Daniel's Forum Replies

Ben was checking that album out earlier this week & comparing it to classic Opeth. I've got it on my iPhone to listen to over the next few weeks on Xephyr's recommendation.

The new single from this Swedish djent/prog metal outfit.

Welcome to the site saxy. I'm so glad you decided to come across & it's great to get an insight into where your metal roots began. Also, it's so cool that we've had a few new members joining The Gateway over the last few days. The site has been fairly extreme metal dominant up till now & we've always wanted it to be more universal & all-encompassing so keep up the good work as far as alternative metal content. It's all great stuff. 

Ben, please add Avgrunn (Spain).

Ben, please add Avenger (Germany).

Ben, please add Ava Inferi (Portugal).

Welcome to the site TJ. Don't be shy. We're building something special here & would like to encourage you to a) be as active as possible & b) invite all of your friends as ultimately the more ratings & reviews we have the more effective the clan concept is. Also, if you have any suggestions for improvements or bug fixes then please offer us the feedback. Traditionally we've taken up people's suggestions pretty quickly & it's led to greatly improved user experience.

Ben, please add At War (USA) & Attitude Adjustment (USA).

Culprit - "Guilty As Charged" (1983)

The sole album from this Seattle-based progressive rock/metal outfit whose sound sits somewhere between classic Rush, 70's Riot & Paul Dianno-era Iron Maiden. It's really well written but is let down a bit by a very thin Mike Varney (Shrapnel Records head) production.

3.5/5

Onslaught - "The Force" (1986)

I wasn't much of a fan of Onslaught's 1985 debut album "Power From Hell" but I find their sophomore album from the following year to be a much more appealing prospect. There's a lot less hardcore punk about it & it's a total riff-fest but in saying that it's far from flawless. The track lengths are needlessly extended, the high pitched vocal squeals are annoying & the riffs & guitar solos tend to be pretty basic & generic compared to other well-known thrash records of the time. So why do I still find myself enjoying it? I guess it's the fact that it sounds like a mixture of the first two Slayer albums, "Bonded By Blood" era Exodus & classic Venom.  

3.5/5

Ben, please add Ascension (Germany).

Ben, please add Ascariasis (Canada).

Ben, please add As They Burn (France).

Strapping Young Lad - "City" (1997)

A very solid slab of industrial metal that should appeal to fans of Fear Factory, Ministry & Nailbomb. I'm not sure it's the classic release it's often made out to be but it sure hits the spot.

4/5

Hhmmmm…. interesting. I'll be adding this one to my list for the next couple of weeks. Thanks for the heads up Xephyr. :)

Exumer - "Possessed By Fire" (1986)

A pretty decent Teutonic thrash metal debut that should appeal to fans of Exodus, Slayer & Kreator.

3.5/5

Ben, please add Antropofagus (Italy).

Ben, please add Antichrist (Canada).

Emperor - "LIve Inferno" (2009)

A classic double live album from the Norwegian Gods of symphonic black metal featuring the reunion shows from Inferno & Wacken. Fantastic production & performances. I absolutely love this shit!

4.5/5

I'm a huge fan & would definitely give this project a listen. Danny's earnt the right to these sort of self-indulgences in my opinion.

Ben, please add Anhedonist (USA) & Antediluvian (Canada).

Ben, please add Angel Eyes (USA).

Crumbsuckers - "Life Of Dreams" (1986)

The debut studio album from this New York crossover thrash/hardcore act. The musicianship is excellent for this style of music & the gnarly vocals suit the violence of the music quite beautifully. I don't mind it. Fans of bands like Cro-Mags, Leeway & Agnostic Front should enjoy this.

3.5/5

Ben, please add the Agoraphobic Nosebleed & Converge split as well as Alice Through The Windshield Glass (Australia).

Alcatrazz - "No Parole From Rock 'n' Roll" (1983)

Yngwie Malmsteen teams up with Graham Bonnet for an epic combination of hard rock & heavy metal with Yngwie's signature neoclassical style being showcased in no uncertain terms. Bonnet's performance leaves nothing in the tank either & it's a real shame that the two commercially focused singles are so poor (particularly opening track "Island In The Sun") because the rest of the album is top class. Fans of Scorpions, Rainbow & Deep Purple should enjoy this as it's probably Alcatrazz' best work. Steer well clear of the subsequent live album "Live Sentence: No Parole From Rock 'n' Roll" with it's poor production.

3.5/5

It's a very good question actually. When we originally came up with the concept for the site we always thought that we would mainly grow our membership through word of mouth with existing members bringing friends & associates online. We've since found that this hasn't happened organically & the periods of growth you see happen every month or so are entirely off the back of organized recruitment drives that Ben has been conducting with high profile users of others sites. I'd like to think that this won't be required long-term but it does give you the impression that a large percentage of our members tend to be people that enjoy the music in isolation & don't generally associate with other metal fans (at least not the obsessive types that will become regular contributors). 

But on the positive, the regular contributors we've managed to recruit here  so far (like yourself) really know their shit & seem to be as passionate about the site as we are so we're feeling pretty confident that the slow initial build will start to escalate over time. The moral of the story is that if you really want to see this site gaining traction then we need everyone to be selling it to the market. And if you can think of some sort of incentive plan for people to bring others on-board then we'd love to hear it.

Angel Dust - "Into The Dark Past" (1986)

1986's debut album "Into The Dark Past" from German thrash/speed metal outfit Angel Dust. They kinda sound like Exodus meets Iron Angel & feature a seriously aggressive guitar sound. The vocals do let the band down a bit but fans of Paradox, Grinder & Living Death should dig this. 

3.5/5

Ben, please add the Adversarial/Antediluvian split album as well as Aeon of Horus (Australia).

Ben, please add Admiral Angry (USA).

Neurosis - "Souls At Zero" (1992)

An unmitigated classic & one of my all-time favourite records. Fuck I love this band.

5/5

My revised list after realizing that I'd forgotten one of my favourite bands ever:

25. Deicide - "Deicide" (1990) 

24. Obituary - "Cause Of Death" (1990) 

23. Suffocation - "Effigy Of The Forgotten" (1991) 

22. My Dying Bride - "Turn Loose The Swans" (1993) 

21. dISEMBOWELMENT - "Transcendence Into The Peripheral" (1993) 

20. Entombed - "Clandestine" (1991) 

19. Suffocation - "Pierced From Within" (1995) 

18. Morbid Angel - "Blessed Are The Sick" (1991) 

17. Metallica - "Master Of Puppets" (1986) 

16. Darkthrone - "Transilvanian Hunger" (1994) 

15. Carcass - "Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious" (1991) 

14. ISIS - "Panopticon" (2004) 

13. Neurosis - "Souls At Zero" (1992)

12. Slayer - "South Of Heaven" (1988) 

11. Immolation - "Close To A World Below" (2000) 

10. Boris - "Boris At Last -Feedbacker-" (2003) 

09. Alice In Chains - "Dirt" (1992) 

08. Death - "Human" (1991) 

07. Morbid Angel - "Altars Of Madness" (1989) 

06. Metallica - "...And Justice For All" (1988) 

05. ISIS - "The Mosquito Control" E.P. (1998) 

04. Sunn O))) - "Black One" (2005) 

03. Deathspell Omega - "Kenose" E.P. (2005) 

02. Burzum - "Filosofem" (1996) 

01. Slayer - "Reign In Blood" (1986)

25. Deicide - "Deicide" (1990)

24. Obituary - "Cause Of Death" (1990)

23. Katatonia - "Brave Murder Day" (1996)

22. Suffocation - "Effigy Of The Forgotten" (1991)

21. My Dying Bride - "Turn Loose The Swans" (1993)

20. dISEMBOWELMENT - "Transcendence Into The Peripheral" (1993)

19. Entombed - "Clandestine" (1991)

18. Suffocation - "Pierced From Within" (1995)

17. Morbid Angel - "Blessed Are The Sick" (1991)

16. Metallica - "Master Of Puppets" (1986)

15. Darkthrone - "Transilvanian Hunger" (1994)

14. Carcass - "Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious" (1991)

13. ISIS - "Panopticon" (2004)

12. Slayer - "South Of Heaven" (1988)

11. Immolation - "Close To A World Below" (2000)

10. Boris - "Boris At Last -Feedbacker-" (2003)

09. Alice In Chains - "Dirt" (1992)

08. Death - "Human" (1991)

07. Morbid Angel - "Altars Of Madness" (1989)

06. Metallica - "...And Justice For All" (1988)

05. ISIS - "The Mosquito Control" E.P. (1998)

04. Sunn O))) - "Black One" (2005)

03. Deathspell Omega - "Kenose" E.P. (2005)

02. Burzum - "Filosofem" (1996)

01. Slayer - "Reign In Blood" (1986)