Daniel's Forum Replies

Used to have both the Autopsy & Morbid demos back in my tape trading days. I quite liked the Autopsy one from memory but I don't remember it getting too many revisits. The Morbid one is very solid though & stayed in my Walkman for a fair while afterwards.

Here's my Holocausto review from some time ago:

By the mid-to-late 1980's, the Brazilian city of Belo Horizante had become a small hub of activity for young bands with an appetite for increasingly extreme music; presumably being encouraged by 1985’s split album from local heroes Sepultura & Overdose as well as Sepultura’s 1986 full-length debut “Morbid Visions”. This would see 1987 becoming an important year in the development of the local scene with the next wave of bands graduating to full release status in quick succession. Amongst the pack were several key performers in Sarcofago, Mutilator, Chakal, Exterminator & the subject of today’s review, Holocausto.

So ya know the old phrase that says that you can’t judge a book by its cover? Well it’s fucking lucky that this is generally accepted to be the case because I don’t imagine the cover art for Holocausto’s debut studio album “Campo de exterminio” would instill too much confidence within the context of a modern metal marketplace now, would it? I mean deciding you’ll go with that sort of moniker & then calling your record “Extermination Camp” & putting a picture of a Nazi soldier setting a vicious dog onto a naked & clearly emaciated civilian isn’t exactly something that people would commonly accept these days now, is it? Not to mention the two-minute intro track which samples historical Nazi recordings. But in a way it was a fine representation of just how few fucks Brazil’s extreme metal underground gave back in the 80’s. There didn’t seem to be any rules whatsoever & that is very well illustrated by the music this sleeve contains within too.

Now any Brazilian extreme metal release simply MUST possess a couple of key attributes & the first is a production job that sounds like it was recorded with a handheld Dictaphone & this is certainly true with “Campo de exterminio” but perhaps not to the extent that people seem to make out. Maybe it’s just that I’m revisiting this release through the digitally remastered version that’s available on Spotify (which also includes the bonus track “Massacre” which seems to be a precursor for the war metal subgenre) but I can’t say that I find it terribly easy to match up the online consensus that this is amongst the worst of the worst with the product that’s reached my ears this week. Sure, it’s raw as hell & sounds like a cheap demo tape but it’s not unlistenable by any stretch of the imagination. As is quite often the case with Brazilian death/thrash, the guitars are mixed too low & the drums do their very best to drown out the rest of the instruments but I find that I can make out the riffs most of the time & that’s no mean feat given the messy guitar sound. I mean if there’s one element that gives “Campe de exterminio” its necro feel it’s that ultra-ugly guitar tone which ensures that it’s pretty much impossible for single axeman Valério "Exterminator" to present the results of his toil in anything close to a tidy fashion. If you’ve already conquered the guitar tone on the early Hellhammer & Sodom recordings & are looking for your next challenge then perhaps this might be just the sort of thing you’re looking for i.e. a rhythm guitar tone that would see even the most skilled champions of their instrument struggling to lay down even the slightest hint at complexity.

The second key characteristic of any underground Brazilian death/thrash metal release is a very basic level of musicianship & once again “Campo de exterminio” is often highlighted as being on the more extreme end of the spectrum in this regard. Look I’m not saying that it’s not warranted but perhaps not for the same reasons as most people seem to think. I mean unlike Belo Horizante locals Exterminator, Holocausto do have the physical skills to perform at a reasonable level but this is often obscured by the fact that they appear to have received absolutely no theoretical training. To elaborate a bit on that point, the drum beats employed by Armando "Nuclear Soldier" are reasonably performed & are generally quite powerful however the riffs that they’re accompanying often have no correlation to them whatsoever so you’ll regularly find yourself wondering how the band members ever thought they’d work together. There’s probably not a song on the tracklisting that doesn’t include a riff that makes no sense from a rhythmic point of view & despite coming up with some pretty brutal riffs at times, it's very clear that Valério has never been taught how to count his beats through in his head. It’s actually a miracle that the whole thing doesn’t fall into complete mush a lot more than it does & it’s often up to front man Rodrigo "Führer" to help keep the rhythm of the riffs together through the use of his phrasing. In fact, I’m not even sure how he manages to stay in time himself to be honest so it’s a significant problem that’s been majorly impacted on by the muddy guitar tone which makes it almost impossible to produce a precise performance. Valério’s incompetent use of palm-muting is also a contributing factor though it must be said & it’s left up to Armando to try to hide his deficiencies.

“Campo de exterminio” is generally regarded as sitting somewhere between thrash metal & death metal however I’d argue that this is a legitimate death metal release with Holocausto’s sound being an amalgamation of Sarcofago, early Sepultura & the first couple of Sodom releases. Despite what you may read, there’s not many references to black metal included although the slower sections were almost certainly inspired by Hellhammer & there’s a noticeable hardcore punk streak to a lot of the more brutal tracks included. I think there’s really only one track where I find Holocausto working from a predominantly thrash metal palate (see “Vietna”) with the rest of the tracklisting sporting blast beats, death grunts & frantic tremolo-picked solos. The grim death metal atmosphere is definitely there & that’s the main source of appeal for an old school death metal fanatic like myself. In fact, it makes me really try hard to like this record even when the obstacles are blaringly obvious. Armando’s vocal delivery is a definite positive though & I really enjoy what was a particularly brutal performance for the time with the obvious reference point being the early efforts of Sepultura’s Max Cavalera. Armando’s holocaust-related lyrical themes are not exactly your standard grisly gore-ridden death metal fodder however they’re delivered in Portuguese so I don’t understand them &, given the subject matter, perhaps it’s better that way anyway.

To be honest, I can’t help but be a little disappointed that I haven’t been able to get myself over the line with “Campo de exterminio”. Given my background, I would have thought I was as likely as anyone to be able to get into this ultra-raw & super-primitive South American stuff but the lack of structure & cohesion in the riffs has proven to be too great an obstacle for me so I only end up enjoying about half of the tracklisting. Still… I’d take this record over the Exterminator, Vulcano & Chakal’s releases from the same period so it isn’t the worst example of Brazilian extreme metal I’ve ever heard but my lack of enthusiasm for it has meant that I’ve never considered checking out Holocausto’s other albums & that’s unlikely to change any time soon.

For fans of: Sarcofago, Vulcano & the first couple of Sepultura releases.

3/5

My updated Top Ten Conventional Death Metal Releases of All Time list sees Hate's "Erebos" succumbing to The Amenta's "Flesh Is Heir":

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. Obituary – “Cause Of Death” (1990)

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

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

09. Deicide – “Deicide” (1990)

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

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

Blasting Polish death metal.

OK so this is simply a superb death metal record & one of the great undiscovered gems you'll experience as a death metal fan. I originally rated it a 5/5 at the time of release. I've backed that off a bit to a 4.5/5 but that's hardly a negative. The production & musicianship are wonderful. The drummer is utterly brilliant & produces one of the tightest examples of extreme metal drumming I can think of, particularly his sublime blast beats. The vocals are aggressive as fuck & suit the atmosphere to perfection. Sure, it sounds a hell of a lot like Behemoth but "The Satanist" has absolutely nothing on this record. It's on another level altogether. This release averages 3.22 from 208 ratings on RYM. Pfft! What the fuck would they know. It's an absolute stormer in my opinion & resides comfortably in my Hall of Metal Glory as nothing short of a death metal classic.

4.5/5

I think my musical background does have an impact to some extent Sonny. It can be a blessing & a curse as I sometimes struggle with releases that others love simply because of a technical weakness that most people don't even notice but I can also see value in a piece that others fail to based on my understanding of it's structural complexities too so it balances itself out a bit. In saying that, this sort of affliction doesn't haunt all musicians & isn't limited to them either. In fact, Ben continues to surprise me with his ability to pick up some of the technical nuances that most non-musicians (& some musicians) fail to pick up. I wonder if it's simply that he's been exposed to my opinionated ways for so many years, if he was just born with it & or if he's trained himself through decades of detailed reviewing. My guess would be a mixture of options one & three.

If I'm being honest though, I firmly believe that the reason I find it easier to form a position on music than some people is because of my background as a DJ in the 2000's. With such a huge wealth of music available to me I was forced to develop my opinion on a track in a single listen or less. Ever see DJs placing the needle down on a record & then skipping through the track at internals? That's very much what you do when you need to pick ten tracks out of a hundred in a record store or are looking for something specific to match another key track. The best DJs have got that process down to a fine art so that they can spend much more time learning the intricacies of each track & practicing different options for mixing in & out of it rather than endlessly hunting for new material. I think it's trained my brain to look for certain feelings or qualities in music & quickly attach an appropriate value to them based on my physical response. I guess the ability to maintain "active listening" helps a lot too. I definitely get a lot worse at it as I get tired so I don't tend to rate releases at night for that reason.

Thanks for explaining gents. I have a much better understanding of where you're both coming from now.

As for Scream Bloody Gore, well it also took me a long time to appreciate it. My Death journey began with Human, which is still a top 5 death metal album for me today, so working my way back to this obviously more primitive debut was tough going when I was 15 years old. Just like you, it was placing it in it's proper context that proved the difference, and I now very much enjoy what it has to offer. And how can any early death metal fan not dig Zombie Ritual?! ****

I actually don't think context has ever had much of an impact on my opinions on music to be honest. I've never allowed historical importance to play any sort of role in my ratings either. They've always been based purely on how much I enjoy the music coming out of the speakers which has never been impacted by an appreciation of the influence a release may have been responsible for or what was going on in the scene around it. In fact, I don't think I've ever rated a pre-1989 death metal releases higher than a 4/5 because I just think that my enjoyment levels can go another couple of steps up from anything I've heard in that respect. Thrash metal may not have been as extreme as early death metal but it was still more sophisticated & was often more intense too so thrash was still where my heart lay until the 1989 Morbid Angel & Carcass classics saw me permanently defecting to the dark side.

P.S. As far as extremity goes, it's worth noting that Bathory's "Under the Sign Of The Black Mark" was released two weeks prior to "Scream Bloody Gore".

Death - Scream Bloody Gore (1987)

So at last we arrive at Death's debut full-length, but first off let me say I have been a massive jerk. Now hear me out before you try to argue with me on this! I have always been a bit dismissive of Death and failed to see the reverence in which they are held. The reason, I now realise, is that I have always taken them out of context, something I actually get quite chippy about with younger metal heads when they do it. Now listening to this after Possessed's Seven Churches and their own demos, I can at last hear it for what it really is, which is a groundbreaking bridge between the more brutal thrash metal and true death metal. No, I don't feel that this is yet death metal fully-formed, as it still has too many thrash riffs and the drumming is still not quite there yet, but it has definitely advanced things on in extremity from Possessed's debut. Scream Bloody Gore takes riffs from the most aggressive thrash metal and brutalise them, turning them into something more primal and dark even than those cranked out by the likes of Slayer and Possessed. Chuck Schuldiner's vocals still don't really have that guttural quality that the best death metal singers possess, but they are still pretty evil sounding for 1987. The drums and bass are moving towards the more cavernous sound that would epitomise the death metal of the early nineties and the vocals have that distant quality that plays into this aesthetic.
This isn't cerebral metal, not by any means, this is visceral and dangerous music with extremely violent lyrics that would most definitely have upset Tipper Gore and the PRMC back in '87 (which has got to have been a good thing). This was blue collar metal for those who wanted to work out some aggression after a day of putting up with shit at their place of work and needed to put on a disc and bang their fucking head until it went away. And that is something I can really get behind. This was for people like me from shitty industrial towns who saw bands like Motley Crue and Ratt and thought "This isn't fucking L.A., these guys have nothing to do with me". In truth, if I had heard this when it was released (which I didn't, it was many years later when our paths crossed) then I would most definitely have lapped this shit up - something that out-brutalised Reign in Blood, fuck, sign me up! The tracks here are insanely brutal-sounding for 1987 and still manage to provide an adrenaline rush all these years later, such is their quality. So, on  reflection, I must wholeheartedly apologise for my previous attitude towards Death and in particular their debut. I was probably guilty of misplaced expectations and was listening for what I wanted to hear, not what the band had presented, which is an album that pushed metal further than any other at that point and sowed the seeds for a whole new genre of metal brutality which would still be going strong these 35 years later.
4.5/5

This was my review of "Scream Bloody Gore":

No matter what sort of death metal fan you talk to it’s rare to find one that doesn’t love at least one of the various ever-changing incarnations of Death. Everyone has their preferences which generally correspond closely with age, taste & exposure. That’s what makes Death such a classic death metal band. Perhaps the most important of all. My first encounter with Death was as a 13 year old. I was newly into the more underground end of thrash metal & had started religiously tuning in to some late-night metal radio programs. Death’s second album “Leprosy” had just been released & had taken the underground metal scene by storm so it didn’t take long for me to jump onboard with this new death metal sound. It was more extreme than anything I’d ever heard before & it intrigued me. It felt like I was a part of some exclusive club that my parents & the vast majority of my friends couldn’t understand. It wasn’t long until I became a part of the underground tape trading scene & I quickly picked up a dubbed copy of “Scream Bloody Gore”.

As a death metal album “Scream Bloody Gore” may not compare favourably when sitting alongside some of the classics of the genre but there are few albums that have had a greater influence. What makes “Scream Bloody Gore” unique is that Death managed to present a new, refined & fully realized genre on their first attempt; taking the earlier Possessed model & shaving off the edges that would still have people questioning the death metal credentials of an album like "Seven Churches". If you listen to "Scream Bloody Gore" today it is undeniably death metal even by today’s standards. Most other albums that were influential in the creation of new genres could only provide elements that were then combined with others to create the finished product. It was an amazing achievement really & that shouldn’t be underestimated.

The overall consistency of “Scream Bloody Gore” is very good for a debut album too. In fact I think that the primitive “Torn To Pieces” is probably the only track that I think is a little weaker. The rest of the songs are of a generally high quality with “Baptized In Blood”, “Infernal Death” & “Zombie Ritual” (possibly the first death metal song I ever learned to play on guitar) being my personal favourites. The raw production really suits the music. In fact I think it adds to the dark atmosphere. There are plenty of classic palm-muted tremolo-picked death metal riffs on offer but early Death unquestionably still included a hefty dose of the more extreme thrash metal that was around at the time. You can easily hear the influence of bands like Slayer & Possessed here but that element faded as Chuck’s death metal style became more defined over the next couple of albums. Chuck’s guitar solos may have lacked sophistication at this stage but they made up for it in pure energy with blazing high-speed fretboard workouts the order of the day here. The lack of a full-time bass player led to Chuck assuming the bass guitar duties as well; a role that he performs very effectively in fact. The bass is easily heard throughout & it grumbles along nicely.

Much was made of Chuck’s vocal approach. It was amongst the first true death metal performances on a major metal release. Personally I’ve always felt that guys like Jeff Becerra (Possessed) & Mille Petrozza (Kreator) were heavily influential in the push for more extreme vocal sounds. In fact you could probably throw in Quorthon (Bathory) too but there was something undeniably different about the new growlier style that Chuck Schuldiner was pushing & when you combined the deathly lyrical content it all just seemed so bad ass to a young teenager like myself. By late 1989 I’d discovered the likes of Carcass & Morbid Angel & the flood gates were well & truly opened wide.

“Scream Bloody Gore” is far from the pinnacle of death metal but it’s very hard to deny that it has a lot of endearing qualities. Chuck always understood how to walk the fine line between brutality & memorability & there’s a distinct catchiness to most of this material. “Leprosy” improved on this idea & further defined the genre a year later but the youthful exuberance & infectious energy of the debut deserves all of the respect it has garnered in the underground metal scene over the years.

4/5

Necrophagia - Season of the Dead (1987)

It seems as if Necrophagia's debut album was actually released a few months before Death's Scream Bloody Gore, so it is surprising that it isn't mentioned much in the "what was the first death metal album" discussion. Maybe that's because it isn't anything like as good or consistent as Death's debut or possibly because Necrophagia didn't go on to be as influential as Death. Whatever the reason, it is certainly not a record or band I knew anything about prior to listening to it now, 35 years after it's release. In truth, despite it certainly having death metal credentials, at least more so than Seven Churches, I found it a bit patchy and inconsistent. There are still a degree of Slayerisms present and it often sounds similar to Sodom, but there is also more than that here and a greater dive into extremity that results in some undeniably death metal-sounding riffs. Of course, what we tend to forget is that death metal was not yet a thing as such and the process was an evolution as much as revolution. It's not a bad record at all, but personally I think it pales beside Seven Churches, Scream Bloody Gore and the early Sepultura stuff I've been listening to and is merely second-tier material.
3.5/5

This was my review of "Season Of The Dead":

For those that think Death's "Scream Bloody Gore" album was the first true death metal album (for the record, it was Possessed's "Seven Churches" from 1985), think again because the debut full-length from Ohio's Necrophagia entitled "Season Of The Dead" beat them to the punch by a good three months & came armed with the gory horror movie themes & palm-muted tremolo-picked riffage that would go on to become a trademark of the genre.

Killjoy's vocals might not be as deep & monster-like as modern death grunters go for but they certainly sit within death metal guidelines in my opinion & are similar to those of Mike Browning (Morbid Angel/Nocturnus) & Henry Veggian (Revenant). Unfortunately they do represent the most annoying part of the album though as some of the good work that's done by the instrumentalists is undone by some unusually random phrasing that seems almost improvised at times. In fact, it often sounds like he's growling away over a completely different song but the moments when he's on the money are some of the album's highlights (see "Ancient Slumber).

As with most early death metal, we still get our fair share of thrashy Slayer worship here at times but this is generally offset by a grisly death metal atmosphere which is occasionally enhanced by the use of horror movie cinematics. It's interesting that Necrophagia aren't averse to slowing things down a bit for the odd doomy passage with the darkness turned up to ten & it's easy to see where a band like Autopsy might have picked up on that concept. I can't say that I'm a fan of the bizarre experimental sections that pop up on a couple of tracks such as the twisted circus-style parts of opening track "Forbidden Pleasure" which is presumably supposed to tie in with the zombie flick themes. It sounds particularly random to me.

The production doesn't do the album any favours & it would have been good to hear how this would have sounded with a little more emphasis being placed on the rhythm guitars. There's a lot of bass in the mix & it highlights a pretty decent performance from Bill James. Larry Madison's guitar solos have a serious similarity to the style that Morbid Angel's Trey Azagthoth was pushing at the time & it's an interesting question as to who influenced who here given that Necrophagia had been around for a good four years by this stage. I've never heard Necrophagia's demo tapes so I can't say for sure but I suspect that Trey is safe in this respect.

There are some strange cut-&-paste style drop-ins scattered across the tracklisting where it's very clear that two disparate recordings have been pasted together in a haphazard manner & it can sound a little jarring at times but overall I still find "Season Of The Dead" to be an enjoyable listen all these years later. It's an important (if inessential) part of the death metal story.

For fans of: Revenant, early Morbid Angel/Autopsy.

3.5/5

Black Country, New Road - "Ants From Up There" (2022)

I thought I'd see what all the fuss is about with the much celebrated sophomore record from this highly regarded English art/post/indie/chamber rock artist but ended up finding that it's not really my thing. I can appreciate what they're trying to do but can't seem to connect with this release artistically.

Poison - Into the Abyss (1987)

Poison were a German extreme thrash outfit that never had any official releases except for a single track on a Roadrunner sampler before splitting in '87. This is the last of their demos and consists of four tracks spanning thirty-three minutes with a really good sound quality for a 1980's underground demo. It is hard to ascribe any particular genre to Into the Abyss... other than to say that this is a definition of extreme metal in the late eighties. Combining elements of Slayer-inspired thrash with Possessed/Death death metal and Bathory/Sodom/Celtic Frost first wave black metal, coupled with a Lovecraftian horror aesthetic, these guys produce half an hour of extreme metal nirvana. That is the great thing about this time in the history of metal - there wasn't any hard and fast guidelines yet so some bands just went balls-out to produce the most extreme shit they could manage. The playing itself is quite accomplished and proper respect needs to be shown to drummer Alex Gilliar (aka Witchhammer) who gives a good account of himself with some outstanding skinswork as he batters the shit out of anything that moves. The riffs are great and vocalist Armin Weber (aka Virgin Slaughter) has an evil-sounding blackened snarl. This may ultimately have been more of an influence on black metal than death metal going forward, but I just couldn't ignore such a cool recording for this thread. This is a much respected and well-regarded demo for damn good reason. Surprisingly, considering the reverence for Poison and Into the Abyss... in particular amongst devotees of extreme metal, only one of the four members (guitarist Uli Hildenbrand) continued any career in metal beyond the lifespan of Poison. If you have any interest in the development of extreme metal then you really need to hear this seminal demo.
4.5/5

Another one from my tape trading past. I remember my cassette having Poison's "Sons Of Evil" demo on the A side with "Into the Abyss" on the B side. I didn't like "Sons Of Evil" much from memory but recall thinking that "Into The Abyss" was really strong & giving it repeat listens for a few weeks afterwards. I don't think I've given it a revisit since the 90's though so my memory is a bit hazy.

Traditional doom metal from Maryland, USA.

I'd certainly heard the name Internal Void around the traps over the years but can't say that I've ever committed to checking them out before now. In fact, I wasn't aware that they'd released anything else after this debut album which proves Sonny's point about being a particularly underappreciated artist. After giving "Standing On The Sun" a few spins over the last couple of days I've achieved a firm opinion on the music that lies within & while I can't say that I find the same level of appeal as the elder statesman of our Metal Academy community there's definitely a fair few positives here. The warm 1970's production job is a great start as it really compliments the band's sound & gives the record that authentic old-school doom atmosphere. The inclusion of psychedelia in the lead guitar work is something that I've always found appealing while I can easily pickup the Alex Lifeson influence that Sonny mentioned above. Unfortunately though there's a fairly major stumbling block for me here in J.D. Williams' vocals. He's clearly trying his level best to be Ozzy Osbourne but sadly doesn't possess anywhere near the level of talent required so he often ends up sounding more like Lee Dorrian's weaker moments. There's no question that he's trying really hard but it should all come a lot more effortlessly for a genuine front man. For this reason I found that two of the three tracks I enjoyed the most were the instrumental pieces in short acoustic interlude "Eclipsed" & album highlight "The Peace Song". The other element that places a cap on my rating is the inclusion of a fair few groovy stoner metal riffs. While those riffs may sound very much like Black Sabbath, I have to admit that even the mighty Sabbath can't completely win me over when they go in that direction for any sort of period (as they did on a record like "Vol.4" which I've always considered to be a bit overrated). Epic closer "Desolate Cemetery" is my pick of the vocal tracks as it manages to overcome a significant doom-to-groove ratio through an impeccably dark atmosphere, some stellar riffage & lead work & a pretty cool lyrical approach. 

Overall I find "Standing On The Sun" to be a mildly enjoyable listen that has the edge taken off an excellent instrumental representation of the traditional doom metal philosophy by a couple of aesthetic & compositional flaws. I'd be surprised if the vast majority of Saint Vitus, Pentagram & 70's Black Sabbath fans don't find enough to keep them interested here but I'm not sure too many of them will consider Internal Void to compete with the premier traditional doom metal bands that influenced them.

3.5/5

Sepultura - Morbid Visions (1986)

The version of Morbid Visions I have been listening to also has the Bestial Devastation tracks from the 1985 split with Overdose so I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and cover both here. As much as I am a huge fan of the four albums from Schizophrenia onwards, I have never even listened to these earlier releases before now... and wow, what a treat they are! It is amazing to think that the Cavalera brothers were mere teenagers at the time, but the fearlessness of youth, I suspect, enabled them to produce a brace of releases that pushed the envelope of what was then considered extreme in the metal world.

First off, Max has got the best iteration of the death growl heard up to this point, being deeper and gruffer than most of the other frontmen of the time who's vocals still remained very much in the Tom Araya / Mille Petrozza barking style. The playing is a bit messy and some of the transitions aren't as smooth as people would like, but hell, they were still learning their craft and yet mananged to produce a fireball of furious riffing and incendiary soloing that gives a real insight into just how fucking awesome and ahead of the curve early Sepultura were. I am not a person who is impressed by flashy showmanship or technical wizardry (in fact, quite the opposite) so I may be better disposed to such an obviously flawed release as Morbid Visions because, for me, it succeeds by sheer force of will and energy in presenting something that is just so damn exciting I can't help but love it. This is heartfelt metal from a band of youngsters in it solely for the love of metal at this point and that ethos shines through really brightly on this debut album. It seems strange that this is never mentioned much in the conversation about early death metal releases because there seems to be plenty here that qualifies - Mayhem and War both sound very death metal to me and as a whole I would venture it is more death metal adjacent than Possessed's Seven Churches is. The production isn't great, the drums seem to be pushed too far to the fore, sometimes at the expense of the guitar and there isn't much by way of bottom end but, for me, this is only a minor issue and certainly isn't a deal breaker as far as future listening potential goes.

Bestial Devastations consists of an intro and four tracks, again the production leaves a lot to be desired (sounding a bit like Seven Churches production-wise) and the performance could be tighter, but all the tracks have great riffs and an infectious energy that true metal heads should find difficult to ignore. Both the split and debut full-length marked Sepultura out as a band who would most likely go places and were pretty extreme-sounding for 1986 and are deserving of being part of the conversation surrounding the development of death metal in the 1980s.

4/5

Bestial Devastation

Early Sepultura material is a real guilty pleasure for me as its evil necro atmosphere make me quite nostalgic despite the primitive production & performances. In fact, there's enough brutality on offer for half of these tracks to qualify as genuine death metal which makes it one of the earliest releases from the subgenre. Kinda sounds like a combination of the more brutal US bands like Slayer & Possessed crossed with the early Teutonic thrash material from Sodom & Kreator. 3.5/5 (4/5 for the re-release with the re-recorded version of "Troops of Doom")

Morbid Visions

Insert commentary from above only with a touch more intensity, better (if still decidedly inferior) drumming, less competent tuning & substantially more bass in the (admittedly still very raw) mix. Very similar quality overall though. This album absolutely belts the early Sodom releases in my opinion which shouldn't be a surprise when you consider just how many of these riffs the Seps boys reused on their classic albums a few years later. Prime time Brazilian death/thrash metal. 4/5

Morbid Angel - Abominations of Desolation (recorded 1986/released 1991)

This was recorded in 1986 but was shelved by the band as they faced some lineup issues and were unhappy with the sound of the album. It was heavily bootlegged but eventually was cleaned up and given an official release by Earache in 1991 and this is the version I have been listening to. It's got to be said that this seems to raise the bar as far as metal extremity went in 1986 and you can't help but wonder if the argument about the first death metal album would have been well and truly been settled if it was put out at the time of recording. The riffs here sound like something beyond the ultra-aggressive thrash metal that was being produced by the most extreme bands at this time and more like a whole new thing entirely, Trey Azagthoth proving that from the very get-go he was ahead of the curve when it came to writing death metal riffs. In fact the riffing and the solos are the major draw for me here, their sheer brilliance somewhat overshadowing the other aspects of the album. Lyrically Morbid Angel looked to the Necronomicon for inspiration and consequently the lyrics are very much occult-centric. As many other commentators have pointed out, the weak point is drummer / vocalist Mike Browning and his performance behind both kit and mic may well be the reason that Abominations of Desolation was shelved (and his leaving the band, although an altercation with Trey over a girl is also cited as the reason for the latter).

To choose to shelve the album was a brave move really when you think about it, after having put the effort into producing a debut record, then holding off until they considered themselves better placed to produce a worthwhile release must have taken a great deal of discipline. Rather than just wanting to see their name on a record sleeve they took the conscious decision to wait and that must be applauded as it shows a band willing to go the extra mile to get across their true vision rather than settling for less. Most of the tracks here (all except for Demon Seed I believe) have been reworked and released on later albums, proving that they never felt the material itself was weak, but rather it didn't come across as they had envisioned in this form. On the whole, I would say this is not merely a release of historical importance in the emergent death metal scene of the 1980s, but is a decent release in it's own right and the perceived weaknesses aren't complete deal breakers for me, as the material and guitar work is still strong enough to give the recording value.
3.5/5

I’ve always had a lot of time for this release. It’s really pretty amazing to think that it was recorded way back in 1986. They were clearly already ahead of their peers & I’m left thinking this would have been regarded as a classic release had it been released back then. But at the same time I’m glad it wasn't released because it would have taken away from the greatness of the band's subsequent releases. Trey’s lead & rhythm guitar styles are already so developed at this stage. He really did create a fresh & original take on the death metal riff. The drumming is a little primitive in comparison to Pete Sandoval’s advanced skills so that’s the most obvious weak point. You actually can’t hear the kick drum much at all. The production is obviously pretty raw but it's not off-putting. Browning’s vocals do the job well enough but they don’t quite compete with Dave Vincent’s performances in my opinion. All things considered I find heaps to enjoy here though. The lyrics & song-titles vary from the final versions quite a bit & when combined with the two hilariously over-the-top intro tracks the album seems to possess an identity all of its own. These songs have been a big part of my life & I find these rawer versions to have an endearing quality that makes them a nice alternative to the classic versions. I consider this a must for Morbid Angel fans.

4/5

Possessed - Beyond the Gates (1986)

Possessed's follow-up to Seven Churches was always going to have a struggle to live up to it's seminal older sibling. Beyond the Gates seems to see Possessed pull back from the abyss and doesn't pack the punch of Seven Churches, as the band settle for a more conventional thrash metal release, toning down the more extreme aspects of what made Seven Churches such compulsive listening. This doesn't make Beyond the Gates a poor album, it is a good album, no doubt about it. There are some terrific riffs, the band have tightened up and the production is very good. But therein lies the problem, especially within the scope of this thread - the chaotic, kinda messy sound of the debut contributed massively to it's apppeal for a lot of it's fans and the fact that the follow-up was cleaner and less extreme was seen as a negative and a backward step. While others were cranking-up the extremity in their sound, Beyond the Gates feels like a safe move. Ultimately your opinion of the album is going to depend on what you are looking for. If you just want to hear a really solid mid-eighties thrash album then roll on up because this has the goods, but if you want to hear a band developing the extreme sound of a landmark release even further down the rabbit hole then you will be disappointed I think.
4/5

"Beyond The Gates" certainly took a thrashier direction than the more obviously death metal oriented "Seven Churches" although there are still plenty of signs of the sound that was so influential on the early purveyers of death metal in my opinion. In fact, you can easily pick out some of the songs that Chuck Schuldiner used as the inspiration for Death's "Scream Bloody Gore" album. The song-writing is generally pretty good but the poor production does limit the records appeal pretty substantially. Some messy rhythm guitar performances don't help either but the brutal vocals of Jeff Becerra & the impressive lead guitar work of Larry Lalonde & Mike Torrao help to carry the album through to a reasonably rewarding result for me personally. It's just not as rewarding an experience as the debut was & I'd suggest that "Beyond The Gates" was the least impressive of Possessed's three 80's releases. It sounds very much like a combination of Slayer, Venom & Death to my ears.

3.5/5

What do you think about the production on Seven Churches? Do you think that echoey, "cavernous" sound it possesses was particularly influential on bands like Autopsy and the other death/doom bands of the early nineties?

I've never made that connection to be honest. "Seven Churches" still had a pretty thrashy sound. I don't think they'd detuned their guitars & there's a fair amount of high end there. By comparison I would guess that Autopsy detuned three or four semitones on "Severed Survival" & there was a much stronger focus on bottom end.

Here's my June playlist submission:

Godflesh - "Flowers" (from "Merciless" E.P., 1994)

Here's my June playlist submission Andi:

War From A Harlots Mouth - "The Polyglutamine Pact" (from "MMX", 2010)

Here are my June submissions Vinny:

Metallica - "Master Of Puppets" (from "Master Of Puppets", 1986)

D.R.I. - "Broke" (from "Full Speed Ahead", 1995)

Sepultura - "War" (from "Morbid Visions", 1986)

Slayer - "Angel Of Death" (from "Reign In Blood", 1986)

Sodom - "Deathlike Silence" (from "Obsessed By Cruelty", 1986)

Tankard - "(Empty) Tankard" (from "Zombie Attack", 1986)

Here are my June playlist submissions Ben:

Blasphemy - "Blasphemous Attack" (from "Gods Of War", 1993)

Immortal - "In My Kingdom Cold" (from "Sons Of Northern Darkness", 2002)

Sacramentum - "Fog's Kiss" (from "Far Away From The Sun", 1996)

Sear Bliss - "Birth Of Eternity" (from "Glory & Perdition", 2009)

Here are my June playlist submissions:

The Amenta - "Erebus" (from "Occasus", 2004)

Behemoth - "Furor Divinus" (from "The Satanist", 2014)

Sinister - "Diabolical Summoning" (from "Diabolical Summoning", 1993)

The Chasm - "Conquerer & Warlord" (from "The Spell Of Retribution", 2004)

Cannibal Corpse - "Dead Human Collection" (from "Bloodthirst", 1999)

Malignant Monster - "Old Corpus Delecti" (from "Foul Play", 2005)

Decapitated - "Day 69" (from "Organic Hallucinosis", 2006)

Here's my June playlist submission Saxy:

Evanescence - "Better Without You" (from "The Bitter Truth", 2021)

Here are my submissions for the June playlist Sonny:

Monarch! - "Blood Seeress" (from "Omens", 2012)

Godflesh - "Merciless" (from "Merciless" E.P., 1994)

Spectral Voice - "Terminal Exhalation" (from "Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing", 2017)

Here's the plan for the June feature releases:

THE FALLEN: Ben, Daniel, Sonny

THE GATEWAY: Andi, Saxy

THE GUARDIANS: Xephyr, Daniel

THE HORDE: Vinny, Ben, Daniel

THE INFINITE: Xephyr, Saxy, Andi

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

THE PIT: Daniel, Sonny, Vinny, Ben

THE REVOLUTION: Daniel, Andi

THE SPHERE: Andi, Daniel

May 2022

01. Morbid Angel – “Radikult” (from “Illud Divinum Insanus”, 2011)

02. Mechina – “Suffer” (from “Venator”, 2022)

03. Unheilig – “Abwärts” (from “Grosse Freiheit”, 2010)

04. DEAFBRICK – “Hyperkinetic Mass Disorder” (from “Deafbrick”, 2020)

05. Pitchshifter – “Keep It Clean” (from “Deviant”, 2000)

06. Ministry – “Cannibal Song” (from “The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste”, 1989)

07. Rammstein – “Mutter” (from “Mutter”, 2001)

08. Nine Inch Nails – “Physical (You’re So)” (from “Broken” E.P., 1992)

09. Scorn – “Thoughts Of Escape” (from “Vae Solis”, 1992)

10. Eisbrecher – “Segne deinen Schmerz” (from “Eiszeit”, 2010)

11. Apartment 26 – “Keep You” (from “Hallucinating”, 2000)

12. In This Moment – “As Above, So Below” (from “Mother”, 2020)

13. Lard – “Drug Raid At 4 AM” (from “The Last Temptation Of Reid”, 1990)

14. Godflesh – “Blind” (from “Merciless” E.P., 1994) [Submitted by Andi]

15. Ghostemane – “Calamity” (from “ANTI-ICON”, 2020)

16. Killing Joke – “Judas Goat” (from Hosannas From the Basements Of Hell”, 2006) [Submitted by Daniel]

17. Old – “Outlive Again (Ganglehea Mix)” (from “Lo Flux Tube”, 1991)

18. Author & Punisher – “Incinerator” (from “Krüller”, 2022)

19. Samael – “The Shadow Of The Sword” (from “Lux Mundi”, 2011)

20. Skrew – “Gemini” (from “Burning In Water, Drowning In Flame”, 1992)

21. Static-X – “Hollow” (from “Project: Regeneration Vol. 1”, 2020)

22. Red Harvest – “Move Or Be Moved” (from “Cold Dark Matter”, 2000)

23. Code Orange – “In Fear” (from “Underneath”, 2020)

24. Napalm Death – “Resentment Always Simmers” (from “Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw of Throes” E.P., 2022)

25. Fear Factory – “Mechanize” (from “Mechanize”, 2010)

May 2022

01. Infester – “Chamber Of Reunion” (from “To the Depths, In Degradation”, 1994) [Submitted by Daniel]

02. Sentenced – “Awaiting The Winter Frost” (from “North From Here”, 1993)

03. Gorguts – “Elusive Treasures” (from “From Wisdom To Hate”, 2001) [Submitted by Daniel]

04. Orbit Culture – “Flight Of The Fireflies” (from “Shaman” E.P., 2021) [Submitted by Ben]

05. Thotcrime – “dead + dreaming” (from “ønyøurcømputer”, 2020)

06. Napalm Death – “Greed Killing” (from “Diatribes”, 1996) [Submitted by Ben]

07. Akercocke – “Leviathan” (from “Choronzon”, 2003) [Submitted by Ben]

08. Haemorrhage – “Dissect, Exhume, Devour…” (from “Grume”, 1997)

09. Macabre – “The Black Knight” (from “Grim Scary Tales”, 2011)

10. Astral Tomb – “Transcendental Visions” (from “Soulgazer”, 2022)

11. Cryptworm – “Disgorged Chunks Of Life” (from “Spewing Mephitic Putridity”, 2022)

12. Nasum – “Distortion & Disinformation” (from “Industrislaven” E.P., 1995)

13. Sarcofago – “The Laws Of Scourge” (from “The Laws Of Scourge”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

14. Vastum – “Amniosis” (from “Hole Below”, 2015) [Submitted by Daniel]

15. Disgorge – “The Vile Sores in Urticariothrocisism Goulashed Decrepitance” (from “Chronic Corpora Infest”, 1998)

16. Enemy Soil – “Sentencing” (from “Casualties Of Progress” E.P., 1995)

17. Father Befouled – “Unheavenly Catechesis” (from “Crowned In Veneficum”, 2022)

18. Rotten Tomb – “Pest Winds” (from “Visions Of A Dismal Fate”, 2022)

19. Aeviterne – “Stilled the Hollows' Sway” (from “The Ailing Façade”, 2022) [Submitted by Ben]

20. Golgothan Remains – “Veneration Of Carnal Blasphemy” (from “Adorned In Ruin”, 2022)

21. Deranged – “Killing Spree” (from “Rated-X”, 1995)

22. Waking The Cadaver – “Type A Secretor” (from “Perverse Recollections Of A Necromangler”, 2008) [Submitted by Daniel]

23. Katalepsy – “Rabid” (from “Musick Brings Injuries”, 2008)

24. Infernal Coil – “Bodies Set In Ashen Death” (from “Within A World Forgotten”, 2018) [Submitted by Daniel]

25. Desolate Shrine – “Cast To Walk The Star Of Sorrow” (from “Fires Of the Dying World”, 2022) [Submitted by Ben]

26. Dying Fetus – “Destroy The Opposition” (from “Destroy The Opposition”, 2000) [Submitted by Daniel]

Again, this is an album I have only become aware of by doing this project, so as much as I am trying not to, I am coming at it with modern prejudices and it still sounds a bit of a mess to me - not without it's moments it must be said, but still a mess.

I would argue that you don't display "modern prejudices" with other mid-80's extreme metal releases you're just being exposed to now Sonny so I don't think it's as big a deal as you may think. Your thoughts on the album are understandable in my opinion & if anyone has any unconscious bias then it's probably me who first encountered "Hymn To Abramelin" as a naïve & impressionable teenager who didn't have the power of the internet at his disposal over three decades ago.

Crushing US doom/death that sounds like diSEMBOWELMENT meets Bolt Thrower.

Spectral Voice - "Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing" (2017)

Three of the dudes from Blood Incantation & Black Curse get together & make a doom/death record that pays clear homage to the great diSEMBOWELMENT only with a stronger emphasis on Bolt Thrower style death metal. What could be bad about that concept? Well the answer is nothing. Nothing whatsoever. Spectral Voice aren't quite as talented at creating truly unique & mind-bending atmospheres of sheer desolation as the Aussie doom/death legends were but they offer enough in the way of crushingly deep doom caverns & sudden blasting grind sections to keep this ol' death metal fanatic frothing at the mouth. Love those super-deep death growls too even if they're a long way from original. Spectral Voice just don't quite manage to get any of the five lengthy tracks to the absolute elite level though as there's always a flatter moment included somewhere & this sees me falling just short of my upper ratings but if you're a fan of bands like Anhedonist & Inverloch then you won't regret giving this album a few spins one bit.

4/5

Look, I've always quite liked Messiah's "Hymn To Abramelin" to be honest. It's certainly not something I return to all that often but I think there's enough quality there to keep me interested. The problem I find with it though is that the tracklisting is so inconsistent with the quality levels differing greatly between excellent tracks like "Messiah" & "The Dentist" & disposable stuff like "Anarchus" & "Future Agressor". Thankfully I find that the highlights are strong enough to carry the filler though. I've got it pegged for a 3.5/5 rating personally. It's probably worth mentioning that I've never seen it as a death metal record. It's a thrash metal release with black/speed metal influences to my ears. Actually Sonny, I think this exercise might be a good opportunity for you to help us get some of the genre tagging cleaned up on some of these early "death metal" releases by contributing an unbiased opinion.

I haven't heard either of those additional Genocide or Mutilator demos Sonny. I guess those must have passed me by until the debut albums. You've just reminded me about that Death "Mutilation" demo though because I'd completely forgotten about that one. I retract my previous overarching statement. That's a pretty reasonable demo from memory & I remember enjoying it more than their 1984/85 ones.

I can assure you that your opinion is no less valid than anyone else's Sonny. And for the record, I was raised on shitty bootlegged cassette tapes through the tape trading scene so the medium has never been a complete deal breaker for me either although I certainly think it places an upper cap on my scoring potential at times.

I don't think I've ever heard the Genocide, Mutilator or Metal Massacre releases you discussed but I'm obviously well versed in "Seven Churches" as I was first introduced to it around 1989/90. I think my feelings on it may surprise a few people though because, despite the fact that I find it to be a really enjoyable & important record, I have to admit that I've never found it to be as overwhelmingly impressive as most death metal fans seem to. It just doesn't quite seem to be the finished product that some of it's peers would produce in the coming years but I'd admittedly already been introduced to Death's first couple of albums by the time our paths crossed. I don't think death metal overtook my thrash obsession until Morbid Angel & Carcass came along with their 1989 classics to be honest. In saying all that, I do categorically think "Seven Churches" is a death metal record & the very first proper release for the genre. It simply shares too many characteristics with the early death metal classics not to be regarded alongside them. Nothing Possessed did afterwards is anything but pure thrash metal though & I think Jeff's been telling porkys about his influences because the Slayer plagiarism was totally blatant on those mid-to-late 80's records. "Seven Churches" is a 3.5/5 for me personally. Interestingly, if you held a gun to my head & made me choose I'd actually take Sepultura's death/thrash debut E.P. "Bestial Devastation" (which was released just two months afterwards) over it these days (particularly the 1990 re-release with the re-recorded version of "Troops Of Doom" on it).

Death - Death By Metal EP (1984)

Legendary five-track cassette demo from 1984 that has all the expected production issues, yet despite that it still manages to give an idea of how vital and aggressive Death's early tracks were. Opener Legion of Doom is a slower tempo piece that just sounds fucking evil through and through. The band are obviously very young and more than a little sloppy, but there is enough on show here to indicate where they were trying to get to and the fact that they could write a decent fucking riff, such as on Evil Dead. Despite it's poor sound this is a really interesting early Death demo and has legendary status for good reason.

Despite the general consensus pointing to Possessed's "Death Metal" demo, I've always thought that Death's "Death By Metal" was the true birth of true death metal, despite its tendency to emulate Possessed. I just find that it manages to push over that line in ways that Possessed couldn't manage consistently at that early stage. In saying that though, I get a fair bit of enjoyment out of the Possessed demo but none of the Death ones hold up to much scrutiny other than from a purely historical perspective these days in my opinion. "Reign Of Terror" probably came the closest to being something I can genuinely say that I enjoy but still fell a little short. 2/5 for "Death By Metal" from me.

I decided to start in 1984 with some demos from bands recognised as influential in the development of early death metal:

Possessed - Death Metal EP (1984)

A 1984 three-track demo, all three of which would turn up on Seven Churches: Death Metal, Evil Warriors and Burning in Hell. Obviously, the production isn't great, but it isn't completely terrible either and the tracks still sound pretty good, exhibiting a lot of the energy and aggression their later versions would exude in excess. The only problem is with Burning in Hell, the production is unable to handle the track's extreme tempo and it's faster parts just become a fairly incoherent aural blur.

This demo was pretty much essential in the tape trading scene of the late 80's/early 90's so I'm very familiar with it & think it shows us the transition between thrash & death metal quite nicely. To be honest I don’t think the three songs on the “Death Metal” demo truly fall into the death metal category just yet, instead sounding more along the lines of the more extreme thrash metal that was to come out of Europe in the coming years but it’s impossible to deny that many of the key elements of the early death metal sound are already in effect & the early works of bands like Death & Morbid Angel would likely have sounded very different if not for this cassette. The production is quite good for a demo tape of the time & is entirely listenable but the three songs differ in style a fair bit which is a strong indication that the band were still defining their signature sound. The rhythm section put in a pretty basic & relatively safe performance so there’s not much to get excited about there. The real highlights come in the form of the intense & thrashy guitar riffs & Becerra’s aggressive vocal delivery which was about as extreme as we’d heard out of America to the time. Becerra’s gruff & grunty approach seems to be a combination of Venom’s Cronos & Motorhead’s Lemmy Killmeister to my ears & by today’s standards it would be debatable as to whether he would qualify as a legitimate death metal vocalist or not but I can only imagine that he must have scared the crap out of a few first time listeners back in the day. The guitar solos of Mike Torrao & Brian Montana are very chaotic & lack a bit of musicality & technique to be honest. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they were improvised because they have very little structure about them but they certainly don’t lack enthusiasm. Surprisingly, I find that on more than one occasion they lack a rhythm guitar track behind them too which is strange for a two guitar band. Perhaps it’s just been mixed poorly & is lacking in volume? I’m not too sure but there’s little doubt that Possessed would have benefited from having less of a sonic dropout every time these solos kicks off. Overall though, I've always considered this demo to be a pretty enjoyable listen despite its age & the primitive execution which is a credit to Possessed’s abilities as song-writers. I mean you can be as extreme as all hell but if the songs aren’t there then you’ll have very little staying power. If we take a look at the individual songs on offer, the title track may well have been the source for the naming of the death metal genre but it’s quite obviously an example of Venom worship with the song “Black Metal” clearly having been the primary source of inspiration. I’d also suggest that it’s borrowed pretty heavily from Slayer’s “Evil Has No Boundaries” too but it’s a fun listen nonetheless. Slayer’s “Show No Mercy” record was likely the inspiration for “Evil Warriors” as well which is the most straight-up thrash number. I don’t find it to be as appealing as the other two tracks to be honest. I think it’s that it’s lacking that death metal edge which the closing track “Burning In Hell” has in spades. It’s probably my favourite of the three songs & it reminds me very much of the more extreme early German thrash releases from bands like Destruction & Kreator. It’s the fastest & most chaotic & brutal number & comes the closest to fully-fledged death metal. Check out the riff that comes in at around the one minute mark which shows the obvious influence Possessed had on an early Morbid Angel.

3.5/5

I love the concept Ben & think the idea of a dedicated page is the best approach to showcasing it. It's so easy to use & so intuitive though. I discovered it for myself this morning & immediately clicked on it.

Swedish melodic black metal complete with Scandinavian atmosphere & some good complexity in the guitar work.

Sacramentum - "Far Away From The Sun" (1996)

All of our regulars are probably aware of my struggles with subgenres that hold the word "melodic" in front of them by now so I don't think too many people will be expecting to see me dishing out grand declarations of love for Swedish meloblack Sacramentum's debut album. I first encountered it back at the time of release & found it mildly enjoyable without ever threatening to become a regular on my playlist at the time. Nothing much has changed in that respect either. A 3.5/5 is my scoring system cut-off point for releases that I find much interest in & this one was right on the cusp of falling into the 3/5 abyss. The reason it didn't is probably to do with the well composed & executed guitar work which possesses a suitable amount of Scandinavian atmosphere & complexity. The black metal shrieks are fairly middling due to their generic nature but the main offender that sees me being tempted to discard this album altogether is the drumming which is both a little too light-weight in style & more than a little short of the competency line in terms of execution. Just check out a track like "Obsolete Tears" to hear a skinsman struggling to stay in time! Thankfully there's enough class in the rest of the instrumentation to overcome those concerns though & I'd be surprised if any disciples of bands like Dissection, Dawn & Naglfar don't find plenty to enjoy (the former so obviously being the major influence here).

3.5/5

My updated Top Ten Technical Thrash Metal Releases Of All Time list after revisiting Ripping Corpse's "Dreaming With The Dead" album overnight & deciding that it deserves a spot in my top ten ahead of Annihilator's "Never, Neverland". I'm well aware that a lot of people don't regard it as being techy enough for the "technical" tag but you know what? The MA database says otherwise so it qualifies as far as I'm concerned.

01. Coroner – “Mental Vortex” (1991)

02. Sadus – “A Vision Of Misery” (1992)

03. Coroner – “No More Color” (1989)

04. Annihilator – “Alice In Hell” (1989)

05. Cryptic Shift – “Visitations From Enceladus” (2020)

06. Ripping Corpse - "Dreaming With The Dead" (1991)

07. Toxik – “World Circus” (1987)

08. Аспид – “Кровоизлияние” (1993)

09. Coroner – “Punishment For Decadence” (1988)

10. Vektor – “Black Future” (2009)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/173

Seriously, how much do I love the crushingly heavy doom metal riffs in this technical death/thrash track from New Jersey, USA? Lots... the answer is lots.

Ripping Corpse - "Dreaming With The Dead" (1991)

I picked up on this underrated gem through the tape trading scene shortly after release & remember being very impressed with what I heard. 1991 was a particularly strong year for extreme metal so it's a major compliment to say that "Dreaming With The Dead" got a fair few repeat listens out of me that year. Sadly it would be the New Jersey-based five-piece's only proper release but it's gained most of its underground notoriety through the later exploits of a couple of its key players in guitarists Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal/Morbid Angel/Cannibal Corpse) & Shaune Kelley (Hate Eternal). Ripping Corpse sounded very much like a combination of Sadus & Atheist to my ears & I'd describe them as technical death/thrash combined with the consistent use of short snippets of super-shreddy lead breaks in a similar style to that which Mike Davis of Nocturnus has become known for. The vocals of front man Scott Ruth are closer to thrash than they are death metal but Ripping Corpse can be pretty brutal at times with the band often opting for blast beats or crushingly heavy doom riffs in the name of variety. The level of musicianship is very high (particularly the awesome double kick work) while the sheer velocity these dudes are capable of is very impressive. There are adventurous riffs aplenty with more than the odd hint at progressive experimentation. The only negative is the weak production job which does a pretty poor job at highlighting the band's strengths. Despite that flaw though, it's really pretty hard to understand how Ripping Corpse didn't get more attention over the years & I'd place "Dreaming With The Dead" right alongside the debut albums from either of the bands I mentioned earlier. This one comes highly recommended for fans of high quality death/thrash.

4/5

I was bored this morning so I decided to double up for the weekend by collating my Top Ten Crossover Thrash Releases Of All Time list. It's entirely situated in the mid-to-late 80's of course but that's hardly surprising given the subgenre's clear hey day. It is worth noting that my absolute favourite crossover release wasn't eligible for the list as it's a demo that isn't available on the Metal Academy database (i.e. Slaughter's "Surrender Or Die" demo from 1985) & I have included a release that I regard more as thrashcore than it is crossover thrash (i.e. Cryptic Slaughter's "Convicted") but I've once again stuck to the MA database tags. See what you think & feel free to post your own list.

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

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

03. Suicidal Tendences – “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today” (1988)

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

05. Cryptic Slaughter – “Convicted” (1986)

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

07. Agnostic Front – “Liberty & Justic For…” (1987)

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

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

10. Corrosion Of Conformity – “Animosity” (1985)

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

Icy Norwegian black metal that's custom-made to accompany your next Northern raven winter shin-dig. 

Immortal - "Sons Of Northern Darkness" (2002)

I have an admission to make. Despite the fact that there was a time when I fell in love with Norwegian black metal heavy-weights Immortal during the mid-1990's, I can't say that I've ever found most of their more celebrated releases to genuinely compete with the top tier black metal acts overall. "Battles In The North" was the exception with it's super intense & brutal approach fitting directly into my comfort zone but even it's very strong predecessor "Pure Holocaust" (4/5) had some flaws that saw it residing firmly in the second tier for me personally. Their highly regarded 1999 fifth album "At the Heart of Winter" (3.5/5) seems to be almost unanimously claimed as Immortal's career peak these days but I struggle a bit with it's thrashier meloblack direction & sloppy musicianship to be honest & have never been able to see what others do in it even if I do get some enjoyment out of it. And this brings us to Immortal's other major landmark in 2002's "Sons Of Darkness" record which leaves me with fairly similar feelings overall.

On the positive side, Bloodbath/Hypocrisy/Lindemann/Lock Up legend Peter Tägtgren's production job has done a splendid job at highlighting the album's strengths i.e. it's consistency, it's melodicism & it's more mature & refined used of space & tempo. This doesn't really surprise me as Peter already had a very strong decade-long portfolio of high quality records like Dawn's "Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy)" under his belt by this stage, not to mention Immortal's previous two albums. Everything sounds really tight with the musicianship & execution having seen a remarkable improvement on the band's previous "classics". In fact, it could be said that Peter plays as important a role as the musicians here when you compare the result to some of Immortal's previous releases. I don't think I'd be out of line to suggest that it's his influence that sees Abbath's guitar work sounding as tight as it does because there is just so much evidence of how inadequate the iconic front man can be in that department over the years. There are glimpses of the hectic blast beat insanity of the past but even then they're utilized in a more controlled fashion & always return to a more subdued & often quite thrashy direction that's not all that far removed from the one you'll find on "At The Heart Of Winter". There are some obvious references to Bathory's Viking period included too (particularly closing track "Beyond the North Waves") but I'm not sure that they're as effective as they sound on paper.

I dunno... I certainly still enjoy Abbath's croaky vocal performance, Horgh's moments of relentlessness & the band's trademark icy atmosphere but I can't deny that I find myself being a little disappointed at the end of the experience. As Ben said to me yesterday when we were discussing the album, "Sons Of Northern Darkness" is a very solid black metal record but unfortunately that's all it is as far as I can see. The record just sounds a little too easy on the ear for me to really become enraptured with it. In many ways it's Immortal's answer to Carcass' "Heartwork" in that it's so clearly more restrained & melodic compared to it's older siblings but still offers plenty of value, clearly not as much as that landmark release for the melodeath movement did though. It simply comes down to taste I'm afraid & I can't honestly say that I regard any of these tracks as black metal classics. In terms of Immortal's overall back catalogue I place "Sons Of Northern Darkness" just behind "At The Heart Of Winter" in the list of also-rans that follow my more muscular "Battles In The North" & "Pure Holocaust" sweet spot.

3.5/5

For this weekend's top ten list I decided to go for my Top Ten Technical Thrash Metal Releases of All Time. I've been very strict in my use of the MA subgenre tagging for this so there are a couple of borderline ones in my opinion. See what you think.

01. Coroner – “Mental Vortex” (1991)

02. Sadus – “A Vision Of Misery” (1992)

03. Coroner – “No More Color” (1989)

04. Annihilator – “Alice In Hell” (1989)

05. Cryptic Shift – “Visitations From Enceladus” (2020)

06. Toxik – “World Circus” (1987)

07. Аспид – “Кровоизлияние” (1993)

08. Coroner – “Punishment For Decadence” (1988)

09. Vektor – “Black Future” (2009)

10. Annihilator – “Never, Neverland” (1990)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/173

Some of the best work from the Canadian war metal godfathers.

Blasphemy - "Gods Of War" (1993)

As much as people like to claim otherwise, I think Canadian war metal godfathers Blasphemy's sophomore album "Gods Of War" is a significantly better record than their much heralded 1990 debut "Fallen Angel of Doom...." which failed to interest me much. They achieved a slightly cleaner production on this one which definitely highlights the band's technical deficiencies a bit more but their sound is more in line with the modern war metal sound than it was previously with a stronger grindcore component & it would seem that I find a bit more appeal in it. The early Carcass influence is very obvious at times. I've never quite understood the hype with Blasphemy if I'm being honest but I still find that I get some enjoyment out of "Gods Of War". They never did top their "Blood Upon The Altar" demo though in my opinion.

3.5/5

My updated Top Ten Drone Metal Releases Of All Time after adding Melvins' "Lysol" at the expense of Naked City's "Leng Tch'e":

01. Sunn O))) – “Black One” (2005)

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

03. Jesu – “Jesu” (2004)

04. Monarch! – “Omen” (2012)

05. Neptunian Maximalism – “Eons” (2020)

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

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

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

09. Melvins - "Lysol" (1992)

10. Sunn O))) – “Monoliths & Dimensions” (2009)

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

A short & sludgy grunge piece that reminds me very much of Mother Love Bone at times.

Melvins - "Lysol" (1992)

Melvins fourth full-length album is probably my favourite release from the highly regarded Washington-based trio these days. As usual it's extremely hard to categorize as every track takes a different direction & fits under a different subgenre. The run time is fairly short by album standards sitting at just 31 minutes with the first eleven minutes being taken up by excellent drone metal piece "Hung Bunny" which was undoubtedly a big influence on the earliest exponents of the genre. We then see the band getting even heavier with an outstanding sludge metal anthem in "Roman Dog Bird". The cover version of Flipper's "Sacrifice" is pure doom metal before the record takes a noticeable turn away from metal via two Alice Cooper covers (i.e. the one minute interlude "Second Coming" & the alternative rock of "The Ballad Of Dwight Fry"), neither of which do much to excite me. Thankfully though the record returns to it's earlier glories with brilliant two minute grunge effort "With Teeth" (my album highlight) bringing things to a close in a fashion that reminds me a lot of a band like Mother Love Bone. Overall I'd have to go with the drone metal & sludge metal tags for the release overall given that those two tracks dominate the run time but neither seems entirely appropriate in all honesty. King Buzzo's vocals can be a bit hit & miss as perfect pitch has never been his strong point but there can be no denying his general coolness. The strength of the album is in just how fucking heavy it is when it tries to be though. You can really feel the reverberations of the quad boxes in the production which does a fantastic job at portraying Melvins' live energy. "Lysol" comes highly recommended despite the short lull at the beginning of the second half.

4/5

US death metal the way it was intended to be.