Daniel's Forum Replies

A Perfect Circle, Puscifer and Primus are set to drop a new joint EP, "Sessanta E.P.P.P.", in celebration of their upcoming joint "Sessanta" tour. The EP will feature a new song by each band that was co-written alongside Maynard James Keenan. The track titles are: "Kindred" (A Perfect Circle); "No Angel" (Puscifer); and "Pablo's Hippos" (Primus). The EP will be released on March 29th, just days before the tour kicks off. It will be available digitally and on vinyl.

Hypocrisy - "Penetralia" (1992)

Swedish extreme metal establishment Hypocrisy have generally built their reputation within the more melodic death metal circles over the years but some may not be aware that they originally began life as a more conventional death metal band back in the early 1990's. In fact, I still kinda think of them in more traditional terms if I'm being honest because we have a very long relationship. Hypocrisy & I first crossed paths when I noticed a cassette copy of their 1992 debut album "Penetralia" on one of my early visits to Neuropath vocalist Mark Wangmann's house in early 1993. I'd ask to borrow it so that I could make my own copy & it'd receive a fair few spins in my Walkman that year. Interestingly though, I never really thought of "Penetralia" as being anything too special, instead treating it as a fairly uneventful meat-&-potatoes death metal release that didn't bring anything new to the table but ticked many of my boxes from a sound point of view. For that reason, I haven't found myself returning to "Penetralia" since the 1990's but my recent period of nostalgia for that period has seen me tempted into a much overdue revisit.

Look, I certainly wasn't wrong with my assessment back in the day because "Penetralia" is every bit your standard early-90's death metal offering. Despite coming from the powerful Swedish scene of the time though, it doesn't take on the wall-of-noise production format that peers like Entombed & Dismember built their entire sounds on, even if there are many similarly structured riffs & punky one-two beats included. Here we find Hypocrisy taking an each-way bet with the US death metal model playing just as big a role in the outcome as their fellow countrymen which is not really all that surprising when you consider that multi-instrumentalist band leader Peter Tägtgren (Pain/Bloodbath/Lock Up/The Abyss/War) had spent a fair bit of time in the United States prior to forming Hypocrisy which was originally intended to be a solo project. "Penetralia" sees Tägtgren performing not only guitar but also all of the keyboards, most of the drums & some of the vocals so "Penetralia" would seem to be very much Peter's pet project. The drumming is admittedly very basic with the simple beats of Tägtgren & Lars Szöke (The Abyss/War) playing a purely supportive role & clearly pushing their limited technical abilities right to the brink of collapse although I do have to admit to enjoying the blast beats sections, despite the fact that they're not the most precise you'll find. The deep death growls of front man Masse Broberg (Dark Funeral/Witchery/Demonoid) are certainly very effective but are also pretty generic which only adds to Hypocrisy feeling more like an also-ran than a leader of the burgeoning young death metal scene.

"Penetralia" offers ten tracks across its 42-minute run time & begins in very solid fashion with two of the best few songs kicking off proceedings (see "Impotent God" & "Suffering Souls"). Unfortunately, the rest of the album doesn't manage to live up to that potential with only the more brutal "God Is A..." competing with those two early highlight cuts. That's not to say that there are all that many disasters along the way though with only a couple of flat tracks ("Jesus Fall" & "To Escape Is to Die") spoiling Hypocrisy's party. Deicide would appear to have been a pretty big influence on Tägtgren as you should be able to identify a number of riffs & beats that appear to have been borrowed from Florida's most notorious Satanists while the lyrics are clearly an attempt to emulate the sheer evil that Glen Benton & co. were able to muster on their 1990 self-titled debut album. Unfortunately for Hypocrisy though, their lyrical efforts come across as extremely immature in comparison & are possibly their most significant weakness when you consider that the vocals are generally pretty easily deciphered too.

There's no doubt that "Penetralia" was an acceptable release for the time & I doubt there would be too many genuine old-school death metal fans that would complain about it much after a blind purchase as it certainly ticks most of the required boxes. It just doesn't do that with a high-quality pen if you know what I mean with "Penetralia" coming across as decidedly third tier when compared to the wealth of classic releases the genre was dishing out to its rabid audience at the time. I have to admit that it does remind me quite a bit of the early Neuropath material though which is perhaps more of an indication that Tägtgren & I come from similar musical backgrounds than it is any indication of any sort of influence. If the idea of an early 90's US/Swedish death metal hybrid sees your ears pricking up then perhaps give "Penetralia" a few spins but I wouldn't expect anything too original or life-changing.

3.5/5

This morning's track is Quartz's "Smokie" which I'd suggest fits best under the folk baroque tag:

I revisited Rush's 1976 fourth album "2112" today but found nothing in the way of metal. It's purely a progressive hard rock record.

Von - "Satanic Blood" demo (1992)

Continuing on with my exploration of some of the old black metal demos I used to listen to back in my tape trading days, Von's third demo tape "Satanic Blood" would go on to become comfortably the most significant American black metal release to the time. I don't think I ever heard Von's two earlier demos but I did think this one was pretty decent back in the day. It's an incredible simplistic & intentionally primitive collection of short songs with each of its eight tracks being built on just a single riff that's repeated for the entirety of the piece with the drumming containing no fills or rolls whatsoever. That might sound unappealing to some but this technique creates that old-school extreme metal atmosphere that I miss so much & would no doubt have an influence on bands like Darkthrone who would utilize a similar technique on their upcoming releases.

The lo-fi production sees the intros suddenly giving way to the proper songs in a ridiculously jerky fashion with the intention apparently being to leave the impression that the tape was produced by a bunch of incompetent goblins & if that was the case then Von have no doubt succeeded. The vocals of guitarist Goat (also of Von Goat) sit more in the death metal space than they do a black metal one but the dodgy use of echo effects is certainly in line with the black metal model & this sees Von drawing comparisons with bands like Beherit, Blasphemy & Profanatica more than to your more pure black metal acts.

In truth, "Satanic Blood" does contain its fair share of flatter moments but the better material carries the release well enough to see it just managing to drag a respectable rating out of me. Opener "Devil Pig" is a pretty engaging way to kick things off but it's the doomy "Veadtuck" & the blasphemous "Christ Fire" that have always been my picks of the bunch. Regardless of what your personal song preference is though, there can be no doubt that "Satanic Blood" was an important release for the American underground & it's certainly worth a few listens for black metal completists, even if it's far from essential from a creative point of view.

3.5/5

This morning's track is Quartz's "Devil's Brew" which I'd suggest justifies a triple tagging of heavy metal, progressive metal & hard rock:

Anathema - "The Crestfallen E.P." (1992)

Liverpool doom/death legends Anathema represent such a pivotal band in my life for many reasons. You see, no matter what style of music they've opted to pursue, the results of their endeavours inevitably manage to tear my heart-strings to shreds so they've played a significant role in my up-bringing & have gotten me through the hardest periods of my 48 years on this planet thus far. Ben & I were lucky enough to have discovered them very early on in their recording career too which has enabled us to follow them throughout their many decades of transformation & development. It feels more like a privilege than anything else at this point & while revisiting Anathema's first proper release this week I was reminded of just how talented these five 17-20 year-old musicians were even at such an early point in their careers.

Anathema of course make up one third of the infamous Peaceville Three alongside Paradise Lost & My Dying Bride, a group of English bands that were responsible for popularizing the still fairly young doom/death sound to a romantically & gothically inclined global metal audience. Anathema were by far the most sophisticated & musically talented of the three though & "The Crestfallen E.P." already highlights their creativity & ambition very clearly. The early Anathema sound was built on complex layers of interwoven guitar harmonies that appear on the surface to be entirely unique from each other but when brought together create a beautiful tapestry of melodic themes that perhaps have more in common with classical music than they do with metal. The fact that the song-writers were still so young when these songs were written is nothing short of mind-blowing when taking in a piece of the melodic complexity of the title track & I'm perennially left wondering how they even possessed the influences required to create material of such maturity.

Anathema's first proper release is also their most doomy & deathly record as its focus stays predominantly within the scope of the doom/death subgenre & remains free of the gothic, progressive & alternative influences that would see them taking a life-long journey of development & reinvention. "The Crestfallen E.P." is full of thick, chunky, riffs layered over lumbering rhythms & highlighted by transcendent melodic themes. The vocals of original front man Darren White are certainly an acquired taste but once you've accepted that he offers something a little different you should be able to appreciate the clear depiction of genuine sorrow & melancholy he is able to create with his voice. His delivery here is not as deathly as we received from him on Anathema's two demo tapes but it's still monstrous enough to keep the death metal crowd satisfied, even if he is generally regarded as the point of contention for Anathema fans that got onboard through their post-1995 releases. Personally, I feel that White's contribution is an essential part of the appeal of a record like this one as his layers of depressive lyrics are presented in a way that really does drag the listener down to a mournful state that's essential in understanding the appeal of early Anathema.

The tracklisting begins in stunning fashion with opener "...And I Lust" being one of Anathema's finest doom/death works. The E.P. also closes with the imposing "They Die" which was somewhat of a signature tune for the band's early period given that it was also the centrepiece of 1991's "All Faith Is Lost" demo tape as well as their 1993 debut album "Serenades". I hold these two tracks up as some of the most important extreme metal songs of my lifetime so it's really pretty hard to put their impact on me into words. The three songs in between are perhaps not as universally classic but still maintain a very solid level of quality with "The Sweet Suffering" possessing one of those eternally memorable melodic themes, the sweet, female-fronted folk piece "Everwake" giving the listener a well-earnt break from the emotional battering they've received from the opening two tracks & the sheer melodic complexity of the 10+ minute title track being nothing to sneer at.

While "The Crestfallen E.P." may not be Anathema's best record, I still think it deserves to at least be in the conversation. As with "Serenades", it's too often down-rated by Anathema's later audience which has seen it being unfairly overlooked by its prospective fanbase at times. There's no doubt that it was a step up from the two demo tapes that preceded it & it set a marvelous platform for the two classic doom/death albums that would follow it over the next three years. Personally, I still rate "Serenades" as the peak of that era of the band, closely followed by the more gothically inclined "The Silent Enigma". But "The Crestfallen E.P." follows very closely behind those two for mine & deservedly owns a position in my Top Ten Death Doom Metal Releases of All Time list. If you're a devotee of the classic era of this subgenre & worship the early-to-mid 1990's releases from bands like Katatonia, Paradise Lost & My Dying Bride then this record should be regarded as essential listening.

P.S. Please be aware that the Spotify version of "The Crestfallen E.P." inexplicably contains demo versions of the title track & "They Die" in place of the versions I have on my CD copy & this most certainly degrades the overall product.

4.5/5

Here's my revised Top Ten Death Doom Metal Releases of All Time List with Katatonia's "Brave Murder Day" being the unlucky one to drop out:

01. diSEMBOWELMENT – “Transcendence Into The Peripheral” (1993)

02. Cavurn - "Rehearsal" demo (2017)

03. My Dying Bride – “Turn Loose The Swans” (1993)

04. The Ruins Of Beverast - "Exuvia" (2017)

05. Anathema – “Serenades” (1993)

06. Anathema – “The Silent Enigma” (1995)

07. Winter - "Into Darkness" (1990)

08. My Dying Bride – “Symphonaire Infernus Et Spera Empyrium” E.P. (1992)

09. Anathema - "The Crestfallen E.P." (1992)

10. Evoken - "Quietus" (2001)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/131

Enslaved - "Yggdrasill" demo (1992)

Another early example of the Norwegian Second Wave of Black Metal sound from one of the long-time protagonists of the movement. I discovered Enslaved through their 1993 split release with Emperor & proceeded to pick up their debut album "Vikingligr veldi" upon release in 1994. I really enjoyed both of those records so when I spied a split bootleg CD that included Enslaved's second demo "Yggdrasill" & Satyricon's 1993 "The Forest Is My Throne" demo a year later I didn't hesitate in purchasing it. As with the Emperor demo I discussed yesterday, "Yggdrasill" already showcases a pretty mature black metal sound that possesses most of the calling cards that the Norwegians would become known for over the next three or four years. The band were just a young trio at the time with 19 year-old bass-playing front man Grutle Kjellson (Trinacria), 15 year-old guitarist Ivar Bjørnson (Borknagar/Trinacria) & 18 year-old drummer Trym Torson (Emperor/Zyklon) creating a soundscape that seems quite well defined for such a youthful group. It was certainly miles ahead of Enslaved's 1991 "Nema" demo tape which didn't do much for me if my memory serves me correctly. Opening track "Heimdallr" is the clear highlight of the five pieces on offer although there are parts of "Allfǫðr Oðinn" that really hit the spot too. The strong use of open-string tremolo-picked riffs is worth paying attention to given that we were still a couple of years out from Darkthrone's genre-defining "Transilvanian Hunger" record. Kjellson's super-abrasive vocals are also impressive & sound a little more maniacal than he'd end up going with for most of his career.

I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of the final proper song "Niunda heim" & the quality does tend to slowly dip after a very strong start to the tape. For this reason, I do tend to favour the Emperor demo over this one for overall consistency but it's still worth a listen, particularly from an historical perspective as it was certainly ahead of its time. The main reason for checking it out would be to experience some pretty high-quality tremolo-picked riffs at such an early stage in the Norwegian black metal scene's development. Despite the trio's age, you can already tell they were a class act too. The way they utilize synthesizers is a good case in point as, despite sounding a little clunky at times, Enslaved were already setting trends rather than following them. Think of "Yggdrasill" as an interesting yet inessential look at a scene that was bubbling away beneath the surface of the underground & just about to explode onto the world stage.

3.5/5

This morning's track is Quartz's "Hustler", another one that often seems to be referred to as heavy metal or NWOBHM but which I'd suggest is nothing more than hard rock:

I investigated Budgie's 1976 sixth album "If I Were Brittania I'd Waive the Rules" this afternoon but didn't find any genuine metal/ It's a progressive/hard rock record for mine. 

Emperor - "Wrath of the Tyrant" demo (1992)

I got onboard the Emperor train very early on after picking up their split release with Enslaved on CD upon release back in 1993 & by the time their debut album "In The Nightside Eclipse" was released the following year I was absolutely sold on them. So, when I spotted an original copy of their 1992 "Wrath of the Tyrant" demo tape at the Hammerhouse in Sydney shortly afterwards I didn't hesitate to pick it up. "Wrath of the Tyrant" is a nine-song effort that features a lo-fi production job & includes all of the early Emperor recordings with many of them going on to become more significant pieces in future years. Emperor was just a three-piece at the time with a 16 year-old Ihsahn (Thou Shalt Suffer/Hardingrock/Peccatum/Zyklon-B) handling all of the guitars & vocals, 16 year-old dungeon synth master Mortiis (Cintecele Diavolui/Fata Morgana/Vond) playing bass & an 18 year-old Samoth (Scum/The Wretched End/Arcturus/Gorgoroth/Thou Shalt Suffer/Satyricon/Zyklon/Zyklon-B) behind the drum kit. The drumming is still fairly primitive which isn't surprising when you consider that Samoth is generally known as a guitarist rather than a drummer. In fact, there aren't actually very many blast-beats included here yet but the notorious atmosphere of the early Second Wave of Black Metal is certainly there is droves, despite the noticeable lack of Emperor's signature symphonics. Those of you looking for something akin to Limbonic Art, Dimmu Borgir or Vargrav will be sorely disappointed as "Wrath of the Tyrant" is far more traditionally constructed with the early works of Mayhem, Darkthrone & Burzum as well as 1985-87 period Bathory being the clear sources of inspiration. It's not a bad listen either it has to be said with no weak tracks included but it rarely reaches the sort of levels we'd come to expect from Emperor in the coming years with "My Empire's Doom" & "Witche's Sabbath" being the pieces that I'd suggest are the most impactful. Overall, I'd suggest that this crude, lo-fi demo tape is more of a rewarding novelty for the completists than it is an essential piece of the black metal puzzle.

3.5/5

This morning's track is Quartz's "Street Fighting Lady" which I'm gonna suggest is generally mistagged as heavy metal when it's really no more than hard rock.

I checked out the 1976 self-titled debut album from Japan's Murasaki this week. It certainly threatened to throw a cat amongst the pigeons early on as it starts with two tracks that I'd suggest should qualify as heavy metal but the remainder doesn't continue in that vein with Deep Purple being the clear influence. I'm going with hard rock & blues rock for primaries with heavy metal & progressive rock as secondaries.

I would put Confessor's self-titled 1992 E.P. into this category & would recommend it to anyone that wonders what progressive stoner doom might sound like.

Confessor - "Confessor" E.P. (1992)

I'd honestly never heard of North Carolina five-piece Confessor until I picked up 1992's Earache Records "Gods of Grind" compilation back at the time of release. The CD brought together high-quality EP's from Entombed, Carcass & Cathedral as well as the three-song self-titled effort from Confessor which featured the title track from their 1991 debut album "Condemned" as well as two cover versions of old Trouble songs that I probably wasn't aware of at the time. I think it's fair to say that Confessor's contributions saw my ears pricking up in a pretty major way too just quietly because they offered a very fresh & professional sound that not only showcased their clear technical talents but also saw them presenting something a little different to the norm.

If there's one reason to check out the "Confessor" E.P. then it's most certainly the opening cut "Condemned" which is a real treat for fans of the more complex side of progressive metal. The rhythmic experimentation on show here is nothing short of marvelous & will have even the more capable drummers out there picking their jaws up off the ground. Scott Jeffreys soaring higher-register vocal histrionics are certainly an acquired taste but shouldn't be too much of a challenge for prog fans who have been raised on a steady diet of Watchtower & Fates Warning. Things change up significantly for the second song "The Last Judgement" (an old Trouble demo track) which sees Confessor taking a different approach that sits somewhere between traditional doom metal & stoner metal. It's still solid enough stuff though. Closer "Endtime" was one of my favourite inclusions on Trouble's debut album "Psalm 9" so there's no surprise that I enjoy Confessor's version too. It kinda combines the three sounds we've heard over the first two tracks for a high-quality progressive stoner doom instrumental.

There's no question that "Confessor" is carried by the single original inclusion in "Condemned" but the two cover versions are both excellent too which has seen me being tempted to award one of my more premium scores. I've never gotten around to checking out much of Confessor's other material but it might be about time I did. The "Confessor" E.P. comes highly recommended for fans of Abstrakt Algebra, Dark Millenium & (unsurprisingly) Trouble.

4.5/5

I don't recall ever thinking that "Weighing Souls With Sand" felt doomy to be honest Sonny. I always felt that it fit the description for post-metal & that it didn't belong in The Fallen which was the reason for my Hall of Judgement entry. The doomgaze subgenre seems like another pointless RYM sub-division to me. 

Today's track is Quartz's "Sugar Rain" which I'd suggest is progressive rock:

Condolences from the Metal Academy team Rex.

We've had minimal interest in the clan feature releases of late which is mainly because our regular contributors having tired of having their listening habits dictated to them so any additional options in that space are likely doomed for failure. I also think we'd be better served by pushing the Hall of Judgement outcomes than general rating tallies.

This morning's track is Quartz's "Mainline Riders" which I I'd suggest should qualify as heavy metal due to that classic galloping metal rhythm:

Thin Lizzy 1976 sixth album "Jailbreak" isn't a metal record. It's pretty obviously a hard rock release however I'd suggest that the closing track "Emerald" should qualify as metal.

I've given Buffalo's 1976 fourth album "Mother's Choice" a listen this morning. There's no metal there at all but I was a little surprised to find that there was also no psychedelia either. It's predominantly a straight-up hard rock record although there are definitely some significant boogie rock, blues rock & rock & roll influences spread across the tracklisting.

Testament - "The Ritual" (1992)

By 1992, Ben & I had been fans of Californian thrash metallers Testament for a good few years & were very familiar with their entire back catalogue. I found their trio of 1980's albums to be very solid thrash records indeed but, despite it still being reasonably enjoyable, I hadn't found 1990's "Souls of Black" to be quite as engaging. For that reason, I was a little cautious about racing out & buying Testament's "The Ritual" album upon release. There was an easy fix that would represent somewhat of an each-way bet for me though & I chose to act on it by purchasing the CD for Ben for his birthday & ripping it to cassette a good week before Ben had even received his present. What a great brother I am! By the time Ben received his present I was already well across "The Ritual" & didn't even try to hide it, the smug fucker that I was at the time (& arguably still are). Anyway... I'd suggest that my initial impressions of "The Ritual" kinda validated my cautiousness so let's spend a bit of time examining why.

The early 90's was a tough time to be a thrash metal band in the wake of the grunge & groove metal explosions. Where Testament's first four albums were predominantly thrash metal releases, "The Ritual" saw Testament taking a popular approach for thrashers in a post-"The Black Album" market by diluting their sound for greater accessibility, the result seeing the first half of the album sounding much more like Ozzy Osbourne or Metallica's infamous self-titled album than it does genuine thrash. Things get a little heavier across the B side but there's no question that this was Testament's least heavy record to the time. The other major talking point (at least for me personally) is Tony Platt's production job which leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion. The most important component of any Testament release must surely be the guitars but here was see the riffs being smothered in the mix which sees them lacking the potency they deserve & this has clearly had a detrimental impact on the overall effectiveness of the album.

Thankfully, the song-writing isn't too bad with only the flat opener "Electric Crown" (seriously, why is this the most popular track on the album people?) & clunky thrasher "The Sermon" failing to see me entertained. As was the case with the last couple of Testament albums which both included a ballad, "The Ritual" actually presents us with two decent ones in the very solid title track (one of my album highlights) & the reasonably pleasant "Return to Serenity". The other album high points come from energetic heavy metal number "So Many Lies" (with its mind-blowingly superlative guitar solo) & the most thrashy number on the record in "Agony". There really isn't a classic metal tune to be found here though & I'd suggest that Chuck Billy's inability to stay in tune while attempting to sing over a more accessible sound doesn't help in that regard. He's always been overrated in my opinion & "The Ritual" is a pretty good example of why.

As with most Testament albums, there's an argument for listening to "The Ritual" purely for lead guitarist Alex Skolnick's stunning solos but there's probably enough interesting material to justify a few listens anyway. I can't say that I regard it as being an essential Testament release though. I'd suggest that I find it marginally more enjoyable than "Souls of Black" but there's not a lot in it to be honest. They're both merely acceptable more than they are impressive as far as I'm concerned but I can see "The Ritual" offering the most appeal to fans of post-2000 Megadeth, "Kin"-period Xentrix & the more accessible Death Angel albums like "Act III" & "The Art Of Dying".

3.5/5

Checked out Lucifer's Friend's 1976 fifth album "Mind Exploding" this week but found no metal at all. It's a progressive rock record for mine.

Today's track sees us closing out Judas Priest's "Sin After Sin" album with the classic "Dissident Aggressor" which I regard as being heavy metal:

This leaves "Sin After Sin" with a successful 52% metal ratio & giving it ninth place in our chronological journey thus far. Tomorrow we'll be starting a new release in the 1977 self-titled debut album from England's Quartz.

You can see our running chronological list here:

https://metal.academy/lists/single/271

Sorrow - "Hatred & Disgust" (1992)

New York four-piece Sorrow are an act that was first brought to my attention back in my 1990's tape trading days with their debut album "Hatred & Disgust" entering & exiting from my life relatively quickly. I didn't find a lot to grab onto as far as I can remember so I don't recall giving Sorrow a lot of time before placing them firmly into the "none of my business" basket. My recent explorations of my youth have seen me wondering if I might have been a little harsh on "Hatred & Disgust" though, particularly given the points of comparison that are most regularly raised when discussing the album, so I decided to give it another chance this week & boy am I glad that I did too.

I'd describe the sound that Sorrow go for on "Hatred & Disgust" as a particularly doomy example of the old-school death metal model with the production possessing that classic graveyard feel. The album is often tagged as doom/death which isn't all that far off the mark but I feel that this is a little too strong in the death metal component to warrant dual primaries. The musicianship is fairly primitive but Sorrow's sound is well-defined & maximizes the limited skill sets of the individual contributors quite nicely. The lead guitar work of Billy Rogan & Brett Clarin is probably the only area that I'd criticize with their solos generally representing the weaker moments on the album. It's the vocals of bassist Andy Marchione that are the main focal point though with his tone sitting somewhere between a less powerful "Blessed Are The Sick"-era Dave Vincent (Morbid Angel) & the whispery delivery of Revenant's Henry Veggian. Marchione's phrasing & accent is heavily influenced by Death's Chuck Schuldiner though & you can also pickup the impact of that band in some of the tremolo-picked riffs & more complex rhythms on "Hatred & Disgust".

The tracklisting kicks off beautifully with doom/death opener "Insatiable" being the clear highlight & the only genuine classic of the six cuts on offer. Death metal stomper "Forced Repression" & epic closer "Unjustified Reluctance" are also very strong & provide great support. "Separative Adjectives" is a bit disappointing but it's not enough to taint what I've found to be a thoroughly rewarding forty-minute death metal experience that fans of Cianide, Cruciform & early Paradise Lost should consider to be required listening. I honestly have no fucking idea why I couldn't see the appeal in this stuff back in the day & would have to suggest that "Hatred & Disgust" is one of the more underrated releases from death metal's heyday.

4/5

This morning's track is Judas Priest's "Here Come The Tears" which I regard is being progressive/hard rock:

Also, I checked out La Tierra Prometida's other 1976 album "Él volverá" which again offers barely any rock music, let alone metal.

This morning's track is Judas Priest's "Raw Deal" which is one that I'm gonna have to go against the consensus & say is hard rock rather than heavy metal:

Also, I checked out La Tierra Prometida's 1976 "Vida" album this week & there's not even any rock there, let alone metal. It just sounds like Mexican folk music to me.

Comecon - "Megatrends in Brutality" (1992)

I first came across Swedish death metallers Comecon at Neuropath vocalist Mark Wangmann's house way back in 1993 when I noticed a cassette copy of their debut album "Megatrends in Brutality" sitting on his bedroom side table. Upon questioning him about it I was advised that the album featured Entombed/Nihilist/Firespawn/Morbid legend L-G Petrov behind the microphone which tweaked my interest & I ended up borrowing the tape so that I could create a dubbed copy for myself. Upon getting home & whacking it into my tape deck I found that Comecon offered a crust punk-infused brand of death metal that was built around the guitars of band leaders Pelle Ström (also of Swedish thrashers Agony) & Rasmus Ekman with the drums appearing to have been programmed. It sounded OK but wasn't something that offered me a lot of long-term appeal so it didn't receive too many return visits after the first few days. We're now over thirty years down the track & I just noticed that the "Megatrends in Brutality" is still yet to receive a rating at the Academy so I've committed to breaking that drought with my first revisit since I was just a teenager.

The production job on "Megatrends in Brutality" isn't too bad which gives the riffs enough weight to offer full value for money. I will say that the drum machine sounds come across as pretty clicky & primitive though which does detract from the enjoyment a bit, particularly given that the programming itself isn't exactly the most sophisticated you'll find with fills & rolls being kept fairly minimal. Blast beats are utilized sporadically across the tracklisting & usually match up with the more hardcore influenced riffs of which there are plenty on offer, so much so that I feel that the album is deserving of a dual tag with deathgrind. I can't say that I've ever thought that Petrov's vocal delivery was anything particularly special but he does a reasonable job here without ever really threatening to create anything worthy of a highlight reel.

The tracklisting begins quite well with three of the stronger inclusions kicking off proceedings before things start to go down hill through the middle of the album. There are a couple of decent numbers towards the back end of the record (particularly album highlight "Omnivorous Excess") but it's not quite enough to save "Megatrends in Brutality" from the abyss as it simply doesn't deliver consistently enough to be worthy of a mention in a period when death metal was at its absolute peak, both creatively & commercially. There's nothing too awful included but one feels that if not for Petrov's contribution then Comecon would likely not have registered the slightest blip on the extreme metal radar. As a result, I'd suggest that "Megatrends in Brutality" is for Entombed superfans only.

3/5

Yeah, I would probably tag it as soft rock, but AOR is a good call, although I associate that more with the Eighties.

I considered going with soft rock but then noticed that it's a subgenre of pop rock which doesn't seem quite right in this situation.

Today's track is Judas Priest's "Let Us Prey/Call For The Priest" which I'd suggest is the earliest example of speed metal:

Kreator - "Renewal" (1992)

Much like Exodus' notorious "Force of Habit" album that I reviewed last week, Teutonic thrash metal heavyweights Kreator's sixth album "Renewal" is widely regarded as the releases that signaled the end of the band's classic period. It saw Kreator going for a fresh new sound & taking creative risks but the public seemed to shun any notion of their German heroes morphing into anything other than the band they grew up with & "Renewal" bombed pretty hard. I was just sixteen years old at the time though & lived in Sydney, Australia where I was somewhat sheltered from the wider global reception. I'd been a HUGE Kreator fan for a good three years by that stage & "Renewal" would be the second of their albums that I'd pickup at the time of release. I went into it with extremely high expectations but, although there's no doubt that "Renewal" was different to what I expected, I was open to following the band down whatever musical rabbit-hole they'd take me on. I don't recall the album being as divisive amongst the local metal community I was a part of at the time either, potentially because we were younger & less inclined to want our metal pigeon-holed into specific genres. It's been a few years since I've heard "Renewal" now so I thought I'd find out if my feelings of nostalgia were still strong enough to see the album holding up in 2024.

"Renewal" sees Kreator taking several bold moves away from the vicious thrash metal attack of the past. For starters, we see them utilizing down-tuning for the first time which was always gonna give them a different feel. The riffs are much simpler too with a stronger focus being placed on building a cold atmosphere than ripping the listeners face off. There's certainly an industrial component to a couple of the tracks but it's not as significant as some critics will have you believe. The elements of groove metal are more noticeable though as we find many of the riffs veering away from thrash altogether & taking a chunkier & more rhythmic approach. Front man Mille Petrozza's vocal delivery is very serious as he barks & spits out social commentary in a fashion that deviates from his traditional raspy tone. I'm not sure I like it as much but it does feel like he's finally grown up a little bit which is possibly something that can be said of the band as a whole as everything sounds more measured & controlled. Possibly the only element that suffers noticeably from the new approach is the guitar solos which are as theoretically incorrect as ever but sound much more incompetent in their newly exposed surroundings.

"Renewal" certainly isn't as immediate as past Kreator albums & takes a few listens to really dig its talons in. It's a darker record than we've seen from Kreator in the past with several parts even feeling doomy. There are no weak songs included in the consistent tracklisting & I ironically find the most popular number "Renewal" to be the least effective piece these days, even though (& perhaps even because) it was the very first song my old death metal band Neuropath covered back in 1993. There aren't many genuine highlight tracks though either & I feel that this fact has been instrumental in the general feeling that "Renewal" is a creative failure which is a very harsh viewpoint in my opinion. The wonderfully doomy "Karmic Wheel" is by far my favourite piece of the nine on offer & has always been an anthem for my early 90's youth.

Look, "Renewal" no doubt presents a very different Kreator to the one we'd known & loved up until that point but it was never intended to be "Coma of Souls Part II" & this is obvious in its title which should have provided a hint as to Kreator's intent. There are still plenty of thrashtastic moments for those that require them but there's also a greater focus on song-writing & a stronger social message than the past which is simply the result of the band maturing & striving for relevance in a changing musical environment. I liken "Renewal" to Sepultura's "Chaos AD" album in many ways & wouldn't be at all surprised if it had been an influence as you'll find many of the same adjustments have been made, although the Brazilian's 1993 fifth album would be infinitely more popular for one reason or another. Regardless of that, I think people are missing out on a really strong Kreator record here, mainly due to the universal impatience that sees a large portion of the listening public only giving a record a listen or two before forming their opinions on it. For me personally though, I'd take "Renewal" over a few of Kreator's more widely celebrated releases like the "Out of the Dark... Into the Light" E.P., their debut album "Endless Pain" & even their highly acclaimed third album "Terrible Certainty" these days.

4/5

This morning's track is Judas Priest's "Last Rose of Summer" which I consider to be AOR or adult-oriented rock:

This morning's track is Judas Priest's "Starbreaker" which I'd suggest is heavy metal.

Also, I checked out the 1976 self-titled debut album from Switzerland's Krokus yesterday & found no sign of metal. It's a progressive hard rock record.

Today's track is Judas Priest's "Diamonds & Rust" which is certainly a tricky one. There's no doubt that it possesses a galloping rhythm which is usually something that's associated with metal but here it's performed exclusively by the bass guitar & reminds me more of a Blondie disco track than it does Iron Maiden. Despite what some people seem to think, I don't think there's any double-kick work here & the rhythm guitars are limited to ringing open-string chords. It sounds pretty unintimidating too so I'm gonna go with hard rock on this one.

I took a look at the 1976 “El Reloj II” sophomore album from Argentina’s El Reloj this morning but found no metal. It’s a progressive rock record for mine. 

I also visited the 1976 “Coming” debut album from German singer Jutta Weinhold which is nothing more than hard rock.

I checked out Deep Purple's 1975 "Come Taste The Band" tenth album this afternoon & found no metal at all. It's a pretty pure hard rock record for mine.

Andi, I also gave Scorpions' 1975 "In Trance" third album a couple of listens. The opening track "Dark Lady" qualifies as heavy metal but that's about it I'm afraid. "In Trance" was easily Scorpions' heaviest release to the time but that doesn't make it metal as the vast majority of the album is pure hard rock. There aren't even many riffs included with most of the rhythm guitar work comprised of ringing open-string chords (i.e. hard rock).

Seriously, check out how old Glenn Tipton & Ian Hill look in the new Judas Priest video clip. They can barely move, let alone play! With producer Andy Sneap shown playing as a third guitarist, I'm skeptical about the chances of Tipton (76) & Hill (71) having actually played on the record, particularly given the undeniable skill set of lead guitarist Richie Faulkner. Am I wrong? The track's not all that good either to be honest although there's no doubt that it sounds exactly like Priest.

OK, here's one that you'll all want to hear as it would seem to be a pretty blatant example of plagiarism but from a strangely unexpected source. The chorus to Yngwie Malmsteen's 1992 track "All I Want Is Everything" would appear to copy the chorus hooks of Paula Abdul's 1988 megahit "Opposites Attract". Let me know what you think.

Chilean technical thrash metallers Demoniac have just released a brand new live album entitled "Azote en Mibar". It was recorded at a show from 21st January 2023.

I've been a huge fan of Ulcerate since my return to metal in 2009 & religiously check out everything they put out with an expectation of high quality. It certainly helps that they have the best drummer in the world within their ranks (& I genuinely mean that - all genres too). I don't think technicality is as much of a thing for them as it used to be although the dissonance is still there. They've become one of the more creative extreme metal bands in the world these days & I think their last album "Stare Into Death & Be Still" was their finest work to date.

i think it's pretty safe to say that Rush, great band that they were, have never made a metal record. 

Quoted Sonny

Yes, I agree but I'm not just looking for full releases here. The other project I'm preparing for requires me to identify individual songs, techniques & influences so I'm just being thorough & are enjoying the process from an educational perspective. 

This morning sees us kicking off a new release in Judas Priest's "Sin After Sin" album from 1977 with the opening cut "Sinner". This has obviously gone on to become known as one of the great heavy metal anthems of the 1970's & with good reason too. It's interesting though that only about half of the track is actually metal. The other half is made up of hard/blues rock (just listen to that riff at 2:20 for example) & a fairly lengthy heavy psych guitar solo section. The drumming sits in the hard rock space most of the time too. So, while it certainly qualifies as metal & I don't think it requires a second primary tag given that it's inherently built around metal concepts, I'm gonna suggest that it's worth a couple of secondaries.

I checked out Rush's 1975 third album "Caress of Steel" this morning & found no trace of metal. It's a progressive hard rock record.

Nice! I really dug "Astral Fortress" so will be keen to see what this one offers too.

Exodus - "Force of Habit" (1992)

By 1992 I'd already been an Exodus fan for a good few years & had enjoyed everything they'd done to the time (with the exception of their primitive 1982 demo tape). Their 1985 debut album "Bonded By Blood" is unquestionably one of the greatest examples of the thrash metal sound & is still an all-timer for me while the two records that followed it ("Pleasures of the Flesh" & "Fabulous Disaster") were both very solid releases indeed. 1990's "Impact is Imminent" had seen many fans jumping off the train but I honestly think it's been harshly treated over the years as it wasn't too bad in my opinion. I mean, it was certainly a step down from the first three records but I still got a fair bit of enjoyment out of it, even if it may not be a release that I regard as essential when exploring the Exodus' back-catalogue. 1992 would see things getting a lot worse for Exodus though with the their fifth album "Force of Habit" bombing in a major way & triggering claims of selling out to the new Pantera groove metal sound. Ben & I picked the album up upon release (on cassette from memory) & I recall us both being pretty disappointed with it. I couldn't exactly recall why when I attempted to draw upon those brain cells recently so I thought I'd give it another chance with a fresh & open mind.

Let me be clear about one thing straight up, "Force of Habit" is a hugely self-indulgent record. It's run time has been stretched out to a ridiculous 68 minutes with a few of the thirteen songs exceeding the duration they should naturally expire at by a considerable margin. We'd started to see Exodus making longer songs for a couple of albums now & it was something that I thought I'd keep an eye on as it didn't always sit comfortably with me but here it can be a little grating. The other major change of note is the stylistic variety on offer with Exodus now including a good half a record (well... a whole record for most bands) of material that wasn't strictly thrash metal. While I do think the calls to tag "Force of Habit" as a groove metal record are extreme given that the few tracks that take that direction don't amount to even 20% of the album, there can be no doubt that their experiments with the newly popular genre were a creative failure as songs like the title track & "Climb Before the Fall" are nothing short of awful. They're actually not all that bad from a purely instrumental point of view but Steve Souza's vocals performances sound completely at sea over the top of this material. He's absolutely phoned in some of these efforts in & I wouldn't be surprised if his poor contribution here had played a role in Exodus going into a twelve-year hiatus following this record because he really is that bad at times & that's coming from someone that's generally a big fan of him too. Another interesting talking point is the inclusion of a few tracks that reside more in the heavy metal camp than they do a thrash or groove metal one & the results aren't too bad actually with some of the better tracks on the album falling into this space.

Unfortunately, the tracklisting is massively inconsistent with none of the thirteen songs achieving classic status. Down-tempo heavy metal chugger "One Foot In The Grave", thrashtastic closer "Feeding Time At The Zoo" & the eleven-minute US power metal epic "Architect of Pain" (my personal favourite) are all classy efforts that are worthy of inclusion on any of the Souza-fronted albums while "Me, Myself & I", "Fuel For The Fire", "When It Rains It Pours" & "Good Day To Die" all offer enough to keep me interested. In fact, there's enough quality material included here to have made for a solid four-star, forty-minute record that would have surpassed some of Exodus' also-ran releases like "Impact Is Imminent" & "Tempo of the Damned" for overall consistency. Why must Exodus insist on including sub-par cover versions on their albums though with The Rolling Stones' "Bitch" or Elvis Costello's "Pump It Up" having nothing of interest to say? It's frustrating to say the least & I can't imagine how Gary Holt must have felt when listening to the final result because there are some ripping guitar solos on this record but they're partially nullified by poor creative decisions & below-par song-writing. It's no wonder I put "Force of Habit" aside & didn't return to it until now. Thankfully "Architect of Pain" takes up a fair chunk of the run time which sees my rating staying closer to a respectible mark than is probably warranted but a three-star rating is still well below expectations for one of the biggest names in thrash metal.

3/5

Just created my Top Ten Metal Releases of 1991 list & it really does show what an amazing year it was for metal & especially for a 15 year old me. In fact, I could almost have created a top 20 releases without running out of records that I regard as genuine classics.

01. Death - "Human"

02. Carcass - "Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious"

03. Morbid Angel - "Blessed Are The Sick"

04. Slayer - "Decade of Aggression: Live"

05. Sepultura - "Arise"

06. Earth - "Extra-Capsular Extraction" E.P.

07. Soundgarden - "Badmotorfinger"

08. Pestilence - "Testimony of the Ancients"

09. Suffocation - "Effigy of the Forgotten"

10. Suffocation - "Human Waste" E.P.

https://metal.academy/lists/single/272

Autopsy - "Retribution For The Dead" E.P. (1991)

I first became acquainted with legendary California death metallers Autopsy through their 1989 debut album "Severed Survival" after hearing some of the more popular songs on late-night metal radio programming in the very early 1990's. I was madly indulging in anything I could find in the way of death metal at the time which saw me seeking out a dubbed copy of the album shortly afterwards but if I'm being completely honest I'd have to suggest that I never quite understood the novelty that led to "Severed Survival" being held up on such a pedestal by most death metal fans. I certainly got enjoyment out of it but found it to be far from the classic it was so often touted as. However, it wouldn't take me all that long to get on the Autopsy train with 1991 spawning my two favourite Autopsy releases in the "Retribution For The Dead" E.P. & their career-defining sophomore album "Mental Funeral" which is still my pick of the bunch. "Mental Funeral" is deservedly the record that most people talk about when referring to Autopsy's legacy but I've always felt that "Retribution For The Dead" served as a great indulgence into a particular element of Autopsy's sound & it's about time that I explored it in a more critical manner so that I can submit a well-informed Metal Academy rating.

"Severed Survival" was very much the prototype for filthy, gore-soaked death metal that didn't take itself too seriously & valued atmosphere & imagery over precision musicality but "Retribution For The Dead" was something altogether different in that it took the doomier elements that were hinted at on the debut & made them the focal point of the three-song affair, so much so in fact that it's left me questioning whether there's even any reason to have the E.P. attached to the death metal genre at all given that it so clearly seems to fit in with the definition of the doom/death one that resides solely in The Fallen. Autopsy have always been at their best when they're at their doomiest so this approach was welcomed with open arms by this particular death metal nut. The up-tempo one-two beats still pop up on occasion but they're kept to a minimum this time which suits me down to the ground.

The production job is interesting here & would be a defining component of both of Autopsy's excellent 1991 releases. The guitar tone has had a little distortion sliced off the top which gives things a completely different feel to most death metal. It's somehow more twisted & repulsive which is kinda genius if you think about it because I wouldn't have guessed that would be the result of such a venture. The song structures are also pretty loose & veer well away from the traditional verse-chorus concept with an anything-goes type of arrangement being adopted instead. The vocals of drummer Chris Reifert (Static Abyss/Abscess/Death/The Ravenous) can tend to cross the line into pure silliness at times which has been a common observation over the years but that's kinda in line with Autopsy's whole tongue-in-cheek image & mentality so can be forgiven for the most part.

The opening title track is mildly entertaining but is clearly the weaker of the three tracks on offer with the two songs that would later appear in a re-recorded format on "Mental Funeral" (i.e. "Destined To Fester" & "In The Grip Of Winter") being the more impressive examples of the early 90's Autopsy sound. I definitely prefer the album version of "In Tne Grip Of Winter" but that's not too much of a criticism as "Retribution For The Dead" had already left its mark on me by the time I purchased "Mental Funeral" on cassette shortly after its release & a couple of months after the E.P. hit the shelves. If you're a big Autopsy fan then you owe it to yourself to explore this record as it's deserving of its place amongst the band's finest works while Asphyx, Winter & Coffins fans should also be placing it in their to-do lists.

4/5

The final track from Black Sabbath's "Technical Ecstasy" album is "Dirty Women" & my take on this one is bound to be controversial. While the first two minutes of this lengthy seven minute track hark back to the traditional doom metal sound that Sabbath had founded on their first four albums, the remaining five minutes sees them veering away from metal altogether which sees my tagging the track as a progressive hard rock piece overall. I just don't think the metal component is significant enough for a primary tag.

So, that leaves "Technical Ecstasy" with a metal ratio score of just 26 which is only enough for a heavy metal secondary underneath a hard rock primary. Tomorrow we'll be kicking off a new release in Judas Priest's classic 1977 third album "Sin After Sin".

Also, I checked out Thin Lizzy's 1975 fifth album "Fighting" this week &, even though it was clearly their heaviest release to the time, there's no metal to found with the majority of the tracklisting indulging in a hard rock sound.

Immolation - "Dawn of Possession" (1991)

The debut album from these New York death metal legends would not only represent my introduction to the band but would also be a pretty big record for me at the time, particularly given that this was the period when death metal was completely taking over my life. That dark & dense Immolation sound is already well in effect here with the most notable component being the unusual rhythmic complexity that I've always found to be very exciting. The performances aren't super-precise but then that was never really Immolation's bag, instead going for a swampier sound that benefits from a bit of looseness in the musicianship. The drumming has always been Immolation's weak spot but here we see Craig Smilowski (Disma/Goreaphobia) putting in much better performance than we'd hear from later Immolation drummers & arguably being the MVP from an instrumental point of view. There's a truckload of Morbid Angel influence on display here which can only be a good thing, particularly when combined with bass player Ross Dolan's monstrously devastating death growls which are some of my favourite in the entire genre. I'm often reminded of Incantation & Gorguts' debut album "Considered Dead" in the way Immolation go about their craft too.

So, if all of the ingredients are here for an elite death metal experience then why haven't I scored "Dawn of Possession" any higher than I have? Well, it comes down to consistency. The A side is most certainly pretty classic, particularly the three-track run of "Despondent Souls" into the title track into "Those Left Behind" which is the album highlight & one of Immolation's very finest works. However, the B side simply offers a very solid run of death metal tracks without any genuine classics amongst the five songs on offer. In saying that, I do regard "Dawn of Possession" more highly than some of the band's more widely celebrated releases like "Here In After" & "Unholy Cult" & it's still my second favourite Immolation release behind the magnificent "Close To A World Below" which is a top five death metal record for me overall. I can't see too many fans of the classic death metal sound not getting some seriously jollies out of this album to be honest as it simply ticks all of the boxes.

4/5

This morning's track is Black Sabbath's "She's Gone: which I'd suggest is best suited to a baroque pop tag:

I have to admit that I, even though "All Out War" certainly isn't as bad as I originally thought it was, it's still not something that I can see myself ever feeling like revisiting again. It sounds more like a demo than a proper release with the production & performances being pretty scratchy. The vocals are enjoyable when they get super-aggressive but they can also be a bit lucklustre at other times. The riffs are pretty generic for the most part too. There's nothing horrible here but there's also not much to write home about either.

3/5