Daniel's Forum Threads
Various Artists - "Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings" (2010)
A highly regarded double dark folk compilation that certainly has its moments, even if it is heavily driven by the highlight tracks which can be nothing short of transcendent. I absolutely adore Havnatt's "Dagen og natta" (which reminds me heavily of early The Third & the Mortal) & the wonderfully dark fourteen-minute closer in Syven's "How Fare the Gods?" in particular. There are a few duds along the way but they're comfortably overcome by the soothing atmosphere which emphatically takes me to parts of the world that I have never been before i.e. Scandinavia.
For fans of Empyrium, Current 93 & Of The Wand & The Moon.
4/5
Dark Throne - "Soulside Journey" (1991)
The early Darkthrone demo tapes were fairly underwhelming in my opinion but they started to hit on something of interest with 1989's "Cromlech" cassette which I've always quite liked. Thankfully, they managed to take that promise a step further with their debut full-length which I first encountered through late-night underground metal radio programming & subsequently hunted down through my tape trading circles before the stylistic change to black metal. "Soulside Journey" obviously showcases a very different Darkthrone (or Dark Throne as they were known at the time) to the one who would virtually single-handedly be responsible for the Second Wave of Black Metal boom just a year later but that's not to say that it's not an essential release for extreme metal fans because they were already quite accomplished song-writers by this stage. Fenriz's drumming is the clear highlight here & he shows himself to possess some more than decent chops & some pretty progressive ideas. The music is very much in line with the Swedish death metal sound that was so popular at the time however Dark Throne gave it a more melodic edge while still maintaining that lovely graveyard atmosphere. Nocturno Culto's vocals are very good & you can easily tell it's the same man who would produce such grim performances on future albums, even if they are a little deeper & more deathly. Overall, "Soulside Journey" has stood the test of time very well. It may not be the equal of the next four Darkthrone records but I'd still suggest that it should be essential listening for fans of the band & it'll also keep all of our The Horde members interested too.
For fans of Carnage, Entombed & Cenotaph.
4/5
Vladislav Delay - "Multila" (2000)
A really deep, ambient compilation of dub techno material from a prolific Finnish producer who would go on to release important records across a variety of different EDM subgenres. The best moments are generally found when there's a bit more structure employed, particularly when the beats are a little dancier like they are on the 22-minute epic "Huone" (my album highlight). Occasionally things descend into mush but generally I find easily enough to enjoy in the dense atmospheres on offer here.
For fans of Pole, Basic Channel & GAS.
4/5
Sleep - "The Sciences" (2018)
It's taken me some time to get to the latest full-length from these San Jose-based stoner doom merchants but it's been thoroughly worth the wait. I really enjoyed their two biggest records in 1992's "Sleep's Holy Mountain" & 2003's "Dopesmoker" but this one may be my new favourite Sleep record, taking everything I've dug about the band & celebrating it in a way that only the most seasoned & professional of acts can manage. As usual, it's the more cerebral & psychedelic moments that suit me best with instrumental closer "The Botanist" being my album highlight but there's not a weak track amongst the six on offer here & there's plenty in the way of simple yet crushingly heavy doom riffs too.
For fans of Electric Wizard, Om & High On Fire.
4/5
Hermann Nitsch - "Island: Eine Sinfonie in 10 Sätzen" (1980)
There are times when all serious music lovers subject themselves to long periods of aural pain in the interest of expanding their musical horizons & that is exactly what I've done this week while sitting through a full three active listens to this 3 hour 43 minute experimental release from Austrian composer Hermann Nitsch. "Island" is built on a concept that combines the early drone sound with modern classical arrangements however it regularly crosses over the border between music/art & meaningless noise for long periods, leaving the vast majority of listeners wondering just what in the actual fuck they're listening to with the sounds being emitted from the speakers often resembling the members of five symphony orchestras all warming up through completely disparate exercises before a show. When it comes together, you get some deep, unusual & quite cerebral drones but when it doesn't it's just a total mess &, given the really long track durations, you're stuck with it for what seems like an eternity before the next piece shows up, often providing more of the same. The length of this release is absolutely absurd as there are nowhere near enough different ideas to sustain even half of the run time. I'm afraid this one has just gone straight over my head, despite my enjoyment of a few of the thirteen pieces.
For fans of John Cage, Cornelius Cardew & Terry Riley.
2/5
Hermética - "Víctimas del vaciamiento" (1994)
I recently checked out the 1991 sophomore album "Ácido argentino" from these Argentinians for the first time & quite enjoyed its high-energy brand of speed/heavy metal which has led me to revisit Hermética's more popular follow-up record from 1994. I hadn't heard it since way back in the mid-1990's & I can see why as it's been more of a struggle for me than "Ácido argentino" was. This time we get a cleaner production job & a sound that sits more regularly in traditional heavy metal territory than it does thrash or speed metal so there's definitely more accessibility on offer. The tracklisting starts quite strongly but starts to tail off after the first couple of songs, only recovering sporadically during the remainder of the record. The Spanish vocals aren't amazing which doesn't help Hermética's cause. They're definitely at this best when they speed things up for the thrashier end of their sound but it doesn't happen regularly enough to see me returning to this album in the future.
For fans of Malón, V8 & Almafuerte.
3/5
Autechre - "Amber" (1994)
1993's "Incunabula" debut album was an incredible way to start Autechre's recording career & has been an all-time favourite of mine for around 25 years now. If anything, the 1994 sophomore record "Amber" is even better though & cemented this Manchester duo as a truly elite artist in my musical journey.
For fans of Aphex Twin, B12 & LFO.
4.5/5
Lykathea Aflame
Afterbirth - "Four Dimensional Flesh" (2020)
The second & best of this New York outfits three albums to date sees the four-piece tackling a noticeably progressive take on the brutal death metal model, complete with super-gutteral, ultra-deep slam death metal style pig-grunts. Some of this record is so musical for a BDM artist & subsequently impresses with its ambition, even if those vocals will always be a limiting factor as far as I'm concerned. "Four Dimensional Flesh" is well worth checking out for our The Horde clan members though.
For fans of Lykathea Aflame, Wormed & Pyrexia.
4/5
In Flames - "Whoracle" (1997)
While 1996's "The Jester Race" album may have been a huge record for these Swedish melodeath champions, it never connected with me personally & neither did In Flames' highly celebrated follow-up record "Whoracle". Whilst I do prefer it to "The Jester Race", "Whoracle" still suffers from many of the same failings in its quest for my affection. A good half of the tracklisting is really pretty entertaining but the other half does very little for me with the song-writing edging much too far into more accessible realms than I'm comfortable with. It's probably telling that my two clear favourites also happen to be the least popular tracks in "Morphing Into Primal" & the title track because it's a strong indicator that I can't appreciate the selling points that In Flames' audience live & die by. Sure... I'd take "Whoracle" over other In Flames releases from the period like 2000's "Clayman" but it still falls short of the mark for me personally.
For fans of Dark Tranquillity, Soilwork & At the Gates.
3/5
POiSON GiRL FRiEND - "Melting Moment" E.P. (1992)
This debut E.P. seems to have built up quite the following over the last decade or so but I have to admit that I find that hard to understand personally. Sure, it's one of the earlier trip hop releases but that doesn't give it the right to be mentioned in the same breath as records like Massive Attack's "Blue Lines" which clearly sits in another stratosphere altogether. The female vocals of nOrikO are intended to sound sweet & they do achieve that intent during the best parts but there are just as many moments where she sounds pitchy & amateurish in my opinion. Plus, the instrumentation is very heavy on the cheap bedroom synths that were around at the time which gives "Melting Moment" a disposable feel. I do quite enjoy the first couple of songs as well as the closing title track but the other material is a long way from the mark (particularly "The Future Is Now" which is fucking awful) & taints the overall experience for me.
For fans of Color Filter, Sugar Plant & Lily Chou-Chou.
3/5
Mastodon - "The Hunter" (2011)
While the fifth full-length from these Atlanta-base progressive metal heroes may be their least impressive to the time, I feel that it's been a little underrated over the years because it still showcases a class act that's not all that far off the peak of their powers. Those people still clinging onto the band's sludge metal roots will be sorely disappointed of course but the production & musicianship are both excellent with the vocal harmonies being a clear highlight (even if I'd suggest that they would have struggled to pull them off live from my couple of experiences with a live Mastodon). The B side does see the overall quality level easing off a bit but there are no weak tracks included & are enough highlights to make "The Hunter" essential listening for our The Infinite members. In fact, I'd suggest that "Stargasm" in particular is some of Mastodon's finest work. I think "The Hunter" has just suffered a bit from the public's lofty expectations coming off the back of 2009's transcendent "Crack The Skye" record.
For fans of High on Fire, Torche & Intronaut.
4/5
Hermética - "Ácido argentino" (1991)
I was a fan of both of this Argentinian act's other two albums back in the day but had never heard their highly regarded sophomore record until this week. It's pretty decent too although I wouldn't say that it's had the same impact on me as 1994's "Víctimas del vaciamiento" release did during the 1990's. I'd place it slightly ahead of their 1989 self-titled debut though. "Ácido argentino" sees Hermética's sound sitting between speed metal & heavy metal with the odd thrashier moment here & there. There aren't enough genuine highlight tracks for me to think about my higher scores but there's certainly an energy to this material which is only enhanced by the primitive production values. The guitar solos aren't anything to write home about but that doesn't stop "Ácido argentino" from having the desired impact, even if I don't think it'll be a release that I'll return to very often.
For fans of Malón, V8 & Almafuerte.
3.5/5