Daniel's Forum Replies

Hi everyone. We're going to trial something a little different for the April playlist. Instead of limiting you all to a maximum number of track submissions, we're going to try something that Sonny & I have been discussing by limiting each of you to 30 minutes of music. We have four contributing clan members so that should work nicely. Also, I'm not going to limit you to a maximum track duration for this month & we'll see how it turns out.

Hi everyone. Please be aware that we're going to trial something a little different for the April "The Revolution" playlist. Given that we only have one contributing clan member for The Revolution, we're going to open up the opportunity to members of other clans to contribute one track suggestion each.

Also, we're adjusting the limit for The Revolution clan members to a maximum of five tracks each.

I like Sonny's idea but would only suggest that we implement it for The Gateway, The Revolution & The Sphere & only until we get at least two or three legitimate clan members contributing. The move will be purely to gain more internal engagement in these particular playlists. I think we already have a good balance in some of the other playlists like The Fallen & The North & I've just increased the maximum number of clan member submissions for others so I don't feel that they require the additional push as much. I've already picked the tracks for the April The Gateway & The Sphere playlists so we might kick off with The Revolution next month & see what the engagement is like.

In regards to Andi's suggestion, I don't see any reason to limit which clan members are eligible. There's no reason you need to contribute to clans that you aren't interested in.

Hi everyone. Sonny & I have both been wondering whether it might make sense to give each member a maximum time allocation for their suggested inclusions in each month's clan-specific playlist rather than a track number limit. What do you think of that idea?

Yeah I was only considering that option a couple of days ago to be honest. I think that option has some advantages as well as introducing some additional challenges. I might open the topic up to the whole membership group & see what everyone thinks.

A couple of the other YouTube versions have significant sound issues, so I hope no-one judges the album without hearing it the way it was supposed to be heard.

God forbid that anyone's forced to endure an underground black metal release with a lo-fi sound production Ben. ;)

A very solid mid-80's crust punk anthem from Birmingham crossover thrashers Sacrilege.

My relationship with "Behind The Realms Of Madness" goes right back to my tape trading days but it's not an album that I return to all that often to be honest. I certainly enjoy it whenever I do but I wouldn't say that it commands return visits out of me. The production is very much in the rough 'n' ready hardcore punk tradition with the drums being very high in the mix & the guitars a bit too far back but this fuzzy DYI approach kinda works for Sacrilege here as it gives the album an authenticity that's quite important to the end result. I really enjoy Tam's unusually aggressive female vocal delivery too as she simultaneously creates a point of difference & gives the music the required surge of energy.

Musically, "Behind The Realms Of Madness" has always been categorized as a thrash metal & crust punk hybrid & that's a very accurate description in my opinion. For that reason it's always seemed strange to me that it's never been referred to as crossover thrash given the intent of that term. Perhaps it's due to the fact that the two styles don't actually cross over all that often. In fact, when you take a close look at the six individual tracks you'll find that three of them fall into thrash territory while the other three sound more like straight-up crust. Given that knowledge, I guess it makes sense for a site like RYM to keep the tags separate so that the release appears in searches on both subgenres but for Metal Academy I'd prefer that it was referred to as crossover thrash so that people can clearly see that it's not your standard thrash record & has a significant hardcore component.

I guess the main reason I don't rate "Behind The Realms Of Madness" as the underground classic that so many of my peers seem to is the generic nature of a lot of the riffs. I mean there's definitely a "thrash riffs for dummies" feel to some of this material & I have to admit that I find the more aggressive hardcore based material to be a touch stronger. I also think that some of Andy Baker's beats are a little bouncy & punky for my liking. Thankfully an authentic underground 80's metal atmosphere is always in effect which does a good job at combatting the flaws but I don't believe that I've ever really been able to see Sacrilege's debut as anything more than a reasonably enjoyable crossover release despite it's significant influence on bands like Bolt Thrower, Unseen Terror & Napalm Death. For me Sacrilege didn't peak until their 1987 follow-up release "Within the Prophecy".

For fans of Hellbastard, Détente & early Onslaught.

3.5/5

P.S. The album cover is pretty fucking bad ass, isn't it?

An absolute doom monster from this month's The Fallen feature release.

Strangely, I'd never given "New Dark Age" a spin before a couple of days ago but I'm glad that I did now because I really dig it. Not all of it mind you but the overall majority. It took a few listens to really dig it's teeth in though, particularly given that I don't like the opener "The Sleeping Tyrant" much which, given its eleven minute duration, tended to leave my defenses up for the rest of the album until I could get used to its overall quality.

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.

"New Dark Age" is an album of peaks & troughs in my opinion but thankfully the peaks significantly outweigh the troughs. To my ears it's the more heavy metal focused numbers that offer the least appeal with the previously mentioned "The Sleeping Tyrant" & the equally disappointing "Hammer Of Damnation" seeing me struggle to engage. The ten minute epic "Cromlech" has a little more success but still never manages to get my blood pumping like the doomier material. The rest of the album is absolutely top notch though with the short interlude style folk inspired pieces adding a hefty dose of atmosphere  & the crushing doom monsters like "Cimmerian Codex" & twelve minute album highlight "New Dark Age II" seeing me pummeled by gargantuan riffage of the highest order. I do find Morris Ingram's vocals to be a little underwhelming though if I'm honest. He's not bad as such but definitely lacks the power, charisma & talent required to take Solstice to the elite level in my opinion. He sounds much better over the doom & folk material than he does over the more traditional heavy metal tracks where a more potent vocal force was required to accentuate the song-writing. The lead guitar work could also have been better & I'm left with the feeling that the dual guitar attack were working within their own technical limitations.

Still... when taken in holistically I find "New Dark Age" to be a very enjoyable & quite varied listen. I actually think that some of the less substantial clean tracks like "Alchemiculte" & "Blackthorne" sit amongst the best inclusions & this makes up for the less appealing metal moments that champion a more melodic metal sound than I'm comfortable with, even hinting at melodeath or folk metal inspiration on occasion. I was definitely expecting something more consistently doomy but I'll no doubt settle for the slightly unexpected yet no less appealing result.

For fans of Candlemass, Atlantean Kodex & While Heaven Wept.

4/5

Great idea Vinny. And thanks a lot for taking the initiative there. This is the overall feature release list for each clan if you want to update those further (although it's in no particular order):

THE FALLEN

Celtic Frost – “Monotheist” (2006)

Paul Chain Violet Theatre – “Detaching From Satan” E.P. (1984)

Swallow The Sun – “Plague Of Butterflies” E.P. (2008)

My Dying Bride – “The Dreadful Hours” (2001)

Tiamat – “Wildhoney” (1994)

Type O Negative – “October Rust” (1996)

Boris – “Boris At Last -Feedbacker-“ (2003)

The Angelic Process – “Weighing Souls With Sand” (2007)

Neptunian Maximalism – “Eons” (2020)

The Body – “I’ve Seen All I Need To See”, 2021)

Mastodon – “Leviathan” (2004)

Isis – “Panopticon” (2004)

Rosetta – “The Galilean Satellites” (2005)

Sleep – “Dopesmoker” (2003)

Electric Wizard – “Dopethrone” (2000)

THE GATEWAY

Faith No More – “Introduce Yourself” (1987)

Primus – “Frizzle Fry” (1990)

Primus – “Sailing The Seas Of Cheese” (1991)

Deftones – “Around The Fur” (1997)

Tool – “Lateralus”(2001)

Tool – “Aenima” (1996)

Faith No More – “Angel Dust” (1992)

System Of A Down – “Toxicity” (2001)

Deftones – “Ohms” (2020)

Katatonia – “The Great Cold Distance” (2006)

Deftones –“Koi no Yokan” (2012)

Rage Against The Machine – “Rage Against The Machine” (1992)

Rage Against The Machine – “The Battle Of Los Angeles” (1999)

Korn – “Korn” (1994)

Deftones – “Adrenaline” (1995)

THE GUARDIANS

Picture – “Diamond Dreamer” (1982)

Black Sabbath – “Paranoid” (1970)

Black Sabbath – “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” (1973)

Riot – “ThunderSteel” (1988)

Iron Maiden – “The Number Of The Beast” (1982)

Manilla Road – “Mystification” (1987)

Eternal Champion – “Ravening Iron” (2020)

LORD – “Fallen Idols” (2019)

Blind Guardian – “Imaginations From The Other Side” (1995)

Helloween – “Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II” (1988)

Gamma Ray – “Blast From The Past” (2000)

Therion – “Theli” (1996)

Therion – “Secret Of The Runes” (2001)

Jason Becker – “Perpetual Burn” (1988)

Tony MacAlpine – “Maximum Security” (1987)

THE HORDE

Sepultura – “Bestial Devastation” E.P. (1985)

Undeath – “Lesions Of A Different Kind” (2020)

Incantation – “Diabolical Conquest” (1998)

Immolation – “Here In After” (1996)

Asphyx – “Necroceros” (2021)

Death – “Symbolic” (1995)

Cryptopsy – “None So Vile” (1998)

Delusional Parasitosis / Ecchymosis / Dissevered / Bleeding – “Scaphism 4-Way Split” (2017)

Entombed – “Wolverine Blues” (1993)

Insomnium – “Above The Weeping World” (2006)

Discordance Axis – “The Inalienable Dreamless” (2000)

Terrorizer – “World Downfall” (1989)

Genghis Tron – “Dead Mountain Mouth” (2006)

Dead Infection – “A Chapter Of Accidents” (1995)

Phyllomedusa – “Desiccation In Progress (Version II)” (2011)

THE INFINITE

Warning (Ger) – “Warning” (1982)

Kayo Dot – “Choirs Of The Eye” (2003)

Ved Buens Ende….. – “Written In Waters” (1995)

Today Is The Day – “Sadness Will Prevail” (2002)

Oranssi Pazuzu – “Mestarin kynsi” (2020)

Dream Theater – “Images & Words” (1992)

Opeth – “Blackwater Park” (2001)

Green Carnation - “Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness” (2001)

Disillusion – “Back To Times Of Splendor” (2004)

Devin Townsend – “Terria” (2001)

Pain Of Salvation – “Remedy Lane” (2002)

Meshuggah – “I” E.P. (2004)

Agalloch – “Ashes Against The Grain” (2006)

Solstafir – “Kold” (2009)

Solstafir – “Svartir Sandar” (2011)

THE NORTH

VBathory – “Twilight Of The Gods” (1991)

Bathory – “Hammerheart” (1990)

Falkenbach – “Heralding : The Fireblade” (2005)

Falkenbach – “Ok nefna tysvar ty” (2003)

Moonsorrow – “Verisakeet” (2005)

Moonsorrow – “V: Havitetty” (2007)

Heol Telwen – “An deiz ruz” (2005)

In Extremo – “Sunder ohne Zugel” (2001)

Darkthrone – “A Blaze In The Northern Sky” (1992)

Deathspell Omega – “Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeternum: Chaining the Katechon” E.P., 2008)

Serpent Column – “Endless Detainment” E.P. (2020)

Burzum – “Filosofem” (1996)

Deafheaven – “Sunbather” (2013)

Kvelertak – “Kvelertak” (2010)

Shining – “V – Halmstad” (2007)

THE PIT

Acid – “Maniac” (1983)

Helloween – “Helloween” E.P. (1985)

Helstar – “Nosferatu” (1989)

Venom – “Welcome To Hell” (1981)

Artillery – “By Inheritance” (1990)

Overkill – “Feel The Fire” (1985)

Warbringer – “Weapons Of Tomorrow” (2020)

Testament – “The Legacy” (1987)

Overkill – “Horrorscope” (1991)

Hexecutor – “Beyond Any Human Conception Of Knowledge” (2020)

S.O.D. – “Speak English Or Die” (1985)

Vektor – “Black Future” (2009)

Pantera – “Vulgar Display Of Power” (1992)

Sepultura – “Chaos A.D.” (1993)

Pantera – “Cowboys From Hell” (1990)

THE REVOLUTION

Earth Crisis – “Gommorah’s Season End” (1996)

Converge – “All We Love We Leave Behind” (2012)

Hopesfall – “No Wings To Speak Of” E.P. (2001)

Sunami – “Sunami” E.P. (2020)

After The Burial – “Rareform” (2008)

Converge – “Jane Doe” (2001)

Gaza – “I Don’t Care Where I Go When I Die” (2006)

Botch – “An Anthology Of Dead Ends” E.P. (2002)

Inside The Beehive – “Drink Bleach; Live Forever” E.P. (2011)

Protest The Hero – “Kezia” (2006)

HORSE The Band – “The Mechanical Hand” (2005)

Enter Shikari – “Rat Race” E.P. (2013)

Blood Stain Child – “Epsilon” (2011)

Amaranthe – “Massive Addictive” (2014)

BABYMETAL – “BABYMETAL” (2014)

THE SPHERE

Godflesh – “Selfless” (1994)

Ministry – “Psalm 69” (1992)

Godflesh – “Streetcleaner” (1989)

Strapping Young Lad – “City” (1997)

Nine Inch Nails – “Broken” E.P. (1992)

Strapping Young Lad – “Alien” (2005)

Mick Gordon – “DOOM (Original Game Soundtrack)” (2016)

Uniform – “Shame” (2020)

Godflesh – “Godflesh” E.P. (1988)

Rammstein – “Mutter” (2001)

Rammstein – “Sehnsucht” (1997)

Rammstein – “Reise, Reise” (2004)

Sybreed – “Antares” (2007)

…And Oceans – “A.M. G.O.D.” (2001)

Jamie Christopherson – “Metal Gear Rising: Reveangence Vocal Tracks” (2013)

A wonderful example of mid-90's death metal from Coventry, England. For fans of Benediction, Asphyx & Autopsy.

Bolt Thrower - "...For Victory" (1994)

English death metallers Bolt Thrower really did cap out on their development with 1992's classic "The Ivth Crusade" & its associated tour in my opinion. Their previous couple of records were very strong however it was their fourth effort that finally saw their potential coming to its fullest realisation & once I saw them perform those tracks live from the front row & got to make eye contact & stage dive repeatedly from just a step away from my idols I think I personally placed a sticky note in my mind to say that Bolt Thrower couldn't get any better than that moment. So when "...For Victory" was released in 1994, I feel that my anticipation was so high that they would take that sound even further that it tainted my judgement a little on what is essentially another classic release from the band. See, the issue for me was that there had been no further development on the sound that I loved so much on their previous record & if I analyze it to the nth degree I find that it can't quite match its older sibling for highlights however this revisit has seen me finally able to appreciate it as a classic release in its own right. I mean this is still a spectacular example of the classic early 90's death metal sound. It's tight as hell, heavy as fuck, beautifully produced & executed, there are no weak tracks & it has atmosphere for days. In fact, with the exception of some minor inconsistencies in vocalist Karl Willetts' performances from track to track, Bolt Thrower really get their themes across beautifully here. I've underrated this album for decades now but I'm thrilled to have finally seen the light & to be able to claim "...For Victory" as an essential death metal release. Forget 2005's "Those Once Loyal" which seems to be heavily overrated by fans these days. It was certainly a solid "welcome home" for Willetts however it's no match for Bolt Thrower's early 90's material. For fans of Benediction, Asphyx & Autopsy. 

4.5/5

Crocheted Donut Ring - "Two Little Ladies (Azalea & Rhododendron) / Nice" single (1967)

A sweet little 7" single that combines The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" & "Magical Mystery Tour" era psychedelic pop sound with Brian Eno style ambient. It's actually really good & I'm not sure I've heard an earlier example of legitimate ambient music than the B-side "Nice" which is the highlight here.

4/5

We'll go with a maximum of five monthly The Pit playlist submissions each moving forwards guys.

We'll go with a maximum of five monthly The Infinite playlist submissions each moving forwards guys.

I've upped the limit to a maximum of five monthly The Horde playlist submissions each moving forwards guys.

Yeah it's definitely a step down from "Close To A World below" but I rate it pretty similarly to last month's feature release "Here In After". In fact, I think I'd take "Unholy Cult" over it if I had to pick one.

Good point. I think we should ensure that there is a post to tell everyone who the lucky members are for next month on the 1st when we announce that month's feature releases.

FYI if the nominated member doesn't get their feature release nomination in by first thing in the morning on the first day of the month (Australian time) then I'll select one myself to ensure continuity & they'll lose their opportunity until the next cycle. It would be preferable if they come in at least a couple of days before the end of the previous month so that I'm well prepared to smash out all of the posts on the morning of the 1st.

I was thinking I’d maintain the write-up responsibilities in order to keep some consistency of format & timing. I just need you to private message me the relevant release(s) & they need to already be on the site.

Bruce Dickinson - "The Chemical Wedding" (1998)

I'd suggest that Bruce's best solo work might be up your alley saxy.

A classic heavy metal anthem for fans of Iron Maiden, Halford & Dio.

Bruce Dickinson - "The Chemical Wedding" (1998)

I was feeling like a singalong anthem or two today so I gave this oldie a few spins today & found that it's grown on me considerably since my last visit. "The Chemical Wedding" (Bruce's fifth solo album) nicely balances the hard rock-inspired NWOBHM sound of Bruce's early days with a more modern metal chug & sees him achieving some his most memorable chorus hooks. It's not consistently strong enough to be challenging for genuine classic status in my opinion though as it tends to fade pretty noticeably over the last few track however highlights like "Gates of Urizen", "The Tower" & "Killing Floor" are easily impressive enough to command the attention of any self-respecting Iron Maiden, Halford or Dio fan.

4/5

Hi everyone. At this point I'd like to expand our clan member involvement in the monthly The Guardians playlists a bit by giving our three regular playlist contributors (Andi, Xephyr & Vinny) the chance to submit a couple more tracks each month. Therefore, the monthly limit for The Guardians will be five track submissions each clan member moving forwards from 1st March 2021. If we get additional contributors then I'll have to reduce the limit again to cater for them.

I notice you haven't rated this one Vinny. Can I assume you're acquainted with it?

More high quality New York death metal from these long-time champions of darkness & blasphemy.

Immolation - "Unholy Cult" (2002)

Another very strong album from these New York death metallers that perhaps suffers a little bit due to comparisons to the band's previous record "Close To A World Below" which I regard as one of the greatest releases for the genre overall. I still think that Immolation's main weakness is in their technical abilities as the drumming & lead work are pretty sloppy at times & I honestly don't know how people seem to overlook that however that trademark dark atmosphere is here in spades & is further accentuated by the intelligent use of open string dissonance. Plus, the real strength or "Unholy Cult" is in its consistency as the quality of the song-writing remains strong throughout the entire tracklisting. There is a case for there not being any genuinely classic tracks but there's also no sign of a weak one. Immolation will always be one of those bands where it's difficult to distinguish between the individual tracks but death metal isn't exactly a genre where that's such an issue as long as all the other key boxes are ticked & they certainly are here.

4/5

THE FALLEN: Sonny (Mar), Andi (Apr), Ben (May), Daniel (Jun)

THE GATEWAY: saxy (Mar), Daniel (Apr), saxy (May), Daniel (Jun)

THE GUARDIANS: Xephyr (Mar), Andi (Apr), Vinny (May), Xephyr (Jun)

THE HORDE: Vinny (Mar), Ben (Apr), Daniel (May), Vinny (Jun)

THE INFINITE: Xephyr (Mar), saxy (Apr), Andi (May), Xephyr (Jun)

THE NORTH: Ben (Mar), Vinny (Apr), Xephyr (May), Sonny (Jun)

THE PIT: Sonny (Mar), Vinny (Apr), Ben (May), Daniel (Jun)

THE REVOLUTION: Andi (Mar), Daniel (Apr), Andi (May), Daniel (Jun)

THE SPHERE: Daniel

The process will be that I'll remain the point of coordination for the moment. I think it's best if we keep the actual releases a secret until the 1st of each month as it will add a level of anticipation. Therefore, I'm proposing that you all send me your chosen releases by private message in the last week of the following month. If your release is not already on the site then you'll need to give Ben two weeks notice to ensure that he gets them in beforehand. I'll continue to create the individual threads & posts for consistency.

Brutal death/thrash from Sweden for fans of Kreator, Protector & "Darkness Descends"-era Dark Angel.

Daniel, I noticed you haven't rated this yet.

Well that took me back to a much simpler time in my life & I found that I still really dig Merciless' aggressive brand of Swedish death/thrash. "The Awakening" kinda sounds like the more brutal Kreator, Protector & Dark Angel material with some unusually vicious vocals elevating it above your average thrasher into more deathly territory. There's a little bit of early Morbid Angel about the style of the riffs too which can't be a bad thing but I think this album could have done with some shredding solos to take it to the next level. Very solid stuff indeed though so thanks to Sonny for reminding me that I needed to give it a revisit.

4/5

P.S. Ben, you should check this out if you haven't already.

Ever since I started the monthly feature release concept, I've always had the intention that the clans would take over the responsibility for selecting their own features once we had a bit more activity on the site & given that some of you have been very active in regards to the features in recent months I've been thinking that it might be time to test the waters. To be more specific, what I'm suggesting is that all contributing clan members take a turn at selecting the monthly feature in a revolving chair arrangement. For clans that only have one or less regularly contributing member I will retain the duties or act as a second person in order to insure a bit of variety. Here's what I'm proposing as far as schedules go:

THE FALLEN: Sonny (Mar), Andi (Apr), Ben (May), Daniel (Jun)

THE GATEWAY: saxy (Mar), Daniel (Apr), saxy (May), Daniel (Jun)

THE GUARDIANS: Xephyr (Mar), saxy (Apr), Andi (May), Vinny (Jun)

THE HORDE: Vinny (Mar), Ben (Apr), Daniel (May), Vinny (Jun)

THE INFINITE: Xephyr (Mar), saxy (Apr), Andi (May), Xephyr (Jun)

THE NORTH: Ben (Mar), Vinny (Apr), Xephyr (May), Sonny (Jun)

THE PIT: Sonny (Mar), Vinny (Apr), Ben (May), Daniel (Jun)

THE REVOLUTION: Andi (Mar), Daniel (Apr), Andi (May), Daniel (Jun)

THE SPHERE: Daniel

Are you all interested in contributing? Is there anyone I'm missing? What are your thoughts on this generally?

The other alternative is that the associated clan members come up with a way to collaborate in coming up with each month's feature release. I thought that the logistics might be a little difficult to manage but feel free to give it a shot if you can think of a good way to facilitate it. Every clan may choose different methods but it really doesn't matter as long as all the clan members have decided upon the process as a group.

And finally, if you're a less active clan member that's not listed & want to be involved then just let me know & I'll add you to the schedule.

A lovely little piece of Opeth worship for a Sunday morning.

Only a small amount of metalheads have heard of Persefone, a progressive death metal band from a small nation between Spain and France, and that's a shame because their music is so d*mn good. Since Aathma was released in 2017 and the Truth Behind the Shades re-recording in 2020, I'm expecting a new album in the future and maybe also a re-recording of Core. But the original album Core is still an epic masterpiece, and I recommend it to many progressive metal listeners and fans including fellow Metal Academy members Ben, Daniel, MartinDavey87, saxystephens & Xephyr. That Persefone album is a practically unknown masterpiece that deserves to be heard worldwide!

PS: While this album is progressive death metal, it doesn't belong in The Horde. The amount of death in their progressive metal is only as much as other progressive bands like Between the Buried and Me, Opeth, and Disillusion. More info in this thread that is part of my special Horde removal judgement submission week: https://metal.academy/forum/28/thread/688

Thanks for the head up on this one Andi. I really enjoyed it. "Core" kinda sounds like they've crossed classic Dream Theater with Opeth & Ne Obliviscaris & tossed in a little Emperor here & there. It's extremely progressive & your Hall submission is valid in my opinion as there's so much more to this record than the death metal tag could ever indicate. Some of the lead guitar work is stunning & I love the all-round ambition Persefone display for just their second full-length effort. I'm going with a very solid 4/5 rating.

I've been having a think about your idea over the last 24 hours Andi & I think it's got potential, especially after relistening to "Core" a couple of times yesterday. I've since come to the realisation that "Core" wouldn't really sit terribly comfortably at the top of the melodic death metal charts. It's simply a different beast as it takes some of its progressive elements to extremes & rarely sits in traditional melodeath territory for too long. But it's also a very different beast to the cleaner & more mild-manoured Fates Warning or Queensryche style of progressive metal. I like your idea of utilizing an "extreme progressive metal" subgenre (like Metal Archives do) & think it would work perfectly well for "Core" as I don't actually think it fits nicely with any other subgenre but needs to be separated from the classic metal based brand of progressive metal. In saying that, I don't think "melodic progressive metal" works for the cleaner stuff because "Core" is also as melodic as fuck. I'd be more inclined to simply go with the one additional subgenre for the extreme stuff & leave the rest under "progressive metal (conventional)". If a release qualifies as "extreme progressive metal" but needs additional tagging to highlight that it's a black metal or a thrash metal release then additional tags can be added. If (like "Core") it veers too far away from your signature extreme metal sounds then it can simply retain the one "extreme progressive metal" tag. This approach would allow people to easily search for cleaner progressive metal without receiving any unpleasant surprises in the vocal & intensity departments & the same goes for fans of the more extreme end of town. It would also help people to isolate progressive black metal or progressive metalcore releases or any other combination if they chose to. The only thing that would need to be nutted out would be where to draw the line between the two. I'll speak to Ben & see if it's something we'll consider moving forwards. If it is, we may think about employing the same approach for some of the other more descriptive genre tags like "avant-garde metal".

And for the record, with the database in its current state I'll be voting yes on this Hall submission.

I’m not sure you understood my angle Andi. I actually don’t want to split progressive metal into two. I’m suggesting that it might be better to treat it purely as a descriptor by tying each progressive release in with the subgenre that forms the basis of its sound. That would see Opeth sitting under progressive metal & death metal & Dream Theater sitting under progressive metal & heavy metal. That way you could conduct a search for progressive death metal by filtering by both progressive metal & death metal,

See, the reason I asked was to see if you actually think "Core" is a death metal based release or not but your response is still a little bit both ways. To me, the question is really about whether people need to know that a progressive record is based on death metal tools or not.

As a case study, I have two work colleagues that love progressive metal. One loves the cleaner traditional heavy metal based style of Dream Theater & can't deal with death metal vocals or intensity at all. The other one loves bands like Opeth & Meshuggah & can't stand the heavy metal based style with its operatic vocals. So the first question is whether there's a reason to differentiate these styles in the charts & on the evidence of that case I think you will agree that there is.

The second question is about how you handle the potential for progressive releases from all subgenres & the same can be said for avant-garde metal, industrial metal, post-metal, etc. If you're going to create a progressive death metal subgenre then you'd logically have to create a progressive black metal one & a progressive metalcore one & a progressive thrash one, etc, etc, etc. It would be a huge undertaking to manage logistically. It's also worth taking into account the fact that the progressive metal tag doesn't really serve its purpose as a standalone genre tag as the resulting record can sound like virtually anything. It's really just a descriptor for an existing base subgenre. Is it better to simply have each progressive release labelled with an additional subgenre tag to indicate the base sound given that we can filter our searches by multiple subgenres simultaneously? In this case we have "Core" which is essentially a highly progressive melodeath record. Would it seem out of place at the top of the progressive metal chart? Certainly not. But an equally important question is whether it would seem out of place at the top of the melodeath chart. Would "Images & Words" seem out of place at the top of the heavy metal charts or "Blackwater Park" at the top of the death metal charts? It's worth considering. As is whether there are heavy metal fans that don't like heavy metal based progressive metal & death metal fans that don't like death metal based progressive metal &, if so, is that demographic significant enough to not go down this path. Thoughts?

In response to your enquiry Sonny, my original intention was to spread our feature releases around amongst every subgenre included in the clans but I decided that this approach wasn't working after putting out several features that received very little engagement (goregrind & Celtic metal for example). It also made no sense to be putting out as many niche subgenre releases as the more classic ones (e.g. gorenoise vs death metal). In regards to The Fallen, I got through all of the subgenres with the exception of funeral doom metal which was next on the list when I decided to rethink my approach. It's worth noting though that I didn't differentiate gothic death doom from your regular death/doom or epic doom from your garden variety of doom though. I actually never thought there was much reason to differentiate those until you recently raised the topic & it explained why I didn't get the expected engagement from you on one or two of the past features.

The next approach I tried was purely to encourage the discovery of new music. I was picking highly-regarded releases that hadn't been rated by any of our regular contributors (with the possible exception of Ben & I) & this saw engagement picking up with people investigating bands & releases outside of their usual comfort zones. I wasn't really paying all that much attention to which subgenre these releases were from though as long as the members were discovering new high quality music. I ended up abandoning this methodology once I saw that people like yourself & Xephyr who are so comprehensive in your ratings for particular subgenres were causing me to skip those altogether though.

Over the last couple of months I've changed it up again & are focusing on a) highly regarded & interesting current releases & b) a mixture of old classics & unheralded gems. I haven't been focusing on the subgenres of these releases all that much or whether they've been rated before or not. It's been more about presenting quality options for everyone to enjoy & I often choose releases that I haven't personally rated as I'm committed to rating all nine of the features each month. My own musical preferences aren't taken into account at all though (as seen by the recent power metal features).

As you can see, it's a very fluid process of improvement. I'm obviously open to everyone's feedback (as seen in the changes we've been regularly implementing in that regard) so if you'd like me to focus on particular areas then feel free to let me know (like you appear to have here).

I have a hypothetical question for you Andi. If there was a progressive death metal subgenre, would you recommend that this release should sit under it?

February Feature Releases

The Fallen: The Body - "I've Seen All I Need To See" (2021) 4/5

The Gateway: Deftones - "Koi no Yokan" (2012) 4.5/5

The Guardians: Riot - "ThunderSteel" (1988) 4/5

The Horde: Asphyx - "Necroceros" (2021) 3.5/5

The Infinite: Pain Of Salvation - "Remedy Lane" (2002) 4/5

The North: Moonsorrow - "V: Hävitetty" (2007) 3.5/5

The Pit: Hexecutor - "Beyond Any Human Conception of Knowledge" (2020) 3/5

The Revolution: Inside The Beehive - "Drink Bleach; Live Forever" E.P. (2011) 4.5/5

The Sphere: Godflesh - "Godflesh" E.P. (1988) 4/5

Another generally rewarding month of feature releases in February which resulted in me claiming two new classics from Inside The Beehive & Deftones. There was also from a very nice surprise in The Body's brand new album which I found to be a particularly challenging & rewarding experience. I've been familiar with the Godflesh, Pain Of Salvation & Riot records for many years now but I'm pleased to say that my affection for all of them has grown over time & I now find them to be very solid examples of their type. Asphyx delivered exactly what I expected which can't be a bad thing while the Moonsorrow record confirmed my existing opinion that it's the first of their releases to offer me any genuine appeal. It was only the Hexecutor sophomore album that I found myself struggling with & I won't be returning to it any time soon. Release of the month? I'm going for that completely off-the-hook Inside The Beehive E.P. as it blew my fucking head off.

You should probably be aware that there are guitars playing doom riffs throughout the vast majority of the album Andi. They've just had their signals peaked out to the max, been heavily processed & sometimes further detuned artificially. For mine this is 100% a drone metal album that's been mutilated via the techniques commonly found in power electronics. This has seen it being infused with the shockingly depraved atmosphere that the power electronics subgenre is known for which makes it pretty inaccessible to the majority of metal fans. It certainly requires multiple listens to fully understand, even for drone metal fans like myself.

Yeah I'm sure Andi. I have a very extensive background with grindcore & to my ears this is just so obviously a mathcore release so there's no reason to throw it in with grindcore. The  characteristics you mentioned are all a part of the mathcore/metalcore sound as far as I'm concerned. For example, short song-lengths are a characteristic borrowed from hardcore punk which is the building block for both metalcore & grindcore. There are literally truck loads of metalcore releases with short song lengths. The self-titled Sunami E.P. we featured a couple of months back is a prime example. Are you suggesting that it should be regarded as grindcore too simply because of the two minute track lengths? Sure you'll find some artists that are more extreme than others in the same way that you do in any other genre but grindcore has a signature sound that differentiates it from death metal & metalcore & I only hear hints of that here. 

Andi, you need to hear this month's spectacular The Revolution feature release.

Insanely extreme mathcore from New Jersey, USA. For fans of Fawn Limbs, As The Sun Sets & The Sawtooth Grin.

Just where exactly in the actual fuck has this release been all my life??? If the idea of 16 minutes of the most over the top, extreme & insanely complex mathcore you've ever experienced sounds appealing then I'd urge you to dive right in & hang on for dear life. The production & performances are spectacular, the arrangements are off the Richter & the vocals are completely fucking berserk.  The occasional metalcore/deathcore breakdown prevents me from dishing out full marks but nonetheless this is a sensational release that sits amongst the best couple of examples of the mathcore subgenre I've ever heard. For fans of Fawn Limbs, As The Sun Sets & The Sawtooth Grin.

4.5/5

P.S. Sure this is a very extreme example of mathcore & it utilizes blast beats occasionally but I don't hear very much that sounds like genuine grindcore. It's more of a secondary subgenre than a primary one as it would seem out of place at the top of a grindcore chart.

P.S. I think Ben would find this album to be very tough going indeed. Would love to hear his thoughts on it.

Crushingly heavy drone metal from Arkansas, USA. For fans of Sunn O))).

What we have here is a particularly abrasive & unique brand of drone metal that heavily utilizes industrial electronics to further distort the already crushingly heavy down-tuned guitar drones & create an atmosphere of sheer, unadulterated depravity. It's certainly not the sort of record that you can expect to fully grasp upon first listen as your ears will need time to adjust to the senseless beating they're being submitted to. There are a couple of vocal approaches utilized with the bulk of the run time being dominated by a repetitive high-pitched shriek that I find quite annoying but whenever the more evil black metal style screams come in I find myself in a place of pure darkness & dread so I can only wish that they'd opted for a different balance.

Unlike saxy, I have very little doubt that this is a metal release. No matter how much twisting & distorting the producer has done post recording, the guitars are what dominates this record & the best material (like "Tied Up & Locked In" or the unbelievable album highlight "The City Is Shelled") rely almost entirely upon the power of amplifier reverberation for their appeal. As a guitar nut, I can't really get enough droning doom riffage & any attempt to make it sound darker & heavier is certainly welcome, particularly when it contributes to a dire atmosphere like this one. Unfortunately those shrieking vocals do hold this album back a bit & I think it had the potential to play a more significant part in my 2021. Regardless, fans of Sunn O))) should get a kick out of this.

4/5