Daniel's Forum Replies
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
Helena Hauff - "Kern Vol. 5" (2020)
A brilliant 132 minute techno mix from this German DJ that traverses all sorts of sounds & subgenres with ease. Love it!
Brutal death metal from Maryland, USA.
Dying Fetus - "Destroy The Opposition" (2000)
Maryland brutal death metal outfit Dying Fetus are one of those bands that I respect more than I do enjoy. They're a fantastic live act but their studio albums always leave me feeling like they promise so much more than they deliver with their 2000 third album "Destroy The Opposition" being a prime example even though it's one of the band's better releases. I love the more brutal end of death metal, especially when it's beautifully produced & performed like this record is, however there are definitely some elements that I struggle with here. Firstly, the trademark sweep-picked riffs sound a lot more like practice exercises than they do art & I immediately find my interest waning as soon as they pop up. There are also a few pretty unintelligent groove metal riffs in "Epidemic of Hate" which is the clear weak point of the album. The band's strength is definitely in their slower slam riffs which are somewhat of a signature & were a huge influence on the deathcore scene. Dying Fetus aren't at their best when they try to get too technical. In fact, I find that the simpler they are the more I enjoy them. There's a noticeable hardcore influence here too & I'll be darned if I don't dig it. Ultimately this is a reasonably entertaining if slightly overrated piece of brutal death metal.
3.5/5
High velocity late 80's thrash metal from Los Angeles, USA.
Holy Terror - "Mind Wars" (1988)
This late 80's sophomore album was my introduction to Los Angeles thrash metallers Holy Terror way back in the day. I quite liked it too but I have to admit that I've never spoken of it in the same lofty terms as many extreme metal fans seem to. The band's 1987 debut album "Terror & Submission" was more of a speed metal record than it was thrash but here we see Holy Terror reversing the ratio with a good six of the ten tracks on offer falling under the bracket of some fairly aggressive & up-tempo thrash. The remaining four tracks vary between speed metal, US power metal & your more traditional heavy metal. The vocals are a major contributor to my finding an insurmountable cap on my appreciation of "Mind Wars" as they're a little pedestrian to tell you truth. The guitar solos are surprisingly great though & there are plenty of great energetic riffs on offer. I found a fair bit of enjoyment in Holy Terror's debut but I think "Mind Wars" just shades it for the band's finest work. It's just not an album that I feel the need to return to all that often.
3.5/5
I don't think I ever thought it could be made to be as fast as it is now Ben. That's really pretty amazing.
Unusual instrumental alternative metal from this one-man Australian artist.
This one is a definite grower. On first listen my feelings were similar to those expressed above however repeat listens saw it opening up significantly with headphones being an absolute must if you're going to see the full value in the immersive experience on offer. What sole member Jacob Paddison gives us here is a combination of many disparate influences that come together to create a fairly unique little record. It might not always gel but there can be no denying his ambition. I think the alternative metal tag is sufficient to cover this release but you'll easily detect sections that are more like ambient, shoegaze, gothic rock, stoner rock, psychedelic rock, noise rock & even doom metal. When it works you'll get a truly psychedelic wall of sound that's ever-changing & unpredictable. When it doesn't you're left with several cool ideas that are presented in a quirky yet noticeably haphazard way. There's certainly an electricity to this music that becomes pretty infectious after a few listens though. I won't deny that there a few tracks here that don't do much for me (see opener "!!!", "Helios" & the lengthy noise-fest of a closer "Black Sun Mirage") but by listen three I found myself really fucking digging the stronger material (see the three track run of "Red Planet", album highlight "Starburst" & "Slug" in particular). I've always been one for psychedelics so the more cerebral sections give me a lot of enjoyment while the heavier riffs are are definitely chunky enough to get my head nodding. I guess my background in electronic music doesn't hurt either given the inclusion of drum 'n' bass elements. Overall I find this to be an interesting listen that won't make any best-of lists but definitely offers something a little bit different for the occasional change of scene.
3.5/5
Super brutal Aussie war metal just the way it should be.
This record got a good ol' thrashing within underground metal circles in Australia back when i was still playing in death metal bands & it's been really fun to relive some of those glory days this week. "Blood & Valour" is about as war metal as war metal gets really & that's something that appeals to me a lot. It kinda sounds like Bestial Warlust have combined the early war metal of Blasphemy with the over-the-top death metal of Sadistik Exekution & the blackened thrash of Sarcofago with a dash of 80's Morbid Angel thrown in for good measure but this is a very Australian sound in my opinion. There were a number of bands in our little scene that flew in on the coat-tails of the Sadistik crew but Bestial Warlust took their super-extreme approach in a slightly less ridiculous but no less entertaining direction. No fucks have been given whatsoever with the production job seemingly aimed at the most raw & underground sound it could muster & they've done a splendid job of it to be fair. I really love the ultra-aggressive vocal performance of Bloodstorm who sounds positively demonic while the instrumental performances are never clinical enough to lose their underground street credibility. The tracklisting is pretty consistent with only blackened thrash outing "Legion of Wrath" falling short of the mark but, in saying that, I'm not sure that Bestial Warlust ever quite manage to transcend the idea that they lack a little depth. Sure, they offer an entertaining & undoubtedly brutal ride but I wouldn't call any of this material a genuine classic. I find it a little too shallow for that which is interesting because I rank a track or two from their debut right up there with the very best the war metal subgenre has to offer. There's an element of novelty about it that's hard to overcome if I'm being honest. But let's not overthink things too much here because I'm sure that the band weren't intending that when they put this record together. You can easily hear how much fun they're having & it's hard not to buy into that when experiencing "Blood & Valour" which will no doubt offer plenty of appeal for all war metal fans.
4/5
Dark & doomy old-school death metal from a cemetery somewhere in San Francisco, USA.
This one really hits the spot for this old-school death metal fanboy Vinny. Vastum start with the dark & doomy atmosphere of Incantation (complete with similarly deep & cavernous vocals) & then throw in some high quality tremolo-picked riffs that remind me very much of Bolt Thrower & Grave. It all reeks of that classic graveyard vibe. The tracklisting is incredibly consistent however I do think there's a lack of genuine highlight tracks with all six inclusions falling a bit short of tier one status due to the odd flatter riff or bouncier beat. Still... I can't complain too much as this fucker is right up my alley for the most part, particularly when Vastum indulge in their doomier side.
4/5
The slowest track from English blackened thrash trio Hellfekted's 2020 debut album "Woe To The Kingdom Of Blood".
I'd not heard of the very poorly named Hellfekted before so I had no idea of what to expect from "Woe To The Kingdom Of Blood" going in. What we get here is a very raw & primitive brand of blackened thrash that's built around a hardcore punk aesthetic & the limited technical skills of the band members. Hellfekted have certainly managed to develop their own sound & I can't deny that it possesses an endearing quality due to its authentic old-school vitality however I do struggle with the lack of class in the performances & composition. It sounds very much like a trio that are still learning their craft, particularly the guitar work of front man Liam Stubbs whose lead solos offer nothing in the way of chops or theoretical understanding. Chris Brownrigg's bass guitar work is enjoyable thanks to its powerful position in the mix while Stubbs' raspy blackened screams (that wouldn't feel out of place on a sludge metal record given their hardcore tendencies) often see me being drawn in through their sheer energy & enthusiasm but neither can quite overcome the consistent inclusion of some fairly generic thrash riffs that aren't executed well enough to compete at the top level just yet. Still... that hardcore influence I mentioned definitely affords Hellfekted a similar sort of appeal to a band like Hellhammer. Perhaps Hellfekted might be one to watch for the future but they're not there yet in my opinion.
3/5
So yeah.... I hated it. Who would have thought it, right? Symphonic metal & I simply don't see eye to eye at all & that fact probably hasn't escaped too many of our regular contributors so I doubt my general apathy for this release will surprise too many of you. I'd actually describe this late 90's example of the niche genre as symphonic doom/death metal & I can't see that it sits all that comfortably under The Guardians clan. Despite the fact that I really struggled with it though, I tend to think that it'd sit better in my much beloved The Fallen clan given the direction of the heavier elements. There's significantly more orchestration than there is metal included here though & it's the metal material that really let's Haggard down in my opinion. The production job & musicianship is seriously lacking on the metal parts while the death metal vocals are subpar at best. I have to admit that the neoclassical/medieval orchestration is actually done fairly well at times but (with the exception of the short & effective classical piece "Cantus Firmus in A-Minor") I can't say that it interests me in the slightest. Nor does the occasional folk melody which only adds to my pain. I couldn't be more outside of my comfort zone really. Let's go our separate ways & forget this ever happened, shall we?
2/5
Look, there are 5 or 6 tracks on the album that I enjoy but I think "LifeWar" is probably the one that I get the most out of because it doesn't try to cancel out it's aggression with an easy-listening accessibility. I'll go with a 62% for the album overall.
A short, rhythmic groove metal piece from Seattle-based melodic metalcore outfit Demon Hunter.
I can't say that this release got my blood boiling too much I'm afraid. It's simply too commercially focused for my taste. It's a well produced & executed collection of tracks of course but the tracklisting is very inconsistent with even the highlight tracks having their potency limited by the uncomfortable feeling that this record was really intended for commercial radio & a much younger audience than myself. Musically, there's a lot more to "The World Is A Thorn" than only melodic metalcore. In fact there's almost as much alternative metal here as there is metalcore & groove metal plays a very strong role too with Pantera, Machine Head & Sepultura clearly have been an influence (particularly the former). There's even a genuine thrash metal tune in the title track. I do tend to get a fair bit of enjoyment out of the heavier material but the clean melodic choruses are frustratingly hit & miss. When they're on the money they can be annoyingly catchy, even if they'll never reach the upper end of my ratings system. But when Demon Hunter get them wrong they can be pretty high on the cheese factor (see Nickelback, Linkin Park for points of reference). Admittedly, I do get enjoyment out of six of the eleven tracks included however the other five leave me so cold that it cancels out all of the band's hard work. I guess this is just another melodic metalcore record that's not for me really.
3/5
This weekend's top ten list is my Top Ten Atmospheric Black Metal Releases Of All Time:
01. Burzum – “Filosofem” (1996)
02. Akhlys – “The Dreaming I” (2015)
03. Altar of Plagues – “Mammal” (2011)
04. Burzum – “Hvis lyset tar oss” (1994)
05. Wolves In The Throne Room – “Two Hunters” (2007)
06. Paysage d’Hiver – “Im Wald” (2020)
07. Paysage d’Hiver – “Winterkaelte” (2001)
08. Murmuure – “Murmuure” (2010)
09. Lurker Of Chalice – “Lurker Of Chalice” (2005)
10. Darkspace – “Dark Space III” (2008)
A high quality progressive metal collaboration between the legendary Emperor & Opeth front men.