Daniel's Forum Replies

It won’t be done today Andi. I’m in the process of moving house so don’t have the time or access. Patience please.

Pretty sure I didn’t submit that Mortal Sin track Vinny. “Face of Despair” was 1989 too.

This track sounds like trance DJs Tiesto, Ferry Corsten & Armin Van Buuren got blind drunk & tried to make a synth-driven black metal tune. I genuinely hate everything about it.

Trhä - "Novej kalhnjënno" E.P. (2020)

Wow! Just wow! This release seems to be picking up some big ratings on other sites however my experience with it today has been a very long way from enjoyable. "Novej kalhnjënno" sounds like this mysterious solo artist from an unknown location is trying for the lo-fi atmospheric black metal sound of an artist like Paysage d'Hiver but if that was the case then he hasn't managed to achieve much in the way of the ice-cold soundscapes that that underground legend is renowned for. Instead, Thét Älëf has drenched his black metal in wispy synthesizers that often remind me more of trance than metal. The vocals & blast beats are effective but I simply can't tolerate the light-weight atmosphere & the pleasantly melodic keyboards which are very much at odds with my idea of what black metal is or should ever strive to be. I guess I'm just not the target audience for this one but I still can't help but ponder how "Novej kalhnjënno" has managed to get noticed among the masses of black metal releases that hit the internet every day.

2/5

What I'm saying is that sites like RYM & Metal Archives are inherently biased towards & against certain subgenres & they therefore aren't inclusive of all music fan's opinions. Say for example you are a huge fan of nu metal, slam death metal, gorenoise, melodic metalcore, etc. If you use RYM as a guide then you have absolutely no decent releases to choose from because they're all unanimously down-rated for being... well... exactly what they're trying to be! How can a nu metal fan distinguish the good nu metal releases from the bad nu metal releases when all & sundry seem to go to town on their releases when they weren't ever a fan of nu metal in general. Also, RYM is synonymous with down-rating releases that are deemed as being generic. For example, if a band releases a very high quality straight-down-the-line blasting old-school black metal record, more often than not it'll receive average ratings at best whereas avant-garde/progressive versions of the black metal model will inevitably score more highly regardless of quality. Then we have Metal Archives & Metal Reddit that don't even consider many subgenres to be metal at all when they so clearly are (see alternative metal for example) & subsequently won't allow them on their site. The Metal Academy clans configuration was devised entirely to combat this sort of stuff by creating an environment where fans of any metal subgenre can have their say via the use of clan ratings.

On the RYM topic, you'll also find that certain genres take enormous priority over other on the site in general i.e. not just in metal circles. For example, hip hop absolutely dominates the charts (particularly the more experimental/avant-garde stuff) along with indie rock, post-rock, folk, etc. Mature dance music receives almost no coverage whatsoever & for a techno fan like myself I've always found it to be next to useless. It's to do with the fact that RYM is very much an American thing & also the age & cultural groups it attracts. In metal circles, you'll see your more commercial styles of metal receiving significantly less attention than death/black metal. That's not the way the scene works in reality though with the Five Finger Death Punch's of the world being far more popular than the Vektor's or The Ruins of Beverast's out there. It's simply the demographic that RYM attracts.

Deathcore-infused slam death metal at it's very worst.

Deathcore-infused slam death metal from New Jersey, USA.

Waking The Cadaver - "Perverse Recollections of a Necromangler" (2007)

Many of you are probably aware that one of the main reasons that Ben & I started the Metal Academy brand in the first place was to combat the atrocious bias displayed by the global metal market, particularly towards specific sub-sections of the metal audience. RateYourMusic is a prime example of this with their charts tending to be dominated by particular subgenres while others are unanimously panned more for being associated with their subgenre than for being a poor example of its type. Well, New Jersey slam deathcore outfit Waking The Cadaver have suffered from this affliction more than most & are widely regarded as one of the least popular bands on RYM despite being one of the more popular artists in the slam death metal scene. I wasn't familiar with their much-maligned 2007 debut album "Perverse Recollections of a Necromangler" before so I thought I'd challenge myself to see just how bad it could be. I forced myself to keep an open mind & made every effort to remove any preconceptions or bias from my mind throughout the process.

So what did I find? Well, let's start by stating that (despite the general consensus indicating otherwise) this is much more of a slam record than it is a deathcore one. Sure, there are breakdowns galore but those were common-place in the slam scene well before the deathcore kids adopted them which seems to have fooled a lot of the less experienced listeners out there. I mean if you don't like slam (which accounts for 99% of metalheads) then you'll stand absolutely no chance with this record & that fact alone will no doubt have contributed significantly to this album's demise. Secondly, Waking The Cadaver have some brutal & chunky riffs at times. That's a fact that needs to be recognized. But where the problems lie is in a) the completely indecipherable & overly gutteral (in the literal sense of the sound of water going down a drain) pig squeals that consistently go "Bbbrreeeeeeeee" throughout the album & b) the total lack of any drumming skills displayed by the man behind the kit who simply can't play a blast-beat to save his life & has this flaw exacerbated by one of those tinny, light-weight snare sounds that stands out very obviously in the mix. I could overcome the obviously generic nature of the Suffocation-style slam riffs & the super-predictable deathcore breakdowns if not for those two elements which leave a general stain on the album. It all just reeks of a band that weren't quite ready to record a proper release yet. I'm not too sure if they've since matured as musicians but it would have been interesting to see what this record sounded like if performed by someone more competent.

Is "Perverse Recollections of a Necromangler" really as bad as it's made out to be though? Look, if slam death metal & deathcore breakdowns aren't your thing then there's absolutely no doubt that your feelings will tend to align with the general consensus. In fact, you're likely to be repulsed by it with every fiber of your being. But if you like those particular subgenres of metal then this is really just another meaningless release in a scene that's completely flooded with them & it certainly doesn't deserve to be singled out merely due to it's being so focused on celebrating the elements that people hate about certain scenes. Personally, I can overcome some of those annoyances & see that there's some fun to be had here. Slam death metal shouldn't be overthought after all. Do I genuinely enjoy this release? No, not really. I love the intro track which sets the scene nicely but other than that there's really only one song that I find myself returning to i.e. "Type a Secretor". On the other hand though, this is far from the worst thing I've heard either because I'm an undeniable sucker for a chunky slam riff. I'd just encourage people to stick to their lanes when it comes to a record like this because its certainly not trying to change the world so comparing it with releases that are is a fruitless exercise with an inevitable outcome.

P.S. Tongue-in-cheek track titles like "Pigtails Are for Face Fucking" are certainly fun but do we really need to sit through 53 seconds of the band smoking bongs in the middle of the album?

3/5

It's clearly the same person Andi & it won't be anything they've done intentionally. Ben & I were discussing how these double entries are happening this morning actually with the most likely cause being poor internet connections of the users in question or internal caching issues with the database. The examples we looked at this morning showed no double-ups in the back end though so we'll have to keep any eye on this topic.

And here's my updated Top Ten:

01. Deathspel0l Omega – Kenose” E.P. (2005)

02. Akhlys – “The Dreaming I” (2015)

03. Darkthrone – “Transilvanian Hunger” (1994)

04. Oranssi Pazuzu – “Mestarin kynsi” (2020)

05. Oranssi Pazuzu – “Varahtelija” (2016)

06. Bathory – “Blood Fire Death” (1988)

07. Mayhem – “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” (1994)

08. Bathory – “Under The Sign Of The Black Mark” (1987)

09. Deathspell Omega – “Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeturnum: Chaining The Katechon” E.P. (2008)

10. Deathspell Omega - "Mass Grave Aesthetics" E.P. (2008)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/157

I haven't as yet but I plan to get to it shortly. And no there's nothing conventional about Deathspell Omega's sound. Unfortunately we don't have a dissonant/progressive/avant-garde black metal thread as yet.

An epic 20 minute dissonant/progressive French black metal excursion.

Deathspell Omega - "Mass Grave Aesthetics" E.P. (2008)

Most metalheads have a few bands that simply tick all of their boxes, bands that they find very hard to fault & are consistently dazzled by with each successive release. French black metallers Deathspell Omega are one of those bands for me. In fact, if classic Burzum is the pinnacle of the black metal sound for me then Deathspell Omega would quite possibly be in second place & that's a huge achievement for a band that I initially found difficult to tolerate.

2008's "Mass Grave Aesthetics" E.P. is one of several single track releases from the band & is yet another triumph following on from "Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeternum: Chaining the Katechon" which was released just a week earlier. (Weeeeelllll... if we're getting technical "Mass Grave Aesthetics" was originally released as part of a split release with fellow Frenchmen  Malicious Secrets back in 2005). This 20 minute piece has got everything that I love about Deathspell Omega: the unbelievable drumming, the best black metal vocals in the business, the dissonant experimentation, the ever-changing song structures that leave you wondering what insane twist lies around every corner, the darkest of black metal atmospheres, the stunning technique...  What's not to love?? Perhaps I rate this release a touch higher than most black metal fans seem to but you know what? I'm allowed to & you can't do anything about it so NER! *thumbs his nose at the reader*

4.5/5

So life is all a bit difficult this week. My wife & two daughters all have COVID so I've been stuck in our two bedroom apartment in isolation for the past 5-6 days. I'm still testing negative but it'll be disastrous if I test positive in the coming days as we've got to be out of our apartment with all of our belongings being moved into storage by Friday's settlement with the new owner. We'll be staying in a serviced apartment in the city for a week while we wait for the settlement of our new home on the Gold Coast on 7th April. I'm so looking forward to this relocation being over & done with so that I can go back to focusing solely on the extreme stresses that my everyday job has been presenting me with of late.

Here's my updated Top Ten Death Doom Metal Releases Of All Time list which has seen Anathema's "Crestfallen" E.P. dropping out to make way for The Ruins Of Beverast's "Exuvia":

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

02. Anathema – “Serenades” (1993)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. My Dying Bride – “The Thrash Of Naked Limbs” E.P. (1992)

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

Here's my revised list:

1970: Black Sabbath – “Paranoid”

1971: Black Sabbath – “Master Of Reality”

1972: Black Sabbath – “Vol 4”

1973: Black Sabbath – “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”

1974: Budgie – “In For The Kill”

1975: Black Sabbath – “Sabotage”

1976: Judas Priest - "Sad Wings Of Destiny"

1977: Quartz – “Quartz”

1978: Judas Priest – “Killing Machine”

1979: Judas Priest – “Unleashed In The East”

1980: Diamond Head – “Lightning To The Nations”

1981: Motorhead – “No Sleep Till Hammersmith”

1982: Ozzy Osbourne – “Speak Of The Devil”

1983: Slayer – “Show No Mercy”

1984: Metallica – “Ride The Lightning”

1985: Exodus – “Bonded By Blood”

1986: Slayer – “Reign In Blood”

1987: Bathory – “Under The Sign Of The Black Mark”

1988: Metallica – “…And Justice For All”

1989: Morbid Angel – “Altars Of Madness”

1990: Slayer - "Seasons In The Abyss"

1991: Death – “Human”

1992: Alice In Chains – “Dirt”

1993: diSEMBOWELMENT – “Transcendence Into The Peripheral”

1994: Darkthrone – “Transilvanian Hunger”

1995: Suffocation – “Pierced From Within”

1996: Burzum – “Filosofem”

1997: The Gathering - "Nighttime Birds"

1998: ISIS – “The Mosquito Control” E.P.

1999: Botch - "We Are The Romans"

2000: Immolation – “Close To A World Below”

2001: Tool - "Lateralus"

2002: ISIS – “Oceanic”

2003: Boris – “Boris At Last -Feedbacker-“

2004: ISIS – “Panopticon”

2005: Deathspell Omega – “Kenose” E.P.

2006: Celtic Frost – “Monotheist”

2007: Ufomammut/Lento - "Supernaturals - Record One"

2008: Pig Destroyer - "Natasha" E.P.

2009: Dragged Into Sunlight - "Hatred For Mankind"

2010: Deathspell Omega - "Paracletus"

2011: Inside The Beehive - "Drink Bleach; Live Forever" E.P.

2012: 7 Horns 7 Eyes - "Throes Of Absolution"

2013: The Amenta - "Flesh Is Heir"

2014: Dead Congregation - "Promulgation Of The Fall"

2015: Akhlys - "The Dreaming I"

2016: Mick Gordon - "Doom (Original Game Soundtrack)"

2017: The Ruins Of Beverast - "Exuvia"

2018: Infernal Coil - "Within A World Forgotten"

2019: Altesia - "Paragon Circus"

2020: Oranssi Pazuzu - "Mestarin kynsi"

2021: Fange - "Pantocrator"

An epic German death doom metal excursion of the highest order.

The Ruins Of Beverast - "Exuvia" (2017)

With each revisit I really find myself becoming more & more enamoured with this fifth album from German solo act The Ruins Of Beverast due to the sheer scope & ambition that "Exuvia" possesses in spades. It not only drips of darkness & underground street credibility but it also pushes the boundaries of the doom/death subgenre in ways that make it seem like an uncomfortable fit next to other releases of its type. The tribal ambience that perpetuates most of the album is truly unique while the use of traditional death metal & black metal components never sound like a drastic change of scope & are more of a logical progression for the album. There are a few moments that don't quite hit the mark as well as others but when Alexander von Meilenwald gets his doom on there are few that can touch him with the production & execution being outstanding. I particularly love the deep, tribal drum sound & the thick, powerful guitar tone. It's also very rare that you'll find a solo artist that's as proficient as Alexander is across the whole gamut of instrumentation too. There's an undeniable class about this release as a piece of art & I've fallen head over heals for the sheer weight of its proficiency & grandeur.

4.5/5

For this weekend's top ten list I decided to go for my Top Ten Melodic Black Metal Releases of All Time. See what you think. There are certainly some surprises in there:

01. Dissection – “Storm Of The Light’s Bane” (1995)

02. Rotting Christ – “Non Seriam” (1994)

03. Mare Cognitum – “Solar Paroxysm” (2021)

04. Les Chat de Nihil – “Le tyran et l’esthete” (2021)

05. Dawn – “Slaughtersun (Crown Of The Triarchy)” (1998)

06. Keep of Kalessin – “Reclaim” E.P. (2003)

07. Iskald – “The Sun I Carried Alone” (2011)

08. Naglfar – “Teras” (2012)

09.  Abigail Williams - "In The Absence Of Light" (2010)

10. Dissection - "The Somberlain" (1993)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/164

Late 90's Swedish melodic black metal.

Dawn - "Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy)" (1998)

This was my first revisit to Swedish melodic black metaller Dawn's third & final full-length in quite a while & I was quickly reminded of why I've always regarded them as one of the premier exponents of the sound. There's not a lot of experimentation going here but neither does there need to be with the quality of the material being consistently strong throughout. The album is made up of six lengthy tracks of around ten minutes each plus a short two minute folk piece. The 60 minute run time is certainly a little ambitious but there's enough variation in tempo to keep me well & truly engaged. Every track offers moments that see Dawn traversing the sort of territory that's generally reserved for the top tier black metal acts but unfortunately they can't quite get through a track without throwing in a flat beat or a dud melody to bring them back to the tier twos. There's a consistent energy to the drumming that I really enjoy while front man Henke Forss possesses a great black metal growl that sits somewhere between Carcass' Jeff Walker & Emperor's Ihsahn. That's not the only Emperor reference here either as the Norwegian symphonic black metal godfathers were clearly a major influence on Dawn, as were melodic black metal champions Dissection for that matter only Dawn steer well clear of the melodeath elements that perpetuate their idol's sound. The more blasting sections are unsurprisingly the more appealing parts of Dawn's sound for me personally but Hyporcisy/Bloodbath/Lindemann main man Peter Tägtgren has done a splendid job with the glistening production job which gives "Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy)" some additional accessibility. If you love your meloblack then this should be essential listening.

4/5

Brazilian thrash metal from the early 90's.

Sarcófago - "The Laws Of Scourge" (1991)

This is my first revisit to the Brazilian cult band's third album in quite some time. I got into Sarcófago in my very early days of tape trading so I first head "The Laws Of Scourge" pretty shortly after it was released & remember digging it quite a bit. It hasn't aged as well as I'd hoped though to be honest but there's still a fair bit to enjoy here. Those of you who are expecting the evil black metal of their 1987 debut "I.N.R.I." will be disappointed because Sarcófago had changed their style further towards the thrash metal of Slayer, Kreator & Sodom by this stage only they'd mixed it in with the death/thrash of early Sepultura & a significant amount of Candlemass style atmospheric doom metal. Does it all work? Well, yeah it does but I'm not sure all of the influences gel perfectly just yet. The doomier sections sound almost exactly like "Clouds" era Tiamat & I'd be very surprised if "The Laws Of Scourge" wasn't an influence on that particular record which was released the following year. I'd suggest that there's a Viking era Bathory influence to the regular use of keyboards here & you can expect the band's signature blast beats to raise their head occasionally too (& yes they still struggle for timing). I'm not sure I love the sweep picking sections as they sound more like wanky show-off exercises than melodies. Unsurprisingly it's the thrashier & more deathly material that most tickles my fancy the most with the opening title track, album highlight "Screeches From the Silence" & the remake of "I.N.R.I."s "The Black Vomit" being my tracks of preference but there are no weak songs included here with all of this material possessing a suitable amount of underground authenticity & credibility. In saying that though, I don't think this release belongs in The Horde as the thrash-to-death ratio is set firmly over to the thrash side with death only making occasional appearances. I'll be submitting a Hall entry for that shortly. Overall I think I slightly prefer "I.N.R.I." over "The Laws Of Scourge" these days but there's very little in it. I don't think Sarcófago sound quite as vital in 2022 as they did to a teenage me thirty years ago but it's still nice to indulge in nostalgia from time to time nonetheless.

3.5/5

A lengthy progressive metal epic from this Norwegian alternative metal outfit.

Manes - "Vilosophe" (2003)

Ben recommended me this wonderful sophomore release from a Norwegian band that began life playing black metal & features The 3rd & The Mortal drummer Rune Hoemsnes. Four years later they returned with this beautifully composed, produced & executed record that simply oozes of professionalism. "Vilosophe" is currently tagged as Non-Metal as it's often referred to as Alternative Rock but I'd suggest that there's actually more Alternative Metal than there is Alternative Rock on offer here. That's not all though because you'll find Manes also dabbling in a whole array of different subgenres from progressive/art rock to trip hop to drum 'n' bass to dark ambient & they do them all justice within a very consistent tracklisting. Front man Asgeir Hatlen possesses a whiny yet deeply compelling voice that reminds me a fair bit of The Mars Volta & Wolfmother. He fills a very important role within the band as he often carries Manes through their less effective undertakings, particularly during the more traditional alternative rock tracks & the more hectic drum 'n' bass accompanied sections. The strongest moments are when Manes get a little deeper & more progressive though as they seem to have a knack for creating some uniquely imposing atmospheres. The programming could have been a touch better as the album starts with the weakest song & then proceeds into the lengthy highlight track which should so obviously have closed the album out as far as I'm concerned but I can't deny how genuinely captivating "Vilosophe" is. In fact, I think I may just have found a new Top Ten Alternative Metal release right here.

4.5/5

Filthy yet atmospheric mid-90's death metal from Seattle, USA.

Infester - "To The Depths, In Degradation" (1994)

I became aware of Seattle-based death metal outfit Infester (a side project for super-offensive goregrind band Meat Shits) very early on in their recording career after receiving their 1992 "Darkness Unveiled" demo through the tape trading scene. It didn't do a lot for me to be honest however the underground buzz around their 1994 debut album "To The Depths, In Degradation" saw me giving them a second chance shortly after release. Honestly, I couldn't see what all the fuss was about then & I still can't today as this album simply sounds like a thousand other also-rans that were out there in the death metal scene at the time. If I had to describe Infester's sound I'd suggest that they take the grimey graveyard/serial killer aesthetic of Autopsy, combine it will the brutality of early Suffocation & then throw in some of the atmospherics of Finnish bands like Demilich only the result isn't nearly as exciting as it sounds. An awful production job is probably my biggest concern with the fuzzy guitars being much too far back in the mix to allow them to be effective. Jason O's monstrous & unintelligible vocals are probably the highlight for most fans though as they have a lot of similarities to the early works of Suffocation's Frank Mullen only they don't sit nearly as well over the instrumentation. The level of the musicianship & execution is generally pretty poor too. On the positive side though, Infester have the most success when they focus on their more atmospheric side which is often accompanied by their doomier riffage. When they get more technical they're a bit too messy to pull it off. I guess I just like the idea of Infester far more than the reality & are surprised that this record has become a cult classic over time.

3/5

After thinking about it a bit overnight I've started to wonder whether we even need a post-sludge metal tag at all. Would we not be better served by simply doing away with it altogether? That way a post-sludge album could reside in the most logical genre (i.e. either sludge metal or post-metal or both) based on its characteristics. We don't have post-xxxx tags setup for other genres like black metal so why the need for one here? Are fans of one form of Post-Metal likely to dislike another with a different base genre? I'd suggest not & when you say Post-Metal to most metal fans they'll likely think of Post-Sludge releases anyway.

If post-sludge was to remain & reside in the one clan, I think it's important to remember that The Fallen is the home of the riff while The Infinite is the home of the experimental & expansive. I don't see post-sludge as riff-based. In fact, it's build around the idea that it's more textural with simple riff structures being broken down so I see it as more logical to reside in The Infinite. This is backed up by my experiences with prog-heads who seem to take bands like Isis in with open arms but aren't necessarily open to other The Fallen subgenres like doom, sludge stoner, drone or gothic metal. If there's enough of a sludge component then a Post-Metal release can also be added to Sludge Metal as well.

Note: If we were to do away with Atmospheric Sludge Metal altogether it would be a major financial & logistical exercise for Ben so please keep this conversation purely hypothetical.

I'd actually already finished this playlist Ben but interestingly you've picked two of the exact tracks I've selected so I thought I'd stuff the other couple in there too.

Here's my revised list:

1970: Black Sabbath – “Paranoid”

1971: Black Sabbath – “Master Of Reality”

1972: Black Sabbath – “Vol 4”

1973: Black Sabbath – “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”

1974: Budgie – “In For The Kill”

1975: Black Sabbath – “Sabotage”

1976: Judas Priest - "Sad Wings Of Destiny"

1977: Quartz – “Quartz”

1978: Judas Priest – “Killing Machine”

1979: Judas Priest – “Unleashed In The East”

1980: Diamond Head – “Lightning To The Nations”

1981: Motorhead – “No Sleep Till Hammersmith”

1982: Ozzy Osbourne – “Speak Of The Devil”

1983: Slayer – “Show No Mercy”

1984: Metallica – “Ride The Lightning”

1985: Exodus – “Bonded By Blood”

1986: Slayer – “Reign In Blood”

1987: Bathory – “Under The Sign Of The Black Mark”

1988: Metallica – “…And Justice For All”

1989: Morbid Angel – “Altars Of Madness”

1990: Slayer - "Seasons In The Abyss"

1991: Death – “Human”

1992: Alice In Chains – “Dirt”

1993: diSEMBOWELMENT – “Transcendence Into The Peripheral”

1994: Darkthrone – “Transilvanian Hunger”

1995: Suffocation – “Pierced From Within”

1996: Burzum – “Filosofem”

1997: The Gathering - "Nighttime Birds"

1998: ISIS – “The Mosquito Control” E.P.

1999: Botch - "We Are The Romans"

2000: Immolation – “Close To A World Below”

2001: Tool - "Lateralus"

2002: ISIS – “Oceanic”

2003: Boris – “Boris At Last -Feedbacker-“

2004: ISIS – “Panopticon”

2005: Deathspell Omega – “Kenose” E.P.

2006: Celtic Frost – “Monotheist”

2007: Ufomammut/Lento - "Supernaturals - Record One"

2008: Pig Destroyer - "Natasha" E.P.

2009: Dragged Into Sunlight - "Hatred For Mankind" (2009)

2010: Deathspell Omega - "Paracletus"

2011: Inside The Beehive - "Drink Bleach; Live Forever" E.P.

2012: 7 Horns 7 Eyes - "Throes Of Absolution" (2012)

2013: The Amenta - "Flesh Is Heir"

2014: Dead Congregation - "Promulgation Of The Fall"

2015: Akhlys - "The Dreaming I"

2016: Mick Gordon - "Doom (Original Game Soundtrack)"

2017: Fen - "Winter"

2018: Infernal Coil - "Within A World Forgotten"

2019: Altesia - "Paragon Circus"

2020: Oranssi Pazuzu - "Mestarin kynsi"

2021: Fange - "Pantocrator"

Ultra-extreme war metal & blackened death metal collide in apocalyptic blasphemy.

Ultra-extreme war metal & blackened death metal collide in apocalyptic blasphemy.

Infernal Coil - "Within A World Forgotten" (2018)

Dear fucking Lord! Every now & then you run into a release that simply redefines what it means to be extreme & rips your fucking head off in the fucking process (fuck fuck fuck fuck...). No doubt this debut album from Idaho trio Infernal Coil will have a very limited market but there's little doubt that I fall smack bang right in the middle of its target audience. "Within A World Forgotten" is as dark as a black hole's arsehole, as atmospheric as solo trip to a foggy graveyard on a bad acid trip & as bludgeoning as anything I've come across in my metal journey to date. No one seems to quite know what to label it as at the moment but to my ears it sits right in the middle of war metal & blackened death metal (probably a little further towards the latter if I'm being specific). Where people are finding grindcore is beyond me to be honest. Presumably they're being fooled by the ridiculous speed of the furious & relentless blast-beats. The vocals are truly demonic while the riffs take turns at borrowing from the murkiest depths of death metal (think Incantation) & the most intense end of black metal. Then throw in a production job that intentionally blurs everything into an insipid & ever-swirling mass of blasphemic pulverization & you've got a record that ticks all of my fucking boxes (fuck!). Sign me up gents! I'm going to war!

4.5/5

It'll show up shortly Vinny. The front page isn't updating in real time at the moment. It was a trade-off for the drastic increase in the speed of loading the page.

I read it as a list of tracks that you would play for someone to show them what it is that you personally love about the clan in question. I didn’t take any consideration into what’s important to other people. Otherwise I would think every list would have the big tunes like “Paranoid”, “Run To The Hills” & “Master of Puppets”.

One other thing - am I the only one who thinks that cover is creepy as fuck?

Nope. It's genuinely squeemish.

Here's mine:

01. Botch – “Transitions From Persona To Object” (from “We Are The Romans”, 1999)

02. Inside The Beehive – “Headless” (from “Drink Bleach; Live Forever” E.P., 2011)

03. Gaza – “Hospital Fat Bags” (from “I Don’t Care Where I Go When I Die”, 2006)

04. Impending Doom – “Chaos: Reborn” (from “Baptized In Filth”, 2012)

05. Converge – “Glacial Pace” (from “All We Love We Leave Behind”, 2012)

06. The Dillinger Escape Plan – “Crossburner” (from “One Of Us Is The Killer”, 2013)

07. Serpent Column – “Violence Aesthete” (from “Endless Detainment” E.P., 2020)

08. Loathe – “Heavy Is the Head That Falls With the Weight of a Thousand Thoughts” (from “I Let It In & It Took Everything”, 2020)

09. Every Time I Die – “Dark Distance” (from “Radical”, 2021)

10. Disembodied – “Heroin Fingers” (from “If God Only Knew The Rest Were Dead” E.P., 1998)

Anyway.... here's my list:

01. Alice In Chains – “Would?” (from “Dirt”, 1992)

02. Faith No More – “Surprise! You’re Dead!” (from “The Real Thing”, 1989)

03. Deftones – “Change (In The House Of Flies)” (from “White Pony”, 2000)

04. Tool – “Schism” (from “Lateralus”, 2001)

05. Soundgarden – “Jesus Christ Pose” (from “Badmotorfinger”, 1991)

06. Katatonia – “My Twin” (from “The Great Cold Distance”, 2006)

07. Karnivool – “Synops” (from “Themata”, 2005)

08. Primus – “Spegetti Western” (from “Frizzle Fry”, 1990)

09. Loathe – “I Let It In & It Took Everything” (from “I Let It In & It Took Everything”, 2020)

10. System Of A Down – “Aerials” (from “Toxicity”, 2001)

01. Iron Maiden – “Caught Somewhere In Time” (from “Somewhere In Time”, 1986)

02. Judas Priest – “Painkiller” (from “Painkiller”, 1990)

03. Ozzy Osbourne – “Black Sabbath (Live)” (from “Speak Of the Devil”, 1982)

04. Black Sabbath – “War Pigs” (from “Paranoid”, 1970)

05. W.A.S.P. – “The Great Misconceptions Of Me” (from “The Crimson Idol”, 1992)

06. Crimson Glory – “Valhalla” (from “Crimson Glory”, 1986)

07. Kamelot – “March Of Mephisto” (from “The Black Halo”, 2005)

08. Queensryche – “I Don’t Believe In Love” (from “Operation: Mindcrime”, 1988)

09. Iced Earth – “The Coming Curse (Live)” (from “Alive In Athens”, 1999)

10. Manowar – “Gates Of Valhalla” (from “Into Glory Ride” (from “Into Glory Ride”, 1983)

My second major problem and the one I couldn't surmount, is with the truly awful cover of Steve Strange's excellent synthpop classic Fade to Grey being is placed so early, and hence predominantly, in the album that tries to destroy any positive feelings I felt after the earlier tracks. My issue with the cover itself is that the original is a truly great example of effective minimalism in synthpop that few managed to match (Gary Numan maybe), but what we have here is more icing than cake that just ended up making me feel sick.

I can't agree with you there Sonny. I absolutely adore this version of "Fade To Grey" & consider it to be one of the highlights of what I regard as a star-studded album. I have to admit that I had no familiarity with the original when I first heard this one though & wasn't even aware that it was a cover version for a considerable time afterwards either.

Here's my April submission:

Nine Inch Nails - "Gave Up" (from "Broken" E.P., 1992)

This is my best effort at the more important songs from The Infinite for me personally:

01. Boris - "Feedbacker, Part 2" (from "Boris At Last -Feedbacker-" (2003)

02. Rosetta - "Au Pays Natal" (from "The Galilean Satellites", 2005)

03. Neurosis - "To Crawl Under One's Skin" (from "Souls At Zero", 1992)

04. Isis - "Backlit" (from "Panopticon", 2004)

05. Oranssi Pazuzu - "Ilmestys" (from "Mestarin kynsi", 2020)

06. Leprous - "Contaminate Me (Live)" (from "Live At Rockefeller Music Hall", 2016)

07. Lucid Planet - "On The Way" (from "Lucid Planet II", 2020)

08. Mastodon - "Blood & Thunder" (from "Leviathan", 2004)

09. Tool - "Schism" (from "Lateralus", 2001)

10. Cynic - "Celestial Voyage" (from "Focus", 1993)

It's been a bit of a mixed bag for me this month to be honest with my ratings of the nine releases ranging from woeful to wonderful. It was fantastic to revisit one of my all-time favourite records from MonumentuM as well as a couple of other cool releases I've enjoyed in the past from Vastum & Bestial Warlust. There were some very solid new discoveries from Killing Joke & Ihsahn that will be getting some return listens in the future while I had a lot more time for The Bread Scientists album than some of you seem to have. Unfortunately the Hellfekted, Demon Hunter & particularly the Haggard releases weren't up my alley but you never know if you don't give 'em a crack, huh?

Here's the list in my order of preference:

1. MonumentuM - "In Absentia Christi" (1995)  5/5

2. Killing Joke - "Hosannas From The Basement of Hell" (2006)  4/5

3. Vastum - "Hole Below" (2015)  4/5

4. Ihsahn - "angL" (2008)  4/5

5. Bestial Warlust - "Blood & Valour" (1995)  4/5

6. The Bread Scientists - "Troposphere" (2021)  3.5/5

7. Hellfekted - "Woe To The Kingdom Of Blood" (2020)  3/5

8. Demon Hunter - "The World Is A Thorn" (2010)  3/5

9. Haggard - "And Thou Shalt Trust... The Seer (1997)  2/5

Sensational technical death metal from Quebec, Canada.

Gorguts - "From Wisdom To Hate" (2001)

These guys have always been a favourite of mine as they're always so classy in the way they go about the creative process. No fucks are given whatsoever & they're completely uncompromising. This album followed on from 1998's incredibly unusual "Obscura" record & here we find the band adding a little more structure back into the mix which ends up having a positive impact on the result in my opinion. As mentioned on numerous occasions by band leader Luc Lemay in the press, "From Wisdom To Hate" really should have been placed between their 1993 sophomore album "The Erosion of Sanity" & "Obscura" as it seems pretty close to the missing link between the two & would undoubtedly have made "Obscura" sound a little less jarring if we had of had this record to ease us into it. As it stands though, this is an incredibly consistent & ambitious undertaking in its own right. I absolutely adore the slower sludgier Morbid Angel-esque tracks which is when I think Gorguts are at their best. The progressive guitar solos & the outstanding drumming are also highlights. It's just so death metal but also so experimental at the same time. It's pure class from start to finish & an outstanding example the technical death metal subgenre from one of the undisputed leaders of the subgenre. I'd suggest that I regard it as my second favourite Gorguts record behind their clasic 2013 comeback album "Colored Sands" these days.

4.5/5

After revisiting Gorguts' "From Wisdom To Hate" album over the last couple of days I think I'm gonna have to give it Nile's number ten spot:

01. 7 Horns 7 Eyes - "Throes Of Absolution" (2012)

02. Death - "Human" (1991)

03. Suffocation - "Despise The Sun" E.P. (1998)

04. Suffocation - "Pinnacle Of Bedlam" (2013)

05. Death – “Individual Thought Patterns” (1993)

06. Gorguts – “Colored Sands” (2013)

07. Ulcerate – “Everything Is Fire” (2009)

08. Ad Nauseam - "Imperative Imperceptible Impulse" (2021)

09. Death – “Symbolic” (1995)

10. Gorguts - "From Wisdom To Hate" (2001)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/148