Daniel's Forum Replies

Yeah, this is a really solid outing that might just be my new pick of the Ihsahn solo work I've heard. It's very professionally performed & produced, offers enough traces of genuine black metal to keep the extreme metal tragic in me satisfied & features some really interesting & exciting progressive lead guitar work. There's not a weak track on offer but the Mikael Akerfeldt collaboration piece "Unhealer" is the clear highlight which is an indication that Ihsahn's clean vocals aren't exactly in the same class as his Swedish counterpart. I'd also suggest that the hooks aren't strong enough to push this into the upper ratings but it's hard to be too critical of a package that's this well executed. Perhaps the symphonic more moments don't fit quite as well inside my wheel-house but this is about as "progressive metal" as progressive metal gets & will undoubtedly offer a lot of appeal for fans of bands like Opeth & Enslaved.

4/5

A wonderfully ethereal cover version of English new romantic/synthpop artist Visage's hit single from 1980.

As you probably gathered from my introduction, I've been a MASSIVE fan of this release going right back to the time of release & revisiting it now has proven that it also has the endurance to become one of the elite releases in my life. Is it a metal record? Well... I can see why people might say that as there are certainly some tracks that draw upon doom metal riffs for added weight & support but never as the main focal point of the song-writing. I think it's fair to say that the ethereal darkwave component is much more consistent & prominent & if you like that sound then you'll no doubt gush over this record which amplifies those elements into even more lush & transcendental territories. There's a noticeable "The Dark Side Of The Moon"-era Pink Floyd influence on show at times too which can't be a bad thing. The fairly miserable goth rock vocals might annoy some people but I find them to perfectly suit the atmosphere that's created by the heavily effected guitars & lush synthesizers which don't even sound like they come from this planet most of the time. The consistency of the tracklisting is astounding with almost every track seeming like yet another highlight. I can't recommend this album enough to your more open-minded metalhead. It's nothing spectacular stuff!

5/5

Here's my updated list:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

18. MonumentuM - "In Absentia Christi" (1995)

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)

Meaty & muscular industrial metal from Notting Hill, England.

I absolutely adored Killing Joke's self-titled 2003 album when we featured it in early 2021 so I was really looking forward to seeing what its follow-up had to offer (especially given that its arguably Killing Joke's most popular metal record) & it hasn't disappointed although it hasn't quite made the same impact as its predecessor. The production job is noticeably rougher &, even though this is apparently intentional given that the band felt their previous record was a little too clean, I do find the guitar tone to be a bit disappointing & the drums to sound a little flabby & thin at times. It took me a couple of listens to become accustomed to this but once I got my teeth into the song-writing it was pretty easy to overlook that flaw.

The first three tracks seem to be the clear fan favourites but interestingly (although hardly surprising) I find the less popular inclusions to be the real gems. If you only listened to those first three tracks though you'd likely be given the impression that "Hosannas From the Basements of Hell" isn't actually a metal record because opener "This Tribal Antidote" (the only track I struggle with here) sounds more like the band's early post-punk works than anything else while the title track & the heavily symphonic "Invocation" are much closer to industrial rock than they are to metal. But never fear because the album gets significantly heavier from that point on with an abrasive industrial metal sound taking over for the remainder of the tracklisting. If you're not a patient metalhead & you aren't into a more cerebral style of music then turn around & walk away now because Killing Joke's approach is very repetitive with these long tracks featuring relatively few changes. The aim is to get the listener into a consistent groove that builds in tension gradually over time. It either works for you or it doesn't & luckily for me I'm right onboard with music like this (perhaps helped by my techno days in this regard).

You can detect the post-punk component of Killing Joke's sound in the guitar arpeggios & tribal rhythms employed throughout while front man Jaz Coleman's grindy vocals & beautifully timed & placed keyboard lines are always very effective. You'll have to wait till right to the end of the album to hear the true potential in this material though with the last two songs ("Judas Goat" & "Gratititude") being utterly mind-blowing & the clear album highlights for me. I also love the lengthy "Walking With Gods" which sits in the middle of the tracklisting. It's hard to argue with the pure class that Killing Joke exude here & my hopes for another vitally important record have been richly rewarded, even if I do favour "Hosannas From the Basements of Hell"s wonderful elder sibling by a clear margin.

4/5

Interesting. I have no problem finding both of those Neurosis albums on Spotify from Australia. They must have an alternate streaming service agreement in the UK.

I think he's still the drummer for Suicidal Tendencies, Dead Cross, Fantômas & Misfits too, isn't he? Is this man even human?

So it's just been announced that Dave Lombardo is Gene Hoglan's replacement in Testament.

Fenriz talking about A Blaze in The Northern sky, released 30 years ago: 

“Definitely one major, major point was looking at my collection and [realizing] I had bought maybe five death metal releases from 1990,” explains Fenriz of the stylistic shift. “I was so sick and tired of it, even though it was what we’d trained to play. I mean it was okay to play, but not to listen to other bands. And many other death metal bands came out with disappointing stuff after their promising demos … it became apparent that what we got a kick out of was, to put it simply, Celtic Frost, Motörhead, and Bathory. Throughout 1990 it was more and more of this but the songs we made were still death metal—we had 13/16 beats and shit like that, it was almost jazz—and I was thinking in my head, ‘This professionalism has to go, I want to de-learn playing drums, I want to play primitive and simple, I don’t want to play like a drum solo all the time and make these complicated riffs. Ted and Ivar had also talked between them and said the same damn thing. Then one time they took the car and drove to my place, which was also the rehearsal place, without Dag ’cos he was really into the technical stuff, and said to me, ‘What if we just skip playing all the intricate stuff and just play what we really care about, what we’re listening to, what fires us up?’ And I said, ‘Oh yeah, let’s go guys,’ so we quickly stopped rehearsing the Goatlord material. But we had to use some of the material for the A Blaze album, ’cos we didn’t want to make an EP with just three new total black metal songs. So we made three new black metal songs—‘Kathaarian Life Code,’ ‘In the Shadow of the Horns,’ and ‘Where Cold Winds Blow,’ and the rest would be Goatlord-ish material that was ‘blackened’ because of the studio sound we choose".

March 2022

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

02. Apartment 26 – “Doing It Anyway” (from “Hallucinating”, 2000)

03. Keygen Church – “D I L E R K E F E T” (from “░█░█░░█░█░█░”, 2021)

04. Unheilig – “Seenot” (from “Grosse Freiheit”, 2010)

05. Nine Inch Nails – “Help Me I Am In Hell” (from “Broken” E.P., 1992)

06. Godflesh – “Godhead” (from “Godflesh” E.P., 1988)

07. Scorn – “Suck & Eat Me” (from “Vae Solis”, 1992)

08. Eisbrecher – “Gothkiller” (from “Eiszeit”, 2010)

09. Rob Zombie – “Shake Your Ass-Smoke Your Grass” (from “The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy”, 2021)

10. Ministry – “Good Trouble” (from “Moral Hygiene”, 2021)

11. Skrew – “Cold Angel Press” (from “Burning In Water, Drowning In Flame”, 1992)

12. Rammstein – “Links 2 3 4” (from “Mutter”, 2001)

13. Pitchshifter – “Catharsis” (from “Industrial”, 1991)

14. Old – “Vein Water” (from “Lo Flux Tube”, 1991)

15. Fear Factory – “Purity” (from “Aggression Continuum”, 2021)

16. Static-X – “Permanence” (from “Machine”, 2001)

17. Samael – “Antigod” (from “Lux Mundi”, 2011)

18. Author & Punisher – “Incinerator” (from “Kruller”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

19. Youth Code & King Yosef – “A Mother’s Love” (from “A Skeleton Key In The Doors Of Depression”, 2021)

20. The Amenta – “Cell” (from “Flesh Is Heir”, 2013) [Submitted by Daniel]

21. Red Harvest – “The Itching Scull” (from “Cold Dark Matter”, 2000)

22. Thorns – “Existence” (from “Thorns”, 2001)

23. Lard – “Time To Melt” (from “The Power Of Lard” E.P., 1988)

March 2022

01. 200 Stab Wounds – “Path To Carnage” (from “Slave To The Scalpel”, 2021) [Submitted by Vinny]

02. Shadow Of Intent – “From Ruin… We Rise” (from “Elegy”, 2022)

03. Atræ Bilis – “Bacterium Abloom” (from “Apexapien”, 2021) [Submitted by Vinny]

04. In Mourning – “At The Behest Of Night” (from “The Bleeding Veil”, 2021)

05. Entombed – “Serpent Saints” (from “Serpent Saints - The Ten Amendments”, 2007)

06. Venom Prison – “Comfort Of Complicity” (from “Erebos”, 2022)

07. Psycroptic – “The Colour Of Sleep” (from “The Scepter Of The Ancients”, 2003) [Submitted by Daniel]

08. Begravement – “Valley Of Everlasting Darkness” (from “The Anaphylaxis Demo” demo, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

09. Angelcorpse – “Wolflust” (from “The Inexorable”, 1999) [Submitted by Vinny]

10. Unleashed – “Blood Of Lies” (from “Midvinterblot”, 2006) [Submitted by Ben]

11. Gorguts – “Disincarnated” (from “Considered Dead”, 1991) [Submitted by Ben]

12. Nekrovault – “Eremitorium” (from “Totenzug: Festering Peregrination”, 2020) [Submitted by Ben]

13. Rot – “Fatality?” (from “Cruel Face Of Life”, 1994)

14. Mörser – Doom (The Divine Gift)“” (from “Two Hours Of Doom”, 1997)

15. Malignant Altar – “Belial Rebirth (Metempsychosis)” (from “Realms of Exquisite Morbidity”, 2021) [Submitted by Daniel]

16. Deicide – “Lunatic Of God’s Creation” (from “Deicide”, 1990) [Submitted by Vinny]

17. Morbid Angel – “Cleansed In Pestilence (Blade Of Elohim)” (from “Heretic”, 2003) [Submitted by Daniel]

18. Cannibal Corpse – “Unleashing The Bloodthirsty” (from “Bloodthirst”, 1999) [Submitted by Daniel]

19. Shapeshifter – “Black Liquid” (from “Dark Ritual”, 2022)

20. ZONΞ ΞATΞR vs §E▲ ▓F D▓G§ - “It Swallows” (from “ZONΞ ΞATΞR vs. §E▲ ▓F D▓G§”, 2017)

21. Gruesome Malady – “Malodorous Ejaculation” (from “Infected With Virulent Seed”, 2003)

22. Virum – “Tentacles Of The Sun” (from “Illuminance”, 2016) [Submitted by Ben]

23. Internal Bleeding – “Despoilment Of Rotting Flesh” (from “Voracious Contempt”, 1995)

24. Putrid Pile – “Drenched In Gasoline” (from “Collection Of Butchery”, 2003) [Submitted by Daniel]

25. Immolation – “Apostle” (from “The Age Of No Light”, 2022) [Submitted by Ben]

26. Deeds Of Flesh – “Three Minute Crawlspace” (from “Gradually Melted” E.P., 1995)

27. The Amenta – “Flesh Is Heir” (from “Flesh Is Heir”, 2013) [Submitted by Daniel]

28. Lock Up – “Feeding On the Opiate” (from “Hate Breeds Suffering”, 2002) [Submitted by Daniel]

29. Infected Malignity – “Revenge To Capitalism” (from “The Malignity Born From Despair”, 2006)

30. Concrete Winds – “Nerve Butcherer” (from “Nerve Butcherer”, 2021)

Here's my April playlist submission Andi:

Impending Doom - "Chaos: Reborn" (from "Baptized In Filth", 2012)

Here are my April playlist submissions Vinny:

Bulldozer - "The Death Of Gods" (from "The Final Separation", 1986)

Allegiance - "Chaos Dies" (from "D.E.S.T.I.T.U.T.I.O.N", 1994)

Dark Angel - "Time Does Not Heal" (from "Time Does Not Heal", 1991)

Hirax - "Hate, Fear & Power" (from "Hate, Fear & Power", 1986)

Juggernaut - "Juggernaut" (from "Baptized Under Fire", 1986)

Messiah - "Messiah" (from "Hymn To Abramelin", 1986)

Here are my April playlist submissions Ben:

Endstille - "Satanarchie" (from "Infektion 1813", 2012)

Teitanblood - "Cadaver Synod" (from "Death", 2014)

Enslaved - "Ridicule Swarm" (from "Below The Lights", 2003)

These are my submissions for the April playlist:

Nile - "The Black Flame" (from "Black Seeds Of Vengeance", 2000)

7 Horns 7 Eyes - "Divine Amnesty" (from "Throes Of Absolution", 2012)

Cannibal Corpse - "Compelled To Lacerate" (from "Gore Obsessed", 2002)

The Amenta - "Mictlan" (from "Mictlan" E.P., 2002)

Suffocation - "Surgery Of Impalement" (from "Souls To Deny", 2004)

Blood Red Throne - "Altered Genesis" (from "Altered Genesis", 2005)

Here's my submission for the April playlist Saxy:

Chevelle - "Family System" (from "Wonder What's Next", 2002)

Here are my submissions for the April playlist Sonny:

Ahab - "The Hunt" (from "The Call Of The Wretched Sea", 2006)

Paradise Lost - "Gothic" (from "Gothic", 1991)

Neurosis - "Through Silver In Blood" (from "Through Silver In Blood", 1996)

Here's the plan for the April feature releases:

THE FALLEN: Daniel, Sonny, Ben

THE GATEWAY: Andi, Saxy S

THE GUARDIANS: Andi, Vinny, Xephyr

THE HORDE: Ben, Daniel, Vinny

THE INFINITE: Saxy S, Andi, Xephyr

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

THE PIT: Vinny, Ben, Daniel, Sonny

THE REVOLUTION: Daniel, Andi

THE SPHERE: Daniel

Experimental slam death metal from New Jersey, USA.

Dripping - "Disintegration of Thought Patterns During a Synthetic Mind Traveling Bliss" (2002)

New Jersey's Dripping clearly didn't take themselves too seriously as this short 21 minute novelty release draws together some particularly brutal if fairly generic slam death metal (complete with ultra-fast grind blast-beat sections, exaggerated Suffocation-style slam riffs & dual vocals featuring high-pitched screams & super-gutteral extended pig grunts) with techy melodic parts that remind me of Atheist & then layers a whole bunch of abstract samples that have no place in an extreme metal release over the top. Does it all work? Well, in a word no it doesn't... but that doesn't mean it's not a fun listen. The blast-beats suffer from the same issue that I have with 99% of the BDM artists that attempt to go this fast in that they struggle for power & precision. I greatly prefer a vocalist that attempts to make actual words too while the production isn't real flash. But strangely I can't divert my attention away from this car crash of an album. It's quirky & childish but somewhat endearing at the same time.

3.5/5

Amazing news Vinny! Congratulations from not only Metal Academy & its members but also the entire global metal community. We shall all celebrate by getting drunk & rowdy, raising our death claws to the sky & shouting the wrong lyrics to Manowar battle anthems

It's not my favourite black metal release of all time any more but it's hard to argue with that statement Sonny. I bought "A Blaze In the Northern Sky" upon release & it utterly reset my mind. I was already a First Wave fan by that stage but this shit took that sound to another level & saw black metal stepping up alongside my beloved death/thrash metal obsession.

A gorgeous post-metal builder from this post-black/doom metal solo act from San Francisco, USA.

Lurker of Chalice - "Lurker of Chalice" (2005)

Sonny, I highly recommend that you get onto this Post-Black/Doom Metal masterpiece if you haven't already. I'll be very surprised if it doesn't hit right on your musical sweet spot.

Lurker of Chalice - "Lurker of Chalice" (2005)

I have to admit that when I first encountered this unique release I was completely unprepared for what was in store for me. That was back in 2009 & I was still yet to allow myself to become completely immersed in the incredible atmospherics of the post-metal movement so I was still looking to hear an ultra-aggressive Satanic blast-fest when I put on a "black metal" record & that's certainly not what I got from "Lurker of Chalice" so I was left struggling to come to grips with my disappointment rather than treating the record on it's merits. Since that time a lot has changed in my world & this revisit has seen me being completely opened up to the charms of what is essentially a pretty indescribable extreme metal release.

"Lurker of Chalice" is generally tagged as Atmospheric Black Metal & there's little doubt that this subgenre plays a strong role in the outcome however there's a lot more to this album than that. In fact, I'd suggest that there's probably as much Doom Metal (often venturing all the way over to the Funeral Doom end of the equation) & Post-Metal on offer as there is Black Metal & I've found it very hard to identify an easy pigeon-hole with which to place "Lurker of Chalice". The best I can do is to label it as Post-Black/Doom Metal which I feel is the fairest assessment. I love the croaky vocals which are beautifully placed towards the back of the mix so that they seem to contribute more to the atmospherics than they do guide the listener down their dark path. Interestingly I find the pure black metal sections to be the least engaging inclusions with the stunning Post-Metal atmospheres & cripplingly depressive yet still decidedly beautiful doom metal parts grabbing me by the balls & dragging me into territories of appreciation that I never expected to venture with this artist. It's an emotionally engaging experience that leaves me feeling thoroughly rewarded, even if the more conventional atmospheric black metal track "Granite" is pretty flat when compared to the other material.

4.5/5

The hour is at hand Sonny. The moment where the three moons of Cthulhu are aligned for the first time. Feel the strength & power of the Ancient Ones (our true rulers) surge through your veins for your time of metal glory is finally upon us. May we all cower & recoil from your ascendance to the dark throne as it been written for eons past. May the ten thousand minions of Hell bow down to the majesty of the undying flame of Lord Sonny as your inevitable destiny eventuates in emphatic fashion while all but the most feeble & cowardous watch on in awe. Oh, it is a truly glorious day that shall be spoken of only in whispers, passed down through a millennia of unrelenting darkness. A reign that shall never end. A reign that shall define our very existence.

The highly influential title track from a very important English death/doom record.

Paradise Lost - "Gothic" (1991)

I can distinctly remember the impact that this album made on the extreme metal scene at the time & rightly so but I have to admit that I've never rated it as highly as most death/doom fans seem to. There are some great atmospheric moments here but it does still sound like a work in progress to me rather than the finished product. The introduction of gothic elements such as female vocals & symphonics add a lot of interest however the gothic parts don't always hit the spot for mine. Gregor Mackintosh's guitar skills were still very basic at this stage too. He spends far too much time floating in & out of key for my liking as he clearly had no theoretical understanding of music. It's pretty amazing that he manages to hit such transcendent melodies at times when you take that into consideration, Nick Holmes death growls are outstanding & are probably the highlight of the album for me personally.

The album kicks off really well with the gothic-inspired title track (arguably the best & most ambitious piece on the album) & the more traditionally focused death metal number "Dead Emotion" being fine examples of the band's atmospheric skills but I find the two tracks that follow (i.e. "Shattered" & "Rapture") to be decidedly flat which means that the rest of the album is spent trying to recover (which it admittedly does reasonably well). "Eternal", "Angel Tears" & "Desolate" are all very strong but overall I'm left feeling a touch underwhelmed for such a highly regarded & important record. Perhaps it's that Paradise Lost aren't all that special at the classic death metal sound that makes up part of the album & I'm not the biggest gothic metal fan in the world either. Still... there's no argument from me when it comes to the unique atmosphere that Paradise Lost were able to create here & I enjoy the experience whenever I return to "Gothic"

3.5/5

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.