Daniel's Forum Replies
Temple of the Dog - "Temple of the Dog" (1991)
I still give his old grunge record a spin every now & then & it's held up really well. I first discovered Temple of the Dog through album highlight "Hunger Strike" shortly after release but my interest in the group was expanded upon significantly during my first real relationship in 1993/94 as my ex-girlfriend was a grunge fanatic. Temple of the Dog was somewhat of a super-group comprised of members of Soundgarden, Audioslave, Green River, Mad Season, Pearl Jam, Skin Yard, Queens of the Stone Age, etc. so it was always going to amount to something high-quality, particularly given it was fronted by Chris Cornell i.e. my all-time favourite make vocalist. Other than the incredible "Hunger Strike" (which features a stunning collaboration between Cornell & Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder), I don't think that there are any other genuine classics here though & the quality level does dip a touch through tracks 7-9. Still... I really enjoy "Temple of the Dog" & think it makes for a worthy tribute to the late Andrew Wood (the former Mother Love Bone front man who died of a heroin overdose the previous year). If you ever wondered what it would have sounded like if Chris Cornell sung for Pearl Jam then here's your chance to find out because it sounds very much like that.
In terms of the early grunge movement, I'd place "Temple of the Dog" touch behind Soundgarden's "Louder Than Love" & Nirvana's "Bleach" but comfortably ahead of Mudhoney's "Superfuzz Bigmuff".
For fans of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden & Mother Love Bone.
4/5
No one gonna mention the likes of Dissection, Dismember, Edge of Sanity, Entombed, Cult of Luna, At the Gates or Tiamat then?
Cryptopsy - "An Insatiable Violence" (2025)
If I put some thought into it, I'd suggest that I might find that the ninth full-length from this Canadian extreme metal establishment has been my most listened to release of 2025. I was really looking forward to it after unexpectedly finding Cryptopsy's last album "As Gomorrah Burns" to be Cryptopsy's finest work to date & I've been very pleased to discover that "An Insatiable Violence" delivers more of the same i.e. a slickly produced modern brutal death metal sound that may not offer anything terribly new but definitely ticks all of the required boxes. Despite what most people seem to think, this isn't a tech death outing but that doesn't stop the instrumentalists from pushing themselves as far as humanly possible. Flo Mounier's drumming is, of course, the focal point & my feelings on him remain unchanged i.e. he's a classy & creative drummer who has a slightly annoying problem with keeping his kick drums in time with his gravity blasts which has remained a thorn in his side since the earliest Cryptopsy recordings from the early 1990's. Most fans seem to be completely oblivious to this flaw & claim Flo as one of extreme metal's best skinsmen but good luck to them. I dunno where people are picking up a deathcore component in this material either because it's simply not there. There aren't any genuine classics here but the general quality of the song-writing & performances is high enough for "An Insatiable Violence" to receive an easy four-star rating. I don't think it quite manages to topple its predecessor as my favourite Cryptopsy record though.
For fans of Suffocation, Gorguts & Lykathea Aflame.
4/5
"Blood Fire Death" & "Under the Sign of the Black Mark" are my favourite Swedish metal records & I also regard "Hammerheart" as a genuine classic so Bathory are my pick. I've worshipped Quorthon for three & a half decades now & the output from the first half of his recording career has lost none of its potency or influence over time.
OK, I've just verified that those clan challenges were successfully completed Rex. Congratulations as we all know what an enormous undertaking it is to complete four challenges. Ben will add you to The North shortly. It's not as simple as simply adding the clan to your profile as we need all of your previous The North ratings to be included in the Clan Ratings now that you'll be a part of the clan so it's a bit fiddly & requires nerd status to achieve without fucking everything up. Thankfully, I have one such nerd in the family.
Colin Newman - "A-Z" (1980)
The debut solo album from Wire/Githead frontman Newman which offers a diverse array of dark & creative post-punk. While there is some high-quality material to be found here though, the tracklisting is noticeably jerky & inconsistent & doesn't include anything that I'd suggest reaches classic status so I've struggled a little bit with this one.
For fans of Wire, Cocteau Twins & Siouxsie & the Banshees.
3/5
I'm comfortable that you've completed the 2nd decade Black Metal challenge Rex. Which challenges did you complete for your existing clans so that I can check those off too?
I do but I feel that comparing the opinions of yourself & our other regular contributors to those of the wider RYM community is like a winemaker arguing over the quality of fine wine with a teenage Passion Pop devotee if I'm being completely honest.
Slipknot - "We Are Not Your Kind" (2019)
Yet again I find myself enjoying a Slipknot record without ever feeling like it'll be something that I'll return to in the future. In fact, I've scored all five of the Slipknot albums I've rated a respectable 3.5 stars but I can never seem to quite make the leap over to my more desirable scores. I will suggest that "We Are Not Your Kind" is one of the more underrated of the Iowa alternative metal legends' back catalogue though as I place it behind only 2001's "Iowa" in my Slipknot pecking order. It's a much more diverse record that sees the band flexing their creative muscles more than I can remember them doing in the past. There are a few dud tracks amongst the fourteen on offer but the majority of this release is really pretty decent.
For fans of Mushroomhead, Code Orange & Korn.
3.5/5
My own top ten black metal releases:
01. Burzum - "Filosofem" (1996)
02. Deathspell Omega - "Kenose" E.P. (2005)
03. Akhlys - "The Dreaming I" (2015)
04. Darkthrone - "Transilvanian Hunger" (1994)
05. Oranssi Pazuzu - "Mestarin kynsi" (2020)
06. Burzum - "Hvis lyset tar oss" (1994)
07. Oranssi Pazuzu - "Värähtelijä" (2016)
08. Wolves in the Throne Room - "Two Hunters" (2007)
09. Bathory - "Blood Fire Death" (1988)
10. Mayhem - "De Mysteriis dom Sathanas" (1994)
What did we ever do to you?!!
Well, the English management & ex-players said that we are the worst Australian team in the last fifteen years & that you have the best English team of that period & that you were gonna dominate us with your "Bazball" philosophy on our home turf, totally disregarding the fact that (outside of one uncharacteristic loss to South Africa in the World Test Championship final) Australian is still clearly the best Test side in the world . That's enough to motivate anyone, let alone an Australian team who has developed a culture of winning at all costs over many decades. The English media have made it so much easier for us as usual though, pouncing on the first sign of weakness to ensure that any self-belief that England may have had coming into the series is totally eviscerated.
My Detroit Pistons & Sydney Kings had huge wins over the weekend too so I'm feeling particularly good going into the final two work days of the calendar year.
Glenn Branca - "The Ascension" (1981)
I didn't like Branca's 1980 "Lesson No. 1" E.P. much but this debut full-length is excellent, both highly creative & experimental yet still aesthetically pleasing. Sure, it's use of dissonance can be a factor for some listeners but there can be no doubt about the influence that Glenn had on the music scene that was to come. You'll be able to pick up clear examples of where some of the most celebrated artists in musical history have borrowed (at best) from "The Ascension", from Primus to Sonic Youth to Swans to Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Hell, the closing title track is pretty much the blueprint for the entire post-rock movement! This is a highly rewarding musical experience if you can handle the more cerebral approach to experimental noise rock.
For fans of Sonic Youth, Swans & This Heat.
4/5
I've mentioned that I can't even get behind Filosofem the way I used to. I might as well post that review on the Atmo Black thread if I haven't done so already. It IS Filosofem.
"Filosofem" is my second favourite metal album of all time. Every second of it is perfect as far as I'm concerned.
Oh, I see my mistake now. Sorry. I read it differently.
My wife is on the mend now & I should be back at work tomorrow. She's had a really tough run though.
On the positive, I was surprised with a two-day visit to the Hunter Valley wine region on the way down to Sydney to see family to celebrate my 50th birthday last week. All of my Sydney & Newcastle based friends (including Ben & his wife) showed up & we had a brilliant couple of days, highlighted by a spectacular lunch at the legendary Bistro Molines. Then we continued down to Sydney where we stayed for five or six days. Just got back late yesterday to prepare for a brief two-day work stint before the Xmas break.
Really fucking pumped to watch the Aussies demolish the Poms in the remainder of the Third Ashes Test this morning. Enormously gratifying.
I watching a light-weight American Xmas movie called "My Secret Santa" last night & it was exactly as predictable & dull as I expected it to be.
I just finished 1985's first book in this highly praised sci-fi series & really fucking enjoyed it. In fact, I've actually taken away some learnings that I'll draw upon as a leader at work which was a lovely surprise. Great stuff & I'm really looking forward to tackling the next novel in the series.
I'm a big fan of "Dead as Dreams" although I do find it to be a touch overrated by the Americans as I don't think it's quite as classic as it's often made out to be. It's certainly a very solid & highly enjoyable black metal record though. I've not too sure it should qualify as ABM. It's always seemed closer to conventional black metal to my ears. 4/5
This one is already tagged under Groove Metal exclusively Andi. Did you mean to have it added to The Revolution & got your words back the front?
I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.
I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.
https://metal.academy/hall/619
For the record, I don't recall much of a folk metal feel to this one so I'm voting NO on this occasion.
I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.
I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi as it's clearly required in my opinion.
Andi, I've passed "Ravenheart" uncontested & have created a Hall entry for "Salomé: The Seventh Veil":
I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.
I've passed these two nominations uncontested Andi.
I really struggle with "Arntor", as well as Windir's next couple of albums to be honest. I guess I'm simply not the intended audience for these guys.
I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.
I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.
I've passed these two nominations uncontested Andi.
I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.
I've just added these three nominations Andi:
https://metal.academy/hall/601
https://metal.academy/hall/602
https://metal.academy/hall/603
For the record, I'm well across "Parallel Minds" & I don't think there's enough Power Metal there to command a second primary genre tag.
Andi, I've passed the first nomination & added the second to the Hall of Judgement.
Cruciform - "Paradox" demo (1995)
This relatively unknown two-song demo tape is a real treat for underground doom/death fans & is, in fact, one of my all-time favourite releases from the genre overall. Cruciform were arguably the best extreme metal band in Sydney when I first started playing gigs with Neuropath around 1993 & I very quickly found myself idolizing them while becoming friends with their guitarist Leon Kelly who worked at my local record store. They definitely influenced me in a number of ways over the next four or five years & also played a role in my eventual defection from Neuropath to western Sydney doom/death outfit Elysium in 1997. Their 1993 "Atavism" E.P. was pretty decent but it's this wonderful cassette that best showcases the creative potential that Cruciform offered, eventually resulting in them receiving attention from overseas labels like Earache Records. Unfortunately, they split up just when they were on the cusp of taking the next level though. Although the production & performances on "Paradox" aren't perfect, the song-writing is brilliant with second track "Gutter" sitting amongst my favourite doom/death tracks off all time. See what you think.
For fans of Hearse, Sorrow & Delerium.
4.5/5
This one might fit the criteria Rex:
Dornenreich - “Her von welken Nächten” (2001)