Daniel's Forum Replies

I absolutely love "De vermis mysteriis" Sonny & regard it as one of the top few stoner metal releases I've encountered over the years. But then... I'm an absolute tragic for production jobs like that one.

Here's my review:

German thrash metal heavy-weights Sodom played a pretty major role in my formative years. I believe I first discovered them through the video clip for their 1989 single “Ausgebombt” which was shown on a late-night music video TV show & prompted me to pick up the “Agent Orange” album on cassette. I proceeded to play the absolute shit out of it which resulted in me exploring the rest of Sodom’s back catalogue fairly quickly afterwards. What I found was that there is a definite line that can be drawn between the more recent material that I really enjoyed (1987’s “Persecution Mania” sophomore album & “Expurse of Sodomy” E.P.) & Sodom’s rawer & more primitive earlier work (their two early demos, 1985’s “In The Sign of Evil” E.P. & 1986’s “Obsessed by Cruelty” debut album). I’ve never really gotten on with Sodom’s early works to be honest. As a musician myself, I feel that I’m too consistently distracted by the awful (or lack of) musicianship which makes the whole package feel like I’m listening to a bunch of twelve year-olds. But there can be no denying the quality of Sodom’s late 80’s classics & they really did secure my attention for each successive Sodom release until I’d drift away from the scene in the late 1990’s. Upon returning to metal in 2009 I would quickly discover that Sodom’s 2001 tenth full-length was being held up as a major resurrection of the band’s past glories with some claiming it as their best record overall. That idea had the teenage thrasher in me salivating so I went in head-first; ready, willing & able to be blown away. Needless to say that I was left a little disappointed by that experience. I recall finding “M-16” to be quite enjoyable but didn’t see it as anything terribly special so I haven’t returned to “M-16” since. I’ve often wondered if my expectations were simply too high which led me to be a little harsh on Sodom there though so this month’s feature release nomination has given me a good opportunity to review my position with more of an open mind.

Upon first listen, “M-16” is undeniably a Sodom record. The war themes they’ve so regularly targeted are all over the cover art, lyrics & general atmosphere while band leader Tom Angelripper is undeniable in his commitment to the cause. Tom’s backed by two former members of German power/heavy metal band Crows in guitarist Bernemann & drummer Bobby Schottkowski (currently with English NWOBHM stalwarts Tank), both of whom had been with the band since 1997’s “Til Death Do Us Unite” album, & the trio have produced a meat-&-potatoes style of thrash metal record that ticks most of the boxes that the band’s passionate fanbase look for in a Sodom release. The album is well produced & performed but I’m not sure that there’s anything especially noteworthy in the packaging which leaves the song-writing with the task of capturing the listener’s imagination. So, the big question is does it manage to do that? Well, I think the answer is yes & no for me personally but that’s clearly not the case for others.

You see, “M-16” is an inconsistent record in my opinion. There are certainly more hits than misses but the highlights never reach the heights of Sodom’s past glories. A lot of the album is enjoyable enough on the surface but is lacking in the edge that made the band famous to begin with. Guitarist Bernemann’s lead guitar contribution is a prime example in that there’s nothing wrong with his solos. They’re actually quite serviceable to be honest but none of them really stands out or adds to the songs so they tend to drift past without me even noticing them a lot of the time. Sodom have always been best when they drop the shackles & go for broke & that’s still the case here but those moments are not regular enough for “M-16” to be the classic record it’s hyped up to be. A lot of people seem to love Sodom’s slower war anthems but they can often sound a bit clunky to me. Take the very popular “Napalm In The Morning” for example. It’s basically built around a riff that’s essentially a minor variation on one that Bathory came up with in the late 1980’s & that’s about all there is to say about it really. It’s overly simple & lacks sophistication, instead relying on the lyrical themes & the link to “Apocalypse Now” to capture the listener’s interest. Admittedly it seems to have achieved that task too but I need a bit more in my thrash metal than that. Other tracks fair a little worse than that too with the chorus hooks from both “Little Boy” & “Marines” coming across as particularly dumb. And then we have the closing surf rock cover song “Surfin’ Bird”… what the fuck were they thinking with that one then, eh?

Look, I’m certainly sounding a little more critical than I would like to here because the song structures are noticeably more tight & cohesive than they were during the band's 1980's hey day & the tracklisting still has plenty to offer your average Kreator, Slayer & Destruction nut. “Genocide” & “Lead Injection” are both prime examples of that while you’ll find four or five others that are more than serviceable examples of the Sodom formula too. I guess it just frustrates me that a record like “M-16” can be placed up on such a pedestal. While I certainly enjoy it a lot more than Sodom’s 1982-1986 releases, I can’t say that it ever comes close to touching those 1987-1989 classics. In fact, I’d suggest that if this was the debut album from a brand new band then you’d likely never hear about it & the band in question would quickly drift off into the vast canyon of acts that didn't manage to differentiate themselves from the pack. It’s nothing more than a reasonably enjoyable (if inessential) Sodom record & I struggle to see why it’s regarded more highly than some of their other releases. I can only assume it’s for similar reasons to why some of the later Kreator & Exodus records were overrated i.e. they saw the bands returning to a reasonable level of form after a creative slump & were subsequently overhyped as a result.

3.5/5

Oneohtrix Point Never - "Replica" (2011)

The most highly celebrated work from this Massachusetts electronic/ambient producer.

Mustaine would traditionally already have been smashed before he even arrived.

Nice work Ben. I'm sure the other members have no idea as to the significant cost of these exercises. I do though & it's greatly appreciated.

Rex, you can make that address into a link by using the LINK button when posting (hint: it looks like a chain link). Interesting list by the way. Nice variety.

An immensely atmospheric single-track funeral doom metal monster from Seattle, USA.

I'd suggest that my issues are more with the quality of the hooks than they are with Joey Belladonna who I've always really liked. In saying that though, I prefer Bush's tone & style & think he's one of the better metal front men going around. I've only heard a couple of Bush's Anthrax releases though ("Sound of White Noise" & "The Greater of Two Evils") so I wouldn't say that I'm in a good position to make a call on who is best suited to front Anthrax.

I think you're bang on there Sonny as those singalong choruses have definitely lost their lustre over the years. I simply don't find the hooks to be as mature as I remember them being as a thirteen year old when thrash metal was still so new to me. There's a lack of sophistication & depth in comparison to the releases that competitors like Metallica & Slayer were producing at the time.

To be fair, I'd listen to his death metal opinions above mine. We often disagree, but then I find myself coming around to his way of thinking more often than I'd like to admit (ssshhhh... don't tell him I said that).

I'd suggest that people make an exception with melodic death metal Ben. I think we both know that I can't be trusted to provide a fair judgement in that space.

Anthrax - "State of Euphoria" (1988)

New York thrash metallers Anthrax were a big band in my life from a very young age. While it’s true that I may regard them as the least significant of the Big Four, the first decade of their recording career was unanimously well received & represents a significant point of nostalgia for me. My entry point for the band though was perhaps one of their less highly praised releases in 1988’s “State of Euphoria” fourth full-length, an album I purchased on cassette some time in 1989 when I was just 13 years of age. It made a very significant impact on me too & I’ve always been able to recall every second of its runtime. My early experiences with “State of Euphoria” was soon trigger me to explore the remainder of Anthrax’s back catalogue &, while “State of Euphoria” would very quickly be usurped in the pecking order by classics like 1985’s “Spreading The Disease” & 1987’s “Among The Living”, I’ve still held it in high regard to this day, despite not having given it a spin in what must be decades. Let’s see how it’s held then.

The striking yellow cover art certainly gets your attention, doesn’t it? I like looking at it even if it’s not all that aesthetically special. The production job on “State of Euphoria” seems to be the source of heated debate online these days though with people seemingly split on whether it’s good or bad. Personally, I think it’s all a bit of a storm in a teacup as I have no problem with it, particularly given the time it was released. Perhaps some diehard fans would rather that Frank Bello’s bass was a little higher in the mix but it’s certainly loud enough for me. It’s the song-writing that really matters however & the tracklisting starts off very strong with three of the four best tracks kicking off the album & giving it a decidedly front-loaded feel. Opener “Be All, End All” is my personal favourite but I’ve been very surprised to find that I actually don’t consider ANY of this material to compete with Anthrax’s more classic songs. “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”, “Make Me Laugh” & “Schism” are all unquestionably catchy & enjoyable tracks but none of them are truly exceptional. In saying that though, I don’t think there are any real failures here either. Perhaps the short & silly bass interlude “13” might fit that category but it’s fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things. I honestly can’t say that any of the proper songs aren’t memorable though as I’ve already stated that I can recall every minute of the album.

Anthrax have been open about the fact that they were pushed into the studio before they were ready by their super-eager record label & it’s hard to know whether that’s had an impact on the song-writing quality or not. I tend to think it has though as there are some great Anthrax riffs & hooks in many of these tracks but they can’t quite manage to pull them together into complete masterpieces. In one track you might have a flat riff with a punky beat while in another Joey’s chorus hook might be a little lacklustre. It’s nothing that’ll ruin the whole track for you but it does tend to hold me back from full engagement. The cover song “Antisocial” is an interesting one because it’s generally regarded as one of the more successful tracks yet I’d argue that it’s perhaps the weaker of the proper songs. I wondered whether this may perhaps have something to do with my familiarity with the original Trust version which I consider to be the stronger of the two but that clearly can’t be the case as I felt this way long before I heard Trust’s 1980 “Repression” album.

This revisit has been a bit of an eye-opener to be honest. I’ve long feared that I might be overrating “State of Euphoria” due to feelings of nostalgia from when I was just a kid & it’s turned out to be the case in the end. I had hoped that I might still be able to get my score up to four stars as I recalled it being a lot closer to “Spreading The Disease” & “Among The Living” in terms of overall quality but the reality is that “State of Euphoria” sits much closer to Anthrax’s 1984 debut album “Fistful of Metal” in my opinion. In saying that though, it’s not all doom & gloom because there’s still plenty of interest here for fans of Overkill, Nuclear Assault & Metallica.

3.5/5

I was thinking about the one-listen-review concept some more last night & there are two other elements that come into play (at least they do for me personally). I find that mood & context can skew my view on a release one way or the other. For example, if I'm tired & listen to a highly intense or complex death metal album, there's no way that I'll appreciate it as much as if I'm wide awake & energetic. Or if I've just listened to Marduk & then decide to put on Twisted Sister, I'm always going to find Twisted Sister to be fairly light-weight in comparison which may impact my scoring but I still might feel like listening to them. The same goes for production as some production jobs will inevitably sound dodgier or more impressive than they are depending on what you play them after. For that reason, I like to listen to my music in a couple of different headspaces & environments before reaching a consensus on what rating I'll award a particular release & I never do my final listen late in the day when I'm not alert. Perhaps I take this process a little too seriously but... ya know what... Ben & I run an online metal ratings/reviews website so the integrity of our views can be kinda a big deal for parts of our audience.

A very solid progressive heavy metal instrumental from the Swedish neoclassical guitar virtuoso.

After revisiting the Cattle Decapitation album shown above I realized that I still haven't collated a Top Ten Deathgrind Releases of All Time list so I thought I'd remedy that this morning. Here's what I came up with:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

09. Misery Index - "Heirs to Slavery" (2010)

10. Aborted - "Goremageddon: The Saw and the Carnage Done" (2003)

And before anyone says it, of course Terrorizer's "World Downfall" would have made the list if it qualified as deathgrind in our database. For the record, I agree with our database that it's a straight-up grindcore record though.

Look, I can't speak for anyone else but I can assure you that my opinion on a release changes over three active listens. The first listen is always about resetting my expectations & removing any preconceptions that I may have held about what was in store for me. It's only on the second listen that I start to gain access to some of the nuances & begin to reach an informed opinion. The third listen confirms that my thoughts from the second listen are correct & decides between close scoring calls which is always easier for me on the third listen. Sometimes I may even need a fourth listen to firm up my opinion if the release is quite complex.

Honestly, I don't even want to only listen to a release just the once. I like to become more involved with my music than that. Call me a wanker for saying this but, as a musician myself, I feel that I owe it to the artist in some way. I never do anything requiring brain power while listening to music that I intend the rate or review either as I like to be fully present & immerse myself in the artist's vision so I'm either lying, driving or walking. 

I have to concur with the others that my planned listening time is already maxed out by the monthly feature releases, particularly given my refusal to rate or review a release without giving it at least 3-4 active listens over a couple of days. I work 50+ hours a week & have three young kids who command all of my free time so I'd be reluctant to reduce my free listening time any further at this point when it only really amounts to the time before anyone else wakes up.

Rex, regardless of whether other members would like to participate in your suggested initiative, can I suggest that you join the feature release rosters for your chosen clans? That way you can choose releases that you'd like to have your fellow clan members attention drawn to &, in doing so, can potentially contribute to the cause listed above. It's not a bad way to see Hall of Judgement nominations coming to fruition too & I know you've been keen to contribute there too.

I love Deftones to be honest. Well... post-"Adrenaline" Deftones anyway. "Around The Fur" was really solid but I prefer later releases like "Koi no Yokan" & "Ohms". "White Pony" is definitely their pièce de résistance though.

A classy Canadian tech thrash masterpiece that was somewhat of an anthem for me as a teenager.

With Andi still taking a break from the feature release roster, here are the owners of the September submissions:

THE FALLEN: Daniel, Sonny, Morpheus Kitami, Ben, Vinny

THE GATEWAY: Saxy, Saxy, Andi, Saxy

THE GUARDIANS: Xephyr, Morpheus Kitami

THE HORDE: Vinny, Ben, Daniel

THE INFINITE: Saxy, Andi, Xephyr

THE NORTH: Daniel, Xephyr, Ben, Vinny, Sonny

THE PIT: Daniel, Ben, Morpheus Kitami, Sonny, Vinny

THE REVOLUTION: Daniel, Andi, Daniel

THE SPHERE: Daniel, Daniel, Andi, Daniel

Here's my nomination for the September playlist Andi:

Scorn - "Deep In - Eaten Over and Over" (from "Vae Solis", 1992)

Here's my September playlist nomination:

Whitechapel - "Single File To Dehumanization" (from "A New Era Of Corruption", 2010)

Here are my September playlist nominations Vinny:

Blood Tsunami - "Castle of Skulls" (from "Grand Feast For Vultures", 2009)

Annihilator - "Road To Ruin" (from "Never, Neverland", 1990)

Suicidal Tendencies - "Trip At The Brain" (from "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today", 1988)

Here are my September playlist nominations Ben:

Tómarúm - "As Black Forms From Grey" (from "Ash in Realms of Stone Icons", 2022)

Tilintetgjort - "Hex" (from "In Death I Shall Arise", 2023)

Teitanblood - "Domains of Darkness and Ancient Evil" (from "Seven Chalices", 2009)

 Liturgy - "Caela" (from "93696", 2023)

Here are my submissions for the September playlist:

Tzompantli - "Ohtlatocopailcahualuztli" (from "Tlazcaltiliztli", 2022)

Bloodbath - "Blasting The Virginborn" (from "Unblessing the Purity" E.P., 2008)

Aborted - "Parasitic Flesh Resection" (from "Goremageddon: The Saw and the Carnage Done", 2003)

Teitanblood - "The Abomination of Desolation" (from "Seven Chalices", 2009)

Sanguisugabogg - "Testicular Rot" (from "Homicidal Ecstasy", 2023)

Cattle Decapitation - "Your Disposal" (from "Monolith of Inhumanity", 2012)

Here's my submission for the September playlist Xephyr:

Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force - "Heaven Tonight" (from "Odyssey", 1988)

Here's my submission for the September playlist Saxy:

Jane's Addiction - "Mountain Song" (from "Nothing's Shocking", 1988)

Here are my submissions for the September playlist Sonny:

Tzompantli - "Yaotiacahuanetzli" (from "Tlazcaltiliztli", 2022)

My Dying Bride - "And My Fury Stands Ready" (from "Songs Of Darkness, Words Of Light", 2004)

August 2023

01. Nocturnal Graves – “Beyond The Flesh” (from “An Outlaw’s Stand”, 2022) [Submitted by Daniel]

02. Phlebotomized – “Bury My Heart” (from “Clouds of Confusion”, 2023)

03. Contrarian – “In Gehenna” (from “Sage Of Shekhinah”, 2023)

04. Sadist – “Escogido” (from “Tribe”, 1996)

05. In Flames – “Stand Ablaze” (from “Subterranean” E.P., 1995)

06. Balmora – “July, Unending” (from “With Thorns Of Glass & Petals Of Grief” E.P., 2023)

07. Hellwitch – “Delegated Disruption” (from “Annihilational Intercention”, 2023)

08. Torture Rack – “Morning Star Massacre” (from “Primeval Onslaught”, 2023)

09. Creeping Death – “Intestinal Wrap” (from “Boundless Domain”, 2023)

10. Apparition – “Unequilibrium” (from “Feel”, 2021) [Submitted by Daniel]

11. Bandit – “End Of The Rainbow” (from “Siege of Self”, 2023)

12. Ulcerate – “Confronting Entropy” (from “Vermis”, 2013) [Submitted by Daniel]

13. Gigan – “Electro-Stimulated Hallucinatory Response” (from “Multi-Dimensional Fractal-Sorcery & Super Science”, 2013)

14. Houkago Grind Time – “Bakyunsified (Moe To The Gore)“ (from “Saving The World By Overloading It With Mincecore Brigade“ E.P., 2019)

15. Cavalera – “War” (from “Morbid Visions”, 2023)

16. Blind Equation – “BXE666” (from “Born To Die” E.P., 2020)

17. Aevangelist – “Veils” (from “Omen Ex Simulacra”, 2013)

18. Crisis Sigil – “Skybox” (from “God Cum Poltergeist”, 2023)

19. Septage – “Of Gangrene Limbs” (from “Septisk eradikasyon” E.P., 2021)

20. Atavistia – “Cosmic Warfare” (from “Cosmic Warfare”, 2023)

21. Burnt By The Sun – “Buffy” (from “Burnt By The Sun” E.P., 2001)

22. ZOMBIESHARK! – “Idiot Machine” (from “Born From A Wish” E.P., 2022)

23. Cattle Decapitation – “Humanure” (from “Humanure”, 2004)

24. Deeds of Flesh – “Summarily Killed” (from “Path of the Weakening”, 1999)

25. Tithe – “Demon” (from “Inverse Rapture”, 2023)

26. Disfiguring The Goddess – “Black Earth Child” (from “Black Earth Child”, 2013)

27. Inhume – “Incineration Of The Body By Own Will” (from “In For The Kill”, 2003)

28. Suffocation – “Translucent Patterns of Delirium” (from “Suffocation”, 2006) [Submitted by Daniel]

29. Acranius – “Life Sustainment Will Continue Mutilation” (from “When Mutation Becomes Homicidal”, 2013)

30. Katalepsy – “Lurking In The Depth” (from “Autopsychosis”, 2013) [Submitted by Daniel]

31. Devangelic – “Which Shall Be The Darkness Of The Heretic” (from “Xul”, 2023)

More on the subject of slam, people on RYM don't seem to like Disfiguring the Goddess that much.  But I am head over heels with Deprive.  I adore that Lovecraftian vibe.

I really dig 2012's "Sleeper" E.P. & feel it should qualify here too.

"Obscene Majesty" is comfortably my Devourment release of choice.

In my experience, I agree with Andi that Emmure are nowhere near as bad as people make them out to be. I actually don't mind 2011's "Speaker of the Dead" & 2012's "Slave to the Game" albums.

On a similar slant, I'm nominating Suicide Silence's 2011 "The Black Crown" album which we featured last month & I ended up awarding four stars.

I completely agree. The flack that album receives is totally misguided in my opinion.

A very solid progressive metal outing from these Canadian thrashers.

So when the best album by the best band in this genre doesn't even qualify, it just feels so awkward, 

I get what you're saying but "the best album by the best album" is purely subjective & often doesn't match up with "most popular" which I assume is what you really meant?

I still maintain that Suicidal Tendencies have never topped their debut and as such were a better hardcore band than a thrash band. I still spin that album quite often (even though the Reagan stuff is outdated now) but almost never play any of their later material.

As you're no doubt aware by now, my taste for hardcore & punk in general isn't very strong so I've always regarded "Lights Camera Revolution" & (to a lesser extent) "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today" as the only essential Suicidal records which is why I've been so surprised at how little appeal the latter offered me upon revisiting it.

It's harder for me.  I have a very strict ruleset for albums I will regard with the highest respect on an artistic view.  I've had a difficult time finding a crossover thrash album I hold with this regard, because many of the best albums still show the bands making at least one of the biggest mistakes in making an album that's brilliant front to back, and this mistake is usually sameyness and the lack of variety to keep things original.  So when the best album by the best band in this genre doesn't even qualify, it just feels so awkward, unlike the difference between Pogues' Rum Sodomy and the Lash and If I Should Fall From Grace with God, which are both IMO flawless and tackle their respective different genres (celtic rock and celtic punk), without blemish.  For Suicidal Tendencies, the genre switch here happened right after the band had used up their best ideas.

I'm curious Rex, if you regard sameyness & a lack of variety as deal-breakers in achieving a classic record, how did Devourment's "Butcher The Weak" make it through to achieve a full five star rating this morning?

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

Here's my updated Top Ten Crossover Thrash Releases of All Time list after discovering that Suicidal Tendencies' "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today" a) isn't really a crossover release & b) isn't nearly as good as I remembered it being during this weekend's revisit:

01. Suicidal Tendencies – “Lights Camera Revolution” (1989)

02. S.O.D. – “Speak English or Die” (1985)

03. Agnostic Front – “Cause For Alarm” (1986)

04. Cryptic Slaughter – “Convicted” (1986)

05. The Accused – “The Return Of… Martha Splatterhead” (1986)

06. Agnostic Front – “Liberty & Justice For…” (1987)

07. Attitude Adjustment – “American Paranoia” (1986)

08. Crumbsuckers – “Life Of Dreams” (1986)

09. Permanent Damage - "End of Innocence" (1987)

10. Excel - "Split Image" (1987)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/174

Suicidal Tendencies - "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today" (1988)

1988’s “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today” album represents my first experience with Venice Beach crossover thrash legends Suicidal Tendencies who initially came to my attention through the classic opening track “Trip At The Brain” which I heard on a late-night underground metal program some time in 1989. I’d certainly seen their name around while associating with a group of skaters from the year above me at high school but hadn’t taken the time to explore them until that moment. This admittedly very impressive track would prove to be the catalyst for further exploration though with Ben & I would soon picking up “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today” on cassette. It’s a release that I've held vague but generally fond memories of over the years yet I can’t say that I remembered too many of the specifics going into this revisit as I haven’t returned to it in decades. I’ve recently found myself asking why that is as I certainly remember a lot more of its 1990 follow-up “Lights Camera Revolution”, an album that I regard as being the pinnacle of the crossover thrash movement. Well... we’re about to get some greater transparency on that so let’s dive right in.

I don’t have much time for Suicidal Tendencies’ 1987 sophomore album “Join The Army”. It was more of a transitional record than a genuine crossover record with the rhythm guitar tone still remaining firmly in punk territory. I really struggled with Mike Muir’s pitchy & generally inadequate vocal performance too which made the album a bit of a chore to listen to if I'm being honest. The introduction of new lead guitarist Rocky George was the source of great promise though as he brought with him a metal focus & an instrumental competence that gave Suicidal a noticeable lift in potential. “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today” may only have landed a year later but the differences in approach between the two albums become apparent very quickly after pressing play. The production job is much thicker, more cohesive & generally much more focused on a metal sound rather than a hardcore one. Also, you’ll struggle to identify much in the way of hardcore on the first four tracks which see Suicidal now sitting firmly in a metal space. Hints at hardcore will eventually appear once you reach the middle of the tracklisting & there are a few legitimate crossover thrash tracks included (“The Miracle”, “The Feeling’s Back” & CD bonus track “Suicyco Mania”) but I think it’s fair to say that crossover is more of a secondary component than the primary one as Suicidal simply feel more like a genuine metal band at this point. The classic heavy metal influence that was evident on “Join The Army” is once again clearly visible here with songs like “Pledge Your Allegiance”, the title track & “One Too Many Times” sitting very much in that space while “Surf & Slam” & “Sorry?!” see the band hit on a sound that could only be described as speed metal in my opinion. It’s (perhaps unsurprisingly) the undiluted thrash metal of tracks like “Trip At The Brain” & “If I Don’t Wake Up” that have the most impact on me though.

Rocky George’s lead guitar work is a definite highlight as he builds on the concepts he’d started on “Join The Army” & takes them to another level with his tendency to contribute a continuous layer of shredding lead work over the course of entire songs becoming somewhat of a trademark at this point. His chops would improve further on “Lights Camera Revolution” but he was already very capable & pulls it all off with relative ease. Muir’s vocals are another story altogether though & I’d have to suggest that my nostalgic memories of the album hadn’t prepared me for the fact that Muir simply can’t sing. The instrumentation is generally very consistent across the entire tracklisting but it's Muir’s contribution that either makes or breaks each song & unfortunately I’d have to suggest that there are more misses than hits on this occasion. He absolutely destroys songs like “Hearing Voices” & “Sorry?!”, making potentially quite fun (if fairly generic) thrash & speed metal songs into cringe-worthy disappointments that fail to live up to their potential due to some clumsy execution & some very lazy chorus hooks. The consistent use of hardcore-style gang vocals doesn’t help all that much either it has to be said.

It's funny that (other than the obvious highlight in opener “Trip At The Brain”) not a lot of this material sounded very familiar at all so I’ve had to question whether I really did rate this album all that highly back in the day. I tend to have a very strong memory for music so, based on this experience, I'd have to suggest that I may not have spent as much of my formative years with “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today” as I thought I did. It’s been good to finally get some clarity on its qualities now though & I’ve subsequently realigned my position on the album. It's a very inconsistent release that serves mainly transitional purposes as the first genuine thrash record Suicidal released on their journey towards their career-defining follow-up album. If you go completely nuts for bands like D.R.I., Municipal Waste & Dr. Living Dead then you’ll definitely want to give it a few spins though, if only as a point of historical reference.

3/5

A couple of releases that got an airing while cleaning the house yesterday:

BUCK-TICK - "十三階は月光 (Juusankai wa gekkou)" (2005)

Alternative/gothic rock from the Japanese visual kei movement.

Bodychoke - "Cold River Songs" (1998)

Noise/post/gothic rock from London, England.

Suffocation basically took Cannibal Corpse's gimmick to a new level, except from what I hear, Cannibal Corpse was better.

5.5 / 10

To be fair, Suffocation's signature sound predates Cannibal Corpse's one pretty comfortably as Suffocation had already pretty much defined their sound on their 1990 "Reincremation" demo & further refined it for "Human Waste", both of which were released prior to Cannibal Corpse upping the ante on their brutality for 1991's  "Butchered At Birth" sophomore album.

A catchy heavy metal number from these Canadian thrash metallers.

Bell Witch - "Mirror Reaper" (2017)

It’s interesting that I’ve held a decade-long relationship with Seattle-based funeral doom metal duo Bell Witch now but are still yet to submit a rating or review for one of the releases. That’s not all that unusual as I tend to listen to a lot of new metal releases while doing other things & have a strict policy of only rating/reviewing releases that I’ve invested a minimum of three active listens in. The reason that it’s a little unexpected with Bell Witch though is that I tend to put the effort in with artists that are this widely praised & that begs the question of why I haven’t with “Mirror Reaper” which is very highly regarded, particularly with the regulars on our wonderful online platform. Is it because I find the prospect of an 84-minute single track funeral doom metal album a daunting prospect? I think it might be to tell you the truth but I’ve decided that it’s about time that I bit the bullet because I remember “Mirror Reaper” being a very engaging release & besides… that pearler of a cover is surely justification enough, isn’t it?

“Mirror Reaper” sees Bell Witch returning with a slightly different lineup to that of their 2015 sophomore album "Four Phantoms" following the tragic death of drummer Adrian Guerra, an event that seems to have played a major role in the direction of their third album. Founding member, vocalist & bass player Dylan Desmond (formerly of funeral sludge metallers Sathothrace) has subsequently recruited Jesse Shreibman (current drummer with Portland death metallers Autophagy) to replace his lost brother in arms & together they continue to expand on Bell Witch’s unique take on funeral doom which famously excludes any guitar work whatsoever. That’s right ladies & gentlemen, Bell Witch don’t have a guitarist & most people probably wouldn’t pick it up if they didn't read about it in the media as they use the bass in a layered fashion that ingeniously mimics a traditional guitar but also gives their sound a slightly different feel. This fact alone makes a band like Bell Witch a very intriguing prospect of course but once you get through your first listen you'll find that you soon get over it & get on with your enjoyment of the band’s music as a whole.

Bell Witch’s unique brand of funeral doom metal is both highly atmospheric & quite sombre & introspective in nature. It’s certainly crushingly heavy at times (particularly when Desmond’s super-deep death growls are brought to the foreground) but the duo choose their moments to bring out their more savage side. More often we find them directing their focus towards the listener’s emotional side, regularly utilizing stripped-back post-rock sections to great effect with the predominant use of bass guitar & a whiny-ish indie-style vocal delivery giving them a depth that other artists don’t generally touch on. That word “depth” is actually a very good reference for a record like “Mirror Reaper” because it’s an undeniably deep album but depth isn’t the same thing as substance & I’ll elaborate on that a little bit because it’s an important factor in my final scoring. Bell Witch have absolutely nailed the execution of their craft with “Mirror Reaper”. In fact, I’d be very surprised if it’s not exactly what they envisaged when going into the studio with the production perfectly capturing the mellow atmospherics. What’s missing for me is the melodic hooks to take me from really enjoying an album to levels of utter worship. Perhaps the lack of traditional guitars contributes to that as I don’t feel there are enough melodic hooks for me to latch onto & I find myself craving some lead guitar work at various stages throughout the run time.

Regardless of this, Bell Witch have produced a high quality, emotionally-gripping release that portrays the band’s grief very well. It’s not the heaviest funeral doom record you’ll ever hear & perhaps that’s been to the Bell Witch’s detriment when it comes to appealing to someone with my personal taste profile but I find it very hard to pull my gaze away from what’s going on here, despite the album being undeniably self-indulgent in it’s scope. I think some of that can be put down to the fact that the piece is structured in a way that sees it slowly evolving into several quite different sections which gives the album a memorability that’s not always evident on single-track funeral doom records. For all these reasons, I don’t doubt that funeral doom nuts will go bonkers over "Mirror Reaper", especially those with a penchant for artists like Germany’s Ahab, Nashville’s Loss or fellow Seattleites Un.

4/5

Here's my updated Top Ten Funeral Doom Metal Release of All Time list with Monolithe's very solid "Monolithe II" being the unlucky one to miss out on this occasion:

01. Esoteric - "The Maniacal Vale" (2008)

02. Esoteric – “Paragon of Dissonance” (2011)

03. Esoteric – “Metamorphogenesis” (1999)

04. Esoteric - "A Pyrrhic Existence" (2019)

05. Ahab - "The Call of The Wretched Sea" (2006)

06. Esoteric - "The Pernicious Enigma" (1997)

07. Evoken – “Atra Mors” (2012)

08. The Howling Void – “Shadows Over The Cosmos” (2010)

09. Bell Witch - "Mirror Reaper" (2017)

10. Thergothon – “Stream From The Heavens” (1994)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/132

Powerful late 80's heavy metal from one of the gods of the genre & featuring a wonderful performance from Zakk Wylde on guitar.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

I've passed this nomination as the release no longer qualifies for inclusion in The Gateway.

Here's my updated top ten list after enjoying this week's revisit to Yngwie Malmsteen's "Odyssey" a fair bit more than I was expecting:

01. Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force – “Odyssey” (1988)

02. Vinnie Moore – “Mind’s Eye” (1986)

03. Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force – “Marching Out” (1985)

04. Jason Becker – “Perpetual Burn” (1988)

05. Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force – “Rising Force” (1984)

06. Yngwie Malmsteen – “Trial By Fire: Live In Leningrad” (1989)

07. Yngwie J. Malmsteen – “Trilogy” (1986)

08. Cacophony – “Speed Metal Symphony” (1987)

09. Yngwie Malmsteen – “The Seventh Sign” (1994)

10. Marty Friedman – “Dragon’s Kiss” (1988)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/141

Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force - "Odyssey" (1988)

1988’s “Odyssey” album represents my introduction to Swedish neoclassical guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen with my first experience being through a track that included on the cover CD from the initial edition of Australian metal magazine “Hot Metal” in 1989 (yes the same one that I spoke about earlier this week in my Ozzy Osbourne review). The song in question was an accessible & anthemic heavy metal number called “Heaven Tonight” that possesses some incredibly catchy vocal hooks & some truly transcendent guitar work. Despite my already having been converted to extreme metal in a major way, I couldn’t help but become a little bit obsessed with this song & it saw me purchasing the “Odyssey” cassette shortly afterwards which would subsequently see me exploring all of Yngwie’s back catalogue & each successive release right through to the middle of the 1990s. I’d soon find myself focusing most of my attention on the first couple of Yngwie records but in the back of my mind I’ve always held a strong passion for “Odyssey”. I’m not sure I realized just how powerful my feelings of nostalgia were for it until now though.

“Odyssey” sees Yngwie continuing to move in a more commercial direction than his earlier works with the focus being just as much on song-writing as it is on the band leader’s instrumental virtuosity. It saw Yngwie recruiting former Rainbow front man Joe Lynn Turner to front his Rising Force band with Joe putting in a stellar performance that I’d suggest even steals the show given that Yngwie’s solos tend to spend the majority of their time retreading old ground. This is highlighted in the fact that all of my favourite songs are those with strong & memorable chorus hooks. Anders & Jens Johansson are back once again & I’ve always enjoyed their jazzy & very musical contributions while former Rainbow & Black Sabbath bassist Bob Daisley also make a contribution by taking over the bass duties on a number of tracks.

The band explore a number of different sounds across the tracklisting from power metal (“Rising Force”, “Riot In The Dungeons”, “Faster Than The Speed Of Light”) to neoclassical metal (“Bite The Bullet”, “Riot In The Dungeons”) to progressive metal (“Krakatau”) to AOR (“Dreaming (Tell Me)”) to hard rock (“Now Is The Time”) but the major component of the album sits with classic heavy metal. In fact, it frustrates me that we so often see Yngwie's more vocal-oriented albums being labelled as neoclassical metal simply because of his lead guitar techniques. There really isn’t a lot of neoclassical influence in most of the song structures if you examine them closely. The tracklisting is pretty consistent with only the horribly dated hard rocker “Now Is The Time” failing to reach an acceptable level but it’s the mind-blowing singalong highlights that really get to me. “Heaven Tonight” is still my pick of the bunch but any time I hear songs like “Déjà vu” or “Crystal Ball” I inevitably find myself struggling to reach Lynn Turner’s range at the top of my voice & invariably make a dick of myself yet you’ll struggle to take the smile off my face. There’s an element of class about most of the remainder of the album too though & I’m not sure that I remember feeling as emphatically positive about an Yngwie tracklisting in all honesty.

“Odyssey” has definitely left me surprised at how strong my nostalgia is for it & I’d actually suggest that it’s my favourite Yngwie release these days. Who am I kidding? If this is a neoclassical metal record (which it’s not) then it’s the finest example that I’ve yet experienced. Apparently I don’t care much if Yngwie focuses on a more song-driven format & can even tolerate a little cheese in the interest of memorability. I’d strongly encourage fans of artists like Cacophony, Axel Rudi Pell & Alcatrazz to check “Odyssey” out while keeping an open mind as it’s a quality heavy metal release in its own right rather than simply being a platform for its illustrious band leader to stroke his ego.

4/5

Avant-garde progressive metal from Brooklyn, USA.