Daniel's Forum Replies

To the surprise of absolutely no one, "Despise The Sun" has always been one of my very favourite death metal releases from arguably my favourite metal band. In fact, I rate it ahead of classics like "Effigy Of The Forgotten" & "Human Waste" these days with only "Pierced From Within" managing to top it. No one can compete with Suffocation for sophistication & controlled brutality & Frank Mullen's vocals are up there with the best in all of death metal. There's not as much of a reliance on those twisted guitar solos on this release however the sheer weight of this material means that it doesn't actually need it. An unmitigated classic in every sense.

For fans of Dying Fetus, Cryptopsy & Nile.

5/5 

Nekromantheon - "Visions Of Trismegistos" (2021)

Ben, if you don't think thrash metal has the potential to produce any more underground classics then think again. You need to hear this one.

An absolute belter of an opening track from the brand new album from Norwegian thrashers Nekromantheon. For fans of Kreator, Destruction & Razor.

What an utterly superb example of modern speed metal-driven European thrash "Visions of Trismegistos" is then!!! I'm blown away by the stunningly clear & precise production job & the sheer ferocity & professionalism in the execution. Those Morbid Angel inspired solos simply tear me to shreds too. The vocals could probably have been a little stronger but I absolutely loved this record Sonny & I want to thank you for bringing it to my attention as it'll very likely be making an appearance in my year-end list.

For fans of Kreator, Destruction & Razor.

4.5/5

Ultra-raw English thrash metal for fans of Slayer, Annihilated & Kreator.

Gave "Rather Death Than False Of Faith" a few spins yesterday Sonny. I was initially put off by the awful production & sloppy performances (particularly the incompetent solos) however repeat listens saw me buying into the brash & overthetop brand of European style thrash that Hydra Vein are pushing. There's plenty of Slayer, Anihilated & Kreator on offer as well as the occasion foray with the Bay Area ala Exodus/Testament. I didn't mind it in the end although I don't think it was helped by the fact that a couple of the weaker songs reside in the opening three as I certainly found my enjoyment levels growing as the tracklisting progressed. I'll go with a respectable 3.5/5.

Yeah it's funny you mention it Xephyr as I discussed this in another clan forum only a couple of days ago.

These are the questions as I see it:

1. Do we care if there are repeated tracks included in a single clan's playlists?

2. If so, is there a period for which we consider it an issue or would it be a blanket rule going back to the start of our playlists?

3. It's starting to happen more regularly (i.e. once or twice every month now) so if we're going to make a no-repeat rule then we'd have to give everyone a way to see if their chosen tracks have been used before. Otherwise it will get pretty slow & painful if I have to highlight them & wait for a replacement.

Personally, I think it's an issue if we've included the exact same track within the last three months but it's not such a big deal if it was further back than that. Plus, I like to encourage people to contribute & I don't think it promotes that if we nit-pick about it too much. I could easily start a thread in each clan where I list every playlist tracklisting going back to the beginning so that people could use CTRL-F to search it for their chosen tracks. It's not ideal but it's workable. Anyone got any better ideas? Anyone have a different opinion on any of this?

Drink, drugs, motorcycles and metal were once the whole world to me (metal being the only one I still indulge in), all of which exact a price - and I wouldn't change any of it. Live fast.. etc!!

I have a similar background only I indulged in women instead of motorcycles. Completely agree that I wouldn't change a thing.

I've already told you my hearing status in an earlier thread, but it bears repeating (and self-copying):

It is sad when your hearing is damaged and can't fully function anymore, but my hearing is actually still very good. Since my days of youth, not to brag but I'm pretty smart at figuring out the proper volume when listening to metal. I still can't stand things that are much louder than my computer at full maximum blast, like thunder which I'm still a bit scared of (don't laugh). Wearing earplugs when there's thunder and cleaning them every couple weeks is what prevents my ears from being deafened or infected. I'm really protective of my hearing and make sure they never get damaged because even though it's possible to listen to metal with damaged hearing, I fear that I might go deaf and never be able to enjoy metal again. Whenever I go out during the virus, not only do I wear a face mask but also big industrial earphones because I think ears are important to protect from the virus too.* Lol! Anyway, I've also had happy moments when listening to metal as an underage teenager, but those were my earlier epic melodic metal days and they're now long gone, though you guys helped me bring a bit of power metal back to my life. My current routine for my home days is filled with metal and a bit of writing. All of my metal is in my computer and a spare hard drive in case it breaks. My computer time is limited but sometimes I go a little overboard. I can't pay full attention when absorbing albums except in special occasions and when I have to, like when I'm writing reviews, so I just take what I think are the greatest hits from each album and just somehow be able to absorb them while playing Minecraft.

*(Hey people, ears are part of your face, they need protection too, if you don't want them to be infected! And while you're at it, please start calling the virus COVID-20, don't let the first year that did nothing take all the blame!!)

I included the unrelated Minecraft part as a reminder of a small Minecraft-related post I plan on doing soon. You may guess if you'd like, but what I write is what you'll get...

Just out of interest Andi, have you been a regular metal show attendee over the years?

If you'd like to catch up to us old codgers in the deafness stakes then I'd encourage you to attend a single Sunn O))) show without wearing ear plugs. You'll be lucky if you ever hear again.

Grip Inc. "Nemesis" (1997)

A massively underrated groove/thrash metal outing from Dave Lombardo's crew.

A wonderful thrash/groove metal outing from this Los Angeles outfit. For fans of Slayer, Exhorder & Sepultura.

Ben, you're on fire this month. Here's my review:

Los Angeles groove metal outfit Grip Inc. are an artist that I’ve been acutely aware of since their inception back in 1993 but I’m going to have to admit that I’ve probably been guilty of making assumptions about their sound based on a subgenre box-ticking mentality to be honest. Dave Lombardo-era Slayer is undoubtedly the absolute peak of music (if not our overall human existence on this planet) as far as I’m concerned however I’ve simply refused to have his legacy tainted by his subsequent foray into a subgenre that (with the exception of its godfathers Pantera) I’ve always found to be predominantly underwhelming. That underlying fear has kept me from ever allowing myself to experience a Grip Inc. record in full to this very day & after going through the process of having my misconceptions removed & royally stuffed up my closed-minded & inherently stubborn backside over the last couple of days I’m feeling a little ashamed of myself. I’m also feeling particularly proud of my younger brother Ben who has once again nominated an incredibly underrated release for Metal Academy feature status. Most of you probably don’t know this but Ben is completely deaf in his left ear & knows very little about musical theory or technique but time & time again the dude has proven himself to have a greater level of discretion in that single ear than most packed metal venues do & refuses to let the masses influence his judgement too. The fact that Grip Inc’s 1997 sophomore album “Nemesis” has been such a wonderful surprise to me is simply further testament to that fact.

Unfortunately for Lombardo & co., my initial impressions of “Nemesis” were somewhat clouded by having listened to it directly after our The Guardians feature release in Grand Magus’ “Hammer Of The North” which sports a superbly thick & heavy production & this resulted in the feeling that the “Nemesis” production job was noticeably lacking. It’s certainly true that it feels a lot thinner in comparison with a lot more high end, significantly less bottom end & the drums & guitars not having anywhere near the same sort of weight but once I’d given myself a day to let it sink in & returned to it with fresh ears (this time through quality headphones) I was able to reach a happy place where those comparisons faded away very quickly. The other early talking point for me was about just how little generic groove metal I heard. I mean, I was expecting something similar to Pantera, Machine Head & “Chaos AD” era Sepultura but found myself struggling to make the link very often during my first listen. I heard a lot more thrash than I did groove metal to tell you the truth &, as a result, I made a point of giving that notion a strong focus on subsequent listens.

Given my life-long passion for classic Slayer, I often find myself scoring releases that manage to successfully harness that sound a little higher than your average punter & you can count “Nemesis” amongst those that do it exceptionally well so Slayer fans will be feeling quite emotional (if not violently so) from the word go with this record. Opening number “Pathetic Liar” is a sensational example of a band that’s taken that Slayer blueprint & used it to create a piece that may sound familiar but also rips you a new arsehole in no uncertain terms. The influence of Lombardo has no doubt played a big role in this however there’s a lot more to Grip Inc. than that as both Kerry King & Jeff Hannemann would have been over the moon if they had created some of these riffs. Vocalist Gus Chambers sports a wonderful voice for aggressive metal music too. It’s gruff enough to punish you during the more aggressive parts & his screams are used beautifully in highlighting the climaxes however he’s also got more than enough substance to handle the more atmospheric sections of the album so I actually think he’s a big part of the appeal of Grip Inc.

After pummelling you with those first couple of thrash-fests, we see the album settling down a little & taking you to more expansive & ambitious places than your average thrash or groove metal outfit are capable of. In fact, by the end of the record you’ll be left wondering how you’ve managed to take such an interesting journey without the slightest sign of any jarring transitions or sudden u-turns. I actually think this may be the best attribute of “Nemesis” to tell you the truth. It’s simply so much more than what it’s touted to be & I’m tempted to say that it hasn’t been done any favours by its having been pigeon-holed with the likes of Soulfly & Machine Head. There’s an amazingly well-defined use of texture & atmosphere here that is much more in line with post-metal than anything else with Lombardo consistently utilizing tribal drumming techniques to build tension & create drama. At first I thought he may be borrowing the technique from Sepultura who had been so successful in integrating their local heritage into their sound on a record like “Chaos AD” however the result is much more in line with the likes of Neurosis which is a big compliment if you know how much I adore that band. Guitarist Waldemar Sorychta often opts for dissonant open-string guitar work that would feel a lot more at home on an industrial metal record than a groove metal one &, when combined with the intelligent use of repetition, we see the tension building until an immense Devin Townsend-esque scream from Chambers will lead the band into a huge climax or a drum roll from Lomabardo will see the band ripping back into a chunky groove metal riff or a rip-snorting thrash beat. Wow! This is a group of musicians who well & truly know what they’re doing & are not to be over-awed by the presence of thrash royalty.

The tracklisting on “Nemesis” is extremely consistent as there’s not a weak moment across the entire duration but there are also more than enough highlights to see me reaching for the higher scores. Whether it’s the afore-mentioned opener “Pathetic Liar”, the tension-building tribal interlude “Descending Darkness”, the up-tempo thrash-fest “War Between One”, the “Seasons In The Abyss” feel of personal favourite “Rusty Nail” or the maturity & class of “Myth Or Man”, “Nemesis” offers tier one quality in everything it touches. It’s also worth mentioning that, when taken in holistically, it doesn’t really sound like anyone in particular & is subsequently fairly hard to categorize. I mean, I don’t think I’ve heard a thrash/groove metal act taking this more atmospheric approach before &, after sitting through this wonderful album, I have to wonder why not because it adds an additional element that increased my emotional & intellectual engagement. As a result, I also find myself wondering why I haven’t heard more about “Nemesis” over the years. There can be no denying that it’s horribly underrated & I can only speculate that the cheap cover art might have something to do with it as it really is a long way from acceptable. Please make sure that you don’t let that flaw taint your musical experience because Grip Inc. have the ability to satisfy a lot more than just your violent urges.

For fans of Slayer, Exhorder & Sepultura.

4.5/5

*Raises his hand also*

I've actually had permanent ringing in my ears for more than twenty years now. When you play in a brutal death metal band, you really can't afford to rehearse without earplugs every week & I was young & dumb. Blast beats are really REALLY fucking loud when you're standing next to the drummer trying in vain for your guitar solos to be heard over them. DJing in underground techno clubs for most of the 2000's certainly didn't help my cause either, despite the fact that I was much more careful by that stage. I have a noticeable loss of high-end in my right ear but still feel that my hearing is reasonably good all things considered. I'm comfortable in the knowledge that one day my body will tell me that I need to give this metal things away once & for all but I'm gonna keep indulging myself until that time comes.

OK, how about Mushroomhead and Sun Doesn't Rise from XIII (2003).

We included it back in September 2020's playlist but I think that's long enough not to worry about it too much. I mean this is going to start happening more & more regularly unless I can provide everyone with a way to check before submitting & I haven't given it a lot of thought yet.

And when I review that Loathe album, we'll see whether or not I think of it as a Gateway release...

It's very much a metalcore/alternative metal hybrid in my opinion but, as was the case here, many of the tracks lean heavily towards one side of the equation or the other with only a few sitting in middle ground. I'll be interested to hear your take on it though. 

That was the right call on the Lamb Of God track. I actually had it slotted in for next month's The Pit playlist & was thinking of pulling it out when you submitted it here. I'm much more comfortable this way.

Here's my suggestion for the June Gateway playlist:

Loathe - "Heavy Is the Head That Falls with the Weight of a Thousand Thoughts" (from I Let It In and It Took Everything, 2020)

Look I'm usually pretty flexible in this regard but I have to ask Andi... do you really think this track fits into the subgenre set that makes up The Gateway? It's my favourite track from the album but to my ears it's a pretty savage & abrasive metalcore track that's The Revolution to the core. I could understand submitting it here if the album wasn't a part of a more appropriate clan that you're also a part of.

My June suggestion (if non-clan members are still allowed one):

Drain STH - Crack the Liar's Smile from Horror Wrestling (1996).

This one isn't available on Spotify Sonny.

Chunky Swedish heavy metal for fans of Judas Priest, Manowar & Atlantean Kodex.

This was a great choice for a feature release Vinny. I really enjoyed it. Here's my review:

No matter how much of a devoted metal obsessive you might be, there’s always going to those bands whose names are very familiar yet you’ve somehow managed to completely overlook over many years & Swedish heavy metal outfit Grand Magus are one of those for me personally. I guess it mainly comes down to my preference for the more extreme end of metal but I’m still fairly familiar with most other prominent heavy metal bands so it’s more likely just coincidence as there’s certainly not been anything intentional about it. Still… the band’s reputation as a high-quality heavy metal act with a strong front man & a hard-hitting sound was certainly something I’ve been aware of for some time so I went into 2010’s “Hammer Of The North” was a reasonable level of expectation.

My immediate first impression of Grand Magus’ sound was a resounding positive. The production job on “Hammer Of The North” is really full, really heavy & metal as fuck. Plus, front man Janne "JB" Christoffersson is a genuine talent & possesses a wonderfully powerful voice that’s tailor-made for classic metal. Sure, the riffage on display is nothing revelational but the whole album has a professionalism & class about it that’s hard to deny. The band hit onto a groove & know exactly how to milk it for all its worth as they’re as tight a unit as you’ll find. The word “solid” continually comes to mind actually. Solid song-writing, solid production, solid performances, just…… solid all round I guess. The overall heaviness is no doubt strengthened by the band’s tendency to down-tune their guitars & this is probably a contributing factor in Grand Magus’ links with doom metal along with their slow-to-mid-range tempos although there’s not really any genuine doom metal tracks on offer here. The faster material showcases a strong 70’s Judas Priest influence with opener “I, The Jury” being a fine example as it seems pay homage to “Dissident Aggressor” pretty obviously to me. Some of the more lumbering tracks bring to mind a band like Manowar & this is accentuated further by the lyrical direction.

Christoffersson’s vocal performance is a clear focal point of “Hammer Of The North” as he’s a rare talent in my opinion. I’d describe his tone & attitude as sitting somewhere between Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell & Armored Saint/Anthrax front man John Bush & that comparison can only be a complement as far as I’m concerned as I hold those two in very high regard indeed. (In fact, Cornell is my all-time favourite singer.) JB really does give some of the less exciting song-writing a greater level of appeal than it probably had any right to command & I get the feeling that it’d probably be pretty hard for Grand Magus not to give me some level of enjoyment even at their weakest moments as long as he’s behind the microphone & the production is so thick & heavy. As a result, there are no failures amongst the ten tracks on offer with even the less impressive numbers still managing to leave me feeling well satisfied. Once again, it’s a “solid” tracklisting. That word just keeps popping back into my head when I reflect on “Hammer Of The North” & I think that’s a reflection of the fact that the whole record is of a high quality however it rarely reaches the upper echelons of the top tier through truly transcendent hooks. Yep, it’s a great little record but it’s just lacking that elusive x-factor in the song-writing that can take a “solid” record & make it into a genuine classic. Only album highlight “The Lord of Lies” sees me taken to those places & I’d need a couple more songs of that quality for me to be reaching for the higher scores. As it is, I find it to be a very enjoyable example of modern heavy metal & would be quite surprised if it failed to impress any fan of the genre.

For fans of Judas Priest, Manowar & Atlantean Kodex.

4/5

We're not referring to the same thing Sonny. You may well be right about the use of tubular bells but a cowbell is a percussive part of a drum kit rather than a melodic instrument & is definitely being used here. Check out Bestial Devotion's use of cow bell to count himself back in at around 3:00 in "Wherein a Messenger of the Devil Appears". That's an example of what I was referring to.

Cowbell's most noteworthy metal moment came in Black Sabbath's "Megalomania" (see around the 3:20 mark).

Ambitious US black metal for fans of Negative Plane, Cultes des Ghoules & Darkthrone.

I didn't enjoy this one anywhere near as much as the rest of you seem to have. Here's my review:

Back when the Metal Academy website first went live a few years ago now, I had the opportunity to choose my clans of choice & honestly thought it would be a complete no-brainer. I’ve always been an extreme metal fan first & foremost so the option of allocating myself The Pit, The Horde, The Fallen & The North was an obvious one. But over time I began to realise that my preferences within The North weren’t as broad as they were for the other three clans & I opted to drop back to three clans. High quality black metal still clearly sat amongst the most elite genres for me however the scope of the black metal sound had expanded significantly since the 1990’s & I found that the modern scene included a whole plethora of different variations or sub-subgenres that often offered me very little appeal. Sometimes I’d even find it hard to understand the appeal in an artist that was generally well-regarded by the audience for your more conventional black metal & 2019’s sophomore album from US multi-instrumentalist Funereal Presence is a pretty good example of this.

“Achatius” is made up of four lengthy pieces that all exceed the ten minute mark with lone member Bestial Devotion (also the drummer for fellow US black metallers Negative Plane) producing a package that offers considerable structural variation & always keeps the listener on their toes through consistent changes-ups. The Funereal Presence sound is certainly built on the old-school mentality of classic black metal bands like Darkthrone & Bathory however there’s a greater level of complexity in the use of melody here, at times even bordering on the melodic black metal subgenre. It’s this use of melody that gives Funereal Presence their own unique sound as it often feels a little unusual or avant-garde, despite the fact that there’s nothing all that obscure happening when you examine things closely. The use of non-traditional instruments like church bells also contributes to this & is a noteworthy feature of the album as a whole.

The production job is clear & accessible without ever moving away from the lo-fi black metal aesthetic & I think it does the material justice. It’s interesting that the performances are often pretty dodgy though, particularly the drumming which sounds very much like poor Bestial is pushing himself a little further than his technical limitations should really allow for & the same can be said for some of the guitar work which struggles for timing (check out the clean section in “Wherein Seven Celestial Beasts Are Revealed To Him” for example – yuck!), a flaw that was perhaps accentuated by to the inconsistencies in the drumming. For this reason, I definitely think that “Achatius” had the potential to be more than what we’ve received. The inclusion of some more highly skilled & instrument-specific third parties could have taken this material to another level however you would usually have thought that a one-man band would be very tight given that its conforming to just the one overarching vision. That’s certainly not the case here & I find myself struggling a little bit as a result. Perhaps Bestial Devotion simply found it tough to get his tracks down tightly without the backing of other instrumentalists during the recording of each track? It’s certainly possible from my experience in the studio.

The other thing I struggle with is the more melodic material which I find to not only take me outside of my comfort zone further than I’m comfortable with but also to sound pretty sickly at times. Bestial Devotion’s decision to utilize cow bell at various points across the tracklisting was never a good idea either. I’ve always been a strong detractor of that particular rhythmic instrument’s metal credentials & would actually go so far as to suggest that it should be banned altogether. It probably won’t come as any sort of surprise that the more extreme sections of the album clearly offer me the most appeal though with second track “Wherein A Messenger Of The Devil Appears” being my clear highlight. The other three tracks simply fall short of the mark for me, particularly the two tracks that close out the album which were a clear step down from the A-side.

I don’t think too many black metal fans will have trouble with the vocals which sit comfortably within the safe confines of the genre however they’re also not particularly engaging & don’t really serve as the focal point at any stage in my opinion. If you’re going to buy into “Achatius” then it’s likely for the melodic complexity in the guitar work rather than the extreme nature of the vocals though. The occasional rough-shod yet psychotic Quorthon-esque guitar solo is a nice touch which probably could have been explored a little further although Bestial Devotion’s limited capabilities in this area are probably a large part of the reason for this & that kinda sums up my issues with the album to be honest. I don’t mind a black metal album that’s low on technical skill but caters for it with pure darkness & evil. “Achatius” aims significantly higher than that though & doesn’t stick within its technical limitations which leads to this ol’ metal musician sporting a fair few cringes throughout the 49 minute run time. There’s enjoyment to be had when Funeral Presence keep it simpler & more aggressive but I struggle with his more ambitious moments & this has led to an underwhelming overall impression of the album.

For fans of Negative Plane, Cultes des Ghoules & Darkthrone.

3/5

Loathe- "I Let It In & It Took Everything" (2020)

Andi, I think you should check out our May feature release for The Gateway.

Intense metalcore from Liverpool-based alternative metalcore outfit Loathe. For fans of 36 Crazyfists, early Issues & the last couple of Northlane albums.

See my review below:

My knowledge of Liverpool-based metalcore outfit Loathe was pretty limited leading into my first sitting with their sophomore album “I Let It In & It Took Everything”. I’d seen their name tossed around the traps for a few years & had definitely noticed the attention that this record had drawn from the metal press however I’d never felt the urge to check them out before. Unlike many of my old-school peers though, I’ve always had a soft spot for high quality metalcore & the idea of cross-pollination with a Deftones-influenced alternative metal sound certainly sounded appealing as I’ve slowly become a big fan of Deftones over the last decade or so.

My first impressions of “I Let It In & It Took Everything” were very good. This was clearly a quality record that had been produced by an imaginative & ambitious group of capable musicians. Even the opening ambient piece “Theme” gave a strong indication that Loathe meant business. In fact, all three of the short ambient pieces scattered across the tracklisting offer deep & full synthesized tones that attest to a strong pedigree in atmospheric music & I found them to be a really nice contribution. Then once the proper songs kicked off I was surprised by just how intense Loathe can be. Up until that point I’d been expecting the more accessible Deftones-influenced alternative metal material to represent the stronger side of the equation based on the vast majority of the reviews I’d read however this was definitely not the case in practise. Loathe’s metalcore sound is not only well produced but it’s also as abrasive as fuck with front man Kadeem France absolutely screaming his lungs out &, in doing so, topping most of his metalcore contemporaries for sheer electricity & aggression. Then, when you throw in his ability to sing in a sweet Chino Moreno style you get a captivating & exhilarating performance.

In saying that, I can’t say that Loathe manage to match Chino’s classic material with Deftones. The hooks simply aren’t as strong & I find myself looking forward to the more abrasive metalcore material like the classic duo of B-side monsters “Gored” &  album highlight “Heavy Is The Head That Falls With the Weight Of A Thousand Thoughts” which even features an intro section that sounds uncannily like Deafheaven style blackgaze. These two seem to press a lot harder on my musical sweet spot & remind me very much of a less complex Dillinger Escape Plan. As far as percentages go though, “I Let It In & It Took Everything” is unquestionably a combination of the two sounds with the alternative stuff often characterized by those signature down-strummed shoegaze chords & the more intense material regularly employing a simpler version of the rhythmic riff structures of Meshuggah’s djent sound. The way that Loathe combine their variety of different influences into the one glistening package isn’t always fluent & collaborative however it’s always of a high quality & never fails to lose my attention.

Overall, I find Loathe’s second full-length to be a very solid release that’s completely free of duds & has been particularly well produced, particularly the powerful bass guitar sound which drives much of this material. Loathe clearly possessed a broad palate of musical ideas by this point in their careers & I really enjoy their artistic vision for such a new band. I’ve noticed that the album also comes in an instrumental version & I have to question the merit of such a release when Kadeem France’s vocal delivery is such an integral component of the band’s makeup however it’s hard to deny that Loathe is capable of pulling it off from a purely instrumental point of view. “I Let It In & It Took Everything” is a high quality alternative metalcore record that represents the best example of that particular combination that I’ve experienced to date.

For fans of 36 Crazyfists, early Issues & the last couple of Northlane albums.

4/5

I've recently noticed that our Spotify playlists don't tend to come up in Spotify searches & a little research has seen Ben & I discovering that it's most likely because they don't have large quantities of followers. This is primarily due to the fact that we create a brand new playlist for each clan every month which essentially starts the follower count again from scratch. So in order to combat this & make everyone's lives a bit easier, I've decided that from next month we'll keep a single current playlist per clan & I will change the tracklisting at the start of each month so that you'll never have to look for the latest lost. That should see us accumulating followers over time & you'll still have access to our past playlists as I'll keep creating new lists for the previous month's material so that they can be accessed at any time in the same way they are now. Does that make sense? Any concerns with this approach or do you think it'll be a positive move?

Sonny, we included Sacred Reich's "Death Squad" in our April playlist on Vinny submission. Do you want to swap that one out?

Interesting take but I'd like to challenge you on this in the interest of good banter Andi. By definition, gothic metal "is a fusion between Doom Metal and Gothic Rock, focusing on the aggressive riffs of metal music while backed by a primarily dark and melancholic atmosphere. The instrumentation is generally comprised of mournful guitars, plodding drums, ethereal synthesizers, and a general emphasis on “spooky” or “eerie” musical textures." Given that description, you can expect there to be a doom metal component in most gothic metal releases. For the doom metal tag to be relevant there would have to be almost as many straight-up doom metal tracks as there are gothic metal ones & I wouldn't tag a single one of these tracks as conventional doom metal. The gothic component is too strong. Thoughts?

Regardless of your response, I think we should split this nomination up because there's clearly two elements in question but we have to determine one of them first before moving onto the second. Let's just go with an initial Hall entry to determine whether Gothic Metal should be added first. Then if that goes through we can have another to determine whether Doom Metal can be removed or not.

Note: Quote borrowed from the RYM genre description.

Some outstanding Finnish gothic metal for fans of MonumentuM, Katatonia & "Wildhoney"-era Tiamat.

See my review below:

I must admit that, despite having a knowledge of the existence of Finnish doom metal trio Dolorian for many years now, I’d never gotten around to checking them out until my brother Ben nominated them for The Fallen clan feature release status a couple of weeks ago. From what I’d observed, the band were always referred to as a quality artist with their most recent outing (2006’s third album “Voidwards”) having been touted by many as a genuine classic so I came into this experience with considerable optimism, particularly given their high praise from my brother whose taste in metal I generally trust (with the obvious exception of Summoning who suck hard). I’d soon find though that Dolorian offered a lot more than I’d bargained for because their self-titled 2001 album is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before & that’s despite displaying a few obvious influences on their sleeves for the duration.

Firstly, I’d like to say straight up front that I feel that the tagging of “Dolorian” as a doom metal release is deceptive. Yes, Dolorian utilize slow, doomy riffs as a key ingredient in their sound however I’m not sure that it’s the protagonist here. There are many disparate influences being thrown around but to my ears this is predominantly a gothic metal release because the key ingredient that makes Dolorian so special is the consistently outstanding use of clean gothic rock & post-punk inspired melodic guitar work. These lines perpetuate not only the heavier doom sections but they also work to highlight the lengthy atmospheric excursions the band like to take with many of these seeing them hinting at psychedelia & even the post-metal of a band like Isis. The vocal delivery is very unusual for a metal band too with front man Anti Ittna Haapapuro opting for a whispered approach that sees him sitting predominantly in the background while the instrumentation takes the spotlight. In fact, Anti’s vocal contribution sees him taking on more of a supporting role while his ethereal guitar melodies maintain the listeners attention & this is one of the most significant talking points of the album. It really works if you ask me & it gives Dolorian a truly unique atmosphere. As does the repeated use of tribal drumming; a tool that I’ve historically found myself to have a very strong affiliation with as it tends to provoke a ritualistic & more primal feel.

The album kicks off with a beautifully dark three minute introductory piece called “Grey Rain” which I was delighted to find sounds exactly like Italian gothic darkwave exponents MonumentuM. I’m a HHUUGGEE fan of MonumentuM’s 1995 album “In Absentia Christi” & have never heard anything like it since so the hints at their sound that are scattered across “Dolorian” have nothing short of delighted me. “Grey Rain” is followed up by the first proper metal track “Blue Unknown” & it immediately tweaked my interest as it reminds me very much of “Wildhoney” era Tiamat. This is interesting because I’d find myself returning to that reference a number of times throughout the record but I’ve never seen Dolorian being linked with Tiamat before. Perhaps this link is why I have such a strong tendency to want to label the album as a gothic metal release but, to be fair though, the beautifully sombre clean guitar lines that dominate these pieces could have been pulled straight from an old record from The Cure or Joy Division & there simply aren’t enough tracks that offer that true doom metal atmosphere. The vibe we get here is surely dark & the tempos are inevitably slow but the everything feels much more gothic than it does doomy so I can’t even see myself being convinced to go with a both ways bet on the gothic doom metal tag here. Also, I’ve seen quite a lot of references to dark ambient being made online. Of the album’s nine tracks, three of them are short & particularly well executed ambient pieces but don’t expect them to fall into the dark ambient category. There’s nothing that sneaks outside of the more conventional ambient space here for mine but all of these tracks work beautifully within the context of the music around them. In fact, the two minutes of bliss that makes up “Ambiguous Ambivalence” may be the highlight of the entire record for me personally.

I find that my many years of DJing have left me with a bit of a knack for picking up the perfect setting to experience a record. With this one I knew straight up that I needed to listen to it through headphones while lying in isolation in a dark room &, as it turns out, it was only then that I managed to truly understand its ethereal majesty which enabled me to be completely swept up in it. The consistency of the tracklisting is nothing short of exceptional. There’s not a single track that doesn’t impress me in one way or another with the last four tracks representing a particularly spectacular run of high-quality art. You’ll notice that I chose the word art there & I did that intentionally because this is one of those records that feels like you’re experiencing genuine art rather than the regurgitating of some similar influences because, despite sporting some familiar elements, the sum of “Dolorian” simply doesn’t sound like anyone else & this makes this record a particularly worthy selection for a feature release. Dolorian” comes highly recommended from this ol’ metalhead as you won’t hear too many records like it. Just be prepared to give it your full & undivided attention & a good few listens to allow its charms to open up.

For fans of MonumentuM, Katatonia & “Wildhoney”-era Tiamat.

4.5/5

Underrated:

Born Of Osiris - "The Discovery" (2011)

High quality djenty progressive deathcore from Chicago. For fans of After The Burial, Veil of Maya & Within The Ruins.

I'd suggest that Meshuggah have clearly made a significant impact on Born Of Osiris although I wouldn't claim it as a primary subgenre.

High quality progressive deathcore from Chicago. For fans of After The Burial, Veil Of Maya & Within The Ruins.

Here's my review:

I came kinda late to the deathcore subgenre. It wasn’t really a thing during my 1980’s/90’s heyday & would only start to develop as I found myself losing interest in the scene & defecting to electronic music around 1998/99. The first I heard of it wasn’t until my return to metal in 2009 & I have to admit that I was more open to it than most extreme metal fans at the time. Despite the generic elements at play on most releases, I found it hard not to enjoy the high-quality musicianship & clear & precise production jobs &, when you added in the progressive approach of some of the more expansive outfits, I found myself kinda digging it. Not to the same extent as your more traditional death metal mind you, but enjoyment was had nonetheless. Fast forward another twelve or so years & you’ll find that not a lot has changed for me in this regard. I don’t find myself racing out to track down the latest deathcore release but, when the opportunity arises, I’m up for the task & can see the merit when the subgenre is done well (as it is here).

My first experience with Chicago-based six-piece Born Of Osiris wouldn’t come until shortly after the 2011 release of this album “The Discovery” which was the band’s third full-length & is generally regarded as the pinnacle of the band’s career to date as far as I can tell. And it’s not very hard to see why either to tell you the truth because this is one outstandingly well composed & executed piece of deathly metalcore with a penchant for the more spacey & progressive end of extreme art. I wouldn’t say that it ever transcends the subgenre because all of the signature deathcore elements are at play for most of the album but there’s been a strong push for expansion & development of that sound too. For this reason, I find “The Discovery” to stretch the boundaries of my taste palate a little further than I’m entirely comfortable with but to somehow manage to keep from ever bursting out. Let’s start with the positives because there are plenty for your more open-minded metalhead to enjoy.

As is so commonly the case with US deathcore outfits, Born Of Osiris are a shit-hot group of musicians. I mean these guys can all really shred like bastards & their performances here are outstanding. They occasionally hint at crossing over into self-indulgence but I think they actually do a really great job of reining themselves in just before that occurs. Guitarists Lee McKinney & Jason Richardson are particularly skilled & show themselves to not only have the chops to match most high class shredders on the market today but also to have an impressive sense of exotic melody with some of the lead work pushing Born Of Osiris out further into progressive metal territory than they already were. In fact, I’d be very surprised if the boys haven’t been influenced by early Cynic because they’ve taken a similar approach to much of the melodic content & this is a real feather in their cap as I love a more expansive & exploratory style of guitar solo. Drummer Cameron Losch proves himself to be extremely capable with his powerful & high-precision double-kick work keeping the band sounding punchy & tight at all times. The continued use of spacey synthesizers from full-time keyboardist Joe Buras is also worth mentioning as Joe’s contribution sees “The Discovery” sporting somewhat of a sci-fi atmosphere & his short interlude pieces serve to break the album up really well without ever sacrificing on its overall heaviness. In saying that, I do think that the occasional electronic beat could be hard to stomach for some of the more traditional members of the metal audience & in truth I don’t think they add a lot to the album. You won’t be able to fault the production job as “The Discovery” ticks all of the boxes in that regard. If anything, you may be tempted to say that it’s over-produced however I think that would be a harsh assessment as I think the result generally highlights the best elements of Born Of Osiris’ sound.

Now for the album’s challenges & we’ll start with the djent component. As with many of the more progressive deathcore outfits, there’s very little doubt that Born Of Osiris have been influenced by Meshuggah or bands that Meshuggah have influenced. Now that’s not a bad thing in itself because I fucking love Meshuggah as they really are in a league of their own when it comes to the whole djent thing. It’s just that a lot of the band’s they’ve influenced do sound very samey due to the continued use of high-precision & purely rhythmic off-beat single-note riffs & you get a whole shit-tonne of those here. Thankfully they’ve been filed down to the sharpest point imaginable so as to ensure that they hit as hard as possible but they still do sound pretty generic at times. As do the trademark deathcore breakdowns which still permeate “The Discovery”. The band try to disguise them through the use of progressive colouring & they’ve had a reasonable amount of success to be fair but I still think I could generally do without them. And lastly, the most challenging part of the album for me is the dual vocal delivery which is over-used & continuously thrust down the listeners throat. As far as I can tell, front man Ronnie Canizaro employs the deep guttural death growls while keyboardist Joe Buras regularly chimes in with silly metalcore screams in support. These vocal lines have been brought right to the front of the mix & are used so consistently that they can sound fairly monotonous a while. To be fair, I don’t really like that vocal style to begin with but this is more of a comment on the overall genre than it is about Born Of Osiris in general.

Regardless of these flaws, I can’t really fault the tracklisting which includes fifteen tracks ranging from good to excellent. Unsurprisingly, it’s the more deathly tracks that float my boat the most along with the synth-driven interludes which are particularly well done. It’s kinda difficult to explain but, even though I struggle with some of the elements I mentioned above, the overall class of Born Of Osiris somehow seems to transcend my misgivings & sees me throwing myself in head first after the first few tracks. I guess I’m just a sucker for well-produced & precisely executed extreme metal so I can’t help but see through the more generic elements so that I can grab on to the more expansive ones & this sees me finding it very hard to be too critical of Born Of Osiris who are unquestionably at the peak of their subgenre. I mean if you like high quality US deathcore then I can’t see that you won’t love “The Discovery” because it ticks all of the boxes while adding in some of its own for good measure & in doing so has created the strongest & most interesting example of the djenty progressive deathcore sound that I’ve ever experienced.

For fans of After The Burial, Veil Of Maya & Within The Ruins.

Kensuke Ushio - "Ping Pong" The Animation Soundtrack (2014) 2 x CD bonus disc edition

Over two hours of music taken from a Japanese animated television show. It spans a huge wealth of electronic subgenres including techno, trance, progressive house, drum 'n' bass, IDM, downtempo, ambient, etc. There are a few really great tracks included, particularly the techno & ambient material which is most closely aligned to my taste however there's simply far too much filler here & I find the cheesy trance & quirky IDM stuff to be pretty hard going.

That’s fantastic. Your support is greatly appreciated Vinny.

It's also the second track in a row shared in this thread with the word "the" in its title to be fair.

This epic closer was the clear highlight from Boston progressive metal legends Dream Theater's 2003 "Train Of Thoughts" album in my opinion. For fans of Fates Warning, Haken & Pain Of Salvation.

Here's my review:

I can be a strange fucking creature at times. I mean I was a huge fan of Boston-based progressive metal legends Dream Theater from the moment I first heard their 1992 sophomore album “Images & Words” & there was a time in the late 90’s/early 2000’s when they were right up there with my favourite bands. So why in the actual fuck has it taken me this long to check out their 2003 seventh album “Train Of Thought”? Well, I guess it has something to do with the fact that I became completely obsessed with electronic music around the turn of the century & tended to focus all of my attention on my new obsession until I returned to metal a decade later. Since that time, I’d suggest that the generally middling reviews of Dream Theater’s later works have never really encouraged me to investigate them for fear of disappointment although I did check them out their live shows in both 2008 & 2014 & have always really enjoyed myself.

There’s been a lot of talk about “Train Of Thought” online & it’s reputation as one of Dream Theater’s most divisive albums was certainly well known to me before giving it my first spin. Many people claim that it saw the band trying to tap into the nu metal craze that was the flavour of the week at the time while others suggest that it was simply an attempt to make a classic metal record after getting great crowd responses to their cover performances of Iron Maiden & Metallica albums as well as their heavier original material on the preceding tours. Some say that the album lacks the ambition of past works due to the consistent focus on a heavier sound too & even suggest that some of the artistic license the band have taken has simply fallen in a jumbled heap. Then you have those fans with a slightly heavier taste in metal who claim this as one of Dream Theater’s best works so I really did go into the album having made a very conscious decision to keep an open mind & develop my own opinion.

 The first thing I’ll say about “Train Of Thought” is that I can understand where ALL of those assessments are coming from. Dream Theater’s fan base is one of the most passionate & devoted you’ll find so it was almost inevitable that even the slightest change in direction would trigger some fairly extreme responses & whether they’re valid or not is really up the individual to decide. One thing that can’t be disputed though is that “Train Of Thought” was the band’s heaviest release to the time. John Petrucci makes full use of the lower register on his 7-string guitar & utilizes a bottom-heavy tone that you’d be more likely to expect from an alternative metal band than a progressive one. To capitalize on that, the band have given their heavier side an increased focus & you’ll get significantly less of the introspective atmospheric parts & poppier sections that perpetuated their past classics. This will no doubt please some metalheads & I probably fall into that category as I’ve always wondered what Dream Theater could accomplish if they simply tossed aside their shackles & went for broke. Unfortunately for your less open-minded fans though, there are a few sections that draw on nu metal for inspiration & those are generally the parts of the album that appeal to me the least however that only amounts to a riff or two here & there which isn’t out of line with Dream Theater’s history of toying with different subgenres, often within the context of the same track. The same could be said of the Metallica influence actually as there are some pretty blatant instrumental & vocal homages to them here, particularly their classic late 80’s period. I actually don’t think the band have even tried to disguise these parts as they’re so just so similar. To be fair, I’m not sure James LaBrie was up to a dirtier & more aggressive Hetfield style delivery though to tell you the truth.

But these moments are simply included to create interest in an otherwise very engaging & professional Dream Theater outing in my opinion. Despite what some people may have you think, “Train Of Thought” doesn’t really sound all that different to the Dream Theater of old. Mike Portnoy’s incredible drumming is as potent as ever with the unified rhythmic complexity being pulled off in a nonchalant fashion that thumbs its nose at the prog metal pretenders while the lead trade-offs between guitarist John Petrucci (my all-time favourite axe-man) & keyboardist Jordan Rudess are utterly ridiculous so there’s plenty here for the prog crowd as well as the metal one. So why isn’t “Train Of Thought” regarded as being in the same class as the classic Dream Theater releases of the 1990’s then? Well for me personally it’s about lack of genuinely anthemic vocal hooks. James LaBrie’s performance is certainly serviceable. In fact, he performs the role admirably however I can’t shake the feeling that he’s working within constraints these days & doesn’t explore his higher register unless there’s no alternative. This results in many of these long epics (there’s just seven tracks across the 69 minute run time) showing great promise but lacking the knock-out punch that would see you singing along with them in your head for the rest of the day like a “Pull Me Under” or “Take The Time”. You certainly enjoy them all while you’re listening to them & it’s hard to fault any of these tracks as this is a very consistent tracklisting but you have to wait until lengthy closer “In The Name of God” to reach the sort of heights you’ve become accustomed to from a top tier Dream Theater record. I actually feel like “In The Name Of God” is a magnificent piece of work that sits comfortably alongside the band’s best work but here it serves the additional task of reminding me that, while the rest of the tracklisting offered me some particularly solid progressive metal, it also fell a little short of what the band are capable of as song-writers. There certainly weren’t as many killer harmonized vocal hooks to dig their teeth in. Has the increased focus on the heavier aspects in their sound contributed to this? Perhaps but the closer certainly proves that the right balance can be achieved with that format.

So, the moral of the story here is that “Train Of Thought” is a rock-solid progressive metal outing that should well & truly satisfy both the prog & metal audiences if they can overlook the occasional inclusion of a simpler nu metal riff or laclustre attempt at more aggressive vocals. These moments are certainly the exception rather than the rule & have been overstated by many reviewers over the years. The rest of the album offers some chunky progressive metal performed by the very best in the business & if that’s not enough to float your boat then I feel that you’re hard to please.

For fans of Fates Warning, Haken & Pain Of Salvation.

4/5

Vinny, we actually included that Frozen Soul track in our March playlist. Would you like to pick a replacement?

Wwooohhhh cowboy! Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. There’s absolutely no reason to compare trancecore & trance metal if trancecore ends up being deemed as non-metal (which I suspect there’s a good chance of). 

And for the record, Trance Metal was lumped in with The Revolution because we thought the most likely crossover of fan bases was with the Melodic Metalcore crowd (which has proven to be accurate if you’re anything to go by). We had to put it somewhere initially & didn’t have any better ideas. We certainly weren’t going to give it its own clan. Anyway, it’ll be looked at down the track so let’s just take things one step at a time, starting with Nintendocore.

In all due respect Andi, I think we need to determine if trancecore is even a subgenre of metal at all before looking at moving it under another primary genre, particularly as trance metal isn't exactly a well defined genre in itself with only a few bands sitting under the tag with any regularity.

The Sky Eats Airplane qualifies as metal in my opinion. It's based on the generic metalcore/deathcore model with loads of breakdowns.

The Fucking Werewolf Asso track has fuck-all to do with metal & a quick skim through the rest of that release has shown me that the rest sounds pretty similar.

I'm very keen to hear what other members think on this topic & don't feel that you can't completely disagree with everyone else.

I've gotta say, I just gave that HORSE The Band track a full listen & there's very little metal there at all in my opinion. It's heavily hardcore punk based other than a small section that utilizes double kick drumming & one short bit of arpeggiated lead guitar work. It doesn't sound anything like metal to me to be honest.

Can we stick to the one experiment for the moment please Andi? What about the other two tracks?

Back on this topic, how about we conduct an interesting experiment. I'm suggesting that we ask all of our contributing members (from all clans, not just The Revolution) to listen to three carefully selected popular tracks from the subgenres in question & make comment on whether they actually think each track qualifies as metal or not & why. There should be no mention of quality. We're only focusing on whether these tracks are metal or not. Let's start with Nintendocore as it's the most niche subgenre:

Here's the guidelines for playlist submissions for June 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

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

Essentially I've just increased the time allowance for The Pit after Ben decided not to contribute & I've removed the option for non-clan members to nominate a track for The Revolution after Theo Wyoming became a second contributing member which will give us a good half of the playlist coming from the clan members.

In my honest opinion, the playlists have been getting better & better over the last few months which is mainly due to the increased contributions of the various clan members & my growing experience in programming them over time. I'm sure you all know a few people that might be interested in checking them out even if they're not too keen on the website so I'd encourage all of you to help us promote the Metal Academy brand by spreading the word & publicizing the quality of our playlists. This might be through word of mouth, sharing links, on other websites or on social media. It all counts towards building a steadily increasing membership which makes for a more interesting & fun experience for all of us. Ben & I don't consider this to be solely our website. We don't make any money from it & you all contribute to the way it looks, feels & functions. If we can collaboratively work to grow our playlist following then I feel that this will subsequently filter into our website membership numbers too, particularly once people realise that they can make personal contributions to the playlists (Hint: underground bands & labels will find this an attractive option). Growing the playlist following is probably a little easier than growing the website membership too as there's no expectation of any sort of commitment from the user. New followers get to listen to an outstanding selection of music that's well tailored to their tastes for zero effort on their part. I'd also encourage everyone to follow our Metal Academy Spotify profile & like all of our playlists (at least during the associated month)  because the total number of follows/likes does provide encouragement for some casual Spotify users. Good luck & let us know if you end up being responsible for bringing any new members in.