Daniel's Forum Replies

So unfortunately I picked up COVID at our sales conference in Melbourne last week. The wife has been away in Sydney for work since Friday morning too so I've been running solo with the kids which has been an additional challenge. She'll be back tomorrow morning thankfully.

Dying Fetus - "Reign Supreme" (2012)

Maryland-based brutal death metal trio Dying Fetus have been on my radar since the very beginning of their recording career when I first picked up on their 1993 demo tape “Bathe In Entrails” through the tape trading scene. They represented one of a fairly limited list of bands that were taking a more brutal approach to the standard death metal model, a sound that I was very much looking for at the time & one that I obsessed over to an extent too. But over the years I’ve found Dying Fetus to be a bit of an underachiever given their reputation & credentials if I’m being honest. They’re certainly amazing live & I’ve been lucky enough to experience them on a number of occasions, including the tour to support this particular record. But their albums often leave me feeling like I enjoy the idea of Dying Fetus more than the reality & there’s a number of reasons for that that we’ll explore here.

The now to kick things off, let me be clear that 2012’s seventh full-length “Reign Supreme” may be Dying Fetus’ finest work. It possesses all of the things that they’ve made their signature over the last few decades & presents it in a very attractive, well-produced & stunningly executed package. Even the cover art is arguably their best. In fact, when viewing the band's credentials on paper anyone that knows me would immediately peg them for a band that’d be right up my alley & justifiably so but there are a few minor quibbles that I have with Dying Fetus’ approach that always seem to get in the way of my affections transitioning from “like” to “love”. The first is their undying fascination with needless technicality. “Reign Supreme” certainly isn’t their most technical record but you can still find pointless scale runs & sweep picking exercises positioned inside their riffs that offer little in the way of artistic value & are clearly intended to showcase the band's technical skills. This approach unfortunately comes at the cost of a little song-writing integrity in my opinion. The second thing is that some of their slower, slammier stuff tends to be a little bit… I dunno… unintelligent? I guess I find some of the structures to be pretty basic & unimaginative at times.

On the positive side though, the musicianship on display here is wonderful, particularly the drumming of Trey Williams who is the very definition of the human metronome. He’s almost too precise to be believable at times & you’ll fairly find someone with more controlled blast beats that are so perfectly synchronized with his machine-gun double kick work. The dual vocal attack of John Gallagher & Sean Beasley is truly monstrous too & should go down a treat with the vast majority of death metal fans. As usual, there’s a noticeable New York hardcore influence incorporated into some of the more crunchy mid-tempo riffs which is somewhat of a trademark for the band & is a major contributor to the band’s live appeal. This gives Dying Fetus a bit of a deathgrind feel at times. You’ll also see the odd thrashy section thrown in here & there, particularly on “In the Trenches” which presents a clear Slayer influence. And don’t forget the old-school death metal bits that Dying Fetus have never been averse to including either. I guess you could say they have many strings to their bow but they all combine to produce a sound that’s well-defined & easily identifiable after all these years.

Overall though, I can’t deny that I come away from “Reign Supreme” feeling a touch disappointed as it doesn’t really live up to the hype around it being one of the elite brutal death metal releases. It won’t see you reaching for the skip button or anything but it doesn’t really fulfill its potential either. Most of the songs have strong sections but they rarely manage to fully capitalize on them by producing a genuinely classic death metal track. Instead you’re left with an enjoyable record that fails to see Dying Fetus elevated to the top tier of their field.

For fans of Suffocation, Nile & Deeds Of Flesh.

3.5/5

My review of "Severed Survival":

Most death metal fans know the story. 18 year-old drummer Chris Reifert joins seminal death metal legends Death in San Francisco in 1986 before taking part in the recording of one of the most important records in the creation of the death metal genre in 1987’s “Scream Bloody Gore”. Death band leader Chuck Schuldiner then decides to move back to Florida & gives Chris the option to relocate. Chris elects to stay in San Francisco & forms another one of the classic old-school death metal bands in Autopsy in August 1987. 1988’s “Critical Madness” demo sees the band signing with UK crust punk label Peaceville Records for the recording of their seminal 1989 debut album “Severed Survival” & the world rejoices. It’s somewhat of a fairytale for a number of reasons really. I mean for every band that goes on to critical & commercial success you’ll find a slew of failed musicians that fell by the wayside never to be heard from again & it’s actually quite rare to see this sort of success story (although there are definite parallels to the Dave Mustaine one with Metallica & Megadeth). And for Peaceville, it would be a change of musical direction that would quickly lead to the creation of a viable full-time business & one that is still going strong a full three decades later. But is “Severed Survival” all that it’s cracked up to be? Let’s find out.

The recording of Autopsy’s debut full-length would be a joint effort with Peaceville bringing in Metal Church guitarist John Marshall to co-produce the record at Starlight Sound Studios in California in January 1989. Marshall had previously produced not only Metal Church’s “Blessing In Disguise” record but also Sadus’ 1988 debut full-length “Illusions” so when Autopsy bassist Ken Sorvari made himself unavailable for the recording of the album for personal reasons, the now legendary Sadus bass virtuoso Steve DiGiorgio was drafted in to complete the recordings as a hired gun. I think it’s probably fair to say that Steve had no idea of just how prominent a role he would play in the way that Autopsy’s album would sound at the time.

The “Severed Survival” album would be released on 24th April 1989 & would sport some grisly cover artwork that depicted an image of some poor soul being torn limb from limb by a number of metallic hooks. Autopsy’s moniker would be displayed in what looked like raw meat which would be a further indication of the depraved sounds you were likely to hear within. It’s a fairly cheap looking effort it has to be said & later re-releases would see it replaced with a much more impressive illustration of some zombified surgeons peering down into the eyes of some unfortunate patient. I greatly prefer the look & feel of the re-release as it looks much more glossy & professional which would see it competing quite well in the extreme metal market environment of the time which saw every band & their dog coming up with increasingly attractive images of pure darkness.

The sound that was captured for the “Severed Survival” album was unlike anything the underground metal scene had heard before & it would go on to become a signature sound for Autopsy throughout their career. It was much sludgier & substantially less precise than most 80’s metal with a huge emphasis being placed on creating a genuinely disturbing atmosphere of death & torture that’s not too dissimilar to the image shown on the original release of the album. In fact, "Severed Survival" legitimately sounds like you’re inside the twisted mind of a serial killer in that it exudes an unsettling feeling of impending doom throughout. In order to achieve this, Marshall & the band have opted for a much sloppier & looser feel than most metal bands of the time were going for & in hindsight it was a stroke of genius. The drums were tuned quite loosely to give the toms & kick drum a deep tub-thumpin’ sound while DiGiorgio’s bass guitar would be elevated right to the front of the mix to provide additional emphasis to Autopsy’s already crushing riffs which were presented with a very distinctive & fuzzy rhythm guitar sound. The guitar solos of Eric Cutler & Danny Coralles seer over the top of the rhythm tracks thanks to a heavily filtered tone that was likely achieved with a stationary wah pedal if I’m not mistaken. Truth be told, it’s a really great sound for death metal & I don’t doubt that it was one of the primary reasons that “Severed Survival” would go on to be so successful for Autopsy.

Musically, Autopsy also offered the death metal community something a little different. The basis of their style was built on the “Scream Bloody Gore” model of old-school death metal that Reifert had played such a strong part in creating only Autopsy were a lot less sophisticated than peers like Morbid Angel, Pestilence or Death. There’s a much punkier vibe going on here than anything we’d hear from those bands & I put a lot of that down to Reifert’s drumming. I probably should have mentioned it earlier but Chris is one of the rare metal drummers that also handles the lead vocal duties & I’d suggest that his signature style is the logical outcome of that arrangement as it’s fairly simple. His best work invariably occurs when he goes for a more tribal feel during Autopsy’s doomier moments but I have to admit that his more up-beat & punk-driven beats are a bit of a let-down for me personally. They’re just not my thing particularly. I much prefer Autopsy’s strong use of slow dirge-like doom metal riffs with bands like Black Sabbath & Trouble clearly having made a substantial impression on the band. In fact, it can easily be argued that “Severed Survival” is the true birthplace of the doom/death subgenre as it’s such a major component of what makes Autopsy so appealing. I absolutely love the crushingly heavy & suffocating darkness in these parts & it’s the uneasiness it leaves the listener feeling that makes it so appropriate for a band whose lyrical themes are so heavily centred around serial killers. When you stick in the occasional off-beat arrangement with clever transitions & some very twisted lead harmonies you’re left with one beast of a death metal sound.

The performance of Steve DiGiorgio isn’t one of his most challenging & experimental but he certainly adds an additional layer to Autopsy’s already disturbing sound. His bass work is truly punishing & I particularly enjoy his use of bass chords at key moments which makes for something a little different. I’d highly recommend that you make sure you have a decent set of speakers before giving “Severed Survival” a spin though as you could be in for a rude shock otherwise. Cutler & Coralles show off some decent chops during their solos however I do think that there’s a little bit of a lack of ambition in their faster solos which tend go for a huge flurry of notes without really saying all that much. Their slower lead work is much more interesting as their note-selection can be quite unnerving at times.

Reifert’s vocals were always going to be a talking point because there’s been very little restraint shown in his approach. I wouldn’t say that he goes for your classic death metal grunt. His performance here sounds more like the crazed bellows & barks of an emotionally tortured & psychologically twisted serial killer. It’s almost like he’s too embarrassed for people to decipher the storylines he’s subjecting us to because I’ll be damned if he isn’t intentionally trying to make his language less intelligible. I have to admit that I don’t love his delivery & I’ve often wondered what Autopsy could have achieved with a full-time front man but it’s definitely worth dwelling on Chris’ sick, gore-soaked lyrical content for a minute because “Severed Survival” would be the record that would kick off a generation of subsequent death metal bands working predominantly with a palate of disgusting & offensive filth…. in a good way of course! Some may say that we’re better off for not being able to understand what Reifert’s saying & one look at the lyrics should tell you very quickly which side of the fence you fall on.

Ultimately I’m always left with mixed feelings about “Severed Survival” & it’s been that way since I first encountered it back in 1989/90. I love Autopsy’s swampy sound & the authentic atmosphere of pure death it pervades. They really did create something very original there & their talent for writing the eeriest doom metal riffs imaginable leaves me wishing that they would have taken that direction in more of a full-time capacity just the once so that I could see what it might have amounted to. Unfortunately, I just don’t find their bouncier up-tempo material even half as appealing & almost every track sees some glorious doom material being tarnished by one or two lethargic & unintimidating punk-driven beats. The overall result is that whilst I enjoy almost every track on “Severed Survival”, I very rarely LOVE any of these tracks. It’s only really “Charred Remains” & “Ridden With Disease” that manage to overcome this issue & for this reason I find this release to be the very epitome of a 3.5/5 release by my rating system. I’m not sure I’d say that “Severed Survival” is overrated. The influence it's so clearly had on a band like Carcass is undeniable so I think it's more just a matter of it not quite fitting in with my comfort zone despite being a generally rewarding listen.

For fans of: Asphyx, Abscess, Pungent Stench.

3.5/5

Angelo Badalamenti - "Twin Peaks: Limited Event Series Soundtrack" (2017)

The beautifully deep soundtrack to a wonderful David Lynch TV series. It's not all amazing but the highlights are utterly sublime.

Gorillaz - "Demon Days" (2005)

Despite numerous attempts, I've quite seen the attraction to this highly regarded sophomore album from London-based art pop/trip hop outfit Gorillaz & that's still the case. I guess it's just a little bit quirky for my taste.

It was a very solid month of feature releases with no duds for me this month. Predictably I absolutely loved the two releases that I personally submitted (i.e. the Hate & Thorns records) with both records already residing in my Hall of Metal Glory for many years. I've always loved "Intrinsic" too although I've dropped my rating by a half star this time around. The Ritual Carnage album was an old favourite too but the Car Bomb record was my biggest discovery of the month. I was also very pleased with the result of my System Of the Down experiment & will be returning to that one. The Onirik, Internal Void & Ambush albums possibly didn't impress me as much as they have others but they all offered enough to keep me interested so well done everyone!

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

THE HORDE: Hate - "Erebos" (2010)  4.5/5

THE SPHERE: Thorns - "Thorns" (2001)  4.5/5

THE INFINITE: The Contortionist - "Intrinsic" (2012)  4/5

THE REVOLUTION: Car Bomb - "Mordial" (2019)  4/5

THE PIT: Ritual Carnage - "Every Nerve Alive" (2000)  4/5

THE GATEWAY: System Of A Down - "Mezmerize" (2005)  4/5

THE NORTH: Onirik - "The Fire Cult Beyond Eternity" (2020)  3.5/5

THE FALLEN: Internal Void - "Standing On The Sun" (1992)  3.5/5

THE GUARDIANS: Ambush - "Firestorm" (2014)  3.5/5

"Testimony Of The Ancients" was a hhuuggee record for Ben & I. It's a genuine death metal classic & is Pestilence's best work for mine. Can't say I've ever regarded it as technical death metal though. I think it falls into a similar space to "Human" i.e. it offers a more sophisticated version of the classic death metal model with hints of the progressive direction that was to be fully realized on their record.

A building, punky alternative rock journey with fantastic hooks from California's massively popular System Of A Down.

It's funny how a record with such energy & vitality can divide opinions on it's individual components yet elicit a similar overall response, isn't it? I'm hardly a die-hard System Of A Down fan as I'd only ever heard their classic 2001 sophomore album "Toxicity" prior to digging my teeth into this month's feature release. I really enjoyed "Toxicity" though. It was a very strong album & this one is too. Perhaps not quite as strong as it's older sibling but I've rated it the same nonetheless. Let's just say that "Toxicity" was a strong 4/5 while "Mezmerize" has just snuck over the line for that rating by the barest of margins.

"Mezmerize" starts off a little slowly for me as the first three tracks were mildly enjoyable without ever really threatening to hit my sweet spot. It's only when SOAD embrace their hardcore side a bit that I start to see my pulse rate increasing rapidly. I actually really dig the two short gimmick songs in "Cigaro" & "This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm on This Song", both of which worked to super-charge my experience. I couldn't give a toss about the lyrical direction. It's more about the electricity & urgency they bring to the table. "Violent Pornography" is the only let-down across the tracklisting for me as it's simply too quirky & accessible for my taste but I love the Tool-ish progressive approach of "Question!", the strong alternative metal stylings of "Sad Statue" & especially the lengthier alternative rock builder "Lost in Hollywood" whose hooks really dug in & made it my album highlight. The production job is very much situated in the hardcore space with plenty of mid-range in the guitars & I think this works to the band's benefit as It adds to the chaotic nature of the arrangements & gives the avant-garde vocal approach a better grounding. The occasional Faith No More style clean sections usually aren't my cup of tea when taken in isolation but within the context of the rapid-fire song-structures they work to nicely break up the record.

In many ways I really shouldn't enjoy this album as much as I do because I usually recoil from humour in my metal but System Of A Down have a funny way of nudging you in the ribs enough times with a silly "Eh?" look on their face that you eventually turn around & laugh along with them despite trying hard not to. That's a rare talent because it's so easy to end up on the wrong side of that equation. The fanaticism of the SOAD fanbase is often overwhelming (particularly in the USA) but it's nice to occasionally be reminded that there's a fair bit of merit behind it.

For fans of Faith No More, Dir en Grey & Twelve Foot Ninja.

4/5

"Human" is very much a transition album in my opinion. It marks the point at which conventional death metal & progressive death metal meet & is the perfect artistic statement within the confines of extreme metal. As a result I regard it as one of the elite examples of extreme metal but I've never felt that it fit under the technical death metal banner. 5/5

It's interesting that the terms "technical death metal" & "progressive death metal" have been used pretty interchangeably over the last few days because in my mind they're different things that aren't mutually exclusive. A progressive record doesn't have to be technical & a technical record doesn't have to be progressive. Unfortunately the way we've structured the MA database doesn't make this clear. For example, "Symbolic", "Unquestionable Presence" & "Focus" aren't consciously technical & don't warrant the tag in my opinion. The technique is a by-product of the creative ambition on display & is used as a tool but it's not the end goal. This is in line with the progressive rock model. For bands like Nile, Nocturnus, Spawn Of Possession, Cryptopsy & Suffocation though there's been a conscious decision to make their riff structures complex but those artists don't feel as overtly progressive i.e. cerebral, experimental & spacey. It's simply about challenging themselves from a technique point of view more than it is an atmospheric & creative one. The same can be said for the technical thrash metal subgenre which is used just as poorly. The early Coroner records are a prime example of "technical thrash metal" as they rarely feel progressive but are trying very hard to push the boundaries of thrash technique. Coroner's 90's albums are a different kettle of fish though because they're more subtle about the technical wizardry & remove the boundaries of thrash metal to enable them to reach a truly progressive outcome. Vektor is another band that's actually far more progressive than they are technical so it’s never seemed right that the sole use of the technical thrash metal tag kept them away from The Infinite. Long-term I'd like to see us moving towards a model whereby the "technical" death & thrash releases are kept separate from the genuinely "progressive" ones & are maintained solely in The Horde & The Pit with the "progressive" ones having a dual membership of The Infinite. In order to do that we need to develop a clear strategy for how we handle the different types of releases.

I would say "Piece Of Time" is more like Technical Death/Thrash as I actually think there's more thrash than there is death. It was still a work is progress too in my opinion as Atheist didn't wouldn't really arrive at their destination until "Unquestionable Presence". I've always really enjoyed "Piece Of Time" however I've never thought of it as a genuine classic. 4/5

"Unquestionable Presence" is much more progressive & ambitious & should be essential listening for all fans of extreme progressive metal. The production job is the clear weakness but the song-writing & execution is good enough to overcome that flaw pretty easily. 4.5/5

DJ Rolando - "The Aztec Mystic Mix" (1999)

A 72 minute Detroit techno DJ mix that focuses on the Underground Resistance label & associated artists. It's warm & soulful like all good Detroit techno should be. I really enjoyed it.

Piece of Time and Human are up next in my list, for more of that tech-death experimentation!

I'll be interested to see whether you actually think "Human" should qualify for Technical/Progressive Death Metal status Andi.

Out of interest, I thought I'd check which of the nine bands we've awarded feature release status to this month appear on Metal Archives &, as usual, I found myself feeling an element of shock at the outcome with System Of A Down, The Contortionist & Car Bomb all being deemed to not be metal enough for inclusion. Love 'em or hate 'em, all three artists are clearly metal bands, are they not? I really don't think that's in dispute, is it? Anyway.... I don't want to start a bitch-fest about the opposition. Their poor decision making in this regard just continues to baffle me & I felt I had to express it.

*end rant*

Dark & brooding, Judas Priest-worshipping Swedish heavy metal.

I hadn't heard much about Swedish heavy/speed metallers Ambush coming into their 2014 debut album "Firestorm" so I didn't have too many expectations although the obviously retro cover artwork & band logo certainly gave me a hint of what was in store. My first listen was a little tainted by the fact that I popped the record on immediately after listening to Japanese thrashers Ritual Carnage who are obviously a lot more extreme & are also far closer to my musical comfort zone which left "Firestorm" sounding very tame indeed by comparison. A couple of additional spins saw me shedding those initial impressions & finding myself in a better position to treat the album on its merit & I ended up quite enjoying "Firestorm" although it's very hard to ignore the fact that if you didn't know any better you'd swear it was 1978-1982 period Judas Priest. I mean I've rarely heard a more accurate emulation of a band's sound & I feel that there's very little doubt that this was the ambition here. Ambush's sound is perfectly constructed for the task though as they've got that authentic early 80's guitar tone down pat & leave plenty of space in the accessible song structures in order to enhance the melodic hooks & well constructed song structures. Front man Oskar Jacobsson has really spun me out because he's nailed absolutely every nuance of Rob Halford's delivery here. In fact, even Rob's own mother wouldn't know it wasn't him in all honesty.

The tracklisting starts off very nicely with four strong efforts but it does threaten to lose steam through the middle with a couple of flat cowbell-driven choruses hinting at commercial hard rock (see "Close My Eyes" & "Molotov Cocktail"). Thankfully Ambush manage to pick it up again fairly quickly before dropping the ball again with comfortably the weakest track on the album in the very ordinary closer "Natural Born Killers" but overall there's enough high quality heavy metal here to keep me interested, particularly the two highlight tracks in the very "Exciter"-esque opener "Firestorm" & the dark & brooding "Master Of Pain" (my personal favourite). For those of you looking for speed metal, I wouldn't get your hopes up because Accept-worshipping "Don't Shoot (Let' Em Burn)" is really the only genuine example of that sound included here & I'd encourage you all to vote that genre tag down on the release page. I'm afraid the modern metal scene seems to have a very hard time understanding how to identify speed metal with far too many people throwing the label at anything with palm-muted tremolo-picking. I agree with Vinny's review statements about the lead guitar work as it's always welcome but isn't utilized as often as I would like. I'd also suggest that a shreddier modern approach would have been nice there too rather than simply trying to emulate a more restrained late 70's solo every time. Still... this was a pretty fun first-up effort from Ambush & if you live for early 80's Priest then you'll undoubtedly lap it up.

For fans of Judas Priest, Accept & Riot.

3.5/5

Yeah, I really enjoyed those first two Atrocity albums back in the day. I picked them up through tape trading but you're right that they kinda slipped under most people's radars. They actually influenced the direction I was taking with my own music with Neuropath in the mid-90's to an extent as I can vividly remember trying to come up with similar riff structures after binging one those two albums. Unfortunately I completely gave up on Atrocity after hearing bits of their terrible third album "Blut" & haven't dared try anything they've done after that.

Portishead - "Dummy" (1994)

Elite-level trip hop from Bristol, UK. One of my all-time favourite records. Spectacular & life-changing!

5/5

I just finished blasting this playlist while working out on the floor in front of the kids (yes the missus is away) & I've gotta say that I fucking loved it. The Firebreather, Mares of Thrace, MonumentuM, Bismuth, Electric Wizard, Type O Negative, Hangman's Chair & The Ruins of Beveerast tracks are all mind-blowing. The Down, Mar de Grises, Isole, Ard, Profetus & Ufomammut tracks are really solid too. The Obsidian Sea & Acid Bath songs were probably the ones that I enjoyed the least which is mainly due to the inclusion of some groovier riffs but I still quite like them. The balance of known tracks with underground ones is excellent, as is the mix of subgenres. This is about as good a playlist as I've heard to be honest.

"The Key" was played to death in our household during the early 90's & was somewhat of a classic for Ben & I. It's been a while since I've listened to it but I suspect that I may not rate it as highly as I once did. Browning's vocal skills were never the best & the technicality in the riffs was sometimes more like a practice exercise than any form of artistic expression. Despite the obvious inclusion of keyboards as an equal contributor for arguably the first time in a death metal band, Mike Davis' lead guitar work was the most prominent element of Nocturnus' sound in my opinion. Perhaps it's just the old shredder in me because the dude has ridiculous chops & showcases them in a really fresh & exciting way. He was a big influence on me & by the end of Neuropath's playing career I'd started to look at ways to incorporate something similar. Anyway... "The Key" is a high quality death metal album alright. I've noticed that they're playing gigs again these days so maybe there's some more recorded material in the works too.

"Serpent Temptation" was a big record for me during my early tape trading days. I hadn't thought about it for many years until Ben checked it out randomly a couple of years ago & reminded me about it. I need to give it a proper revisit some time soon.

I got into Bolt Thrower through their 1989 sophomore album "Realm Of Chaos" which I found to be a really solid piece of English death metal. When I ventured back to check out "In Battle There Is No Law" a short time later it sounded a little weak in comparison but over time I came really enjoy it. Perhaps not as much as it's follow-up but it's a very solid record in it's own right, particularly for the time. It's been decades since I heard it now though so it's also overdue for a revisit.

"Leprosy" was my introduction to death metal some time in the first half of 1989, a moment that I regard as a pivotal time in my life. I was a total thrasher at the time & I'm not gonna say that I rated "Leprosy" as highly as the thrash classics like "Reign In Blood", "...And Justice For All", "Bonded By Blood", "Beneath The Remains", etc. but it was certainly a very strong offering which I got a ton of enjoyment out of & it definitely opened me up to the classics that would grace my ears over the next couple of years & redirect my future into more extreme territories forever. 4/5

"Wolverine Blues" is the very definition of divisive. "Clandestine" (5/5) was an absolutely huge record for me personally. In fact, I still regard it as the most perfect example of the Swedish death metal sound to this day so I was seriously looking forward to the follow-up. When I first heard "Wolverine Blues" I didn't really know what to make of it at first. A few repeat listens saw it opening up significantly though & showed it be something very consistent,  altogether new & surprisingly catchy. These days I not only still regard it as the best death 'n' roll record I've ever heard but I actually prefer it to Entombed's legendary debut album "Left Hand Path" (3.5/5) which I've always found to be a touch overrated. Would I have preferred "Clandestine Part 2"? Shit yeah I would but this is not a bad record by any stretch of the imagination. It's just not something that I find myself reaching for all that often which is simply a matter of taste more than anything else.

3.5/5

Well, Daniel, I gave The Sound of Perseverance a listen and review, and what you said is about Death's switching to a more traditional progressive sound is quite accurate. I sense a judgement submission coming on! Anyway, both Death albums I've reviewed show the band's progressive death metal/deathly progressive metal side they had in their last years of activity while influential in expanding the prominence of melodeath and tech-death for newer rising legions to appear. I think after I listen to one more album from a different band that isn't melodeath but planted a seed for other bands in the same country to popularize the genre, it would be time to start the tech-death history leg of my journey....

Andi, I noticed in your "The Sound Of Perseverance" review that you commented on how a large percentage of Death's audience hated the album due to the increased progressive component. I think it's worth clarifying that Chuck had been going that way for a good four albums by that point so we all knew what to expect & those that had a problem with it had already gotten off-board the train by 1998. The musical direction of "The Sound Of Perseverance" was generally well received in my experience (even if it wasn't exactly death metal any more) but there was certainly a portion of Death's fanbase that had trouble with the change in vocal style (myself included) & that was the major stumbling block for most detractors along with the very ordinary cover version of "Painkiller" you mentioned. I think "Heartwork" was the more divisive record of the two for old school fans though as it represented a more sudden & drastic change in style. There are still a truckload of death metal fans that claim that Carcass split up after "Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious".

Indeed probably the one album melodic death metal wouldn't have existed without, though not reaching the style of melodeath I'm used to while still enjoyable. My thoughts:

Heartwork is probably the album where Carcass was the most dedicated. They began demoing this album as early as during their tour for the less melodic Necroticism, even playing their new songs on tour. Much of the recording time was wasted finding the right guitar tone and the right ideas from their producer Colin Richardson. Things were going down to Hell for the people working on the album. With all that trouble going on, Carcass was still determined to get things right in order to reach higher lengths. In the end, they've made an offering that the world would recognize as a game-changing classic to this day! I would never disagree with this album's melodic death metal legend status, but to be honest, it's not the most melodic melodeath album I've heard. The Maiden-like melodic harmonies that really make the genre, but that's a small step Carcass was missing here. The melodic harmonies in this album are mostly in just passages and solos, the latter not sounding as perfect as in Gothenburg bands. Mike Amott performed them slightly better in Arch Enemy that would've crystallized Bill Steer's standard riffing and groove here. Still there's often a great amount of harmonies that would give later death metal bands the idea to add more melody than brutality, and it's quite an impressive achievement of a lifetime for this band. Where there any other bands before Carcass and the Gothenburg crew that started adding melody to an extreme genre with extreme lyrics? I think not! However, At the Gates who would make an album two years later that would inspire melodic metalcore bands to rise. In the meantime, enjoy the original melodeath work!

4.5/5

Here's my review of "Heartwork" from eons ago:

A really well-defined sound. I must admit that I was initially hesitant when I bought this back in 1993 as I was a huge fan of their previous material & this was clearly heading in another direction altogether. Ultimately I couldn't deny that the catchy song-writing & cleaner production had a brand new appeal all of their own though. I still definitely prefer the previous two albums but find "Heartwork" to be a really enjoyable & professional experience. Jeff's vocals are superb throughout. As are the guitar solos. I think it's probably a little restrained to get a higher mark out of me & it does tend to flatten out a little bit in the back end in my opinion. I saw them play live on the "Heartwork" tour & this material worked brilliantly in a live environment. 4/5

I agree with you that it's not in line with the modern understanding of the melodic death metal subgenre which is built more around accessible Iron Maiden style lead guitar harmonies. Perhaps that's why I regard it as highly as I do despite struggling with a lot of melodeath. Interestingly Andi, "Heartwork" wasn't instantly accepted by the death/grind community. It took a little time to come to terms with. It did however open up a new fan base for Carcass outside of the extreme metal scene through the newly found accessibility & song-writing sensibilities. Interestingly, my band Neuropath were a bee's dick away from scoring the support slot for Carcass' Sydney leg of the "Heartwork" tour. Despite the fact that "Heartwork" was a big success for the band though, I still saw them in a half empty pub in the middle of the day on that tour which puts extreme metal success into perspective. It's also worth noting that there were other European bands experimenting with a more melodic death metal sound a little earlier than "Heartwork" (see At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity, Sentenced, Eucharist, Unanimated, Horrified, Loudblast, etc.) so I do think the subgenre would have existed without Carcass. It may just have taken a little more time to gain traction.

Japanese thrash metal for fans of Slayer, Kreator & Morbid Saint.

I'm sure you already know what I think of this release without having to wait for my synopsis Ben as it's clearly right up my alley. I first encountered this Japanese thrash metal outfit on the tail end of my tape trading years through their debut album "The Highest Law" & seem to recall that it took up the B-side of a cassette that had Witchery's "Restless & Dead" album on the other side if I'm not mistaken. I remember quite liking it although I don't think it commanded too many replays after the first few listens. It was enough to have me flicking through this sophomore album when I returned to metal in 2009 though & I found "Every Nerve Alive" to more than satisfy my thrash metal itch by well & truly living up to its title. I haven't returned to it since for one reason or another but needless to say that I'm very glad I have now because this record poses a strong challenge to Sabbat in regard to the Japanese thrash crown.

You won't find anything too original here. In fact, you'll regularly find yourself picking out riffs that have been copped from Slayer, Kreator or Dark Angel albums but the material is played with conviction & authenticity throughout & it's clear that Ritual Carnage have a deep understanding of the classic thrash metal ethos. Despite many people online wanting to tag "Every Nerve Alive" as death/thrash there really isn't much death metal here apart from one section of "Escape From the Light" which reminds me very much of Bolt Thrower. The vocals are certainly gruff but I don't think that overcomes the fact that musically Ritual Carnage rarely stray from the thrash metal blueprint. They admittedly champion a pretty brutal thrash sound though & one that draws equally from the more extreme US bands & the rawer Teutonic scene. Closing track "Far East Aggressors" is the only track that deviates from that model much, instead opting for a more simplistic attempt at speed metal & unfortunately failing in this endeavor but I really dig the rest of "Every Nerve Alive" with "Death, Judgement, Fate" being the clear highlight & representing a truly classic Japanese thrash metal track in its own right. Despite some pretty cool guitar solos, the riff structures & drumming can often sound a little basic but if you enjoy the more extreme end of thrash then you can do a lot worse than "Every Nerve Alive".

For fans of Slayer, Kreator & Morbid Saint.

4/5

P.S. Has anyone heard the subsequent Ritual Carnage albums? I've never ventured further forward than this up until now. Are they worth checking out?

I'm not denying that there will be some similarities Andi as Carcass were big fans of Death & Chuck's later material still held some level of resemblance to his early 90's work. I've just never heard anything about "Heartwork" being the influence for Chuck to go in the direction he already seemed to be going. I'm happy to be proven wrong there though if you've got some evidence to the contrary. Other than the vocals, I actually don't think "The Sound of Perseverance" is a death metal record at all to tell you the truth. Chuck was clearly trying to transform Death into a more traditional progressive metal band at that point & the Control Denied record proves it beyond any doubt.

I'm interested to know where did you heard of the Death connection Andi? It doesn't sound right to me. It's far more likely that Death inspired Carcass to go in a more melodic direction than the other way around. The Carcass boys absolutely worshipped Death in their early years & Chuck's trajectory was already well & truly moving in a more melodic & progressive direction on 1991's "Human" & 1993's "Individual Thought Patterns", both of which were released before "Heartwork". "Symbolic" was pretty much a further expansion on "Individual Thought Patterns" too. I know Chuck really liked Carcass but I'm pretty sure that his inspiration to go in a more melodic direction came from his passion for heavy/power/progressive metal bands like Sortilege, Helstar, Warlord, Agent Steel, etc. The melodeath sound was well-defined & very popular before "Symbolic" & "The Sound of Perseverance" came out so I've never felt the urge to link those records to the subgenre.

For the record, I've never felt comfortable with any of Death's albums being referred to as "technical death metal". "Progressive death metal" is a far more accurate description as they're not consciously technical in my opinion. Expansive & adventurous? Sure!

Here's my submission for the June playlist Xephyr:

Kamelot - "Wander" (from "Epica", 2003)

Progressive deathcore from Indiana, USA.

I was really impressed with The Contortionist's debut album "Exoplanet" (4/5) when it was released back in 2010. In fact, I actually wore the t-shirt around for a couple of years there so I was really looking forward to seeing what the Indiana-based deathcore outfit had to offer when 2012's "Intrinsic" saw the light of day a couple of years later & I wasn't disappointed either. The pivot towards a more progressive & less extreme sound fit like a glove in my opinion & "Intrinsic" ended up being a really big record for me that year so I have to admit that it's always baffled me that people generally seem to regard it as a bit of a disappointment. I honestly can't fathom how any fan of progressive metal music doesn't really dig it to tell you the truth as it's so professionally put together & possesses an undeniable class throughout the very consistent tracklisting. Perhaps my original 4.5/5 rating was a bit extreme but I can find very little worthy of criticism here. The dreamy progressive metal stylings glide across your ear drums leaving a glistening trail behind them while the complexity in the song structures is as dazzling as it is effortless. The last three tracks are the clear highlights in my opinion & leave me with a really sweet taste in my mouth, particularly the wonderful "Cortical". I've always found the quality of closer "Parallel Trance" to be impressive too as it could easily have been drawn from a premium space ambient release.

There are a few more generic deathcore sections spread across the tracklisting which is probably the reason for me dropping my rating a touch but some the highlights of the album also come during the heavier moments too so I'm not complaining too much. Despite the obvious deathcore component, I'm not sure that there's enough of the band's original sound left to still be claiming that tag any longer though. This is a truly progressive metal record in every sense of the term so there's really no need for additional tags.

I originally favoured "Intrinsic" over "Exoplanet" but now I'm not so sure. They're both very strong albums in their own right with "Intrinsic" being a horribly underappreciated release from a band that wasn't capable of producing anything less than top class stuff. In fact, after this revisit I think I'd go so far as to say that The Contortionist are still the finest exponent of deathcore-based progressive metal that I've encountered & I'd take "Intrinsic" over similar feature releases like Slice The Cake's "Odyssey To The West" or After The Burial's "Rareform".

For fans of After The Burial, Slice The Cake & Kardashev.

4/5

I completely agree. It was the first genuinely classic black metal record in my opinion & began a run of three mind-blowing releases in succession.

Ok, let's do it then. :)

Are there any changes to frequency, length or suggestions? This topic is still open for debate but I'm not seeing much of an inclination from the group to make any adjustments at this stage based on the above comments.

Are we still picking tracks that reflect our previous month's listening or have we got a different criteria for inclusion now? I'd suggest that we are still picking tracks that reflect our previous month's listening habits.

Also, with respect to Andi's comments regarding himself and Vinny no longer contributing suggestions to the Guardians, can non-Guardians make a single track suggestion? That's up to The Guardians members to decide. I personally don't see that it adds any additional engagement for the clan playlists in question but if Xephyr, Saxy & Andi want to do it then that's their call.

High quality New York mathcore/djent. This track was the clear highlight from the album for me Andi.

I really enjoyed this feature Andi. It's certainly helped by an excellent production job which allows the chaotic music to jump out of the speakers at you as it should with all mathcore. The Meshuggah influence is obvious in the significant djent component of their sound. I really dig the harsh vocals which remind me very much of Phil Anselmo's screamier material. In fact, that's not the only hint at a Pantera influence with many of the djenty riffs leaning heavily on the groove metal superstars for inspiration as well. The clean vocals seem to be influenced by Deftones' Chino Moreno but aren't nearly as effective as the screams & are the clear weakness of the album in my opinion along with some overly ambitious rhythmic complexity that sees things crossing the chaos line by more than I'm comfortable with on tracks like "Naked Fuse". Still... Car Bomb are a quality outfit full of accomplished musicians & with an appropriate level of aggression & angst. What's not to love about that?

4/5

I can't say I've heard the Sempiternal Deathreign demo Sonny. I might have to check it out at some point as I've always had time for "The Spooky Gloom".

Billy Woods - "Aethiopes" (2022)

Abstract East Coast hip hop from this New York-based producer. It's a bit too artsy for me to tell you the truth & I only find myself really getting into it when he sticks to a more traditional song structure & sound.

Marcel Dettmann - "Berghain 02" (2008)

A German techno DJ mix in honour of the legendary Berlin techno club Berghain. There are some great tracks included which are balanced out by some flat ones & some pretty ordinary mixing at times. It's enjoyable enough overall but I expected a bit better from a DJ of Marcel's stature.

Avant-garde Portuguese black metal.

Up until 2020 my life had been completely devoid of one-man Portuguese black metal project Onirik. Multi-instrumentalist Gonius Rex had apparently released four albums & a couple of splits by that stage but they’d somehow managed to drift past my attentive gaze along with the thousands of other potential underground metal masters that are released every year. Listening to “The Fire Cult Beyond Eternity” for the first time does make you wonder how that’s come to pass though as, love it or hate it, it’s very hard to deny that it’s the work of a well-equipped & highly ambitious individual who has spent a fair bit of time honing his craft already. That’s not to say that it all works as that’s certainly not the case (at least not for me) but there’s an air of confidence about the way Gonius goes about his art. Let’s take a look at it in more detail, shall we?

After sitting through the full duration of the album a few times I had to question why no one has been throwing around the “Avant-Garde” prefix much when it comes to Onirik’s latest work because it’s hardly your typical black metal outing. The relentless layering of unusual lead & bass guitar melodies really does sound very different to anything I’ve heard before & the closest comparison I can muster is to say that it reminds me of a more black metal oriented Ved Buens Ende…. (hears Ben’s ears prick up 819 km away). I guess it would be fair to say that those melodies will be the deciding factor in how much the album is capable of winning over your affections too because they can be quite off-putting when Gonius doesn’t get them to gel quite right, even bordering on the sickly or circus-ish at times which sees my rating potential having a hard cap placed on it to tell you the truth. When he gets everything right though it makes for a very interesting listen but I’m tempted to say that when I try to sum up my thoughts on the album I lean a lot closer to the word “interesting” than I do to the word “enjoyable” which is quite telling & is perhaps the primary reason that I’ve scored “The Fire Cult Beyond Eternity” lower than some of the rest of you. I think it’d probably to be unfair to reference the old cliché about not being able to turn away from a car crash when mentioning the parts that don’t sit well with me. It’d be more accurate to say that my attention is drawn to something that's sounds a little off but I’m so intrigued by the artist’s imagination & inventiveness that I remain on the edge of my seat waiting to see what he does to repair it. For that reason I don’t find a single one of the seven tracks a chore to sit through even if none of them ever seem to threaten being labelled a genuine classic.

This isn’t the most brutal or blasting of black metal releases but it doesn’t claim to be either. The production job is very compressed. You can make out all of the instruments pretty easily but it all moves as a singular sum of the various parts. The drum kit of Djevel/Gehenna/Enslaved drummer Dirge Rep could have been represented better as it sounds a little flat to my ears. I think this makes Dirge’s performance sound a bit more lacklustre than it actually is although I don’t think there’s anything particularly special about his work here anyway. The bass guitar lines are easily deciphered & showcase a brilliantly ambitious approach that excites the old musician in me. They’re used very much as an additional lead guitar in that they play an equal role in the presentation of the melodic themes & it sounds really fresh & innovative. Gonius’ vocals are presented in a croaky style similar to artists like Immortal, Abbath & Inquisition more than your usual high-pitched black metal screams & they’re more than serviceable without ever threatening to become a genuine highlight.

Overall I’ve found myself enjoying “The Fire Cult Beyond Eternity” more for it’s approach than it’s result. It’s definitely not my usual bag but it’s progressive tendencies & artistic nature were effective enough to win me over in the end. I’m not sure it’ll be getting too many return visits but it’s an excellent choice for a feature release as it makes for a great source of healthy discussion & will no doubt offer most of our regulars a significant amount intrigue & fascination.

3.5/5

For this weekend's top ten list I decided to compile my Top Ten Speed Metal Releases of All Time. It's heavily weighted towards the mid-1980's unsurprisingly. Feel free to post your own too.

01. Exciter – “Long Live The Loud” (1985)

02. Acid – “Maniac” (1983)

03. Agent Steel – “Skeptics Apocalypse” (1985)

04. Venom – “At War With Satan” (1984)

05. Savage Grace – “Master Of Disguise” (1985)

06. Iron Angel – “Hellish Crossfire” (1985)

07. Acid – “Acid” (1983)

08. Paradox – “Product Of Imagination” (1987)

09. Exciter – “Heavy Metal Maniac” (1983)

10. Exciter – “Violence & Force” (1984)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/176

A high quality gothic dirge piece with martial rhythms from this Norwegian industrial black metal project.

Stunningly executed dark ambient from this Norwegian industrial black metal project.

My experience with unique Norwegian industrial black metal project Thorns began in the first half of the 1990’s through their “Grymyrk” & “Trøndertun” demo tapes (1991 & 1992 respectively). I picked them both up through the tape trading scene during the whirlwind of activity that was caused by the early Second Wave of Black Metal & while they each offered me a reasonable level of interest (particularly the latter), neither could be said to have left me completely convinced so I wouldn’t say that I was committed to following the band’s every move at that point. Thorns would pop up a couple more times during that decade when they appeared on a couple of high quality Mayhem & Darkthrone tribute albums (both of which were very solid releases in their own right) however my defection to the electronic scene a short time later saw our paths steering well clear of each other for just over decade after that. My 2009 return to metal would mark a quick reconciliation with Thorns though, first with this marvelous self-titled debut album & then through the 1999 split album with Emperor (which unfortunately didn’t manage to hold my attention much to tell you the truth). But despite being the only Thorns release to command a position in my black metal collection long-term, their self-titled album impressed me enough to not only become a regular in my car stereo at very high volumes both then & now but also to warrant a position in my Hall of Metal Glory for all eternity.

“Thorns” Is a very interesting & ambitious work but it never sounds unusual or avant-garde due to the fact that it so clearly harnesses Norwegian Second Wave black metal as it’s core sound & then builds around it. The industrial elements are less prominent but are significant nonetheless with the influences that are drawn from outside of the black metal spectrum being the key to the appeal of a record like “Thorns”. In truth it ventures further afield than just the Godflesh brand of industrial metal too. Take “Underneath the Universe 1” for example which explores a fully realized & remarkably professional dark ambient sound with emphatically successful results & subsequently represents my album highlight. The way that track’s themes are then rearranged to create the stunning gothic dirge piece that is “Underneath the Universe 2´is quite remarkable (as is the fact that I once again find the two least popular tracks on the album to be it’s pinnacle & centrepiece. What can I say? I’m my own man.) The straight-up black metal tracks are all of a very high quality though & the album’s real strength is in it’s consistency as every track is chock full of class & quality.

The first thing you’ll notice about “Thorns” is the production job which can initially be confronting. The guitars of former Mayhem member Snorre W. Ruch sound quite trebly & tinny while Mayhem/Arcturus drummer Hellhammer’s kit is very clicky & lacks genuine weight. This does buy into the industrial metal aesthetic to an extent though as it gives the album more of a mechanical feel. I found that it definitely took me a listen or two to become fully comfortable with it but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t appreciate the ability of the clicky kick-drum sound to highlight Hellhammer’s impressive footwork. The vocals of Bjørn Dencker (Dødheimsgard/ Old Man's Child/ Zyklon-B) & Satyricon’s Satyr are a genuine highlight as they both possess that classic Norwegian menace & compliment each other nicely too. There’s a bit of thrashiness about some of the riffs but they never veer far from the black metal model with the classy use of dissonance being a real feature.

Overall I’d suggest that “Thorns” may be the finest example of an industrial black metal sound that I’ve experienced to tell you the truth. Black metal fans that aren’t all that fond of industrial metal shouldn’t fret though. There’s plenty of classic black metal included here & I’d be very surprised if you were turned off by the experimentation with alternative sounds.

For fans of Dødheimsgard, Aborym & Blut aus Nord.

4.5/5

II will probably only rarely comment on the features from The Gateway, Revolution or Sphere because I am not sure I can say anything helpful about most of them. 

You may want to make an exception for this month's The Sphere feature Sonny as I have a feeling you'll appreciate it.

I think I've kinda been perpetuating the impression that reviews need to be long by posting a forum thread about most things I listen to but only choosing the lengthy ones to post as full reviews. In truth I always start off intending on writing a short post but sometimes I simply find that I've got much more to say & I end up cutting & pasting my words into a review. If I'm being honest though, I'm much more likely to read a short review than a long one since my second daughter arrived, especially when the author is known to be reliable & well-informed like yourself Sonny. I say go for it!

Why do I get the feeling that Andi will be getting a lot of enjoyment out of those release(page)s?

Honestly, the reason I'm asking these questions is because I want to make sure that everyone's enjoying the site as much as possible & that no one feels that it's becoming a chore. Ben & I like to keep things fresh & relevant which requires a consistent cycle of feedback & replenishment. You opinions are just as relevant as our own in that respect as we value your participation immeasurably. Here's my two cents on the topic though:

1. I really enjoy compiling the playlist for The Horde as I feel that I've genuinely got something of value to contribute. I've gradually beefed up my Horde-related listening habits lately in order to better facilitate that too which (given my taste) is actually seeing me getting a greater reward from my music each month in recent times. I must admit that I get frustrated with the fact that I need to cater for a cybergrind track every month though as that subgenre clearly doesn't belong in the Horde but those are my own rules so I'd better stick to them.

Ben's correct that I'm not really enjoying putting The Sphere together any more because there's not much left to say. I've included tracks from every significant release multiple times now as there's really not all that many & have now resorted to simply using a cookie-cutter approach that sees the process taking up as little time as possible but are careful to never repeat individual tracks even if I am repeating bands & releases. I've been hoping that we'd eventually pickup an active member of The Sphere to take it off my hands but it hasn't eventuated as yet. Giving up the programming of the other seven playlists has made a massive difference to my life by the way so thank you to all of you. If I'm being honest I don't get much of a chance to check out the playlists these days which saddens me. When I do it's usually the more accessible ones like The Gateway & The Guardians while I'm playing with the kids & the wife isn't home.

2. I think two hours is spot on to be honest. Any less than that won't work for a few of the clans with longer track lengths & I like the consistency across all clan lists.

3. The release schedule is certainly something that's up for debate in my opinion. My original intent was for the playlists to almost be a separate entity in themselves i.e. people could discover & enjoy them without ever feeling the need to venture to the website. Unfortunately though I've found that the Spotify platform isn't conducive to people simply discovering new playlists without a ton of money & effort from the playlist owner. You can't see how many listeners you get on Spotify as far as I'm aware. You can only see how many follows your playlist has & we've really struggled to pickup any engagement there, mainly because if you search something like "black metal" our playlists don't come up in the search. Even if you search an obscure track that's been included in our playlists you won't find any links to them showing in the track search results. I suspect there's a minimum number of follower & streams required in order to achieve that. Given that Ben & I put all of our effort into ensuring that there's a continuous stream of content on the site, we simply have no time (let alone money) to continuously promote the playlists on social media. My efforts in the past showed an extremely low reward for effort in that regard anyway. My gut feel is that you have to pay for advertised content to get anywhere & it'd have to be specific to an individual playlist & to a targeted audience. Given this situation I've felt more & more that the playlists will mainly be something for the clan members themselves & I don't want to think that you're doing something you regard as a chore for little reward. My gut feel is that if we made the lists less regular we'd end up with stronger & more relevant lists that are genuinely made up of the best tracks from the releases we're actually listening to recently. People will also have more time to listen to them before they change. I still feel that the intent should be that the playlists reflect our current listening habits but that only happens with a few clans as there are very few people listening to enough The Pit or The Gateway content each month to fill a 30 minute submission for example. Also, I've recently suspected that the submissions have become a bit of a chore for some people  which defeats the purpose if that's the case. I personally find it a lot easier to compile playlists without any submissions from the other members to be honest. The concept isn't there to assist the compiler. It's intended to create engagement amongst the other members so if you don't feel like submitting tracks each month then there's certainly no pressure on to do it. It's to make for a more collaborative experience that represents the clan. It's by no means an obligation of every clan member.

4. I'm open to the idea of dissolving two or three of the playlists that don't have much engagement but it seems from the above comments like everyone is getting value out of them so I'm happy about that.

5. I think we have the submission limits right but want to encourage people not to feel any pressure to meet them. If I hadn't listened to any The Fallen material that month then I'm comfortable enough to not submit anything to be honest. It's clear that many of our members like to contribute regardless of their last month's listening habits though so I've been conforming to the consensus in that regard.