Daniel's Forum Replies
This morning's track is Alkana's "Montezuma's Sweet Revenge" which I'd suggest in hard rock with it's cool Led Zeppelin-ish, behind-the-beat swagger:
Alright, let's move onto one I'm not massively knowledgeable about, although I might be just experienced enough to know the major influences. It's not exactly a subgenre filled with creativity and has remained relatively the same over the years, so I'm hoping this is pretty straightforward.
WAR METAL
Thankfully this subgenre has one very clear instigator, being Blasphemy from Canada. Their Fallen Angel of Doom.... album from 1990 is certainly the most influential release of this style. The big question is whether or not anything that has come after it has done enough with the blueprint or created enough of a stir to hit a most influential black metal release list.
Probably the only release I can come up with is Conqueror's War Cult Supremacy, which took things to an unprecedented level of destruction, undoubtedly encouraging others to pick up their instruments and try to obliterate the world with them.
Other possible bands are Beherit and Bestial Warlust, but I'm not sure if I could justify their inclusion in a list like this. I'm going with Blasphemy as a likely inclusion and Conqueror as a possible inclusion. Thoughts?
Blasphemy - Fallen Angel of Doom.... (1990)
Conqueror - War Cult Supremacy (1999)
No argument from me on a lone Blasphemy entry.
Just completed my Top Ten Metal Release of 1992 list which has ended up surprising me a little bit. Who would have thought that I'd have three industrial metal releases in there & only two death metal!? And it'd be topped by an alternative metal record too!!
01. Alice in Chains - "Dirt"
02. Neurosis - "Souls at Zero"
03. Ministry - "Psalm 69"
04. diSEMBOWELMENT - "Dusk" E.P.
05. My Dying Bride - "As The Flower Withers"
06. Nine Inch Nails - "Broken" E.P.
07. Godflesh - "Pure"
08. Darkthrone - "A Blaze In The Northern Sky"
09. Bolt Thrower - "The IVth Crusade"
10. Seance - "Fornever Laid To Rest"
I can’t agree that Immortal & Darkthrone were essentially doing the same thing. That’s simply not the case. I’m not gonna dispute that “At the Heart of Winter” has been Immortal’s most influential release though & would suggest that it will probably be the one to make this list. I will however suggest that it’s heavily overrated (why am I the only one that notices that Abbath can’t play guitar to save his life?) & should have been included in the meloblack section if anywhere at all.
I would argue that "Sons of Northern Darkness" saw Immortal watering down the sound that made them so special to begin with to be honest. It's a pretty decent record in its own right but I don't buy into the concept of it (or "At The Heart of Winter" for that matter) being any sort of classic/essential release. I would have thought that a list like this one would call for a "Pure Holocaust" or "Battles In The North" well before either of those releases.
My position on Marduk is similar to that of Sonny's. I love my black metal to be dark, aggressive & brutal but I'm not sure that I'd call any of Marduk's releases essential even though there are a few that give some serious jollies.
And for the record Ben, after giving it some thought over the last day or so I'm tending to favour "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant" over "Dusk and Her Embrace".
Black Sabbath released their highly celebrated fifth album "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" on 28th December 1973 & it included this high-quality, multi-faceted stoner metal anthem:
Today we kick off a new release in Alkana's "Welcome To My Paradise" with opening track "California Rock 'n' Roll Queen" being an early example of glam metal in my opinion:
It’s not really surprising. Dimmu Borgir play at opera houses with pop singers & on TV talk shows. They might as well be a boy band. They also appeal to the female market, particularly the goths which opens them up to a whole world of opportunity. In fact, the three bands were looking at here are probably the top three for sales (CoF a close second) which tells you that the added accessibility of the symphonics is a strong selling point.
I read that Dimmu Borgir are the biggest selling black metal band of all time recently. It wouldn't seem right not to consider one of their releases when you take that into account.
I think three melodic black metal releases is about right but do we need more than one symphonic black metal release? "In The Nightside Eclipse" would cover it for me personally.
I've never been onboard with the whole First Wave of Black Metal concept. I was listening to First Wave bands before the Norwegian scene exploded & there was never a time that I regarded Venom or Mercyful Fate as black metal, even back then. If those two bands are black metal then so are Motorhead & Judas Priest because, when you peel away the image & aesthetic, they're essentially playing the same style of music as those bands from an instrumental point of view which is all that matters as far as I'm concerned.
This morning we take a look at one of the most important & genre-defining tracks in heavy metal history in Black Sabbath's title track from their "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" fifth album which was released on 28th December 1978. The main riff is one of the most influential in all of metal while the progressive song structure is a clear example of the artistic freedom that Sabbath were enjoying as by far the leading players in the metal game. It was an absolute game-changer.
This morning we close out Black Sabbath's 1978 eighth studio album "Never Say Die!" with "Swinging The Chain", a track that I regard as being a blues rock number:
This sees "Never Say Die!" finishing with only the one metal tag & (despite what many people seem to think) falling way short of the minimum requirements for metal qualification.
Tomorrow we're going to take a look at another more underground release in the one-off 1978 "Welcome To My Paradise" album from California's Alkana, a release that not many have heard of but one that might hold a few surprises for the unsuspecting metalhead. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on that one.
Solitude Aeturnus - "Beyond the Crimson Horizon" (1992)
Given my life-long obsession with metal music, it’s perhaps a little surprising (& arguably a touch embarrassing) that it took me as long as it did to truly discover the magic of Dallas-based epic doom metal masters Solitude Aeturnus. I’d always been aware of them but I guess I simply assumed that they wouldn’t be for me, based purely on my early struggles with Candlemass’ more theatrical side. Strangely though, I continued to shun them for decades after I’d overcome my issues with the Swedish gods of the subgenre & it wasn’t until Ben nominated Solitude Aeturnus’ classic 2005 “Alone"sixth album as our September 2022 The Fallen clan feature releases that I became aware of what I’d been missing out on. From that point on, this band has become my favourite epic doom metal artist with their 1991 “Into the Depths of Sorrow” also thoroughly impressing me. It’s long overdue that I then explore Solitude Aeturnus’ magnum opus then, isn’t it, with 1992’s “Beyond the Crimson Horizon” apparently having the potential to usurp the band’s other releases at the top of my top ten for the subgenre based on the common consensus. I’ve been buzzing to see what it has to offer for some time but have been waiting for the right time which would obviously seem to be right now, wouldn't it?
My hopes were very quickly found to hold merit as “Beyond the Crimson Horizon” kicks off with an absolute belter in the classic “Seeds of the Desolate” which I was exposed to some time ago while exploring one of our The Fallen clan Spotify playlists. I remembered it very clearly upon being reminded of that experience this week too which says something about its impact & significance. Interestingly though, that song isn’t really a doom metal track at all with it’s more up-beat tempo, epic atmosphere & driving riffage representing a very clear example of the US power metal model in my opinion. I absolutely love it too just quietly. The production job is perfect for this style of metal, providing all of the necessary room for the expansive atmospheric, melodic & occasionally progressive creative exploration the band have become known for. Extraordinarily talented front man Robert Lowe absolutely soars on every track & single-handedly manages to keep proceedings on track even when some of the riffs start to head into a more generic territory. He really is an enigma & is the clear element that gives Solitude Aeturnus their edge over the competition. The lead guitar work of Edgar Rivera & John Perez is nothing to be scoffed at either though as these dudes can shred with the best of them, their tones being something to behold too.
Things settle down significantly after the elite opener but never deviate from a rock-solid quality level, thanks largely to Lowe’s contribution. Some of the tracks in the back end of the A side took me a few listens to truly connect with & that seems to be a common theme with Solitude Aeturnus records which are heavily driven by the vocal hooks which dig their talons in deeper with each subsequent listen. The end of the album is utterly devastating though with the one-two punch of “Plague of Procreation” & crushingly heavy instrumental closer “Beyond…” leaving me feeling as though I’ve experienced something of great significance once it’s all over & battling with the temptation to simply do it all over again.
As much as I enjoy Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus reach another level altogether in my opinion as all of the elements that I enjoy about the Swedes have been further emphasized & are capped off with one of the great singers in metal history. I think this is not only the best Solitude Aeturnus’ record I’ve heard to date but I’d suggest that it may well be the pinnacle of the epic doom metal sound overall too. "Beyond the Crimson Horizon" is about as essential as it gets for fans of the classic doom sound.
For fans of Candlemass, Solstice & Isole.
4.5/5
Here's my adjusted Top Ten Epic Doom Metal Releases of All Time list with Lord Vigo's "Danse de noir" dropping out altogether:
01. Solitude Aeturnus - "Beyond the Crimson Horizon" (1992)
02. Solitude Aeturnus - "Alone" (2006)
03. Candlemass - "Nightfall" (1987)
04. Solitude Aeturnus - "Into The Depths Of Sorrow" (1991)
05. Candlemass - "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" (1986)
06. Isole - "Bliss of Solitude" (2008)
07. Solstice - "New Dark Age" (1998)
08. Candlemass - "Candlemass Live" (1990)
09. Candlemass - "Ancient Dreams" (1988)
10. Candlemass - "Tales Of Creation" (1989)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/186
I agree that Thy Mighty Contract isn't Rotting Christ's best album, and I wouldn't personally call it classic, but clones started coming out in 1994 (check out Thou Art Lord's Eosforos album), so it was clearly highly influential. The sound was formed immediately, so I'm actually comfortable including it above other Rotting Christ albums. Anyone else have an opinion?
OK, so it's clear that your concept for the list is to target releases that are "influential" rather than "essential" which is fine. I would still argue that the Greek melodic black metal scene shouldn't necessarily command a position in a list of just 25 black metal releases in terms of influence though as I think there are a few more significant melodic black metal releases that will miss out as a result (e.g. "Arntor" & "Far Away From the Sun"). Is it just that they appeared a little later on?
One could also make a case for Nattens madrigal (1997). It may be raw and not very accessible, but it certainly is drenched in sugary melodies, somewhat uplifting even. A quintessential release from a very successful and influential band, one might say.
I can certainly see what you're saying about the melodic component as I actually find that record to be a little too melodic for my taste but I still wouldn't call it a genuine melodic black metal release so feel that we're better off discussing it a little later on.
I would just throw a more recent release into the ring which has seen an awful lot of bands trying to emulate it and that is Mgla's "Exercises in Futility". It's not a release I am a particular flag-waver for, but I have seen a lot of bands and reviewers referencing it in the context of modern melodic black metal and it seems to have been a particular touchpoint for a lot of younger bands.
I agree that "Exercises in Futility" should be considered for the list but I don't feel that it's a legitimate melodic black metal release which is probably why Ben hasn't mentioned it already. It certainly showcases a melodic edge but it's more of a secondary component than a primary one in my opinion.
Why would anyone be against Sunbather? It has like a million emulators in the blackgaze scene and is considered the definitive album for the variant. The Satanist is also very big for helping with the black death combo in a time where the two are in constant war with each other.
I completely agree in regard to "Sunbather". It should be an absolute no-brainer here as it changed the black metal world overnight. I guess my issue with "The Satanist" is that the black metal component is out-weighed by the death metal one which makes it seem a little out of place next to the rest of the releases that we're considering for the list.
I have to say that the list is pretty ordinary if its title is assumed to be its real intent. It's clear that it's more about perceived importance than it is about highlighting the true benchmark releases. Most of the key bands are there but some of the releases that have been chosen leave a fair bit to be desired. I mean, how can one choose Bathory's self-titled over "Under the Sign of a Black Mark" or "Blood Fire Death"? Or "Burzum" over "Hvis lyset tar oss" or "Filosofem"? Then there are releases like "Stormblåst" which have absolutely no business being anywhere near a list like this one. I'm not even gonna start on the inclusion of "Black Metal" & "The Satanist".
Here are a few things that I'm a stickler for:
1. The more elite exponents of extreme metal drumming - Give me a super-human metronome of a drummer & I can listen to almost anything without feeling the need to skip. It's a little strange when you consider that I'm a guitarist but I'm always more impressed by drummers.
2. I'm also a sucker for huge, glossy & expansive production jobs & find that they can often see me really enjoying what might otherwise be a fairly generic release. Examples of this can be found in genres like progressive metal & deathcore.
3. I love me some rhythmic complexity when it's used subtly, creatively & is tightly incorporated into the song-writing rather than simply being there for show. The old-school progressive metal, tech-death & tech-thrash bands understood this concept well. Many of the new-school bands unfortunately do not.
4. Relentless brutality & the blackest darkness of all - I like my metal as savage & blasphemous as (in)humanly possible. Give me Christ-raping, church-burning, zombie-impaling, planet-annihilating ultra-violence any day of the week.
Also on Buffalo's "Volcanic Rock" album from August 1973, we receive this closing track "Shylock" which is an up-tempo head-banger of a heavy metal number. Seriously, if Chris Cornell didn't model himself on this blokes vocals then there's been some fairly drastic coincidences occurring:
This morning's track is Black Sabbath's "Breakout" which is best described as jazz-rock:
I would have done it mofo
Assück - "Anticapital" (1992)
I revisited this old Florida deathgrind debut album that I quite liked back in the early 1990's this afternoon. The seventeen tracks fly by in just fifteen minutes so I'd listened to it four times in a row before I even looked up. The album's got great intensity but is held back a bit by some consistently out of time blast beats. I'm not quite sure how people seem to look past that flaw to be honest as history has seen "Anticapital" being placed on a bit of a pedestal these days. Still... it's good enough to slip into my Top Ten Deathgrind Releases of All Time list which is still very much a work in progress as I work my way through a whole bunch of old material.
For fans of Terrorizer, Brutal Truth & Misery Index.
3.5/5
01. Napalm Death - "Utopia Banished" (1992)
02. Cattle Decapitation - "Monolith of Inhumanity" (2012)
03. Brutal Truth - "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" (1992)
04. Full of Hell - "Weeping Choirs" (2019)
05. Lock Up - "Necropolis Transparent" (2011)
06. Cephalic Carnage - "Misled by Certainty" (2010)
07. Damaged - "Passive Backseat Demon Engines" E.P. (1995)
08. Napalm Death - "Harmony Corruption" (1990)
09. Assück - "Anticapital" (1992)
10. Napalm Death - "Mentally Murdered" E.P. (1989)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/223
I checked out the 1978 "Kiss Heaven Goodbye" sophomore album from US outfit Granmax today. There's definitely a couple of metal songs included but not enough to qualify as a metal release as such. It's hard rock for mine.
Mark definitely sounded better than Barnes.
Mark is absolutely frothing that you just said that. His most major influence/idol is 1991-92 Chris Barnes.
Here's my review:
You simply couldn’t ignore Los Angeles industrial death metallers Fear Factory when they exploded onto the scene with their 1992 debut album “Soul of a New Machine”. Although their sound wasn’t ideally suited to my personal taste, I still found myself purchasing the CD & attending the shows with all of my metal-loving mates & quite enjoying myself along the way. Metal radio was all over Fear Factory so you almost had no choice but to become exposed to them & their unique combination of precision, melody & extremity sounded really fresh at the time. As an album, I don’t mind “Soul of a New Machine” but feel that the band would comfortably eclipse it with their next album “Demanufacture” which is still the benchmark for Fear Factory to this day in my opinion. Somewhere in between those two albums though, we find this little remix E.P. which drew a somewhat shocked response from a teenage me. The very gall of an extreme metal band to attempt EDM-infused versions of their more popular songs! It certainly sounded like an awful idea to me on paper so I don’t think I went into it with a lot of hope to be honest & that may well have played a role in me eventually dismissing “Fear is the Mindkiller” as a release that was categorically not for me. However, by the end of the 1990’s I’d been sucked up by the exciting techno juggernaut & spent the next decade spinning tunes in dark, underground clubs so I’m hoping that now I might be better predisposed to enjoying this record. Let’s find out, shall we?
“Fear is the Mindkiller” contains six songs & clocks in at around the 32 minute mark. Five of those pieces are electronica/electro-industrial remixes of tracks taken from the debut album with the album version of “Self Immolation” also being tossed in for good measure. I honestly think that “Self Immolation” was a strange track to nominate to fill out the run time given that a) it’s not one of the better tracks from “Soul of a New Machine” & b) there are already two remixed versions of that track included on the E.P. which leads to repetition. Thankfully though, there is some quality to be found in this material, even for those of you that might only be open to metal music. None of the original tracks are indecipherable in these remixes with all five of them offering regular snippets at the very least. Interesingly though, it’s the pieces that take Fear Factory the furthest away from their original works that work best with “Self Immolation (Vein Tap Mix)” & “Scumgrief” (Deep Dub Trauma Mix)” being comfortably my pick of the bunch. The one failure actually lines up with the heaviest of the songs in the Pig Fuck Mix of “Scapegoat” which is essentially just a misguided attempt to place a dance beat behind the original & fails to connect on anywhere near the same level.
I’ve found myself quite liking “Fear is the Mindkiller” for the most part. The electronic component isn’t done to an elite level but (apart from “Scapegoat”) it’s executed reasonably well &, on most occasions, brings something a bit different to the originals. I can’t say that I regard the E.P. as being essential but, then again, I don’t consider “Soul of a New Machine” to be either. This is certainly an underrated release, perhaps receiving undue criticism from a metal community that can at times be fairly closed-minded when it comes to electronic music.
For fans of HEALTH, Front Line Assembly & Ministry's "Rio Grande Dub Ya".
3.5/5
Here's my review:
I was lucky enough to discover Vader very early on in their recording career with 1992’s “The Ultimate Incantation” debut album first crossing my path shortly after release & at a time when I was completely obsessed with death metal (which… let’s fact it… has never really changed, has it?). I quite liked it too although the fact that I haven’t returned to it since the 1990’s is probably a sign that its impact wasn’t as significant as some of the more classic death metal releases of the time. It did, however, do enough for me to see me seeking out its follow-up “De Profundis” as soon as it hit the streets as well as a couple of Vader’s earlier demos in 1989’s “Necrolust” & 1990’s “Morbid Reich”, both of which I got some enjoyment out of. “De Profundis” would be the record that would cement Vader as an artist worthy of deeper attention for me though so I’ve been excited to take another look at it this week.
Now, let’s get the obvious out of the way right from the start. “De Profundis” is a well-executed example of mid- 90’s death metal produced by a band that clearly possessed a strong pedigree in the extreme metal underground. The band can all play their instruments well & the production is more than acceptable. Those statements alone will generally be enough to ensure a strong score from me given my undeniable affiliations with the genre & era. The question has to be asked about Vader’s credentials for the higher tier ratings though & we're about to take a look at why.
For all the positives on display on “De Profundis”, the major elephant in the room is the fact that they are so clearly trying to emulate the most premium band in the entire global scene at the time in Morbid Angel. The worship is absolutely blatant at times with the riff structures, vocal style & phrasing, drumming & guitar solos all paying homage to the one & only Morbid Angel, a band that I was as obsessed with as any other artist in my life-time when “De Profundis” hit the streets. This leads to the question of whether Vader can compete on that lofty scale & the answer is a categorical no which immediately limits Vader’s scoring potential given that they’ve been relegated to tier two status right from the get-go. The class in their execution & the consistency in their song-writing ability are their feathers in both caps though & Vader draw upon both of those attributes to create a high-quality (if a touch generic) death metal record.
The vocals of front man Piotr Wiwczarek are worth discussing because they’re slightly different to what you would usually expect from a death metal band. His tone is simply not as monstrous or growly, perhaps even semi-clean, & I see this as a slight weakness if I’m being honest. His intelligibility could be argued to be a strength though as it gives Vader a level of accessibility that some of their peers are not always afforded. There are plenty of blast-beats on offer & Morbid Angel’s Pete Sandoval has clearly been an influence on drummer Krzysztof Raczkowski although he lacks the unparalleled power, control & precision of his idol. The guitar solos are probably the highlight of the record for me & we once again see Morbid Angel being the major influence here with Trey Azagthoth’s psychotic chaos being reflected pretty accurately here & with great effect too just quietly. I love the sheer over-the-top energy they bring to proceedings & can accept the similarities to the man who was very much my own personal idol at the time.
One of the real strengths of “De Profundis” is the consistent quality in the song-writing with the tracklisting being very consistent & offering no weak tracks as such. It doesn’t, however, offer as many highlights as I would generally need from an elite death metal release with only the outstanding “Blood of Kingu” (I’m assuming yet another reference to Morbid Angel’s lyrics) being the clear classic of the nine songs. “Of Moon, Blood, Dream & Me” stands out as the weaker number included & is affected by Wiwczarek’s vocal performance which seems to struggle a bit at times but it’s still worth a few listens & isn’t a major distraction.
Look, despite the fact that “De Profundis” doesn’t attempt anything majorly new & targets one band’s sound in particular, I can’t deny that I fucking love that sound so I was always going to find a lot of entertainment in Vader’s sophomore effort. In fact, I’d suggest that it may well be the Pole’s best full-length overall although I do tend to reach for their 2005 “The Art of War” E.P. as my go-to Vader release these days. I can’t see too many battle-hardened death metal fanatics not getting some jollies out of this one.
For fans of Morbid Angel, Hate & Malevolent Creation.
4/5
Welcome Karl. We're delighted to have you & look forward to getting to know you & your musical tastes. I think you'll find that the site ticks all of the boxes you're looking to tick & our community is generally very welcoming & encouraging of new members so feel free to explore & express yourself.
I've always found that the fact that I was already a Cannibal Corpse fan before the release of "Tomb of the Mutilated" gives me a slightly different perspective to many people. It was the record that converted a lot of the kids in my area over to death metal & that certainly did my band Neuropath a lot of favours as the only more brutal death metal band that existed in Sydney back in 1993. I don't think there's any doubt that it was the shock-factor that was responsible for Cannibal Corpse's rise as, despite it being a solid enough release from a purely musical point of view, there were frankly more classic death metal records out there. There can be no denying how fun it was to listen to as a young fella though & it certainly ticked the brutality box that was so much of a passion for me at the time. Some of that gloss has definitely been taken off it over time though & I struggle with Paul's drumming in particular these days as he really does only have three beats that he repeats over & over again with one of those admittedly having invented the double-kick-driven blast-beat technique that would become common-place in the scene almost immediately afterwards. These days I find myself preferring records like "The Bleeding", "Evisceration Plague", "Kill" & "Butchered At Birth" over "Tomb of the Mutilated" but I'll always have a soft spot for it. Neuropath was heavily influenced by early Cannibal Corpse & inevitably always seemed to be associated with them too, perhaps unsurprisingly given our early lyrical direction. We actually played a cover version of "Hammer Smashed Face" at the end of a couple of shows in order to satisfy the repeated crowd requests.
Here's my adjusted Top Ten Technical Thrash Releases of All Time list after revisiting Obliveon's "Nemesis" this week which sees Toxik's "World Circus" dropping out of my list:
01. Coroner – “Mental Vortex” (1991)
02. Sadus – “A Vision Of Misery” (1992)
03. Sadus - "Swallowed in Black" (1990)
04. Obliveon - "Nemesis" (1993)
05. Coroner – “No More Color” (1989)
06. Hellwitch - "Syzygial Miscreancy" (1990)
07. Cryptic Shift – “Visitations From Enceladus” (2020)
08. Ripping Corpse - "Dreaming With The Dead" (1991)
09. KAT - "Bastard" (1992)
10. Obliveon - "From This Day Forward" (1990)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/173
Here's my review:
Montreal technical thrashers Obliveon were a pretty big band for me back in the early 1990’s with both of their first two releases playing relatively important roles in my musical journey as I became "progressively" more interested in the more technical side of extreme metal (see what I did there?). I first discovered them through a dubbed copy of their 1990 debut full-length “From This Day Forward” which I really dug & kept in my Walkman for a few solid months. That prompted me to seek out 1993’s “Nemesis” sophomore album from the tape trading scene as soon as it was released & both records would play a role in me taking my own band’s sound into more expansive structural territories over the next few years, even if I opted for a much more deathly sound. These two releases would be where my journey with Obliveon ended though as the idea of them moving to more of a groove metal sound didn’t appeal to me much so I have to admit that I’m still yet to check out Obliveon's two mid-to-late 1990’s records. Regardless of that oversight, I’m excited to relive my time with Obliveon this week, particularly given that my recent revisit of “From This Day Forward” was so successful.
It's interesting that Xephyr has had such issues with the production job on “Nemesis” because, outside of the strangely off-putting lead guitar tone that appears when they present some of their more progressive & melodic ideas, I struggle to hear the flaws he’s described if I’m being honest. Sure, the drums have a mechanical feel but that works in pretty nicely with the complexity of the riff structures in my opinion. I don’t find that the guitars lack depth or the vocals are too loud either. To my ears everything seems to be pretty well balanced & more than appropriate for an extreme metal release of the time. Perhaps I’m just very used to this record after all these years or are simply more comfortable with early 90’s metal releases in general given my pedigree? I dunno but let’s just say that the production isn’t an issue for me & leave it at that. In fact, I love how the bass guitar cuts through the mix so nicely & everything is so clear & intelligible, despite the incredible technicality on show.
Obliveon have often been claimed as a death/thrash hybrid & you can easily see why. The main selling point for the links to death metal can be found in the vocals which come across as a deathly version of Kreator front man Mille Petrozza & are more than adequate to get the job done. Instrumentally, Obliveon lean comfortably over towards the thrash side of the equation though & I don’t think you’ll be shocked by the extremity of “Nemesis”. It’s not about brutality, instead being weighted heavily towards class, sophistication & execution which are all boxes that it ticks in unanimous fashion throughout the eight tracks on offer. There’s no doubt that Obliveon were pushing the complexity levels right up to the outer thresholds that the metal scene had achieved to the time & they seem to do it really easily too. The talent on show is astounding at times &, unlike some of their tech thrash peers, that element can be seen across the board with the rhythm section being particularly impressive. There’s definitely some commonality in the way the riffs are structured as Obliveon tend to favour a spider-fingered, palm-muted, single-string style of riff that’s performed extremely tightly & if you can buy into that technique (which I clearly can) then you’re in for a real treat as few can do it as well as it’s been done here. I’m a big fan of the way the bass guitar is used & there's are a lot of interesting yet subtle colour added through the drum fills that bring a lot to the overall package too. My only complaint might be that there could have been a little less restraint shown in the guitar solos which often take a more melodic approach than one would normally expect from their thrash.
As with “From This Day Forward”, Obliveon struggle to create genuine highlight tracks here though & a lot of that comes down to the fact that it’s difficult to achieve that when your song structures are focused so heavily on complexity. They do manage to reach that elusive pinnacle on “Frosted Avowals” though which is easily my favourite Obliveon track & made a significant impact on me back in the day. The quality level dropped just a touch at the end of “From This Day Forward” but that’s not the case with “Nemesis” which is slightly more consistent & that’s probably the main reason why I tend to favour it over its elder sibling. There’s not a lot between them though & I’d suggest that both should be essential listening for fans of the more technical side of extreme metal.
For fans of Vektor, Voivod & Аспид.
4/5
August 1973 heralded the earliest roots of the Sydney metal scene I grew up in with heavy psych four-piece Buffalo's sophomore album "Volcanic Rock" kicking off with this heavy metal number that contains high-energy, chugging riffage & a bad-ass Chris Cornell-like vocal delivery:
This morning's track is Black Sabbath's "Over To You" which is a pretty clear-cut hard rock tune:
Today we examine an epic track from Welsh trio Budgie's "Never Turn Your Back On A Friend" third album which was released in June 1973. Budgie are generally regarded as being a metal band but frankly that's one of the myths we're trying to free ourselves of with these threads. This track is as close as they got to metal in their early days & even then it's pretty borderline. "You're The Best Thing Since Powdered Milk" sees them combining blues rock, psychedelia, stoner rock & heavy metal as the 10+ minute piece transitions through a number of different phases. After giving it a fair few revisits I've decided that there's enough metal to warrant inclusion here, mainly in the two main riffs. The first presents that classic bottom string pedal-point although the vocals sound like The Black Crowes & the rhythm section are stuck in blues rock land. The second sees Budgie clearly showcasing the influence of Black Sabbath's "Children of the Grave" with that lumbering gallop. There's even an unaccompanied bass solo in the middle that was clearly ripped off by Iron Maiden. I could probably have opted for a stoner metal tag here given the non-metal components but ended up going with heavy metal as the metal material takes that direction even if the overall track "feels" more like stoner rock most of the time. See what you think.
Here's my review:
Earlier this year I conducted an exercise whereby I made a dedicated attempt to identify the first five metal releases that converted me to the ways of darkness & the results (surprisingly) seemed to indicate that London legends Motorhead may well have been band #1 for me through their 1984 “No Remorse” compilation. Needless to say then that we’ve had as long a relationship as I can boast in metal terms. Interestingly though, I’d never heard any of Motorhead’s studio albums past 1987’s eighth full-length “Rock ‘n’ Roll” until this week when I investigated this month’s The Guardians feature release in 1993’s “Bastards” which is their eleventh full-length. Motorhead have never been a band that’s gonna make too many of my best-of lists but they are one that I hold an enormous amount of respect for & generally enjoy too with only their early self-titled & “On Parole” records not offering me some level of appeal along with 1980’s throw-away “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” E.P. & the disappointing 1983 live album “What’s Words Worth?”. Everything else is at least worthy a few listens so, when a well-educated mate of mine recently mentioned that “Bastards” might be the release to finally convince me of Motorhead’s metal credentials, my ears pricked up & I made a conscious note to investigate it at some stage.
Upon first listen it became immediately obvious that “Bastards” is a very different sounding record to the other Motorhead albums I’ve partaken in over the years. The production job is much cleaner & more metallic with Phil Campbell & Wurzel’s guitar tones being thick & heavy & Mikkey Dee’s drum kit sounding sharp & precise. I have to admit that this caught me off guard a little at first because Lemmy’s bass guitar seems like much less of a protagonist in this environment & his vocals don’t seem as comfortable without the dirty grit that Motorhead made their calling card over the years. Repeat listens saw me overcoming this obstacle though & predominantly off the back of some quality hooks & song-writing.
My mate was 100% correct on “Bastards”. It’s by far the most metal release I’ve heard from Motorhead & a dual tagging is more than justified here. The album kicks off with the two most obviously metal tracks too with opener “On Your Feet Or On Your Knees” & speed metal stomper “Burner” both tearing shreds off the unsuspecting listener. The rest of the tracklisting sees Lemmy & co. consistently playing in that grey area between heavy metal & hard rock which often makes it hard to make a call one way or the other. That’s not to say that "Bastards" is a drastic stylistic departure for Motorhead though as you can still identify their bluesy roots easily enough during many songs & I never feel like I’m listening to anyone else.
“Bastards” is an extremely consistent album in many ways. The four-piece band sound like a well-oiled machine & it’s hard to imagine that they were capable of creating anything that was noticeably subpar at this stage in their evolution. The record is at its peak during the three-track run that contains “Burner” (my personal favourite), “Death or Glory” & “I Am The Sword” but “On Your Feet or On Your Knees”, “Bad Woman”, “Liar” & closer “Devils” are really solid too. In saying that though, I’ve always struggled to see Motorhead challenging for my higher scores & nothing has changed in that regard. I just don’t think they appeal to me enough from a purely stylistic point of view & that limitation sees me unable to claim any of the twelve songs as genuine classics, despite all of them offering me a level of enjoyment.
Nonetheless, “Bastards” has really surprised me this week. I wasn’t expecting it to challenge some of Motorhead’s more famous releases for top honours but that would seem to be the case here with only “Overkill” & “Ace of Spades” sitting above it on my Motorhead pecking order now. Don’t be afraid kiddies. This is a high-quality metal release in its own right & is one that’s deserving of essential status in the context of Motorhead’s illustrious career too.
For fans of Venom, Tank & Girlschool.
4/5
This morning's song is Black Sabbath's "Air Dance" which I'd suggest fits best under progressive rock:
If the subgenre has the words “melodic” or “symphonic” as a prefix then I’ll usually struggle with it.
Punky one-two drum beats shit me. So does the use of cow bell, particularly when used in conjunction with groovy stoner metal riffs. Any sort of cheese sees me tapping out too i.e. a lot of European power metal.
Welcome to the Academy Max. The way to make a request for a band to be added to the database is to raise it in the dedicated clan forum thread which is pinned to the top of the list of threads. Please bear in mind that we only support albums & E.P.’s as opposed to singles & demos.
Pentagram's 1973 "Bias Studio Recordings" demo included this little stoner tune that tip toes along the line between stoner metal & stoner rock with its dark themes, blues rock influence, doomy feel & psychedelic lead guitar work:
This morning's track is Black Sabbath's "Shock Wave", a song that most people same to associate with heavy metal but I don't see as anything more than hard rock personally. The main instrumental elements are classic open-string hard rock riffs with the rhythm section possessing a rock swagger. The only time that things start to head in a metal direction is during the guitar solo & outro with a trademark stoner metal riff being utilized but it's not enough to see the song qualifying overall.
This morning we examine the birth of one of doom metal's biggest names with Pentagram's "Bias Studio Recordings" demo being released on 22nd March 1973. It contained this classic doom anthem:
This morning's track is Black Sabbath's "A Hard Road" which is clearly a hard rock number:
This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
Andi, I've passed "Classica" uncontested & have posted "Novembrine Waltz" in the Hall of Judgement.
This nomination has just been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
Yeah, I'm particularly proud of these results as it's the ultimate sign that Metal Academy are running our own race & are presenting things in the way that they really are rather than simply following the consensus. I even waited until we had the full quota of votes on these ones because I knew how controversial they may be if they were passed.
With a vote tally of YES 9 NO 4, this Hall of Judgement entry has been successful. I've added "Paranoid" to the Stoner Metal genre in the database.