Daniel's Forum Threads

Totally agree. I really enjoy The Arcane Odyssey, but there's something special about Glory and Perdition.

The otherwise crushing riffing in this track seems to implode, which makes the song fall f***ing flat. And that's tough when it's a song named after both this band and another band named Synthetic Breed.

Sybreed can blast through sonic cyber/industrial metal right from the start with their debut's opening highlight:

If the rest of this Killing Joke album was like this heavily acoustic sleep-inducing embarrassment, I would've slept through it all:

An alt-rock/metal tale of drug usage (say no to drugs!), keeping me awake after the album's opening one-two slump:

Cancer - "The Sins of Mankind" (1993)

I first became aware of English death metallers Cancer through their 1990 debut album “To The Gory End” through underground metal radio programming in the very early 90’s & quite liked what I heard. Their simple brand of death metal wasn't terribly challenging but was undeniably catchy & seemed to tick a lot of my boxes, if not with a particularly bold pen. I’d go on to seek out their 1991 sophomore album “Death Shall Rise” once it hit the shelves & found it to be a slight improvement on their first-up effort, largely thanks to the contribution of super-talented hired gun guitar shredder James Murphy who I was already quite infatuated with after falling in love with his work on Death’s “Spiritual Healing” & Obituary’s “Cause of Death”. So, given my generally positive experiences with Cancer to the time, I think it’s fair to say that I was an interested observer when it came to 1993’s “The Sins of Mankind” third album. They certainly hadn’t knocked it out of the park as yet but I felt that the potential was there for something more significant. There must still have been a little hesitation though as once again I found myself holding off from throwing my hard-earned cash down on the counter, instead seeking out a dubbed cassette copy of the record through the tape trading scene.

The production job on “The Sins of Mankind” isn’t exactly brilliant. The guitar tone is a touch flat & a little bit messy which plays a significant role in the album’s overall tone. It’s certainly not a dealbreaker but it’s worth mentioning regardless. James Murphy’s involvement with Cancer was unfortunately limited to “Death Shall Rise” too so here we see the band trying to make their own way without the oversight of such an undeniable musical highlight. I would imagine it must have been quite an imposing proposition for new axeman Barry Savage who had no prior credentials on his resume & clearly didn’t have anything like the talent of Murphy. It would really be up to the rest of the band to step up to the plate a bit in support given that they’d stayed largely within themselves on “Death Shall Rise” which was a pretty simple, meat-&-potatoes example of the old-school death metal sound.

So, how did Cancer fair in this endeavour then? Well, I think it’s fair to say that the success or failure of “The Sins of Mankind” is a little divisive with fans. For my personally though, I really needed Cancer to push themselves a bit outside of their comfort zone if they were to maintain my attention in a post-Murphy world & I feel that they’ve managed to achieve that to a reasonable extent with their third album. They’d added just enough in the way of compositional complexity to make “The Sins of Mankind” the next logical step for the band rather than a poor man’s “Death Shall Rise”. There can be no doubt at all that Savage struggles a little on lead guitar duties but the riffs are generally very good with drummer Carl Stokes contributing a rock-solid platform for the rest of the band to work off. Stokes is often criticised for his tendency to want to play in mainly fairly safe, mid-paced territory but I think that’s a touch unfair because it’s clearly a strength of his with his double-kick being both precise & powerful. When he tries to up the ante a little it’s rarely as effective so I can hardly blame him for this approach. I’ve always enjoyed rhythm guitarist John Walker’s signature death growl too as it’s always easily intelligible, despite possessing the required level of monstrosity.

The tracklisting on “The Sins of Mankind” is very consistent with no obvious duds amongst the eight songs on offer. There are a couple of numbers that stand out from the rest as clear highlights in opener “Cloak of Darkness” (my personal favourite) & the equally impressive “Patchwork Destiny” & they both appear fairly early in the album which does give it a slightly top-heavy feel. Neither can lay claim to being genuinely classic death metal tunes though & this is a part of the reason why “The Sins of Mankind” has been destined for the also-rans category. In fact, I’d suggest that they wee the very definition of a third-tier player at this stage of their musical evolution to be honest. I find all three of their early 90’s albums to be pleasant enough but none challenge me much or provide me with enough in the way of excitement to see me claiming them as essential releases for fans of the genre.

Don’t get me wrong, I do have quite a bit of time for “The Sins of Mankind” & actually don’t think it’s all that far behind my favourite Cancer release in “Death Shall Rise” to tell you the truth. The added ambition in the riff construction has worked quite well in ensuring that the record doesn’t simply sound like a Murphy-less “Death Shall Rise”. With a better production job it may well have made a bigger play at the death metal market of the time too. As it is though, I find it to be an entertaining (if inessential) example of the classic old-school death metal sound. Nothing more, nothing less.

For fans of Massacre, Master & Death’s first couple of albums.

3.5/5

The ultimate closing epic of chaos for this offering of mathcore insanity:

You're right, Rex. My total number is higher than my current amount of ratings (including reviews), 2237. While I listen to metal practically everyday, of course there are times when I felt up to taking a break. A few years ago, I took a two and a half week break from metal after a small fight with my dad. I'm usually well-behaved and love my parents, but something happened that set us both off. Although we reconciled and no harm was done, I needed to really cool down, hence that temporary break from metal.

I really liked Glory and Perdition when it was featured on here, but I haven't gone back to another Sear Bliss album yet. Looks like this one will be the test to see how quickly I go back to their other ones, I have zero clue about their overall consistency given it seems like they bring in a ton of guests for their albums. Looking forward to it.

If you really liked Glory and Perdition, your next stop should definitely be The Arcane Odyssey. That's the most similar in style and quality. Many consider it to be their best.

Pungent Stench - "Dirty Rhymes & Psychotronic Beats" E.P. (1993)

I feel like I was lucky to have come across Austrian death metallers Pungent Stench fairly early in life to be honest because, as a general rule, I can do without any sort of silliness or humour in my extreme metal, preferring to imagine that the sounds being omitted from my speakers are truly the work of Satan or some horrifying zombie creature. But I’d suggest that I was perhaps a little more open to the concept when I first wrapped my ears around Pungent Stench’s 1990 debut album “For God Your Soul… For Me Your Flesh” as I was simply gorging myself on anything even remotely tied to the death metal genre & it fit the mould nicely with its disgusting subject matter & filthy aesthetics. I thoroughly enjoyed that record which saw me going back to explore Pungent Stench’s 1989 split album with fellow Austrians Disharmonic Orchestra, a release that I quite liked too. These early experiences saw me purchasing 1991’s “Been Caught Buttering” sophomore album on cassette as soon as it hit the shelves & playing the absolute shit out of it too. It was the band’s strongest release to the time in my opinion with the song-writing perfectly balancing the band’s deathly atmosphere with a clear tongue-in-cheek shock factor. So, by the time 1993’s “Dirty Rhymes & Psychotronic Beats” E.P. hit my CD player two years later, I would certainly have called myself a fan of Pungent Stench. Perhaps a slightly reluctant one but a fan nonetheless.

I think it’s fair to say that “Dirty Rhymes & Psychotronic Beats” represents somewhat of a gap-filling exercise that was drawn upon in order to make the extended period between 1991’s “Been Caught Buttering” album & 1994’s follow-up record “Club Mondo Bizarre – For Members Only” more palatable for Pungent Stench’s growing fan base. It clearly fits the bill for what your average E.P. generally tries to achieve too as it’s more of a collection of random songs than it is a fluent creative statement. Different versions of the same track? TICK! Silly novelty tracks? TICK. Cover versions? TICK! Useless, extended noise outro on the last track to make the release seem like you get more value for money than you actually do? TICK! You know the drill, right? But that’s not to say that there’s not anything here to keep you entertained because this E.P. still clearly highlights the things that made Pungent Stench an attractive prospect for your average death metal fan in the first place i.e. catchy song-writing with fun themes & memorably hooks.

The seven-song tracklisting begins with a two-minute intro piece called “Praise The Name of the Musical Assassins” which utilizes a layered, sample-heavy electronic music platform through which to express itself. It’s a very effective way to kick things off & I don’t think my background in electronic music has done me any harm at all in seeing me unexpectedly favouring this piece over the rest of the tracklisting. The proper metal material begins with “Viva la muerte” which I’d suggest is probably the most effective metal number included. It sees Pungent Stench placing their creative cards down on the table right from the word go as this isn’t your standard death metal number. Oh no… there’s a noticeable groove to the tightly-performed riffs that is more in line with the Entombed-led death ‘n’ roll movement than the sound the Stench began life with. That sound has never really been my cup of tea but it seems to fit in with this band’s image & themes quite nicely. The cover version of Warning’s “Why Can The Bodies Fly” takes the hardened extreme metaller even further outside of their comfort zone with its quirky electronic component doing its very best to make me feel alienated. Thankfully though, I’m a pretty big fan of the original which makes this a nice novelty inclusion, despite not being up to the same standard as the German’s 1982 effort. The wheels start to fall off a little bit from there though with two of the remaining three metal tunes (i.e. “Blood, Pus & Gastric Juice (Rare Groove Mix)” & “Four ‘F’ Club”) lacking the substance to keep me interested. “Horny Little Piggy Bank” has enough in the way of chunky, groove-laden heaviness to get my blood pumping though. Closer “Blood, Pus & Gastric Juice (Tekkno-House-Mix)” is no doubt the biggest eye-opener for the dedicated metalhead as it’s essentially an electro-industrial, early techno-infused remix that has very little to do with extreme metal. I don’t mind it actually but then I was a techno DJ throughout the 2000’s & probably would have considered playing this track as it’s pretty well done to tell you the truth.

So, as you can see, “Dirty Rhymes & Psychotronic Beats” requires a bit of effort & a few obvious challenges to be overcome for your hard-nosed death metal fan. The death ‘n’ roll sound that Pungent Stench had adopted certainly isn’t for everyone but they do it very well if that’s something that you’re into. I sit somewhere in between so the E.P. wasn’t without its obstacles but I’m pleased to say that, despite it being clearly the least significant release for the band to the time, I found enough enjoyment in the material to make this revisit a worthwhile exercise. Just don’t expect it to be up to the same sort of standard as Pungent Stench’s first two albums because you’ll be disappointed. Oh... & I'd also avoid spending too much time looking at the intentionally repulsive cover artwork as I'd suggest that it's enough to turn off all but the most desensitized punter.

For fans of Blood Duster, mid-90’s Gorefest & “Swansong”-era Carcass.

3.5/5

If we only have to go with one, just due to its track record alone Filosofem kind of has to make the cut. It's one of the album that everyone points to and always comes up in conversation no matter if you're just getting into Black Metal or were a diehard from day one. I was curious, and it may help to point out that, Hvis lyset tar oss and Filosofem are cited to have been recorded a mere 6 months apart and released 1 year and 8 months apart. While you could argue that's a decently long timeframe at the birth of subgenre, especially since Ulver and Blut Aus Nord released their debuts between that time and could have been (probably were) influenced by Hvis lyset tar oss among other Black Metal bands at the times, Filosofem has had a much larger impact in the long run. For completeness sake it might come down to adding both of them in the end. 

Agreed with Daniel on Ulver.

Agreed with Daniel on Paysage d'Hiver.

I'm not aware of how big Agalloch was at the time when Pale Folklore initially came out, since I'd consider The Mantle to be more "essential" in terms of the sound they popularized. I'd still be fine with Pale Folklore as I can believe what Daniel is saying where it was a true catalyst for folky stuff in Atmospheric Black Metal. 

I gotta go with Wolves in the Throne Room over Weakling as well. It's pretty shocking how often their name came up in music conversations with people who dabble in Black Metal, whereas I only learned about Weakling through this list and have never heard them mentioned or seen them attributed to anything I've come across. I'm sure the threads are there, but I'd have to trust someone who was more in touch with the scene on that one. 

A Summoning inclusion would make sense to me since there are plenty of higher fantasy, Dungeon Synth toting Black Metal bands that owe a lot to Summoning's 1990's material. Daniel's right where Summoning are still pretty unique in their sound, but they're very much the reason why I don't bat an eye when a random Atmospheric Black Metal release has goofy string synths in the background or a random fantasy interlude between songs. It's definitely a much narrower swathe of releases though, so I'd say most of these other albums are more important for the list, especially considering the incredible amount of important 1990's material for Atmospheric Black Metal? 

I don't feel like Drudkh were exactly a catalyst for that "warm" Black Metal sound, but I have nothing to back that up. I feel like the folk inclusions, while differently utilized, is already handled by an Agalloch release 2-4 years prior to Autumn Aurora. 

I wish I knew more about Blut Aus Nord's discography because they seem like too important and consistent of a band, even to this day, to skip out on, but I wouldn't know which one to champion. 

Panopticon is where things get weird for me. To me they're a no-brainer since I'm from the US and it's immediately interesting seeing American Folk being used in Black Metal, but that could be said about many other bands that use their more regional sounds in conjunction with Atmospheric Black Metal. This is a genre based on repetition, obviously atmosphere, and evoking something out of the listener through sometimes abstract concepts, so any region is going to have its own flair to it. To overly simplify, I'd imagine Scandinavian Atmospheric Black Metal sounds and feels cold and dark because it's fuckin' freezing out there. Panopticon is no different since it uses the American south as its backdrop rather than Gothenburg or Oslo. I'm only stuck on this because it feels like if Panopticon is included, what about the other bands that have done a fantastic job of incorporating their region's folk music like Saor or Kaatayra? There are other bands that have American Western or Southern influences like Untamed Land as well as Native American influence like Pan-Amerikan Native Front, but I can't see Panopticon being a massive, cornerstone influence on any of these. Everything in this category feels so separated; that's what makes it great, but not exactly useful for a list like this in my opinion.

The 1979 "Slaughter House" third album from Germany's Mass is once again nothing more than a hard/boogie rock record with no metal on offer whatsoever.

I've had an excellent exercize in music today.  I worked on my lo-fi house studies, made some room to explore Mach-Hommy, and I added one of his albums as well as Hergest Ridge by Mike Oldfield to my top 1000, kicking out Bee Thousand and Dusty Definitely.  I'm not really sure what genre to call that Oldfield album.  I mean, "prog rock" feels totally wrong.  It's more like "art pop" or something.  It's just so diversified that it's almost impossible to peg, but I do NOT wanna call it a rock album.  I guess I'll call it new age based on RY's description: "Broad genre centered on peaceful, meditative melodies, using a wide variety of instrumentation."  New age isn't necessarily slow meditative music like ambient.

Belgian post-metallers Amenra have a brand new live album hitting the streets next month entitled "Live at Rock Werchter 2023". These guys are always great so I've added it to my list to check out.

Finland's Amorphis are releasing a live rendition of their classic 1994 melodic death metal sophomore album "Tales From the Thousand Lakes" in mid-July. I quite liked that record so I may have to check this one out at some point.

The brand new fourth album "Infinite Evolution" from New Jersey thrashers Blood Feast hits the streets in mid-July. I quite liked their first couple of albums back in the day but their 2017 comeback record "The Future State of Wicked" did very little for me. I'll probably give this one a quiet spin at some point though.

The brand new "Live on Tour!" live album from Aussie alternative metallers Thornhill hit the streets yesterday.

The new split album between US sludge metallers Melvins & Japanese drone metallers Boris "Twins of Evil" hit the shelves a week ago. I'm a fan of both bands so I'll probably check this one out at some stage.

Here are the adjusted feature releases nomination recipients from July with Karl being added into the roster for The Guardians, The Horde & The North from next month:

THE FALLEN: Daniel, Ben

THE GATEWAY: Saxy, Andi

THE GUARDIANS: Xephyr, Karl

THE HORDE: Ben, Daniel, Karl

THE INFINITE: Xephyr, Saxy, Andi

THE NORTH: Xephyr, Daniel, Ben. Karl

THE PIT: Ben, Daniel

THE REVOLUTION: Daniel, Andi

THE SPHERE: Andi, Daniel

Ben, could you please add the new Alcest?  Thanks, peaches.

Sorry to say that I won't be posting this in The North as was my original intent.

Alcest - Les chants de l’aurore (2024)

Genres: Post-Metal, Shoegaze

Subgenres: Post-Rock, Blackgaze, Dream Pop

Once again we have a fine example of Alcest challenging the very notion of evil in the black metal sound.  There will be, however, some debate as to how "black" this album really is, considering that the usage of the genre seems to be limited to certain artistic choices between songs.  In the opener, Komorebi, the blackness that helps to open the song is overshadowed by epic choir vocals like something out of a Hans Zimmer score or a Celtic new age album.  However, L'envol isn't afraid to follow up the new age vocals that take the final act with a direct assault of atmo-black metal and kickstart another uplifting and catchy piece of pure Alcest.  Neige's vocals are just as clear and crystalline as ever.  Thanks to its incredibly cheerful approach, you can look back on a song and think to yourself, "this was eight minutes long!?"  It still spends more time focusing on the post-metal, though.  If you want straight up blackgaze, then Améthyste is the way to go.  You can get just as lost in the atmosphere as you do in the rhythms.

Kickstarting the second half is the last of the two singles, the first being L'envol.  Flamme Jumelle is a post-rock track that carries all the themes through a lighter, more accessible rock sound but manages to maintain the Alcest appeal perfectly, even when incorporating the mesmerizing tremelo-picking.  I can see this being an Alcest stape for future concerts.  Next is a piano and violin semi-instrumental (don't worry, it's only three minutes long), Réminiscence, which features Neige vocalizing in ways that just make me wanna effing meditate.  The incorporation of new age elements was a spot-on choice.  Next is L'Enfant de la Lune, which isn't quite as cutesy as the name would suggest, but makes for a good post-metal track that focuses on anthemic energy.  It carries a heavily noisy approach but never really steers into blackgaze.  Thankfully, this decision made the song more unique to the album as its approach was used similarly in Améthyste.  We end things with L’adieu, which stays soft, ambient and serene throughout the whole five minutes, relying entirely on the sunset calm to recall the imagerey of that album cover in a more realistic fashion.  Perfect ending.

It must be mentioned that Alcest is NOT, I repeat, NOT, trying anything that new.  Just because there's less blackgaze on this album than before doesn't mean it's new for them.  They're essentially repeating the less blackened songs of their past albums.  The one time they changed their style, there was a little backlash, even though the album was alright.  And if you ever read one of my reviews, you'd likely know that I'm the guy who promotes trying new thing and typically hates copying the hits.  The thing is, Alcest's structuring of compositions and rhythms is certainly not conventional, and because of this, five albums of great blackgaze just isn't enough.  Pair this with the fact that there are very few in this wonderful gimmick genre that can butt heads with the likes of Alcest and Deafheaven, and you may find yourself running back to this essential French band for more and more.  Some say Sadness can, but is three bands really enough?  But this album still isn't blackgaze, really.  It's a further exercise in pretty atmospheres that's even less distracted by the depression and evil often associated with black metal.

So time for the four questions:

1. What is the goal of this album?  Seems to be an exercize in uplifting summery atmosphere rather than a blackgaze album, so the goal must be a slightly new direction that fans will still get behind.

2. Does it meet its goal?  Well as an Alcest fan who just read some ratings after the album finished, I can guarantee that this is a major yes.

3. What did the album sacrifice or neglect to meet its goal?  Really, the fact that this new direction is slight means there's some unoriginality involved.

4. Are the sacrifices made up for by other aspects of the album?  Considering that the album still meets my standards for variety, atmosphere, rhythmic prowess, etc., I'm gonna say yes.

So this Alcest album is a grand reminder of what Alcest is capable of, but if you look at it closely, you'll see the band wants to go for something a little new.  Nevertheless, they still put passion in it and are aware of their skills.  I can see this being argued as a contender for best metal album of the year by the masses.  I don't think I'd go that far (my current choice is Coagulated Bliss), but I've been waiting for the new Alcest since Spiritual Instinct, and now I'll be even more eagerly awaiting the eight studio album.  Les chants de l’aurore cancelled out all my worries that Alcest lost its potency, even if their "new ideas" are technically reorganized rehashes of past ones.

96/100

So, Sonny has decided to take a break from programming this playlist so I'm going to step in for the time being. Given that my experiment with The Horde where I've extended the nomination allowances to take up the entire two hours has been so successful thus far, I'm intending on doing the same with The Fallen. So, if there's any members of The Fallen that would like to participate in track nominations then please let me know right away. If not, then Vinny & I will have 60-minute limits each for the August playlist.

Ayreon - The Human Equation (2004)

Genres: Prog Metal, Metal Opera

Subgenres: Prog Rock, Space Rock, Folk Rock

I've been a bitdistracted from the prog metal for a couple days since I've been going through so many projects lately, but now I've got the time to take on this 100-minute Ayreon album in one sitting.  I don't like splitting albums in parts unless it's just THAT long, like the 10-hour Grateful Dead Fillmore West comp I once listened to years ago.  I didn't have super-high hopes for this one as Into the Electric Castle didn't amaze me as much as the fans would want, although I still liked it.

Akin to Into the Electric Castle, this 100-minute album shows Ayreon going for another new sound for the band, but a pretty familiar one for me.  This album's a bit reminiscent of the themes and guitar tones of Metropolis Pt. 2 by Dream Theater.  Don't believe me?  Guess who sings as the main character of this concept: James LaBrie of Dream Theater.  To be fair, I skipped over the Universal Migrator albums for the list challenge, so I'm not fully aware of the transition.  But I know the first part of that two-album series has symphonic prog elements from a little research.  The folksy aspects make occasional returns, and sometimes it's just glorious like in the Disc 1 outro: Love.  It's a pretty incredible track melodically and aurally.  And thankfully, the space rock elements of the debut are here without the cheesy symphonia that didn't really add to the emotional core of the debut.  Thankfully there are a large number of influences here.  Some of the electronic elements faintly ring of Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream, while some of the more dramatic vocals on Day 8 and the rhythm have a Meat Loaf ring to them.  The song Loser somehow manages to combine Celtic metal with metalcore screams and still maintain the themes and presence of the song.  Pride's repeating metallic riff can also be attributed to some Devin Townsend influence.  This is no surprise as various characters are played by people such as Townsend, LaBrie, Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth, Mike Baker of Shadow Gallery and even Eric Clayton of Saviour Machine, along with so many more.

The story is certainly an intriguing one.  This one's like a combination of the mystique of Metropolis Pt. 2 and the scene-by-scene history of The Wall or maybe the 1975 Russian film The Mirror, telling the story of a man who gets into a car accident, is comatose, and goes over his history with his childhood, his wife and even his own emotions.  Listen closely to the lyrics as they get incredibly personal.  However, these themes, while well-delivered, aren't entirely new, as they still ring heavily of the psychological lyrical imagery that's been seen in rock operas ever since the emergence of The Who's Tommy.  On top of that, I'm not really sure the album needs to last 100 minutes.  I mean, some themes feel recycled overtime, not having the originality of similar stories like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  Despite these things, the melodies are always beautiful and the number of influences are both consistent and always intriguing and / or catchy.

Now for the four questions:

1. What is the goal of this album?  It seems to be Ayreon's attempt at another "essential" prog metal opera as it fits the tropes.

2. Does it meet this goal?  Considering the melodic quality and variety of each song, I'd say so.

3. What did this album sacrifice to meet its goal?  I'd say uniqueness.  It's tropey and also a little long.

4. Are these sacrifices made up for by other aspects of the album?  Oh, yeah.  The album might be overlong, but its musical prowess is phenomenal.

So overall, I'd say this is EASILY a good 100 minutes of my time that I find myself tempted to go back and revisit.  I didn't think this was gonna be as high on my rating chart as it's gonna be considering that I wasn't wowed by their album The Human Equation which is just as lauded, but this album wowed me a few times.

96/100

Satyricon/Enslaved - "The Forest Is My Throne/Yggdrasill" compilation (1995)

For those of you who thought my brief overviews of the early Norwegian demo tapes were interesting enough to explore further, I'd highly recommend going for this bootleg over the original versions of Satyricon & Enslaved's tapes because it includes a couple of bonus tracks that are amongst the best material on the CD which gives it a little more value.

3.5/5

Sacred Reich - "Independent" (1993)

Phoenix thrash metallers Sacred Reich may not have been a member of the infamous Big Four or even one of the close runners up like Testament or Exodus but this didn’t stop them playing a significant role in the childhoods of Ben & I. I first picked up on them through their very solid 1988 “Surf Nicaragua” E.P. before heading back to check out their equally impressive 1987 debut album “Ignorance” & things only escalated further when Ben got onboard for 1990’s “The American Way” sophomore album whose steady stream of quality riffs could be heard emanating from our bedrooms for many a weeknight. While the impact of “The American Way” has faded for me a touch over the years, it’s still a pretty decent thrash record that had the two of us showing more than a little interest when its follow-up “Independent” hit the shelves in 1993. Sadly though, my initial exposure to “Independent” through metal radio programming hinted at a different sound that I wasn’t so onboard with & this caused me to hesitate a little before rushing out to buy the album. I opted to take the safer option of picking up a dubbed cassette copy through the tape trading scene rather than dishing out my hard-earned cash for a legal version &, once I heard the album in full, I was glad that I took that direction as “Independent” wasn’t everything I’d hoped it would be. It’s been decades since I last heard the album though &, given that I’ve found a new appreciation for Overkill’s notorious “I Hear Black” record over the last week, I thought I’d give it one more chance to win me over.

My first impressions upon revisiting “Independent” were that the production job is a little unusual for a supposed thrash metal release. The guitars are tuned down a half-step & have been given a thicker, heavier tone that’s more commonly associated with groove metal than it is with thrash which isn’t a coincidence. You see, despite what most online resources will tell you, “Independent” isn’t a thrash metal release or a heavy metal one for that matter. It is, in fact, a pretty obvious example of the groove metal sound that had quickly stolen thrash metal’s crown following the Pantera explosion. The riffs are far more simplistic & rhythmic than you’d expect from thrash which is more fast-paced, incisive & exciting. There is some tremolo-picked stuff here at times but it’s nothing out of the ordinary for your average groove metal release to be honest.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with this stylistic deviation in theory but there are a couple of obvious problems with “Independent” that make it feel like a poor option for Sacred Reich to have taken. The first is that bass-playing front man Phil Rind’s voice doesn’t suit this material as well as the thrash metal of the band’s roots as the less cluttered riff structures give him a lot more space to work with & he’s simply not a good enough singer to pull it off. It’s not that he’s consistently pitchy or anything (although he certainly is in places). It’s just that he feels a little bit out of his depth most of the time. The other issue is that some of the song-writing is subpar, particularly the God-awful heavy metal ballad “I Never Said Goodbye” & the double-whammy of “Crawling” into “Pressure” which is really very dull indeed. There are some positives though as almost half of the tracklisting offers something of interest. The high-quality, mid-paced chugger “Product” is my clear favourite but I also enjoy the more aggressive, hardcore-driven numbers “Independent”, “Supremacy” & “Do It” as well as the pretty folk instrumental “If Only”. The guitar solos of Wiley Arnett are also excellent & often represent the high points of the songs.

Look, there are worse records out there than this one but it was clearly a misguided attempt to cash in on the growing popularity of the groove metal movement & it didn’t pay off for Sacred Reich who were previously regarded as a consistent performer in the thrash scene. I would check out each of their subsequent releases, if only for reasons of nostalgia, but none of them could compete with their early releases so “Independent” is very much the tipping point for them as a band. It’s a real shame as releases like “Surf Nicaragua” & “Ignorance” showcased a clear talent that I expected to flourish into something genuinely special at some point but it was apparently not to be.

For fans of Machine Head, 90's Anthrax & "I Hear Black"-era Overkill.

3/5

FOr the next hour, and this one hour only, you may all me a giddy little girl.

Sacred Reich's third album is generally tagged as a thrash metal record but I feel that's inaccurate with the riffs & general tone having much more in common with Machine Head than they do with Vio-lence. I'd like to see 'Independent' removed from the Thrash Metal genre & added to the Groove Metal one instead.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/510

Fear Factory's death metal credentials were a little tenuous at the best of times but their 1993 remix E.P. moves them further afield again & I feel that it's a poor fit for The Horde. Please vote YES to have it removed from The Horde so that it resides solely in The Sphere where it belongs.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/509

Crypt Sermon - The Stygian Rose (2024)

I've been absolutely loving this new Crypt Sermon album as their sound continues to change shape ever so slightly with each release. Out In The Garden was a well performed mirroring of classic Epic Doom Metal production and songwriting, whereas the followup The Ruins of Fading Light brought more Heavy Metal influence to the table with a mix that feels more filled out and a larger scope in terms of atmosphere and song progression. I'm sure to some people's dismay, The Stygian Rose strays even farther from its Traditional Doom roots by bumping up tempos of tracks like "Down in the Hollow" and "Glimmers in the Underworld" and leaning into a more aggressive vocal delivery that leaves most of the brooding spoken word style behind. The rest of the album is their traditional Epic Doom fare, with "The Scrying Orb" acting as the ballad to break the album up a bit and the ultimate epic "The Stygian Rose" incorporates a ton of atmosphere without the need for interlude tracks. Sure, The Stygian Rose is far from a classic and despondent Doom Metal experience, but I'm personally loving all the Heavy Metal influence as they still manage to keep a ton of emotion and atmospheric storytelling intact without it feeling overwhelming. I think this is vocalist Brooks Wilson's strongest outing yet, but I'm definitely biased towards the more Heavy Metal style here. Solid work as always from this unlikely supergroup, which consists of members from Horrendous, Vektor, and now Obsequiae with the addition of their new keyboardist.

And here's Black Sabbath's "Heaven and Hell", in which its verses come to my mind when I hear the verses of that Trident song:

OH wait a minute. I crossed up two diferent concepts. The idea isn't that Sabbath isn't metal-as in hard rock that shouldn't be here that's what I had in my tortured mind. This is just about moving it from Guardians to Fallen. I dunno man. I guess I don't feel strongly about either one.

At the risk of stirring the pot, because for the life of me I can't seam not to...

Genre classifications were developed for marketing, broadcasting, radio stations, and record store reasons. They served as a rough guide to what you might be getting from an unknown artist. In an era where streaming is the most common form of music consumption what purpose do such debates really serve, or even reviews for that matter? You can read my rating and review of an album sure, but in the same amount of time you could have queued it on you platform of choice and been 5 minutes deep into actually hearing it yourself. I'm obviously not against such things as I vigorously participate in this website, but the creative and restless mind keeps me wondering if we could look at music criticism in a new light and find something more constructive and fresh to do with this passion? 

I suppose they may have started that way, but these days genres are a bit more wide-ranging than marketing.  Take film for example.  Would you ever buy a movie labeled "kitchen sink cinema?"  I mean, if I walk into a store and actually see a "blackgaze" or "doomgaze" section, I'd find it very cool that the local community has an interest enough to justify a shelf in a store, but most genre-tags now seem more like last.fm-style reference points for bands that encompass certain underground varieties, albeit without the surprisingly still-going meme of tagging Bieber as black metal.  They're useful if you want a distinct sound, even thought sometimes it gets out of hand.

US doom masters Pentagram would record this early stoner metal anthem some time in 1973. Just listen to those blues rock-inspired stoner riffs, psychedelic clean sections & Jimi Hendrix influenced lead solos! Filthy stuff!

"Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" also included "Killing Yourself to Live", an expansive & creative piece that combines heavy metal, hard rock & stoner rock in engaging fashion. Despite the general consensus, it's actually more rock than it is metal but the chorus is metal as fuck which ensures it qualifies for metal status.

Another song by Jeris Johnson, this one being a spooky blend of Avenged Sevenfold-style heavy metal and trap. If you're wondering if that chorus melody sounds familiar, it's that Arabian riff! It also me reminds of Kesha's "Take It Off" which uses the Arabian riff in the chorus as well.

Order From Chaos - "Stillbirth Machine" (1992)

The 1992 debut album from Kansas City blackened death metallers Order From Chaos is another release that I picked up through the tape trading scene back in the 1990’s but can’t recall returning to since my initial few listens. I do remember it making some fairly significant waves in the underground at the time though, particularly here in Australia where this sort of black/death hybrid sound is so prevalent. Despite finding enjoyment in all three of Order From Chaos’ albums over the years, I think it's fair to say that “Stillbirth Machine” didn't make the sort of impact on me that its modern-day reputation seems to command though so I’ve been meaning to return to it for some time now so that I can see if I’ve been a little harsh on it.

If you’re a sucker for a technically precise & clinically produced death metal sound then “Stillbirth Machine” might not be what you’re looking for. You see, Order From Chaos are one of those bands whose appeal lies in their ability to produce a dark & evil atmosphere through a fairly loose & sloppy yet no doubt exciting blend of death metal, black metal & thrash metal. You know… the type that has all of the kvlt elists frothing at the mouth? They’re bloody good at it too just quietly but I’m not sure that sound sits entirely within my comfort zone. Order From Chaos are certainly very respectful of their roots as they more or less celebrate a time when extreme metal bands didn’t need to worry about being pigeon-holed into a defined category & I have no doubt that they’ve listened to their fair share of Slaughter Lord, Blasphemy & Sarcofago releases over the years.

The production job is absolutely filthy which suits Order From Chaos’ needs really well because one can easily imagine that they may not be too big on showers themselves based on the unpolished cacophony blasting out of my headphones here. The seven-song, 35-minute tracklisting is very much a flat line in terms of quality though as the trio clearly know their sound & produce a very consistent stream of decent material that will more than satisfy anyone with a penchant for this sort of thing. Bass player Pete Helmkamp’s (Kerasphorus/Abhomine/Angelcorpse/Revenge) blackened vocals are the clear highlight as he sounds positively blasphemous a lot of the time, bringing to mind a more possessed sounding Jeff Walker (Carcass). Guitarist Chuck Keller & Mike Miller (both of Kansas City death/thrashers Ares Kingdom) do a respectable enough job at supporting him (particularly Keller with his psychotic guitar solos which I really dig) but most songs do tend to dip into more swampy terrains at one point or another with the song structures starting to break down altogether at times. That’s all part of the fun with a band like Order From Chaos though so you simply accept it & enjoy the ride.

As you can probably tell, I’m not finding “Stillbirth Machine” to be an essential release or anything. It is, however, a really fun listen that will likely offer a lot more appeal to a select group of metalheads that hold authenticity & underground credibility up as the pillars that any good death metal record is built on. It’s been a while since I’ve heard the other Order From Chaos albums but I'd probably suggest that “Stillbirth Machine” might be pushing for their best work & us old-schoolers kinda need these records in our lives to remind us of where we come from.

For fans of Ares Kingdom, Angelcorpse & Sadistik Exekution.

3.5/5

P.S. I think this one could be right up your alley Sonny.

For July, Daniel:

Adramelech - "As the Gods Succumbed" (from "Psychostasia", 1996)

The Chasm - "Storm of Revelations" (from "Procession to the Infraworld", 2000)

Mithras - "Behind the Shadows" (from "Behind the Shadows Lie Madness", 2007) 

Pungent Stench - "Games of Humiliation" (from "Been Caught Buttering", 1991)

Ulcerate - "Drawn Into the Next Void" (from "Stare Into Death and Be Still", 2020)

Unleashed - "Before the Creation of Time" (from "Where No Life Dwells", 1991)

I did have a longer list, but I just noticed you already have Autopsy nominated, so have removed them from mine. Sorry I'm so late again.

Mark definitely sounded better than Barnes.

Mark is absolutely frothing that you just said that. His most major influence/idol is 1991-92 Chris Barnes.

To transcend one's idols is surely the aim of all artists. Believe me, I genuinely think he's better.

Assück - "Anticapital" (1992)

I revisited this old Florida deathgrind debut album that I quite liked back in the early 1990's this afternoon. The seventeen tracks fly by in just fifteen minutes so I'd listened to it four times in a row before I even looked up. The album's got great intensity but is held back a bit by some consistently out of time blast beats. I'm not quite sure how people seem to look past that flaw to be honest as history has seen "Anticapital" being placed on a bit of a pedestal these days. Still... it's good enough to slip into my Top Ten Deathgrind Releases of All Time list which is still very much a work in progress as I work my way through a whole bunch of old material.

For fans of Terrorizer, Brutal Truth & Misery Index.

3.5/5

01. Napalm Death - "Utopia Banished" (1992)

02. Cattle Decapitation - "Monolith of Inhumanity" (2012)

03. Brutal Truth - "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" (1992)

04. Full of Hell - "Weeping Choirs" (2019)

05. Lock Up - "Necropolis Transparent" (2011)

06. Cephalic Carnage - "Misled by Certainty" (2010)

07. Damaged - "Passive Backseat Demon Engines" E.P. (1995)

08. Napalm Death - "Harmony Corruption" (1990)

09. Assück - "Anticapital" (1992)

10. Napalm Death - "Mentally Murdered" E.P. (1989)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/223

Here's my review:

You simply couldn’t ignore Los Angeles industrial death metallers Fear Factory when they exploded onto the scene with their 1992 debut album “Soul of a New Machine”. Although their sound wasn’t ideally suited to my personal taste, I still found myself purchasing the CD & attending the shows with all of my metal-loving mates & quite enjoying myself along the way. Metal radio was all over Fear Factory so you almost had no choice but to become exposed to them & their unique combination of precision, melody & extremity sounded really fresh at the time. As an album, I don’t mind “Soul of a New Machine” but feel that the band would comfortably eclipse it with their next album “Demanufacture” which is still the benchmark for Fear Factory to this day in my opinion. Somewhere in between those two albums though, we find this little remix E.P. which drew a somewhat shocked response from a teenage me. The very gall of an extreme metal band to attempt EDM-infused versions of their more popular songs! It certainly sounded like an awful idea to me on paper so I don’t think I went into it with a lot of hope to be honest & that may well have played a role in me eventually dismissing “Fear is the Mindkiller” as a release that was categorically not for me. However, by the end of the 1990’s I’d been sucked up by the exciting techno juggernaut & spent the next decade spinning tunes in dark, underground clubs so I’m hoping that now I might be better predisposed to enjoying this record. Let’s find out, shall we?

“Fear is the Mindkiller” contains six songs & clocks in at around the 32 minute mark. Five of those pieces are electronica/electro-industrial remixes of tracks taken from the debut album with the album version of “Self Immolation” also being tossed in for good measure. I honestly think that “Self Immolation” was a strange track to nominate to fill out the run time given that a) it’s not one of the better tracks from “Soul of a New Machine” & b) there are already two remixed versions of that track included on the E.P. which leads to repetition. Thankfully though, there is some quality to be found in this material, even for those of you that might only be open to metal music. None of the original tracks are indecipherable in these remixes with all five of them offering regular snippets at the very least. Interesingly though, it’s the pieces that take Fear Factory the furthest away from their original works that work best with “Self Immolation (Vein Tap Mix)” & “Scumgrief” (Deep Dub Trauma Mix)” being comfortably my pick of the bunch. The one failure actually lines up with the heaviest of the songs in the Pig Fuck Mix of “Scapegoat” which is essentially just a misguided attempt to place a dance beat behind the original & fails to connect on anywhere near the same level.

I’ve found myself quite liking “Fear is the Mindkiller” for the most part. The electronic component isn’t done to an elite level but (apart from “Scapegoat”) it’s executed reasonably well &, on most occasions, brings something a bit different to the originals. I can’t say that I regard the E.P. as being essential but, then again, I don’t consider “Soul of a New Machine” to be either. This is certainly an underrated release, perhaps receiving undue criticism from a metal community that can at times be fairly closed-minded when it comes to electronic music.

For fans of HEALTH, Front Line Assembly & Ministry's "Rio Grande Dub Ya".

3.5/5

Here's my adjusted Top Ten Technical Thrash Releases of All Time list after revisiting Obliveon's "Nemesis" this week which sees Toxik's "World Circus" dropping out of my list:

01. Coroner – “Mental Vortex” (1991)

02. Sadus – “A Vision Of Misery” (1992)

03. Sadus - "Swallowed in Black" (1990)

04. Obliveon - "Nemesis" (1993)

05. Coroner – “No More Color” (1989)

06. Hellwitch - "Syzygial Miscreancy" (1990)

07. Cryptic Shift – “Visitations From Enceladus” (2020)

08. Ripping Corpse - "Dreaming With The Dead" (1991)

09. KAT - "Bastard" (1992)

10. Obliveon - "From This Day Forward" (1990)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/173

Here's my review:

Montreal technical thrashers Obliveon were a pretty big band for me back in the early 1990’s with both of their first two releases playing relatively important roles in my musical journey as I became "progressively" more interested in the more technical side of extreme metal (see what I did there?). I first discovered them through a dubbed copy of their 1990 debut full-length “From This Day Forward” which I really dug & kept in my Walkman for a few solid months. That prompted me to seek out 1993’s “Nemesis” sophomore album from the tape trading scene as soon as it was released & both records would play a role in me taking my own band’s sound into more expansive structural territories over the next few years, even if I opted for a much more deathly sound. These two releases would be where my journey with Obliveon ended though as the idea of them moving to more of a groove metal sound didn’t appeal to me much so I have to admit that I’m still yet to check out Obliveon's two mid-to-late 1990’s records. Regardless of that oversight, I’m excited to relive my time with Obliveon this week, particularly given that my recent revisit of “From This Day Forward” was so successful.

It's interesting that Xephyr has had such issues with the production job on “Nemesis” because, outside of the strangely off-putting lead guitar tone that appears when they present some of their more progressive & melodic ideas, I struggle to hear the flaws he’s described if I’m being honest. Sure, the drums have a mechanical feel but that works in pretty nicely with the complexity of the riff structures in my opinion. I don’t find that the guitars lack depth or the vocals are too loud either. To my ears everything seems to be pretty well balanced & more than appropriate for an extreme metal release of the time. Perhaps I’m just very used to this record after all these years or are simply more comfortable with early 90’s metal releases in general given my pedigree? I dunno but let’s just say that the production isn’t an issue for me & leave it at that. In fact, I love how the bass guitar cuts through the mix so nicely & everything is so clear & intelligible, despite the incredible technicality on show.

Obliveon have often been claimed as a death/thrash hybrid & you can easily see why. The main selling point for the links to death metal can be found in the vocals which come across as a deathly version of Kreator front man Mille Petrozza & are more than adequate to get the job done. Instrumentally, Obliveon lean comfortably over towards the thrash side of the equation though & I don’t think you’ll be shocked by the extremity of “Nemesis”. It’s not about brutality, instead being weighted heavily towards class, sophistication & execution which are all boxes that it ticks in unanimous fashion throughout the eight tracks on offer. There’s no doubt that Obliveon were pushing the complexity levels right up to the outer thresholds that the metal scene had achieved to the time & they seem to do it really easily too. The talent on show is astounding at times &, unlike some of their tech thrash peers, that element can be seen across the board with the rhythm section being particularly impressive. There’s definitely some commonality in the way the riffs are structured as Obliveon tend to favour a spider-fingered, palm-muted, single-string style of riff that’s performed extremely tightly & if you can buy into that technique (which I clearly can) then you’re in for a real treat as few can do it as well as it’s been done here. I’m a big fan of the way the bass guitar is used & there's are a lot of interesting yet subtle colour added through the drum fills that bring a lot to the overall package too. My only complaint might be that there could have been a little less restraint shown in the guitar solos which often take a more melodic approach than one would normally expect from their thrash.

As with “From This Day Forward”, Obliveon struggle to create genuine highlight tracks here though & a lot of that comes down to the fact that it’s difficult to achieve that when your song structures are focused so heavily on complexity. They do manage to reach that elusive pinnacle on “Frosted Avowals” though which is easily my favourite Obliveon track & made a significant impact on me back in the day. The quality level dropped just a touch at the end of “From This Day Forward” but that’s not the case with “Nemesis” which is slightly more consistent & that’s probably the main reason why I tend to favour it over its elder sibling. There’s not a lot between them though & I’d suggest that both should be essential listening for fans of the more technical side of extreme metal.

For fans of Vektor, Voivod & Аспид.

4/5

Yes, Saxy is back!

Noted and included.

Here's my review:

Earlier this year I conducted an exercise whereby I made a dedicated attempt to identify the first five metal releases that converted me to the ways of darkness & the results (surprisingly) seemed to indicate that London legends Motorhead may well have been band #1 for me through their 1984 “No Remorse” compilation. Needless to say then that we’ve had as long a relationship as I can boast in metal terms. Interestingly though, I’d never heard any of Motorhead’s studio albums past 1987’s eighth full-length “Rock ‘n’ Roll” until this week when I investigated this month’s The Guardians feature release in 1993’s “Bastards” which is their eleventh full-length. Motorhead have never been a band that’s gonna make too many of my best-of lists but they are one that I hold an enormous amount of respect for & generally enjoy too with only their early self-titled & “On Parole” records not offering me some level of appeal along with 1980’s throw-away “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” E.P. & the disappointing 1983 live album “What’s Words Worth?”. Everything else is at least worthy a few listens so, when a well-educated mate of mine recently mentioned that “Bastards” might be the release to finally convince me of Motorhead’s metal credentials, my ears pricked up & I made a conscious note to investigate it at some stage.

Upon first listen it became immediately obvious that “Bastards” is a very different sounding record to the other Motorhead albums I’ve partaken in over the years. The production job is much cleaner & more metallic with Phil Campbell & Wurzel’s guitar tones being thick & heavy & Mikkey Dee’s drum kit sounding sharp & precise. I have to admit that this caught me off guard a little at first because Lemmy’s bass guitar seems like much less of a protagonist in this environment & his vocals don’t seem as comfortable without the dirty grit that Motorhead made their calling card over the years. Repeat listens saw me overcoming this obstacle though & predominantly off the back of some quality hooks & song-writing.

My mate was 100% correct on “Bastards”. It’s by far the most metal release I’ve heard from Motorhead & a dual tagging is more than justified here. The album kicks off with the two most obviously metal tracks too with opener “On Your Feet Or On Your Knees” & speed metal stomper “Burner” both tearing shreds off the unsuspecting listener. The rest of the tracklisting sees Lemmy & co. consistently playing in that grey area between heavy metal & hard rock which often makes it hard to make a call one way or the other. That’s not to say that "Bastards" is a drastic stylistic departure for Motorhead though as you can still identify their bluesy roots easily enough during many songs & I never feel like I’m listening to anyone else.

“Bastards” is an extremely consistent album in many ways. The four-piece band sound like a well-oiled machine & it’s hard to imagine that they were capable of creating anything that was noticeably subpar at this stage in their evolution. The record is at its peak during the three-track run that contains “Burner” (my personal favourite), “Death or Glory” & “I Am The Sword” but “On Your Feet or On Your Knees”, “Bad Woman”, “Liar” & closer “Devils” are really solid too. In saying that though, I’ve always struggled to see Motorhead challenging for my higher scores & nothing has changed in that regard. I just don’t think they appeal to me enough from a purely stylistic point of view & that limitation sees me unable to claim any of the twelve songs as genuine classics, despite all of them offering me a level of enjoyment.

Nonetheless, “Bastards” has really surprised me this week. I wasn’t expecting it to challenge some of Motorhead’s more famous releases for top honours but that would seem to be the case here with only “Overkill” & “Ace of Spades” sitting above it on my Motorhead pecking order now. Don’t be afraid kiddies. This is a high-quality metal release in its own right & is one that’s deserving of essential status in the context of Motorhead’s illustrious career too.

For fans of Venom, Tank & Girlschool.

4/5

Here are my sneak peek submissions for the July Sphere playlist:

Celldweller - "Soul Parasites (Northlane Remix)" (3:23) from Satellites (Remixed) (2023)

Deathstars - "Cyanide" (3:55) from Termination Bliss (2006)

Dodheimsgard - "Final Conquest" (5:59) from 666 International (1999)

Fear Factory - "Self Immolation (Liquid Sky Mix)" (6:06) from Fear is the Mindkiller (1993)

Gothminister - "Battle of the Underworlds" (5:22) from Pandemonium II: The Battle of the Underworlds (2024)

Strapping Young Lad - "Oh My Fucking God" (3:34) from City (1997)

Total length: 28:19

Here are my sneak peek submissions for the July Revolution playlist:

As I Lay Dying - "The Truth of My Perception" (3:06) from Shadows are Security (2005)

August Burns Red, Will Ramos - "The Cleansing" (8:00) from The Cleansing (2024)

The Ghost Inside - "Split" (3:11) from Searching for Solace (2024)

Shai Hulud - "Reach Beyond the Sun" (3:00) from Reach Beyond the Sun (2013)

Underoath - "Moving for the Sake of Motion" (3:15) from Define the Great Line (2006)

Unearth - "The Great Dividers" (4:02) from The Oncoming Storm (2004)

War of Ages - "Famine" (4:13) from Dominion (2023)

Total length: 28:47

Here are my submissions for the July Infinite playlist:

Amorphis - "My Kantele" (6:49) from Magic & Mayhem – Tales from the Early Years (2010)

Edge of Sanity - "Incantation" (3:01) from When All is Said/The Best of Edge of Sanity (2006)

Meshuggah - "New Millennium Cyanide Christ" (5:35) from Chaosphere (1998)

Rivers of Nihil - "The Void From Which No Sound Escapes" (6:43) from The Work (2021)

Voivod - "Killing Technology" (7:33) from Killing Technology (1987)

Total length: 29:41

Here are my submissions for the July Gateway playlist:

BOI WHAT - "The Both of Us" (2:41) from The Both of Us (2024)

Crossfaith - "Godspeed" (3:16) from Godspeed (2024)

Dog Fashion Disco - "Tastes So Sweet" (3:18) from Sweet Nothings (2014)

Jeris Johnson - "Ode to Metal" (3:57) from Ode to Metal (2024)

Memphis May Fire - "Misery (feat. Atreyu)" (3:12) from Misery (feat. Atreyu) (2023)

Nik Nocturnal, Ankor - "Unforgiven" (2:59) from Unforgiven (2023)

Northlane - "Miasma" (4:18) from Mirror's Edge (2024)

Of Mice & Men - "Tether" (3:55) from Tether (2023)

Total length: 27:36

This morning we examine the birth of one of doom metal's biggest names with Pentagram's "Bias Studio Recordings" demo being released on 22nd March 1973. It contained this classic doom anthem:

As with Black Sabbath's first three classic albums, the age-old consensus that 1972's "Vol 4" is a "heavy metal" record doesn't stack up to closer scrutiny, at least not when you take into account the modern metal genre tree. If the album was released today as the debut release from a new band then I feel confident that it'd be tagged as a stoner metal record which is in line with my long-term feeling that it doesn't sit all that comfortably alongside your Judas Priests & Iron Maidens.

For the record, this is how I've tagged the album:

01. Wheels of Confusion - Heavy psych

02. Tomorrow's Dream - Stoner metal

03. Changes - Piano rock

04. FX - Experimental

05. Supernaut - Stoner rock

06. Snowblind - Stoner metal

07. Cornucopia - Stoner metal

08. Laguna Sunrise - Chamber folk

09. St. Vitus Dance - Stoner rock

10. Under The Sun - Stoner metal

As you can see, more than 50% of the tracklisting falls outside of the metal space however the stoner rock & heavy psych inclusions are also closely aligned with the stoner metal tag & there is enough genuine metal to qualify for the Academy anyway. Given that we've recently voted to have "Vol 4" added to The Fallen under the Stoner Metal genre, I'd like to see it removed from The Guardians & the Heavy Metal genre so that it resides solely in The Fallen under Stoner Metal.

https://metal.academy/hall/506