Daniel's Forum Threads
Amenra - De toorn EP (2025)
De toorn is a two-track EP running for 25 minutes and is the first of two EPs already released this year by the belgian atmospheric sludge band. Both tracks follow a very similar path, starting off in a very gentle, minimalist manner. The opener "Heden" begins with soft, heartbeat-like drumbeats and a murmuring bassline interjected with gentle guitar strumming and vocalist Colin Van Eeckhout quietly intoning the lyrics with a spoken word delivery. We all know this quiet calm cannot last and that it is just a matter of time until the wave comes crashing in. That it takes until the final quarter of the track for it to happen, just as you start to wonder if this is not the track you thought it was, it almost takes you by surprise. Van Eeckhout goes into full desperate, Burzum-like shrieking mode as the heaving tsunami riff hits and the shuddering climax is brought to fruition. Heden is definitely a case of the payoff being worthy of the build-up and is a decent, if not exactly unpredictable piece of atmo-sludge songwriting.
The problem for me is that they then try to pull off exactly the same trick with the second track, the EPs title track. This time the quiet calm, post-rock led extended intro is provided by a jangling guitar and snare beat with the vocals again pretty much being spoken word. The climax this time around hits at the two-thirds in mark and takes a very similar form to the opener. Whilst the atmospherics on both tracks are exceedingly well delivered and they are obviously very comfortable with both their instruments and songwriting technique, the similarity of the two tracks feels almost a little lazy and too comfortable for a band who have delivered much more variety in the past. Look, these guys are good, and both these tracks are too, but I expected a bit more from such a talented bunch.
3.5/5
Couldn't agree more, both the releases this year did nothing for me.
High Tide - "Sea Shanties" (1969)
The debut album from this London four-piece offers an unusual take on the early heavy psych sound with the prominent use of violin & extended jazz fusion improvisation giving it a unique aesthetic. The influence of Jimi Hendrix, The Doors & the Mahavishnu Orchestra is plainly obvious however "Sea Shanties" doesn't really sound like anything I've heard before. Unfortunately, the guitar skills of Tony Hill aren't strong enough to fully capitalize on such an original concept but that doesn't stop High Tide from creating one of the more interesting releases to come out of the late 60's psychedelic rock scene.
For fans of May Blitz, Edgar Broughton Band & Blue Cheer.
3.5/5
Abhorrence - "Abhorrence" E.P. (2000)
This is the first proper release from these Finnish death metallers & followed quickly on the heels of the very solid "Vulgar Necrolatry" demo tape from earlier the same year. I've always been a big fan of this 7" E.P. as it possesses an underground feel that oozes of the early 90's tape trading scene that played such a strong role in my formative years. While it's short thirteen-minute run time is over in a flash & doesn't really present anything you haven't heard before, Abhorrence are still able to make a lasting impact through their clear understanding of what made the early death metals scene so great, even showcasing a strong affection for the early grindcore of Napalm Death in their use of blast beats. I'd suggest that most of our The Horde members should find a lot to enjoy here.
For fans of Bolt Thrower, Purtenance & Convulse.
4/5
Defeated Sanity - "Passages into Deformity" (2013)
The fourth full-length from this highly consistent German brutal/technical death metal outfit is also their best in my opinion as it gets the balance between brutality & technicality just right which, when complimented by a suitably dense & dark production job, creates a slightly more accessible, if no less savage, result. The ridiculous musicianship & chaotic riff structures are still well in effect here but they sound just a little less like they're on the verge of wildly flailing out of control while the intelligible vocals of new front man Konstantin Lühring are a little easier to tolerate for long periods than some other brutal death metal gurglers. Still... there's something that stops me from ever reaching for my more elite ratings with this band &, in much the same way as Dying Fetus who I reviewed earlier this week, I get a strong feeling of groundhog day every time I assess a Defeated Sanity record with the result invariably ending up being the same.
For fans of Disgorge, Wormed & Deeds of Flesh.
4/5
The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Calculating Infinity" (1999)
The New Jersey mathcore legends' debut full-length very much defines the term "chaotic" with its jerky stop/start sound feeling almost like a novelty at times. The musicianship on display here is utterly astounding & I can still remember my face being unceremoniously ripped from my head upon Ben first playing me this stuff back in the day. Stylistically, this probably should be my favourite Dillinger record but that hasn't ended up being the case. These days, I find myself leaning towards 2013's "One of Us Is the Killer" album & 2002's "Irony Is a Dead Scene" E.P. with Mike Patton but there's not a lot in it & I still get the same sort of adrenaline rush from "Calculating Infinity" as I did twenty years ago which is certainly a feather in the band's cap.
For fans of Botch, Converge & Car Bomb.
4/5
S.O.B./Napalm Death - "Split E.P." (1989)
This ultra-rare 7" split single is a great little grindcore release that includes ten songs, making for just nine minutes of relentless energy & aggression. While the Napalm Death material is pretty decent, it's really the S.O.B. side that commands such a high score as they throw the kitchen sink in with their exciting brand of Japanese hardcore. You can expect blast beats & psychotic screams aplenty from this lot & I think all fans of the genre will find a lot to enjoy here.
For fans of Agathocles, Extreme Noise Terror & Brutal Truth.
4/5
Evanescence - "Fallen" (2003)
The only experience I had with this female-fronted Arkansas alternative metal outfit was through their latest album "The Bitter Pill" which I reviewed when it was our feature releases back in 2021. Not only did I find that record to be seriously underrated but I also quite enjoyed the experience so I always intended on checking out some of their more popular work at some point, if only to satisfy the unrelenting completist in me. Well, 2003's "Fallen" sophomore album is clearly the Evanescence record of choice for most fans of the band & includes a number of big hits that most metal & rock fans would know very well, even if they've never actively gone out of their way to investigate the album they're taken from. After giving it a few spins this week I've come to the realisation that it's a hit & miss record in my opinion with a good 45% of the tracklisting offering me very little appeal. Thankfully though, the other 55% is very solid indeed which gives "Fallen" enough value to see me coming out of the experience feeling quite positive, if not quite as positive as I did with "The Bitter Pill".
Evanescence's signature sound was forged with this record which champions an alternative metal sound that also draws influence from nu metal, symphonic metal & gothic metal at times. The vocals of Amy Lee are obviously the main focal point as the instrumentation isn't anything terribly interesting or creative & I was happy to find that she's well up to the task too with her tone being both powerful & pure. The incredible adult contemporary number "My Immortal" is the clear highlight of the album but nu metal super-hit "Bring Me to Life", the ultra-catchy "Tourniquet" & the stripped-back piano ballad "Hello" are all very solid & professional inclusions too. The weaker moments are generally aligned with the weaker vocal hooks though which makes it even more apparent that Evanescence lives & dies by the skills of their front woman to control the narrative.
I'm not gonna say that "Fallen" is essential listening because its creative statement is not significant enough for that but it's certainly a bit of fun that most rock/metal fans with do well not to find some enjoyment in. It's interesting that "The Bitter Pill" has been so heavily slandered in comparison because I don't think that's warranted given that I actually prefer that record over this one. I think the fact that "Fallen" is a little more obvious & immediate is what gives it the edge for most listeners but I slightly prefer the added maturity & depth of Evanescence's latest work. Regardless, it's easy to simply allow both to pass you by under the premise that they're none of your business but if that's your position then you might just find yourself missing out on an attractive hook-laden three-quarters of an hour of alternative metal.
For fans of Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil & We Are the Fallen.
3.5/5
Calamalka - "Shredders Dub" (2004)
The debut album from this Canadian producer is one of my favourite dub records ever. I picked it up on CD shortly after release & it subsequently received many plays at stoned come-down gatherings at my unit when I was going through the height of my clubbing/DJing period through the mid-2000's. The drums & basslines are nothing short of spectacular here & you'll rarely find a release that can put you into a more blissful state of numbness.
For fans of Burnt Friedman & the Nu Dub Players, Rhythm & Sound & Massive Attack.
4.5/5
Nuclear Assault - "Handle with Care" (1989)
The third full-length from these Queens-based thrashers was my introduction to Nuclear Assault at the time of release & is still my pick of their discography to this day. I've always liked the band's 1980's records with releases like 1986's "Game Over" & 1987's "The Plague" E.P. receiving regular replays from me in the several decades since. "Handle with Care" is perhaps a little more consistently thrashy than some of their earlier efforts though & I think that probably helps its cause with someone like myself. It's bookended by two absolute belters in "New Song" &
Trail of Tears", both of which sit amongst my favourite Nuclear Assault tracks, & this certainly holds the album in good stead but the rest of the twelve-song tracklisting is consistently engaging too with only the confusing inclusion of the fairly redundant novelty tune "Funky Noise" failing to capture me. The gritty vocals of front man John Connelly are right up my alley while I also enjoy the hardcore edge that the band display at times. While I wouldn't go into "Handle with Care" expecting to hear anything terribly original, there are some great thrash riffs on offer & I'm surprised at the fairly lackluster ratings of our regulars thus far because I would have thought this would be essential listening for most of our The Pit clan members.
For fans of Anthrax, Overkill & Vio-lence.
4/5
Shadow of Intent - Imperium Delerium (2025)
Genres: Deathcore, Melo-Death Metal
There are very few deathcore bands I get excited for, and Shadow of Intent is one of them. Hell, one of my hottest music takes is that their debut, Primordial, is the best deathcore album I've ever heard, but of course, I've only heard 120 right on the zero. I'm certain Metal Academy has a quite a few people who've beaten me in that vein. As far as Shadow of Intent goes, I though their first three albums practically cemented them as the greatest deathcore band in the world, but found myself a little disappointed in the generic fourth, Elegy. I had no way of knowing where this would go. All I could do was beg the deathcore gods that Shadow of Intent learned from the experience, and hope for the best. I mean, it's another 55 MINUTES of deathcore, and it's easy for deathcore to get tiring after 55 minutes.
By the way, let me point out just how grotesquely nerdy I can be: I've been working on a ranked list of every artist I've ever heard. I'm obsessive, apparently. I take the top 5 (or bottom five, depending on how often the artist makes good albums), and tally an average. That's the short version, anyway. Shadow of Intent has an average of 88.2 out of the top five, including Elegy, and I'm really hoping I can raise that bar today.
Now the issue I had with the last two albums was that the music wasn't quite as diversified as before. What I loved about Primordial is a careful shift between symphonic metal, deathcore, prog metal and melo-death, a very careful balance on par with the mix of prog, symphonic, neoclassical and power boasted on a couple Symphony X albums. But if all tracks are doing all of these things, then the diversity caves in on itself. Now the opener, "Prepare to Die," boasted the majority of these signature traits in a single track with a fixation on symphonics, whereas the follower, "Flying the Black Flag," only barely touched on symphonics and focused mostly on speed and edge. Taking that as a good sign, I can safely say that both songs were good jams that already proved themselves to be better than the decent but disappointing fourth album, Elegy," and potentially on par with the sophomore, "Reclaimer." The third track, "Infinity of Horrors," seemed to stylistically be placed between the two songs in terms of sound and genre balance, and I ended up interpreting that as a sign of potential lack of creativity, leaving riffs, melody and speed to the the job, which is fine, but not a perfect situation. By the fourth track, I was wondering where the prog metal that made the first three so good was? It was largely absent in place of general speed and riffs. I had come to know what to expect from this album in the long run, which I was hoping wouldn't happen.
Thankfully, there was a key difference that helped track five, They Murdered Sleep: it was much more crushing with its slower tempo and extra heaviness, so I'll take what I can get from that at least. With the atmospheric intro of track 6, The Facets of Propaganda, I found myself wishing they would play into the vibes the set up in the intros more often, and thankfully this track did a little of that before returning to the general deathcore form. But this is also one of the more well composed and catchier tracks, being a bit more thought-provoking on both an atmospheric side and a technical side. By this point, I just figured, "It's only going to be fairly diversified between songs, so let's just see how generic it does or does not get overtime." I even got bored with detailing each song, but that's easily because I was hoping for more than "pretty good." Although, Vehement Draconian Vengeance did a great job showcasing their best abilities with better composition and production, and it already had strong points on both accounts.
In my hopes that Shadow of Intent would improve their game, the only thing I can say right now is that they're in the same league as before, but not the same ballpark. There were a couple of great songs I can take away from this, but otherwise, it only managed to get Elegy kicked out of the band's top 5 slot on my major list. It's basically a couple of great hits and some technically-proficient filler with great production.
76.5. This knocks out Elegy with a score of 72, adding 0.9 to the average score, making it 89.1, raising Shadow of Intent's position from #566 to #522.
Shining - Divided You'll Stand & United You'll Fall (2025)
Genres: Heavy Metal
Yes, I'm tagging this as heavy metal as opposed to black metal, because out of the five songs, only one is black and the other is about halfway there, being the end and the beginning. Now I'm one for branching out, and there's only so much creativity a man can do writing mostly straightforward (albeit good) DSBM. But this album didn't really do him any favors. While branching out, he's still a bit too focused on the vibe of the genre rather than the compositions of the songs, so the most this album really achieves is a couple of decent tunes and a couple mediocre ones. The strongest things that can be said about this album otherwise are that the production is good and the vocals aren't bad, but it kind of feels like Shining accidentally took a few cues from freakin' Psycho Synner, and compared this so-so work to the works of Psycho Synner to make it look good.
56/100
Germs - "(GI)" (1979)
One of the earlier hardcore punk full-lengths & the sole album from this Los Angeles outfit. It's gone on to become somewhat of an underground classic over the years but I've struggled with it a little bit, mainly due to the fact that the weaker inclusions tend to taint the majority of the tracklisting which is generally pretty enjoyable without ever seeing me fully engaged. There's nothing you haven't heard a thousand times before here either.
For fans of Minor Threat, Reagan Youth & Adolescents
3/5
Limp Bizkit - "Chocolate Starfish & the Hot Dog Flavored Water" (2000)
If there's one thing that most of our regulars would know about me by now, it's that I call 'em purely as I see 'em & I don't give a fuck what the general consensus is. I like to make up my own mind about things & won't be swayed by what the cool crowd thinks. With that in mind, this week I decided that I really should have an informed opinion on one of the most successful yet heavily divisive metal acts on the global scene in Florida's Limp Bizkit. I'd never heard a full record by them before as I'd always assumed that they'd be none of my business up until now but, you know what, this shit ain't half bad. These dudes certainly know how to write a catchy hook, how to play their instruments & how to create a throbbing mosh pit anthem.
I was surprised at how many of the fifteen tracks I knew as there was clearly a whole slew of hits taken from this record but it wasn't always the well-known stuff that I found the most appeal in. Another thing that I perhaps wasn't prepared for was just how good a rhythm section Limp Bizkit had at the time, particularly the bass guitar which really drives a lot of this material. I don't think there's any doubt that front man Fred Durst's personality is what turns off most metalheads & I can see why as his message can often be summarized as meathead fodder but his macho posturizing can't disguise the obvious Eminem influence in his whiny rapping which I would suggest comes across as nothing more than tolerable. In fact, the rap component in Limp Bizkit's sound is really significant (perhaps more so than most nu metal bands) & that's usually the element of the subgenre that I struggle with the most but I've somehow managed to overlook it here, despite Durst being one of the more overt exponents of the craft. And once I managed to look past his immature personality to the groove-laden music behind him, I discovered that Limp Bizkit had more creativity in their kit bag than I'd ever given them credit for.
All of the hits are pretty enjoyable to tell you the truth with "My Way" being my pick of the bunch but it's the strength of some of the album tracks that surprised me the most with "The One", "Getcha Groove On", "Boiler" & particularly the outstanding album highlight "Hold On" really getting under my skin. Unfortunately, the album is book-ended by some much weaker material though with opener "Hot Dog" falling victim to Durst's idiocy, the Urban Assault Vehicle version of "Rollin'" being a total mess & the almost ten minute "Outro" track being absolutely pointless & a complete waste of your time. The remainder of "Chocolate Starfish & the Hot Dog Flavored Water" is well worth hearing though & provides further proof that you shouldn't believe everything you read. Perhaps I won't go running out to indulge in the remainder of Limp Bizkit's back catalogue any time soon but I can honestly say that this record isn't any worse than the majority of the subgenre, even if it doesn't compete with Linkin Park or Korn's best work.
For fans of Korn, System of a Down & P.O.D.
3.5/5
Here's my updated Top Ten Nu Metal Releases of All Time list:
01. Linkin Park - "Meteora" (2003)
02. Korn - "Korn" (1994)
03. Slipknot - "Iowa" (2001)
04. Linkin Park - "Hybrid Theory" (2000)
05. Deftones - "Adrenaline" (1995)
06. Korn - "Follow the Leader" (1998)
07. Sevendust - "Animosity" (2001)
08. Dir en Grey - "Uroboros" (2008)
09. Limp Bizkit - "Chocolate Starfish & the Hot Dog Flavored Water" (2000)
10. Slipknot - "Slipknot" (1999)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/313
Earth Crisis - Destroy the Machines (1995)
I am not super familiar with a lot of metalcore, outside of a few big names like Converge and Trivium and I have only very recently tried to explore it further. I find a lot of it to be very samey, with little to differentiate a lot of the bands, but Earth Crisis certainly are not one of them. Destroy the Machines sounds very much to me like a straight edge band that has discovered Sepultura's Chaos AD and thought "We'll have some of that". I like quite a few straight edge bands, even though they can be annoyingly preachy, and Chaos AD is a great record, so that combination works really well for me.
Vocals can often be a personal bugbear with metalcore acts, but Karl Buechner has a raggedness to his voice that makes it sound less shouty and forced than most and that is definitely a plus. A lot of more modern metalcore feels like it has moved away from the punk side of the equation, but Earth Crisis are most definitely authentic when it comes to their punk credentials, which gives the album a looseness that allows it to breathe rather than the constipated tightness of more recent metalcore orthodoxy. The riffs are great, even pretty groovy at times, yet still contain a lethal agressiveness that lets everyone know exactly just how pissed off these guys are. If more metalcore sounded like this then I would most definitely be a bigger fan.
4.5/5
The addition of several of my judgement submissions into the Hall has ended up creating a wild coincidence involving 3 different cover arts:
As you can see, the Sonic Violence cover art consists of a drawing of an Iron Giant-like silver robot dude, and the Cryptopsy cover art consists of a futuristic post-apocalyptic dystopian wasteland. The Conflиct cover art looks like it has combined those other two artworks and made it better, by making the silver robot dude more realistic and adding him to a more detailed dystopian wasteland. Now that I think about it, I can kind of say the same about the music itself! In that Conflиct album, they take the electro-industrial of Sonic Violence and some of the death metal of Cryptopsy, then add in some melodic groove for a much better stylistic mix. At least that's what I'm hearing...
Checked this out as it is one of Andi's two 0.5 star rated releases. In truth I don't really know what to make of an album like this. I am probably very wrong, but this doesn't seem like a very serious release and its heavy reliance on samples, despite the whole album only being 25 minutes long, seems like a low-effort affair. Cybergrind really ain't my thing and even though this is far from the worst example I have heard, my in-built aversion to too much chaos is stretched beyond its limit here. Strangely, I think that some of the "riffs" if replicated by a capable grindcore band with some real vocals attached would be pretty good. So I would say the guy can write grindcore riffs, but can't execute them very well... and there is just too much going on for my brain to deal with.
2/5
Hvile I Kaos - Lower Order Manifestations (2025)
The cello is my favourite classical instrument. Capable of creating such slow, haunitng and melancholic sounds as well urgent and oppressive timbres as well, I find a versatile and always pleasing instrument. Hvile I Kaos deploy the cello alongside guitar, frame drum and bass to create 'dark chamber music'. This has been on a few nights as I have laid in bed with the lights out ready to get into a peaceful slumber. Full of mystique and dark terrors, the descripton from the Bandcamp page sums it up perfectly:
Quoted Vinny
Nice tip Vinny. I have listened to this a couple of times. I'm not sure I would find it conducive to a peaceful slumber - but it's great stuff. I gave it a 4/5 as well, probably just over 4, not quite reaching 4.5 status (maybe on more listenings)
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Alessandro Stefano - "Alessandro "Asso" Stefana" (2024)
One of my favourites and probably most played from last year. Ambient Americana from Italian multi-instrumentalist that repurposes the voice of Appalachian folk musician, Roscoe Holcomb. Produced by PJ Harvey and on Mike Patton's Ipecac imprint. The first 5 tracks are laid back, soothing americana invoking images of the desert and lonesome highways, then Holcomb's haunting voice from the past come in for 3 tracks before ending with the longest and most ambient tracks on the album. It's when Holcomb's vice comes in from nowhere on track 6 that really make this album for me, and is a surprise on each listen.
4.5/5