Daniel's Forum Replies

Massacre - "From Beyond" (1991)

Florida death metal outfit Massacre have always maintained somewhat of a legendary status within death metal circles, primarily off the back of the undeniable pedigree that their list of current & former band members holds as well as the stories around front man Kam Lee having been the inventor of the death metal vocal tool we so lovingly refer to as the "death growl". This makes it a little more interesting that I’d honestly never heard of them prior to their 1991 debut album “From Beyond” hitting the streets. I’d quickly rectify that oversight by purchasing a copy of “From Beyond” on cassette shortly after it was released & giving it repeated return visits in the hope of discovering the true magic that many people claimed it to contain. I’m not sure I ever quite stumbled over the full breadth of Massacre’s appeal though & “From Beyond” has kinda been one that I’ve remembered as a pretty fun release that’s lacking a bit in the depth department. This week’s revisit has been about rekindling my fire for the album & seeing if it really has what it takes to compete with Florida’s finest.

The production job & artwork certainly don’t hurt Massacre’s chances of drawing the attention of your average old-school death metal fan as the record looks & sounds like something that’d appeal to the target audience with a shredtastic rhythm guitar sound & an attractive & gnarly (even if it is pink) cover image. A lineup including ex Mantas/Death drummer & current The Grotesquery front man Kam Lee, former Mantas/Death & current Left To Die guitarist Rick Rozz, former Death/Six Feet Under & current Obituary/Left To Die/Inhuman Condition bassist Terry Butler & former Death drummer Bill Andrews certainly doesn’t hurt Massacre’s cause either as they clearly possessed a strong death metal pedigree, even more so when you consider that Obituary/Six Feet Under axeman Allen West was a former member too. But if you look at that lineup with an unbiased & impartial magnifying glass, you can also see the limitations that stop Massacre from achieving a higher position in my Florida death metal hierarchy.

Hhhmmmmm... it's sounding like ol' Daniel's gonna pull out some constructive criticism here, isn't it? But let’s not paint Kam Lee with that brush as his vocals are excellent on “From Beyond”. Lee really proves a point here with a muscular & aggressive performance that I'd suggest is the clear highlight of the Massacre sound. It’s more in the instrumental contributions that we find the limitations I was referring to. You see, Massacre opt for a VERY straight-forward brand of death metal indeed. There’s no doubt that they do it exceptionally well but I do still find myself craving a little more… I dunno… class perhaps? Rick Rozz’ riffs are certainly tightly performed but I do have to say that they’re very basic in their makeup & would sound a lot like generic thrash metal if given a traditional tuning & a different guitar tone a lot of the time. As with former band mate Allen West, Rozz’ guitar solos have always been built around the heavy (over)use of whammy bar histrionics rather than any sort of melodic composition too & you’ll rarely find a better example of that than we do here. And then, the rhythm section of Butler & Andrews have never been known for their musicality either, have they? Both have pretty much built their careers on providing simple yet rock solid beats that accentuate the riffs of the guitarist(s) & that’s what they do here too.

Now, that might sound a little negative but in truth the tracklisting on “From Beyond” is completely blemish-free. It’s the lack of any truly mind-blowing death metal anthems that’s the limiting factor here. Only opener “Dawn of Eternity” & the very solid “Succubus” come closest to meeting a top tier Florida standard but both see their potential capped out by their sheer simplicity. The song-writing is certainly catchy as the structures are quite traditional & the choruses usually just repeat the song-title so I find myself enjoying the ride but rarely feeling like the music is commanding me to go all in. The potential for those sort of feelings is perennially curtailed by just how meat-&-potatoes “From Beyond” is to tell you the truth. I can’t see that being a significant issue for a lot of the death metal fanbase (& it clearly isn’t based on the general feeling on “From Beyond”) but it appears to be for me.

Don’t get me wrong, “From Beyond” is a more than decent representation of the death metal model. It’s just not a great one in my opinion so I don’t place it on the same lofty pedestal as the work of Massacre's main competitors of the time (see Death & Obituary who both did this sound much better). Instead, I feel like we're destined to eternally see "From Beyond" sitting in the middle rows with the Cancer’s & Benediction’s which isn’t necessarily such a bad thing. It’s perhaps just not in line with Massacre’s reputation, that’s all.

3.5/5

Gorguts - "Considered Dead" (1991)

Canadian death metal monsters Gorguts hit my radar in a pretty major way when I was thoroughly blown away by their track "Disincarnated" which appeared on a 1992 R/C Records compilation CD I'd picked up called "Rock Hard Presents Monsters of Death". It was a rip-roaring compilation album from memory so the fact that Gorguts were able to stand out amongst such illustrious company was a major feather in their caps. I'd subsequently go about picking up their debut full-length "Considered Dead" on CD at my earliest convenience & was immediately drawn to Gorguts' purist death metal sound.

"Considered Dead" is often overlooked in the star-studded Gorguts back catalogue, mainly because it's such a simple record in comparison to the more experimental & technical releases that followed. Here we see Gorguts sporting a very similar sound to records like Death's "Spiritual Healing", Immolation's "Dawn of Possession" & Pestilence's "Consuming Impulse" & making a very good fist of it too it has to be said. The production job is perfect for this style of music with the guitars having that thick death metal tone & Luc Lemay's death growl sounding as potent as it ever has & representing the focal point of the band. The level of musicianship was already very high although there was still a little room for improvement in the overall tightness at times. I particularly enjoy the guitar solos & the occasional use of progressive riff structures which were very accomplished for a debut album in 1991.

What holds "Considered Dead" back though is the feeling that you've heard it all before. In truth, I slightly prefer it to records like "Spiritual Healing" & "Consuming Impulse" but it's simply come a little too late in the game to have the same sort of impact on the wider extreme metal scene. As it stands, "Considered Dead" has been relegated to the bench with the other also-rans & I feel that's a little harsh to tell you the truth as there's an awful lot of quality here. Perhaps the tracklisting could have done with a couple more standout tracks like the afore-mentioned "Disincarnated" or techy closer "Inoculated Life" but there's a clear class & consistency to it which makes it an essential part of Gorguts' back catalogue nonetheless. Hell, I'd even take it over 2000's ultra noisy & experimental "Obscura" album if I was forced to choose between the two which is probably a representation of my personal taste profile more than anything else. Classic death metal fans are unlikely to be disappointed with "Considered Dead" but it's also unlikely that it'll change their worlds like the greatest releases of the genre.

4/5

This morning's track is Black Sabbath's "Supernaut" which I've tagged as being an early example of stoner rock:

Our Boxing Day track is Black Sabbath's "FX" which I'd suggest is a good candidate for sitting under the Experimental tag:

An early example of genuine heavy metal from an obscure Belgian heavy psych outfit. This single came out in 1972.

Today's Xmas Day anthem is "Changes" which I'd suggest is close enough to piano rock.

Saxy & Rex, will you be submitting your feature release nominations this month?

The interview with Hessian Firm went great. I'll share it with you all when it goes live.

I will get around to a full Neuropath album review eventually but this track underlines the Suffocation influence brilliantly for me.  The diving guitars and stop/start rhythms are great.

I'm not surprised that you've picked up the clear Suffocation influence in that particular track either as it was the last song I wrote for the "Desert of Excruciation" demo & "Pierced From Within" was the biggest release for me that year. I'm sure everyone's well aware that they're still my favourite band to this day too.

For the record, I share your struggles with the melodic death metal subgenre too.

Today's track is "Tomorrow's Dream" which I've tagged as being stoner metal:

I  hadn't really noticed that you had reduced the focus on newer material, Daniel.  Is there any particular reason for it?

I noticed that most of the submissions were falling into two subgenres & they correlated with where most of the new releases were sitting so it became tricky to fit in other subgenres & more underground inclusions from those main subgenres once we had more people nominating tracks. I've found it a more enjoyable process since I've relaxed my position on making a third of the playlist tracks from the current year.

I've got an idea what most of those niche genres are, but wtf is mincecore?

To quote RYM:

"Mincecore is a raw and simplistic form of Grindcore which is based in Hardcore Punk and takes comparatively little influence from Metal. The guitar riffs are simple and heavily distorted and the drumming is characterized by alternation between blast beats and a groovy, mid-tempo kick-snare-kick-snare pattern often referred to as the tupa tupa. Lyrical themes are similar to political Punk bands and include topics such as anarchism, veganism, and antifascism.

The term mincecore was coined by the Belgian band Agathocles, formed in 1985. Their original intention was to return grindcore to its roots and offer resistance against the sexism, homophobia, and racism that was becoming common in the scene. The name comes from the slang word "mince", used as an insult against gay men.

By the early 1990s, many bands started to pop up around the world inspired by this sound and ideology, notably Unholy Grave, Rot, Malignant Tumour, Abortion, and Archagathus. In the 2010s, a new variant became popular, known as "mincegore," a mixture of the lo-fi, midtempo mincecore sound and the pitch-shifted vocals and gory imagery associated with Goregrind. Some notable bands making mincegore include Haggus and Hyperemesis."

i.e. another useless & tenuous subgenre from RYM.

I don't think that's true in the slightest. What made Budgie get linked to metal is how they were the heaviest thing in 1970 outside of Sabbath themselves. There have been bands who have gotten linked to early metal for far less material than Budgie did.

Also, unless there's a pretty massive difference, I think it's safe to remove live albums from the running.

I'm not talking about why Budgie were linked to metal back in the early 1970's. I'm referring to why they continue to be linked to metal today, despite not possessing the required attributes to warrant it, while others with stronger claims don't receive the same privilege. I'd suggest that it's almost certainly the Metallica link. Besides, it's been clear for a while now that you & I are working off different criteria when judging a release's metal credentials.

Also, there's no reason not to consider live releases for inclusion as they have the potential to be just as influential as studio records.

This morning's track is Black Sabbath's "Wheels of Confusion" which I'm going against the grain by claiming as heavy psych.

Some more YouTube reviews:

There are also some cool Neuropath badges floating around that were made up by the lovely Steve from fellow Aussie death metal bands Encabulos & Unholy Redeemer:

Vocalist Mark Wangmann & I will be recording an interview for France's Hessian Firm podcast on Saturday morning following on from their very positive review of the CD on the Hessian Firm website so that should be a bit of fun (as long as we don't fuck it up).

Thanks mate. You may not have noticed but I've stopped focusing so much on brand new material since you started submitting tracks each month & I think it's changed things a touch. I've already covered a lot of the more significant releases from the more niche subgenres (gorenoise, pornogrind, death 'n' roll, cybergrind, mincecore, goregrind) too which means that most of the material is coming from the core group of death/grind subgenres that we all enjoy these days. Glad you could deal with a demo tracks I've been including too as I wasn't too sure how they'd go down. Underground demos were such an important part of how the scene began though & I was heavily involved in it so I wanted to share some of those experiences with people that might not have given themselves the chance.

Napalm Death - "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. (1991)

I have an admission to make. The early Napalm Death releases have never floated my boat as much as they have for others. I've always respected them for what they represent & can honestly say that I've found them to be universally appealing but I've never found them to be records that I feel like coming back to time & time again, despite having been introduced to them very early on in their career & during my more formative years. I'd probably had a good year or two with Napalm Death by the time 1991's short "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. appeared as I'd bought all three of their albums prior to its release so I'd certainly given them a fair chance but I wouldn't find myself enticed into laying out my hard-earned money for "Mass Appeal Madness", instead recording all of the songs individually off the radio over the first few weeks following its release. I remember having a bit of fun thrashing around my room to them too but I can't say that the (mass) appeal was long-lasting & I haven't returned to it in many years now. Given that I've recently revisited all of Napalm Death's earlier records in months gone by, it'd be remiss of me to overlook this one if only for some perspective.

"Mass Appeal Madness" is a four-song affair that was dedicated to the memory of recently deceased Atheist bass player Roger Patterson & includes two brand new songs in the title track & "Pride Assassin" as well as two re-recordings of songs taken from Napalm Death's 1988 sophomore album "From Enslavement To Obliteration" ("Unchallenged Hate" & "Social Sterility") which was their best full-length to the time in my opinion. It would also be the last Napalm Death release to feature legendary drummer Mick "Human Tornado" Harris who would leave to focus on mainly non-metal projects like Scorn moving forwards. That fact alone makes the E.P. somewhat of a turning point for the band given the impact that Harris had had on the Napalm Death sound that he'd virtually single-handedly defined on those early grindcore releases.

The short nine-minute duration means that "Mass Appeal Madness" is all over before you know it & this makes repeat listens very easy to accommodate. Unsurprisingly, the newer material takes on a slightly different stylistic format than the re-recordings with the title track & "Pride Assassin" being the more significant pieces which define the sound that "Mass Appeal Madness" will be remembered for. Both of those tracks take on a deathgrind sound that's not too dissimilar to that which we heard on the last album "Harmony Corruption" &, to a lesser extent, 1989's "Mentally Murdered" EP. The re-recorded tracks maintain their original grindcore sound only they've been given a slightly more deathly edge by the production & the vocals of former Benediction front man Mark "Barney" Greenway who had only recently joined the band for 1990's "Harmony Corruption" album. The change in approach between the two pairs of songs is subtle enough to pass the casual listener by without causing too much disruption but it also gives "Mass Appeal Madness" the opportunity to appeal to both the diehard grindcore fans as well as those that need a bit of death in their grind to add a touch more darkness. As a point of reference, I'd suggest that the E.P. sounds kinda like Terrorizer & Lock Up style deathgrind meets Terrorizer & Repulsion style grindcore.

The quality of the material is all more than decent with the four tracks possessing a solid consistency that makes it hard to pick out any clear highlights. If pushed I'd probably suggest that the title track would be my favourite, perhaps because it's the most lengthy & death metal-infused inclusion. There's not much between the four songs mind you so I can't see too many people losing interest along the way, particularly given the extremely short duration of the release as a whole. It's interesting that there's not all that many blast beat sections though which is a little unusual for Napalm Death & was a sign of things to come on future releases that saw them starting to expand their sound in a number of interesting ways over the next few years. I have to say that I do miss the blasting a bit & find "Mass Appeal Madness" to be at its best when it's at its most extreme. I guess I just don't think Napalm Death are as good at creating captivating tremolo-picked death metal riffs as some of the more premium death metal bands on the scene at the time & their groovier moments aren't really that well aligned with my taste profile.

Nonetheless, it's hard to be too critical of yet another respectable extreme metal release from one of the more important players in the underground & I can't deny that I've enjoyed the trip down memory lane even if I don't find myself recalling every single second of these tracks like I have with some of the other early 90's releases I've been revisiting of late. I tend to think that my higher scores for Napalm Death releases are still to come as I get stuck into their next few releases but it won't surprise me if I never quite get there. Deathgrind nuts should probably give "Mass Appeal Madness" a listen or two but I wouldn't expect to find your next holy grail.

3.5/5

Here's my updated Top Ten Deathgrind Releases of All Time list which sees "Mass Appeal Madness" dropping down from number four to number ten:

01. Cattle Decapitation - "Monolith of Inhumanity" (2012)

02. Brutal Truth - "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" (1992)

03. Napalm Death - "Utopia Banished" (1992)

04. Full of Hell - "Weeping Choirs" (2019)

05. Lock Up - "Necropolis Transparent" (2011)

06. Cephalic Carnage - "Misled by Certainty" (2010)

07. Damaged - "Passive Backseat Demon Engines" E.P. (1995)

08. Napalm Death - "Harmony Corruption" (1990)

09. Napalm Death - "Mentally Murdered" E.P. (1989)

10. Napalm Death - "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. (1991)

Morgoth - "Cursed" (1991)

I first came into contact with German death metallers Morgoth through late-night underground metal radio programming around 1990 when their early “Resurrection Absurd” & “The Eternal Fall” E.P.’s received the occasional airing. I really liked what I heard too so I’d quickly investigate the full releases & had no hesitation in chasing down Morgoth’s debut album “Cursed” through the tape trading scene as soon as it hit the shelves as well. “Cursed” offered a sound that was very much in line with my tastes at the time which saw it enjoying a whole bunch of repeat plays in my Walkman over the next six months or so. I honestly don’t know why I haven’t returned to it more often in more recent times but it’s time to find out so let’s see how it’s held up.

“Cursed” presents Morgoth as the professional, modern death metal outfit of the time with the cover art being superbly dark & the production job being spot-on. Stylistically, we see the band setting their sights on the Florida death metal model but giving it a slightly dirtier European edge. In fact, the obvious comparisons are with 1988-90 era Death & the first couple of Obituary albums as a lot of this material seems to jump from one to the other for inspiration. Chuck Schuldiner probably has the upper hand from an instrumental point of view but the vocals are exactly what you’d get if you combined Chuck’s rasp with John Tardy (Obituary) & Martin van Drunen’s (Asphyx) monstrous growling. The Obituary/Asphyx influences are clear in the doomier riffs & they represent a clear strength for the band while the occasional use of progressive riff structures has been very well received too. I have to admit that the lead guitar work is pretty primitive but the rest of Morgoth’s sound is dark, chunky & full of everything your average death metal nut looks for with the amazingly powerful vocals of front man Marc Grewe being the clear focal point. I absolutely love him to be honest. He’s quite simply one of the best in the business. 

“Cursed” certainly didn’t muck around in reminding me of why I enjoyed it so much back in the day as the first two proper songs “Body Count” & “Exit To Temptation” are absolute belters & the best tracks on the record in my opinion. The quality drops a little from there but never gets below a really solid level that resides primarily in the top of the second tier of the death metal ranks. Put simply, “Cursed” is a high-quality conventional death metal record in the classic early 90’s style & if that sounds like you then I have no hesitation at all in recommending it to you.

4/5

Today's track is "Stranded" which I regard as being hard rock & that signals the end of another Budgie release where I've struggled to find any metal material at all. This result is really cementing my long-time feeling that Budgie would never have been linked to metal if not for the links to Metallica who've covered a number of their tracks over the years. We'll of course be examining a couple more of their releases during this exercise though so I'll be keeping an open mind with those. 

On a related note, I checked out Deep Purple's "Made In Japan" live album from 1972 this week & found it to contain just the one metal track in opener "Highway Star". The rest is generally bluesy hard rock.

To summarize our results for the exercise so far, the only three releases that we've unanimously claimed as being metal are the first three Black Sabbath albums although Deep Purple's "In Rock" & Bang's self-titled debut album have received mixed responses & will need to be decided in the Hall of Judgement. Tomorrow we'll be starting a new release in Black Sabbath's "Vol. 4". Can it continue Sabbath's early run? I'd like to think so but who knows!?

Today's track is "Young Is A World" which I've got tagged as sitting somewhere between blues rock, hard rock & symphonic prog.

Pungent Stench - "Been Caught Buttering" (1991)

My awareness of Austrian death metallers Pungent Stench first kicked off around 1990 through their first two proper releases in the 1989 split album with fellow Austrians Disharmonic Orchestra & their 1990 debut full-length "For God Your Soul... For Me Your Flesh". I quite liked the split album but it was really the latter release that saw me being convinced as to Pungent Stench's credentials as anything more than a novelty act & my dubbed cassette copy received quite a few spins that year. My positive impressions of that album would lead me to purchase a cassette copy of the band's 1991 sophomore album "Been Caught Buttering" (I'm guessing a take on Jane's Addiction's hit song "Been Caught Stealing") shortly after release & I found it to be even more enjoyable than "For God Your Soul... For Me Your Flesh". It was also so shocking in its graphic lyrics & imagery that it made for a fantastic talking point with my non-metal-loving school mates who thought it was simply hilarious so there was definitely some added value for a young chap like I was at the time. My parents? Well, they found it a little less amusing but let's not talk about the fun police now, ok?

"Been Caught Buttering" offers some of the more notorious cover art you're ever likely to encounter & certainly makes the desired impression. The production is fairly muddy but that kinda suits a band like Pungent Stench now, doesn't it? I mean, you're not exactly looking for a super-clinical display of technical prowess when you listen to bands that represent the more fun side of misogynistic serial killing, are you? And that's very much what Pungent Stench were about. They were there purely to shock the listener into laughing & they did a very good job at it too. Song-titles like "Happy Re-Birthday", "Shrunken & Mummified Bitch" & "Splatterday Night Fever" are self-explanatory in their blatant disregard for your moral compass but what about their quality from a musical perspective? Well, I would argue that "Been Caught Buttering" showcases Pungent Stench at the peak of their powers in that regard as I still find it to be a captivating listen all these years later, despite the novelty having worn off decades ago.

The sound Pungent Stench were pushing back in 1991 contained a few different components, the first of which is a grimy old-school death metal sound that forms the basis for the record & reminds me very much of California's Autopsy. The band throw in a few moments of humor to break up their debauchery with the dead though & to remind you that this is all in name of good fun. There's a clear deathgrind influence on tracks like "Happy Re-Birthday" & "Sputter Supper" which are a little more savage in their assault on the senses & remind me of bands like Impetigo & Macabre. I tend to think of these moments as being a touch less appealing than the rest of the album as they seem a little more disposable than the Stench's more significant offerings. Some of these can be found in the two lengthier doom/death numbers "Games of Humiliation" & "And Only Hunger Remains" which showcase a clear Black Sabbath influence & sit amongst the album's highlights along with death metal ditties like "Shrunken & Mummified Bitch" & "Splatterday Night Fever". The three-piece lineup works very well for this sort of material with the treble-heavy guitar solos of front man Martin Schirenc (Hollenthon/Kreuzweg Ost) lacerating your ear drums over a solid rhythm section that offers as much groove as it does brutality.

It's easy to treat "Been Caught Buttering" primarily as a novelty release but there's a lot more to it than that in my opinion. Pungent Stench clearly knew the art of catchy song-writing & I think you'll find that a bit of dedicated attention will see your mean-&-nasty extreme metal walls coming down once the hooks dig their teeth in. The final track "Splatterday Night Fever" is a prime example of this as the guitar melody has no place on a death metal song yet it somehow manages to seep into your pores & has since become my favourite track on the record. It's moments like that that make "Been Caught Buttering" my preferred Pungent Stench release these days as it seems to overachieve no matter how hard I fight against its silly immaturities. It certainly helps that the highlights tracks are the most significant inclusions on the tracklisting too as it's those that I find myself recalling when I think of the album which encourages my urge to return for another round of raunchy graveyard shenanigans.

4/5

I checked out Thin Lizzy's 1971 "New Day" E.P. yesterday but found no metal on there. It's a combination of various rock & folk subgenres really.

Revenant - "Prophecies of a Dying World" (1991)

New Jersey death metallers Revenant & I first crossed paths when I discovered their video clip for "The Unearthly (A Quest)" on a 1992 Nuclear Blast video compilation called "Death Is Just The Beginning" & was immediately blown away. That experience would lead me to chase down Revenant's 1991 debut album "Prophecies of a Dying World" through the tape trading scene, a record that I'd be well impressed by & which has received repeated return visits over the years. I have to say that it's always surprised me that Revenant didn't go onto bigger & better things based on this first-up effort because it shows a hell of a lot of promise. Not to mention the links to John McEntee (Incantation/Mortician) who was their guitarist from 1987-89 which one would have thought might drawn them a little attention too.

Perhaps I was always going to relate to a band like Revenant because they seem to have grown up with the same records that I did (i.e. "Reign in Blood", "Altars of Madness", etc.) & go about their craft in a way that I have the utmost respect for. I'd describe their sound as being thrashy death metal that sits somewhere between the death/thrash of Ripping Corpse & Massacra & the death metal of 1980's Morbid Angel. The production job on "Prophecies of a Dying World" isn't perfect but I feel that the slightly messy feel gives Revenant a little more authenticity & street credibility at the same time in that the record simply "feels" like an underground gem even before you discover that it is one from a quality perspective. Revenant are wonderful exponents of the "riff" too with the song structures being quite complex with a lot of changes but they always leave enough space to give them a touch more accessibility. The vocals work in a similar way with Henry Veggian's delivery being possibly the most intelligible death growl you'll ever find. The lyrics are very mature & sophisticated too so they're well worth hearing while the very capable dual guitar solos go ballistic in a similar fashion to the great Slayer combination of Kerry King & Jeff Hanneman.

There's not a weak track to be found on "Prophecies of a Dying World" with the quality levels ranging from decent to mind-blowing on "The Unearthly (A Quest)" which is still a definite favourite of mine. There's perhaps not enough genuine classics included to be commanding the elite scores but one gets the feeling that Revenant may well have created a few more had they been given the chance. Unfortunately, fate would see them splitting up in 1995 with this being their only release of any note. As it stands though, I'd strongly encourage all members of The Horde to check this sole testament to an underappreciated band out as it's unlikely to disappoint.

4/5

A brilliant Black Sabbath-inspired early stoner metal tune from 1971.

Today's track is "Bottled" which I regard as being blues rock:

Entombed - "Crawl" E.P. (1991)

The Swedish death metal gods continue to show improvement as musicians & song-writers with this this three-song E.P. which acts as somewhat of a stop-gap between Entombed's first two albums. It includes a remake of "Bitter Loss" which featured on 1990's "Left Hand Path" & also a sneak peak at 1991's wonderful "Clandestine" record via an early version of the title track "Crawl". Unfortunately the vocals of Nirvana 2002 front man Orvar Säfström aren't the best & the production is a little lacking too which places a cap on the potential of this record but I still prefer it to "Left Hand Path" if I'm being honest so it's still a fun listen, particularly the title track which was already showing signs that Entombed could be something genuinely special. If you're a Swedish death metal nut that goes crazy for bands like Dismember, Grave & Carnage then you'll probably wanna check out "Crawl" although I doubt it'll make any top ten lists.

3.5/5

Fudge Tunnel - "Hate Songs in E Minor" (1991)

Loved my time revisiting this very strong alternative sludge metal debut album from my youth this week. My old review is still as relevant as it ever was too:

"This full-length debut from UK sludgers Fudge Tunnel is driven by a chunky riff-based sound that sits somewhere between early-Godflesh & Nirvana's "Bleach" album. Alex Newport (who later went on to form Nailbomb with Max Cavalera of Sepultura fame) drives his guitar sound to the dirtiest, fuzziest levels imaginable & there is a real groove to the huge riffs. When the tempo slows down a bit the intensity is sometimes at it's highest level due to the sheer weight of noise coming out of those amplifiers. "Spanish Fly" is particularly massive & is the album highlight. I can only imagine what these tracks would've sounded like in a live environment. The two cover versions that end this release are a little bit disposable & unnecessary in my opinion but they both feature the same sort of powerful riffs as the originals so I can deal with them. "Hate Songs In E Minor" shouldn't be over-analysed. It should be enjoyed for it's simplicity & fun just as my brother & I did as teenagers back in the early 1990s. Some kids never grow up."

4/5

Today's track is "Drugstore Woman" which I feel sits somewhere between hard rock & blues rock:

Today's track is "Hot as a Docker's Armpit" which I've tagged as hard rock:

Also Andi, does nu metal not cover the hip hop/DJ elements with some of these releases given that it allows for these components by its very definition:

“The rhythm section frequently displays elements of Funk Metal, Hip Hop, and various types of metal; it often eschews techniques more prevalent in extreme metal such as double bass drumming in favour of a more groove-oriented sound. Some bands also employ a DJ on turntables as part of their lineup to further emphasize these elements. The genre does have some crossover into other styles. Most notably is the blending with Rap Rock and Rap Metal, as nu metal often has rapped vocals and a similar aggression like the other two.”

You missed my point about death metal. I wasn’t referring to a remix. I was talking about if a death metal band actually had a rapper for a vocalist, would it be labelled as rap metal?

So for the sake of discussion Andi, if you remove the rapped vocals from the equation, would you say that you could still identify rap metal just from the instrumentation? Could you with Rage Against The Machine or would they simply be labelled as Alternative Metal? My suspicion is that it's just about the vocals which doesn't constitute a new subgenre in my opinion. I mean, Hacktivist don't sound anything like Rage Against The Machine for example. If you took a band that was purely death metal from an instrumental point of view & added rap vocals to the whole album, is it then rap metal rather than death metal? And, if so, would it feel right to lump it in with Rage Against The Machine?

And let's be honest, Anthrax only have two rap metal songs & one of them was essentially an existing rap song with thrash riffs added.

Godlfesh - "Cold World" E.P. (1991)

I think it’s fair to say that the first few releases from Birmingham industrial metal godfathers Godflesh blew me away back in the very early 1990’s. My immature teenage mind had simply never encountered music as cold & barren as records like “Godlfesh”, “Streetcleaner” or “Slatestate” before & I found myself absolutely lapping that shit up. By the time 1991’s “Cold World” E.P. hit the shelves I was already well & truly onboard with everything that Justin Broadrick & G.C. Green were dishing out so you can imagine my surprise upon reading the early reviews for “Cold World” which were nothing short of scathing. From the information presented to me, it sounded like Godflesh were steering away from the oppressive noise of their earlier works towards a cleaner, more accessible &… *gulp*… dance music-infused sound. My taste in metal was getting more extreme with every passing minute at the time so I elected not to investigate “Cold World” for fear of tainting my adoration for one of my very favourite artists. My attention would be more than restored through 1992’s classic “Pure” sophomore album shortly afterwards though & I’d subsequently follow each successive release with enthusiasm throughout the 1990’s but strangely I didn’t find myself investigating “Cold World” until my return to metal from a self-imposed, decade-long metal hiatus in 2009 & that experience immediately saw me questioning why I’d hesitated in the first place.

I guess it’s not too hard to see why some critics were put off by “Cold World” for purely stylistic reasons. When you take into account that extreme metal was getting progressively darker, more evil & infinitely more extreme, “Cold World” seemed to be taking Godflesh’s art in the opposite direction. But when you look at it from a creative standpoint you’ll discover that it represented a bold step out into the musical unknown & was very much a turning point for Justin’s creative direction. This becomes clearer when you consider that the next few Godflesh records took the concepts it contains & expanded on them in ways that saw Godlfesh almost transcending the boundaries that the rest of the scene were working with. Were those releases always unanimously successful? Well, no they weren’t but it was always intriguing to see a true artist exploring musical territories that hadn’t been touched on before.

“Cold World” is a four track E.P. that is a pretty solid representation of what the E.P. format was originally intended for. It was recorded as a part of the sessions for the “Pure” album & includes two brand new songs (the title track & “Nihil”) as well as two remixes of “Nihil”. “Cold World” is easily the most traditional & familiar of the four tracks although the production is noticeably cleaner & it’s more riff-based than we’d come to expect from Godflesh. Justin’s vocals are also a bit cleaner than the ugly hardcore bark he’d championed previously & one gets the feeling that “Cold World” could easily have been included on “Pure” without sounding out of place. I really like it too but wouldn’t say that it’s one of the band’s many classics. “Nihil”, on the other hand, manages to reach greater heights in my opinion. The guitar work is noisier & the instrumentation is a lot more infused with the electronic & dance music influences I mentioned. The hooks require a few listens to dig their teeth in but, once they do, you’ll find it hard to pull yourself free so I find “Nihil” to be a bold statement from Justin that warns the listener of the creative barriers he was intending on smashing down in the coming years. It’s a masterstroke from a true musical genius & is one of the most overlooked tracks of Godflesh’s career.

The two remixes aren’t quite as compelling but both are very solid inclusions nonetheless. Despite what some websites will have you believe, these reworkings don’t have much to do with metal at all & perhaps that’s been one of the stumbling blocks people have found when trying to appreciate “Cold World” as an holistic piece of art. The two tracks sound relatively similar too which probably doesn’t help the majority of listeners who don’t have the background in techno that I do. You really need to treat each track as an isolated piece in order to fully appreciate their cold, dark electro-industrial soundscapes as they don’t really work all that well when viewing “Cold World” as a collective release. For that reason, it’s easier to think of it as a single containing multiple tracks that are intended to be played in isolation, perhaps in a DJ set which is something I can relate to given that I was a club techno DJ during most of the 2000’s.

Despite the troubles some may experience with getting their heads around the E.P. format, the material on “Cold World” is all of a very high quality with the release showcasing a consistency that only elite performers can provide. Yes, it may have been Godflesh’s weakest release to the time but I’d suggest only by a small margin & this fact really only goes to prove what a special act Godflesh were. Everything they’d touched had turned to gold & people were starting to push their expectations higher into the stratosphere which made it increasingly more difficult to satisfy them. Somehow I suspect that Justin didn’t give a fuck though & “Cold World” goes a long way to proving that. It should be essential listening for fans of the band or anyone with a penchant for industrial metal artists like Fall of Because, Pitchshifter or Ministry.

4/5

Today's track is "Make Me Happy" which I once again tagged as folk pop.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/450

This nomination has just been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/449

This nomination has just been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/448

This nomination has just been posted in the Hall of Judgement Andi.

https://metal.academy/hall/447

This nomination has just been posted in the Hall of Judgement Andi.

https://metal.academy/hall/446

This Hall of Judgement poll has now been deleted Andi.

Benediction - "The Grand Leveller" (1991)

I first encountered Birmingham death metallers Benediction through their 1990 debut album “Subconscious Terror” through late-night underground metal radio programming back in the very early 1990’s. I’d find myself exploring the full album shortly afterwards & didn’t mind it to be fair but I can’t say that it left a lasting enough impression to see me returning to it too often in the future. It did however peak my interest enough to see me purchasing Benediction’s 1991 sophomore album “The Grand Leveller” on cassette shortly after it was released & I found it to be a slightly stronger effort. “The Grand Leveller” received a fair few listens in my Walkman around that time & I can even pick up its influence on the first Neuropath demo tape “Nefarious Vivisection” which I wrote in 1993/94. I can’t say that I’ve revisited Benediction’s second album in decades now though so I thought I’d see how it’s aged.

Make no mistake about it, Benediction are amongst the purest old-school, meat-&-potatoes death metal bands you’ll find. They very rarely break the mould even for a few seconds & you shouldn’t expect dazzling displays of technicality either. That’s hardly the point of this sort of music though, is it? It’s all about creating that classic graveyard atmosphere & Benediction do a pretty reasonable job at replicating that feel too it has to be said. The vocals of future Bolt Thrower front man Dave Ingram are the clear focal point & he does a more than decent job at replacing the legendary Mark “Barney” Greenway after his departure to Napalm Death. In fact, the two bands I mentioned are probably a pretty reasonable place to start when attempting to describe the Benediction sound actually because they share similar characteristics. You’ll definitely recognize the classic tremolo-picked death metal riffs that Bolt Thrower built their sound on here although you’ll rarely be captured by Benediction’s melodic sensibilities in the same way as they’re simply not as professional or capable as either song-writers or musicians. Despite the clear lack of blast-beats, you’ll also pick up a few references to 1990’s Napalm Death in some of the more simplistic hardcore beats too. It’s the slower & more crushing doom/death riffs that see Benediction at their most potent though as they summon corpses to rise from their graves with Obituary being the closest point of comparison.

There’s a fair bit to like about “The Grand Leveller” but it’s also pretty obvious that Benediction aren’t a tier one death metal player & aren’t ever likely to be either. They’re simply too limited in their scope & potential. The guitar solos are a good representation of this as the performances showcase an instrumentalist that is clearly struggling with the idea of writing & executing a memorable & high quality accompaniment for the song-writing. Thankfully though, there aren’t any genuinely weak songs included with all ten of them possessing at least a few really solid riffs to keep me entertained. The clear highlight is the chunky “Jumping At Shadows” which stands out amongst the tracklisting as the only competitor for the tier two competition. The rest of the album sits at a consistent tier three death metal standard & finishes up with a more than acceptable cover version of Swiss thrash legends Celtic Frost’s classic 1994 anthem “Return To The Eve” which clearly showcases the influence that Frost had on the band as it suits the Benediction sound very well.

I’ve certainly enjoyed my walk down memory lane with “The Grand Leveller” but it’s also clear as to why I haven’t returned to it earlier as it struggles to stand out from the pack so I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t cross paths again. There’s no doubt that it’s a stronger record than “Subconscious Terror” but I feel that Benediction’s best work was still to come as I remember their next couple of releases offering a bit more appeal than their sophomore record does.

3.5/5

Today's track is "Rolling Home Again" which I regard as being folk pop.

Also, I checked out Bang's 1972 sophomore album "Mother/Bow to the King" yesterday & didn't find even a second of metal. It's purely a hard rock record.

Suit yourself mate. Looks like it'll be decided in the Hall of Judgement then.

Today's track is "Rocking Man" which I regard as being hard rock.

Samael - "Worship Him" (1991)

Ben & I got onboard with Samael pretty early on in their recording career & always had their 1990's releases floating around our bedrooms as youngsters. 1994's classic "Ceremony of Opposites" album was the biggest player but I've always felt that their earlier works are far too often overlooked, particularly their 1991 debut album "Worship Him" which was recorded as early as March 1990 but presents a sound that is not too dissimilar to the one the Norwegians used to change the metal world a couple of years later. In fact, I'd be very surprised if a young Fenriz was not all over "Worship Him" as Samael had already presented most of the concepts we'd fall in love with on Darkthrone's "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" here, although they're admittedly not executed quite as well as the more classic second wave releases.

"Worship Him" sees Samael combining the influences of "In The Sign Of The Black Mark"-era Bathory with the first couple of Celtic Frost records for a highly compelling result that is the very epitome of early black metal. The riff structures are intentionally kept very simple with the tempos largely sitting in the slow-to-mid range which allows Samael to maximize the impact of some pretty catchy song-writing. The tracklisting is very consistent with no weak tracks included while the lengthier, doomier tracks like the title track & "Into The Pentagram" showcase Samael's early sound best. The short "Rite of Cthulhu", neoclassical darkwave piece "Last Benediction" & closing instrumental "The Dark" are also very solid inclusions but there aren't really any total classics here which is no doubt why we're don't see Samael being spoken of in similar terms to the Darkthrone's or Burzum's. There's more than enough depth & atmosphere to make "Worship Him" an essential purchase for early black metal fans though in my opinion. It reminds me a fair bit of the early Greek bands (see Rotting Christ, Varathron) in its uncomplicated, uncluttered approach actually & I love the grim vocals of guitarist Vorphalack. "Worship Him" comes highly recommended from this old extreme metalhead.

4/5

Earth - "Extra-Capsular Extraction" E.P. (1991)

The debut release from Washington's Earth was my introduction to the drone metal sound & it came about upon my return to metal back in 2009. I'd decided to explore all of the subgenres that had become popular since my exodus had begun with drone metal being one of those that I found the most appeal in. "Extra-Capsular Extraction" is also one of those unique releases where a ground-breaking artist not only comes up with an entirely original take on metal but also absolutely nails it on the first attempt so it's no surprise that Earth's early works are spoken of in such high regard even today.

"Extra-Capsular Extraction" is a three-track, 32 minute effort that includes just the two ideas. The first ("A Bureaucratic Desire for Revenge") is broken into two parts which, when combined, amount to a fourteen-minute dirge that reminds me of early Godflesh with its minimalistic (& presumably programmed) drums only being used to colour & keep time while the guitars of band leader Dylan Carlson lure you into a trance-inducing darkness through sheer patience & repetition. The bass guitar is simply there to create a continuous bottom end hum for Dylan to work over. I have no doubt that the early Celtic Frost releases were an influence here as you can easily pick up elements of Tom G. Warrior's tone in the simplicity of the very few riffs employed, each stretched out for what seems like an eternity. It was certainly a solid way to start to Earth's recording career but the real gold here is the 18-minute "Ouroboros Is Broken" which is quite simply one of the most devastating pieces of music I've ever experienced. And I do say "experienced" because it's not the sort of thing you just "listen" to. It lures you in, changes your entire physical being & completely engulfs you in what would have to be one of the most powerful, triumphant & genuinely evil atmospheres I've ever been so lucky to stumble across. The subtle use of keyboards is perfectly executed to ensure that the listener's attention remains resolute, even at the most extreme end of repetitive self-indulgence. It's the ever-changing effect of a super-loud distorted guitar playing a wonderfully Black Sabbathian riff & milking it for all it's worth while it's tone is continuously feeding back & degrading naturally that appeals to this old axeslinger. It represents the purest example of guitar worship you'll ever encounter & it's this piece that essentially summarizes what every drone metal band that's existed since has been so desperately trying to emulate. I can't say that too many have achieved it either in all honesty.

"Ouroboros Is Broken" was a total game-changer for me personally & saw me very quickly exploring the remainder of Earth's back catalogue. There's definitely some gold there too but I don't think I've found anything to match this initial assault on the senses so "Extra-Capsular Extraction" should be essential listening for any Sunn O))), Boris or Melvins disciple. You even get Nirvana mastermind Kurt Cobain (Dylan's best mate & drug buddy) contributing some vocals for good measure which only adds to the novelty.

4.5/5

Here's my adjusted Top Ten Drone Metal Releases of All Time list with "Extra-Capsular Extraction" moving up five places to number five:

01. Sunn O))) – “Black One” (2005)

02. Boris – “Boris At Last -Feedbacker-“ (2003)

03. Jesu – “Jesu” (2004)

04. Monarch! – “Omen” (2012)

05. Earth – “Extra-Capsular Extraction” E.P. (1991)

06. Neptunian Maximalism – “Eons” (2020)

07. Boris with Merzbow – “Rock Dream” (2007)

08. Earth - "Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version" (1993)

09. Sunn O))) - "Monoliths & Dimensions" (2009)

10. Corrupted – “Llenandose de gusanos” (1999)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/137

We're kicking off an new album today in Budgie's 1972 sophomore record "Squawk" with the first track being "Whiskey River" which I regard as being hard rock.

That one seems to me to be hard rock/heavy metal, not just a hard rock song.

That puts me at 3 out of 8, which I guess is ambiguous enough to go either way.

I believe it was "Lions, Christians", "Future Shock" & "Redman" that you thought were metal, was it not Morpheus? If so then that accounts for 39% of the total run time. By the 40% minimum requirement I laid out at the start of this exercise that would see "Bang" not qualifying as metal.

Here's my brand new Top Ten Funk Metal Releases of All Time list. As usual, I'm using the Metal Academy genre tags to judge qualification.

01. Faith No More - "The Real Thing" (1989)

02. Primus - "Frizzle Fry" (1990)

03. Faith No More - "Introduce Yourself" (1987)

04. Primus - "Sailing The Seas Of Cheese" (1991)

05. Scatterbrain - "Here Comes Trouble" (1990)

06. Living Colour - "Time's Up" (1990)

07. Mordred - "In This Life" (1991)

08. Infectious Grooves - "The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move... It's the Infectious Grooves" (1991)

09. Living Colour - "Vivid" (1988)

10. Ugly Kid Joe - "As Ugly As You Wanna Be" E.P. (1991)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/265

The Guardians members, I encourage you to submit your vote on the legitimacy of Bang’s metal claims at the below-linked Hall of Judgement entry:

https://metal.academy/hall/105

Much appreciated Sonny. Feeling very honored that you would invest your hard-earned money in our little release. Wait till you see the band photos on the inside cover. :)

Cancer - "Death Shall Rise" (1991)

I picked this English death metal record up through a mate shortly after release & gave it a fair bit of attention over the next couple of years, likely due to the involvement of one of my favourite guitarists in James Murphy (Death/Hallows Eve/Disincarnate/Konkhra/Obituary/Testament). Cancer's sophomore record offers a very simple, mid-paced, meat-&-potatoes brand of old-school death metal that seems purposely built around the Florida mould with Massacre, Obituary & particularly "Leprosy"-era Death all being decent comparisons. It was even recorded at Morrisound Studios with Scott Burns but it's not as engaging as the classic works of its clear influences. Despite not containing any weak tracks per se, "Death Shall Rise" does tend to sound a little lethargic at times, particularly during the B side after the A side got my hopes up by kicking off with the three clear album highlights. Some of that may be due to the limited capabilities of drummer Carl Stokes (Unseen Terror/Venomous Contempt) who struggles to create consistent energy but even Murphy's lead solos sound a little repetitive & lacking in ambition at times. There are some great riffs included, even if they are a little basic. I also really enjoy the highly intelligible vocal delivery of front man John Walker so "Death Shall Rise" isn't a bad record but it's not one that I've found myself returning to all that often over the years either. I'd suggest that it was probably as good as Cancer got though.

3.5/5

Yep. They'll be kicking off in January as usual.