Daniel's Forum Replies
Earl Sweatshirt - "Sick!" (2022)
A short 24 minute & fairly artsy west coast hip hop album that had its moments but was generally pretty underwhelming. I have to admit that I often find myself struggling with the more abstract hip hop & crave a more traditional, dark & aggressive hardcore style.
I do still enjoy those Guardians releases, but like Vinny says, burnout is inevitable. I might feel burned out with heavy/power metal at times mainly because I haven't made power metal my primary target of interest in over 4 years, yet at the same time, I try to build up that part of my metal taste based on recs and what I might like. Kinda like when my dad cooks for dinner some stir-fry chicken that I used to like and even though I've lost some of its appeal, I would eat it anyway. Sooo... I'm going to give some of the 14 Guardians releases I've rated since October each a good review and see if that's enough to motivate me to continue my Guardians submissions beyond my ones for March. Time to check if I still have the heart of a Guardian!
Why would you feel burned out with those subgenres if you haven't made them your primary target of interest in over four years Andi? I would have thought the break would do the complete opposite & prevent any possibility of burnout. My point is that there's actually no need to HAVE a primary target of interest. There are truckloads of metal subgenres to explore so why tie yourself down to only a few & why commit to reviewing all of those releases you've already rated in the hope of revitalizing your interest? Why not simply put on whatever you feel like it & enjoy it for what it is in that particular moment?
Also, your comparisons with force-feeding yourself your dad's cooking is confusing me because you've been rating the vast majority of these The Guardians releases 4.5/5 or 5/5 which is giving the impression that you think they're amongst the most enjoyable releases you've ever heard. Is that not the case?
Not feeling as much of the heavy/power metal vibe as much as I used to, so these submissions might be my last for now. Will explain more about it later.
It's interesting to hear you say that Andi because your ratings don't reflect that at all. In fact they indicate the exact opposite. If we look at all of your The Guardians related ratings since October 2021 they average a score of 4.54/5 across 14 releases which is a phenomenally high result. There wouldn't be another member that could compete with that across any clan actually. I don't mean to overstep my welcome but do you think that your tendency to commit to rating/reviewing every release in a band's back catalogue is contributing to your drop in enthusiasm given the large commitment that takes? I would think it would certainly make it a challenge to come up with fresh playlist ideas. I know when I've been too scripted about my listening habits I've started to feel boxed in & the best thing to do has been to just listen to whatever the hell I feel like for a while & all of a sudden music just seems a whole bunch more fun again. Variety is the spice of life after all. Feel free to tell me fuck right off though of course. Sometimes I well & truly deserve it.
I find this list less surprising than you do Sonny. It all comes down to RYM's market which is heavily weighted towards the United States. Iron Maiden have always struggled to gain the same sort of traction in the USA as they have in Europe for example while the likes of Rage Against The Machine & System Of A Down are easily more popular in the USA than they are anywhere else in the world.
RYM also has an inherent bias towards certain genres & subgenres of music for the same reason actually. I've often noticed that genres like hip hop, folk, progressive rock & indie rock seem to pick up enormous numbers on RYM compared to where I would think those genres sit with the rest of the world. In metal circles it's very hard for a traditionally focused metal album to score well these days with the more progressive, avant-garde & atmospheric releases inevitably scoring more interest. This was one of the reasons we started up the Metal Academy website in the first place actually. Plus, there are pockets of the globe that receive very little attention compared to others. Take my home country of Australia for example. There are loads of great Aussie releases that have been around for years/decades but are still yet to receive 100 ratings on RYM & these are often worthy of much more adoration than some of the top rating releases (see last month's The Sphere feature release for example which was my album of 2013 yet is only sitting at 81 ratings at present). Hopefully we eventually see MA taking off a bit & giving us a more rounded view of the wider metal opinion.
Nah... Epica won out by sending me a 1349 COVID mask & a set of limited edition Devourment condoms. I dunno why my wife freaks out so much when I wear them simultaneously though. It's a mystery.
What?! Where's Exterminator's "Total Extermination"??
Don't lie Ben. You know perfectly well that we did it the same way as all the other major metal sites by awarding the win to the highest bidders & the bands that send us the most free shit & share the most of their blow.
Crushing German funeral doom metal.
My updated list:
01. Esoteric - "The Maniacal Vale" (2008)
02. Esoteric – “Paragon of Dissonance” (2011)
03. Esoteric – “Metamorphogenesis” (1999)
04. Ahab - "The Call of The Wretched Sea" (2006)
05. Evoken – “Atra Mors” (2012)
06. The Howling Void – “Shadows Over The Cosmos” (2010)
07. Thergothon – “Stream From The Heavens” (1994)
08. Monolithe – “Monolithe II” (2005)
09. Ea – “Ea” (2012)
10. Ea – “Au ellai” (2010)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/132
It's been more than a decade since I first witnessed "Call Of The Wretched Sea" but I've returned to it several times & it never fails to capture me with its deep, nautical atmosphere. The super gutteral vocals are a real highlight & there's a consistent quality to the entire tracklisting but the album sneaks up on you as it progresses as it doesn't peak until the final two tracks which are nothing short of extraordinary. I love the short dark ambient interlude "Of the Monstrous Pictures of Whales" that sits in the middle of the record too as it's beautifully executed & breaks the tracklisting on nicely. As Saxy implied earlier, Ahab's brand of crushingly slow extreme metal is perhaps a little too simply structured to compete with Esoteric at the very top of the funeral doom mountain however it stands tall with the best of the rest & I come out of it feeling empowered by its miserable majesty.
4.5/5
The Every Time I Die record was a worthy winner here in my opinion although I was pleasantly surprised by the Bullet For My Valentine one & it wasn't as far behind as I would have thought prior to giving it a few spins. "Radical" is beautifully executed though & it showcases a high class outfit that have sadly since dissolved due to internal conflict.
I agree with you Xephyr. I wouldn't say that I'm anywhere near as on top of new releases as some of our other members are but I had four black metal releases in front of "...And Again Into The Light". There's no doubt that it's a very strong release & I'd comfortably take it over a lot of previous Panopticon records but Mare Cognitum took my bikkies over Ethereal Shroud, Spectral Wound & Le Chants de Nihil with Panopticon finishing in a respectable fifth place. I wouldn't say that I checked out a The North release that captivated me at that very top level this year though. None of these records reached "classic" status for me personally.
"Colors II" was on my list to check out in January but I sadly ran out of time. Between The Buried & Me's consistently strong "Colors_Live" live album really impressed me but it's been too long since I've checked out its studio partner to remember who I felt about it. Perhaps that's why I wasn't jumping out of my skin for "Colors II". Oh well... my loss I guess.
Altarage's "Succumb" album just pipped "Imperative Imperceptible Impulse" at the post for my The Horde release of the year but that doesn't stop it from being a deserved winner nonetheless. The class & ambition of that record are nothing short of astounding.
"Omega" was actually our highest rating release of the year overall however I can't see it being something that'd appeal to me so I've given it a wide birth. Perhaps I'll re-evaluate that position after this result though.
P.S. I'm surprised to see that Accept cover artwork winning. Must have been slim pickings this year.
I never actually got around to listening to "Niratias" although I did enjoy all of the tracks I selected for the monthly playlists so it definitely shows strong potential. Perhaps I'll see how I go with this month's feature release first though as it'll be my first attempt at taking on a full Chevelle record.
Yeah, "Bloodmoon: I" was my The Fallen Release Of The Year too. It grew on me so much with each successive listen which is a sign of its depth & character. It just oozes class, particularly the way it starts & finishes.
Relentless brutal death metal from South Carolina, USA.
Nile - "Black Seeds Of Vengeance" (2000)
I have to admit that, even though I've always found Nile's highly regarded sophomore album to be an enjoyable listen, "Black Seeds Of Vengeance" has never struck me as being as worthy of high praise as the band's next couple of releases. I think the unrelenting reliance on guest skinsman Derek Roddy's undeniably impressive blast beats was perhaps a little over the top for me early on there & the vocals & production still sounded a little bit like a work in progress when viewed in hindsight but the years have been kind to this record & when revisiting it with fresh ears I've found it to be a much more engaging experience. The lead guitar work is full of fireworks as usual & is a real highlight. As is the occasional use of eerie middle eastern melodies during the crushing doom/death sections which should really have been explored further. I don't agree with the common consensus that this is a tech death record though. Yes, there's some complexity to the arrangements but it's just so obviously a brutal death metal record & that's kinda par for the course with much of that scene so there's really no need for the additional tag in my opinion. Overall, I've revised my view a bit & upped my rating by a half star as I can't deny that this is a high quality example of its type. "Black Seeds of Vengeance" really should be essential listening for fans of the more brutal end of death metal.
4/5
"Still Life" used to be my favourite Opeth album too but it's slipped a little further down the list in more recent times. I think I've grown closer to the band's more polished later works in my old age & I'll always be drawn to the heavier records in their back catalogue. "Deliverance", "Blackwater Park" & "Watershed" (in order of preference) are Opeth's true classics for me personally but I'd also take "My Arms, Your Hearse" over "Still Life" these days. They're a great band who aren't capable of producing anything subpar though so there's no shame in sitting a little lower down my list when they possess such a strong discography.
4/5
Note: Seriously, how wonderful is the cover artwork. I used to have a "Still Life" t-shirt which I miss now that I look at that stunning piece of work for the first time in a while.
Here are my March submissions:
Sadus - "Twisted Face" (from "Chemical Exposure", 1988)
Hirax - "Demons - Evil Forces" (from "Raging Violence", 1985)
Living Death - "Rulers Must Come" (from "Metal Revolution", 1985)
Running Wild - "Marching To Die" (from "Branded & Exiled", 1985)
Venom - "Powerdrive" (from "Possessed", 1985)
At War - "Ordered To Kill" (from "Ordered To Kill", 1986)
Detente - "Life Is Pain" (from "Recognize No Authority", 1986)
Hallows Eve - "Plea Of The Aged" (from "Death & Insanity", 1986)
Here are my March submissions:
The Amenta - "Flesh Is Heir" (from "Flesh Is Heir", 2013)
Malignant Altar - "Belial Rebirth (Metempsychosis)" (from "Realms Of Exquisite Morbidity", 2021)
Cannibal Corpse - "Unleashing The Bloodthirsty" (from "Bloodthirst", 1999)
Lock Up - "Feeding On The Opiate" (from "Hate Breeds Suffering", 2002)
Morbid Angel - "Place Of Many Deaths" (from "Heretic", 2003)
Psycroptic - "The Colour Of Sleep" (from "The Scepter Of The Ancients", 2003)
Putrid Pile - "Drenched In Gasoline" (from "Collection Of Butchery", 2003)
Here are my March submissions:
Mare Cognitum - "Ataraxia Tunnels" (from "Solar Paroxysm", 2021)
Spectral Wound - "Diabolic Immanence" (from "A Diabolic Thirst", 2021)
Here's my March submission:
The Amenta - "Cell" (from "Flesh Is Heir", 2013)
Here's my March submission:
Bullet For My Valentine - "Shatter" (from "Bullet For My Valentine", 2021)
Here's my March submission:
Karnivool - "Synops" (from "Themata", 2005)
Here are my March submissions:
Ufomammut/Lento - "Infect Two" (from "Supernaturals - Record One", 2007)
Converge - "Blood Moon" (from "Bloodmoon: I", 2021)
Neurosis - "Lost" (from "Enemy Of The Sun", 1994)
Here's the plan for the March feature releases:
THE FALLEN: Ben, Daniel, Sonny
THE GATEWAY: Saxy S, Andi
THE GUARDIANS: Xephyr, Andi, Vinny
THE HORDE: Vinny, Ben, Daniel
THE INFINITE: Xephyr, Saxy S, Andi
THE NORTH: Sonny, Ben, Vinny, Xephyr, Daniel
THE PIT: Sonny, Vinny, Ben, Daniel
THE REVOLUTION: Andi, Daniel
THE SPHERE: Daniel
February 2022
01. Skrew – “Orifice” (from “Burning In Water, Drowning In Flame”, 1992)
02. Samael – “Of War” (from “Lux Mundi”, 2011)
03. Neurotech – “Inject Me Now” (from “Antagonist”, 2011)
04. Rammstein – “Mein Herz brennt” (from “Mutter”, 2001)
05. Rob Zombie – “The Much Talked Of Metamorphosis” (from “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy”, 2021)
06. Lard – “Hellfudge” (from “The Power Of Lard” E.P., 1988)
07. Ministry – “Believe Me” (from “Moral Hygiene”, 2021)
08. Keygen Church – “G E B U E R J E I T” (from “░█░█░░█░█░█░”, 2021)
09. Eisbrecher – “Bombe” (from “Eiszeit”, 2010)
10. Unheilig – “Das Meer” (from “Grosse Freiheit”, 2010)
11. Die Krupps – “Crossfire” (from “II: The Final Option”, 1993)
12. Mechina – “Purity Storm” (from “Siege”, 2021)
13. Apartment 26 – “Backwards” (from “Hallucinating”, 2000)
14. Nine Inch Nails – “Pinion” (from “Broken” E.P., 1992)
15. Author & Punisher – “Drone Carrying Dread” (from “Krüller”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]
16. Godflesh – “Avalanche Master Song” (from “Godflesh” E.P., 1988)
17. Pitchshifter – “New Flesh” (from “Industrial”, 1991)
18. Old – “Lo Flux Tube” (from “Lo Flux Tube”, 1991)
19. Fear Factory – “Recode” (from “Aggression Continuum”, 2021)
20. Meathook Seed – “My Infinity” (from “Embedded”, 1993)
21. Scorn – “Spasm” (from “Vae Solis”, 1992)
22. Static-X – “Get To The Gone” (from “Machine”, 2001)
23. Morbid Angel – “Too Extreme!” (from “Illud Divinum Insanus”, 2011)
24. Thorns – “Shifting Channels” (from “Thorns”, 2001)
25. …And Oceans – “White Synthetic Noise” (from “A.M. G.O.D.”, 2001)
26. Youth Code & King Yosef – “Burner” (from “A Skeleton Key In The Doors Of Depression”, 2021)
27. Red Harvest – “Fix, Hammer, Fix” (from “Cold Dark Matter”, 2000)
28. Kill The Thrill – “Us & Them” (from “Tellurique”, 2005) [Submitted by Daniel]
February 2022
01. Krisiun – “The Will To Potency” (from “The Great Execution”, 2011) [Submitted by Vinny]
02. Dungeon Serpent – “Necroscope” (from “World of Sorrows” E.P., 2021)
03. Voidceremony – “Entropic Reflections Continuum” (from “At The Periphery Of Human Realms” E.P., 2022)
04. Dark Tranquillity – “Insanity’s Crescendo” (from “The Mind’s I”, 1997) [Submitted by Daniel]
05. Edge Of Sanity – “Enigma” (from “Unorthodox”, 1992) [Submitted by Ben]
06. Devoid Of Thought – “Sidereal Necrosis” (from “Outer World Graves”, 2021)
07. Revocation – “The Outer Ones” (from “The Outer Ones”, 2018) [Submitted by Ben]
08. Hypocrisy – “Worship” (from “Worship”, 2021)
09. Autopsy – “In The Grip Of Winter” (from “Retribution For The Dead” E.P., 1991) [Submitted by Vinny]
10. Carcass – “Hepatic Tissue Fermentation II” (from “Tools Of The Trade” E.P., 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]
11. Undergang – “Hjerternes Tid” (from “Cadaveric Incubator/Undergang” split E.P., 2021) [Submitted by Vinny]
12. Cadaveric Fumes – “The Stirring Unknown” (from “Echoing Chambers Of Soul”, 2021) [Submitted by Ben]
13. Genocide Pact – “Led To Extinction” (from “Genocide Pact”, 2021) [Submitted by Vinny]
14. Shadow Of Intent – “Gravesinger” (from “Melacholy”, 2019) [Submitted by Ben]
15. Hyperdontia – “Lacerated & Bursting” (from “Hideous Entity”, 2021)
16. Anachronism – “Orogeny” (from “Orogeny”, 2018) [Submitted by Ben]
17. Cannibal Corpse – “Devoured By Vermin” (from “Vile”, 1996) [Submitted by Daniel]
18. Succumb – “Maenad” (from “XXI”, 2021)
19. Abysmal Dawn – “In Service Of Time” (from “Leveling The Plane Of Existence”, 2011) [Submitted by Vinny]
20. Aborted – “Skullfuck Crescendo” (from “Engineering The Dead”, 2001 [Submitted by Daniel]
21. Cretin – “Freakery” (from “Stranger”, 2014) [Submitted by Daniel]
22. Cryptopsy – “Defenestration” (from “Blasphemy Made Flesh”, 1994) [Submitted by Daniel]
23. Putridity – “Conceived Through Vermination” (from “Ignominious Atonement”, 2015) [Submitted by Ben]
24. Abominable Putridity – “A Burial For The Abandoned” (from “The Anomalies Of Artificial Origin”, 2012) [Submitted by Daniel]
25. Cannabis Corpse – “Mummified In Bong Water” (from “Tube Of The Resinated”, 2008) [Submitted by Vinny]
What are your thoughts on the genre-tagging of this release Andi? Do you agree with my thoughts?
Yeah, definitely one of the highlights of the "Killing Technology" album. I'll never be convinced that Voivod are/were a thrash metal band though.
Some chunky heavy metal from this South African-based video game soundtrack producer.
石渡太輔 [Daisuke Ishiwatari] - "Guilty Gear -STRIVE- Original Sound Track Vol. 1" (2021)
A 90 minute progressive metal outing from a South African video game soundtrack producer that's beautifully executed & is quite ambitious as far as the song-writing & composition go. It's been tagged as a heavy/power metal release on RYM but this is first & foremost a progressive metal release in my opinion. You'll get bits & pieces of a whole slew of melodic metal subgenres from the traditional Judas Priest brand of heavy metal to the thrashier groove metal infused style of Nevermore to the funky alternative metal of Faith No More to the progressive metal of Devin Townsend. And yes there's even a touch of power metal, pop metal & thrash metal thrown in for good measure but it all sounds surprisingly fluent given the genre-hopping nature of the video game soundtrack format. In fact, you could easily overlook the fact that it's a soundtrack release if you weren't made aware of it. The cheesier, more theatrical & cinematic moments aren't to my taste but there can be no denying the talent on display, particularly the powerful Devin Townsend style vocals which even pay tribute to Mike Patton on occasions. I found myself really digging the chunkier, groovier metal material & was also partial to bopping along to the funkier stuff a lot of the time too. It's not a bad release overall & I think Andi, Xephyr & Saxy will likely get more out of it than I do.
3.5/5
My updated Top Ten Stoner Metal Releases Of All Time list (featuring a couple of newly qualified inclusions & removing one that no longer qualifies):
01. Electric Wizard – “We Live” (2004)
02. High On Fire – “De vermis mysteriis” (2012)
03. Electric Wizard – “Let Us Prey” (2002)
04. Adrift For Days – “The Lunar Maria” (2010)
05. Electric Wizard – “Supercoven” E.P. (1998)
06. Electric Wizard – “Dopethrone” (2000)
07. Boris – “あくまのうた (Akuma no uta)” (2003)
08. Electric Wizard – “Come My Fanatics…” (1997)
09. Elder – “Spires Burn/Release” E.P. (2012)
10. Electric Wizard - "Witchcult Today" (2007)
My updated Top Ten Power Metal Releases of All Time list:
01. Kamelot - "The Black Halo" (2005)
02. Iced Earth - "Alive In Athens" (1999)
03. Unleash The Archers - "Apex" (2017)
04. Lost Horizon - "Awakening The World" (2001)
05. Blind Guardian - "Imaginations From The Other Side" (1995)
06. Lost Horizon - "A Flame To The Ground Beneath" (2003)
07. Blind Guardian - "Nightfall In Middle-Earth" (1998)
08. Blind Guardian - "Live" (2003)
09. Blind Guardian - "Somewhere Far Beyond" (1992)
10. Eternity's End - "Embers Of War" (2021)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/139
Impressive German power metal from a bunch of tech death masters.
Eternity's End - "Embers Of War" (2021)
I simply had to hear this album after reading Xephyr's review & discovering that it included lead guitarist Christian Muenzner (Defeated Sanity/Necrophagist/Obscura/Spawn Of Possession), bassist Linus Klausenitzer (Obscura) & drummer Hannes Grossmann (Hate Eternal/Necrophagist/Obscura/Triptykon). I needed to gain an understanding of what it'd be like if tech death masters of this ilk pointed their skills towards a neoclassical power metal record & the results weren't exactly what I expected but neither were they a total surprise. If you didn't know about the pedigree & credentials of the instrumentalists on display here you'd never know it was them because this album absolutely celebrates European power metal in all its cheesy glory but it does it in a way that oozes professionalism & class. I've never been a particular fan of neoclassical lead guitar solos in my metal but its hard to argue when someone pulls it off as comprehensively as Muenzner does here. Yngwie Malmsteen has clearly been a major influence on him as there's some total worship going on throughout the tracklisting. Grossmann is one of the greatest blasting death metal drummers of all time but you won't get an inkling of that here with only his ridiculously high quality double kick work remaining. I can't say that I genuinely love any of this stuff as it simply falls too far outside of my comfort zone but there are enough quality hooks & flashy progressive metal sections to keep me interested along with a stellar metal production job that really does highlight all the best attributes of Eternity's End's sound. I have to admit that there are a few tracks that come across as a bit flat to my ears (see "Bane of the Black Sword", the unambitious speed metal of "Deathrider" & particularly the cheesy gang-vocal led chorus of "Arcturus Prime") but the other five tracks are all pretty enjoyable with "Call of the Valkyries" & "Shaded Heart" being my album highlights. The occasional references to Judas Priest's "Painkiller" album are a real treat & I found "Embers Of War" to be a pretty enjoyable record overall. I'm glad I gave it a few spins even though I'm unlikely to return to it all that often.
3.5/5
Andi, this'll be right up your alley.
What are your thoughts on the correct genre-tagging for "Holoceno" Sonny? It's currently tagged as Avant-Garde Metal.
Updated my list a bit. Decided to grant the Anathema & Pig Destroyer releases qualification after all.
For this weekend's top list I've put together my Top Ten Conventional Black Metal Releases Of All Time. You'll notice their are a couple here that aren't exactly conventional in nature but I chose to go with them anyway as there's not really another subgenre that fits them on the site. See what you think.
1. Deathspell Omega – Kenose” E.P. (2005)
2. Akhlys – “The Dreaming I” (2015)
3. Darkthrone – “Transilvanian Hunger” (1994)
4. Oranssi Pazuzu – “Mestarin kynsi” (2020)
5. Oranssi Pazuzu – “Varahtelija” (2016)
6. Bathory – “Blood Fire Death” (1988)
7. Mayhem – “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” (1994)
8. Bathory – “Under The Sign Of The Black Mark” (1987)
9. Deathspell Omega – “Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeturnum: Chaining The Katechon” E.P. (2008)
10. Darkthrone – “A Blaze In The Northern Sky” (1992)
Altarage's "Succumb" (I assume that's what you were referring to Vinny) was my AOTY too until this morning when the Fange record saw me changing my tune late in the game.
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: Deftones - "Koi no Yokan"
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"
My updated top ten list:
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. Nile – “Annihilation Of The Wicked” (2005)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/148
My updated top ten list:
01. Pig Destroyer – “Natasha” E.P. (2008)
02. Isis – “The Mosquito Control” E.P. (1998)
03. Gaza – “No Absolutes In Human Suffering” (2012)
04. Monarch! – “Omens” (2012)
05. Fange – “Pantocrator” (2021)
06. Mastodon – “Leviathan” (2004)
07. Black Cobra – “Invernal” (2011)
08. Ufomammut – “Eve” (2010)
09. High On Fire – “De vermis mysteriis” (2012)
10. Celeste - “Morte(s) Nee(s)” (2010)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/133
Industrial sludge metal from Rennes, France.
Fange - "Pantocrator" (2021)
Where the fuck did this short thirty minute gem of an album come from?! I think I might just have found my new AOTY right here. Imagine the super dark & crushingly heavy sludge metal of Primitive Man combined with the mechanical industrial beats of Godflesh & the cold production of Uniform & you won't be far off the mark. Throw in some death metal riffs too just to stroke my comfort zone a but more too. I just fucking love this shit!
4.5/5