Daniel's Forum Replies

I admire your commitment to the cause Andi. I do think this approach is gonna be pretty difficult to manage though given that it's certainly not just death metal bands that focus on death as their primary subject matter. Doom metal & its array of spin-off subgenres are a prime example with your beloved death doom metal & gothic metal subgenres being predominantly built around loss & mourning. Or is it just the violent intent to kill that's so predominant in death, black & thrash metal that's your major concern here? Whatever the answer is, you can be sure that the Metal Academy team will help to support you by throwing an indescribable wealth of awesome bands with a more positive outlook at you at the expense of the darker ones.

Blazing English power metal.

Look, I don't think anyone would have been under any misguided illusions that "Inhuman Rampage" would be something that would appeal to my particular taste however I gave it three full spins to see if I could grasp its charms. Unfortunately I've been left none the wiser though & found the whole process to be fairly unpleasant. That's not to say that DragonForce aren't good at what they do mind you. In fact, there's very little doubt that they sit amongst the absolute cream of the crop when it comes to musicianship & production. The performances here are nothing short of dazzling from all parties involved & the speed & precision on display is staggering at times. But that's about all there is here really. Over the 55 minute duration DragonForce basically play you the same thing for the vast majority of the run time with only the God-awful closing ballad "Trail Of Broken Hearts" seeing them changing their formula up a bit. 

The other issue I have with "Inhuman Rampage" is the trademark cheese factor that DragonForce seem to revel in. I can't tolerate that sort of thing at the best of times but when you give me a record that focuses all of its attention on schmaltzy neoclassical guitar harmonies & uplifting & triumphant fairy-floss choruses then I struggle not to simply check out. Sure the guitar solos are spectacular, the blasting double-kick-driven drumming sounds like a machine-gun & the harmonizing is as perfect as you'll find but there's very little actual grit to this music as it's been so heavily over-produced that it's reached the point of sounding inhuman & mechanical. It's really pretty hard to hear the actual musicians behind all of the studio trickery a lot of the time & I feel that the album title "Inhuman Rampage" seems quite fitting to be honest.

I have to admit that I did quite enjoy the second track "Revolution Deathsquad" which sees DragonForce managing to hit a more mature yet still memorable chorus hook before reaching another level of technical proficiency altogether during an extended instrumental section that would dazzle even the most die-hard of progressive metal fans but the rest of the tracklisting doesn't do much for me to be honest. The speed metal inspired riffage is really very aggressive the majority of the time & it's just such a shame that DragonForce feel the need to continually smother vasoline over the lens to make for a more easily palatable commercial product. In fact, tracks like "Operation Ground & Pound" & particularly "Trail Of Broken Hearts" leave me struggling against my gag reflex & it's only the sheer talent & enthusiasm of this band that keeps my rating from dipping to more subterranean levels that I rarely visit these days.

2.5/5

Sonny, that Spelljammer track is an absolute ripper. It's really floating my boat right now.

God - "The Anatomy Of Addiction" (1994)

Chris van Etten, I think this one'll be right up your alley mate.

Tension-filled & slow-building industrial metal from London, England. For fans of Godflesh, Swans & Naked City.

Wow! I had no idea what I was in for with this monster of a record. The scope & breadth of the "industrial metal" subgenre tag is simply not wide enough to encompass all of the elements at play here. I wasn't aware of it until now but God was essentially a supergroup project of sorts with approximately ten experienced musicians contributing to an epic 79 minutes of unapologetically experimental & highly challenging music made specifically for open-minded music fans with a taste for the cerebral & psychedelic. Most of the individual names were completely foreign to me but I can certainly hear the experience & talent in what they've delivered.

Many reviewers will probably suggest that "The Anatomy Of Addiction" is overly repetitive but I think that's just an indication that a lot of people don't have the patience required for this sort of art which aims directly for your cerebral cortex a lot of the time. Upon first listen you'll be left in no doubt whatsoever of the presence of Godflesh/Jesu mastermind Justin Broadrick as there are tracks here that sound exactly like classic Godflesh with some additional elements thrown into the mix. However possibly even more of the tracklisting is closer to the sound of Swans' more expansive experimental rock excursions with long, slowly-building & repetitive tracks that are full of tension & atmosphere. The jazz component is noteworthy with the more insane saxophone use reminding me of Naked City & the more laidback moments hinting at the influence of Miles Davis' late 60's/early 70's jazz fusion period. You'll also detect a significant dose of dub in the way that some of these pieces are structured, especially in the use of the bass guitar as a musical protagonist on some of the more extended & expansive tracks with the guitar & saxophone being used more for colour & texture than melody. There's a tribal percussion element at play too which really adds to the atmosphere without ever pushing things into ambient territory. Honestly, the vocals of Kevin Martin might as well by Justin Broadrick because they sound so similar that you'd be forgiven for thinking it was indeed him. Kevin's broken & repetitive phrasing & lyrical style is basically identical to Justin's trademark bark & it leaves me with a welcome feeling of familiarity a lot of the time.

This is truly intriguing & interesting stuff & I never find myself getting bored despite the excessive length of the album. There are no weak tracks with God exuding an air of class & consistency about everything they touch. The few highlight tracks are nothing short of magnificent & leave me disappointed that I can't rate the album a little higher than I have. I guess I just can't quite see "The Anatomy Of Addiction" becoming an all-time favourite despite the fact that I have difficulty in faulting it. I think that's because I find a good portion of the tracklisting to leave me thoroughly impressed with the ambition & execution but not quite drooling uncontrollably due to the lack of a knockout punch. Nonetheless, I can't recommend the album enough to people that are interested in a more cerebral & internally focused brand of experimental rock/metal music. That certainly won't be everyone & if you find that you don't get it then you'll likely be in good company. Those that do have the patience for a record like this one will being thoroughly rewarded for the effort though. And another thing... don't even think about giving it a one-off spin because it needs a little more time than that.

For fans of Godflesh, Swans & Naked City.

4/5

I still think these playlists should start with a quick brutal introduction then a few melodic songs, so it would be a good starting point for anyone new to death metal or metal in general to begin with the more melodic stuff before digging deeper into death metal's gory brutality. However, switching back and forth between brutality and melody might catch them off-guard. If it was up to me, the Cryptic Shift song probably should've been track #2 before the Scar Symmetry one, then after that, the Septic Flesh song should've been track #4 before the Dark Tranquillity one. Despite its original odd position, this playlist would be a great journey for Horde members from melodic to brutal and I approve of that track listing. They'll like it!

Well to be fair mate, it's my experience that a good half of the death metal fanbase finds melodeath to be fairly easy-listening &, no offence intended to fans of melodeath, but if you lump all of those tracks together at the start like I did a couple of times early on then you risk boring people before they've ever gotten into the meat of the playlist. I actually had a couple of people tell me that I should mix the playlists up more after originally starting all melodic & I have to admit that I agree with them as I find the playlists more enjoyable since making the change. It's also worth noting that these playlists are made for death metal & grindcore fans, not for converting people who might be scared off by the brutality of over 80% of the subgenres The Horde entails.

In general these days I try to start our playlists with three reasonably intense tracks that cover the most popular subgenres of the associated clan (for The Horde that's your conventional, melodic & technical varieties of death metal) so that the listener gets a good understanding of what they can expect & we grab their attention right from the start while also giving a hint at the variety that might be in store for them. Then I drop things down a bit & go with a more structured approach after that. It seems to work for the most part but please bare in mind that I can't possibly listen to 18 hours of playlists every month so you shouldn't expect perfection & obviously won't agree with every choice I make.

In all due respect Andi, how does that place you in a good position to provide an informed rating on a playlist like the April ones for The Sphere or The Horde where you've only commented on a small percentage of the overall tracklisting? I would've thought you'd need to at least have heard the whole tracklisting before commenting on its overall quality. I mean the true value of these playlists is that they help us all experience new music that we've never listened to before in order to open us up to new styles & sounds within the clans & 90% of your comments are on tracks that you're already familiar with so I'm not sure you're getting the true value out of them. Am I wrong here?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's interested to know this Andi but am I to understand that you have listened to a full SIX two-hour playlists within the first two days of the month? Do you listen to them in full? What makes a track qualify for comment exactly?

This month's criteria for The Sphere playlist submissions is as follows: 30 min each clan member, no track limits, one track for non-clan members

This month's criteria for The Revolution playlist submissions is as follows: 30 min each clan member, no track limits, one track for non-clan members

This month's criteria for The Pit playlist submissions is as follows: 24 min each clan member, no track limits

This month's criteria for The North playlist submissions is as follows: 24 min each clan member, no track limits

This month's criteria for The Infinite playlist submissions is as follows: 30 min each clan member, no track limits

This month's criteria for The Horde playlist submissions is as follows: 30 min each clan member, no track limits

This month's criteria for The Guardians playlist submissions is as follows: 30 min each clan member, no track limits

This month's criteria for The Gateway playlist submissions is: 30 min each clan member, no track limits, one track for non-clan members

This month's criteria for The Fallen playlist submissions is: 24 min each clan member, no track limits

Interestingly, I have no issue accessing the two tracks that people are struggling with. I assume it's due to the censorship regulations of some countries in the the case of Holocausto who have been linked to Nazi themes, mainly due to their album cover & sheer naivety. The Immolation could be due to the anti-Christian themes I suppose.

Here's the arrangement for next month's feature releases:

THE FALLEN: Ben, Daniel, Sonny, Andi

THE GATEWAY: saxy, Daniel

THE GUARDIANS: Vinny, Xephyr, Andi

THE HORDE: Daniel, Vinny, Ben

THE INFINITE: Andi, Xephyr, saxy

THE NORTH: Xephyr, Sonny, Ben, Vinny

THE PIT: Ben, Daniel, Sonny, Vinny

THE REVOLUTION: Andi, Daniel

THE SPHERE: Daniel

Here's the arrangement for next month's playlist suggestions:

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: 24 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

Superb melodic black metal from France.

Yeah I've given "Le tyran et l'esthète" four full spins over the last couple of days & I really dig it. I'm not generally too keen on any release that commands a subgenre tag with the word "melodic" in front of it & there is some stuff here that's a little too melodically inclined for my taste to be fair but Les Chants de Nihil always manage to keep me interested through sheer chaotic violence. I mean this is blasting as fuck for a record that's being labelled as melodic but the band have somehow managed to find a beautiful balance between melody & brutality that means that the tag still seems to fit. The black metal vocals have real anger & spite in them & they suit the music well while the drumming is spectacular & represents the clear highlight of the album. In fact, bands like these guys & Deathspell Omega leave me wondering how the French manage to produce such consistent talent in this regard.

I'm not much of a fan of the chanting vocals to be honest but that won't surprise people that know me well. They're inevitably the weakest moments on the album to my ears. The tracklisting also could have been a little more consistent too but there are no genuinely weak tracks & the couple of clear highlight tracks are particularly impressive. I mean find me a better modern black metal track than "Danse des mort-nés" & you'll be doing well. It harnesses all of the things that made the Norwegians so great in black metal's heyday. 

This is some high quality black metal right here & Ben will definitely love it. Thanks a lot for the tip Sonny.

4/5

Next level brutal death metal that defined the subgenre. For fans of Dying Fetus, Hate Eternal & Pyrexia.

Suffocation - "Human Waste" E.P. (1991)

Every devoted metalhead has those bands that give them enormous pride in the fact that they've been with them since their earliest demo recordings & Suffocation is one of those artists for me. In fact, they're arguably the band that most accurately reflects my taste in metal music & that was evident from the first second that I heard this debut E.P. which not only defined a brand new & significantly more extreme version of the death metal sound but also showcased a band that was already at the peak of their powers from a technical & compositional point of view. The riff structures are slightly more thrashy than we'd come to expect from the band in the future however this record is still full to the brim with those ridiculously challenging & chunky palm-muted melodic runs & high-octane, grind-inspired blast-beat barrages that would become synonymous with the Suffocation brand. To my ears they'd already struck on the perfect balance between aggression, progression & memorability.

The production is perhaps not as effective as it would be on their more widely celebrated "Effigy Of The Forgotten" & "Pierced From Within" records & most of these tracks were re-recorded at one point or another however the class, energy & controlled violence that oozes from this record like the dripping blood on the imposing cover artwork has no less of a physical effect on me. In fact, I'd even argue that the tracklisting is just as consistent as that of Suffocation's more highly regarded follow-up from later on the same year so it's always baffled me that it isn't placed on a similar pedestal given how ground-breaking it was at the time. Brutal death metal was born & boy did it get off to a great start!

For fans of Dying Fetus, Hate Eternal & Pyrexia.

4.5/5

Suffocation - "Human Waste" E.P. (1991)

Vinny, I notice you haven't rated this one. I regard it as absolutely essential for all death metal fans.

Some very solid US heavy metal from Wichita, USA. For fans of Brocas Helm, Omen & Eternal Champion.

So I've only just gotten around to revisiting Manilla Road's  "Mystification" album a good six months after I allocated this feature release with that very intention but it was definitely worth another look. Manilla Road & I have had a hit-&-miss relationship over the years. I quite liked their progressive rock-driven 1980 debut album "Invasion" but found the follow-up "Metal" to be disappointing. Strangely, their third album "Crystal Logic" (which is generally regarded as their best work & an unmitigated classic) did even less for me but 1985's "Open The Gates" saw my interest being restored with several incredible pieces appearing across a generally inconsistent tracklisting. So I guess it's fair to say that I approached "Mystification" fairly tentatively which may be why I didn't get to it until now. 

"Mystification" may still sound very much like a Manilla Road album but it's also a very different beast to the other material I've heard from the band to date. For starters, this is the first time that I've had absolutely no question about a Manilla Road album's US power metal status. It's a noticeably thrashier affair than their early 80's records were with only a couple of tunes that fit comfortably under the heavy metal banner. The rest offer significantly more velocity & aggression than you'd usually expect from a classic metal band however Mark Shelton's higher register vocal performance generally keeps Manilla Road from completely crossing over into speed/thrash metal territory as he possesses a theatricality that definitely ties them to power metal. The short & high energy "Up From the Crypt" is probably the only exception with its slightly more grunty delivery & it's clear that bands like Slayer have had a significant impact on Mark & his band by this stage. Just check out that start of "Masque of the Red Death" if you don't believe me.

The performances are really quite brilliant, particularly Mark's lead guitar work & the exciting drumming of Randy Foxe who plays like a man possessed for the most part with his drum-rolls being a clear highlight. Unsurprisingly, I do struggle to connect with Mark's "epic" vocal delivery a little though & that's always been a bit of a stumbling block for me to tell you the truth. I'm always left wishing that he'd spend more time shredding away on his axe with that unpolished yet infectious technique of his rather than posing some dark & mystical question to me vocally. Some of his earlier works included more lower register grunt work than "Mystification" does & I think that's a shame as I do like that style a little better. Mark's guitar solos always sound like he's improvised the whole thing on the spot &, despite his clear command of his instrument, they're more to do with atmosphere than they are to do with chops which is something I have a lot of appreciation for. In fact, you could say similar things of the production job which gives Manilla Road that mid-80's underground authenticity that a lot of modern bands lack & that's always been a strength for the band.

Overall, this is clearly the most consistent Manilla Road record I've heard to date as there are no weak tracks included. But in saying that, I don't think we get the enormous highlights that a record like "Open The Gates" offered. I think perhaps the additional thrashiness of "Mystification" has seen Manilla Road losing a little bit of the psychedelia that I loved so much about their better earlier works. For that reason, "Open The Gates" still maintains the title of my favourite Manilla Road release however "Mystification" is another interesting album from a band that I generally maintain an appreciation for but are unlikely to ever quite connect with on the same level as the rest of the underground seem to.

For fans of Brocas Helm, Omen & Eternal Champion.

3.5/5

A monster heavy metal anthem for fans of Twisted Sister, 80's Judas Priest & "Shout At The Devil"-era Motley Crue.

W.A.S.P. - "The Headless Children" (1989)

These days everyone seems to talk about WASP's self-titled debut but I come from an alternate direction as I feel that they got better after that with their peak being 1992's classic concept album "The Crimson Idol" (I know, I know.. a real shock that I don't favour their glammier stuff). Their 1989 fourth album "The Headless Children" sees Blackie & co. finally dropping most of the glam metal schmaltz in favour of more mature subject matter but I wouldn't say they reinvented themselves musically. This is still a WASP record from start to finish with a couple of hard rock focused numbers mixed in with their now signature anthemic heavy metal sound & Blackie's powerful pipes & well-defined hooks dominating proceedings. Admittedly those rockier tracks represent the weaker moments on the album but there's really only the ballad "Forever Free" that I don't find much appeal in. The rest of the tracklisting is very consistent with closer "Rebel in the F.D.G." & "Thunderhead" representing the album highlights & some of the best material of WASP's career. All heavy metal fans should find value in this record. It's not a game-changer by any means but it's got all the balls & excitement that you'd expect from a WASP record & I place it a comfortable second for their back catalogue overall.

For fans of Twisted Sister, 80's Judas Priest & "Shout At The Devil"-era Motley Crue.

4/5

That's a great story Joseph & welcome to the Academy. I'm impressed by the quality of your ratings for someone that's so fresh to a lot of the material actually & I think you'll really appreciate the site's ability to help you to find great new music that's well aligned with your personal tastes. Have fun with our various features & I hope to see you around. :)

An absolute belter of an opening track from a heavily overrated benchmark of US power metal. For fans of Metal Church, Virgin Steele & early Queensryche.

Savatage - "Hall of the Mountain King" (1987)

OK so I'm gonna throw out another big call having just revisited Savatage's most highly celebrated fourth album "Hall of the Mountain King" over the last day or so. I make no bones about saying that I just don't get the appeal of Savatage & never have. Sure they have an amazing lead guitarist in Criss Oliva but his brother Jon Oliva's vocals are incredibly overrated. He simply has no right to be mentioned amongst the great front men in heavy metal as he so often is. Plus, the song-writing here is pretty inconsistent & the album's claims for US power metal status are tenuous at best. I mean there's only one track that pushes out into heavier territory than Black Sabbath, Judas Priest or the NWOBHM did (i.e. simple speed metal tune "White Witch"). The opening track "24 Hrs. Ago" is an absolute belter but I really don't see anything else here to warrant the enormous underground fanfare that this album seems to draw. I can only think that it's my inability to come to terms with Jon Oliva's theatrical wailing that prevents me from seeing the true value in Savatage's music so, despite the fact that "Hall of the Mountain King" was the band's best work to the time in my opinion, it still doesn't offer me much in the way of appeal.

For fans of Metal Church, Virgin Steele & early Queensryche.

3/5

This was definitely the Priest album that I enjoyed the most out of their 70s / 80s efforts, which I know is an opinion that Daniel doesn't share.

Quoted Ben

For the record, my favourite from their 70's & 80's material is "Defenders Of The Faith". I really like "Sad Wings Of Destiny" but it wouldn't make my top five for Priest overall. I guess the more theatrical & proggy Queen influenced stuff isn't quite as appealing to me as the more obviously metal material that was to come.

In saying that, I don't think you really answered the burning question of whether "Death Or Glory" should qualify as a legitimate power metal record or not Xephyr. What's your take?

Dear Moonsorrow. "The Final Countdown" called & it would like it's cheesy, 80's synths back please. Yours sincerely, Europe.

I find that Moonsorrow got slightly more appealing for me with each release but they started at such a low starting point with their early records that it wasn't until "V: Hävitetty" that I found myself actually enjoying myself. It's really no secret that my interest is directly proportionate to the ratio of Viking metal to folk metal though.

That's a fantastic response Xephyr. That's exactly what I was after.

The closing piece from Moonsorrow's third album "Kivenkantaja" is by far the most appealing piece on the tracklisting for me personally. It's also the only track that sees them steering completely away from metal.

Moonsorrow - "Kivenkantaja" (2003)

After quite enjoying our recent The North feature release in Moonsorrow's classic 2007 album "V: Hävitetty", I thought I'd head back in their back catalogue a bit to see if my opinions have changed on their earlier material. Unfortunately it was not to be though. If raw, blasting black metal is a perfectly cooked medium-rare steak then Moonsorrow's third album is a big bag of fluffy pink & white marshmallows & anyone that knows me will already know which I prefer. A blend of melodic folk metal & galloping Viking metal, "Kivenkantaja" is simply far, far too unintimidating & cheesy for my liking & those folk melodies sound like fingernails down a chalk board to my poor old death metal loving ears. It's beautifully produced & executed as usual & fans of bands like Falkenbach, Finsterforst & Månegarm will no doubt think that "Kivenkantaja" is the best album ever recorded but in truth it couldn't be further away from my tastes if it tried.

2.5/5

P.S. Actually that's not entirely true. Moonsorrow's first two records are even further away from taste to be fair but it has better dramatic effect when I pretend that's not the case so let's run with it.

Ben, please also create an entry for Running Wild's "Wild Animal" E.P. for the exact same reasons.

Running Wild - "Wild Animal" E.P. (1990)

Further evidence that I just don't connect with Running Wild's brand of German heavy metal. The inclusion of these four tracks as a bonus on the CD version of their 1989 album "Death Or Glory" only further weakens its chances of ever meeting with my affection. For fans of Grave Digger, Judas Priest & Accept.

2.5/5

It's my personal opinion that lyrics have no impact on subgenre whatsoever. Also, does "power metal potential" mean that you'd be happy to see "Death Or Glory" sitting on top of the Power Metal charts? Honestly, opening track aside, this record isn't any more power metal than Iron Maiden or Judas Priest & no one is pushing them out into power metal territory despite having significantly more operatic front men than Running Wild.

Oh I didn't realise. They actually mixed the tracks up on Spotify too so I shouldn't be surprised. To be fair I find "Störtebeker" (another bonus track by the way) to be pretty flat too. Perhaps I'm just never meant to enjoy Running Wild.

Here's a couple of shocking bonus tracks from German metal albums that are generally regarded as classics:

The first is a Queen cover version:

The second appears to be a re-recorded version of an already shithouse track from Running Wild's 1985 album "Branded & Exiled":

High class German heavy metal for fans of Grave Digger, Judas Priest & Accept.

Running Wild - "Death Or Glory" (1989)

I gave Running Wild's fifth & arguably most highly regarded album "Death Or Glory" a revisit for the first time in years over the last day or so & (despite the fact that I've increased my rating by a half star since my last visit) I have to ask what the big deal is with this record. It's generally referred to as sitting somewhere between traditional heavy metal & power metal however it's really only two of the ten tracks (15 if you include the bonus tracks that come with the CD version) that manage to achieve genuine power metal status so I'll be taking a visit to the Hall of Judgement in a minute. The rest of the tracklisting is comprised of very simple song-writing that's lacking in the class & sophistication departments. The vocals of front man Rock 'n' Rolf should never have been strong enough to compete with the tier one heavy metal acts of the time either as far as I can see so I'm completely baffled as to how "Death or Glory" got to be regarded as highly as it is. At least the pirate themes are easy enough to overlook as you'd never know they were there without prior knowledge. Perhaps someone can enlighten me as I'm genuinely interested to know what I'm missing here.

For fans of Grave Digger, Judas Priest & Accept.

3/5

Sonny, if you haven't checked this out yet then I strongly suggest that you do. I think you'll love it.