Daniel's Forum Replies

Iron Maiden - "Rock In Rio" (2002)

4/5

Blood Of The Black Owl - "Rivers Within Shadows" (Release date: 30th April)

Funeral doom metal/dark ambient from Washington, USA.

Helloween - "Walls Of Jericho" (1985)

German speed/power metal.

Thou - "Ceremonies of Consolidation" compilation (Release date: 19th April)

2018 was quite the year for Thou. Not only did they release their 5th full-length album, Magus (Sacred Bones), but they also released a series of vinyl-only EPs leading up to it. Rhea Sylvia (Deathwish Inc.), The House Primordial (Raw Sugar), and Inconsolable (Community Records). Each of these albums is written in a drastically different  style, but all serve to provide context for the full-length, Magus, while each is capable of standing alone as individual EPs.  

Rhea Sylvia is an album of songs drenched in total grunge worship, while The House Primordial is noisy and caustic. Inconsolable closes out the series by feauturing somber, acoustic tracks with clean singing.   

Ceremonies of Consolidation collects those 3 12” EPs in a 2xCD set, packaged in a thick, Stoughton gatefold tip-on CD jacket and includes a 12-page booklet with new and expanded artwork.  

Recorded in 2017 and 2018 at Hightower Studios by James Whitten. All tracks mastered by Adam Tucker. Additional vocals by KC Stafford, Emily McWilliams, Melissa Guion, Nicole Estill, Jacques Boudreaux, Michael Moss, Clayton Hunt, and Dr. Scott Francioni. Violin by KC Stafford and Jacques Boudreaux.   

The extra acoustic tracks on disc two are from the Rhea Sylvia demo written by Matthew Thudium and recorded by James Whitten in 2015.  

Tracklist:

Rhea Sylvia 

1. The Only Law 

2. Unfortunate Times 

3. Non-Entity 

4. Deepest Sun 

5. Restless River 

6. Lasting Dose 

The House Primordial 

7. Wisdom in the Open Air 

8. Premonition 

9. The Sword Without a Hilt 

10. Diaphonous Shift 

11. Corruption and Mortal Trauma 

12. Psychic Dominance 

13. Prideful Dementia and Impulsive Mayhem 

14. Occulting Light 

15. Birthright 

16. Malignant Horror 

Inconsolable 

17. The Unspeakable Oath 

18. Come Home, You Are Missed 

19. The Hammer 

20. Behind the Mask, Another Mask 

21. Fallow State 

22. Into the Scourge Pit 

23. Find the Cost of Freedom 

24. Entombed in Man 

Rhea Sylvia demos (not yet released elsewhere on CD or LP) 

25. The Only Law (Acoustic Demo) 

26. Unfortunate Times (Acoustic Demo) 

27. Deepest Sun (Acoustic Demo) 

28. Restless River (Acoustic Demo) 

29. Inevitable (Acoustic Demo)

Machine Head - "Davidian (Live in the Studio 2019)" single (Release date: 26th April)

Thy Art Is Murder - "Human Target" single (Release date: 25th April)

The new single from the kings of Aussie deathcore.

Iron Angel - "Hellish Crossfire" (1985)

Thrashy German speed metal.

My Dying Bride - "A Harvest Of Dread" compilation (Release date: 24th May)

My Dying Bride will celebrate their 25th anniversary by releasing a new book called “A Harvest Of Dread” on December 9. This release is a 92-page 12″ hardback book, which also includes 5 CDs with rarities, early works, demos, band favourites, and live tracks.

“From humble beginnings of demo tape, draughty rehearsal rooms and transit vans up to the heady heights of digi-packs, hotels and tour buses, we’ve done just about everything a rock n roll band is supposed to do. Members have come and gone, some lost forever and others staying in touch and all, thankfully, still friendly and welcoming. I look back at our extensive career, much of it laid out here for all to see in this impressive collection, and feel strong and thrilled at what our output has achieved”

Track Listing: 

CD 1: 

01. Vast Choirs 

02. The Thrash Of Naked Limbs 

03. The Snow In My Hands 

04. Black Voyage 

05. Apocalypse Woman 

06. The Light At The End Of The World 

07. Feel The Misery 

CD 2: 

01. Like A Perpetual Funeral 

02. Two Winters Only 

03. My Hope, The Destroyer 

04. I Cannot Be Loved 

05. A Doomed Lover 

06. You Are Not The One Who Loves Me 

07. And Then You Go 

CD 3 – Early releases and pre-production tracks: 

01. Symphonaire Infernus Et Spera Empyrium (Demo) 

02. Vast Choirs (demo) 

03. The Grief Of Age (Demo) 

04. Catching Feathers (demo) 

05. God Is Alone 

06. De Sade Soliloquy 

07. The Bitterness And The Bereavement 

08. The Sexuality Of Bereavement 

09. A Sea To Suffer In 

10. From Darkest Skies 

11. Your Shameful Heaven 

12. The Cry Of Mankind (studio Instrumental) 

CD 4 – Pre-productions and rarities: 

01. All Swept Away 

02. Like Gods Of The Sun 

03. The Whore, The Cook, The Mother 

04. An Unforgettable Journey 

05. I Believe 

06. On Monolith 

07. Glorious Midnight 

08. The Fool 

09. The Child Of Eternity 

10. Scarborough Fair 

11. Failure 

12. Hollow Cathedra 

CD 5 – Live in Voorst, The Netherlands 1997 

01. From Darkest Skies 

02. The Cry Of Mankind 

03. The Dark Caress 

04. For You 

05. A Kiss To Remember 

06. Like Gods Of The Sun 

07. All Swept Away 

08. Your Shameful Heaven

Diamond Head - "The Coffin Train" (Release date: 24th May)

The eighth studio album from these NWOBHM legends.

Darkthrone - "The Hardship of the Scots" single (Release date: 24th April)

The new single from the Norwegian black metal Gods.

Saint Vitus - "Useless" single (Release date: 19th April)

The new single from these traditional doom metal legends is pure hardcore punk.

Abnormailty - "A Catastrophic and Catalyzing Event" single (Release date: 17th April)

Brutal/technical death metal from Massachusetts, USA.

Possessed - "Shadowcult" single (Release date: 12th April)

Great! Thanks a lot. I've just added reviews of the "Soviet Invasion" E.P. & the "Friends Of Hell" album as well as a rating of the "Death Penalty" album.

Agent Steel - "Skeptics Apocalypse" (1985)

Thanks mate. I just added ratings for these:

Krokus - "Hardware"

Krokus - "Headhunter"

Warning - "Warning"

Picture - "Heavy Metal Ears"

And reviews for these:

Warning - "Warning II"

Picture - "Diamond Dreamer"

Here's the next lot of bands I need added:

Plasmatics (USA)

Tank (UK)

Thanks mate. I just added a rating for Trust's "Repression", Brats' "1980" & Lazy's "Uchusen Chikyugo".

Can you please add these next:

Krokus (Switzerland)

Warning (France)

Picture (Netherlands)

The new Sunn O))) single:

The new Overkill single:

October Tide - "In Splendor Below" (Release date: 17th May)

The sixth album from this Swedish doom/death metal outfit.

Ben, please add the following bands:

Trust (France)

Brats (Denmark)

Lazy (Japan)

Yes I am. But we’re gonna need to cover these obscure releases as well as the more popular ones. I can’t believe you found high quality images for these though!

Can you please add Budgie’s metal-oriented releases? I’d like to rate “Power Supply” & “If Swallowed, Do Not Induce Vomiting” & it should completely close out the 70’s bands too.

Exciter - "Long Live The Loud" (1985)

The link to episode 22 has now been uploaded to the front page.

Moonspell - "Scorpion Flower" single (Release date: 13th April)

The new single from this Portugese symphonic/gothic metal outfit.

Motörhead - "Rockaway Beach" single (Release date: 13th April)

Limited edition 7" single for Record Store Day. Backed with "R.A.M.O.N.E.S. (Live at Wacken 2006)" on the B side.

Dio - "The Last In Line (Live)/Push" 12" vinyl (Release date: 13th April)

Limited to 3000 copies for Record Store Day.

Devour The Unborn - "Liturgy of Irreverent Oblation" E.P. (Release date: 12th April)

Slam death metal from Texas, USA.

Nasty Savage - "Nasty Savage" (1985)

Ben, please add the following bands:

Sorcery (Chicago)

Sorcery (Los Angeles)

Centaurus

Thanks. I've rated the first Baron Rojo album & reviewed the debut More record. I still have two more Legend & two more Baron Rojo reviews to upload.

Ben, can you please add these bands for me:

More (England)

Legend (Jersey)

Baron Rojo (Spain)

Thanks for the heads up Vinny. Did you give that release an initial rating on 24th March & then add the review on 11th April by any chance? I don't think the dates are updating under those circumstances. I've experienced it myself & have had to delete my rating first before doing a fresh review to get it to come up in the new reviews section.

I don't think that Helloween's debut self-titled EP should reside in The Guardians. There's not enough power metal to warrant inclusion. It's primarily a speed metal record & belongs exclusively in The Pit in my opinion. Who agrees with me?

Abnormality - "Sociopathic Constructs" (Release date: 10th May)

Brutal death metal from Massachusetts, USA.

Nails - "I Don't Want to Know You" single (Release date: 11th April)

Californian grindcore.

Beheaded - "A Greater Terror" single (Release date: 9th April)

Brutal death metal from Malta.

Blind Guardian - "Imaginations From The Other Side" (1995)

I've never been much of a fan of European power metal but Blind Guardian are the exception.

4/5

Vektor - "Black Future" (2009)

Progressive thrash metal from Arizona, USA. It's very interesting although I can't say I've ever felt it deserving of the classic status that so many critics seem to label it. I'd describe it as a cross between the technical thrash metal of Coroner & Sadus & the progressive metal of Voivod with little bits of the more melodic Swedish black/death metal bands like Dissection or At The Gates tossed in here & there. I think you'd probably dig this more than I do Ben.

3.5/5

What was your take on this one? Taken out of the context of the time, I reviewed it rather harshly. Though honestly the music is awesome, I just cant do the vocals!

I really like it but admittedly "The Spectre Within" & I go back a very long way. To me, it sounds like they've combined elements of the three most sophisticated heavy metal bands in the world at the time in Iron Maiden, Queenryche & Mercyful Fate. It's an absolute riff-fest & the rhythm section do a great job at making some of those more complex riffs & transitions work in such a smooth fashion with Rush being the obvious influence in that respect. The lead guitar work is inconsistent & doesn't compare to the best the metal scene had to offer at the time but the vocals are undoubtedly the potential deal-breaker for most people. They definitely need time to sink in as they're the very epitomy of an acquired taste. This is exacerbated by the fact that there aren't that many legitimate choruses or other vocal hooks. I think the John Arch was still learning how to fit lyrics over the more complex rhythms & it results in some very unusual & occasionally jarring outcomes. It's like he was so hell-bent on fitting those lyrics in that he's sacrificed on flow & melodic structure. But when he gets it right with those Geoff Tate style upper register harmonies we definitely get the high points of the album & the overall class of the instrumentation is right up my alley.  This was definitely the most complex heavy metal record released to the time. I gave it a 4/5.

I completely agree. Ben seems to think it's amazing though which is disappointing as the family had such high hopes for him early on.

Gojira - "From Mars To Sirius" (2005)

An awesome combination of "Domination"-era Morbid Angel, the progressive metal of Devin Townsend & little bit of groove metal.

4.5/5

Chicago-based atmospheric black metallers Chrome Wave cover a Nirvana song from their classic 1991 album "Nevermind".

Knocked Loose - "Mistakes Like Fractures" E.P. (Release date: 10th May)

The new 7" E.P. from this Kentucky metalcore outfit.

Ringworm - "Death Becomes My Voice" (Release date: 3rd May)

The eighth studio album from this Cleveland metalcore outfit.

A teaser from Abbath's new video which will be released next week.

The new video taken from Rotting Christ's "The Heretics" album.