Daniel's Forum Replies

Here are my January playlist submissions Vinny:

Critical Defiance - "Elephant" (from "No Life Forms", 2022)

Pantera - "Suicide Note, Pt. 2" (from "The Great Southern Trendkill", 1996)

Here are my submissions for the January playlist Ben:

Liturgy - "PASAQALIA" (from "H.A.Q.Q.", 2019)

Drudkh - "The First Snow" (from "Autumn Aurora", 2004)

Windir - "The Spiritlord" (from "1184", 2001)

Here are my submissions for the January playlist:

Edge of Sanity - "The Sinner & The Sadness" (from "Purgatory Afterglow", 1994)

Dying Fetus - "Killing On Adrenaline" (from "Killing On Adrenaline", 1998)

My Dying Bride - "God Is Alone" (from "Trinity", 1995)

Carcass - "Ruptured In Purulence" (from "Symphonies of Sickness", 1989)

Here's my submission for the January playlist Xephyr:

Cool Feet - "The Man From Marakesh" (from "Burning Desire", 1976)

Here's my submission for the January playlist Saxy:

Primus - "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver" (from "Sailing The Seas Of Cheese", 1991)

Here are my January playlist submissions Sonny:

Cavurn - "II" (from "Reheasal" E.P., 2017)

My Dying Bride - "Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium" (from "Trinity", 1995)

The Ocean - "Benthic: The Origin Of Our Wishes" (from "Pelagial", 2013)

In case you're not aware, members have until the 15th day of the month to submit tracks for the coming month's playlists Andi.

Here's the schedule for the January feature release nominations:

THE FALLEN: Daniel, Sonny, Ben

THE GATEWAY: Saxy, Andi

THE GUARDIANS: Xephyr, Daniel

THE HORDE: Ben, Daniel, Vinny

THE INFINITE: Saxy, Andi, Xephyr

THE NORTH: Ben, Vinny, Xephyr, Daniel

THE PIT: Daniel, Ben, Vinny

THE REVOLUTION: Andi, Daniel

THE SPHERE: Daniel, Andi

December 2022

01. Chaotian – “Gangrene Dream” (from “Effigies of Obsolescence”, 2022)

02. Desultory - "Life Shatters" (from "Bitterness", 1994)

03. Heaving Earth – “Flesh-Ridden Providence” (from “Darkness of God”, 2022)

04. Amorphis – “Moon and Sun Part II: North's Son” (from “Black Winter Day” E.P., 1994)

05. wecamewithbrokenteeth – “Crack Heads Run Into Wallz” (from “We’re Packing Are You?”, 2006)

06. Blind Equation – “:reconnect:” (from “Life Is Pain”, 2021)

07. Merciless – “The Land I Used To Walk” (from “Unbound”, 1994)

08. Coffin Mulch – “Septic Funeral” (from “Septic Funeral” E.P., 2021) [Submitted by Vinny]

09. Ripped To Shreds – “Peregrination to the Unborn Eternal Mother” (from “劇變 (Jubian)”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

10. Cloud Rat – “12-22-09” (from “Threshold”, 2022)

11. Faceless Burial – “Dehiscent” (from “At the Foothills of Deliration”, 2022)

12. Necrot – “The Blade” (from “Blood Offerings”, 2017) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. Gigan – “Still Image Symphony” (from “The Order of the False Eye”, 2008)

14. Pharmacist – “Cadaveric Osseous Stalactite” (from “Forensic Pathology Jurisprudence”, 2020)

15. Phobophilic – “Nauseating Despair” (from “Enveloping Absurdity”, 2022)

16. Ulcerate – “There Is No Horizon” (from “Staring Into Death & Be Still”, 2020) [Submitted by Daniel]

17. Morbid Angel – “Thy Kingdom Come” (from “Blessed Are The Sick”, 1992) [Submitted by Vinny]

18. Triumvir Foul – “Presage” (from “Onslaught to Seraphim”, 2022)

19. Vacuous – “Voluntary Immurement” (from “Katabasis” E.P., 2020) [Submitted by Vinny]

20. Mortuous – “Carve” (from “Upon Desolation”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

21. Haggus – “Plastic Mince” (from “Straight From The Slaughterhaus”, 2020)

22. Sepsism – “Surgical Atrocity” (from “Purulent Decomposition”, 1998)

23. Deicide – “Revocate The Agitator” (from “Legion”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]

24. Misery Index – “Manufacturing Greed” (from “Overthrow” E.P., 2001)

25. Skinless – “Tampon Lollipops” (from “Progression Towards Evil”, 1998)

26. Phyllomedusa – “Postmortal Cophixalus (Choking on Super Worms)” (from “Molesting The Frog Eater”, 2010)

27. Vulvectomy – “Gangrenous Testicular Deformity” (from “Post-Abortion Slut-Fuck”, 2010)

28. Cryptopsy – “Carrionshine” (from “Once Was Not”, 2005) [Submitted by Daniel]

29. Abaddon Incarnate – “I Will Nail You In” (from “Nadir”, 2001)

30. Antigama – “Debt Pool” (from “Whiteout”, 2022)

Chevy - "The Taker" (1980)

This one-off album is another one whose NWOBHM credentials are extremely flimsy. There's actually not a single track of the nine included that I regard as being metal. What we get here is a classic hard rock sound with strong southern rock influences & a touch of AOR here & there. The vocalist is the spitting image of Montrose/Van Halen front man Sammy Hagar & he does a very good job at driving the material which is admittedly pretty inconsistent in its quality. It's really pretty hard to believe the this isn't an American band as the southern rock influence in the guitar harmonies & vocal twang as so easily associated with the USA that it's almost impossible for Chevy to have hailed from anywhere else, even more so when you consider the band name. How they've become associated with the NWOBHM is baffling & is a clear sign of just how loose the boundaries were at the time. Anyway... at the end of the day "The Taker" is a fairly professionally put together hard rock record but the song-writing quality isn't strong enough to keep my interest with any level of consistency.

For fans of Sammy Hagar, UFO & The Black Crowes.

3/5

Ethel The Frog - "Ethel The Frog" (1980)

This obscure NWOBHM release is another one that I first discovered while conducting research for the Metal Academy podcast around many years ago now but I chose not to include it on the show as I didn't consider it to be genuine metal. This revisit has seen me giving the album a more focused review but my position has remained the same. Of the ten tracks on offer there are only three that I'd suggest should qualify for the NWOBHM tag. The other seven tracks see the unusually titled band (a Monty Python reference by all reports) traversing hard rock, pub rock, blues rock & rock 'n' roll. The production & performances are pretty primitive but it's the song-writing that has impacted my score here as I just can't get into the more lightweight bluesy pub rock stuff much. The vocals aren't terribly accomplished either. The cover version of the Beatles classic "Eleanor Rigby" is a great way to kick the album off though & is probably the best track included while the energetic Motorhead inspired "Fight Back" is also very solid. At the end of the day though I only find around 40% of the tracklisting to be enjoyable so I can't see myself returning to this album for a third helping.

For fans of Vardis, Dark Star & Status Quo.

3/5

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

It's been a while since I revisited this highly regarded seventh album from this Los Angeles drone metal establishment & I'm very excited to have found that it's grown significantly in my esteem in that time. Sunn O)))'s 2005 sixth album "Black One" is still my favourite drone metal release of all time but this one is a classic in it's own right with each of the four lengthy pieces being excellent examples of their type. It's the two lengthier ones that bookend the album really do the damage though with opener "Aghartha" sounding very much like a ritualistic summoning of a demon while jaxx-influenced closer is spectacular in it's artistic scope & depth. The vocal contribution of Mayhem/Aborym/Tormentor front man Attila Csihar is as unnerving as you'll ever find & the guest contributions from a host of talented experimental musicians never threaten to overpower the sheer weight of the monstrous down-tuned guitar chords. I genuinely love this record these days.

For fans of Earth, Boris & Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine.

4.5/5

Here's my adjusted Top Ten Drone Metal Releases of All Time list which sees Melvins' "Lysol" dropping out to cater for the reinclusion of this release:

01. Sunn O))) – “Black One” (2005)

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

03. Jesu – “Jesu” (2004)

04. Monarch! – “Omen” (2012)

05. Neptunian Maximalism – “Eons” (2020)

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

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

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

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

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

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

I've made the requested changes in the database as this release already qualifies.

I've made the requested changes in the database as this release already qualifies.

I've made the requested changes in the database as this release already qualifies.

With a vote tally of YES 5 NO 0, I've decided to uphold this nomination & the changes have been made in the database.

Windir - "1184" (2001)

Yes, you're right to think what you're thinking when seeing me post yet another lacklustre appraisal of a highly regarded melodic XXX metal release. I readily admit that I struggle with the more melodic branches of extreme metal at times & probably have no real right to play in this space but I think you all know that I'm a completist by now so I simply MUST have an opinion on literally everything. I'm difficult in that way but Ben's not much different & perhaps that's the reason that Metal Academy exists in the first place so them's the breaks I'm afraid. Anyway... I'm not a fan of Windir & never have been. Their "classic" breakthrough album "Arntor" did nothing for me & neither did this follow-up record which received pretty similar plaudits from critics & fans alike. From memory this one is a little less Pagan & symphonic but it attempts a few new things such as the inclusion of four minutes of trancey electronic music to close the album out. When Windir play to their darker side you can see that they showed some promise & there are a couple of tracks that I quite like (namely "Destroy" & "The Spiritlord") but they simply fall into melodic excess far too often to keep me engaged with the keyboards being the culprits more often than not. The musicianship & execution is spot on although the drumming isn't the most accomplished you'll find while the production job is perfectly suited to this style of music. Once again I just can't see myself getting past my issues with the melodic black metal subgenre with only rare instances of me getting onboard.

For fans of Mistur, Cor Scorpii & Vindland.

2.5/5

Pantera - "The Great Southern Trendkill" (1996)

I wasn't exactly blown away by Pantera's eighth album after purchasing it on cassette at the time of release. I mean I didn't mind it but it certainly seemed to be a bit wishy washy alongside the band's previous three records. Listening back to it now though has seen me adjusting those sentiments as it's really another very solid effort when you give it the decency of a few consecutive active listens. It's probably not as metal as "Far Beyond Driven" was but I'd suggest that it offers more variety & is a touch more consistent too to tell you the truth. Darrell's southern rock influence has never been so obvious as it is in his lead work here. That doesn't sound like a good thing to someone with my particular taste profile but the reality is that he's a wonderful musician & pulls it off with absolute ease. Phil's vocal performance is muscular & aggressive but I actually think he's at his best when he goes for a grungier approach & those tracks inevitably end up being my favourite inclusions (see "10's" & "Suicide Note Pt. I"). The tracklisting does fade a touch at the end (particularly the flat closer "(Reprise) Sandblasted Skin") but the super-tight performances of the rhythm section & the signature rhythmic riffage makes this Pantera's third best record behind their two early 90's classics. 

For fans of Hellyeah, Malevolence & Damageplan.

4/5

Here's my updated Top ten Groove Metal Releases of All Time list:

01. Coroner – “Grin” (1993)

02. Grip Inc. – “Nemesis” (1997)

03. Exhorder – “The Law” (1992)

04. Pantera – “Vulgar Display Of Power” (1992)

05. Pantera – “Cowboys From Hell” (1990)

06. Sepultura – “Chaos A.D.” (1993)

07. Pantera – “The Great Southern Trendkill” (1996)

08. Pantera – “Far Beyond Driven” (1994)

09. Anthrax – “Sound Of White Noise” (1993)

10. Trepalium – “XIII” (2009)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/175

Drudkh - "Autumn Aurora" (2004)

It's been a while since I visited the Ukrainian atmospheric/Pagan black metallers highly regarded sophomore record & I've been pleased to discover that it still hits the spot. It's definitely not the darkest or coldest atmospheric black metal release you'll find but neither does it try to be. The consistent inclusion of sweeping synths, catchy lead guitar work & melodic folk instrumentation keep things in a less imposing space for the most part but that doesn't detract from the effectiveness of this professional & engaging release. The Burzum influence is hard to miss with the album finishing at it's highest point with the classic "The First Snow" adding additional melodics to Varg's ambient, ethereal & trance-like darkness. The inclusion of folk elements in metal is not something that I usually buy into much but it's done with such finesse here that I rarely see myself tempted to complain. I think this is a slightly better record than Drudkh's highly praised 2006 "Blood In Our Wells" record to be honest & it should see all fans of the subgenre coming away with positive feelings.

For fans of Ygg, Winterfylleth & Wodensthrone.

4/5

All the best for your recovery Andi. COVID has been making a resurgence in my area in recent weeks thanks to a new strain. I'm not sure how it's being handled in your part of the world but we're not even required to isolate after registering a positive test any more, despite hospitalizations rising fairly sharply. It's a fine balance & I'm not sure we've quite got it right just yet.

Ben, please add NWOBHM band Mythra's four-song "The Death & Destiny" E.P. from 1979.

Liturgy - "H.A.Q.Q." (2019)

This is some fucking weird-assed shit from this Brooklyn outfit. I wasn't much of a fan of Liturgy prior to this record but they managed to get my attention with this fourth album. What we get here is a swirling mass of avant-garde dissonant black metal noise & screaming combined with glitchy electronic sound manipulation, cinematic orchestration that sounds like it could have been the soundtrack to "The Wizard of Oz" & several stripped back interludes that remind me of the totalism branch of the minimalism movement. Does it all work? Well, in a word no but the majority of it does & when they get it right it's hard not to be impressed by how much sense can be made from such chaotic components. The interludes are pretty boring & don't add a lot to the album in my opinion but the majority of the black metal oriented material is quite entertaining. I'm just not sure I'll ever find all of my metal boxes being ticked by such obscure sounds unless it can achieve some catchier melodic ideas.

For fans of Krallice, Jute Gyte & Mastery.

3.5/5

Def Leppard - "The Def Leppard E.P." (1979)

I've never liked Sheffield-based NWOBHM legends Def Leppard's 1980 debut album "On Through the Night" much to be honest. Def Leppard didn't offer much interest for me until 1981's very solid "High 'n' Dry" record (which is probably still their best work in my opinion) but I have to admit that I'd only ever given their seminal 1979 debut E.P. a passing listen during my Metal Academy podcast research many years ago so thought I'd better rectify that in the interest of completism. It didn't sound much like metal at the time so I didn't give it much attention at the time & nothing's changed there. As with a lot of early NWOBHM releases, "The Def Leppard E.P." is nothing more than a hard rock release & I wouldn't say that it's a particular good one either. It includes three tracks with the first two both being pretty generic & uninteresting. Thankfully the seven minute epic "The Overture" is much stronger & goes some of the way to justifying the effort but unfortunately it's not enough to make this release worthy of my attention, despite coming a little closer to the mark than "On Through The Night".

For fans of Tygers of Pan Tang, Heavy Pettin' & Saxon.

3/5

It may have taken me a couple of years but I've finally gotten around to giving our August 2020 feature release a good few listens & I've gotta say that I've once again been impressed by Primus' musicianship, ambition & ingenuity. This is probably a little more quirky & whacky than their 1990 debut "Frizzle Fry" was & that may well be to its detriment with this particular listener however that doesn't stop me marveling at Les Claypool's ridiculous chops or Larry LaLonde's wonderful jazz fusion guitar work. It definitely isn't the sort of music that I would generally go for but its hard not to become engaged by the unstructured madness going on, especially given that it sounds so foreign compared to literally everything else I've ever heard.

In saying that, "Sailing The Seas of Cheese" definitely takes a little while to get going. The first four tracks are all pretty entertaining but I didn't really feel myself becoming fully engaged until their very familiar hit single "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver" kicks into play & begins a very strong three track run. The back end of the record sees them matching that quality with the lengthy psychedelic number "Fish On" (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter II)" being my clear album highlight. As with the debut, this definitely isn't a metal record though & I really struggle to see where people can even start to see that as a possibility. I'd describe it as experimental alternative/funk rock personally but that's not important though as, despite the fact that this sophomore effort may not appeal to me quite as much as "Frizzle Fry" which is still my favourite Primus record, "Sailing the Seas of Cheese" is another damn fine example of just how enjoyable the sheer lunacy of early 90's Primus' can be.

For fans of Nuclear Rabbit, Mr. Bungle & Praxis.

4/5

Alkana - "Welcome To My Paradise" (1978)

A fairly underground one-off album from this obscure Californian band that included future Warlord front man Jack Rucker (aka Damien King) behind the mike. I'd describe Alkana's sound as being based in the hard rock of bands like Boston, Deep Purple, Van Halen & Queen with the addition of the progressive rock stylings of Yes & the proto-metal riffage of early Judas Priest. Instrumentally it's a pretty decent record but I find the light-weight vocals of Rucker to be a real let-down, particularly on the less ambitious & more traditional hard rock fodder. Unfortunately that flaw taints the overall product enough to ensure that I won't be enticed into return visits any time soon.

For fans of Van Halen, Yes & early Judas Priest.

3/5

Scorpions - "Tokyo Tapes" (1978)

I always enjoy the German hard rockers 1970's releases but I can never seem to get my scoring up over the 3.5 star mark & this double live album is no exception. It's an 80 minute/18 song journey through the band's first five albums with a few covers & an unreleased track thrown in for good measure. Some of the tracks are extended through some entertaining & most welcome instrumental experimentation with guitar legend Uli Jon Roth (in his very last show for Scorpions) being the obvious superstar. Front man Klaus Meine proves what a talented singer he can be too while the rest of the band perform their duties with a great deal of professionalism. The weak point certainly comes when Roth takes over the vocal duties on "Polar Nights" as he can't sing in key & sounds like some sort of dying animal while the high points come during the more progressive & expansive numbers, especially the brilliant one-two punch of "In Search of the Peace of Mind" & "Fly To The Rainbow" which is nothing short of breath-taking. Unfortunately there are enough generic hard rockers here to taint the elite level stuff which is generally the case with Scorpions. And for the record, Scorpions never have & never will be a metal band. That belief is a complete falsity. Still... this is definitely worth a listen for those that wanna see what the band were like in their prime or guitar heads like myself who want to marvel at one of the finest exponents of his craft the 1970's had to offer. If I'm being honest though I'd probably reach for studio albums like "Taken By Force", "Blackout", "Lovedrive" or "Animal Magentism" before this one though.

For fans of Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple & Rainbow.

3.5/5

I've decided that the YES 5 NO 0 vote tally is enough to pass this nomination so "Mekong Delta" has been added to The Infinite under the Progressive Metal genre on top of its position in The Pit.

Carcass - "Symphonies of Sickness" (1989)

Carcass' classic sophomore release was hugely influential on my conversion from thrash-obsessed madman to death metal lunatic back at the time of release however I have to say that I've been shocked by just how far it's come down in my estimations in modern times. I think it was easy to overlook the faults when I didn't have a lot to compare it to but now that I have that knowledge I've struggled to see it in the same light. It's still unquestionably my favourite goregrind release & in hindsight the freshly introduced death metal component is significantly out-weighed by the goregrind one. Ken Owen's drumming is very loose & the production is absolutely filthy but that's kinda in line with the disgusting atmosphere & both are still significant improvements on their first-up effort. Jeez, Bill Steer couldn't have got himself a worse lead guitar sound though & I have to wonder if it was intentional as he didn't fair any better on the debut. The three-pronged vocal approach is undoubtedly a major differentiator but some of it sounds pretty try-hard to be honest. I find that the A side is much stronger than the B side with most of the highlights residing there but there aren't any weak tracks as such. They tend to range from pretty good to excellent but these days I find the pretty good stuff outweigh the higher quality material. The pure grind sections where Owens goes for relentless blast-beats are great & went a long way to defining an entire genre but I can no longer say that I regard this as the classic I always have. What a shame it is when you have your childhood illusions overwritten. It's depressing!

For fans of Exhumed, Impetigo & Pharmacist.

3.5/5

Ben, can you please add Cavurn's  2017 "Rehearsal" E.P. to the site?

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

This submission has now been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

This submission has now been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

Cavurn - "Rehearsal" (2017)

Well, what have we here then?? Fucking hell! Ladies & gentlemen, this relatively unknown rehearsal demo is an absolute fucking beast of a doom/death metal release. In fact, it's forced me to heavily revisit the all-time top ten I submitted only yesterday! It's super-dark, ultra-cavernous & as weighty as any extreme doomster could ever want. I actually don't buy that it's a rehearsal tape as it's simply not possible to get one to sound this good. This shit doesn't look out of place with the absolute elite examples of the subgenre in my opinion.

For fans of Mortiferum, Bloodsoaked Necrovoid & Burial.

4.5/5

And here's my adjusted top ten:

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

02. Anathema – “Serenades” (1993)

03. Cavurn - "Rehearsal" demo (2017)

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

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

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

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

08. Evoken - "Quietus" (2001)

09. Katatonia – “Brave Murder Day” (1996)

10. Mar de Grises – “Streams Inwards” (2010)

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

It was a mixed month of feature releases for me this month really. The debut album from Dvvell was brilliant & really hit my sweet spot. The Critical Defiance & The Ocean albums were also very impressive. I had some fun with the Old, Sevendust, Tanith & Esoctrilihum albums but unfortunately I couldn't get into the Lorna Shore or Edge of Sanity records. Well done Sonny for taking the prize this month.

Here's the list of releases in order of preference:

THE FALLEN: Dvvell - "Quiescent" (2022)  4.5/5

THE INFINITE: The Ocean - "Pelagial" (2013)  4/5

THE PIT: Critical Defiance - "No Life Forms" (2022)  4/5

THE SPHERE: Old - "The Musical Dimensions of Sleastak" (1993)  3.5/5

THE GATEWAY: Sevendust - "Animosity" (2001)  3.5/5

THE GUARDIANS: Tanith - "In Another Time" (2019)  3.5/5

THE NORTH: Esoctrilihum - "Saopth's" (2022)  3.5/5

THE REVOLUTION: Lorna Shore - "...And I Return To Nothingness" E.P. (2021)  3/5

THE HORDE: Edge of Sanity - "Purgatory Afterglow" (1994)  3/5

Dying Fetus - "Killing On Adrenaline" (1998)

Another Dying Fetus release that brings you exactly what you expect with eight brutal death metal tunes chock full of hardcore grooves & techy sweep-picked wankery. As usual I find it hard to fault but rarely fully connect with it. It's not a bad record but I'd probably reach for albums like "Reign Supreme", "Destroy The Opposition" or "Wrong One To Fuck With" before this one.

For fans of Aborted, Benighted & Suffocation.

3.5/5

Bow Wow - "Signal Fire" (1977)

A seminal record in the Japanese metal scene. It's just not very good though & it certainly shouldn't qualify as metal either in my opinion. Of the ten tracks there's only two that I'd consider as being metal. The occasional Black Sabbath or Judas Priest style riff pops up here & there & the vocals do try for their best Rob Halford impersonation at times too but the rest is a fairly light-weight take on 70's hard rock. The musicianship is very good but the vocals & song-writing aren't really up to it to be honest.

For fans of Deep Purple, Budgie & Loudness.

3/5

Here's my updated Top Ten Death Doom Metal Releases Of All Time list which has seen My Dying Bride's "Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium" E.P. jumping a few spots up the list after yesterday's revisit:

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

02. Anathema – “Serenades” (1993)

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

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

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

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

07. Evoken - "Quietus" (2001)

08. Katatonia – “Brave Murder Day” (1996)

09. Mar de Grises – “Streams Inwards” (2010)

10. Daylight Dies – “A Frail Becoming” (2012)

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

I revisited this release a few times yesterday & have to say that I still find it to be an amazing release all these years later. I'd already heard the "Towards The Sinister" demo by that point but it hadn't done very much for me to be honest so this was the first MDB release that I could really connect with. The gothic monster that is the classic doom/death title track was a revelation while the heavily Bolt Thrower influenced "God Is Alone" is some of the finest death metal you'll hear. It really doesn't matter all that much that the instrumentalists technical skills were still very basic & the production job isn't all that strong.

For fans of Paradise Lost, Anathema & Novembers Doom.

4.5/5

I have to say that I agree with your submission Andi as only "God Is Alone" could be classed as legitimate death metal. It's a YES vote from me.

I struggled with this one a bit to be honest. The drumming is certainly nice & brutal but the symphonics are pulled straight out of European power metal which takes most of that edge off & everything sounds far too clinical. It's records like this one that make me question the relevance of the -core reference in the deathcore tagging too because this E.P. is about as far away from the DIY hardcore punk ethos as you're likely to find. 

For fans of Worm Shepherd, Mental Cruelty & Make Them Suffer.

3/5

I really enjoyed this one. It was right inside my wheelhouse. "No Life Forms" is suitably aggressive & just techy enough without seeming to be consciously so. The song structures never stay on the one thing for very long & are constantly changing. The musicianship is excellent too, particularly the bass playing which benefits from a great mix. I don't mind the typically South American vocal style either to be honest. I must say that it's great to hear some high quality thrash metal in 2022. Well done gents.

For fans of Ripper, Kreator & Slayer.

4/5

I didn't mind this one. The death metal influence of Esoctrilihum's past seems to have been cast aside for a purely black metal oriented sound with a significant symphonic component to it on this occasion. I'm not the biggest fan of symphonic metal in general but this example is highly gothic with an epic, grandiose atmosphere that doesn't see me wanting to shy away at any point. The cover art is the perfect fit for the music too actually. "Saopth's" is certainly a very brutal record with it's consistent use of machine-gun style blast-beats & that's generally a positive for someone with my long-standing preference for ultra-extreme metal. Unfortunately I find the programmed nature of the drums to be a bit annoying, particularly the lack of drum rolls which could of added a lot of impact in my opinion. A bigger weakness is the vocals though as I'm not really sure they're up to the task. Overall I found this to be an enjoyable yet flawed release that gave me some enjoyment but it is unlikely to receive return visits.

For fans of Emperor, Hecate Enthroned & Necromantia.

3.5/5

Cool Feet - "Burning Desire" (1976)

I saw this record pop up quite often while researching the early metal scene during my Metal Academy podcast preparations back in the mid-2010’s & it seems to be quite highly regarded but I can’t say that I’ve ever gotten around to checking out Luxembourg four-piece Cool Feet before now. This 1976 debut album goes for ridiculous money on the second-hand vinyl market these days but if my experience tells me anything it’s that value doesn’t necessarily equate to quality. I couldn’t imagine that “Burning Desire” was likely to break any records in regard to intensity so a long drive with the kids over the weekend seemed like the perfect opportunity to see what this obscure proto-metal outfit had to offer before heading off in a much poppier direction in the early 1990’s.

I think it’s fair to say that the poor production & mastering jobs are a definite weakness for “Burning Desire” as the guitars aren’t prominent enough & the levels of the individual tracks differ from each other. This doesn’t prevent the stronger material from making the desired impact though & I find the heavier tracks to all be very enjoyable, particularly the metallic “The Man From Marakesh” & closing hard rocker “Alone In Your Cage” which are both very solid tracks in their own right. There are really only two tracks of the eight included that I regard as fitting the criteria for metal classification though (i.e. "The Man From Marakesh" & opening title track) &, as with so many 70’s proto-metal releases, I find it to be a significant stretch to claim this album as an early metal record.

It sounds to me like Cool Feet were still trying to find their sound with “Burning Desire” as it jumps around sporadically in regard to feel & accessibility. A couple of the more traditional bluesy hard rock numbers sound pretty uneventful when placed around the more melodically expansive metal tunes but the real failing of this record comes with the two awful attempts at commercialism that reside on the B side. Cool Feet are often claimed to be Scorpions disciples & “The Fool” provides a clear indication of that & had me instantly reaching for my plagiarism card given just how close it is to the German hard rock legends' seminal “He’s A Woman – She’s A Man”. Strangely it took a day or so before I realized that “Burning Desire” was actually released a full two years before Scorpions’ “Taken By Force” album which had me wondering whether I had it completely ass about. “The Fool” is a terrible track so I find it hard to believe that Scorpions would have wanted to copy it. Perhaps "Shes A Woman - He's A Man" was an old Scorpions song that didn’t hit an album until later on? I’m not sure but one of the two bands is guilty. The other major failure is even worse though with “Now I Know I’m Free” seeing the entire tracklisting falling on its ass. Thankfully Cool Feet were able to turn things around with a very strong ending to the album.

There are some high quality moments to be found on “Burning Desire” & I found a good half of the tracklisting to be very enjoyable. Front man Don Cardwell has a great hard rock voice & leads the band with confidence during the heavier material but unfortunately the band’s attempts at pop stardom & the generic nature of a couple of the bluesier rock tunes combine with a thin production job to derail Cool Feet’s chances of rock immortality. This is very much the sort of album where you’d be best served by adding the highlight tracks to your Spotify playlist & turfing the remainder.

For fans of Sir Lord Baltimore, Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell & Scorpions.

3/5

Here's my review:

I wasn’t familiar with Brooklyn-based retro four-piece Tanith prior to investigating this month’s The Guardians feature release but they’re hardly a household name in metal circles. A quick look at the band photos left me wondering what I was in store for as they look a little more seasoned than most bands releasing their debut albums these days while the presence on Satan guitarist Russ Tippins intrigued me as I’ve always admired his work on an album like 1983’s “Court In The Act”. Could I expect another metal-as-fuck shred-fest like that one? Well, the reality is anything but.

Tanith place their cards down on the table right from the offset with a warm & organic production job that’s much more in line with 70’s rock than it is with the modern metal model. I really like the way they’ve left plenty of room for the guitars & bass to interact with each other. It’s light-years from the dense metal production we’ve come to expect in more recent times. The dual vocal approach of Tippins & bassist Cindy Maynard is interesting too with both opting for a clean & fairly light-weight delivery that never heads into overly aggressive territory, instead sticking to melodic tones that draw to mind the greats of 1970’s progressive rock. The lead guitar work amplifies that feel further through the consistent execution of simple yet emotive guitar harmonies that showcase a strong Thin Lizzy influence. It’s not the heaviest sound you’ll find but there’s a certain magic about it nonetheless.

It’s interesting that “In Another Time” has been embraced by the metal audience as I’m not really sure it should qualify as metal to be honest. Opening track “Citadel (Galantia Pt. 1)” & “Dionysus” are close enough to metal as they certainly draw upon familiar tools but the rest of the album sits predominantly in hard rock & progressive rock territory. In fact, I’m baffled as to why most metal websites have this record tagged as a hard rock/heavy metal hybrid because the predominant subgenre is comfortably prog rock in my opinion with bands like Yes & Rush being the source of inspiration for much of the content. There’s a magical atmosphere to some of this material that’s seeped in fantasy & wonder & I can see this being a major drawcard for some metalheads. As the album title indicates, this is music from another time only it’s presented with a modern professionalism that showcases the skills of some experienced campaigners who possess a deep understanding of tone & texture.

The thing with “In Another Time” though is that I’m not sure I’m ever completely comfortable with its unintimidating & whispy nature. Apart from the clear album highlight in the gorgeous “Book Of Changes”, I’m not sure I ever find myself engaging with the album on a deeply emotional level. Despite being very well executed, the song-writing is more pleasant than it is enthralling. I very much enjoy those lovely guitar harmonies but the vocals are a little too clean-cut for my taste while the basslines conduct themselves predominantly in fairly unintimidating spaces too. The folky acoustic sections sound sweet enough but I’m not sure that I can say that they pull on my heart-strings. It probably doesn’t help that the album loses its way through the middle of the tracklisting either with both “Cassini's Deadly Plunge” & “Under The Stars” being a bit flat. I’m glad that Tanith could recover for the remainder of the album but I don’t think I ever found myself in a space where I could say that I loved most of the material.

“In Another Time” certainly sounds pretty fresh & there’s a lot to like about the guitar tone but it’s just missing a bit of danger for mine. I appreciate the sentiment but I crave a little more in the way of intensity as the musicians seem to stay very much within themselves for the most part. Give it some more dynamic vocals & this could have been another story. Perhaps even go a little further with the psychedelia. As it is though I find this to be an entertaining little record that should bring Tanith quite a bit of crossover appeal, perhaps not always from the metal market though.

For fans of Wytch Hazel, Thin Lizzy & Night.

3.5/5

Buffalo - "Volcanic Rock" (1973)

The sophomore album from this seminal band from the beloved town of my birth in Sydney, Australia was pretty much regarded as heavy music royalty by the older metalheads when I was first getting into underground metal in the very late 80's. It's not a metal release as such although I'd suggest that the opening & closing tracks should qualify as they're not all that far off Black Sabbath. The rest of the tracklisting is closer to heavy psych & hard rock in my opinion but "Volcanic Rock" is a high quality release in its own right with no weak tunes included. Front man Dave Tice sounds almost exactly like my all-time favourite singer in Soundgarden's Chris Cornell & is the clear focal point of the album although the more stripped back, repetitive & psychedelic guitar work is a real treat too, especially the nine minute album highlight "Freedom" which is nothing short of mind-blowing. If you dig 70's psychedelic/hard rock & proto-metal then you can't go wrong with this record.

For fans of Sir Lord Baltimore, Flower Travellin' Band & Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell.

4/5

Here's my review:

For someone that’s built such a long & passionate history with the death metal genre, I have to say that my relationship with Swedish melodic death metal outfit Edge of Sanity has never been anywhere near as strong as that of most of my extreme metal loving peers. I first became aware of them very early on in their recording career through their 1991 debut album “Nothing But Death Remains” & continued to be kept up to date as they continued on their musical journey via an Aussie tape trading colleague of mine who was utterly obsessed with the Swedish death metal phenomenon. Edge of Sanity’s 1996 fifth full-length “Crimson” (a forty minute single track progressive affair) would obviously become their pièce de resistance & I do have some time for that particular release but I still can’t say that I regard it as anything particularly special so I think it’s fair to say that Edge of Sanity’s true value has always managed to elude me, even though I’m across pretty much their entire back-catalogue to some extent. I was reminded of this fact a couple of weeks ago while contributing to a conversation with a couple of very enthusiastic fans on Twitter & that encounter got me wondering if it might be time to take another crack at Edge of Sanity’s highly regarded 1994 fourth album “Purgatory Afterglow” as it certainly seems to have grown in stature over the years & I can’t say that I’ve listened to much from the band in the last decade or so outside of “Crimson”. This month’s The Horde feature release seemed like a good way to open up some healthy discussion with listeners who will inevitably have differing opinions too so here we are.

The production job on “Purgatory Afterglow” is full & bright which gives the album every chance to impress the listener right from the offset. It’s interesting that Bathory mastermind Quorthon’s father Börje Forsberg is credited as the executive producer & it begs the question as to whether band leader Dan Swanö took any significant learnings away from his time with Börje given the long & illustrious production career that Dan's created for himself since. The sound of the album is quintessentially Swedish as it straddles the two major strands of death metal the country is known for with the melodic death metal sound of At The Gates & Hypocrisy being offset by glimpses of the classic Dismember/Entombed crunch. The use of clean vocals seems to draw influence from gothic rock legends Sisters of Mercy in their phrasing (although admittedly nowhere near as deep) while there are several rockier beats employed across the tracklisting. We even see the band tackling an alternative metalcore sound on closer “Song of Sirens”. Despite the attempts at creative variation, I’m not sure I hear too many signs of the progressive direction that Edge of Sanity would employ in the near future although I've admittedly been known to question how progressive a record like "Crimson" really is at times.

As with so many melodic death metal records, I unfortunately find myself struggling with the more melodically inclined & accessible material included here. I’m kinda used to this with the melodeath subgenre after all these years & it’s no surprise at all that I find the most popular tracks like “Twilight” & “Black Tears” to offer the least appeal while the songs that steer closer to the conventional death metal model (see “Of Darksome Origin” or album highlight “The Sinner & the Sadness”) got my ears pricking up the most. The better melodic moments offer hints at the quality of a record like Amorphis' classic "Tales From The Thousand Lakes" album from the same year but these glimmers of hope are sadly nowhere near as consistent as the Fins were able to achieve. The length of the album seems appropriate at 44 minutes & there’s definitely enough variety on offer to see the individual songs owning their own unique character but the whole thing just seems to feel a little bit short of the final product due to a lack of focus & perhaps the subsequent existence of “Crimson” has proven that statement to be true. It doesn’t explain the significant following that “Purgatory Afterglow” seems to enjoy these days though & I have to wonder whether that would be the case if “Crimson” had never eventuated. I suspect not but then this album was always going to see me being dragged from my musical comfort zone kicking & screaming so what would I know.

For fans of Hypocrisy, At The Gates & “Tales From The Thousand Lakes”-era Amorphis.

3/5

Here's my review:

Despite the fact that German post-sludge metal icons The Ocean have been regarded as one of the premier exponents in their field for a full two decades now, I haven’t been particularly impressed with my limited encounters with them over the years &, as a result, I’m afraid to say that I’ve got a fairly significant gap in my knowledge of their back catalogue when you consider my passion for the post-sludge subgenre in general. My initial experiences with the band came through their pair of 2010 albums “Heliocentric” & “Anthropocentric”, neither of which I had much time for which resulted in me giving The Ocean a wide berth ever since so it’s probably time for me to review that position given that they're so highly revered by fans of the more progressive end of post-metal.

2013’s ocean-themed seventh full-length album “Pelagial” immediately saw me pricking my ears up due to its highly professional packaging & execution. The technicality is the composition & performances is outstanding & compares very well alongside the gods of the progressive metal world. In fact, despite what you may read to the contrary, “Pelagial” isn’t actually a post-sludge metal record at all. If you look closely you’ll discover that there’s only really a short one minute interlude that fits that description across the entire 53 minutes duration of the album. Instead I’d suggest that what we have here is a progressive metal record at its core with the post-metal & sludge metal components being more or less secondary in the grand scheme of things. This imaginative & creative record will see your more educated metal fans picking out the influence of bands like Mastodon, Tool, Opeth & Dream Theater a lot more than the Cult of Luna & Isis references that highlighted most of The Ocean’s earlier works with the band only turning their focus towards sludgier territory for any extended period of time right at the end of the tracklisting via progressive sludge epic “Demersal: Cognitive Dissonance” & the pure sludge-fest of closer “Benthic: The Origin of Our Wishes”. I’d suggest that it’s only the gruff hardcore vocal delivery of front man Loïc Rossetti that sees people being tempted into the sludgier genre tags but in truth he spends just as much time (if not more) exploring his cleaner & more melodic side of his creative repertoire.

“Pelagial” is an extremely consistent record with every one of the eleven tracks being very solid indeed. There are a few really impressive highlight tracks included (see “Bathyalpelagic I: Impasses”, “Abyssopelagic II: Signals of Anxiety” & “Benthic: The Origin of Our Wishes”) but they don’t tend to be the lengthier inclusions which sees me tending to steer away from my higher ratings. The rest of the songs are all very well written & executed but I’m not sure they have the hooks to fully differentiate themselves from each other. I do think it was a bit of a strange decision to tie the two 9+ minute epics together at the back end of the tracklisting as this makes the album drag a bit & seem a little more elongated than it actually is. On the positive side of things though, both of the short interludes are outstanding inclusions & add a lot to the album in my opinion.

It's hard to be too critical of an album that possesses the sheer class that “Pelagial” undeniably does. It’s challenging in all the right ways & I rarely find myself losing engagement. Perhaps it’s just the victim of a little “style over substance” at times but it’s not easy to get the technically vs memorability ratio exactly right & The Ocean come a lot closer to the mark than the vast majority of their peers so I’d have to say that I’ve been converted by this record. I’ll not only be returning to it in the future but will also make a point of doing a little more experimentation with the band’s back catalogue in the future too.

For fans of Mastodon, Intronaut & Ghost Brigade.

4/5

With a vote tally of YES 5 NO 0, I've decided to uphold my submission to have "Misanthropy" added to The Horde under the Death Metal (Conventional) genre.

Here's my review:

I must admit that I’ve experienced relatively little of Atlanta alternative metal legends Sevendust for such a significant band. My only targeted effort to explore what they’re all about came at the end of 2010 when I gave their eighth full-length “Cold Day Memory” (3.5/5) a few spins & found it to be a reasonably enjoyable yet largely forgettable experience. I’ve since heard many of the band’s individual tracks due to their inclusion in the monthly The Gateway playlists but have never ventured any further so I’ve gone into this month’s feature release with an open mind & a hopeful attitude.

The first thing I noticed about Sevendust’s highly successful third album is that it contains a stronger nu metal component than I remember from “Cold Day Memory”. In fact, the record kicks off with a song that sounds noticeably similar to Korn while album highlight “Dead Set” also leans very heavily in that direction too. A large percentage of the other tracks contain nu-metal riffs or sections even though the highly melodic chorus hooks & vocals in general see “Animosity” still tending to leave the overarching impression of being an alternative metal album at its core. At the end of the day I think we have a bit of a hybrid here though with a few tracks steering away from metal altogether via some more commercially accessible alternative rock or post-grunge sounds.

As seems to be the norm for Sevendust, “Animosity” relies very heavily on the chorus hooks of front man Lejon Witherspoon & the listener’s final impressions will no doubt hang on their ability to connect with his performance. He’s a class act for the most part & can really sing but I find those hooks to be a little hit & miss. There aren’t any absolute bombs here, despite songs like “Crucified”, “Dead Set”, “Beautiful” & “Angel’s Son” all being high quality examples of their type. There are a couple of pretty flat tracks though with hit single “Praise” & album weak point “Live Again” failing to connect with me. The rest of the album is just kinda middling to be honest. It’s definitely a pleasant listen but I just don’t find it to have the hooks to offer the sort of memorability that will have me singing along to them in my head for the rest of the day. The gruffer backing vocals of guitarist Clint Lowery do offer a nice juxtaposition to Lajon's more clean cut sound though, it must be said.

Sevendust are certainly very good at what they do & I don’t think “Animosity” will disappoint too many alternative/nu metal fans but it doesn’t surprise me that they’ve never reached the same levels of popularity as the elite bands in their field. The band is very tight & everything's executed in a highly professional manner but I rarely find the song-writing to command the same level of excitement as Tool or Deftones seem to muster up quite regularly. Perhaps Sevendust are simply a little closer to the dreaded accessibility line than I'd like. In saying that, I’d probably take "Animosity" over “Cold Day Memory” (from what I can remember of that record anyway) & are glad to have conducted the exercise as there’s really very little to regret here. It’s a more than decent example of its chosen subgenre set, nothing more, nothing less.

For fans of Taproot, Staind & Adema.

3.5/5

Here's my review of this outstanding feature release nomination:

I hadn’t had the pleasure of being introduced to Californian five-piece Dvvell before Sonny selected their brand new debut full-length “Quiescent” as the November feature release for our The Fallen clan but you can mark me down as being emphatically converted in a short space of time because this four-track album fits my taste profile to a tee. What we have here is a crushingly heavy & unapologetically dark piece of work that is relentless in its commitment to undiluted doom & it sounds just as good as that description sounds. That’s not to say that it’s a perfect record as there are some small challenges to overcome if you're to fully uncover the album's charms but there’s certainly enough quality here to satisfy the vast majority of the extreme doom audience.

“Quiescent” is benefitted from a thick & super-heavy production job which highlights the superbly tight rhythm section through a big bass guitar sound. The riffs invariably sit in the slow to medium-slow range & if the album has a weakness it’s definitely in its lack of variety because Dvvell define their sound very early on & stick to their guns throughout the entire hour’s duration. The Dvvell sound is really very simple to describe in all honesty. Slow riffs based entirely on open power-chords, ethereal tremolo-picked higher-register melodies that draw influence from post-rock & anguished female black metal screams… yep, that about sums it up really. So why is it so effective? I think it’s because of the execution which is absolutely top notch, particularly that of drummer Brett Weiser who is the clear highlight with his powerful metronomic performance giving the material the extra clout & precision it requires to consistently pummel the listener into submission. Brett’s kick drum hits in exact unity with every dinosauric power chord & his fills maintain my interest during the sections where the music is completely devoid of hooks. The melodies I mentioned don’t always hit exactly on the sweet spot they’re aiming for but when they do (as in the first half of closing track & album highlight “Daughter”) they can be seriously effective & I find myself hanging out for those moments while sitting through the album as a whole.

It's interesting that most websites seem to label “Quiescent” (& most albums like it) as sludge metal, often with the doom component being tagged as funeral doom metal. I struggle to find the sludge metal in this release to be honest as there’s not a lot of abrasive hardcore anger going on. Personally, I’d suggest that this release represents a strong case for the “blackened doom metal” tag as the music is clearly doom metal & the vocals just as obviously come from black metal realms rather than sludge metal aggression. The consistently slow tempos do hint at funeral doom metal at times & I find myself being reminded of England’s Moss in that regard but I don’t think the atmosphere is ever in line with the mournful slumbers that we generally expect from that particular subgenre. Instead I'd suggest that it shares more similarities with that of artists like fellow Californians Chrch or Oregon’s Hell although those bands admittedly change things up a bit more than Dvvell do.

Despite the saminess that “Quiescent” is undeniably guilty of, I simply can’t deny the appeal of an unapologetically dark & doomy release like this one, particularly when the execution is as powerful as it is here. “Quiescent” commands the listener to play it super-loud so as to become engulfed by the sheer weight of sound with the blackened vocals of Kristy Senko-Hall beckoning you to embrace the darkness.

For fans of Chrch, Hell & Moss.

4.5/5