Daniel's Forum Replies

Daniel, if you are enamoured with IE's Alive in Athens I would strongly recommend the double disc set, Days of Purgatory (my particular favourite Iced Earth release). It features re-recorded versions of previous IE tracks with vocalist Matt Barlow who sings on Alive in Athens and it's songs  makes up most of the playlist of AiE.

I'm very well versed with Iced Earth's 90's material Sonny but have to admit that I've somehow managed to overlook "Days Of Purgatory" despite enjoying the majority of their other albums from the period. I'll add it to the list so as to complete the set.

I wouldn't say that I'm particularly knowledgeable about this topic however I've never heard anything on releases that are generally regarded as epic doom that left me feeling that they needed their own subgenre to be honest. If we take a look at what I said in my summary of "New Dark Age" a few months ago:

"Solstice are fairly hard to categorize in my opinion. Are they doom metal? Yeah, sometimes. Are they heavy metal? Well... yeah... they are at times too. But I'd suggest that their sound doesn't sit all that well under either banner as they're more up-tempo & melodic than you would usually expect from a doom metal band. There's an obvious NWOBHM influence about them with the twin-guitar harmonies of Iron Maiden providing plenty of inspiration but they also possess a down-tuned heaviness that simultaneously defies the heavy metal label. I guess that's why people came up with the epic doom tag but, despite the epic characteristics of some of this material, I don't really think it's necessary to be honest. The traditional doom metal tag was created to cover a heavy metal infused doom sound & I think it would have served the purpose just fine here too."

It's worth noting that I don't even like to label "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" as traditional doom metal if I'm being honest. It's true doom metal as far as I'm concerned. Possibly the very FIRST true doom metal release actually. Sure there's some classic heavy metal inspired material on there but not all that much in comparison to the doom component which is amongst the doomiest doom that anyone had heard to the time.

I'm certainly open to being proven wrong here though so perhaps you can school us all on this topic Sonny.

Despite my real passion for Anneke van Giersbergen's gorgeous & powerful vocals, my favourite track from The Gathering's highly regarded 1995 "Mandylion" album is actually this ominous, majestic & heavily Dead Can Dance inspired tribal ambient piece.

I last reviewed "Mandylion" way back in 2013 & don't think that I've returned to it since so it's been really interesting to find that my initial review pretty much exactly summarizes my feelings today even though I didn't read it until after I'd given the album a full four listens over the last couple of days. Here's my slightly updated review:

It’s been quite a while since I last listened to The Gathering’s “Mandylion” but it still serves its purpose nicely. Admittedly I think it sounds a little dated at times which probably comes down to the simplicity of some of the instrumentation but Anneke’s voice never gets old. I don’t think she soars quite as much as I remember her doing on the follow-up album “Nighttime Birds” so the highlights are not quite as spectacular but she certainly carries the band through the slightly flatter moments on this record before really taking off on the last couple of tracks. It’s a very consistent release with no weak tracks. The first half generally receives most of the praise but I think my favourite songs are the last three (the heavily Dead Can Dance influenced title track, the epic atmospherics of “Sand and Mercury” & beautiful closer “In Motion #2”). It’s here that I find the tingles appearing up my spine thanks to Anneke’s stunning performance. The best moments from an instrumental point of view are generally those where there’s a bit more complexity as the more basic sections are where The Gathering start to flatten out a little. It’s the type of album that sneaks up on you though & I find myself wanting to give it repeat listens as it’s really very pleasant on the ears which is a nice change for a metal album. I was pretty close to going for the extra half mark here but I think 4/5 is a fairer assessment of the quality on offer.

For fans of The 3rd & the Mortal, Theatre Of Tragedy & Tiamat.

4/5

I'm sure Daniel must have an opinion at the very least. He's never short of one.

Damn right I do Ben. This is my sweet spot right here. Before I give you my top ten, here's a few things worth noting:

1. I haven't considered Terrorizer's "World Downfall" for inclusion as I regard it as a straight-up grindcore record rather than a death metal or deathgrind one. Otherwise it would have come in at number three on my list as it was a big release for me personally.

2. I've included the Sepultura & Protector releases despite their generally being more closely linked to thrash metal. The first couple of Sepultura releases are about a 50/50 death/thrash combination in my opinion while the Protector E.P. is pretty much a mid-way transition point between "Seven Churches" & Morbid Angel so I've never understood why it's not regarded as an early death metal release in all honesty.

3. I've omitted Sepultura's "Bestial Devastation" E.P. (despite the fact that it's strong enough for inclusion when viewed in isolation) due to the fact that it was only available as a part of the split E.P. with Overdose during the 1980's which reduces its quality & also makes it more thrash oriented as an overall package. "Bestial Devastation" was re-released as its own entity in the early 1990's but came with an additional re-recording.

Anyway.... here's my top ten death metal releases of the 1980's:

01. Morbid Angel – “Altars Of Madness” (1989)

02. Carcass – “Symphonies Of Sickness” (1989)

03. Pestilence – “Consuming Impulse” (1989)

04. Death – “Leprosy” (1988)

05. Protector – “Misanthropy” E.P. (1987) 

06. Bolt Thrower – “Realm Of Chaos” (1989)

07. Morbid Angel – “Abominations Of Desolation” (1986)

08. Sepultura – “Morbid Visions” (1986)

09. Death – “Scream Bloody Gore” (1987)

10. Obituary – “Slowly We Rot” (1989)

A simply outstanding review Xephyr. Loved it! It really sums up my feelings on the album beautifully.

Blistering Canadian power metal with classic metal influences that kinda sounds like Gamma Ray meets "Painkiller"-era Judas Priest.

I sit very much in the same boat as Vinny with the power metal genre in general but this release has smashed any expectations I may have had coming into it. In fact, I think it's just become my new favourite power metal record (at least as far as studio releases go as Iced Earth's "Alive In Athens" would still maintain the crown overall). This album is metal as fuck &, despite the fact that it sits very much on the US side of the power metal equation for the most part, I'd suggest that a decent point of reference would be Gamma Ray meets "Painkiller"-era Judas Priest. I absolutely love the shredding guitar tone, the slaying solos, the machine gun double kick drum & most of all those stunningly powerful vocals which have the ability to challenge even the true greats of melodic metal. I don't even mind the occasional vocal foray into extreme metal to tell you the truth.

There are certainly a few tracks that are instrumentally a little less impressive than others but Brittney Slayes manages to lift them up to much greater levels of appeal than they probably deserve through brilliantly executed harmonies, unwavering conviction & a total commitment to her craft. The lacklustre "Earth and Ashes" is probably the only song that she can't revive & the clean male vocals on that track are a big disappointment in comparison to his engaging front woman. Interestingly, while the record starts off pretty strongly, the middle of the tracklisting is where the real sweet spot is with the four track run from "Cleanse the Bloodlines" through to the killer album highlight "Ten Thousand Against One" leaving me thrashing around like it was my first time hearing high quality metal. As with the first few tracks, the album finishes with a couple of solid numbers that don't hit quite as hard as the outstanding mid-section however anyone even remotely into power metal should get right on this.

4/5 

My favourite track from Japanese outfit Dir en Grey's 2008 "Uroboros" album is this progressive example of the alternative metal sound. For fans of Mr. Bungle, System Of A Down & Korn.

I can't say that I enjoy "Uroboros" anywhere near as much as Andi does but I can't deny that it has a unique charm about it. The production & musicianship certainly made it a much more appealing prospect than it may otherwise have been & I respect the over-arching ambition behind a lot of this material. There's a whole plethora of different influences getting tossed around here but if I had to find the best description for Dir en Grey's sound it would be "progressive nu metal" which isn't a term that I ever thought I'd hear myself utter before now. Sure there are a couple of tracks that take a more conventional alternative metal route (see "Torugo" & "Dozing Green") but there's far more material that sounds like Korn in my opinion. There's a general aura of experimentation about the album that sometimes crosses over into the genuinely avant-garde on tracks like "Red Soil" & "Reiketsu nariseba" however when taken in holistically you'll find that the album is more progressive than it it bizarre with "Glass Skin", "Ware, yami tote..." & "Inconvenient Ideal" all residing firmly within the confines of the progressive rock banner.

There are a couple of things that I struggle with a little here. Firstly, I'd be lying if I said that the Japanese language vocals don't annoy me a touch. Kyo is clearly influenced pretty heavily by Mike Patton's more psychotic efforts & does his level best to create the most unusual & polarizing sounds imaginable at times. At others he goes for a deep deathcore grunt that I find pretty annoying while his normal singing voice is nothing out the ordinary for Japanese metal & sees him achieving a mixture of rocks & diamonds. The other qualm I have with the album is its general quirkiness. The word "quirky" & I don't get on & never have. I like my music to be predominantly fairly serious so the eccentricities of Dir en Grey's sound sometimes go straight over my head. As do some of the nu metal riffs.

But at the end of the day, it's hard not to like a record that's this artistically challenging & well-executed, even if it is a little jerky at times.

For fans of Mr. Bungle, System Of A Down & Korn.

3.5/5

This Aussie progressive metal record is horribly underrated in my opinion:

A beautifully realised example of progressive metal mixed with various widely disparate influences. For fans of Tool, Karnivool & Soen.

Xephyr, this was an absolute beauty of a feature release selection mate. I loved every minute of it & are baffled as to why I didn't know about this band earlier given that they're Aussies. Andi & saxy, you definitely need to get onto this one.

Here's my review link:

https://metal.academy/reviews/21388/25331

4.5/5

Just finished listening to this playlist. Was a great reminder of just how much I love those W.A.S.P. & Diamond Head tracks which are some of my favourites from those respective bands & undisputed heavy metal classics for me overall. I quite like the Riot track but my God they don't even try to hide the fact that they're trying to rewrite Judas Priest's "Exciter" there, did they? (Check it out Andi.) I haven't listened to that Nevermore album in years & years but really enjoyed that song so I might have to return to it some time soon. I have a soft spot for the Yngwie Malmsteen & Dokken tracks from my childhood & Vinny has really dug deep with a couple of his inclusions which added some intrigue. Overall it was an interesting listen from a clan that I generally regard as being the lest attractive for me personally.

An unbelievably epic example of Finnish progressive black metal for fans of Hail Spirit Noir, A Forest Of Stars & Nachtmystium.

Ok, so Sonny's ridiculously strong run of June form continues here as "Värähtelijä" is quite frankly another spectacular release from one of the absolute elite performers in modern metal. Oranssi Pazuzu's 2020 album "Mestarin kynsi" absolutely blew my head off & not only topped my end of year list but also made my all-time greatest metal releases chart. Its older sibling takes a very similar approach to that classic release only it's more overtly psychedelic & the black metal component is a touch more significant, even though there's still very little actual black metal in the instrumentation. The grim & gravel-throated vocals are sensational of course. As is the use of tribal beats & repetition to create a truly cerebral experience that's so far up my alley it's not funny. You'll definitely be able to hear the space rock & krautrock influences all over the place here but, as with "Mestarin kynsi", I'm gonna make the bold claim that this is more of a post-metal record than a black metal one & there's very little doubt in my mind that it belongs in The Infinite. A blackened post-metal tag seems like a pretty good fit to me as opposed to the commonly used post-black metal one which indicates that the basis is in black metal which it clearly isn't. Those long atmospheric build-ups, the huge crescendos & the more textured & layered composition all have a lot in common with Swans with the guitars generally adding colour over the powerful basslines rather than playing traditional riffs.

In the end the only reason that I haven't dished out the full five stars here is that the couple of more avant-garde tracks ("Hypnotisoitu viharukous" & "Havuluu") don't offer quite the same sort of next-level appeal that highlights like "Lahja", the title track & the absolutely epic eighteen minute centrepiece "Vasemman käden hierarkia" do but I'll be very surprised if any admirer of extreme art doesn't become enamored with the sheer class & ambition that shine through across the entirety of "Värähtelijä". It's simultaneously gorgeous & lush as well as dark & ominous which is a sure sign of a superior artist.

For fans of Hail Spirit Noir, A Forest Of Stars & Nachtmystium.

4.5/5 

Yes

That version of "Am I Evil?" is actually in this month's playlist Vinny.

Welcome to the Academy Paul. We're very please to have you. The first thing I wanted to ask was whether you're happy with residing in just the one clan. All new members have to option to choose up to three. Let me know if you'd like to add any more & I can arrange it for you.

A wonderfully atmospheric & cerebral post-sludge excursion from the Massachusetts gods of metalcore.

Converge - "Axe To Fall" (2009)

I dunno why it's taken me so long to get around to checking out Massachusetts metalcore legends Converge's 2009 seventh album "Axe To Fall" as they've been a pretty big band for me for a long time now & never leave me disappointed. There's no exception being made here either as we see the band presenting us with their most ambitious offering to the time & collaborating with a number of mutually-respected musicians to great effect. The album really sounds very fluent & well-defined despite covering a fair amount of musical territory & I particularly enjoy the contribution from Neurosis' Steve Von Till given my strong affiliations with the post-metal masters.

Converge's classic metallic hardcore sound receives good coverage & is complemented by some straight-up hardcore punk tracks ("Effigy", "Losing Battle", "Dead Beat" & "Slave Driver"), a sludge metal monster ("Worms Will Feed, Rats Will Feast") & even a couple of more atmospheric & cerebral post-sludge excursions ( "Cruel Bloom" which reminds me very much of Tom Waits meets Neurosis & the epic album high point that closes out the album "Wretched World"). They've included just enough compositional complexity to keep the listener on their toes & reminded of the elite class of the artist they're indulging in without ever feeling overly showy or pretentious which is a rare quality in this form of art. The production & musicianship are unsurprisingly spectacular too, particularly my man Ben Koller behind the kit who is always the highlight for me. Front man Jacob Bannon puts in one of his best performances too which is well appreciated given that I haven't always loved his delivery. He seems to have gotten better with age with more weight behind his screaming violence.

Unlike most fans, I've never regarded Converge's early 2000's classics as their creative peak, despite the undoubted quality they offer. I've always found the band's appeal to grow stronger as they started to take alternative routes & expand on their sound with 2012's "All We Love We Leave Behind" representing a real highlight for the metalcore subgenre & my personal favourite. "Axe To Fall" very much leaves the impression of being the entrée for that main course & I subsequently rank it as my second favourite Converge release these days. It should be essential listening for all fans of more serious metalcore/hardcore.

For fans of The Chariot, Every Time I Die & Norma Jean.

4/5

P.S. The album cover is absolutely stunning too & beautifully compliments the music in my opinion.

Welcome Makntak. I think you'll fit in nicely around here. We have a broad cross-section of age groups at the Academy but have found some of our more seasoned members to be amongst our most devoted & most valued in the community. We've built a completely inclusive environment here at MA & intend on keeping it totally free of the sort of judgement & elitism you'll often find at other metal sites so we encourage our members to indulge themselves in whatever way they feel & to share as much of your thoughts & feelings as they like. There's absolutely no subgenre bias allowed.

Here are a few cool features to check out if you'd like to get amongst it early:

1. The monthly feature releases for each clan are released on the first day of every month & are chosen by our clan members in a rotating roster. All of our members then rate, review & discuss the chosen releases on dedicated forum threads. You can find the whole list of June feature releases under the FEATURED tab with links to the threads. If you'd like to be added to the rosters for some (or all) of your three clans then let me know.

2. Each month we release a two-hour Spotify playlist for each clan. Each playlist has a portion of its tracklisting made up of tracks that are nominated by the members of the associated clan so that it truly represents that clan's current listening habits. You'll see that there is a playlist suggestions thread in each clan where you can make your submissions & each clan has its own limitations for how much runtime each member can submit for inclusion. Let me know if you'd like to be a part of that & I can adjust the associated playlist limits to include you.

3. Under the LISTS tab you'll find the CLAN CHALLENGES. These challenges enable a member to earn a fourth clan of their choice. Some people love the idea while others (like myself) are happy with just the three. Maybe check it out & see if it's for you.

4. And finally, we love to see as much rating, review & forum activity as possible so go nuts! This is a great place to meet like-minded people & you'll find that once we all learn a bit about your unique taste profile you'll be getting some great recommendations from the rest of our members. This is probably the best part about being a member of the Academy actually. We look after each other.

Have fun & we hope to see you around!

Sonny, you were on fire with your submissions this month. Those Apostle Of Solitude & Sepulcros tracks are absolutely superb.

It's a big no from me as well gents. Not much metal on offer there as far as I can see. Let's wait & see if anyone else has an alternative view point before talking about how we proceed from here. In the meantime, have a think about what you'd do with Sky Eats Airplane in the event that we elect to remove the Nintendocore subgenre.

Ok so it's becoming very clear that most of our regular contributors don't feel that the HORSE The Band & Fucking Werewolf Asso tracks qualify as metal. Both are pretty indicative of what you can expect to hear across the tracklistings of their respective releases in my opinion. As is the Sky Eats Airplane track actually. So where does this leave us? Well it's a mixed result given that the Sky Eats Airplane track is undeniably metallic. But is that band just a one-off &, if so, does it warrant it's own subgenre of metal? To provide a little more clarity & substance to the discussion, why don't we check out one final track from the only other noteworthy Nintendocore act outside of the three that we've already investigated & see if it gives us a clear consensus.

Here's the guidelines for playlist submissions for July 2021:

THE FALLEN: 24 min each clan member, no track limits

THE GATEWAY: 30 min each clan member, no track limits, one track for non-clan members

THE GUARDIANS: 30 min each clan member, no track limits

THE HORDE: 30 min each clan member, no track limits

THE INFINITE: 30 min each clan member, no track limits

THE NORTH: 24 min each clan member, no track limits

THE PIT: 30 min each clan member, no track limits

THE REVOLUTION: 30 min each clan member, no track limits, one track for non-clan members

THE SPHERE: 30 min each clan member, no track limits, one track for non-clan members

If any new members are interested in being added to the contributors list then please let me know as I'll have to make adjustments to the submission guidelines listed above.

Here's the list of feature release contributors for July 2021:

THE FALLEN: Sonny

THE GATEWAY: saxy

THE GUARDIANS: Andi

THE HORDE: Ben

THE INFINITE: saxy

THE NORTH: Ben

THE PIT: Sonny

THE REVOLUTION: Andi

THE SPHERE: Daniel

If any new members are interested in being added to the contributors list then please let me know & I'll have you included in the roster moving forwards.

Just to be clear Andi, I never said that this experiment was going to decide the fate of Nintendocore. I was just interested to see if people generally agreed with me before talking to Ben about what direction to take. Also, the votes that have come in aren't people saying that they want Nintendocore releases to be made non-metal. They're simply saying that they don't believe that those particular tracks should be classified as metal. I'm expecting a couple more votes to come in & will then have a discussion with Ben about where things stand. I'm not looking to analyse any additional subgenres until this one is resolved.

I might also try reviewing that Virgin Steele album from the other day as well...

It’ll be much more up your alley than it is mine Andi so I’d encourage you to go down that path.

Brilliant mid-80's heavy/power metal from Florida USA for fans of Queensryche, Savatage & Virgin Steele.

My revised list as of 30th May 2021:

25. Metallica - "Master Of Puppets" (1986)

24. Dead Congregation - "Promulgation Of The Fall" (2014)

23. Darkthrone - "Transilvanian Hunger" (1994)

22. Carcass - "Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious" (1991)

21. ISIS - "Panopticon" (2004)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

09. Death - "Human" (1991)

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

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

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

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

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

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

02. Burzum - "Filosofem" (1996)

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

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: Rainbow – “Rising”

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: Exodus – “Another Lesson In Violence”

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: Wolves In The Throne Room – “Two Hunters”

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

2009: Alice In Chains – “Black Gives Way To Blue”

2010: Deathspell Omega - "Paracletus"

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

2012: Deftones - "Koi no Yokan"

2013: Gorguts - "Colored Sands"

2014: Dead Congregation - "Promulgation Of The Fall"

2015: Mgla - "Exercise In Futility"

2016: Leprous - "Live At Rockefeller Music Hall"

Crimson Glory - "Crimson Glory" (1986)

Andi & Xephyr, now that I've warmed you up with "Transcendence", let's move on to the real deal because Crimson Glory's debut is not only a step up in class from their sophomore record but it's also a top ten heavy metal release for me overall. The stunning vocal hooks & harmonies, the searing guitar solos, the anthemic atmosphere.... it's all there & it's a testament to the quality of this release that it still makes such a significant impact on me after all these years. Vinny, you should get on this one too if you haven't already.

For fans of Queensryche, Savatage & Virgin Steele.

4.5/5

P.S. Much like "Transcendence" , I have to question the relevance of the US power metal tag that seems to so often be associated with Crimson Glory. There's one (possibly two) tracks that fit that mould but the majority of the tracklisting isn't anything drastically different to what the Priests & Maidens were doing so I see no reason to differentiate it as such. It seems to me that some people get so hung up on the operatic & slightly more theatrical vocal style of records like this one that they try to drag them into power metal territory unjustly but should remember that the Halford's & Dickinson's are also known to head in that direction but don't tend to be treated in the same way.

A great little heavy metal anthem from the great Dane's solo catalogue. For fans of Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest & Angel Witch.

King Diamond - "Them" (1988)

It may surprise a few of you to learn that I actually prefer King Diamond's solo material over anything that Mercyful Fate have ever released. I understand that that opinion is a little bit out of character for an old-school extreme metal fan like myself however I simply can't go past the more modern sounding metal-as-fuck approach & Andy LaRocque's stunning lead guitar work on records like 1987's "Abigail" (my King record of choice) & 1989's "Conspiracy". Unfortunately for 1998's "Them" album, it's surrounded on both sides by those two great records which has perhaps tainted my opinion of it a touch in comparison.

"Them" relies significantly more on its sinister storyline than either of those releases did as they contained some more immediately impactful heavy metal anthems. Lyrical themes have never been something that I've cared all that much about compared to other metal fans anyway to be honest. Concept albums? Even less so as it often annoys me that the music is forced in directions that it shouldn't naturally go in order to promote a unified storyline which more often than not sees the tracklisting being tainted by filler (at least from a purely musical point of view). So what I'm really trying to say here is that even though I enjoy almost all of "Them", I find that it's lacking in genuine highlight tracks & has been short-changed in the memorability department in comparison to the other late 80's King Diamond albums. There's no doubt that it's a pretty good heavy metal record performed by skilled craftsmen but at the same time I don't think it ever sees me making a glorious metal claw & holding it aloft towards the heavens. Ultimately I just think it's a little bit overrated.

For fans of Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest & Angel Witch.

3.5/5

High quality US power metal from New York with a symphonic edge. For fans of Manowar, Savatage & Jag Panzer.

And what happens if this is voted a no then Andi? Does that mean that you'll never listen to it again & will remove your review so that you won't be linked to death metal?

For the record, I'll be voting no here.

I don't like to be a downer but I do think it opens up a huge can of worms if we're to start adding non-metal bands that happen to offer appeal to metalheads. It's hard enough to ensure that we get all of the relevant metal bands & releases into the database without adding to the challenge with bands that the the site was never really intended for.

Ben, what are your thoughts on this?

Crimson Glory - "Transcendence" (1988)

Xephyr, saxy & Andi, I would think this one should be essential listening for you guys.

Brilliantly brooding Florida heavy metal from the late 80's. For fans of Queensrÿche, Fates Warning & Savatage.

Crimson Glory - "Transcendence" (1988)

I've always favoured Crimson Glory's debut over this sophomore effort however there's not much in it as they're both really high quality metal records. "Transcendence" sits somewhere between the classic Iron Maiden/Judas Priest heavy metal sound & the more progressive Queensrÿche/Fates Warning one. There's some great vocal hooks & guitar solos & the song-writing quality is very consistent throughout with no weak tracks included however there's probably not enough genuine classics to have me reaching for the higher scores. Vocalist Midnight is pretty amazing though & is the obvious focal point with his operatic style being heavily influenced by Queensrÿche's Geoff Tate. "In Dark Places" is the clear highlight for me & is a perfect example of this style of heavy metal. It stays with me for days after each listen. For fans of Queensrÿche, Fates Warning & Savatage.

4/5

I've had a really great time with this month's feature releases. The option to have our clan members submit their own features has added an extra layer of intrigue & enthusiasm that's added to both my motivation & my enjoyment. Here's the winners & losers for me this month in order of preference with Ben getting a glowing report for giving me not one but TWO new entries into my personal Hall of Metal Glory:

THE HORDE: Suffocation - "Despise The Sun" E.P. (1998) 5/5

THE FALLEN: Dolorian - "Dolorian" (2001) 4.5/5

THE PIT: Grip Inc. - "Nemesis" (1997) 4.5/5

THE SPHERE: Fear Factory - "Demanufacture" (1995) 4/5

THE GATEWAY: Loathe - "I Let It In & It Took Everything" (2020) 4/5

THE INFINITE: Dream Theater - "Train Of Thought" (2003) 4/5

THE GUARDIANS: Grand Magus - "Hammer Of The North" (2010) 4/5

THE REVOLUTION: Born Of Osiris - "The Discovery" (2011) 4/5

THE NORTH: Funereal Presence - "Achatius" (2019) 3/5

The Suffocation release was always gonna come out on top as it's one of my all-time favourite records & comes from my favourite band but the Dolorian & Grip Inc. releases  were both new to me & frankly blew me away. I was already well acquainted with the Fear Factory album of course so it was no real surprise when I found that it still does it for me but a return visit to Born Of Osiris' "The Discovery" saw me bumping my score up a touch from my previous review of a decade ago. The Loathe, Dream Theater & Grand Magus records are all very solid & ticked all of my boxes with only Funereal presence failing to capture me. I'm really looking forward to the start of the new month so I can get stuck into a new batch of feature releases now.

Xephyr & Sonny, make sure you remember to get your submissions in for The Guardians, The infinite & The North.

You'll undoubtedly enjoy this album Andi & I would definitely have recommended it to you if not for your recent position on death metal (which doesn't seem to be being all that strictly adhered to if the above is anything to go by).

Cryptic Shift - "Visitations From Enceladus" (2020)

Ben & Vinny, have you checked out this progressive death/thrash debut from Leeds, England yet? It's a high quality effort that reminds me of Vektor, Voivod & Gorguts. 

High quality progressive death/thrash from Leeds, England. For fans of Vektor, Voivod & Gorguts.

Cryptic Shift - "Visitations From Enceladus" (2020)

I was recommended this album by the father of my four-year old daughter's best friend recently & thought I'd give it a crack. Cryptic Shift are a four-piece outfit from Leeds, England whose highly ambitious debut album can be described as progressive death/thrash. Imagine a combination of Vektor, Voivod & Gorguts & you won't be too far off the mark. There's only four tracks included with the opener being an absolute beast at 26 minutes in duration but the quality is consistent throughout. The musicianship & execution is excellent & my interest is maintained throughout the run time although I never quite found myself quite hitting that top tier. Nonetheless, "Visitations From Enceladus" is a very solid first up outing from a quality artist but why does the album title make me feel like ordering Mexican food?

4/5

Lost Horizon - "A Flame To The Ground Beneath" (2003)

Xephyr & Andi, I suggest you check out this Swedish power metal album if you haven't already.

Early 2000's Swedish power metal for fans of Helloween, Gamma Ray & Blind Guardian.

Lost Horizon - "A Flame To The Ground Beneath" (2003)

The 2003 sophomore album from Swedish power metallers Lost Horizon has never sounded like an attractive prospect to this extreme metal fan however, after taking the plunge over the last couple of days, I've had to admit that I've been missing out. Sure there's a great deal of cheesy keyboard pomposity on offer throughout "A Flame To the Ground Beneath" however the shredding guitar work & high quality upper-register vocals are a real drawcard along with the brilliant three minute dark ambient pieces that bookend the tracklisting. There's even a bit Manowar in some of the slower & more epic sections along with a touch of Dream Theater in the vocal melodies & phrasing. I was genuinely surprised at just how much I enjoyed this album & would actually go so far as to say that it I place it a close second to Blind Guardian's "Imaginations From The Other Side" for my favourite power metal record overall. It's a pity about the God-awful cover art though.

For fans of Helloween, Gamma Ray & Blind Guardian.

4/5

Amongst the absolute pinnacles of brutal death metal. For fans of Dying Fetus, Cryptopsy & Nile.