Daniel's Forum Replies
Rex, I just noticed that it's also your turn to nominate The Pit feature release. Can you please get one in today?
Saxy, I haven't received your The Gateway nomination either.
December 2023
01. Death – “Flesh & The Power It Holds” (from “The Sound Of Perseverance”, 1998) [Submitted by Daniel]
02. Morbid Angel – “Invocation of the Continual One” (from “Formulas Fatal To The Flesh”, 1998) [Submitted by Sonny]
03. A Carnorous Quintet – “Naked With Open Eyes” (from Silence of the World Beyond”, 1996)
04. Gates of Ishtar – “A Bloodred Path” (from “A Bloodred Path”, 1996)
05. Darkthrone – “Land Of Frost” (from “Land Of Frost” demo, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]
06. Universally Estranged – “Corrupted Mind Palace” (from “Dimension of Deviant Clusters”, 2022) [Submitted by UnhinderbyTalent]
07. Theory in Practice – “Inexplicable Nature” (from “Third Eye Function”, 1997)
08. Nihilist – “Supposed To Rot” (from “Premature Autopsy” demo, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]
09. Dismember – “Override of the Overture” (from “Like An Everflowing Stream”, 1991) [Submitted by UnhinderbyTalent]
10. Devenial Verdict – “Ash Blind” (from “Ash Blind”, 2022) [Submitted by UnhinderbyTalent]
11. Arch Enemy – “Bury Me An Angel” (from “Black Earth”, 1996)
12. Xecutioner – “Find The Arise” (from “1986 Demo” demo, 1986) [Submitted by Daniel]
13. Nasum – “No Sign of Improvement” (from “Inhale/Exhale”, 1998) [Submitted by Sonny]
14. Yatra – “Terminate By The Sword” (from “Born Into Chaos”, 2022) [Submitted by UnhinderbyTalent]
15. Dehumanized – “Drawn By Blood” (from “Prophecies Foretold”, 1998) [Submitted by Sonny]
16. Tenebro – “Carne umana” (from “Carne umana”, 2022) [Submitted by UnhinderbyTalent]
17. Wharflurch – “Phantasmagorical Fumes” (from “Psychedelic Realms ov Hell”, 2021) [Submitted by UnhinderbyTalent]
18. Neuraxis – “Lid To Your Soul” (from “Imagery”, 1997)
19. Immolation – “No Jesus, No Beast” (from “Failure For Gods”, 1998) [Submitted by Sonny]
20. Sarcofago – “Satanic Lust (Instrumental)” (from “Die… Hard!!!”, 2015) [Submitted by Daniel]
21. Imperial Triumphant – “Black Psychedelia” (from “Abyssal Gods”, 2015)
22. Runemagick – “The Supreme Force” (from “The Supreme Force of Eternity”, 1998) [Submitted by Sonny]
23. Napalm Death – “Rise Above” (from “Mentally Murdered” E.P., 1989) [Submitted by Daniel]
24. Exhumed – “Trapped Under Ice” (from “Garbage Daze Re-Regurgitated”, 2005)
25. Neuropath – “Incantations of Decrepit Nihilism” (from “Desert of Excruciation” demo, 1995) [Submitted by Daniel]
26. Agoraphobic Nosebleed – “Cloved in Twain” (from “Honky Reduction”, 1998) [Submitted by Sonny]
27. Parasitic Ejaculation – “Slow Torture Puke Chamber” (from “Rationing The Sacred Human Remains”, 2013)
28. Traumatomy – “Disintegration in Suffering” (from “Transcendental Evisceration of Necrogenetic Beasts”, 2013)
Burzum - "Reh/Demo 91" demo (1991)
Another early Burzum demo tape I picked up through the tape trading scene after falling in love with Varg's first couple of proper releases during the first part of the 1990's. "Reh/Demo 91" is once again a purely instrumental release, this time featuring an extremely inconsistent tracklisting as far as sound quality goes. There's more up-tempo traditional black metal here than on the self-titled 1991 demo tape too with the more atmospheric stuff being relegated to a supporting role but the end result is pretty similar in terms of overall quality. The first five tracks are virtually destroyed by a terrible (read: non-existent) production job but there are a number of more than decent inclusions amongst the remaining seven pieces, mainly due to the improved recording techniques. Interestingly, there are a couple of genuine doom metal tracks here that fans might not be familiar with & they show you a different side to Varg as an artist. Still... this is hardly an essential release with the first half being pretty tough going to say the least. If pushed I’d probably take the first Burzum demo over this one by the barest of margins. The strange, out-of-time metronome sound in the background of some of the tracks certainly doesn’t help it’s cause though. For Burzum completists only.
2.5/5
Here's my newly developed Top Ten Metal Releases of 1990 list. I've included Ministry's "In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (Live)" at number ten in the actual list as the Cathedral demo isn't available on Metal Academy.
01. Deicide - "Deicide"
02. Slayer - "Seasons In The Abyss"
03. Judas Priest - "Painkiller"
04. Winter - "Into Darkness"
05. Obituary - "Cause of Death"
06. Cathedral - "In Memoriam" demo
07. Bathory - "Hammerheart"
08. Kreator - "Coma of Souls"
09. Anthrax - "Persistence of Time"
10. Megadeth - "Rust in Peace"
Pretty sure most, if not all Deep Purple albums after this point are just hard rock. I know Rex said differently about Perfect Strangers, but that's no longer The Roots of Metal.
To be fair, I'd suggest that there's actually just as much metal on "Machine Head" than there is on "In Rock".
Today's track is " Slush Pan Man" which I regard as being stoner rock.
Also, I gave Thin Lizzy's 1972 sophomore album "Shades of a Blue Orphanage" a couple of listens yesterday. There's no metal there. It's a hard rock record in my opinion.
Burzum - "Burzum" demo (1991)
Varg's first demo tape is another one that I picked up at the same time his other demos during my tape trading days after becoming obsessed with Burzum's early albums. It's a crude three-song instrumental affair that sees him playing all of the instruments on material that would all be re-recorded for the first couple of proper full-lengths. The sound quality is terrible with the music being very soft & the tape hiss being significantly louder. "Lost Wisdom" sounds almost sickly in this format while "Spell of Destruction" is similarly pedestrian. It's only really the dungeon synth piece "Channeling...." that's of interest here as the lack of production seems to almost suit it. In saying that, I'm gonna go out on a limb by claiming that this demo may be the earliest atmospheric black metal release that I've encountered. The subgenre is generally thought to have kicked off a couple of years later in 1993 but these three tracks seem to fit the bill for me. It's a shame that "Burzum" is such an uninspiring listen though, despite the material covered becoming so significant over time.
2.5/5
Grotesque - "Incantation" E.P. (1990)
I think fair to say that the sole release from Gothenburg death metallers Grotesque set the underground tape trading scene alight back in the early-to-mid 1990's & it was that buzz that saw me picking up on the "Incantation" E.P. at the time. I was involved with an Aussie trader that was utterly obsessed with the Swedish death metal scene & he virtually insisted that I get onboard records like this one, although I think it's fair to say that I was usually not as convinced as he was given my stronger penchant for Florida. Grotesque certainly had their moments though & there's no doubt that they were onto something when you take the first three tracks of this E.P. in isolation. There's a grimy, down-tuned layer of filth caked on this stuff that will no doubt appeal to the Autopsy/Incantation crowd only the vocals of future At The Gates/Lock Up/The Lurking Fear front man Tomas Lindberg have a psychotic blackened edge to them that gives Grotesque a unique personality. He really does sound very different to the raspy melodeath tone he'd make a name for himself with several years later & I wouldn't have recognised him had I not already known of his involvement. Strangely though, the last two tracks see the band going in a completely different & nowhere near as compelling direction, this time opting for a blackened thrash sound in a more traditional tuning that sounds much more dime-a-dozen than the earlier material. It's a really unusual change-up & I wasn't surprised to learn that the two sounds were recorded in different sessions with almost a year between them. I can't help but think that the band would have been better off releasing these two sessions separately as they sound so out of sync when packaged together. Still... there's easily enough quality in the later death metal material to justify giving "Incantation" a few spins.
3.5/5
Nocturnus - "The Key" (1990)
The debut album from this Florida tech death outfit was a really big record for Ben & I back in the day after I picked it up on cassette shortly after release. I was absolutely blown away by the lead guitar wizardry while the unique use of keyboards & sci-fi- themes was also a major drawcard. I've been wondering whether I'd appreciate it as much in modern days though so I was a little hesitant going into my first revisit in many years. That hesitation proved to have some merit too because there's no doubt that some parts of the album sound less complete than others.
"The Key" opens in stunning fashion with the first three cuts all being genuine death metal classics in their own right, particularly "Standing In Blood" which is an all-timer for me. There's definitely a bit of a dip in quality after that though, even though there's nothing I'd say is weak as such. "Neolithic" & "Undead Journey" see me labelling the middle of the album as merely decent before things pick up in the back end with closer "Empire Of The Sands" being another wonderful representation of the Nocturnus sound.
I absolutely adore the super-shreddy lead guitar tone of Mike Davis & Sean McNenney. It's about as metal as it gets really. The keyboards can get a touch overblown during that middle section but most of the time they tend to stay away from anything too cheesy. Band leader Mike Browning is the clear weak point though, particularly his vocals but also his drumming to a lesser extent. Nocturnus' music is meant to be ridiculously over the top & some of Browning's beats feel a little underwhelming if I'm being completely honest. Still... there's no doubt that "The Key" is a very strong record that borders on my higher scores. You can hear Browning's former band Morbid Angel in not only the vocals & drums but also some of the riff structures. There's a similarly thrashy influence to the "Abominations of Desolation" album too only in the context of a much more overtly technical outlook with some of the riffs essentially being light-speed dual-guitar lead solos. It's amazing how Florida was coming up with so many forward-thinking & talented death metal bands at the time with Nocturnus standing toe to toe with artists like Death & Atheist. "The Key" doesn't seem out of place next to that company either although I'd suggest that, unlike those two acts that went on to greater things, Nocturnus peaked early &, as a result, are probably better suited to being a leader amongst the second tier of the Florida death metal hierarchy.
4/5
How about " Got a Bone of My Own"? I've got it down as progressive rock/heavy psych.
Also, I revisited Deep Purple's 1972 "Machine Head" album yesterday & generally found it to be a hard/blues rock record although there are two clear heavy metal tracks included in "Highway Star" & "Pictures of Home". Anyone feel otherwise & want it included here?
I'd say hard/prog rock. Kind of hard to just be prog rock when the track is under 3 minutes IMHO.
That's a myth in my opinion. Progressive music doesn't have to be lengthy as far as I can see. It's a sound. Not a duration.
Today's track is "Crazy Woman" which I've tagged as being hard rock.
Nirvana 2002 - "Disembodied Spirits" demo (1990)
A three-track demo tape I picked up in my early tape trading days. Nirvana 2002 were a three-piece band that played a role in the early Swedish death metal scene with this demo going onto almost legendary status in the underground scene at the time. The band were built around vocalist/guitarist Orvar Säfström who was only 16 at the time of this recording. Nirvana 2002's sound is quintessentially Swedish with a filthy guitar tone that's not quite as distorted as many of the other Swedish bands. Säfström's vocals have a bit of a blackened edge to them too although the most obvious comparisons still point firmly at Entombed/Nihilist, Dismember & Carnage. All three tracks are pretty good but I don't think there's anything particularly essential amongst them.
3.5/5
please add the 90s Australian thrash metal band allegiance
Welcome to the Academy. You don’t happen to be a fellow Aussie, are you?
I checked out Scorpions’ 1972 debut album “Lonesome Crow” today & found that there’s no metal there whatsoever. In fact, there’s not even anything I’d tag as hard rock. It’s a psychedelic/progressive rock record in my opinion so I’m not planning on covering it here.
Forbidden - "Twisted Into Form" (1990)
I was first introduced to Bay Area thrashers Forbidden through their very solid 1988 debut album "Forbidden Evil", a record that I really enjoyed due to its combination of raw intensity of general professionalism. The experience would see me quickly investigating their follow-up album "Twisted Into Form" (which was their brand newie at the time) & I recall my feelings being just impressed. This revisit has only further accentuated those memories & has forced me to realise that I perhaps haven't given Forbidden as much attention as they deserve over the years.
"Twisted Into Form" saw Forbidden dropping a little of that raw intensity I mentioned in exchange for a touch more melody, clarity & creativity. It's a beautifully executed & produced record from a band that was clearly very talented at their chosen craft & time has been very kind to it as it doesn't sound dated in the slightest. What we have here is a very pure brand of Bay Area thrash metal with a touch of technicality that never loses sight of the ultimate goal i.e. mosh pit shenanigans. There are no weak tracks included with the most commercially accessible track & video clip "Step By Step" being the only song that hints at filler. As with any great album, there are also a couple of real belters here too in the driving thrasher "Out of Body" & the classic tech thrash masterpiece "Tossed Away" which I regard as being possibly Forbidden's career highlight. The thing that sees "Twisted Into Form" slightly surpassing its elder sibling "Forbidden Evil" though is its general consistency as I think Forbidden have raised the bar a touch from their debut &, in doing so, have created their best work.
Forbidden are often compared to fellow Bay Area thrashers Testament & that's a fair comparison but, unlike most thrashers, I'd suggest that they're fairly close in terms of their general standard. Forbidden have the upper hand in the vocal department as Russ Anderson has a wonderfully masculine & powerful set of pipes on him & also manages to cope with the more melodic stuff better than Chuck Billy ever could. Forbidden also have a big advantage in the drumming department with future Slayer/Exodus/Testament skinsman Paul Bostaph smashing Louie Clemente out of the park. Testament of course have an ace up their sleeve in lead guitarist Alex Skolnick but Craig Locicero & Tim Calvert (who would join Nevermore in the future) are no slouches & pull off some very flashy lead solos with relative ease here. You know what? I'd actually suggest that "Twisted Into Form" is a better record than anything Testament have come up with over the years which I know is a big call. It should be compulsary listening for any thrasher worth their salt in my opinion & has emphatically cemented Forbidden's credentials as a high quality second tier thrash player.
4/5
OK, let's kick off our investigation of Night Sun's sole 1972 album "Mournin'" with opening track "Plastic Shotgun", at track that I consider to be progressive rock.
Check the slow section in the middle of Metallica's "The Four Horsemen" & compare it to the main riff in Lynard Skynard's "Sweet Home Alabama". It's definitely not a coincidence in this case. Apparently Dave Mustaine got bored while rehearsing the song & suggested that they should cover "Sweet Home Alabama" instead. Once they started mucking around with it Lars suggested that they incorporate some of it into the middle of "The Mechanics" (which later became "The Four Horsemen") as they were looking to place a slower section in the middle to break it up a bit. The rest is history.
Yeah, I’m going with coincidence on that one.
Oh sorry. I missed that. Night Sun it is then.
Congratulations Shezma. I'm sure you'll find The 1st Era The Guardians challenge to be genuinely rewarding.
And finally... "Into The Void". Whatchya got for this one? I've once again got it down as stoner metal which has led me to the same realization as I've come to with both of Black Sabbath's previous records i.e. "Master of Reality" would essentially be tagged as a stoner metal release if it was released today. It's also the most metal release to the time with almost two thirds of its run time sitting in metal realms.
Tomorrow we'll be starting a new release with the self-titled Bang debut slated to be next in line unless Morpheus would like us to do the Night Sun record. Let me know ASAP mate.
This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
Deicide - "Deicide" (1990)
Of all the life-changing musical experiences I can remember from my youth, my first listen to the self-titled debut album from notoriously Satanic Florida death metaller Deicide would be right up there with the most significant. You see, not only was it one of the earlier death metal records to fully capture my thrash-obsessed mind after I'd only recently been converted to the genre the previous year but it was arguably the most downright scary & imposing piece of music I'd ever heard to the time or likely have since to tell you the truth. It's my honest opinion that "Deicide" presents the most accurate musical depiction of Hell that you'll find in this God-forsaken world & not only it left me feeling exhilarated but it also caused me to feel slightly shaken as well. Front man Glen Benton's vocals are utterly monstrous & as angry & aggressive as any in the scene, Steve Asheim's double kick work is relentlessly driving & pummeling, the guitar solos of the Hoffmann brothers are wildly over-the-top & face-meltingly shredtastic & the lyrical content is as blatant & in your face as a day out at Charles Manson's place. Throw in some wonderful production ideas from Morrisound Studios main man Scott Burns & you have pretty much the perfect death metal record in my opinion.
I've actually been a little frightened by the prospect of rating "Deicide" in the modern day, mainly because I simply couldn't bare to find that my childhood illusions weren't all they were cracked up to be. I needn't have worried though because this album is a succession of one gold tune after another. There's nothing that comes close to seeing the intensity drop with the chuggier "Oblivious To Evil" perhaps being a touch less impressive than the remainder of the album which is made of wall to wall classics. "Sacrifical Suicide"... "Dead By Dawn"... "Blaspherereion"... "Deicide"... Day Of Darkness"... "Crucifixation"... They're all here in all their blasphemous glory but it's the utter devastation of "Carnage In The Temple Of The Damned" that takes the cake for mine & it still sits at the absolute pinnacle of the genre more than three decades later. "Deicide" isn't just essential listening for all death metal fans. It's a right of passage & one of the foundations that the genre is built upon. I only dish out full marks a couple of times per year at most but it was a very easy call with a record of this caliber.
5/5
After that delightfully evil walk down memory lane I've been forced to adjust the order of my Top Ten Conventional Death Metal Releases of All Time list a little in order to bring "Deicide" up to where it should rightfully sit. This is how it looks now:
01. Morbid Angel - "Altars of Madness" (1989)
02. Death - "HUman" (1991)
03. Immolation - "Close To A World Below" (2000)
04. Deicide - "Deicide" (1990)
05. Dragged Into Sunlight - "Hatred For Mankind" (2009)
06. Carcass - "Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious" (1991)
07. Dead Congregation - "Promulgation of the Fall" (2014)
08. Morbid Angel - "Blessed Are The Sick" (1991)
09. The Amenta - "Flesh Is Heir" (2013)
10. Morbid Angel - "Covenant" (1993)
I've also moved "Deicide" into my profile Top 20 at number 20 at the expense of Rosetta's "The Galilean Satellites" & moved it up from number 35 to number 20 in my Top 100 Metal Releases of All Time list.
Interesting. I’ve never liked any of the Running Wild releases I’ve investigated previously but I have “Blazen Stone” on my playlist for the coming weeks so we’ll see how I go.
Sacrifice - "Soldiers of Misfortune" (1990)
My relationship with Canadian thrash metal outfit Sacrifice began in very strong fashion when I discovered their 1987 "Forward to Termination" back in the late 80's/early 90's & I quickly headed back to their 1986 debut album "Torment in Fire" which I also loved. Both possessed an excitingly raw & energetic brand of thrash that offered significant appeal for me when I was still very much in the middle of my thrash metal heyday. 1990's "Soldiers of Misfortune" third album wasn't quite as successful in its quest to embed itself into regular rotation on my early 90's playlist though for one reason or another. It's certainly a professionally produced & executed thrash record but it sounds a little less exciting than its predecessors, perhaps losing some of its steam in the quest for a more mature & refined sound. I still love the snarly vocals of front man Rob Urbinati but there a quite a few chuggy riffs that I consider to be a little bit flat & indicating that there may not have been enough time put into quality control with "Soldiers of Misfortune". The best tracks are when the band simply go for it like they do on the classic album highlight "A Storm In The Silence" but those moments are simply too scarce with the bulk of the record feeling decent & acceptable more than it does invigorating. The lengthy progressive metal piece that closes out the album "Truth (After the Rain)" is a prime example as there are plenty of ideas there but it doesn't a result in a truly compelling experience in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I do quite like "Soldiers of Misfortune" with only the lacklustre heavy metal number "Existence Within Eternity" failing to hit a par score but I do find the album to be a little disappointing after receiving such joy from Sacrifice's first two efforts.
3.5/5
Carnage - "Dark Recollections" (1990)
I was introduced to the sole full-length from Swedish death metal legends Carnage through late-night underground metal radio programs in the very early 1990's & quite enjoyed it without ever coming close to reaching the levels of adoration that many extreme metal fans seem to for it. But then I can say the same for Entombed's "Left Hand Path", Dismember's "Like An Ever Flowing Stream" & many of the other major landmarks in the Swedish death metal story because that particular sound doesn't appeal to me as much as the cleaner & more sophisticated US model. "Dark Recollections" is a pretty consistent record from four musicians that have all gone on to have long-term music careers in their own right but I can't say that there's anything here that I regard as being particularly classic. "Malignant Epitaph" has always been the one track that I struggle with & my favourite moments come at the extreme ends of the tracklisting through the opening title track & the doomy outro piece which highlights a sound that I would have liked to hear a little more of to be honest. The musicianship is fairly primitive but Carnage certainly hit on the classic Swedish HM-2 guitar tone & unsurprisingly sound a hell of a lot like Dismember. It's worth remembering that "Like An Ever Flowing Stream" hadn't seen the light of day as yet though so that can be forgiven, especially considering the presence of three of their members in the Carnage lineup. If you're a diehard fan of bands like Entombed & Grave then you'll no doubt love "Dark Recollections" too & it's somewhat of a feather in Carnage's caps that I consider it to be just as good as Entombed's 1990 classic "Left Hand Path". It's just that I don't return to either of them all that often.
3.5/5
What about "Solitude" then? I've got it down as psychedelic folk.
Hellwitch - "Syzygial Miscreancy" (1990)
I picked the debut album from this Florida technical death/thrash outfit up through tape trading back in the day & really enjoyed it at the time so I've returned to it quite often over the years. It sounds very much like a combination of the technical death metal of Death & Atheist & the tech thrash of Sadus & Аспид only with the additional of some brutally executed blast beats which can't be a bad thing. Neither can the fact that it was recorded at Morrisound Studios with Scott Burns. The vocals are particularly reminiscent of Chuck Schuldiner & the overall aesthetic sits more in the death metal camp than the thrash one. Love the frantic guitar solos which sound similar to Deicide's debut. An underappreciated gem.
Vinny, I'd suggest you get onto this one if you haven't already.
4/5
I've checked out Lucifer's Friend's 1972 "...Where the Groupies Killed the Blues" sophomore album this week & there's no metal on it whatsoever. It was a real change of direction for the band towards a full-on progressive rock sound in my opinion. Highly experimental stuff indeed.
My once again adjusted Top Ten Technical Thrash Metal Releases of All Time list after having revisited Hellwitch's debut this week with Аспид's “Кровоизлияние” being the unlucky one to slip out:
01. Coroner – “Mental Vortex” (1991)
02. Sadus - "Swallowed in Black" (1990)
03. Sadus – “A Vision Of Misery” (1992)
04. Coroner – “No More Color” (1989)
05. Hellwitch - "Syzygial Miscreancy" (1990)
06. Cryptic Shift – “Visitations From Enceladus” (2020)
07. Ripping Corpse - "Dreaming With The Dead" (1991)
08. Obliveon - "From This Day Forward" (1990)
09. Toxik – “World Circus” (1987)
10. Destruction - "Cracked Brain" (1990)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/173
Another early example of the traditional doom metal subgenre I've discovered through our "Roots of Metal" project. This time from a Peruvian heavy psych band.
How about "Lord of This World" then? I've got it down as stoner metal.
So you’d like to nominate the Night Sun recordfor investigation here then Morpheus?
Sadus - "Swallowed in Black" (1990)
I was thoroughly impressed with my first serving of Californian thrashers Sadus which came through their 1988 debut album "Illusions" back in the very late 1980's so their 1990 sophomore album was very much a no-brainer for me. It's a touch less intense & not as consistently fast as "Illusions" but it more than makes up for it with an increase in technicality & creativity which gives it a slight edge over "Illusions" for mine. It's a super-consistent record to tell you the truth & it's only let down a little by a muddy guitar tone. I absolutely love the gnarly vocal snarl of guitar-playing front man Darren Travis while bass guitar icon Steve DiGiorgio is in his usual form too. "Swallowed in Black" is a high quality tech thrash record of great potency & energy that should well & truly grab tech thrash fans by the balls.
4/5
Here's my updated Top Ten Technical Thrash Metal Releases of All Time List with Coroner' "Punishment For Decadence" being the unfortunate record to drop out:
01. Coroner – “Mental Vortex” (1991)
02. Sadus - "Swallowed in Black" (1990)
03. Sadus – “A Vision Of Misery” (1992)
04. Coroner – “No More Color” (1989)
05. Cryptic Shift – “Visitations From Enceladus” (2020)
06. Ripping Corpse - "Dreaming With The Dead" (1991)
07. Obliveon - "From This Day Forward" (1990)
08. Toxik – “World Circus” (1987)
09. Destruction - "Cracked Brain" (1990)
10. Аспид – “Кровоизлияние” (1993)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/173
How about "Orchid"? I've got this one down as contemporary folk.
I checked out the sole 1972 self-titled album from Peruvian outfit Tarkus this week & found that it's definitely not a metal record. There's only one track that's obviously metal with the release coming across as heavy psych overall.
How about "Children of the Grave" then? I'd say this is a pretty easy one for heavy metal.
Oliver Magnum - "Oliver Magnum" (1989)
The sole full-length from this Oklahoma US power metal outfit is a highly professional package from a very talented group of individuals who apparently recorded the record back in 1987 but couldn't get anyone to release it for a couple of years. The production & performances are excellent for the time & my only issues are some occasional vocal blemishes. I'd describe their sound as sitting somewhere between the US power metal of Lizzy Borden & Savage Grace & the more polished & proggy sound of Queensryche. It's not a bad album either but I can't say that I consider it to be essential listening.
3.5/5
Hard to say really. It's certainly similar though. I'm gonna so intentional.
Tyrant - "Too Late To Pray" (1987)
The sophomore album from this Californian outfit seems to have built up a pretty reasonable following these days & I've found that I have some time for it too. "Too Late To Pray" offers a chunky US power metal sound that's strong on traditional heavy metal with Mercyful Fate being the primary influence. The vocals are pretty poor if I'm being perfectly honest though which is almost enough to cancel out Tyrant's appeal but thankfully the raw production connects with me quite a bit & the record finishes in healthy fashion with a couple of the better tracks, particularly "Beginning Of The End" which is my clear highlight.
3.5/5
How about "Embryo"? Metal or not? I'd suggest that it's an English folk music interlude personally.
This thread is mostly just to journal my progress in my exploration
That’s what reviews are for Andi. No more personalized threads please as they do nothing to encourage sharing, communication & collaboration given that the only one that can contribute much is the author.
Also, whilst he denounces acts of violence and was never involved in murder or church burning, Ihsahn is also a self-proclaimed satanist.
Ihsahn was the goody two-shoes of the band too. Off the top of my head, I can recall at least three other Emperor members serving time for murder, assault &/or church-burning.
I have to ask if we really need dedicated threads for this type of thing too Andi. We already have dedicated threads for Symphonic Black Metal & Melodic Black Metal where this conversation would be better served in my opinion.
Napalm Death - "Harmony Corruption" (1990)
I picked the Birmingham grind godfathers third album up on cassette upon release after quite liking all of Napalm Death's previous material. They'd started to incorporate elements of death metal into their sound for 1989's "Mentally Murdered" E.P. but took those influences much further here. In fact, most people seem to agree that "Harmony Corruption" is a death metal release but I'm gonna have to question that theory. To my ears there's still easily enough grindcore in their sound for it to qualify as deathgrind. I'd actually suggest that it's a better example of the deathgrind subgenre than "Mentally Murdered" was because that record was basically grindcore with death metal vocals whereas "Harmony Corruption" sees them playing genuine death metal riffs mixed in with blasts of grindcore. The influence of bands like Death, Obituary & Deicide is really obvious.
I don't have too many issues with the infamous production job other than the strange pitch-shifted guitar solos & Barney's monstrous vocals are a definite improvement on Lee Dorian's efforts. There are some great moments across the album too, particularly when they go to the two extremes with chuggy half-time death metal sections & frantic blast-beat driven grindcore savagery. I do struggle a touch with the groovier hardcore riffs at times though so "Harmony Corruption" has never seemed like an essential release even if it was as good as anything Napalm Death had released to the time. These days I'd probably put it on par with 1988's "From Enslavement To Obliteration" sophomore album but would take the elder sibling if pushed.
3.5/5
Here's my updated Top Ten Deathgrind Releases of All Time list with Misery Index's "Heirs To Slavery" slipping out to make way for "Harmony Corruption":
01. Cattle Decapitation - "Monolith of Inhumanity" (2012)
02. Brutal Truth - "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" (1992)
03. Napalm Death - "Utopia Banished" (1992)
04. Napalm Death - "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. (1991)
05. Full of Hell - "Weeping Choirs" (2019)
06. Lock Up - "Necropolis Transparent" (2011)
07. Cephalic Carnage - "Misled by Certainty" (2010)
08. Damaged - "Passive Backseat Demon Engines" E.P. (1995)
08. Napalm Death - "Harmony Corruption" (1990)
10. Napalm Death - "Mentally Murdered" E.P. (1989)
How about "After Forever"? Metal or not? I'd suggest that it's far more borderline than some would have you believe. It certainly doesn't "feel" like metal a lot of the time with a hard rock guitar tone, swing drumming & the use of tambourine but the main riff is certainly a metal riff. I think I'm gonna go against the grain by saying hard rock for this one.
Rex, before you run away to your Movieforums thingy, can you please private message me your The Infinite feature release nomination for next month?
Sacred Reich - "The American Way" (1990)
My first experiences with Phoenix-based thrash metallers Sacred Reich came through late-night underground metal radio programs in the very late 1980's with both their 1987 debut album "Ignorance" & 1988 "Surf Nicaragua" E.P. offering me plenty of appeal & commanding further attention. The first Sacred Reich record I'd purchase though would be their 1990 sophomore album "The American Way". It'd come in the form of a cassette copy that Ben & I would give a good hard flogging over the next year or so. The highlight tracks had received plenty of radio play in the weeks leading up to the purchase so I was pretty pumped when we finally picked it up & in some ways this revisit has indicated that perhaps I let that excitement cloud my judgement a touch.
"The American Way" sees Sacred Reich slowing things down from the approach they took on their more frantic debut album, this time opting for more of a mid-paced, groove-oriented sound that still highlighted their politically & socially motivated themes very well. It's a heavily riff-based record that's built around a unified sound & tight performances. Listening back now, I'd have to suggest that the drum sound wasn't ideal but it's not a deal breaker by any means. Front man Phil Rind's vocals are strong & clear which helps him to get his powerful messages across very well & there are some absolutely belting riffs on offer here too.
The tracklisting kicks off with the true classic of the album in "Love... Hate" which was very much an anthem for my late teenage years. Every time Sacred Reich kick back into the main riff after the chorus is a masterstroke & sees me thrashing around like a madman. I have to admit that some of the other tracks that I loved so much as a kid have lost a bit of their gloss if I'm being honest though. "Crimes Against Humanity" & "State of Emergency" are certainly very strong inclusions but neither reached the classic status I thought they might whereas the title track now seems to fall well short of the pedestal I've always placed it on. The album fades significantly in the back end too with "Who's to Blame" being pretty flat & the pointless funk rock novelty track "31 Flavors" tainting what had the potential to be a really strong thrash record.
Look, there's still easily enough great material to warrant your attention here but I can't say that I consider "The American Way" to be essential thrash metal listening any longer. It's more the type of album where I'd pull out the best few tracks for a gym playlist as some of this stuff (like the chorus of "The Way It Is" for example) hasn't stood the test of time as well as I'd hoped, potentially due to the relative simplicity & reduction in aggression from previous efforts. Despite the obvious production issues Sacred Reich experienced with "Ignorance", I consider it to be a step up from this record. "Surf Nicaragua" too actually.
3.5/5
I think Rex & Xephyr will probably be back so we'll continue. After all, I'm going to conduct the exercise regardless of whether others contribute or not so why not offer the opportunity to collaborate on it.
Today we'll be starting a new release in Black Sabbath's 1971 masterpiece "Master of Reality". I'm really interested to see what subgenre I end up with here after my outcomes for Sabbath's first two records ended up sitting outside of the general consensus. Let's start with the opening track "Sweet Leaf" which I find to be a really easy one as it's the very definition of stoner metal in my opinion.