Daniel's Forum Replies

I guess you'll have to open the playlist with my earlier suggestion then Ben. That'll certainly make an early impression on our listeners!

For the record, I agree that "Spiral Architect" isn't a symphonic metal track. In fact, I never suggested that it was a metal track in general but it's certainly the earliest example of a "metal band" utilizing an orchestra. I don't think anyone can argue with that as there's an orchestra there & there still hadn't been another genuine metal band outside of Black Sabbath.

And Andi, please see this track from 1984 for an early example of heavily synthesizer-driven metal:

Enjoyable second wave style US black metal with sweeping tremolo-picked riffage.

Nocturnal Triumph - "Nocturnal Triumph" (2022)

The brand new third album from this mysterious US black metal outfit came highly recommended by Ben & I did find it to be a pretty enjoyable listen although admittedly nowhere near as much as he seems to. I think it's just a touch more melodic than I'd usually go for & his comparisons to Ulver's "Nattens madrigal: Aatte hymne til ulven i manden" album ring very true in that regard as I've always had similar feelings about that record. The consistently tremolo-picked riffage possesses a sweeping quality that brings to mind a band like Winterfylleth while the inventive bass guitar work is very interesting beneath it & stands out in the mix quite well. I'm not a huge fan of the drumming which doesn't exactly set the world on fire while the shrieking vocals a more serviceable than they are impressive & that kinda sums up my feelings on this album to an extent. It's a reasonably well executed example of your classic second wave style black metal model that's generally pleasant on the ear but lacks the class & menace required to see me returning to it all that often.

3.5/5

Wonderfully professional & complex Californian thrash metal from 1991.

The Weeknd - "Dawn FM" (2022)

My five year-old daughter is a big fan of The Weeknd's huge mega-hits "Blinding Lights" & "Save Your Tears" so when the missus went out & the kids & I sat down to a big puzzle I thought I'd whack on the brand new album "Dawn FM". I have to admit that the hit singles I mentioned were extremely effective pieces of synth-driven pop music & he takes a similar approach here although I don't think there's anything that'll rival his past hits included. I was surprised at just how cheesy some of this stuff is too & found myself drawing on Michael Jackson as a point of reference quite often. I don't think this stuff is really for me & the kids didn't really pay much attention either to tell you the truth. 

This is an interesting one because I voted for "Iced Earth" being a Thrash Metal primary & Heavy Metal secondary on RYM many years ago but there wasn't a US Power Metal subgenre (i.e. a more muscular version of Heavy Metal that often utilizes Thrash Metal & Speed Metal influences) on the site at that time.  If I recall correctly, Iced Earth's self-titled debut is very much a combination of Metallica & Iron Maiden but I think I'd need to give the record a revisit before deciding on whether the Thrash Metal component is still strong enough for a primary now that US Power Metal is a thing. In saying that, we don't have a US Power Metal subgenre tag on Metal Academy with most of those releases falling into Heavy metal or being lumped into Power Metal along with the Europeans so I'm not sure what the answer is here. I think I'll reserve my position at this stage.

For the record, I voted for "Night of the Stormrider" being tagged with Power Metal & Heavy Metal primaries & a Thrash Metal secondary at around the same time so I think it's probably fine without a Thrash Metal primary.

I did notice though that Altarage are also up there and I know you thought a lot of Succumb, Daniel, although it seems like more of a death metal album than black metal to me. 

That's a fair assessment, at least it is for their last record. It's been a while since I checked out Altarage's earlier material so I'll be paying attention to that element when I finally get around to it.

In regard to "Death", I actually don't think it needs both War Metal & Death Metal tags. War metal is essentially a combination of Black Metal & Death Metal anyway so I see no reason to add the Death Metal tag to this release when it will so clearly appeal to the War Metal audience. I've been tempted to post a Hall entry for it actually.

It's one of my favourite war metal albums too actually Sonny. I held it in pretty high regard when it first came out & my feelings haven't changed all that much to tell you the truth. You're certainly right about Spain not exactly being black metal central though. This record is probably the most significant Spanish black metal release I can think of at the moment.

Xephyr, I notice you haven't rated Enslaved's 2003 seventh album "Below The Lights" yet & I think it might be right up your alley.

The most brutal track from Norwegian progressive black metallers highly regarded 2003 seventh album "Below The Lights".

Enslaved - "Below The Lights" (2003)

The Norwegian black metallers seventh album saw them mastering the more progressive brand of black metal they'd been developing over the previous couple of albums with a muscular & creative display full of ambition. It's certainly not a perfect record as there are certainly sections that don't work as well as others but it's always interesting & it's great to see a band stretching itself into exciting new territories. Grutle Kjellson's gutteral vocals are always a highlight, as are the shredding guitar solos of Arve Isdal. As is usually the case with me, I tend to find the less popular tracks to be the strongest with Enslaved leaving their highlights right until the album's climax. The most brutal track on offer is the blasting "Ridicule Swarm" & I can't help but find it the most appealing inclusion however the super-progressive seven minute closer "A Darker Place" gives it a good run for its money with a tremendously catchy chorus & a beautifully melodic prog rock outro. "Below The Lights" was a resounding success for a band that clearly still had something to prove & I'd suggest that you'll struggle to find a more impressive example of the progressive black metal sound.

4/5

Chaotic death metal-inspired war metal from Madrid, Spain.

Teitanblood - "Death" (2014)

You can expect to experience pure chaos & extremity from this Spanish outfit's 2014 sophomore album which beautifully combines the pure war metal sound that Blasphemy originally intended with the chunky down-tuned death metal riffage of bands like Entombed, Autopsy & particularly 80's Carcass. I absolutely love the screaming war metal vocals & there's even a brilliantly executed four minute death doom piece right in the middle of the album. The drums can sound pretty messy at times but frankly who gives a flying fuck with this style of metal. It's simply not intended to be over-analyzed & this is definitely one of the stronger war metal releases you'll find. 

4/5

I am quite stunned by Alcest's non-metal albums and Katatonia's death-doom debut appearing on the list

It's hardly surprising really. RYM's genre-tagging is pretty terrible these days. I've been finding myself submitting Hall entries for roughly one in every three or four releases lately. The list indicates that the more accessible releases (i.e. Deafheaven, Agalloch, Alcest, etc.) will always be the more popular on a website that's not specifically catering for the extreme metal market.

It was one of the better groups of feature releases we've had this month in my opinion & not because it was a star-studded lineup by any means either. I had the opportunity to reaffirm decade-long passions for several old underground favourites with the 7 Horns 7 Eyes absolutely belting me & in doing so reaching heights only touched on by the true greats of metal. The Impending Doom record confirmed my suspicion that it's one of the most underrated releases I've ever come across & easily maintained it's position in my Hall of Glory while the Ahab album seems to have improved with age & was subsequently granted entry for the very first time. The Opeth & Endstille records were both really enjoyable despite having lost their positions in my Hall over time while the Chevelle record was the surprise packet of the month for me. Allegiance brought me back to my youth in no uncertain terms & are still as appealing as they've always been while my first listen to The Shizit kept me interested throughout. As has not been uncommon over recent years, The Guardians offered the only real disappointment of the nine releases & I'm starting to accept that this clan may be the furthest from my musical comfort zone.

THE HORDE: 7 Horns 7 Eyes - "Throes Of Absolution" (2012)  5/5

THE FALLEN: Ahab - "The Call Of The Wretched Sea" (2006)  4.5/5

THE REVOLUTION: Impending Doom - "Baptized In Filth" (2012)  4.5/5

THE INFINITE: Opeth - "Still Life" (1999)  4/5

THE GATEWAY: Chevelle - "Wonder What's Next" (2002)  4/5

THE NORTH: Endstille - "Infektion 1813" (2011)  4/5

THE PIT: Allegiance - "D.E.S.T.I.T.U.T.I.O.N" (1994)  4/5

THE SPHERE: The Shizit - "Soundtrack For The Revolution" (2001)  3.5/5

THE GUARDIANS: Hammer King - "Hammer King" (2021)  3/5

99% of symphonic bands are only using keyboards Andi. Besides, if you want to identify the first example of a metal band utilizing an orchestra then it goes way back to a time when there was only one metal band on the planet.

A catchy instrumental piece from the German heavy metal icons that highlights the bass work of bassist Jens Becker.

Running Wild - "Port Royal" (1988)

Another Running Wild album, another fairly flat & dull heavy metal record with poor vocals in my opinion. The production job is very 80's with a thin guitar sound but the bass is unusually loud in the mix & subsequently plays a more significant part than it might otherwise have. The guitar solos are entertaining & there are some cool heavy metal riffs included but (as usual) axe-slinging front man Rock 'n' Rolf is simply not capable of filling the shoes of a tier two heavy metal act. In fact, he spends a fair amount of the run time drifting in & out of key if you wanna get technical about it & the excessive reverb he's been drenched in doesn't help much either.

The tracklisting starts off with four of the weaker tracks on the album & doesn't really get going until the middle of the record with catchy heavy metal songs "Uaschitschun" & "Blown To Kingdom Come" offering me a lot more appeal than the earlier material while speed metal anthem "Warchild" has some really good energy about it. But it's (perhaps unsurprisingly) the instrumental piece "Final Gates" that represents the highlight of the album for me personally, despite really being more of a showcase for Jens Becker's bass guitar skills. You'll notice that I'm still yet to mention power metal anywhere here & there's a reason for that because (as with some of Running Wild's other material) I once again find myself struggling to pick up where people are finding the link. Of the ten proper songs included here seven of them sit firmly in the traditional heavy metal camp while "Into The Arena", "Warchild" & lengthy closer "Calico Jack" veer over towards a faster, more energetic speed metal sound but there are only ever hints at genuine power metal & not enough for a primary tag in my opinion. As usual the pirate references are purely to do with the lyrics, cover art & intro track & you can easily overlook them if you choose to (which I clearly do).

The long & short of it is that I just don't think Running Wild will ever be for me & I really struggle to see the appeal that people find in them. They just sound a bit flat to my ears rather than being genuinely bad so I always find myself reaching for a disappointing 3/5 rating with "Port Royal" being no exception. If I look at Running Wild's back catalogue, I'd suggest that I prefer it to the band's 1985 sophomore album "Branded & Exiled" & noticeably weaker "Wild Animal" E.P. from 1990 but I'd probably take 1994's "Black Hand Inn", 1989's "Death Or Glory" & their 1984 debut album "Gates To Purgatory" over this one even though I have pretty similar feelings about all of them. Perhaps I'm destined never to find a Running Wild record that I enjoy & I'm at peace with that as I've certainly given them a good Aussie crack.

3/5

Super-aggressive US deathcore.

I think it's fair to say that deathcore has got a really bad reputation in underground metal circles. It's notorious for being unintelligent, unsophisticated & frustratingly generic & those traits are admittedly not hard to find if you only look on the surface however I'm going to stand up & make a bold statement here today... I'm a fan of high quality deathcore & I'm not afraid to admit it. In fact, I think it's reputation is both overthetop & a bit unfair because if you look a little deeper you'll find that there's a side to the subgenre that offers plenty of appeal to the average extreme metal fan with California's Impending Doom sitting firmly in that space. I first discovered them back in 2012 when this fourth album came to my attention & it made such an impression on me that I found myself traveling back to explore the rest of Impending Doom's back catalogue. Their 2005 debut E.P. "The Sin & Doom of Godless Men" didn't offer much but all of their subsequent work is worth checking out if you like the idea of well-executed & professionally produced precision violence. "Baptized In Filth" remained their most impressive work however & I've thoroughly enjoyed this revisit a decade later.

Can Impending Doom be labelled as being generic? Well, you'll certainly hear most of the traits that the deathcore subgenre has made it's calling cards (breakdowns, single note riffs, gravity drops, etc.) but the sheer vitriol that the band are able to produce allows them to stand over the try-hards & push their faces forcefully into the turf. This is an unapologetically metal-as-fuck release right here & the band clearly don't give two shits about whether you like it or not. The death metal component is a little more significant than many other deathcore bands can claim with the regular use of blast beats & a bunch of angular riffs that remind me of Cannibal Corpse seeing my ears prick up. These guys certainly don't shy away from the more rhythmic & djenty riff structure that deathcore is known for either but thankfully their sound & execution are super-tight & ridiculously heavy which should be enough to draw in any self-respecting metal fan. But it's the brutal vocals of Brook Reeves that are the real highlight for me personally. He sounds positively scary & unhinged here, kinda like what I imagine Phil Anselmo might sound like if you stole his last bag of heroin. Just sheer, undiluted violence & aggression from start to finish so you'd honestly never guess that these guys are a Christian band if you didn't read it in the press. Yes, that's right. Just like 7 Horns 7 Eyes who claimed this month's The Horde feature release, Impending Doom are another bunch of Christians who enjoy the exhilaration of the most brutal metal they can muster & good luck to them I say. I honestly couldn't give a fuck what they do before going to bed at night when they can produce metal of this quality but I'd dare say it's cost them some of their credibility with the more narrow-minded & elitist punters out there.

"Baptized In Filth" isn't a perfect album by any means. It's certainly top heavy with the first four tracks being the best of the ten on offer & the cleaned-sung & more melodic  second last track "My Light Unseen" standing out like a sore thumb in a tracklisting that's otherwise completely focused on brutality (is it just me of does Reeves sound a fair bit like a better version of Nickelback's Chad Kroeger on that track?). The quality never dips below a really solid base level though & the three track run from "For the Wicked" to "Deceiver" sits amongst the strongest I've heard from the deathcore subgenre. I can honestly say that I get really pumped up by this music & feel like it's the perfect way to get my aggression out. It's also worth noting that "Baptized In Filth" was one of a number of records that contributed to me wanting to work on this website with Ben in the first place. It's always frustrated me that certain genres of music unanimously seem to receive such poor ratings on RYM regardless of the merit of the release as a representation of the sound (for the record "Baptized In Filth" is currently sitting at a pathetic 3.08 from 150 ratings after a full ten years since release) & the fact that Metal Archives don't even consider most deathcore releases to be metal enough for inclusion on their site but are happy for Rush & Scorpions to take part is mind-boggling. This made me want to help create an environment where fans of all types of metal can identify the best releases for their personal preferences &, low & behold, that's what we've done, isn't it? Anyway... I strongly urge any death metal fans out there who think they don't like deathcore to give "Baptized In Filth" a few spins. You may be surprised at the outcome.

4.5/5

I've been putting them on while my wife is out & I'm left to play with the kids solo Sonny. It gives me a break from being so focused & analytical with all of my metal listening & I really enjoy being able to zone in & out without having to worry about missing some significant element. I think The Fallen playlists are going splendidly just quietly. In fact I'd suggest that they're possibly my favourite Metal Academy Radio playlists actually. They're certainly the most consistent (at least they are for me which is likely contributed to by the fact that I enjoy pretty much the whole list of subgenres the clan contains). The appeal has definitely improved since you took over the programming from me too Sonny as it was simply too challenging a task for me to put together nine playlists a month & still maximize their potential. I think we've naturally got a pretty good mix of underground & classic, old school & new due to the listening habits of the three contributors being fairly opposing in that regard. You're doing a good job at including all of the subgenres too. I think there's probably less tracks being included that sit on the fringes of the clan definition now too which is positive in my opinion.

German power metal with fire & substance.

I struggled with "Hammer King" a bit to be honest. It holds some pretty cool hooks at times but the impact of these are often cancelled out by the usual German power metal traits of overblown cheese (see the epic "King Of Kings" for example which I really want to like due to its a wonderfully anthemic chorus but are left just short as I simply can't overcome the world of pomp & schmaltz that surrounds it). We've got this album tagged as a Heavy Metal release on the Metal Academy database at present but one quick spin should leave the listener with very little doubt as to the inaccuracy of that tag as this is quite clearly a European Power Metal record. While it may often reference the US brand of Power Metal & is heavily influenced by Iron Maiden, it's really only the one-two punch of Maiden-worshipping "Into The Storm" & the more traditionally focused "Ashes To Ashes" that see Hammer King leaning over into the more classic style of metal for any prolonged duration.

Former Ross The Boss front man Patrick Fuchs is a more than capable vocalist but I can't help but wish that he sounded a little more ballsy. As it is he's got that unintimidating Geddy Lee kinda thing going on during most of the verses & it's only really during the more powerful & anthemic choruses that I can start to admire his prowess. Much admired guitarist Gino Wilde is another one that I'm not completely onboard with. He clearly doesn't have the technical skills of your average European power metal axeman so he stays very much within himself & in doing so ends up sounding... well... a bit flat & dull I guess. It becomes immediately obvious as to what he's missing when Isaac Delahaye (Epica/God Dethroned/MaYaN) makes a guest appearance on "Hammerschlag" with a shredding display that lifts things up significantly for a fleeting moment & that kinda sums up my feelings on this album to an extent. It's all a little too basic & easy on the ear while those trademark European power metal choir style backing vocals easily manage to get my goat & further taint my experience. Still.... there are some pretty enjoyable moments here when Hammer King can keep their more bombastic tendencies in check (see very solid opener & album highlight "Awaken the Thunder" for example) & I'd probably suggest that I find around 40% of the tracklisting to be fairly entertaining. Unfortunately it's not enough to see me returning to "Hammer King" any time soon though.

3/5

Relentless German black metal.

Back at the time of release "Infektion 1813" was in high rotation in my car & remained in my playlist for a good few weeks. I think it's fair to say that it made a pretty big impact on me as I was crying out for a more aggressive style of black metal in a market that was becoming increasingly less imposing but time has seen me realigning my view point a touch & dropping my score by a half star. I generally love the ultra-brutal, super-blasting style of pure black metal so there's no surprise that this is my bag but it's not quite as consistent as I remember it being & I wonder if I'd still prefer it to Endstille's previous album "Verführer" which I'm also a fan of. "Infektion 1813" is generally well executed & I don't mind a band that sticks to the classic black metal model when that's the case. I do think I enjoy the more blasting material more than the rest of the tracks though with "When Kathaaria Falls", "Wrecked" & the heavily Immortal-influenced album high point "Satanarchie" being genuine classics in my world. Unlike Vinny, I do think these tracks reach climaxes during the best material, mainly through the intelligent use of transitions between some quality tremolo-picked riffs. The rockier sounding "Bloody H (The Hurt-Gene)" doesn't compare terribly well despite still being pretty enjoyable however the ten minute closer "Endstille (Völkerschlächter)" is simply too lightweight & repetitive for my taste & I could definitely have done without it. Regardless... I love the grimmer stuff included here, especially the vocals when they're at their darkest. I also love the blast beats even if the snare sound is pretty over-powering & could have been better produced. If you love the bands like Marduk, 1349 & Dark Funeral then you'll surely find a fair bit to enjoy here.

4/5

Although I seem to enjoy this album a bit more than the rest of you, I have to admit that the closing ballad is pretty flat & was a poor option in my opinion. It's the only track on the album that offers me little in the way of appeal.

Congratulations Sonny. That's an exciting lifestyle change alright.

My family are taking one ourselves actually. We sold our two bedroom apartment on the Northern Beaches of Sydney a week & a half ago & then bought a five bedroom house with a big pool on the Gold Coast in Queensland. We'll be moving up there in early April.

Perhaps that’s because the only thing black metal about “Mestarin kynsi” is the vocals Andi. It’s really a post metal record in my opinion. Make sure you vote for this release in The Hall.

Thanks for the heads up Andi. I haven't heard those albums before. I know you're not a fan of any of the bands you've compared these records to though. What gives these records the edge over the Gulch's & Inside The Beehive's of the world?

Beautifully executed mid-90's thrash metal from Perth, Australia.

Several of you have expressed feelings of nostalgia at having revisited this month's Chevelle feature release. I was previously unfamiliar with that particular album however this one sits very much in that nostalgic space for me personally as some of these songs have left permanent marks on my youth & bring back a multitude of memories of being an active member of the Aussie extreme metal scene in the early -to-mid 1990's. Despite the fact that Allegiance were from Perth, they didn't mind travelling & picked up several big name national support slots so I was lucky enough to see them live on numerous occasions. Boy, they were a great live band too & I feel that this album is made more appealing by my recollections of those live experiences to be honest. Conrad Higson is a very talented & charismatic front man & all of the instrumentalists are first class & obviously fairly experienced performers which gives Allegiance an edge over much of what was going on around them at the time. They just seemed to get it if you know what I mean.

"D.E.S.T.I.T.U.T.I.O.N" doesn't do much different to what the Americans were doing in the late 1980's & early 1990's but it matches the majority of them for class & consistency. Names like Metallica, Exodus, Anthrax, Sacred Reich, Slayer & Sepultura often spring to mind while experiencing the truck load of fantastic riffs on offer here & they're further enhanced by some really intelligent arrangements. I have to admit that I'm not much of a fan of the sporadically used death metal vocals which come across like a poor man's Karl Willetts from Bolt Thrower. The occasional blast beat is more successful in its execution though & adds a nice differentiator from your standard Bay Area fodder. The lead guitar solos are wonderfully executed & are a definite highlight as they often elevate the song-writing to new levels & help to create wonderful transitions & climaxes. If only Allegiance had been able to more consistently maintain the impressive level of song-writing that made "Chaos Ends" & "Morally Justified" such classics for an 18 year-old me. There are no weak tracks per se but there's a definite gap between the best material & the filler. Regardless, this is possibly the best Aussie thrash release of the 1990's & it's when looking at releases like this one that you can see the major holes in the coverage of a site like RateYourMusic which only has 44 ratings for this record 28 years later. 

4/5

Speaking of live CDs, the new songs in Metallica's S&M I think work better than just playing their earlier songs with the orchestra in the background, like this grand piece:

Yeah I have a bit of time for this track. It's probably helped by the fact that it isn't tainted by my having already known & loved it as a non-orchestral version like much of the other material on "S&M" which I find to be a pretty disappointing release. Surprisingly I find "Nothing Else Matters" to be the highlight track which was very unexpected

I actually regard "Something Wicked This Way Comes" as my second favourite Iced Earth record behind 1995's "Burnt Offerings". I quite like "The Dark Saga" & the self-titled debut too but could never get into "Night of the Stormrider" to be honest. Iced Earth's best work is the "Alive In Athens" triple CD though in my opinion.

That's a pretty solid power ballad right there Andi. I've always really enjoyed the chorus hook. Big-time KISS influence in my opinion.

Can't promise I won't swap that track out with this one during the playlist transfer though.

Ground-breaking industrial metal from Seattle, USA.

So this release is every bit as unusual as it's descriptors would suggest. On RYM it's tagged as digital hardcore, industrial metal & industrial rock primaries with nu metal & jungle secondaries. Now I don't know much about digital hardcore but the only thing hardcore here (at least in the punk sense) is the aggressive vocal delivery which would fit seamlessly on a metalcore release from our The Revolution clan. There's no punk in the instrumentation whatsoever & I have a real problem with genre-tagging being reliant on just the vocal style. The other tags are very accurate with the exeption of industrial rock which isn't really required here. The guitar work here is heavily distorted with rhythms that often remind me of bands like Ministry or Fear Factory however the beats that surround it are heavily influenced by jungle/drum 'n' bass as well as pounding up-tempo hard techno & gabba. The inclusion of some nu metal style rapping isn't very well received by this metalhead unfortunately but you only see that very occasionally. The Shizit certainly make an almighty racket but ironically the moments that I enjoy most are when they embrace their more atmospheric electronic side with beautiful Moby style synths presenting a tranquil outlook before the savagery returns. There's no doubt that this is an interesting & original work but does it all work? In a word no it doesn't but the failures are easily outweighed by the wins & I left the experience with a largely positive feeling.

3.5/5

Not if you've worn it. I know where you've been.

Please replace it with these ones Sonny:

Anathema - "Radiance" (from "Eternity", 1996)

Crowbar - "Like Broken Glass" (from "Broken Glass", 1996)

I'd suggest that some of the releases in the Metal Academy lists are being boosted by having been awarded feature release status given the low rating numbers required to enter the list (see "Inhuman Rampage", "Dawn Of Victory", "Power Plant", etc).

Ben, if you're reading this, please implement that ability!

You already can from the releases page. The charts page is pretty much redundant these days as Ben's done a great job with the releases page.

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: Messa - "Feast For Water"

2019: Altesia - "Paragon Circus"

2020: Oranssi Pazuzu - "Mestarin kynsi"

2021: Fange - "Pantocrator"

Here's my updated list:

25. Suffocation - "Despise The Sun" E.P.

24. ISIS - "The Mosquito Control" E.P. (1998)

23. Dragged Into Sunlight - "Hatred For Mankind" (2009)

22. diSEMBOWELMENT - "Transcendence Into The Peripheral" (1993)

21. Neurosis - "Souls At Zero" (1992)

20. Botch - "We Are The Romans" (1999)

19. Rosetta - "The Galilean Satellites" (2005)

18. Slayer - "South Of Heaven" (1988)

17. Immolation - "Close To A World Below" (2000)

16. Esoteric - "The Maniacal Vale" (2008)

15. Suffocation - "Pierced From Within" (1995)

14. Boris - "Boris At Last -Feedbacker-" (2003)

13. Alice In Chains - "Dirt" (1992)

12. Death - "Human" (1991)

11. 7 Horns 7 Eyes - "Throes Of Absolution" (2012)

10. Morbid Angel - "Altars Of Madness" (1989)

09. Metallica - "...And Justice For All" (1988)

08. Mick Gordon - "DOOM (Original Game Soundtrack)" (2016)

07. Akhlys - "The Dreaming I" (2015)

06. Sunn O))) - "Black One" (2005)

05. Ufomammut/Lento - "Supernaturals - Record One" (2007)

04. Pig Destroyer - "Natasha" E.P. (2008)

03. Deathspell Omega - "Kenose" E.P. (2005)

02. Burzum - "Filosofem" (1996)

01. Slayer - "Reign In Blood" (1986)

Amazing progressive death metal from Washington, USA.

I have very different feelings to Vinny on this one. Drastically different in fact. I have to say that this may be the finest example of progressive death metal that I've ever encountered. It's everything I've ever wanted the genre to be in one fully realized & incredibly cohesive package. It's utterly astounding to see how far this band have come since their debut EP. The one thing I do agree with Vinny on is that this is instrumentally much more in line with progressive metal & djent than it is with your classic death metal sound. The Dream Theater & Meshuggah influences are obvious throughout but the vocal delivery is so crushingly brutal that it never allows the listener to entirely let go of the death metal tag. This record is ridiculously complex but never feels forced or jerky. It's unapologetically progressive yet never feels meandering or artsy. There's plenty of melody & the regular incorporation of keyboards for atmospherics but it never loses it's menace & I never feel myself reaching for melodeath as a point of reference. The instrumentalists all put in wonderful performances with the guitarists putting on a scintillating display. But it's the vocals that are the highlight here for me. I just love them to death.

So why is "Throes Of Absolution" so overlooked in the scene? Well, I would guess there's a number of reasons that I can think of. Their metalcore roots haven't done them any favours whatsoever but I don't share Vinny's view that you can hear any inkling of that sound here. It's completely gone as far as I can see. These roots have led to sites like Metal Archives not even giving 7 Horns 7 Eyes an entry pass into their database which is absolutely ludicrous in my opinion & once again shows why true music fans should shun that website. Another reason 7 Horns 7 Eyes have failed to gain traction would be the incompetent & inappropriate genre tagging of sites like RYM. This is clearly not a classic death metal or melodeath record so those going into it expecting to hear those sounds may be disappointed. And the third reason that I'd suggest "Throes Of Absolution" is underrated is the fact that 7 Horns 7 Eyes are openly Christian & their lyrics are focused on Christian themes. That's a sure-fire way to piss off the elitist death metal community. Thankfully Metal Academy is free of that elitist bullshit so I'm hoping this can be the place that champions this unbelievable example of extreme progressive metal (& yes this is another example of why I think we should consider creating that genre tag in our database in my opinion).

5/5

My updated Top Ten Drone Metal Releases Of All Time after replacing :

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

10. Naked City - "Leng Tch'e" (1992)

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

Fabulous Tool-inspired alternative metal from Illinois, USA.

As I said above, this was my first attempt at a full-length Chevelle record & I've gotta say that I was well impressed. Much like last month's Karnivool feature release, there's nothing terribly original going on here but the material is all full realized & beautifully executed. I'd suggest that Chevelle's sound sits right in the middle of your early-to-mid 90's alternative rock/grunge sound & a heavier alternative metal one with Tool, Deftones & Bush all being strong influences. Hell, the title track even seems to draw on classic Soundgarden for inspiration. Vocally, front man Pete Loeffler certainly sounds very, very close to Tool mastermind Maynard James Keenan & that will always see the bands tied together. Rightly so too. I mean you can't really miss the Tool worship right from the very first seconds of opening cut & album high point Family System as it's fairly blatant in nature. Thankfully I'm a big Tool fan & wish they'd released more material so I actually value this release for partially filling that gap & in order to do that Chevelle needed to really nail their sound, a task that they've succeeded at with flying colours by utilizing a similarly powerful guitar crunch to Tool axeman Adam Jones. Does this record reside in the poppy post-grunge camp with the likes of Creed & Nickelback as some critics seem to indicate? Fuck no it doesn't! It's certainly catchy as hell but it's got a fuck-load more integrity & weight than that. I don't find it to be repetitive as others mentioned above & can't see where there's any lack of talent either. Once the hooks dug their talons in each of the songs gained their own personality & I actually think most metalheads with an interest in alternative metal will really dig this record as long as they don't go into it with any misleading preconceptions.

4/5