Daniel's Forum Replies
What great timing Ben! I haven't heard this one before & look forward to exploring it given my long-standing respect for Novembre's debut album. I didn't even know that it was a re-recording of "Wish I Could Dream It Again..." until Andi mentioned it yesterday actually.
My Dying Bride - "I Am The Bloody Earth" E.P. (1994)
By the time 1994 rolled around, Ben & I would have to have been considered to be enormous My Dying Bride fanboys. I was hooked from the first few seconds of the title track from the Halifax doom/death legends' 1992 "Symphonaire Infernus Et Spera Empyrium" E.P. & had religiously followed everything they'd done since with Ben even claiming them to be his favourite band at the time. I still consider that E.P. as well as the three releases that followed it (i.e. debut album "As the Flower Withers", 1993's "The Thrash of Naked Limbs" E.P. & their career-defining sophomore album "Turn Loose the Swans") to be genuine extreme metal classics so there was a whole world of anticipation around the release of My Dying Bride's next release which ended up being the third in the trilogy of annual E.P.'s the band would produce. I remember it being another rewarding experience too but I can't say that I've ever placed "I Am The Bloody Earth" alongside those earlier classics for one reason or another, despite returning to it a number of times over the years. Let's take a look at why.
As with the "Symphonaire Infernus Et Spera Empyrium" & "The Thrash of Naked Limbs" E.P's, "I Am The Bloody Earth" contains just the three tracks. The title track & the remixed version of "The Crown of Sympathy" (i.e. one of the absolute stunners from "Turn Loose The Swans") were recorded as a part of the album sessions at Academy Studios in Wolverhampton during June & July of 1993 with producer Robert Magoolagan (aka Mags). The other inclusion (a lengthy dance remix track by the name of "Transcending (Into the Exquisite)") was created at Finsbury Street Studios in York some time afterwards. When listening to the three tracks back-to-back, there's a clear separation between them in that they all come at you from different angles. Mags was starting to make a name for himself as a metal producer following his work on Anathema's first couple of records & 1994 would be a big year for him with his name being attached to Cradle of Filth's "The Principles of Evil Made Flesh" debut album & Solstice's "Lamentations" as well as engineering credits on Enchantment's "Dance the Marble Naked" & Paradise Lost's "Seals the Sense" E.P. so he was definitely building himself a reputation. "Turn Loose the Swans" turned out brilliantly too with his co-production arrangement with My Dying Bride appearing to work a treat. The same can be said for the two doom/death tracks included here as they both sound very much like the My Dying Bride that had completely annihilated us all the previous year. I do have one issue with the remix of "The Crown of Sympathy" though & I apologize for mentioning it if it forever scars your listening experience moving forward. For some inexplicable reason, the snare drum has had some reverb & panning done to it that makes it stand out like a sore thumb. It's not enough to impact my love of the overall track but it does take just a touch of gloss off what should have been musical perfection as far as I'm concerned. "Transcending (Into the Exquisite)" is another story altogether though as it represents one of the bigger challenges that any remixer has had to face in terms of metal.
Let me be very clear, my love of "I Am The Bloody Earth" & "The Crown of Sympathy (Remix)" is everlasting & undying. Both clearly articulate the magic of My Dying Bride in their prime & are classics in their own right. In fact, listening back now, I find it surprising that the title track wasn't deemed to be a strong enough fit for "Turn Loose the Swans" because it's a doom/death classic in every respect. It probably wouldn't have sat amongst the very best few tracks but I enjoy it a little more than I do opener "Sear Me MCMXCIII" if I'm being honest so I think it could have made the album even better. All of the ingredients are there from the melancholic atmosphere to the intimidating death growls to the heart-wrenching guitar harmonies to the gorgeous violin melodies, this is classic My Dying Bride in all their glory. "The Crown of Sympathy" may well be my favourite song from my favourite My Dying Bride release too so it was always likely to float my boat in a slightly different arrangement. The differences from the original are only subtle here with the track duration having been slightly reduced & some haunting echoes having been added here & there for added mystery. Despite my qualms with the snare drum, I absolutely adore this track & place it right up there with the greats of the genre. It's the dance remix piece that is the real talking point here though & I feel that I'm well positioned to discuss its merits given my background as a techno DJ. Look, I think it's fair to say that the majority of extreme metal fanatics were always going to struggle with this concept even if it was done splendidly but what we receive is very much a dog's breakfast. The arrangement sounds jerky & unfocused with the beats having been poorly integrated & the electronic splashes coming across as abrupt & off-putting. It's not an absolute abomination but it is a significant disappointment that has single-handedly caused My Dying Bride to descend from the realms of unanimous perfection to more human territories. I can't imagine how Aaron & co. must have felt upon hearing this piece for the first time because I can't see them being fans of its industrial metal meets electro-industrial approach.
There are those that can be pretty harsh on "I Am The Bloody Earth" based purely on the inclusion of "Transcending (Into the Exquisite)" & the fact that the remix track isn't all that different to the original. Personally, I choose to rate each release based purely on the quality of the music included on that release while ignoring the perceived value for money aspect that may impact listeners who are well across the rest of a band's back catalogue. With that in mind, "The Crown of Sympathy (Remix)" has only been received positively by this MDB fanboy but I can't deny that the dance remix has tainted the holistic package, particularly given its length. I still very much enjoy my time with this E.P. but I can't say that I regard it as being on the same level as the band's earlier work when it contains a nine-minute piece that I'd rather forget.
For fans of Paradise Lost, Novembers Doom & early Anathema.
4/5
Here's the January feature release nomination list:
THE FALLEN: Daniel, Sonny, Ben
THE GATEWAY: Saxy, Andi
THE GUARDIANS: Xephyr, Karl
THE HORDE: Karl, Vinny, Sonny, Ben, Daniel
THE INFINITE: Xephyr, Saxy, Andi
THE NORTH: Ben, Karl, Xephyr, Sonny, Daniel
THE PIT: Ben, Sonny, Daniel, Vinny
THE REVOLUTION: Daniel, Andi
THE SPHERE: Andi, Daniel
December 2024
01. Abhorration – “Spawn of the Abhorrent Entity” (from “Demonolatry”, 2024) [Submitted by Karl]
02. Resurrection – “Pure Be Damned” (from “Embalmed Existence”, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]
03. Hypocrisy – “Inferior Devoties” (from “Osculum Obscurum”, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]
04. Benediction – “Unfound Mortality” (from “Transcend the Rubicon”, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]
05. Disincarnate – “Beyond the Flesh” (from “Dreams of the Carrion Kind”, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]
06. Dismember – “Crime Divine” (from “Massive Killing Capacity”, 1995) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
07. Edge of Sanity – “Enigma” (from “Unorthodox”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
08. Unanimated – “In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead” (from “In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead”, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]
09. Excruciate – “Confused Mind” (from “Passage of Life”, 1993) [Submitted by Karl]
10. Decomposed – “Taste the Dying” (from “Hope Finally Died…”, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]
11. Sadist – “Breathin’ Cancer” (from “Above the Light”, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]
12. Thorium – “Eclipsed” (from “The Bastard”, 2024) [Submitted by Karl]
13. Cult of Lilith – “Cosmic Maelstrom” (from “Mara”, 2020) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
14. Kataklysm – “Gravestones & Coffins” (from “Goliath”, 2023) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
15. Tribal Gaze – “Twitching on the Cross” (from “Twitching on the Cross”, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
16. Dying Fetus – “Nocturnal Crucifixion” (from “Bathe in Entrails” demo, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]
17. Full of Hell – “Transmuting Chemical Burns” (from “Coagulated Bliss”, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
18. De Profundis – “Sectarian Warfare” (from “The Corruption of Virtue”, 2022) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
19. Cannibal Corpse – “Shredded Humans” (from “Hammer Smashed Face” E.P., 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]
20. Festergore – “Cryogenic Decay” (from “Constellation of Endless Blight”, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
21. Obituary – “Set in Stone” (from “World Demise”, 1994) [Submitted by Karl]
22. Fatal Realm – “Hammer of Heresy” (from “Demo”, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
23. I, Cursed – “Liminal” (from “I, Cursed/Blood Service” split E.P., 2023) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
24. Vomit Forth – “Rotting Wool” (from “Terrified of God”, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]
25. Pyrexia – “The Uncreation” (from “Sermon of Mockery”, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]
26. Adversarial – “Fanes at the Engur” (from “Solitude With the Eternal…”, 2024) [Submitted by Karl]
27. Ceremony of Silence – “Perennial Incantation” (from “Hálios”, 2024) [Submitted by Karl]
28. Cephalectomy – “The Deliberate Provenance of Inescapable Cataclysm” (from “The Deliberate Provenance of Inescapable Cataclysm” single, 2023) [Submitted by Karl]
29. Submerged – “Habitual Degeneration of a Contaminated Species” (from “Tortured at the Depths”, 2024) [Submitted by Karl]
Brujeria – “Molestando Ninos Muertos” (from “Matando gueros”, 1993)
Earth Crisis – “Eden’s Demise” (from “Firestorm” E.P., 1993)
Rampage – “Producers Edge” (from “Rampage” demo, 1987) [Can be found on the “Veil of Mourn” album under the title “Producers Edge 2”]
Slaughter Lord – “Legion” (from “Taste of Blood” demo, 1987) [Can be found on the “Thrash till Death” compilation]
Bathory – “Necroticus” (from “Requiem”, 1994)
Hobbs Angel of Death – “Chainsaw Massacre” (from “Angel of Death” demo, 1987) [Can be found on the “Hobb’s Satan’s Crusade” compilation]
Mortal Sin – “Mayhemic Destruction” (from “Mayhemic Destruction”, 1987)
Labyrinthus Stellarum – “Vortex of the Worlds” (from “Vortex of the Worlds”, 2024)
Slaughter Lord – “Taste of Blood” (from “Taste of Blood” E.P., 1987) [An early war metal tune that can be found on the “Thrash till Death compilation]
Bathory – “Crosstitution” (from “Requiem”, 1994) [Blackened thrash metal]
Benediction – “Foetus Noose” (from “Dark is the Season” E.P., 1992)
Edge of Sanity – “Lost” (from “The Spectral Sorrows”, 1993)
Utumno – “The Light of Day” (from “Across the Horizon” E.P., 1993)
Witch Vomit – “Black Wings of Desolation” (from “Funeral Sanctum”, 2024)
Hemotoxin – “Reborn in Tragedy” (from “When Time Becomes Loss”, 2024)
Cryptopsy – “Gravaged (Acryptopsy)” (from “Ungentle Exhumation” demo, 1993)
Sentenced – “My Sky is Darker Than Thine” (from “North From Here”, 1993)
Obituary – “Paralyzing” (from “World Demise”, 1994)
Conception – “Silent Crying” (from “Parallel Minds”, 1993)
Quicksand – “Fazer” (from “Slip”, 1993)
Christbait – “Loose” (from “Yeast” E.P., 1992) [Can be found on the “Loud as Ever: Sound as Ever” compilation]
Anathema – “Eternal Rise of the Sun” (from “We Are The Bible” E.P., 1994) [Can be found as a bonus track on “Serenades”]
Enchantment – “Kneading With Honey” (from “Dance the Marble Naked”, 1994)
My Dying Bride – “The Crown of Sympathy (Remix)” (from “I Am The Bloody Earth” E.P., 1994) [Can be found on the “Trinity” compilation]
I don't hear much of a gothic component to be honest so it's gonna be a NO from me. It's predominantly a progressive metal release & I was really, really close to nominating it for inclusion in The North under black metal too because that's clearly the base sound they've used to expand on.
Also since this album has already been added to The Infinite, could you please remove this Hall entry that I submitted earlier: https://metal.academy/hall/502 Thanks, Daniel.
I've deleted it as requested.
Yeah, I don't mind "Heavy Metal Maniac" or the couple of albums that followed it for that matter, particularly 1985's "Long Live the Loud third album which is my all-time favourite speed metal record. They dropped the ball with 1986's "Unveiling The Wicked" though & everything I've heard since has been very ordinary with the exception of 2004's "New Testament" which I didn't mind.
Secondly, the thread loads really quickly for me (a couple of seconds per page). I can't see any issue, either on my PC or my phone.
I've just visited the main forum page for The Guardians & it took 32 seconds to completely load up so there's definitely something going on Ben, at least there is for me.
Fester Fanatics - "What Choice Do We Have?" (1987)
I took my first tentative steps out into the Sydney metal scene as an enthusiastic 15 year-old during the very early 1990's, buoyed by the discovery of a local act by the name of Mortal Sin in 1989 who had seen the wool being pulled away from my eyes in regard to the potential for a local band to create high-quality extreme metal. I very quickly found myself attending every all-ages gig I could find & learning the rub of the land as to who were the key players in a fairly limited market in comparison to the other major Australian cities. One band that was always floating around was a silly bunch of rapscallions by the name of Fester Fanatics who were connected to a couple of other notable Sydney acts at the time. These guys were somewhat of a live staple around those parts in those days & were strongly connected to the thrash metal scene that I'd become so enamored with in the late 1980's. It was around 1990/91 that I became aware of Fester Fanatics' 1987 debut album "What Choice Do We Have?" through the older skater kids at my high school & I remember finding the links to thrash & crossover to be a little bit tenuous at the time. I was already a fan of Massive Appendage (i.e. the novelty thrash metal band that a few of the Fester Fanatics' members were a part of & the act I believe is responsible for producing the very first conventional thrash metal album to come out of Australia) but this record sounded a fair bit less thrashy to my young ears. It also seemed to offer a fair bit less enjoyment so I cast it aside after a few listens & haven't returned to it since. It's time to rectify that today though as I revisit this very underground record from this seminal Sydney metal band.
"What Choice Do We Have?" was recorded & mixed on 8-track 1/2'" tape at Fatboy Studios some time in 1987 with the album being released on 8th December that year. It was self-produced by guitarist Darren McCormack (aka Jed Starr of Massive Appendage, Kings Cross & Killing Time) which would appear to have been a mistake on the evidence here because this record sounds raw & noisy as fuck & not in a good way. In fact, I'd suggest that any chance the album had of being successful was nullified by this element alone if I'm being honest. The vocals of notorious front man Alfie Fester (who the band was named after thanks to Alfie's signature bald-headed look) are also pretty rough & a long way from accomplished. That probably doesn't matter as much as it might for other bands though as there's no doubt at all that Fester Fanatics didn't take themselves too seriously. We may not have the blatant sexual references that Massive Appendage's "The Severed Erection" album built its reputation on but there are four tongues firmly wedged into the cheeks of the four band members here.
Although it's known as a thrash record, "What Choice Do We Have?" sees Fester Fanatics taking a whole bunch of creative directions with the most prominent component clearly coming from traditional heavy metal which is the only primary genre tag I can justify here. Just listen to the obvious references to Black Sabbath's "Children of the Grave" on the silly album low point that is "My Mama Wears Army Boots" for a clear example of Fester Fanatics' influences. The eighteen tracks do include a couple of tracks each from the thrash metal & crossover thrash genres but it's simply not enough to justify a thrash label for the album overall. I think people tend to want to reach for the crossover tag based purely on the extensive use of gang vocals & the general silliness in the song-writing. Across the album you'll also find moments that call on Anthrax-style rap metal, speed metal that sounds like sped-up Iron Maiden, the glam metal of Jed Starr, his brother Snuff Beastly & drummer Tubby Wadsworth's other band King's Cross, hardcore punk & even some dalliances with smooth jazz & jazz fusion. It doesn't make much sense from a creative point of view but then I'm not sure it's supposed to either. It's all about having a bit of drunken fun with your mates & it no doubt served that purpose at the time too.
The quality of the lengthy tracklisting is questionable though to be fair. I quite like about half of it but wouldn't say that there's anything I feel like returning to at any point either. There's not anything terribly awful included though so it's kind of a middling record in many respects. The best moments are no doubt when Jed let's it rip with some stunning lead guitar work which makes the rest of the record sound decidedly amateurish in comparison. Jed has always been an awesome guitar player & there are a number of moments spread across the album that highlight that beautifully, particularly his unaccompanied Eddie Van Halen-style solo piece in "Musicians Choice" which is arguably the best thing on the album. I definitely enjoy Fester Fanatics' thrashier moments more than their more commercially accessible heavy metal material too but that's no surprise really, is it? I just don't think there's enough of it here to keep me interested with some of the chuggy heavy metal tunes sounding a little phoned in, even if the band members all prove themselves to be quite capable.
At the end of the day, there has to be also-rans & "What Choice Do We Have?" falls well & truly into that camp as there are much better early Australian metal releases than this one. It's not in the same class as the Massive Appendage album in my opinion & I don't think too many classic heavy metal fans are gonna find all that much appeal in it either as Alfie's vocals simply aren't strong enough to compete in that space. The only place I see this release fitting in is in the novelty record market which is extremely niche & is not really any of my business.
For fans of Massive Appendage, King's Cross & Scatterbrain.
3/5
Novembre - "Wish I Could Dream It Again..." (1994)
The 1994 debut album from Rome five-piece Novembre is another release that my younger brother & I stumbled over during the initial stages of Ben's obsession with the doom/death subgenre during the mid-90's. During that period, Ben would regularly bring home new CDs that he'd often bought unheard & based predominantly on feedback from record store staff that were responding to his enquiries around the latest releases to push his new subgenre of choice. One of those releases would be Novembre's "Wish I Could Dream It Again..." which was definitely one of the more unusual records he'd invested in as it's been a misunderstood release over the years in some ways. I remember being somewhat surprised that Ben had been handed this one as it didn't sound much like the other slow & depressive doom/death records he'd been bringing home. It was different enough to intrigue me nonetheless as it's an extremely expansive & inventive album for such a young metal band. If my internet sources are correct then it's been swallowed up by time & a discography that would go on to even greater things but "Wish I Could Dream It Again..." is still the only Novembre record that I'm familiar with & I've returned to it a number of times over the years so I've been looking forward to finally giving it a dedicated review so as to see if it's as underrated as I suspect it is.
"Wish I Could Dream It Again..." was recorded at Unisound Studios in Sweden in October 1994 with legendary Swedish metal figure Dan Swanö of Bloodbath/Edge of Sanity/Pan.Thy.Monium fame behind the mixing desk. The production isn't as polished as one might expect from a progressive metal release & neither are the performances which maintain a looseness that gives the whole thing a little more humanity than it might otherwise have possessed. That's not to say that there aren't some impressively creative & expansive instrumental contributions included here but it's easy to see that this was Novembre's first foray into the studio because it is a little rough around the edges with Swanö's production giving it more of a blackened feel than it's often given credit for. In fact, the links to the doom/death subgenre are almost non-existent on "Wish I Could Dream It Again..." & I can only think that the tendency to paint the album with that brush is largely based on Novembre's later works although I have no personal experience with that material to base that on so it's really only a hunch. Still... the lack of any genuine doom is a little confounding when you see how the album is tagged on other websites. To my ears, this is mainly a progressive metal release but there's just enough atmospheric black metal here to see it qualifying for an additional primary tag in my opinion. It certainly leans quite heavily to the progressive side of that equation but I think it would be an oversight not to alert the public to the obvious black metal component that permeates much of the tracklisting. I mean, just listen to the regular use of dissonant open-string guitar work for example which is taken straight out of the black metal playbook. This is certainly quite a whispy, dreamy & largely unintimidating version of black metal though, in much the same way as blackgaze artists like Alcest only there's no real shoegaze component here.
The tracklisting is exceptionally consistent with no weak tracks included in the lengthy thirteen-track, 65-minute run time. I don't think there are any clear standout tracks though with the quality levels predominantly remaining flat at a very solid position thanks to Novembre's unusual knack for writing melodic extreme metal of depth & originality. If pushed, I'd probably suggest that "Behind My Window/My Seas of South", "Novembre/Its Blood" & "Swim Seagull In the Sky" sit amongst the best material although I certainly still have a soft spot for "Neanderthal Sands" which was my first exposure to Novembre through a Terrorizer magazine cover CD I picked up shortly before Ben made this purchase. I definitely find myself attracted to the more blackened material but have been thoroughly impressed by Novembre's ambitious approach here nonetheless. The vocals of guitarist Carmelo Orlando alternate between an intentionally fairly loose & pitchy indie rock clean tone & a blackened snarl to great effect & I really enjoy the shredding guitar solos that he & fellow axeman Antonio Poletti (Deceptionist/Hideous Divinity) bless us with at times. The drumming of Carmelo's younger brother Giuseppe Orlando (The Foreshadowing/Deinonychus) is the clear highlight of the album in my opinion though as he shows himself to be a very capable musician with the imagination to integrate some very interesting rhythmic patterns & cymbal work at the same time as being able to blast away with power & precision.
While "Wish I Could Dream It Again..." may or may not be Novembre's weakest full-length, it shouldn't be discounted by fans because it's unique & inventive take on extreme metal is a rare commodity in a global scene that's littered with copy-cats. It's surprising to think of just how young these gents were when they put this record together because it's a highly sophisticated effort for the time & deserves more attention than it's received for it too. In fact, on the evidence here I'm gonna have to immediately place Novembre's more widely celebrated records like 2001's "Novembrine Waltz" & 2002's "Dreams d'azur" into my to-do list as they must be something to behold if they're stronger than this excellent debut album that I'd recommend to all members of The Infinite as well as our more open-minded The North members.
For fans of Green Carnation, Opeth & Alcest.
4/5
The Twitter links haven't worked since Elon Musk bought them out so I can't see that being a factor. He mustn't like metal much though. 
Hobbs Angel of Death - "Angel of Death" demo (1987)
While I've always enjoyed Hobbs Angel of Death's self-titled 1998 debut album, I can't deny that their earlier demo material is more to my taste with "Angel of Death" being a rip-roaring tribute to classic Slayer. Just listen to opening track "Lucifer's Domain" & try not to draw comparisons to Slayer's "Chemical Warfare" or dare to question the influence of the title track from "Hell Awaits" on closer "Satan's Crusade". Not to mention the searing blaze of Kerry King & Jeff Hannemann that runs right down the middle of highlight track "Chainsaw Massacre" which is one of my favourite Aussie thrash anthems of the 1980's. The old Tyrus track "Liar" is included here too but it sounds much more thrashy & aggressive this time with Venom being the main source of inspiration on this occasion. "Angel of Death" is an outstanding example of the underground thrash scene that won't disappoint too many of our devoted members of The Pit.
For fans of Infernäl Mäjesty, Black Shepherd & 1984-85 period Slayer.
4/5
Yeah, I agree. I think it'll very likely be a misinterpreted tweet or an unattractive filter that spawns World War 4.
Abramelin - "Transgression From Acheron" E.P. (1994)
Melbourne death metallers are another fairly underground Aussie artist that had a lasting influence on me & my own band Neuropath throughout the early-to-mid 1990's. They began life as a four-piece under the Acheron moniker back in 1988 & released a couple of demos & a 7" single before changing their name to Abramelin just in time for the release of their suitably titled 1994 "Transgression From Acheron" E.P., a move that was driven by the existence of a more well-known Pittsburgh death metal outfit that had also selected Acheron as their band name. The Acheron releases were all pretty decent which led me to explore the Abramelin CD as soon as it hit the stores & it very quickly became a release that would receive regular plays around the Neuropath rehearsal room & social gatherings. In fact, Neuropath shared a fair few traits with Abramelin & it's a little hard to know whether that was coincidence or not now as there were just so many influences floating around at the time. It's fair to say that I've been really looking forward to revisiting "Transgression From Acheron" for a good while now though as it's firmly rooted in the style of metal that I tend to gravitate to most i.e. the most deathly of the death metal genre.
"Transgression From Acheron" is a short 23-minute release that includes just the four songs, two of which appeared on Acheron's 1992 demo tape in "Human Abbatoir" & "Relish the Blood". It was recorded at Double Tea Studios in May of 1994 with bass player Justin Wornes behind the mixing desk. Justin had been involved with a whole slew of underground metal demos & E.P.'s by that stage so he had little bit of experience behind him with his resume including the likes of Corpse Molestation (aka Bestial Warlust), diSEMBOWELMENT, Vauxdvihl & Necrotomy. The result of his efforts isn't too bad here with all of the instruments being easily decipherable. I will say that the guitar tone isn't as good as I would hope for though as it could do with a little more brightness while the snare drum does sound a little too close to an upside-down bucket but these aren't major complaints as I don't think anyone would shun this E.P. solely due to concerns with the production. I do think that some punters might have picked it up based purely on the intimidating band logo & attractive cover artwork though as I find the dark & imposing 17th century Salvator Rosa painting (entitled "Scene of the Witches") to be a real selling point.
Abramelin's five-piece sound is about as death metal as death metal comes. Tim Aldridge (diSEMBOWELMENT) & Mark Schilby's (Necrotomy) rhythm guitars are chunky & down-tuned, Euan Heriot's (Blood Duster/Fracture) blast-beats are fast & intense & vocalist Simon Dower's death growls are unintelligible & monstrous with comparisons to Cannibal Corpse's Chris Barnes & Suffocation's Frank Mullen being pretty easy to draw. The first two songs "Human Abattoir" & "Humble Abode" (my personal favourite) are clearly the more brutal of the four on offer & also represent the clear highlights of the E.P. as Abramelin are at their best when they drop their shackles & opt for pure savagery. Outside of those sections, the band tend to produce some fairly simple & uncluttered death metal, occasionally with a noticeable groove but rarely leaving the confines of the graveyard from which they were spawned from. There are some attempts to create atmosphere here & there, generally with a good level of success, although the lead guitar work isn't exactly dazzling & can come across as a bit basic to an old shredder like myself. The E.P. oozes of zombified death metal authenticity though & even verges on my beloved brutal death metal subgenre at times, although (outside of the ultra-gutteral vocals) those links tend to fade away through the back half of the tracklisting.
There's not a lot wrong with "Transgression From Acheron" to be honest. I guess I was just expecting to like it a bit more than I have based on my recollections from the mid-90's. I saw Abramelin play live a couple of times & they were significant events for me & the rest of Neuropath while I will always admire their dedication to a purest take on the genre. It's just that there are generally always parts of their songs that lack a little in the way of ambition & are more generic in their make-up than I'd like. I'll certainly always love Dower's vocal delivery & could listen to the fast & beautifully executed, grind-driven blast-beat sections till the cows come home but I can't deny that the E.P. feels a little less essential than the Misery & Psychrist releases I've been revisiting over the last couple of months. Regardless, I can't see it disappointing too many of our The Horde clan members so it's gotta be doing a lot right.
For fans of Invocation (AUS), Misery & Psychrist.
3.5/5
I've gotten tired of my favourite genres a number of times through my life but it's never prevented me from coming back refreshed after some time away. Hell, I got tired of metal in general at one point & spent a decade in the techno scene before returning to it fifteen years ago & have never looked back.
Sorry Sonny. I accidently deleted your post while I was scrolling on my phone half-awake. Feel free to repost it. We really should consider an "Are you sure you wanna delete this post?" prompt at some point.
Permanent Damage - "End of Innocence" (1987)
It was only within the last year that I really discovered the sole full-length album from Melbourne hardcore punk act Permanent Damage & the experience excited me. The crossover thrash component of the album saw me getting a little over-enthusiastic & I feel like I jumped the gun a little bit on claiming "End of Innocence" as an unheralded gem of the early crossover movement. This is my first revisit since that time & I feel like I've been able to see through the weeds a little bit better this time & have come out with a slightly different take on it. I still enjoy the album quite a bit, perhaps even more than I did on those initial sessions, but the additional scrutiny I've given the album on a track-by-track basis has seen me questioning my previous position a bit, not in relation to the merits of "End of Innocence" as a piece of art but more around the validity of Permanent Damage's claims to a place at the Metal Academy table.
A couple of weeks ago, I found myself experimenting with Permanent Damage's earlier self-titled single from 1985, a three-song affair that offered nothing much in the way of metal & which led me to this reassessment of the band's 1987 album. As with the other Melbourne hardcore acts I've been playing around with in recent months (see Depression, Vicious Circle, etc.), Permanent Damage started out as a pure punk outfit before allowing the surging global metal movement to infiltrate their sound. By the time the band had entered the studio to record "End of Innocence" they were a much more potent force though & one has to wonder about how much these underground acts influenced each other in this regard. There had been significant changes to Permanent Damage's lineup in the two years since the single with original drummer Jenk having been replaced by Danny O'Callahan who also spent some time with fellow Melbourne hardcore/crossover band Depression where Jenk's brother Spike had handled the vocal duties during their early days so the scene was certainly a little bit incestuous at the time. Peter Young had also been added as a second guitarist with Young handling the lead duties while Izy Semovic played the supporting rhythm guitar role. It's unclear as to how much of an impact these changes had had on Permanent Damage's sound (if any) but if I had to guess I'd say that Permanent Damage had picked up a bit of their more metallic direction from Depression who were the more established band at the time.
"End of Innocence" was recorded in two days at S.S. Studios in Sydney & was mastered at the legendary Studio 301 which is, interestingly enough, where I had my own solo CD mastered back in 1999. It sounds great too with the production job nicely balancing the rawness of a live hardcore band with the clarity required to give it a level of accessibility. The album opens in a really energetic fashion with three of the thrashier songs landing in quick succession. Front man Manny Maragoudakis does a great job at summoning the audience to throw themselves around the house, car, mosh pit or any other venue they may have chosen for the task & I find him to be quite a charismatic figure whose use of phrasing is quite captivating at times. The metal component starts to take a backward seat through the middle of the album though with hardcore punk being the dominant force across the majority of the record, so much so that I've had to rethink my earlier position on Permanent Damage's right to be here at the Academy. Overall, I think I was a little hasty in awarding them a crossover thrash badge because I now feel that that was perhaps a little ambitious. Of the sixteen tracks on offer here, I'd suggest that only five of them really warrant a thrash tag which isn't enough for me to go with a dual tag. The thrash component ends up being more of an influence than a protagonist when the album is viewed holistically so I've been forced to back down on my previous position in this regard.
Despite this revelation, I've still found myself enjoying "End of Innocence" quite a bit & it's definitely worth a few listens for fans of the hardcore sound. Album highlight "Victim of Misery" is honestly one of the best hardcore tracks I've ever heard & has thoroughly blown me away this week with me repeatedly reaching for the skip button to replay it while taking the long drive to work each morning. Crossover thrash opener "Warcry" is also really strong, as is energetic hardcore outing "Sniff Your Defeat". There are only a couple of flatter moments across the sixteen tracks too with the hardcore/crossover hybrid "Live for Life" & the lighter-weight hardcore number "Kill for Lies" both falling a little short of the mark for me personally. Still, it's hard to be too critical because the track lengths are quite short which means that any blemishes are short-lived. During the back end of the album you can also find a couple of more expansive & experimental tracks that add some interest with both the title track & closer "Time" sitting further over into post-hardcore territory than they do your more frantic & red-blooded hardcore punk space.
While I'm disappointed that I can no longer consider "End of Innocence" as one of my favourite crossover thrash records, I am excited that I've discovered yet another world class Aussie hardcore record. I honestly had no idea that we had so many great hardcore bands during the 1980's & I think Melbourne must have been a great place to be if you were a snot-nosed mohawk-wearing punk rocker at the time. I don't think too many fans of the genre will be disappointed with "End of Innocence" even if it's perhaps not quite as vital or as metal as the better Depression work from the same period.
For fans of Depression, Condemned? & Vicious Circle.
3.5/5
Unfortunately the Manowar cover by Edge of Sanity was a misstep
Yeah, it doesn't do anything for me either but I figured that others might like it more than myself given that I don't like the original & it seems to be regarded as the best song from Manowar's most popular album. Interestingly, one of my work mates listens to this playlist religiously & he mentioned that track as his highlight this month which surprised me.
Enchantment - "Dance the Marble Naked" (1994)
I hadn't heard of English doom/death outfit Enchantment before when my younger brother Ben brought home of copy of their debut album "Dance the Marble Naked" back in 1994. We were both massively into the then thriving doom/death metal scene & would often surprise each other with new & exciting releases from faraway lands that ticked all of our preferred boxes, often after purchasing them cold or based purely on word of mouth or cover artwork. I think "Dance the Marble Naked" was probably a record store recommendation as the latest release from the metal subgenre that Ben was most passionate about at the time & I say this with a level of confidence because there's a definite flaw with Enchantment's first-up effort that I know frustrates Ben & would likely have prevented him from laying down his cold hard cash had he been given the opportunity to investigate the album's contents prior to making his purchase. I wasn't sure how big a role that flaw was going to play in my first revisit to this record since the 1990's but it's safe to say that I was a little guarded while going into listen number one this week.
"Dance the Marble Naked" was recorded at Academy Studios, West Yorkshire in February 1994 with Peaceville Records founder Hammy handling the production duties & doing a fine job of it too. Hammy had already produced a string of high-quality extreme metal releases from bands like Anathema, Autopsy, My Dying Bride & Paradise Lost so his credentials were pretty much perfect for the task at hand & you can hear a clear proficiency in the way he goes about his craft here with the album sounding crisp, clear & heavy. Enchantment had picked up a six-album deal with Century Media Records off the back of their 1993 "A Tear for Young Eloquence" demo tape which I've not heard before. Sadly though, they'd only get the chance to fulfill just the one record before unceremoniously splitting up, a state they'd remain in until they joined the modern trend of old 80's & 90's metal bands reforming many years later in 2019. They've since gone on to record their sophomore album "Cold Soul Embrace" a full twenty-eight years after "Dance the Marble Naked" first hit the streets but I'm yet to hear that particular release, perhaps due to my recollections of the struggles I experienced with the debut so many years ago.
Enchantment's sound was not anything new for the doom/death scene. In fact, it was very much in line with what we'd already grown to know & love from the Peaceville Three with much more time spent on emulation than genuine creation. There are so many familiar moments on "Dance the Marble Naked" but the execution is nothing short of excellent so it's hard to be too critical, despite the regular feelings of deja vu I experienced throughout my three listens over the last few days. Enchantment rarely stray from the tried-&-tested doom/death model much either, although there are moments when they hit on a more classic death metal riff & head down that road for a while before reverting back to a doomier model. The gothic edge that their fellow countrymen had become known for is readily available here with the clean spoken word sections having clearly been borrowed from My Dying Bride's Aaron Stainthorpe & being quite effective too. Instrumental closer "Meadows" is the only track that deviates from the self-imposed confines of Enchantment's subgenre of choice as it takes more of a Smashing Pumpkins-style alternative rock direction & does it pretty proficiently too, making for a pleasant end to an otherwise consistently depressive doom/death record.
Now, that all sounds generally positive, doesn't it? But let's get to the elephant in the room which is front man Paul Jones & his cringe-inducing death bellows. I've heard a lot of death growls & grunts over the years but rarely have I heard them sound like this, nor have I wanted them too. Jones sounds completely out of his depth as he fumbles his way through a succession of forced & incompetent accompaniments to some otherwise more than serviceable instrumentation. Some tracks display his failing worse than others but even the stronger material included is considerably less effective for his involvement & I struggle to see how his band mates managed put up with him for so long to be honest. Actually, if I had to guess as to why Enchantment ended up splitting so early in their recording contract then I'd likely find myself pointing directly at poor Paul. It's a real shame because the other four band members do an excellent job here & show themselves to have a very solid understanding of what made the early 90's doom/death scene so exciting. If the band had of opted for almost any other death growler then I think they could have been quite successful, even if they had missed the boat a little bit by arriving on the scene a few years too late to be discussed in the same terms as the founding godfathers of their sound. The fact that none of the other band members would go on to contribute anything else of note to the metal world makes this an even greater tragedy.
"Dance the Marble Naked" includes eight songs & spans around 43 minutes in length with only one track (i.e. "God Send") having been re-recorded from the "A Tear for Young Eloquence" demo tape. The album opens with its clear highlight track in "Kneading with Honey" which left me with some hope for an improved experience this time, despite Jones' obvious failings. Sadly though, things would descend fairly quickly from there with only the previously mentioned "God Send" & "Meadows" offering me much in the way of appeal as I was simply unable to see past the uncomfortable feelings that Jones' inadequacies instilled in me. "Of Acorns That Gather" is a particularly hard pill to swallow but most of the other material showed great promise, only to see Enchantment's dreams of underground success unceremoniously dumped into a bottomless pit by their unforgiveable selection of Jones as their front man.
Ben has often mentioned "Dance the Marble Naked" as the finest example during discussions about otherwise high-quality records that have been completely ruined by some inappropriate vocals & I'm afraid that I have to agree on this occasion. Unfortunately, I don't think that this will end up being a matter of personal taste though & I challenge any doom/death tragic to say that they can accept this flaw that has ended up being a complete deal-breaker for me. The fact that the album has still achieved a reasonable score is simply a reflection of how competent the rest of the band are as well as how well produced Enchantment's debut was.
For fans of Castle, Anathema & My Dying Bride.
3/5
Well said Sonny. "Flag of Hate" was a HHUUGGEE record for me during my formative years & it still well & truly hits that spot today. One criticism I will make is that the more expansive song structures do sound quite pieced together when I listen to it with my more experienced modern-day ears but the raw intensity has lost none of its potency. I regard "Flag of Hate" as my second-favourite Kreator record behind "Pleasure to KIll" these days.
"Kingdom Come" is a heavy psych record with blues rock & hard rock influences in my opinion. I'd suggest that the only genuine metal song is the title track which draws upon Black Sabbath for inspiration & it sticks out like a sore thumb as a result. The rest of the record sees them crossing The Jimi Hendrix Experience with Led Zeppelin for the most part.
Nice! I'll be adding that one to my list then after thoroughly enjoying 2022's "Tlazcaltiliztli" debut album. :)
Vicious Circle - "Hope & Wait" E.P. (1987)
My recent explorations of the earliest roots of the Australian extreme metal scene have seen me spending far more time with Melbourne hardcore punk outfit Vicious Circle than I'd bargained for. While I was certainly aware of the band & owned dubbed copies of a few of their albums as a kid, I never gave them much of my attention & can't say that I ever thought of them as a genuine crossover thrash artist. That position hasn't changed much in the current day either with none of Vicious Circle's early material fitting the bill, most of it sitting mainly in punk territory. I hadn't been exposed to their 1987 "Hope & Wait" E.P. before now though so I was hoping that perhaps it might be at least partially responsible for the band's metal status on other well-known websites. "Hope & Wait" was the title of a song from the Victorian's album from earlier the same year so the E.P. seemed to be more of an extended single & has been pretty hard to track down but I finally managed to locate it & have given it a few listens this morning, only to discover that it's a fairly inconsequential record in Vicious Circle's back catalogue.
The "Hope & Wait" E.P. includes four short songs spanning just fifteen minutes, three of which were already available on 1987's "Rhyme with Reason" album which was more of a compilation of material that was recorded at different points in Vicious Circle's recent past. Most of that material was drawn from 1986's disappointing "Reflections" sophomore album but there were also a couple of new tracks included with both of them reappearing here. The E.P. was recorded at Sound Concept Studios in 1987 & sports a fairly raw production job with a tinny guitar sound but it suits the material quite well & affords all of the instruments plenty of room to move. Tracks like "Rule 17" & "Turn to Stone" sounded a little out of place on "Rhyme with Reason" given that their production was so obviously different from the rest of the material but here we see the four songs sounding much more unified, even if Vicious Circle do explore a few different subgenres across the short tracklisting.
Once again, I do have to question Vicious Circle's claims to a crossover thrash tag because there's really only one song that fits the bill here in the fairly average "Turn to Stone". The opening title track sits somewhere between hard rock & heavy metal, "Rule 17" is more of a conventional punk rock outing & "Warhol Crazy" (the only new track included & the only reason for the more diehard punters to purchase "Hope & Wait") sees the band returning to their hardcore punk roots. Despite the variation, I think the hardcore punk tag fits much better as a generic tag for this collection of songs in much the same way as it did for Vicious Circle's last few releases. This record does sound a little more raw due to the tinny production job I mentioned earlier but the tracks themselves aren't wildly different from anything we'd heard from these punks previously, especially given that this was now the third Vicious Circle release to feature "Hope & Wait" which is a song that I still haven't taken much of a shining to. I do enjoy "Rule 17" & "Warhol Crazy" though which goes further to enforce my existing position that Vicious Circle should probably have simply stuck to their hardcore guns as they seem to be a better punk band than they are when they're exploring a wider musical palate with front man Paul Lindsay's snot-nosed delivery always ensuring that Vicious Circle's punk credentials are kept intact.
At the end of the day, I find it hard to find any reason why anyone would need to own "Hope & Wait". Perhaps the more obsessive fan might need to own the only new track here in "Warhol Crazy" but anyone else would be better served by investing in the "Rhyme with Reason" album as it's a more consistent & enjoyable record than this one & offers a lot more value for money too. I'm sure there was a reason for the release of "Hope & Wait" from a record company perspective but I'm not really seeing it personally. It's certainly not horrible but it is a little flat & doesn't do much to enhance Vicious Circle's existing reputation as one of the leaders of the Aussie hardcore scene.
For fans of early Depression, Condemned? & Permanent Damage.
3/5
Yes, I agree that it’s a complete mystery as to how that setting was engaged Ben. I guess we’ll never know.
*accidently presses the ANYONE BUT BEN button*
I usually get the album cover images from their respective release pages in this site, but if that's what causing all these issues, I can reduce their size for future posts.
If I do that then I reduce always their size from 1000 x 1000 to 600 x 600 which is a much more manageable size. There's no doubt that large images slow down the pages they're attached to so I'd recommend that you keep that in mind but I'm not sure that's all there is to this issue. I definitely noticed the New Music pages slowing down after I posted a number of links to cover images from RYM which were then updated so the link became invalid some time later. I could be wrong but I think that's had a bigger impact on our load speed. Perhaps the page is spending time searching for those links? I dunno. And page speed might not have anything to do with the issue that Sonny's reported here either.
Even though I'm not experiencing the same fault, there's definitely something dodgy about that thread as every time I post a response on it I get an "ERROR 500" error. When I refresh the page I find that the post has been accepted though.
Oooo... that sounds promising Sonny. I've really liked everything I've heard from those Frenchmen so I'll definitely be popping this one onto my list for future exploration.
Ben, I'm wondering whether this is due to the same thing that's been causing these New Music threads to take a long time to load recently. I've long suspected that it's due to me having linked album covers where the links no longer work or where others have posted large cover images. Thoughts?
I’m not experiencing the same issue with that thread Sonny. Have you tried another device?
The new double live Electric Wizard album "Black Magic Rituals & Perversions: Vol 1" hits the shelves on 13th December. I haven't seen them live before & haven't explored any of their studio releases in ages either. The last one would probably be 2010's "Black Masses" album actually. I've generally always enjoyed Electric Wizard though so I might chuck this on at some point. Anyone seen them live?
Yep. I'm in. Who else is?
Will definitely be checking this one out at some point as Kreator are always great live.
I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.
Taramis - "Queen of Thieves" (1987)
Melbourne progressive metal outfit Taramis hold somewhat of a prestigious position in the story of Australian metal. They were arguably the first metal act of any note to start messing with progressive influences which gave them a distinct point of difference while still maintaining enough of a traditional heavy metal component to ensure that they didn't lose any of the old-schoolers along the way. I didn't become aware of them until their 1991 sophomore album "Stretch of the Imagination" which I regard as being their finest work however my recent investigations into the early roots of the Aussie metal scene have seen me finally exploring their 1985 "Blood and Honour" demo tape & 1987 debut album "Queen of Thieves", neither of which are as thrashy as the band would eventually become. The Prowler demo was a decent enough heavy metal release although it was a lot less expansive & more conventional than the Taramis releases. It was clear that there was some talent there though so I was interested to see how that would develop on "Queen of Thieves". It certainly has too as this is a far more sophisticated release than the demo ever aspired to be.
The impact of Taramis' debut album is a little restricted due to an overly raw production job that was fairly typical of underground releases of the time. It was recorded at Saturn Studios in Melbourne with unknown producer George Simak who isn't exactly a household name in the local metal scene. The results are pretty much as you would expect too with the guitars sounding tinny & far too far back in the mix while the vocals of operatic front man Shane Southby boom out over the top with no restraint whatsoever. It's a fairly unforgiving position for the theatrical Southby whose soaring, air-raid siren style, high-pitched voice often struggles for control, even spilling over into the pitchy & cringe-worthy on tracks like "The Chosen" where he completely ruins what was otherwise a very solid progressive metal number from an instrumental point of view. He's a lot more successful on other tracks though & I've found myself enjoying a good three quarters of the tracklisting with heavy metal closer "My Life" being the only other failure. Taramis are at their best when they're at their most adventurous & prove themselves to be highly capable musicians along the way. Iron Maiden have clearly been a major inspiration for them & you can easily pick up the influence of their more progressive mid-to-late 80's records on "Queen of Thieves", particularly on the basslines of Danny Komorr who forms a formidable partnership with former Nothing Sacred drummer Dave Browne. The guitar solos of Craig Robertson aren't the most polished or theoretically correct you'll find but they are always interesting & fit the purpose quite well. It's kinda hard to pigeon-hole Taramis' sound at this point though as they tend to jump around a bit but I think a progressive power metal tag is probably the best fit, despite the consistent presence of traditional heavy metal. I think Southby's vocal style simply points me in the direction of power metal every time I question myself & there's a similar feel to Manilla Road in the atmospheres at times too.
The raw production job does limit how far Taramis can take you to an extent but I've found more than enough appeal in "Queen of Thieves" to keep me interested. It's probably just lacking those couple of classic tracks to draw your attention away from its flaws with only the excellent progressive metal anthem "Doesn't Seem" pushing up into second tier territory. The rest of the album largely sits back in the third tier for this type of music but it was an admirable first-up effort for Taramis nonetheless. History has shown that it did just enough to afford them a rare status amongst a local scene that was still quite immature in terms of the more progressive end of metal so it deserves its place in Australian metal folklore.
For fans of Adramelch, Iron Maiden & Manilla Road.
3.5/5
Anathema - "We Are The Bible" 7" single (1994)
This limited release Peaceville Records single is one of the more underrated releases in the English doom/death legends' prestigious back catalogue. In fact, I regard it as somewhat of a hidden gem. It's comprised of just the two tracks that span less than eleven minutes & opener "Nailed To The Cross/666" is merely acceptable however the real gold can be found on the B side with the psychedelic "Eternal Rise of the Sun" being a marvelous example of the creative power of this band. I may be a total Anathema fanboy but I think people have unfairly treated this record over the years. It's not anything like doom/death either. I'd suggest that a better description would be gothic stoner doom.
For fans of Katatonia, Paradise Lost & My Dying Bride.
4.5/5
SSDC - "State Sponsored Dissident Crucifixion" demo (1987)
Aussie hardcore punk. There's a little bit of metal here & there but the references to early thrash & crossover are drastically overstated.
Bathory - "Requiem" (1994)
By the early 1990's, Swedish metal gods Bathory had already made a huge impression on my life. I'd first discovered Quorthon & his various forms of stylist expression through 1988's incredible "Blood Fire Death" album, a record that would represent my earliest experience with genuine black metal, & it would change me in ways that I've never really recovered from. I would very quickly take in the rest of Bathory's prestigious back catalogue with each successive release seeing Quorthon gaining in credibility as one of the most original & influential artists of all time in terms of metal music. 1991's Twilight of the Gods" sixth album may have seen Bathory taking their foot off the pedal a little bit but was still a very solid effort when viewed outside of the context of the record that preceded it. I just think that Bathory had defined their Viking metal sound so emphatically with "Hammerheart" from the previous year that its follow-up was always going to struggle to achieve the same level of notoriety. There's no doubt that "Twilight of the Gods" is still a very strong record in its own right but I can't say that I consider it to be as classic as the three records that led into it. It did leave me wondering where Quorthon's next creative endeavour might take him though as it was still an immensely ambitious creative statement. We'd have to wait a full three years to find out though &, by the time 1994's "Requiem" appeared, I think my anticipation had waned a touch. Make no mistake about it, Ben & I still raced out to buy the album immediately upon release but I don't think my expectations were quite as high as they had been for the previous two records. Thank goodness they weren't either because "Requiem" is far from the classic that many people simply expected from Quorthon by that point in his highly celebrated career.
The first thing that hits you about "Requiem" is the rawness in Quorthon's production job. The album was once again recorded at Stockholm's Montezuma Studio which had seen Bathory creating yet another huge wall of epic Viking metal with "Twilight of the Gods" but this would be the first time that Quorthon had attempted to produce a Bathory record without the oversight of his father Börje Forsberg &, if these results are anything to go by, then it was a bad decision. My major gripe is with the artificial drum sound which is nothing short of abominable. The album cover lists Vvornth as once again handling the drums on this record but that name is generally accepted to be a pseudonym adopted by a number of different performed who filled the seat for Bathory from 1998 to 1996. On this occasion though, I don't actually think Vvornth is human because the drums on "Requiem" sound like a cheap drum machine to me but even that suspicion doesn't fully portray how bad the snare sound is here. In fact, it rivals Metallica's "St. Anger" for sheer cringe factor if I'm being completely honest. The rest of the kit isn't much better either with the kick drums & toms sounding thin & clicky. The rest of the instrumentation isn't too bad actually but there's very little in the way of studio gloss to be found here with the rhythm guitar tone being as raw as they come.
If you were expecting the next installment of Bathory's epic Viking metal legacy with "Requiem" then you were going to be sorely disappointed & I think it's fair to say that I was. "Requiem" sees Quorthon taking a complete change of stylistic direction towards a fairly generic thrash metal sound which is a little hard to understand. It doesn't actually sound all that bad on paper but the reality isn't all that it might have been. Quorthon has still maintained his trademark black metal shriek but the music sounds very much like an attempt to emulate classic Exodus & Kreator &, while there are some great riffs employed at times, it's hard to overcome the impact of those awful drums. The vocals tend to be fairly hit & miss too with the faster & more aggressive material benefiting from their extremity while the more restrained inclusions tend to suffer the opposite fate with Quorthon's raspy screams sounding far too over the top for the instrumentation that supports them. The guitar solos are instantly recognisable & see Quorthon simply blazing away on fast (if relatively simple) pentatonic licks with no attempt to hold anything back. As an holistic package though, "Requiem" simply seems a bit lacking in ambition after the incredible run of forward-thinking releases that Bathory were already responsible for producing over the previous decade or so.
Production issues aside, the nine-song tracklisting actually begins fairly well with the first tree tracks all being pretty enjoyable, particularly the excellent "Necroticus" which is my clear pick of the bunch. Things start to get noticeably shaky from there though with three of the next four songs all falling well short of the mark. "War Machine", "Pax vobiscum" & "Suffocate" don't even come close to reaching an acceptable level of appeal with me personally &, even though things return to some level of normality at the end of the album, I've always found it very difficult to repair the damage that had been done through the middle of the album. Don't get me wrong, there is some seriously shredding blackened thrash on this album at times but there's little doubt that it's presented in an inappropriate packaging & that Quorthon is miles better than this simple collection of tunes which never attempt to push through any pre-existing musical boundaries. It simply feels so safe, not to mention more than a little amateurish, so I can't deny my disappointment in what seemed like such an anti-climax at the time.
I think you'd be a brave man to claim that "Requiem" was anything other than the first genuine disappointment in Bathory's incredibly prestigious recording career & things would only get worse for Quorthon over the next twelve months as he continued to explore this "new" sound. I tried my very best not to let these creative misfires taint the legacy that Bathory had built up in my esteem & I think I did a reasonable job of it too. I can't deny that the Swedes would never again return to the throne they'd created with their past glories though & I definitely sensed that this might be the case at the time too. "Requiem" may not be a complete disaster but it certainly fell well short of the stratospheric levels of musical mastery we'd come to expect from Bathory so I feel that this might be my last revisit to one of Sweden's more tragic descents.
For fans of Exodus, Kreator & Sodom.
3/5
Psychrist - "The Abysmal Fiend" E.P. (1994)
During the formative years of my own death metal band Neuropath, there were a number of Aussie artists that played important roles in inspiring us to take things to a much higher level than we may otherwise have done & Canberra death metallers Psychrist were one of the more important. I had the pleasure of seeing them play live on a number of occasions & always loved their sound while their debut E.P. "The Abysmal Fiend" played a starring role around our rehearsal room & social gatherings for an extended period. I'd quite enjoyed Psychrist's 1992 demo tape but the E.P. was more emphatic in its statement & it was fantastic to hear a local group creating something that rivalled the Americans for class & intensity. It's really surprised me to discover that Psychrist haven't even been added to our database yet as they simply seem like such a significant player in Australian extreme metal & perhaps that just emphasizes how isolated we were in a pre-internet time. Regardless, I hope you take something from this review as Psychrist deserve to be heard & not just because of my nostalgia for a simpler time.
"The Abysmal Fiend" is a 26-minute, six-song affair that sports a more than acceptable Powerhouse Studio production job from a completely unheard of producer named Craig Beck who hasn't gone on to do anything else of note as far as I'm aware. It sounds thick & chunky yet maintains enough rawness to offer an obvious appeal for the more underground side of the scene with the guitar tone coming across as fairly sloppy in isolation yet becoming strangely cohesive when positioned within the full band aesthetic. The execution is highly professional for a first-up effort with Psychrist sounding like they'd been doing it their whole lives at this point. I recently reviewed a couple of the early releases from Brisbane death metallers Misery who were also a huge influence on Neuropath & this doesn't sound all that dissimilar to them or Gorguts' 1991 debut album "Considered Dead" although it's a lot faster & more brutal at times, particularly due to the addition of some fast & precise blast beats from drummer James Simper. In fact, there are a couple of tracks that spill all the way over into the brutal death metal space (see "The Shroud of Profanity" & "Copraphile") which no doubt left me with feeling a wide array of jollies back in the day given my fascination with the early brutal death metal scene. Psychrist display a really good sense of dynamics here though as there's a lot of variety in their decisions around tempo & this is a real strength. I particularly enjoy the vocals of guitarist & band leader Yuri Ward (Armoured Angel/Lord Kaos) who I enjoyed a few chats with over a beer or two back in the day while the use of harmonies & layering in the guitar work is professionally executed with bassist Dan Marsden (Astriaal) holding bottom end down nicely.
The tracklisting is completely without blemish & is very solid indeed. Interestingly, the obvious weak point is the shortest & most consistently brutal track in "Copraphile" which simply offers less in the way of depth & nuance than the rest of the material. I still enjoy it but I prefer it when Psychrist reach a little further than that. The other five songs are all really strong without any of them ever really cracking into the top tier of the death metal spectrum. "Tears of the Deceased" is the only inclusion to have been revamped from the demo tape & it doesn't sound out of place here either. The best offerings are probably opener "Inhumation" & the excellent "Spiral" (my personal favourite) which appeared on the Warhead Records compilation "Warhead Records Volume 1" the following year. I can hear a few riffs across the album that remind me very much of some of Neuropath's early tracks (particularly in the drumming) so the influence that these guys had on me is pretty obvious to be honest. Our second demo "Desert of Excruciation" would end up being released on the same Warhead Records label as "The Abysmal Fiend" too which isn't a coincidence given the impact that it & the other early Warhead releases had on me & my band mates when we were frantically exploring the merits of the Aussie live scene.
Psychrist would become a pretty stable part of my musical diet off the back of this release & would also represent something that I aspired to match at some point. I've been very pleased to discover that that level of idolatry wasn't without merit during this revisit either because "The Abysmal Fiend" is an excellent death metal release in its own right & is possibly the best thing that the band accomplished during their decade-long recording career so it's deservedly earnt its place in the annuls of Australian death metal history in my opinion.
For fans of Backyard Mortuary, Abramelin & Misery.
4/5
Alchemist - "Eternal Wedlock" demo (1987)
The debut release from these legendary Australian extreme metal icons is often regarded as being a tech thrash release & I'm not gonna deny that there is a strong thrash component here but there was already so much more to Alchemist's sound even at this early stage, so much so that I feel a progressive thrash metal tag is more accurate. The death growls of the future are nowhere to be found with clean vocalist Murray Neill making his only appearance for Alchemist. Those who are familiar with the band's work will no doubt identify the second track "Kill For It" as the title track from Alchemist's more than decent 1993 debut album "Jar of Kingdom" & it's by far the most avant-garde (not to mention entertaining) track of the four on offer here. The others are all quite thrashy & technical while exploring some fairly ambitious musical territory for a first-up effort. I actually tend to enjoy this cassette more than their more popular 1991 demo tape these days. It's not a bad release actually, even though my attention tends to wane a little during the closing title track.
For fans of Voivod, Rush & Coroner.
3.5/5
Dead/Regurgitate - "Dead/Regurgitate" split album (1994)
I stumbled upon this split album featuring Germany's Dead & Sweden's Regurgitate during my mid-90's tape trading heyday, inspired to investigate it after having really dug Regurgitate's debut album "Effortless Regurgitation of Bright Red Blood" from earlier the same year. I'd never heard of Dead before but ended up getting a fair bit of enjoyment out of both band's contributions to what could only be described as one of the better goregrind releases I've encountered. I don't believe I've returned to it in the many years since though, instead tending to turn to a couple of my Regurgitate records of choice whenever I feel the urge but I'm glad that I've finally given it another listen this week, even if I suspect that it might not receive another sitting from me in the future.
This split release is a collection that includes eight new songs from each band as well as the five Regurgitate tracks that were included on their split 7" single with German noisegrind outfit Vaginalmassaker back in 1992. Dead's inclusions would later receive a dedicated release on 2011's "For Lovers of the New Bizarre" album while I think this is the only place you'll find the new Regurgitate material. The two bands have quite different sounds to each other but are both well worth hearing & it's really just a matter of taste as to which you might prefer. Dead's contribution is very well produced with a thick & chunky guitar tone that fills your headphones with a heavy combination of classic death metal & blasting goregrind. I'd suggest that the former is comfortably in the ascendency here though which makes Dead an attractive option for me given my taste profile. The Germans tend to explore a lot more territory in regard to tempo than their more consistently brutal Swedish counterparts with their triple-vocal approach drawing close comparisons to Carcass' late 80's releases. Regurgitate offer a much dirtier & more traditional goregrind sound that I tend to prefer, mainly because it's a touch more relentless in its commitment to pure savagery. The tracks from the 7" single sound noticeably different though & are clearly less effective than the newer material with the vocals being produced in that ridiculous vocoded, monster-esque fashion that has often annoyed me about the goregrind scene. I greatly prefer the more deathly growl employed on the more brutal new songs that make up for their less impressive production job with pure energy & attitude.
You can't really go wrong with these 21 tracks if you're an extreme metal fan with only a couple of duds amongst them. Dead's decision to close out their side with an annoying cover version of Mentors' "Woman of Sodom" was hard to understand as it certainly detracts from what was otherwise a pretty rock solid deathgrind experience. The first track from Regurgitate's split with single with Vaginalmassaker "Morbid Reality" isn't amazing either but I get a fair bit of enjoyment out of the remainder of this record without ever really discovering anything too game-changing. Dead's best material comes right at the beginning of the album with the one-two punch of "For Lovers of the New Bizarre" into "Far Beyond Your Imagination" being the clear highlights. The new Regurgitate inclusions offer a more consistently strong standard though which is perhaps why I've ended up exploring more of their releases in the future while leaving Dead behind. The first three songs on their side are all really solid while the same can be said for the trio of tracks starting with the violent mosh pit anthem "Praedilectio for Menorrhagia". None of Regurgitate's efforts overstay their welcome which is just how I like my grindcore. As soon as they've hit on a riff that I find to be less appealing they've moved on to something that hits my fancy which is a great way to keep the listeners attention.
While this split release might not be the most original one you'll ever hear, it does offer a point of difference from the rest of the goregrind records out there in that neither band fit into the generic goregrind model. I've really enjoyed Dead's more death metal-inspired sound as well as the strong production job while Regurgitate's tendency to steer away from those ridiculous vocoded vocals for the majority of their allocation while blasting me into submission with exciting grindcore instrumentation has left me feeling exhilarated at times. It's a shame that they didn't close out the album in the same fashion though as the shorter tracks from the Vaginalmassaker split sound a little inferior in comparison, even if I generally enjoy most of those songs in isolation. As it is though, the Dead/Regurgitate split has been well worth a revisit, even if I can't see myself returning to it any time soon. I think I'm far more likely to reach for my Regurgitate releases of choice (i.e. "Effortless Regurgitation of Bright Red Blood" & 2002's "Hatefilled Vengeance" E.P.) instead to be honest.
For fans of Dead Infection, Haemorrhage & early Carcass.
3.5/5