Daniel's Forum Replies

Well I have to say that I fucking loved this release Xephyr. It took me by complete surprise. The size of this dudes balls must be absolutely astronomical to have pulled this off with his debut solo album. It's just so beautifully executed & emotionally engaging. I can understand Saxy questioning whether it should technically qualify as metal or not as the metal component isn't huge but I think it's enough for me to want to link it to Post-Metal as it invites me to recall some of the more stripped back & atmospheric works of bands like Kayo Dot, Neurosis & Anathema. The androgynous vocals are lovely, the strings are very well orchestrated & even though the 55 minute single-track arrangement may seem drawn out to many (if not most) metalheads I never find myself questioning the artist's patience thanks to his exceptional ability to build tension & atmosphere. This record is just pure class from start to finish to be honest & I'm sure it'll be right near the top of my AOTY list come January.

4.5/5

Loudblast - Sensorial Treatment (1989)

Despite being big noises in the black metal scene, I think it's fair to say that other than a few minor exceptions, the French haven't played as big a part as some in the thrash and death metal scenes. Loudblast are from the very north of France and were formed in 1985 and are still extant today. Sensorial Treatment was their debut, released in 1989 after a succession of late-80s demos and has been gifted death metal credentials by some, but truly it inhabits that netherworld betwen thrash and death metal. Personally I think it has both feet in the thrash metal camp, with perhaps a toe or two creeping over the line into death metal territory, but essentially an extreme thrash release with belligerent, brutal, thrash metal riffs and bullish, bellowing vocals in the vein of the Brazilian heavyweights of the time like Sepultura, Mutilator and Holocausto. Unfortunately they lack the songs of a Sepultura and the album as a whole just seemed to fly in one ear and out the other without any hooks for it to gain purchase on the grey matter in between. No doubt Sensorial Treatment has it's advocates and it is decent enough, but I'm afraid it must be filed in the bulging "not bad but far from essential" drawer of late-1980's metal releases.

3/5

I had this one back in my tape trading days. I remember thinking it was pretty decent but it didn't receive the honor of a return visit after those first few listens.

Carcass - Symphonies of Sickness (1989)

Liverpool's Carcass started out in similar vein to Napalm Death musically but with an emphasis on gross-out, gore-drenched lyrical content and pretty much invented goregrind with debut Reek of Putrefaction. Much like fellow Englishmen Bolt Thrower, Carcass refused to stand still and refined their sound with each release throughout the late '80s and early 90s. With sophomore Symphonies of Sickness the Scousers reduced the debut's reliance on grindcore and introduced more death metal and variety into the songwriting mix with consequently longer tracks and a much more satisfactory result in my opinion. There is also a huge leap in quality of the sound from the debut - it is much cleaner and isn't the turgid sonic mess that the debut struggled with. The tone of Symphonies of Sickness is on a rancid offal-pit level of purulent filthiness, Ruptured in Purulence for fuck's sake, have you ever heard a dirtier sounding track? It's almost impossible not to imagine that something has gone off in your fridge while listening to this, yet they achieve this filthy sound without sacrificing clarity in the most part. As anyone who is familiar with my preferences in extreme metal will know that this sort of thing is exactly the kind of sound that I love.

I guess people going into a death / grind album from 1989 would probably expect an album that blurs into one with little progression or variety and that accusation has been thrown by some at Carcass, but if you actually listen to Symphonies of Sickness then you will hear that that is far from the case. There is far more going on here than initially meets the ear and it is evident that Carcass have had few equals in extreme death metal songwriting over the years. They never compromise the songwriting for brutality's sake and equally they don't compromise the brutality of the tracks either. That said, they are certainly not averse to throwing in the odd melodic riff and phrase that sticks a particular track to your memory cells most effectively, but rest assured, there will just as certainly be a blasting dose of grind to blowtorch your grey matter along any second.

Their use of three different vocalists also adds a variety to the different tracks. I don't know who provides which vocal, but they are all quite different with one being deep and rumbling like some nether pit-demon, one is ragged and harsh with an almost black metal level gurgling shriek and the third sits somewhere between the two. I must admit I do prefer the deep rumbling growl that features on tracks like Exhume to Consume - that almost sub-sonic vocal rumble is a vibe I love. I tend not to get too involved with the lyrics as the obsession with pathology isn't really my thing at all and, in all honesty, I also find the cover to be a bit much*, whilst understanding that it is all part of the band's aesthetic and does suit the virulently putrid atmosphere uniquely well.

Overall, for me I think Carcass hit a sweet spot between grind and death metal here that I haven't heard replicated too often. The variety and accessibility of the songwriting coupled with the dark, rotten-stench atmosphere is a masterclass in extreme metal song production and has resulted in an album that is right up there with the very best death / grind releases.
4.5/5

(*the cover above is not the cover on the version I own, which is more autopsy-photo-collage-style like the debut)

This was a hhuuggee record for me personally & I still regard it as a death metal classic. Morbid Angel produced the first genuinely classic death metal record in my life. This one became the second & in doing so solidified it as my genre of choice for all eternity. 4.5/5

db69 - "Fuck Le Pen Mix" (1997)

A slamming 170 bpm rave techno/gabber DJ mix from this English freetekno stalwart. I have to admit that I quite like it for a mindless accompaniment while driving as it's full of energy & doesn't require all that much thought.

DNA - "Taste This" (1992)

European house, breaks & downtempo featuring the vocals of Suzanne Vega on a few tracks including the now legendary "Tom's Diner". It's certainly got it's moments but does sound a bit dated these days.

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

I can vividly remember my first encounter with Japanese blackened thrash legends Sabbat’s fifth & most ambitious album to the time. I’d been aware of Sabbat through the tape trading scene for some time but can’t say that I’d ever really bought into their largely cult following. They’d created a real buzz around the underground due to their undoubted First Wave of Black Metal street credibility however I can’t say that I was ever comfortable that their package could justify comparisons with the elite exponents of extreme metal at a time when that scene was at its peak. By 1996 though that scene was starting to descend from its position of prominence & perhaps that’s why Sabbat felt the need to throw the rule book out the window & produce something truly remarkable with a single hour-long piece that contains so many disparate ideas that you may find your head spinning after a while.

Sometimes music can be just a bit of simple fun that you don’t have to put too much investment in to & at others it can be a genuinely fascinating piece of art whose aim is to change a person & not just in positive ways. It can attempt to get inside your head & mess with the connections, taking you to weird & wonderful places you never imagined, some of them so foreign & surreal that you feel a level of discomfort. Well, “The Dwelling” certainly falls into the latter category as it’s never happy to sit on its laurels & wants to be everything at once, even though that approach definitely comes at a cost. You see, love it or hate it, to describe this record as blackened thrash is doing it a disservice in my opinion. There’s no question that it’s driven by a strong First Wave of Black Metal pedigree but it’s also incredibly expansive & ambitious, far more than Sabbat were capable of at the time in all honesty. Personally, I hear very little genuine thrash metal here with the majority of the thrashier parts sitting more comfortably under the early black metal banner than the thrash one. There’s definitely a classic heavy metal influence to this record that sees it veering much closer to speed metal with a number of parts reminding me of the blackened version of speed metal we heard on the first Bathory record with a punkier Motorhead/Venom feel to quite a few of the faster riffs & much less of the rhythmic precision & complexity we’ve come to expect from thrash. Then you have the extended lead guitar excursions & the just plain outrageously weird progressive rock experimentation which have been pulled straight out of a 70’s prog rock playbook & these are significant enough to command the progressive metal tag in my opinion. Those long guitar solo sections absolutely reek of Mercyful Fate worship only Sabbat are nowhere near as capable at their craft so they end of coming off as very loose & a little amateurish too at times.

The vocal delivery takes a number of directions. I really enjoy the Quorthon-esque black metal approach that sees the words spat out with evil intent. I can’t say that the high-pitched attempts at King Diamond worship get anywhere the mark they’re aiming for though & they end up becoming pretty annoying. The bass guitar work has some very interesting moments when it decides to run off on its own & tell a different story to the other two band members. Unfortunately though, I find a lot of “The Dwelling” to sound too raw & loose in its execution. That may be fine for your average underground extreme metal release but this one is trying for something far more sophisticated & the band simply aren’t anywhere near capable of pulling it all together. It sounds completely improvised a lot of the time but then you’ll see them go into some extravagant changes as a unit & you realise that it can’t be, at least not entirely. There are timing issues across the board, perhaps not major ones but enough to keep me wondering if they’re about to completely drop the ball & have to start again.

For all its failings, “The Dwelling” is a really interesting release. It’s just not all that enjoyable for me personally as I struggle with many of its quirks. It sounds like a few dudes got really drunk, took a mushroom each, pressed record & jammed away for an hour to see what came of it. I admit that idea does sound kinda cool in theory but the reality sees me failing to connect with a lot of it & wanting more professionalism in the execution. Now if anyone goes into a Sabbat record wanting professionalism then they’re clearly barking up the wrong tree which is why I’ve always found myself at odds with “The Dwelling” because I clearly want it to be something that was never going to be. I suspect that some of our other regulars may not fall into that same trap though which is why I picked it for this month’s feature release as I look forward to hearing some different views on this intriguing & unique example of progressive black/speed metal.

For fans of Nifelheim, Abigail & early Bathory.

3/5

Avatar - "Bloody Angel" (6:04) from Hail the Apocalypse (2014) (this album has the alternative metal genre and conventional subgenre, but The Gateway clan is missing from view, plus the song sounds close enough to alt-metal that I personally think would qualify)

Quoted Shadowdoom9 (Andi)

Looks like a data-entry error Andi. I've just fixed that up & it's now showing under The Gateway.

I'll be really interested to hear people's thoughts on where they see this release sitting as far as genre-tagging & clans go. There's potential for a number of different subgenres & clans so please feel free to contribute your honest thoughts. It'd be great if we can collect a number of well-informed opinions so that we can determine the most accurate outcome.

It was my younger brother Ben that first introduced me to New Jersey funeral/death doom metallers Evoken upon my return to metal back in 2009. He could certainly be classed as somewhat of an expert in the darkest & most extreme of the doom metal subgenres & he also knows my taste pretty well so it was no surprise that I found myself totally digging what I was hearing. You see Evoken don't really try to reinvent the wheel with their sophomore album "Quietus". They more or less harness the techniques of their early-90's heroes but do it exceptionally well. In fact, I'd be tempted to place this album right alongside most of them for overall impact & reward.

Evoken have made a name for themselves as being a band that sit very close to the mid-point between the slower & more mournful funeral doom metal of Esoteric & Mournful Congregation & the atmospheric doom/death of diSEMBOWELMENT & My Dying Bride with their extremely consistent back catalogue making them arguably the finest exponents of that sound. If I'm being honest though I have to admit that I've always found "Quietus" to sit far closer to the latter side of that equation, so much so that I've gone ahead & down-voted Funeral Doom Metal on its release page as it really is more of a secondary subgenre here in my opinion. Sure, there are some really slow & mournful sections scattered across its 63 minute run time however there are significantly more parts that draw upon the greats of the death/doom sound for inspiration if you pay close attention. I think it's the dark diSEMBOWELMENT style vocals that tend to fool people into thinking they're listening to funeral doom when a lot of the instrumentation could certainly have come from the Peaceville Three, particularly the drumming which owes a great deal of debt to My Dying Bride. There's a noticeably gothic feel to some of this material that inevitably takes my mind right back to that band's first couple of albums too, not to mention some obvious moments of plagiarism.

The guitar tone isn't perfect however it gets the job done with chuggy, slow & mid-paced riffs of pure doom. The vocals certainly enhance the atmosphere & are generally very well executed however it's the wonderful use of synthesizers that is the real drawcard here for mine, particularly on the lengthier & more epic tracks like "Where Ghosts Fall Silent" & album highlight "Embrace the Emptiness" which is arguably one of the greatest examples of death/doom you'll find. The atmosphere these tracks create is quite wonderful &, even though none of the other pieces are quite able to reach that elite level of quality, there's a strong consistency that flows right through the tracklisting & sees me finding it almost impossible not to dish out a premium rating. You see, Evoken just get it. They know how to create extreme doom metal with a genuinely thick & sorrowful atmosphere & even the tracks that start to drift a bit (see the faster, chuggier sections at the start & end of "Tending the Dire Hatred" for example) are easily recovered once they steer the ship back to troubled waters. If you're a fan of high quality death/doom with a funeral doom edge to it then you owe it to explore "Quietus".

For fans of Ataraxie, diSEMBOWELMENT & My Dying Bride.

4.5/5

Mind-blowing doom/death metal from New Jersey, USA.

Here's my updated Top Ten Death Doom Metal Releases Of All Time list which has seen Evoken's "Quietus" entering the fray at the expense of My Dying Bride's "The Thrash Of Naked Limbs" E.P.:

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. Evoken - "Quietus" (2001)

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

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

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

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

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

John Prine - "John Prine" (1971)

The classic debut album from this Illinois-based singer/songwriter style country/folk performer who reminds me very much of Bob Dylan at times. My wife loved it but I can't say that I see the attraction personally.

I've always had time for "In The Shadows" since purchasing it on cassette at around the time of release. It's certainly not on the same level as records like "Melissa" & or the self-titled E.P. but I don't find it to be too far behind "Don't Break The Oath" in terms of overall appeal if I'm being honest. It's not often talked about in the same terms as those three records but I'd be surprised if any fans of Fate's classics don't find it to be a really enjoyable experience. I have to admit that I've found everything the band have done after that to be thoroughly underwhelming though.

For fans of King Diamond, In Solitude & Portrait.

3.5/5

A beautifully crafted & highly atmospheric post-rock piece from these Swedish post-sludge metallers.

Cult Of Luna - "Salvation" (2004)

The Swedish post-sludge masters' third album is a masterpiece of light & shade with the instrumentation presented in waves of slow-building tension & release. Front man Klas Rydberg's relentless screams are definitely the band's weak point as he's very much a one-trick pony but I simply can't help but give in to the mastery of the musicians around him who all execute their contributions with undeniable class & efficiency. The more subdued moments are the highlights in my opinion (my favourite being gorgeous post-rocker "Crossing Over") & you'll struggle with a release like this one if you're lacking in the patience department as it requires time & attention to reveal it's many qualities. But if you're willing to go along for the ride then you'll find Cult of Luna to have a rare talent for sneaking up on you, utilizing repetition & subtle changes over long periods to create atmosphere before reaching some truly invigorating crescendos. "Salvation" may not be Cult of Luna's finest work but it certainly compares very favorably to wonderful albums like "Somewhere Along The Highway" or "Vertikal". I also regard it as a pretty definitive example of the Post-Metal/Sludge Metal combo with the two elements playing equally important roles in the final product. It's a wonderful release from a band that I have an enormous amount of time for.

For fans of Isis, Neurosis & The Ocean.

4.5/5

Here's the plan for the July feature releases:

THE FALLEN: Daniel, Sonny, Ben

THE GATEWAY: Saxy, Andi

THE GUARDIANS: Daniel, Xephyr

THE HORDE: Ben, Daniel, Vinny

THE INFINITE: Saxy, Andi, Xephyr

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

THE PIT: Sonny, Vinny, Ben, Daniel

THE REVOLUTION: Andi, Daniel

THE SPHERE: Daniel, Andi

My submission for the July playlist is as follows:

Thorns - "Underneath The Universe 1" (from "Thorns", 2001)

My submission for the July playlist is as follows:

Car Bomb - "Vague Skies" (from "Mordial", 2019)

My submissions for the July playlist are as follows:

Ritual Carnage - "Death Judgement & Fate" (from "Every Nerve Alive", 2000)

Ambush - "Don't Shoot (Let 'Em Burn)" (from "Firestorm", 2014)

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - "Organ Farmer" (from "Infest The Rats' Nest", 2019)

Exodus - "Sealed With A Fist" (from "Tempo Of The Damned", 2004)

Voivod - "Korgull The Exterminator" (from "Rrroooaaarrr", 1986)

Vulcano - "Dominios of Death" (from "Bloody Vengeance", 1986)

The Accused - "W.C.A.L.T." (from "More Fun Than An Open-Casket Funeral", 1987)

Aggression - "Forsaken Survival" (from "The Full Treatment", 1987)

My submissions for the July playlist are:

Thorns - "Underneath The Universe 2" (from "Thorns", 2001)

Onirik - "Assigned To Inexorable Flames" (from "The Fire Cult Beyond Eternity", 2020)

Blasphemy - "Intro/Blasphemy" (from "Gods of War", 1993)

My submissions for the July playlist are:

Hate - "Erebos" (from "Erebos", 2010)

Dying Fetus - "From Womb To Waste" (from "Reign Supreme", 2012)

Nails - "Conform" (from "Unsilent Death", 2010)

The Chasm - "No Mercy (Our Time Is Near)" (from "Deathcult For Eternity: The Triumph", 1998)

Obituary - "Infected" (from "Cause Of Death", 1999)

Blood Incantation - "Inner Paths (To Outer Space)" (from "Hidden History Of the Human Race", 2019)

My submission for the July playlist is:

Ambush - "Master Of Pain" (from "Firestorm", 2014)

My submission for the July playlist is:

System Of A Down - "Lost In Hollywood" (from "Mezmerize", 2005)

My sole submission for the July playlist is:

Earth - "Like Gold & Faceted" (from "Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version", 1993)

June 2022

01. The Chasm – “Conquerer & Warlord” (from “The Spell Of Retribution”, 2004) [Submitted by Daniel]

02. Eucharist – “Greeting Immortality” (from “A Velvet Creation”, 1993)

03. Nocturnus – “Arctic Crypt” (from “Thresholds”, 1992)

04. Entombed A.D. – “Digitus Medius” (from “Back To The Front”, 2014)

05. Artificial Brain – “Celestial Cyst” (from “Artificial Brain”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

06. Brutal Truth – “Dementia” (from “Kill Trend Suicide”, 1996)

07. Nihilist – “Severe Burns” (from “Drowned” demo, 1989) [Submitted by Vinny]

08. Unanimated – “Fire Storm” (from “In The Forest Of The Dreaming Dead”, 1993)

09. Massacra – “Enjoy The Violence” (from “Enjoy The Violence”, 1991) [Submitted by Vinny]

10. Inhuman Condition – “Recycled Hate” (from “Fearsick”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

11. Malignant Monster – “Old Corpus Delecti” (from “Foul Play”, 2005) [Submitted by Daniel]

12. Massacre – “Eldritch Prophecy” (from “Resurgence”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. Corpsessed – “Relentless Entropy” (from “Succumb To Rot”, 2022)

14. Cephalic Carnage – “Jihad” (from “Conforming To Abnormality”, 1998)

15. The County Medical Examiners – “Casper’s Dictum” (from “Olidous Operettas”, 2007)

16. Undeath – “Necrobionics” (from “It’s Time… To Rise From The Grave”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

17. Focusrights – “Next Level Cheating Whore” (from “Ew, Music!”, 2020)

18. Behemoth – “Furor Divinus” (from “The Satanist”, 2014) [Submitted by Daniel]

19. Exhumed – “Deathmask” (from “Gore Metal”, 1998)

20. Cosmic Putrefaction – “Sol’s Upheaval Debris” (from “Crepuscular Dirge for the Blessed Ones”, 2022)

21. Pharmacist – “Accelerating Suppuration” (from “Flourishing Extremities on Unspoiled Mental Grounds”, 2022)

22. Mortician – “Necrocannibal” (from “Hacked Up For Barbecue”, 1996)

23. Wormrot – “Behind Closed Doors” (from “Hiss”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

24. Dying Fetus – “Beaten Into Submission” (from “Purification Through Violence”, 1996)

25. Decapitated – “Day 69” (from “Organic Hallucinosis”, 2006) [Submitted by Daniel]

26. Cannibal Corpse – “Dead Human Collection” (from “Bloodthirst”, 1999) [Submitted by Daniel]

27. Sinister – “Diabolical Summoning” (from “Diabolical Summoning”, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]

28. Analepsy – “Locus Of Dawning” (from “Quiescence”, 2022)

29. The Amenta – “Erebus” (from “Occasus”, 2004) [Submitted by Daniel]

Just completed my Top 20. Very cool feature in my opinion. For the record, I can see both sides of the argument around the decimal places but feel that it's probably overkill to display it as long as the additional decimal places are taken into account in the background.

Hi Morpheus & welcome to the Academy. We're very glad you decided to check our little community out.

I can understand your thoughts on the clan configuration but it's worth mentioning that there's nothing stopping anyone from posting ratings & reviews for releases that reside in clans that they don't belong to so power metal fans are more than welcome to voice their opinions on death metal releases if they feel like it. (In fact, you'll likely find a few of Xephyr's reviews floating around that fit that mold to a tee.) Those ratings just won't count towards the Clan Rating for that release which are intended to isolate the feelings of people that are truly passionate about that particular genre & remove the possibility of being diluted by ratings from people that can't stand death growls for example.

In relation to the Gallery, it's all about recording your feelings on the cover artwork rather than the quality of the image itself. 

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

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

So I finally got around to checking this album out over the last day or so & I have to admit that I disagree about it being a metal release. There are a lot more components to Blood Ceremony's sound than just doom metal with psychedelic rock, stoner rock & progressive rock all playing a strong role along with the odd bit of folk. I can definitely see where the two of you are coming from as there's no denying that there are Iommi-worshipping doom metal riffs here but the guitar tone is centered in hard rock territory which gives the album more of a rock feel & this is accentuated by the flute, organ & vocals to leave me feeling that a dual heavy psych/stoner rock primary is all I think this needs. I mean by definition stoner rock "combines blues rock, psychedelia & the repetitive riffs of doom metal" & that sums this record up pretty well in my opinion so I've gone with a NO on this occasion.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on this one Ben.

Blood Ceremony - "Blood Ceremony" (2008)

Despite being aware of their existence for many years now, I hadn’t ever seriously considered checking out anything from Canada’s Blood Ceremony before now but became intrigued after noticing an old Hall of Judgement post & followed up with a read of Sonny’s review which certainly sounded interesting. I decided I’d check out the band’s self-titled debut to see what it was all about I’ve come away feeling like I’ve experienced something that’s primarily centered in the past but somehow seems to sound fresh & invigorating at the same time.

Blood Ceremony’s sound can be difficult to describe using your traditional genre tags as there’s a whole bunch of components being used to make up the final product. Firstly you have the heavy doom metal riffs of Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album only they're played with more of a hard rock tone which keeps the band in stoner rock territory despite the undeniable atmosphere of pure doom at times. Then you have the use of 60’s psychedelia, particularly in the use of organ which reminds me very much of The Doors at times. The incorporation of flute as a primary instrument was unexpected with the influence Jethro Tull, Black Widow & other 70’s flute-friendly progressive rock bands being easily apparent there. There’s even a little bit of folk thrown into the mix every now & then & when you top it all off with a female front woman & a seriously retro production job that could well have come from the early 70’s you’ve got yourself one very interesting mix of sounds.

So how did I enjoy it overall? Weeellll… “Blood Ceremony” certainly has its moments & rarely sees me losing focus despite there being a noticeable lapse in the middle of the tracklisting (see “A Wine Of Wizardry” & “Rare Lord”). I really enjoy the authentic feel & doomy atmosphere however I rarely see myself fully giving in to the band’s charms due to a couple of clear flaws. Front woman Alia O’Brien isn’t the most gifted of singers & can be a little pitchy at times however you kinda forgive her in the interest of atmosphere. Her contribution with the flute becomes greater as the album progresses & I have to admit that my patience wears a little thin after a while. I think they’ve overdone it a touch with the solos in the back end of the record. The lead guitar work is always welcome though & shows a great combination of feel & attitude. Album highlight “Return To Forever” is where the song-writing is clearly the strongest & everything just seems to completely gel at long last. A large portion of the remaining tracks seem pleasant enough but rarely push for higher honors.

At the end of the day I think “Blood Ceremony” serves its purpose pretty well for a very specific audience & offered a refreshing change from my usual listening habits. I would imagine that the late 60’s/early 70’s female-fronted doom rock trend that was growing in popularity at the time would have embraced it with open arms but I have to admit that I don’t find the song-writing to be strong enough to command return visits even though the riffs are certainly there in spades. I’d be interested to know if O’Brien’s vocals improve on subsequent releases though because she’s not bad as such. She just needs to work with some stronger material & reach a little deeper for the x-factor that can take a reasonably enjoyable release into much stronger areas.

For fans of Electric Citizen, Jex Thoth & Witchcraft.

3.5/5

My two cents is that I agree that cutting the ties with The Fallen makes sense both stylistically & logistically but I don't really see much point in keeping Post-Sludge Metal separate from the rest of Post-Metal as 95% of people are referring to the sludge variety when they think of the term "Post-Metal" anyway. In fact, I don't think there's really much of a Post-Metal genre without it in all honesty.

It's worth noting that making any changes in these areas will require some major database rework (even just changing the name to Post-Sludge Metal surprisingly) so at the moment this is all hypothetical. Keep the feedback coming & I'll discuss any changes that the group collaboratively agrees to with Ben.

Thanks for clarifying Andi. I appreciate the open feedback.

Has anyone else got any opinions on this topic?

The Ricky Gervais Show - "The Podcasts - The Best of & Brand New" 3 x CD Set (2006)

Tore through the entire first season of the Ricky Gervais Show podcast including the Extended Exclusive Episode over the last few days. I'm not much of a fan of Ricky's to tell you the truth but this was hilarious shit, mainly because he's actually not the main focal point. Karl Pilkington does most of the talking while Ricky & Stephen Merchant take the piss out of him for hours on end. Karl is an absolute genius if this is all an act (which it presumably is). His perspective on the world is truly one of a kind. Really glad I gave this stuff a crack.

I'm not sure you completely understood my question Andi as I wasn't really asking about whether post-black metal or post-death metal are legitimate subgenres or how you'd define them. (For the record though, there are plenty of post-black metal releases out there that aren't associated with blackgaze.) I was really asking if Post-Sludge Metal is the only post-x subgenre that's deserving of it's own category in your opinion &, if so, why. From what you've written I'm gathering that you probably do think it's the only one that's significant enough but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. (I'm not saying you're wrong on that by the way.)

The next question I'll ask is if you think that if we adjusted the functionality of the releases page to a) allow you to search on releases that have multiple specified subgenres (like Post-Metal & Sludge Metal) & b) allow to you to choose to search on releases that ONLY have your specified subgenres (so you could select releases that only have Post-Metal & not releases that have both Sludge Metal AND Post-Metal) it would serve the purpose just as well? Would we still need a Post-Sludge Metal subgenre if that was the case?

I'm definitely up for calling the subgenre "Post-Sludge Metal", and I think it should be just a post-metal subgenre, so any "Post-Sludge Metal" releases would be removed from The Fallen except if they're also "Sludge Metal (Conventional)".

Andi, let's explore that theory a little bit further. In your opinion, is Post-Sludge Metal a complete one-off that should be treated differently to the rest of the main genres? How would you suggest we handle post-black metal releases for example? Or post-death metal releases? Would you create another post-x subgenre for those? Please be aware that there's no wrong answer here.

Technically Atmospheric Sludge Metal is only a part of the one clan (i.e. The Infinite). Subgenres can only be a part of one clan in our database. We manually add each Atmospheric Sludge Metal release to The Fallen as well when creating the release in the database so that it resides in both clans.

Blood Incantation - "Hidden History Of The Human Race" (2019)

I’ve been meaning to give high regarded Canadian death metallers Blood Incantation’s 2019 sophomore album “Hidden History Of The Human Race” a proper review ever since giving it a few casual spins shortly after release but somehow it’s taken me a full three years to get there which is more of an indication of how broad my musical passions are than anything else as there’s a very lengthy queue for my attention these days. You see, despite really enjoying the record upon first listen it very quickly became obvious that it requires “active listening” to take in all of the nuances, particularly given the dense & cavernous production job & tendency to drift into progressive self-indulgence & atmospherics at times. But here I am, fully prepared for what’s in front of me & open to emulating the extreme adoration of metalheads around the globe if the merit’s there.

It's interesting that so many people comment on how great the production job on “Hidden History Of The Human Race” is because it has it’s faults in my opinion. It does tend to sound pretty murky at times which really works for a band like Incantation but can limit the effectiveness of a more complex artist like Blood Incantation clearly aspire to be. You can certainly make out everything that’s going on but a little bit more clarity & definition in those guitars could have elevated things a bit in my opinion. The cover artwork is another source of adoration that I find interesting. It’s an attractive image of course but does it successfully highlight the dark death metal atmosphere Blood Incantation are capable of or does it really come off as being a little try-hard & portray the band as a bunch of nerdy conspiracy theorists? I tend to lean towards the latter in all honesty but let’s not let that get in the way of what is really a very solid death metal record.

The programming of the tracklisting is a topic that needs unpacking because I think the band’s management got it a little wrong by opening with the most traditional death metal number & gradually getting more progressive & expansive over the four tracks. Brutal opener “Slave Species Of The Gods” doesn’t really leave you with an accurate depiction of what to expect from the rest of the album & I think it would have been a better idea to place it after “Inner Paths (To Outer Space)” in the track 3 position with the eighteen minute prog death epic coming immediately after it. In its current configuration though we see the album opening without much deviation from the classic Morbid Angel death metal model with the dense production job giving it an atmosphere that reminds me of countrymen Tomb Mold. Second track “The Giza Power Plant” sees the riff structures immediately getting a little techier with the first signs of a more expansive approach taking the form of some Nile-influenced middle-Eastern melodies & themes. But the real gold here can be found when Blood Incantation release the shackles that are holding back their self-indulgences & go for a completely progressive approach with instrumental third track “Inner Paths (To Outer Space)” being the finest example of this in my opinion. The first half of that track sees the band opting for a more stripped back & melodic post-metal sound before taking off into fully fledged progressive metal similar to Cynic & finally returning to their death metal roots during the climax. To my ears the first half of this track is the perfect amalgamation of the band’s influences & ambitions but that’s not to discount the strength of the gargantuan eighteen-minute progressive death metal excursion that is closing number “Awakening From the Dream of Existence to the Multidimensional Nature of Our Reality (Mirror of the Soul)” mind you. This monster piece sees Blood Incantation working all of their various influences & components into the one composition that takes numerous exciting twists & turns through disparate locations like space ambient & doom/death without ever losing its natural flow. It can sound a little artsy (i.e. progressive for the sake of being progressive) at times but I think it offers enough musical substance to see it overcoming those aspersions & it ends up being the perfect way to end what was a relatively short album with a surprisingly large amount of ideas. It kinda reminds me of The Chasm’s more ambitious works in that respect.

So is “Hidden History Of The Human Race” the genuine progressive death metal classic it was made out to be at the time? Hhhhmmmm…. the short answer is no it’s not. The musicianship & execution is very good but I do think the vocals sound pretty generic. The sci-fi themes work well but I can’t say that I enjoyed the band’s progressive take on death metal as much as I do their major influences as I tend to think I’d be more likely to reach for Timeghoul’s 1994 “Panaramic Twilight” demo when I’m in the mood for this sort of thing. I just don’t think that Blood Incantation hit my death metal sweet spot as often as I’d need to be placing a record like this one on the very top shelf despite its obvious class & credentials. Still, this is a very high quality death metal release that oozes of underground credibility while simultaneously ticking more than its fair share of creative boxes so fans of the progressive death metal sound will undoubtedly find a lot to enjoy here.

For fans of Timeghoul, The Chasm & Tomb Mold.

4/5

I have a couple of questions for everyone. I've never felt completely comfortable with us using the subgenre title "Atmospheric Sludge Metal" for a number of reasons:

1. It's only really used on the one site i.e. RYM.

2. The sound is clearly a combination of post-rock & sludge metal & for other subgenres such as black metal, punk & hardcore that have a very similar situation we've simply adopted the "post-x" tag which seems more fitting.

3. The sound of the majority of the bands grouped under the tag is generally more Post-Metal than it is Sludge Metal so I can't see why we don't utilize the "post-" prefix as it seems appropriate.

So my questions are:

1. Would you rather call the subgenre "Post-Sludge Metal" in our database? Or perhaps you have another idea we could consider?

2. Would you rather simply do away with the subgenre altogether & put all of these releases under the Post-Metal tag given that there are so few Post-Metal releases that fall outside of the Sludge realm? Then any releases that possess enough legitimate Sludge to warrant it can have a dual tag of Post-Metal & Sludge Metal. Essentially it'd be the same way we do things with Progressive Metal for example.

Feel free to share your open opinions on this as I'm very open to everyone's ideas here.

A classy instrumental progressive death metal excursion from this Canadian outfit that sees them touching on post-metal atmospherics & fully fledged progressive metal ala Cynic.

"Paracletus" was added to The infinite after receiving a unanimous 15-1 YES vote in the Hall of Judgement.

Vektor's "Black Future" was added to The Infinite after receiving a unanimous 14-1 YES vote in the Hall of Judgement.

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

Smashed this whole playlist out while working out this morning. Other than the tracks I submitted, I really loved the Blut aus Nord, Black Fucking Cancer & Ultha tracks in particular while I agree that the post-metal approach of Aera seems to be heavily underrated. As with Vinny, the Xasthur & Falls Of Rauros tracks did very little for me which won't come as a surprise to Ben.

For this weekend's top ten list I decided to put together my Top Ten Mathcore Releases of All Time. See what you think & feel free to post your own:

01. Botch – “We Are The Romans” (1999)

02. Gaza – “No Absolutes In Human Suffering” (2012)

03. Inside The Beehive – “Drink Bleach; Live Forever” E.P. (2011)

04. Gaza – “I Don’t Care Where I Go When I Die” (2006)

05. War From A Harlots Mouth – “MMX” (2010)

06. Botch – “An Anthology Of Dead Ends” E.P. (2002)

07. The Dillinger Escape Plan – “One Of Us Is The Killer” (2013)

08. Converge – “You Fail Me” (2004)

09. Serpent Column – “Endless Detainment” E.P. (2020)

10. The Dillinger Escape Plan – “Irony Is A Dead Scene” E.P. (2002)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/180

My updated Top Ten Conventional Death Metal Releases of All Time list sees Obituary's "Cause Of Death" dropping out while Morbid Angel's "Covenant" makes a long-awaited return:

01. Morbid Angel – “Altars Of Madness” (1989)

02. Death - "Human" (1991)

03. Immolation – “Close To A World Below” (2000)

04. Dragged Into Sunlight – “Hatred For Mankind” (2009)

05. Carcass – “Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious” (1991)

06. Dead Congregation – “Promulgation Of The Fall” (2014)

07. Morbid Angel – “Blessed Are The Sick” (1991)

08. Deicide – “Deicide” (1990)

09. The Amenta - "Flesh Is Heir" (2013)

10. Morbid Angel - "Covenant" (1993)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/143

One of the greatest of all Florida death metal tracks in my opinion. What a vocalist! What a lead guitarist! What an atmosphere!

Obituary - "Cause Of Death" (1990)

Back in the day this record definitely would have received an instant 5 stars from me as it was simply that influential on me at a very young & impressionable age when I was just freshly converted to the wonders of death metal. These days I can see it through an unbiased lens & it's definitely not without it's faults but it was certainly a revelation at the time & the highlights are truly gargantuan. John Tardy's monstrous vocal performance is arguably the best in all of death metal in my opinion. He's certainly the most unique vocalist the scene has ever produced as there's  no one that comes close to touching the sheer ferocity of his talent. The recruitment of hired gun shredder James Murphy was a master stroke too as his highly melodic & technically dazzling contribution really does take this record to another level from anything the band would have been able to produce previously. The trademark Obituary rearranged-5th chords have never sounded so good while the cover artwork is my personal favourite of all time & goes a long way to maximizing my passion. The weaknesses of the album are the faster sections where the rhythm section draw upon "Leprosy"-era Death for inspiration as those parts tend to sound a little tame in comparison to the ridiculously heavy & doomy slow sections which are Obituary's real forte if you ask me. It's often a matter of less is more with Obituary as their controlled restraint is possibly their biggest strength & that's not something you can say about too many extreme metal acts. The song structures sound pretty loose & pieced together at times but thankfully every track includes at least one or two monlithic riffs of pure death to draw you in & Obituary understood how to create that authentic graveyard atmosphere as well as any death metal band that's ever picked up an instrument.

Looking back it's not difficult to see why "Cause Of Death" not only set a new standard for the band but also took them to the top of the Florida tree with Morbid Angel. The album reeks of underground credibility but it also manages to stay accessible enough to draw in a sizeable fanbase. I can't say that I regard it as highly as I did when I was a kid but it's clearly Obituary's finest work & stands as a key piece of death metal's historical puzzle. Even the cover version of Celtic Frost's "Circle Of The Tyrants" is a strong inclusion & represents one of the rare occasions when I actually think the cover may eclipse the original. The huge influence of Frost on Obituary's signature sound certainly helped in that regard as it doesn't sound anywhere near as out of place as many extreme metal cover versions do. When I look back on my youth in years to come I doubt my brain will ever forget to attach a soundtrack that includes belters like "Infected" or "Memories Remain" to the images in my head & this last 24 hours has seen me relishing the chance to regain an awareness of a time that I regard as one of the best of my entire life, purely through the sounds that played such a huge role in it. 

For fans of Autopsy, Jungle Rot & Asphyx.

4.5/5