artists regardless of what genre they might fit into.

Ulver are another one that springs to mind. They've made a reasonably good fist of all of their undertakings although I have to admit that I don't truly love anything I've heard from them since their metal days.

The new album from US sludge metallers Old Man Gloom entitled "Seminar VIII: Light of Meaning" will be released on 22nd May.

The brand new live album & DVD from Danish heavy metal stalwarts Pretty Maids entitled "Maid in Japan - Future World Live 30th Anniversary" is due to be released on 22nd May.

The brand new live album from London stoner metallers Orange Goblin entitled "Rough & Ready, Live & Loud" which is scheduled to be released on 4th May.

Ben, please add Deathwish (UK).

The absolutely belting opening track from this Polish goregrind outfit's 1995 sophomore album "A Chapter Of Accidents". For fans of Regurgitate, Haemorrhage & "Reek Of Putrefaction"-era Carcass.

The new album from unheralded NWOBHM stalwarts Tokyo Blade entitled "Dark Revolution" which is due to be released on 15th May.

The new single from Perth metalcore outfit Make Them Suffer entitled "Drown With Me". It's taken from their upcoming album "How To Survive A Funeral" which is due for release on 5th June.

Crossover thrashcore from Portland, USA. This track sounds like "Darkness Descends"-era Dark Angel on speed! What a ripper of a way to start the album!

Wehrmacht - "Shark Attack" (1987)

The debut album from this high velocity crossover thrashcore band from Portland, USA & it may well be the fastest record I've ever heard!! For fans of Cryptic Slaughter, DRI & "Darkness Descends"-era Dark Angel.

3.5/5

I completely agree. "Mental Funeral" was a step up in all areas in my opinion.

Even though I'm out of The Horde now, I'm still gonna make occasional throwbacks to my melodeath times

That's perfectly fine Andi. In fact, cross clan posting is encouraged. After all, we want to see people expanding their metal horizons, don't we?

Autopsy's "Severed Survival" has never struck me as the undisputed classic it seems to have been claimed as by most death metal fans. Is anyone with me on this?

High quality old-school death metal from California, USA.

Autopsy - "Severed Survival" (1989)

The debut album from these Californian kings of gore-soaked death metal with a strong doom metal influence. It's never appealed to me as much as it seems to for most death metal nuts. I greatly prefer Autopsy's next couple of release but fans of Asphyx, Abscess & Pungent Stench should really dig it nonetheless.

3.5/5

The new album from Finnish heavy metal stalwarts Oz entitled "Forced Commandments" which is to be released on 24 April.

The new single from Massachusetts deathcore outfit The Acacia Strain entitled "C" which was released yesterday.

I had no idea Green Carnation were even recording new music! Woah! Gonna check out that video now. I was a big fan of Light of Day, Day of Darkness. Will be interesting to see what they sound like in 2020.

Quoted illusionist

In fairness they haven't released a metal record in 15 years. I agree that "Light of Day, Day of Darkness" is an absolute belter too.

Hhhhmmmm…. interesting. The decision on labelling a record as metal or not is much more black & white for me & doesn't have much to do with how heavy a release is or how it makes me feel because there's plenty of metal out there that doesn't give me the same feeling of dark empowerment that a band like diSEMBOWELMENT does for example (see Babymetal, Helloween, etc.). On the other hand, I can sometimes get that feeling from a country track or a piece of classical music from a horror movie soundtrack but this doesn't make it metal. It's just a darker version of that particular subgenre. For me, it's all about the tools that are being employed & whether they come from the metal toolkit or that of another genre.

In the case of "Frizzle Fry", I simply don't hear much use of those metal tools at all. There's a much greater component that draws on funk rock, alternative rock & 70's  jazz fusion which by my methodology leads me to label it as non-metal. To qualify as a metal release I wanna hear the greatest component coming from that metal toolkit. Does the largest percentage of the album's duration reside within the realms of metal? If not, then it's not the primary genre in my opinion. Therefore, if Rainbow's "Rising" album includes six tracks & four are blusey hard rock, one a sort of hard rock/metal hybrid & the other a legitimate metal song, it's clearly a hard rock record in my opinion.

Tymell & Vinny, I think you'll really dig this undiscovered gem from 1987. High quality Canadian thrash combined with crossover thrash & the occasional tech thrash leaning.

A belter of a Canadian technical thrash metal outing from 1987.

DBC - "Dead Brain Cells" (1987)

An excellent debut album from this Canadian outfit that sports a sophisticated thrash metal sound combined with a fair chunk of crossover thrash & the occasional technical thrash moment. Fans of Slayer, Nuclear Assault & DRI will really dig this stuff. 

4/5

The new live album from Swiss doom metallers Triptykon (with the Metropole Orkest) entitled "Requiem" is to be released on 15th May.

Requiem (Live At Roadburn 2019) marks the bombastic conclusion of a project over 30 years in the making: the legendary Celtic Frost/Triptykon "Requiem" performed for the first time in its entirety and with full classical orchestration (by the Dutch Metropole Orkest). “Requiem” (46:00 min.) is composed of three chapters: "Rex Irae" (first appeared on 1987’s Into The Pandemonium album by Celtic Frost), "Grave Eternal" (newly written middle part), and "Winter" (first appeared on 2006’s Monotheist album by Celtic Frost).

The new album from West Yorkshire's finest gothic doom/death exponents Paradise Lost entitled "Obsidian" which is to be released on 15th May.

The new album from Norwegian progressive metallers green Carnation entitled "Leaves of Yesteryear" which is due for release on 8th May.

The new album from Swedish melodic black metallers Naglfar entitled "Cerecloth" which is to be released on 8th May.

The new album from Italian melodic black 'n' rollers Forgotten Tomb entitled "Nihilistic Estrangement" which is due to be released on 8th May.

The new album from German gothic black metallers Secrets Of The Moon entitled "Black House" which is due for release on 8th May.

The new album from Denver thrash metallers Havok entitled "V" which is due for release on 1st May.

The new album from seminal NWOBHM outfit Cloven Hoof entitled "The Age Of Steel" which is due for release on 24th April.