Daniel's Forum Replies

Welcome to the Academy Keleros. We're very pleased you've registered & introduced yourself & I'd encourage you to get amongst it. We have some very cool & interactive features here & I'd recommend that you check these ones out as a starting point:

1. If you go into the LISTS menu you'll find the Clan Challenges. These are like a guided tour through many of the most important bands & releases from each subgenre. The idea is that if you can rate & review all of the releases in one of the Clan Challenges for your each of your existing three clans then you'll get the opportunity to complete a fourth from an alternative clan. Successful completion of that challenge will allow you to take on that fourth clan permanently.

2. The Hall of Judgement - This is the place that releases go when our members nominate them as having incorrect genre tags. It gives all clan members the chance to vote on the most appropriate course of action with the overall result deciding the fate of that particular release as far as which clans it ultimately resides in. We'd encourage you to have your say there.

3. If you go to the various forums you'll find a thread in each clan forum for clan members to submit their suggested tracks for inclusion in that month's clan-specific Spotify playlist. This is so we can make the playlists a true representation of our clan's listening habits. We also have a thread for that month's playlist which links you to its location on Spotify. These playlists are a great way to find new music & enjoy great tracks from the past. We encourage feedback & love to hear what our members think about the inclusions.

4. Under the FEATURED menu you'll find the month's feature release for each clan. The intention is to encourage our members to check out & discuss noteworthy releases from the deep past right up to the present & they've been a very popular feature with our regular contributors. We'd love to hear your thoughts on some of these releases.

5. Let us all know what your listening to right now by posting on the clan-specific forums. Once people know what you like you might find that you start to get recommendations from other members through the dedicated recommendation threads & you'll generally find them to be right on the money. This is one of the coolest things about Metal Academy in my opinion.

6. And finally, the more ratings & reviews the site has the more effective it will be in guiding our members to music that fits their personal tastes so we encourage you to contribute as much as possible to the Metal Academy database.

That's enough from me. We hope you have fun & enjoy the site. We have great little community of well-informed, metal-obsessed music lovers from a diverse array of backgrounds & locations here & think you'll fit right in.

If you accidently rate an album's cover art & decide that your rating doesn't reflect your true feelings on the image then surely you just take a few seconds to assess the artwork properly & then adjust your rating accordingly, don't you? Are you not able to edit your cover art ratings? Is that what you're saying? I'm not having any troubles doing it personally.

I completely agree with you on the topic of the Hall screen eventually getting cluttered with releases that have had their voting closed. I actually suggested we do something about that to Ben previously.

I'm not sure why you would need to delete cover ratings though. I can't see that it would add anything to the site when you can easily edit your rating. I don't really understand why you'd want to delete a rating when you can simply reassess your opinion & adjust your scoring accordingly.

Great feedback saxy. I'll have a rethink about my feature release selection process in an attempt to accommodate you there. Stay tuned.

A track from the upcoming Dream Theater live album entitled "Distant Memories - Live in London" which is due for release on 27th November.

A track from the new Voivod live album entitled "Lost Machine" which is due for release on 27th November.

A track from the upcoming "The Watcher Of All" E.P. from Aussie tech deathsters Psycroptic.

A snippet from the upcoming Deafheaven live album "10 Years Gone". This was actually the first song they ever wrote.

The new single from Italian symphonic death metallers Fleshgod Apocalypse is an acoustic version of one of the tracks from their 2019 album "Veleno".

The new Phyllomedusa album is finally here Ben. I know you were frothing for this one.

I've just put the finishing touches on the last of the November clan playlists & they've come together very nicely. The arrangement whereby everyone gets their track submissions in by the 15th day of the month has worked well & gives me just enough time to pull everything together in its optimal configuration so let's stick with that for the time being. It's a chore for me to post in every clan thread to ask for track submissions each month so if you want to participate then feel free to post your recommendations at any time. Any that come in after the 15th day of the month (i.e. too late to be considered for inclusion in next month's list) will be included in the shortlist for subsequent months.

Also, I think that limiting everyone to three submissions each (including myself) per show is working. Previous to limiting the submissions I ended up having loads of tracks leftover & wasn't able to get through them all for several months. This is mainly due to me trying to include as many subgenres as possible to showcase the full scope of the clans & the bulk of the submissions coming from the same couple of subgenres (see The North for example where I still have a long list of leftover atmospheric black metal tracks). I had a couple of playlists that were dominated by one member's submissions too which doesn't make them all that interesting for that person given that they already know most of the tracks & the list does tend to favour one particular style. Keeping it to three gives us good scope for additional members becoming involved, ensures that everyone is constantly discovering new music (myself included) & has the added bonus of making sure that the quality stays high as people have to be more selective & choose only the best of their month's listening experiences.

Keep your feedback coming because these playlists are ultimately for all of you to enjoy. If you totally disagree with me on anything I've just said then don't feel like you can't speak up. We've changed our approach to different site activities a number of times based on your wants & needs over the last couple of years & we want the site to be as universally appealing as possible.

Vinny, this one should appeal to you if you're not already familiar with it.

Dark & classy Canadian thrash metal for fans of Slayer, Razor & Sacrifice.

Infernäl Mäjesty - "None Shall Defy" (1987)

The 1987 debut album from Canadian thrash metal outfit Infernäl Mäjesty is an aggressive riff-fest with a dark atmosphere & an impressive level of class in the song-writing & arrangements. Slayer has obviously been a major influence on the band which can't hurt however they offer enough of their own to differentiate themselves from their idols. The guitar solos aren't amazing & the drum production is a little stale however there's a nice level of separation between the instruments. Some of the riff structures hint at what would become death metal & I can't help but shake the thought that Morbid Angel's Trey Azagthoth might have been quite the fan because I can hear some similar ideas here. Overall, this is a very consistent & high quality thrash record that will appeal to fans of Slayer, Razor & Sacrifice.

4/5

Sonny, have you given this one a chance? I'm always surprised at how much I enjoy it when I probably shouldn't in theory.

One of the more chilled tracks from Down's debut album. It's clearly a tribute to Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan" but I can't help loving it.

Down - "NOLA" (1995)

The debut studio album from New Orleans-based stoner metal supergroup Down is a very solid & consistent piece work that draws heavily on Black Sabbath for influence ("Vol 4" in particular), only with a distinctly Southern twang reminiscent of southern rock artists like Lynard Skynard. The band features members of Pantera, Crowbar, Corrosion Of Conformity & Eyehategod & you can definitely hear bits of all of these artists however the contributions of Pantera front man Phil Anselmo & Corrosion Of Conformity guitarist Pepper Keenan are the most prominent & important elements. It's a groovy riff-fest that may not fall inside my comfort zone but makes up for it in swagger & attitude. I particularly like the more chilled moments which are clearly tributes to Black Sabbath's more subdued moments. For fans of Corrosion Of Conformity, Alabama Thunderpussy & Black Label Society.

4/5

A track from the brand new "Under Sullen Skies" album from Brooklyn-based black/sludge metallers Tombs which is due for release on 20th November.

A track from the brand new album from Canadian grindcore outfit Fuck The Facts (entitled "Pleine noirceur") which is due for release on 20th November.

A track from the brand new My Dying Bride E.P. (entitled "Macabre Cabaret") which is due for release on 20th November.

What do you think of the new Sepultura single? And yes, before you ask,  it IS a cover version of British synthpop act Soft Cell's timeless hit.

Ben, have you ever checked this one out? I think you'll dig it.

Aggressive Canadian thrash metal for fans of Slayer, Dark Angel & late 80's Kreator.

Sacrifice - "Forward To Termination" (1987)

Canadian thrashers Sacrifice returned in a big way with their 1987 sophomore album "Forward To Termination". I'm a big fan of their 1985 debut "Torment In Fire" which was essentially nothing more than classic Slayer worship but here we find a more well-defined & sophisticated offering that includes significantly stronger highlights. The gnarly vocals of axe-slinging front man Rob Urbinati are definitely the coolest part of Sacrifice's sound however there are also plenty of great thrash riffs on offer. Sacrifice don't tend to be overly clinical in their execution however they're clearly at their strongest when they drop the shackles & really going for broke as some of the more mid-paced & chuggy sections can sound a little generic. There are no weak tracks on offer though & fans of Slayer, Dark Angel & late 80's Kreator should find plenty of value here.

4/5

Saxy, have you ever given this one a run?

Classic Danish heavy metal for fans of Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest & Ozzy Osbourne.

King Diamond - "Conspiracy" (1987)

I know Mercyful Fate generally receive more accolades for their significant influence on the subsequent direction of metal music & I certainly have a preference for the atmosphere they created on their first couple of releases, however if I'm completely honest with myself I slightly favour some of King Diamond's solo records over anything that Fate were responsible for. I think the fact that I was bred on late 80's metal certainly contributes to that but I just really dig the razor-sharp yet finely polished production, the memorable & anthemic choruses & Andy LaRocque's spectacular lead guitar performance on a record like the King's fourth album "Conspiracy". Sure, "Don't Break The Oath" took a fairly similar approach if you look at it closely, however the progressive & neoclassical components are integrated more smoothly here & never really touch on the pomposity of that record. As a result, we don't see "Conspiracy" ever really flirting with cheesiness which is something I can't say about "Don't Break The Oath" at times. "Abigail" is still my favourite King Diamond related release however "Conspiracy" gives it a real run for the money & only just falls short of matching its more readily celebrated older sibling. There's a class & consistency about it that's very hard to deny, even by those that struggle with the King's overthetop vocal stylings. I actually couldn't give a bugger about the concept/storyline. It's all about the high quality metal & fans of Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest & Ozzy Osbourne should get a lot of enjoyment out of this record. 

4/5

Sarcófago - "I.N.R.I." (1987)

Ultra-raw, super-kvlt black metal from Brazil. For fans of Vulcano, early Sodom & the first couple of Sepultura records.

3.5/5

Ultra-raw Brazilian black metal from 1987. For fans of Vulcano, early Sodom & the first couple of Sepultura releases.

A couple of tracks from the upcoming "Carnival Of Killers" album from long-standing Chicago death metal outfit Macabre which is due for release on 13th November.

A track from the new self-titled album from long-standing Teutonic thrash metallers Accu§er which is due for release on 13th November.

A taster from the new "Live In Chicago" live album from Californian death metal legends Autopsy which is due for release on 30th October.

The brand new single from Swedish melodeath champions Dark Tranquillity's new album "Moment" which is due for release on 20th November.

The title track from the brand new "Under Pressure" E.P. from long-standing Bay Area thrashers Death Angel.

Spectacular sludge metal from Washington's godfathers of the subgenre.

Melvins - "Houdini" (1993)

1993's fifth full-length album from influential Washington trio Melvins (entitled "Houdini") has always left me a little frustrated to be honest. On the one hand you have some seriously high-end & heavy-as-fuck sludge/doom metal material with some particularly bad-ass vocals which see me immediately reaching for my higher scores. But this is then off-set by a few completely redundant alternative rock & experimental tracks which add nothing whatsoever to the record, particularly the very confusing ten minute closer "Spread Eagle Beagle". It's a real mixed bag stylistically as this isn't strictly a sludge metal record when taken holistically. There are various different genres spread across the tracklisting. The opening couple of belters certainly fall into the sludge metal category but the rest of the album sees everything from grunge to stoner metal to alternative rock to doom metal to experimental music. Of course the heavier tracks are the ones that appeal to me the most. It's actually pretty easy to see the influence that Melvins had on the more important (& ultimately heavier) grunge bands  & I'd actually go so far as to suggest that grunge should have equal bragging rights with sludge when genre-tagging the album. Overall, the highs are balanced out by the lows & we're left with a pretty enjoyable record that offered the potential for so much more. If you have a diverse taste palate that includes sludge (Acid Bath), stoner (Kyuss), grunge (Nirvana/Soundgarden/Alice In Chains) & alternative rock (Queens Of The Stone Age/Pixies) then you might wanna check it out.

3.5/5

That Chaos Divine track is a belter Xephyr. Nice choice!

Hi everyone. Just a heads up that I've changed the naming convention for the monthly clan playlists. Xephyr mentioned that the original convention was a little awkward to navigate from his smart phone due to key information being truncated (i.e. the month & clan) & after investigating it myself I found that I agreed with him. In order to rectify this problem, I've now renamed them all in this format:

Oct 2020 "The Sphere" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

This should eradicate the truncation problem but let me know if you have any further suggestions in this space.

Vinny, I think this one might appeal to you. It was their best work to the time in my opinion.

Awesome techy Teutonic thrash metal that sounds like Kreator crossed with Coroner.

Destruction - "Release From Agony" (1987)

I've never been a fan of the first couple of seminal releases from German thrash metal legends Destruction. It wasn't until they went in a more sophisticated & technically proficient direction with 1986's "Eternal Devastation" & 1987's "Mad Butcher" E.P. that they gained my interest & that appeal reached its climax with 1987's "Release From Agony" album which I regard as Destruction's best work to the time. It's a particularly consistent record that oozes class & professionalism. The only limiting factors are the lack of many genuine vocal hooks & Schmier's vocal performance which I'd suggest falls into the category of "tolerable" more that it does "enjoyable". Those issues aside though, "Release From Agony" is a high quality & ambitious piece of Teutonic thrash that kinda sounds like Kreator crossed with Coroner. If that idea sounds appealing to you then you'll likely really dig this album.

4/5

An ex-girlfriend of mine owned a Summoning CD?? Well it’s pretty clear why we broke up now. It would never have worked. Although she’s clearly attempted to rectify the situation so there was some hope for her.

For the record, I'd like to clarify that my wife has never even considered procuring a Summoning release of any sort. This was one of the main things that attracted me to her.

Ultra-brutal death metal from New York's godfather of the subgenre. For fans of Dying Fetus, Cryptopsy & Pyrexia.

Swiss technical thrash metal for fans of Vektor, Voivod & Watchtower.

Please get your submissions in by 15th October if you want them considered for inclusion in the November playlist (maximum three each). And remember, there are three subgenres covered by The Sphere:

Industrial metal

Neue Deutsche Härte

Cyber metal

Please get your submissions in by 15th October if you want them considered for inclusion in the November playlist (maximum three each). And remember, there are seven subgenres covered by The Revolution:

Metalcore

Melodic metalcore

Deathcore

Mathcore

Trancecore

Trance metal

Nintendocore

Please get your submissions in by 15th October if you want them considered for inclusion in the November playlist (maximum three each). And remember, there are five subgenres covered by The Pit:

Classic thrash metal

Technical thrash metal

Crossover thrash

Groove metal

Speed metal

Please get your submissions in by 15th October if you want them considered for inclusion in the November playlist (maximum three each). And remember, there are many subgenres covered by The North:

Classic black metal

Atmospheric black metal

Melodic black metal

Depressive black metal

Symphonic black metal

Pagan black metal

Blackgaze

War metal

Black ‘n’ roll

Viking metal

Folk metal

Medieval folk metal

Celtic metal

Vinny, I've still got plenty of your previous submissions to keep me busy. Will try to get through as many as possible this month so that we can start fresh for December.

Ben & Xephyr, I also have one each from you guys & I'll stuff both of those in this month.