Daniel's Forum Threads
Goetia - Mortuary Cult (2026)
This ripping debut out of DC is a nice breath of fresh, decaying air for me after spending my time with a lot of lengthy albums that have a ton of different influences and styles flying around. Mortuary Cult is a succinctly written slab of thrashing Death Metal while still having a satisfying flow to the whole thing. Ideas and riffs stick around for just the right amount of time, there are actual guitar solos (a rarity these days it seems) that are attention grabbing but don't overstay their welcome, and the continuity between the tracks is a welcome addition when the runtime is on the short side like this.
I'm especially digging the vocals on this, which have a more Black Metal shrieking edge to them while still being forceful and evil sounding to fit the rest of the band. Even though Mortuary Cult may be a bit mundane to some as this style has been attempted and done to hell and back at this point, I think this particular one has the sauce. It's not all just pummeling riffs either, as Goetia manage to stick some plodding, classic Death Metal riffage in there on "Earth Inferno" and some more off-kilter grooves on "Bestial Tomb" towards the back of the album. They're able to keep the energy high and switch it up just enough throughout that I think this a really strong contender for a modern gem in this classic style. It's only been growing on me more as I listen to it, should be a very fun one to come back to.
4/5
sora - "re.sort" (2003)
The highly regarded lone album from this Japanese glitch/folktronica artist. I really enjoy the relaxing, stripped back atmosphere but the compositions are a little too structure-less for me to fully appreciate at times. I can't deny the joy that's in this music though. It reminds me of those childhood summers when you didn't have a care in the world & is similar to artists like Lemon Jelly & The Avalanches in that it's kinda quirky & doesn't possess even the slightest trace of darkness.
For fans of Fennesz, Oval & Nobukazu Takemura.
3.5/5
Yes please, going to slowly start contributing to all 3 of my playlists by next month.
No problem, my friend. 
With 4 regular contributors to the North now I want to set a time allocation limit of 25 minutes per contributor per month. This gives me 20 minutes spare that I will use to cover sub-genres not suggested by the four of us with our personal suggestions. If you stray a minute or two over then it is no big deal, as long as I have got 15-20 minutes to play with.
Éliane Radigue - "Jetsun Mila" (1987)
This French composer's third full-length may just be my new favourite drone release ever! "Jetsun Mila" was originally a single, lengthy piece spread across both sides of a cassette with the A side being absolutely incredible & the B side being very solid too. This isn't for everyone as it's extremely deep & minimal but those that can get into that type of stuff are gonna go completely nuts for this shit. Wonderful stuff!
For fans of Robert Rich, Phill Niblock & Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto.
4.5/5
Carcass - "Surgical Steel" (2013)
My old review of the 2013 comeback album from these Liverpool extreme metal legends still holds up pretty well. "Surgical Steel" wasn't a bad return to the scene but it's not nearly as captivating as their classic releases (see "Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious" & "Heartwork") which is no doubt why I haven't returned to it in thirteen years. A lot of the instrumentation is essentially heavy metal & thrash metal with Jeff Walker's signature raspy vocals commanding the listeners attention. The production job is excellent & Bill Steer's lead guitar work is amongst the most memorable in recent times (ooohhh... that vibrato is to die for) but I'm afaid that the song-writing simply isn't as compelling as it once was. This isn't a bad record but it's far from essential. The fact that the quality drops so significantly over the last couple of tracks doesn't help either.
For fans of At The Gates, Arch Enemy & Intestine Baalism.
3.5/5
Death Yell - "Vengeance from Darkness Demo" (1989)
Death Yell formed in 1987 as Pestilence, changing name in 1988, presumably to avoid confusion with the Dutch masters. Their name may be familar from a 1991 split with Beherit or the 1992 "Triumph of Death" multi-band split that also involved the likes of Carcass, Samael and Beherit once more.
This 1989 demo is a great example of how the south american metal scene was throwing everything into the pot in search of extremity. Thrash, death and even semblances of early black metal, particularly in the rabid, screeching vocals of singer Galleta, are all incorporated in this mish-mash of extremity. When this is coupled with demented songwriting that features long-ish tracks containing multiple and rapid tempo and direction changes it all makes for a really compelling release that should at least pique the interest of the discerning extreme metal fanatic. There are six tracks on the demo, including a short ambient interval, which combine for a runtime of almost 32 minutes and a pretty substantial listening experience. The sound quality is fine for a typical 1980s demo, both muddy and tinny at the same time, lending the album a rawness that may be a little at odds with the overtly technical material on offer, yet which turns out to be surprisingly effective.
Death Yell don't just reach for extremity via playing uber-fast or by trying to sound more evil than anyone else, although they are perfectly capable of doing both at times, but the constant change in tempo and tone, lurching from killer riff to dissonant and manic guitar pyrotechnics all accompanied by a pummelling and punishing barrage from the very capable rhythm section of bassist Alejandro Allende and impressive drummer Patricio 'Pato' Diez alongside Galleta's manic screeches, howls and barks make for a release that feels ahead of the curve for 1989 in terms of extremity in metal. Ultimately, if you are in any way interested in the development of either the South American metal scene or extreme metal more generally then I think you would find this demo to be very interesting indeed.
4/5
Don Broco - Nightmare Tripping (2026)
One of my buddies is way more into Metalcore and the more recent, trendy/adjacent bands to it like Bilmuri than I'll ever be, but we still swap recommendations every now and again. Don Broco has done way more than I thought they did when all I knew them for was their one single "Action" from 2019, which was fun and quirky playlist material that painted this band as those slightly weird guys doing some slightly weird things within the Metalcore adjacent space. Enter Nightmare Tripping, the only full length Don Broco release either of us has paid attention to and I'm almost embarrassed to admit how much I've been listening to this recently. I've got some serious bias against this album since it has a ton of things I generally dislike about Metalcore or Alternative Metal bands trying to be quirky or forward thinking. Not that I don't want progress considering I'm not the biggest fan of generic Metalcore to begin with, but generally these attempts come off as shoehorned or the band eventually works its way back around to generic genre tropes that they can't escape from no matter how many trap beats they add.
However, I think Don Broco managed to defy the odds with Nightmare Tripping. I'm not going to say that this album is great, but I'm surprised to say that I think this album is good. It actually feels fresh in a way that I wasn't ready for. That doesn't mean that a lot of the ideas are good, there are parts of Nightmare Tripping that seriously work on my nerves and it's a bit of a mixed bag on the whole, but each song goes for something unexpected or fun whether it sticks the landing or not. I think that's the biggest factor here, Don Broco managed to make an album that is just a blast to listen to every now and again. It's carried by its singles for sure, but I think those singles could change depending on your taste or patience for EDM beats or sappy, generic clean singing in your Metal. For me personally it's "Cellophane", "Nightmare Tripping", and for some reason I've had "Euphoria" stuck in my head sometimes. The title track is especially off-the-wall, as it features Chad Kroeger from Nickelback and actually manages to make it work somehow.
Nightmare Tripping is such a strange album for me because each song has sections I think are pretty creative, followed by some sections that critically I can't get behind, but I can't deny that it's held up as a fun album. I feel like I need a few of those sometimes between all the analysis and all.
3/5
Dehumanized - "Prophecies Foretold" (1998)
My first experience with New York brutal death metal outfit Dehumanized came through their 1996 "Terminal Punishment" demo tape (4/5) back in my mid-1990's tape trading heyday & it made a significant impact on me, receiving regular replays over the next couple of months. I was a huge fan of the New York BDM sound at the time & these five guys offered a very solid example of it without ever really pushing the leaders of the scene like my very favourite metal band ever Suffocation. Dehumanized's debut full-length wouldn't land until my interest in metal was already tailing off during the late 90's so our paths wouldn't cross until a good decade later. The experience was similarly positive though & "Prophecies Foretold" & I have exchanged blows several times since then, appearing to enjoy each other's company quite a bit. When I first heard the record in full though, there was something a little fishy about it. You see, halfway through the tracklisting I started to get a strong feeling of deja vu & there's a good reason for that because the final four tracks are essentially an untouched version of the "Terminal Punishment" demo I'd enjoyed so much as a kid. The first five songs sound vastly different to the demo though which gives "Prophecies Foretold" a bit of a split personality. Both personalities are certainly worth knowing but I hold a slight favour for the demo material.
The new material that kicks off the album sees Dehumanized taking on a sound that splits the brutal & conventional death metal styles, never quite deciding on where it wants to reside. There's just as much Disincarnate & (dare I say it) Neuropath in their sound as there is their New York counterparts with a stronger melodic component & a little more nuance & tempo restraint being shown. The demo material is pure New York BDM though with those signature palm-muted slam riffs in strong effect throughout. The vocals are more gutteral & the tempos whiplash between slow & chuggy, hardcore-inspired Dying Fetus style slams & light-speed blasting. It doesn't appear as if drummer George Torres was using triggers as the kick drums sound fairly messy due to the disparities in their sound. Surprisingly, Torres is the only member of Dehumanized that I recognize from other projects, having contributed to slam death metallers 420 & Artery Eruption as well as BDM legends Skinless over the years. Frontman Jerry Barco's vocals differ quite a bit between the two releases too, being more gutteral on the early material with the brand-new songs all sporting a brighter production job.
Regardless of the split personality, I still really dig "Prophecies Foretold". It champions everything I enjoy about death metal & arguably does it better than they managed to do on either of their subsequent albums. Don't let the terrible cover art fool you. There are easily enough chunky riffs & spasmodic blast beats to satisfy your average brutal death metal nut included here.
For fans of Internal Bleeding, Pyrexia & Mortal Decay.
4/5
Taramis - "Stretch of the Imagination" (1991)
Melbourne’s Taramis are often spoken of as one of the first Australian groups to experiment with progressive & technical metal elements & I don’t have any reason to dispute that, although I’m not sure they were doing it quite as early as people sometimes make out to be the case. They started life in 1983 under the Prowler moniker, playing mainly covers & eventually releasing a demo tape called “Blood & Honour” in 1985 which I checked out for the first time only a couple of years ago, finding it to showcase a fairly traditional heavy metal sound that wasn’t exactly the “Progressive Heavy/Power/Thrash Metal” that Metal Archives would have you believe. The “Blood & Honour” cassette wasn’t too bad though & I ended up quite enjoying it as the talent the band members possessed was already evident even at that early stage in their evolution. The name change to Taramis was inspired by a character from Robert E. Howard’s "Conan the Barbarian" stories & would align with Prowler’s shift of focus towards original material in 1985. It also saw the group starting to attempt more complex, technical & progressive song structures with front man Shane "Joel" Southby’s soaring higher register vocals seeing them morphing into more of a power metal act in my opinion. Taramis’ first live show would take place on New Year’s Eve of that year & they’d quickly become a staple of Melbourne’s metal scene, largely off the back of their strong relationship with the notorious Metal For Melbourne festivals.
Taramis would release their debut album “Queen of Thieves” through the Metal For Melbourne label in 1987 & is another release that I only got around to checking out in more recent years. It’s here that you’ll see the band becoming more ambitious with their compositions & heading in more of a progressive power metal direction with the lyrical content trending towards more epic, fantasy-based themes. I quite like “Queen of Thieves” which would go on to be internationally licensed by legendary American metal label Metal Blade Records & made Taramis arguably the first Aussie metal band to secure international distribution. They’d record an untitled demo tape in 1988 which I enjoy too. In fact, I’m gonna suggest that it’s probably my favourite Taramis release these days but things went a little quiet for a few years after that release.
Now that we’ve got the historical stuff out of the way, we’re brought up to the time when I first became aware of Taramis as a 15 or 16 year old Sydneysider in the early 1990’s. My first exposure to the Victorians came through the opening track “Dreaming” from their (at the time) brand-new sophomore album “Stretch of the Imagination” which I heard played on a late-night underground metal radio program & recorded to cassette for further investigation over the week that followed. “Dreaming” would receive regular replays over the next month or so & led to me picking up a dubbed copy of “Stretch of the Imagination” shortly afterwards. I gave the album a few listens & quite liked what I heard for the most part but I’d soon place my cassette towards the back of my collection in search of increasingly more extreme music, only returning to it on Spotify this week in order to develop a firm opinion on a release that owns a fairly significant position in the early Australian metal landscape.
Taramis had undergone some significant lineup changes between their two full-length albums. Original guitarist Craig Robertson & bassist Danny Komorr had departed & been replaced by former (& future) Nothing Sacred axeman George Larin & talented bassist Evan Harris who would later go on to join well-known Melbourne power metal act Black Majesty in the mid 2010’s. These acquisitions saw Taramis’ ever-growing technical aspirations taking on a much more pronounced form with Larin also bringing with him a noticeably more aggressive & thrashier edge to the riffs & making “Stretch of the Imagination” comfortably Taramis’ most intense & complex work. Producer Doug Sanders (who had previously worked with the likes of Tyrus, Hobbs Angel of Death, Light Force, Persecution & Mass Confusion) does a reasonable job at bringing it all together too, although the guitars due sound a bit thin & tinny & the drums are very clicky indeed so it sounds very much of its time. Harris' contribution stands out as being particularly accomplished & those that enjoy a more pronounced bass guitar component in their metal will no doubt get some kicks out of his almost virtuosic performance here.
The sound of “Stretch of the Imagination” sits somewhere between progressive metal & technical thrash metal with the former being the more pronounced of the two. Both approaches are highly enjoyable & well executed from an instrumental perspective but, as with “Queen of Thieves”, it’s frontman Southby’s vocal performance that comes under the most scrutiny & will ultimately determine whether this record is for you or not. You see, while Southby’s highly theatrical & (at times) wincingly high-pitched delivery sometimes manages to hit the mark in terms of creating epic power metal atmospheres, just as often we see him failing to fully hit his notes & contorting my face into something akin to a cringe. The instrumentation is unanimously expansive & classy though which manages to save Taramis’ second full-length from being a creative failure. To highlight the flaws in more detail, the tracklisting on “Stretch of the Imagination” is noticeably inconsistent. The stronger material (see opener & album highlight “Dreaming”, the full-throttle thrash metal of “Behind These Eyes” & short closer “Delayed Reaction”) is very solid indeed & generally coincides with Southby’s more successful efforts. Similarly, half of the songs fail to capture me in the same way as I simply can’t accept Southby’s patchy attempt at Messiah Marcolin meets Bruce Dickinson air-raid operatics on songs like “Maze of Glory”, “Another Tomorrow”, power ballad “Lonely Star” or the particularly dreary “Diceman”. Thankfully, the better material is just strong enough to overcome the less impressive inclusions, leaving me with a generally positive feeling coming out of the album. The inclusion of a classy progressive metal instrumental (i.e. the fairly decent "Jigaboo Boogie") certainly helps though as it gives the listener some welcome respite from Southby’s vocal assault.
Qualms aside, I’ve quite enjoyed this revisit. I’m not sure I can prescribe to the general consensus that “Stretch of the Imagination” is Taramis’ finest work any more though. I think I simply find Southby’s delivery to be a better fit for the progressive power metal sound of “Queen of Thieves” & the 1988 demo these days so I favour those ever so slightly over this one, despite the fact that the more technical & thrashy sound would usually be something that should appeal to me more on paper. I don’t think I feel strongly enough about any of Taramis’ releases to see me returning to them in the future though if I’m being completely honest.
For fans of Sieges Even, Realm & Watchtower.
3.5/5
Global Communication - "76:14" (1994)
The lone full-length from this outstanding Somerset electronic duo of Tom Middleton & Mark Pritchard was pretty much life-changing for me back in the 2000's & was very much a mainstay of my clubbing years, representing the perfect backdrop for a lazy Sunday comedown session. The album title "76:14" is simply the length of the record with each of the ten pieces each possessing a similarly time-based song name. The material included is a mixture of deep, lush & spacey ambient, engaging, trance-inducing progressive electronic, smooth downtempo & even a bit of four-to-the-floor ambient techno. It's the ambient pieces that represent my sweet spot with this record though, being some of the most effective & enduring examples of the genre I've ever heard which is really saying something given my long-standing passion for the genre. I regard "76:14" as an undeniable chillout classic & an essential release for electronic music fans in general.
For fans of Aphex twin, Biosphere & The Future Sound of London.
4.5/5
LTJ Bukem - "Hardcore Volume 11" (1993)
This unauthorized DJ mix cassette has gone on to become pretty legendary in the drum & bass scene over the years & it's aged beautifully too. Bukem is arguably the most important player in that scene overall & his ability to take a fairly chaotic genre & give it depth & credibility is worthy of high praise. You can expect to hear roughly an hour & a half of blemish-free, really well mixed (for the time) jungle, breakcore & atmospheric drum & bass, always maintaining a degree of substance & maturity.
For fans of PFM, Wax Doctor & Intense.
4/5
Monolord - "Vaenir" (2015)
"Vaenir" is this Gothenburg doom trio's 2015 sophomore full-length, following relatively hot on the heels of the debut, "Empress Rising" from the previous year. They play lengthy distorted doom metal dirges with towering chords, sloth-like pacing and a 'washed-out' vocal style that feels like it is coming to you across huge cosmic distances. Despite the thunderously robust foundation laid down by bassist Mika Häkki and drummer Esben Willems and the undoubted weight of the riffs, the vocals impart a certain ephemeral quality to the atmosphere and act as a spiritual counterpoint to the immensity of the bottom end.
Monolord have a distinct blueprint for how they want to sound and pretty much stick to it throughout. There is very little variation in pacing within tracks, no sudden changes of gear to spice things up, these Swedes being pretty much fundamentalists when it comes to doom metal. If you are impatient for variety and innovation in your listening diet then chances are that Monolord will hold very little appeal for you and you may be better served moving on elsewhere. More recently I feel they evolved a slightly more lightweight sound with hints of psychedelia thrown in, but back in the heady days of 2015 they were all-in on the crushing repetitiousness of 'true' doom metal and were unrelenting in its delivery.
And that, not wishing to sound in any way dismissive, is pretty much everything there is to know about "Vaenir". How you feel about that depends on what you want from your metal. Me, I am more than happy with an album of heavy and uncomplicated doom metal done well and with an unpretentiousness that speaks to a band fully committed to shaking the cosmic walls.
86/100
Sixteen Horsepower - "Live March 2001" (2008)
I believe that I've found my new favourite Sixteen Horsepower release here with this excellent double album compiling pristine (if noticeably heavier) versions of all of the best material from the Los Angeles gothic country leader's first three albums which are generally regarded as their classic era. Iconic front man David Eugene Edwards' performance is nothing short of phenomenal & the band are in fine form too so "Live March 2001" makes for an irresistible outing for followers of this niche subgenre.
For fans of Wovenhand, Slim Cessna's Auto Club & Munly & The Lee Lewis Harlots.
4/5
Khemmis - "Absolution" (2015)
I have been a casual fan of Khemmis since first coming across their sophomore "Hunted" back in 2016 shortly after its release. Consequently I checked out the debut and, at that time, I wasn't particularly knocked-out by it I must admit. So, a decade later and with a new album on the shelves, I figured time was ripe for a revisit.
Firstly it must be mentioned that this is much more doom metal oriented than their later material, with Pallbearer most often being justifiably cited as a touchstone. "Absolution" maintains a significant percentage of traditional heavy metal in its doom metal DNA, pushing it into epic doom metal territiory. The production and guitar sound is very much in the doom metal milieu however, with a deep and resonant fuzziness that is typical of traditional doom metal and with a certain bluesy feeling to the riffs. The guitar solos sound cleaner and clearer than the riffs and are enthusiastically deployed with an exuberant relish that hints that this is where the guitarists Ben Hutcherson and Phil Pendergast really get their kicks, giving off a Brian Robertson / Scott Gorham, Thin Lizzy vibe. The two also share vocal duties and this is probably the album's weakest point as they alternate between reasonable cleans and frankly unconvincing deathly growling bellows. The rhythm section of bassist Daniel Beiers and drummer Zach Coleman are solid enough, although they seem to be playing well within themselves and keeping it pretty simple.
I must admit that I found myself enjoying this better this time around than I did back then, although I still have reservations. Sometimes the soloing sounds divorced from the meat of the track itself and too often feels shoehorned in whilst I feel the clean vocals are strong enough to carry the material without resorting to the unnecessary and unconvincing death growls. The riffs are generally pretty cool though and when the guitarists do hit a sweet spot between riffs and solos, such as on "Burden of Sin" it is pretty engaging stuff. They saved the best until last and close the album out with the longest and best track, "The Bereaved", which is where the previously mentioned Pallbearer comparison is most apparent. Ukltimately this is a solid but flawed debut, but the band would get better next time around.
78/100
Finally, here it is:
Warning - "Rituals of Shame" (2026)
I have never made any secret of the fact that Warning's masterpiece, "Watching From A Distance" is my all-time favourite album, so I can probably be forgiven for going into "Rituals of Shame" with inflated expectations, although I must add that those expectations were tempered by equal parts trepidation that the band may drop the ball and turn in an album that sees them just going through the motions like so many acts returning after a long period away and so sullying their legacy. So now I have the beautiful oxblood red vinyl platter on my turntable the obvious first question must be, "do I think it is as good as WFAD?" Well, the answer to that is not so simple because it is impossible to compare an album that has been so meaningful to me for two decades with one that has been out mere days. So am I at all disappointed with this third Warning full-length then? Absolutely not and while it hasn't initially hit me on as deeply an emotional and personal level as its predecessor this is still an amazing piece of doom metal melancholy. Patrick Walker just 'gets' doom metal in a way that few others are able to. It isn't just about leaden pacing and towering riffs, Walker doesn't merely write songs that are sad and sorrowful, but also dig deeply into his emotional vulnerability, laying bare his soul in a way which will either resonate with the listener or it won't. If it does then a connection with the material is possible that transcends mere grooves on a plastic disc and if it doesn't it may be dismissed as overly sentimental.
The most striking thing about "Rituals of Shame" is that it doesn't at all feel like an album released two decades after its illustrious predecessor by a band that had been on hiatus for most of the intervening years whilst Patrick Walker concentrated on his 40 Watt Sun project. There is such a remarkable consistency of material between the two albums that you would be forgiven for thinking that it had been recorded in 2010 and only just seen the light of day. In fact the debut "Strength To Dream" is further removed artistically from "Watching From A Distance" than "Rituals of Shame" is, despite there only being a third as much time between the two. The really great thing, though, is that the latest isn't merely a lazy rehash of the former. Despite the similarities, "Rituals of Shame" isn't merely WFAD part two, it has its own character and feeling. Inevitably such a monumental album will cast a long shadow over its younger sibling, but I am convinced that in time it will emerge from that shadow and stand tall in its own right.
WFAD had an indefinably wistful quality despite the huge, doom-laden chords and foundational stolidity of the rhythm section, whereas RoS feels a little less ethereally affecting. This is partly down to the heavier-handed production and increased compression, but it is also due to the inclusion of second guitarist Wayne Taylor who has played live shows with the band since 2016, appearing on the 2021 Roadburn Live album, whose second guitar adds depth and rounds out the sound, making it feel more down-to-earth. Of course, the absolute core of Warning is Patrick Walker's vocal performances and this is where "Rituals of Shame" may even outdo its predecessor because, as I alluded to when reviewing the "WFAD Live at Roadburn" album, Patrick's voice seems to have got even better with time. His vocals sound more varied and expressive now in middle-age than they did as a young twenty-something and his ability to wring genuine emotion from the receptive listener with a mere twist of his voice is undiminished.
I have to say that I am more than happy with this new offering and it has rarely been off my turntable since it arrived. Whilst it is consistent with its predecessor it is undeniably an evolution rather than a rehash and in time I think it may take on a life of its own maybe being a new generation of doomheads' introduction to the band and becoming as significant to them as WFAD has been to me. So whilst "Rituals of Shame" has not deposed "Watching From A Distance" at the pinnacle of my top albums of all-time list, it has certainly pushed a large number of worthy contenders down another slot and has livened up a year that wasn't appearing too great on the doom metal front prior to its release.
96/100
Wojciech Kilar - "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992)
I purchased this film score shortly after the cinematic release, having very quickly fallen in love with the gothic romanticism of the movie's atmosphere. Ukrainian composer Kilar does a marvelous job at building tension & highlighting the nuances of the plot, creating an intimidating backdrop that played a big part in the success of the film as an unapologetically gothic piece of art. If my CD was vinyl it would have been worn out decades ago as I still return to this release quite often to bask in the glory of its dark majesty. I could probably do without the Annie Lennox pop song that closes out the tracklisting though.
For fans of Danny Elfman ("Sleepy Hollow"/"The Wolfman"), Trevor Jones ("From Hell") & Elliot Goldenthal ("Interview with the Vampire").
4.5/5
With you on this one. Although I don’t play this nearly enough (which is good because mine is the vinyl copy). Annie Lennox has no place here on such an otherwise dark and mysterious release.
Jimi Hendrix - ":blues" compilation (1994)
I bought this compilation record on cheap pirated cassette in Bali in my youth & have returned to it semi-regularly over the years as it's one of my favourite blues releases of all time. Jimi was quite simply a master of the blues with his improvised shredding representing some of the most visceral & natural lead guitar work I've ever heard in my life. The :blues" compilation draws together a bunch of random recordings, many of which were never intended for proper release, but the sum of which provides further proof of the mastery of this guitar icon. There are a couple of duds included with the acoustic version of "Hear My Train Comin" & "Mannish Boy" both falling flat & being a bit of a mess. The remainder of the tracklisting is excellent though & I regard "Born Under A Bad Sign", "Once I Had A Woman", "Electric Church Red House" & the electric version of "Hear My Train Comin" as being genuine electric blues rock classics & some of Jimi's finest work. ":blues" should be essential listening for Jimi fans like me. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that it's my second favourite Hendrix release behind "Electric Ladyland" these days, just pipping out "Are You Experienced" for the runner-up position.
For fans of Robin Trower, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
4/5
Khanate - "Khanate" (2001)
Stephen O'Malley is a name that is written large over the history of drone metal. Making a name for himself with legendary extreme doom outfit, Burning Witch and short-lived death doom project Thorr's Hammer, he also formed Sunn O))) alongside long-time collaborator Greg Anderson. Khanate was formed in 2000 after O'Malley met avant-garde musician and member of O.L.D. James Plotkin at an Isis gig. Plotkin recruited O.L.D. bandmate Alan Dubin to perform vocals for the new project with the four-piece being completed by drummer Tim Wyskida.
Well, when you dive down this rabbit hole, you'd better not be expecting Wonderland because here be monsters. From the off Khanate set out their stall to be a genuinely disturbing listen, taking the blueprint of Burning Witch's psychotic doom metal and stretching it further with increased repetition, glacially slow tempos, seismic rumblings and squeals of feedback that act as the backdrop to the outpourings of Durbin's troubled and troubling vocal protagonist whose screeching screams worm their way into your brain and sit there eating away at your sanity. Instrumentally quiet and gentle sections where his vocals are mere creepy-sounding whispers, are akin to the murmured secret exhortations to violence I imagine schizophrenic killers hear from the imaginary voices in their heads. A couple of lines from "No Joy", for example, read "No joy precious joy no joy, Eat that smile right off a face, your face, No joy only only eat stuff that grin down, down your neck no more eat no more, Breathe breathe don’t breathe please don’t breathe". I mean, what the fuck? This truly is a trip to the dark side of the human psyche and a disconcerting listen that leaves you with the impression that you have been witness to the outpourings of a genuinely troubled mind, like the innumerable notebooks that Mills and Somerset find in the room of the psycho in Se7en. Sure, Khanate aren't the only band that deal in disturbing lyrical imagery, but here there is no release with a catchy riff or a shredding guitar solo, all there is is the grindingly slow, dissonant throb of bleak inevitability unrelieved by any kind of positivity or hope.
I hate real world violence and horror, but there is a deeply primal and subliminal part of the human mind that is attracted to darkness in art, hence the enduring popularity of horror movies and true crime series. Obviously, drone metal is very much a niche sub-genre in the wider metal world, certainly when it is as disquieting as Khanate, so it obviously isn't for everyone, especially the impatient listener, but if you have a penchant for the darker and more uncomfortable reaches of extreme metal then Khanate are absolutely a required listen.
4.5/5
Cocteau Twins - "Tiny Dynamine/Echoes in a Shallow Bay" compilation (1985)
This release combines the two four-song E.P.'s that were released in November 1985. Both are very solid efforts too with not a weak track to be found. "Tiny Dynamine" is the better of the two, mainly off the back of the wonderful highlight track "Plain Tiger". You can't really go wrong with Cocteau Twins though. Their back catalogue is unanimously classy & the dreamy ethereal wave sound of this period was lush & otherworldly with Elizabeth Fraser's angelic vocals soaring over the top.
For fans of This Mortal Coil, Lush & Slowdive.
4/5
Mortal Sin - "Every Dog Has It's Day" (1991)
Sydney thrash metallers Mortal Sin hold a very strong place in my heart, despite never really quite living up to their reputation in my opinion. You see, they were the first local extreme metal band to cross my path when I first became obsessed with the scene in the late 1980's & they gave me the belief that I should try my hand at creating a band of my own. My attention was initially grabbed by their highly regarded "Mayhemic Destruction" debut album which led to me moving onto their 1989 sophomore record "Face of Despair". If I'm being completely honest though, neither of those full-lengths has ever left me convinced that Mortal Sin are worthy of being placed in the top tier of the global thrash heavyweights. In fact, I can't say that I'd even lump them in with the second tier either. To my ears, they're both serviceable & mildly entertaining but rarely get my blood pumping & it's for that reason that I've awarded both a middling 3.5-star rating here at the Academy. Their live shows where another story though & I had an absolute ball in many a Mortal Sin mosh pit over the years. However, I digress because the point I was trying to make is that Mortal Sin were well & truly on my radar when their third full-length "Every Dog Has It's Day" hit the shelves in 1991 which even led to me purchasing the "Every Dog Has It's Day" cassingle in the leadup to the album release. Now prepare yourselves for a hot take because you're about the receive one.
The story behind "Every Dog Has It's Day" (otherwise known as "Rebellious Youth" if you've picked up the Virgin Records release) is that a fair amount of internal turmoil occurred within Mortal Sin's ranks following the release of "Face of Despair" which eventually resulted in the band breaking up altogether. Bassist Andy Eftichiou wasn't satisfied to simply let old dogs lie though, going behind the backs of the other band members to create a completely new version of Mortal Sin. Once the other band members found out about it, they took legal action & it got really messy. The new lineup didn't hang around too long but it did last long enough to record this third full-length which would be the first to be released while I was keeping tabs on the band. Sadly, the majority of the global metal scene gave "Every Dog Has It's Day" a pretty harsh panning at the time & that hasn't improved since but I have to admit that I don't remember the album that way at all & I've recently wondered whether that's due to nostalgia or whether Mortal Sin's diehard fanbase had simply not given the record a chance. This week I decided to find out as it's been decades since I last heard the record in full.
The lineup that recorded "Every Dog Has It's Day" isn't exactly star-studded with a number of relatively unknown new members filling key rolls. In fact, guitarist Dave DeFrancesco was the only one that had anything of significance on their resume, having appeared on the pretty decent "Into Reality" demo tape from local speed/heavy metal outfit Enticer a couple of years earlier. The band perform their roles admirably nonetheless & show themselves to have some pretty reasonable chops in the process. The major talking point though is generally the vocal ability of new front man Steve Sly whose delivery is noticeably more melodic & clean than the James Hetfield-ish voice of Mat Maurer on the two 1980's records. A lot of people claim that Sly ruins "Every Dog Has It's Day" but I simply can't prescribe to that line of thinking as he can certainly sing & delivers a performance that isn't all that uncommon for thrash metal in my opinion. Sure, you may prefer Maurer over Sly but, if you treat the album on its own merits, I think you'll find that there's not anything technically wrong with Sly's voice. The other main talking point is the theory that the new version of Mortal Sin had watered down the intensity of the 1980's lineup with a more accessible & commercialized sound. Once again though, I never really thought of Mortal Sin as being anything all that extreme & the material we receive here is some more than serviceable mid-tempo thrash metal that wouldn't sound all that out of place on a Testament or Xentrix record from the time. The average tempos are a touch slower than previous efforts but so fucking what really. The misguided ballad "Wasted Days" is the exemption to the rule though & is the clear weak point of the album.
But is the songwriting as boring as it's made out to be then? Well, in a word "no", it's simply not. There are plenty of great riffs included with the rhythm section doing a great job at maximizing their weight. Perhaps the Studio 301/Powerhouse production isn't as warm & heavy as a record like "Mayhemic Destruction" but it's certainly not bad. I'm quite a fan of the lead guitar work which is more than capable & it works nicely to provide support for the hooks which, contrary to popular opinion, are memorable enough for me to remember most of this material several decades later. Opener "Inside Out" is a beauty & is my favourite cut on the record while being ably supported by "Side Effect" & single B-side "See No Evil". I honestly don't see the quality being all that different from that of "Mayhemic Destriction" or "Face of Despair" if I'm being perfectly honest & are even going to go so far as to say that I marginally prefer "Every Dog Has It's Day" to "Face of Despair" these days. So look, I'm not asking that you all take my word for it & immediately realign your opinions on this album to be in line with my own but I am going to suggest that you ignore the general perception that's voiced online when going into the record as you might be surprised by the outcome.
For fans of Metallica, Xentrix & Testament.
3.5/5
Hello :)
I'm Avantdarke. I dropped six albums at three weeks filled with all kinds of metal - please take a look
I have mapped out my releases in the attached roadmap guide, breaking down each album's role and the songs recommended to start with
Guide:
https://imgur.com/a/1f2ZqVU
Below are the direct links to the YouTube videos for the currently released projects featured on the chart:
Ragtime Black Metal, from Prometheus, Son of Hades
Album style: Progressive-extreme derivatives
Video:
https://youtu.be/5Hi_nFnsNaI?si=U-9F0GLSHC8y8_dk
Grandious Opening from The Darkest Most Extreme Heaviest Album of All Time
Style: extreme metal aiming to be heavy in a completely different way in each song.
Video: https://youtu.be/_8pFyUhHfYI?si=W8g2G0G4p3t27XyV
Revolution from Sellout
Style: Pre-genre alternative constructions blending my core style with elements of nu-metal, trip hop, etc.
Video: https://youtu.be/QfgF02Louhg?si=s8Q-Ni2uWx6-3AIq
Chaos Metal 1 from Chaos Metal / 2nd Wave Progressive Metal
Style: Flagship genre mixing Meshuggah-like rhythm structures with depressive black metal, plus other genres like Bossa Nova Metal.
Video: https://youtu.be/a5z_E8TCU14?si=r2CS2i1guSaG4wtT
Avantdarke Metal from Madorei Gehenom (The Seven Levels of Hell / My Inferno)
Style: Most unique and personal.
Video: https://youtu.be/0B3py9gTfjg?si=lPTdRt8yXxh0MS-6
Trip Hop Black Metal from Experiments Vol I
Style: Juxtapositions on extreme genres.
Video: https://youtu.be/1WWygaMOE2M?si=RyjeNbTp0fuSQJQP
Main YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com
/@opethead3038?si=NotikZMXrgBYSvKk
Dystopia - "Human = Garbage" compilation (1994)
While I've never been able to get into the 2018 self-titled comeback album from these legendary Oakland sludge metallers (3/5), I've always really dug a couple of their 1990's E.P.'s in 1994's "Human = Garbage" (4/5) & 1999's "The Aftermath" (4/5). After recently discovering & thoroughly enjoying the extended compilation release of Grief's "Dismal", I found myself in the mood to continue indulging in some oppressive American sludge metal so found myself reaching for this similarly laid out compilation release that draws together the previously-mentioned "Human = Garbage" E.P. with the Dystopia contributions to their 1993 split album with English crust punkers Embittered & their 1993 split single with Boston's Grief. All of that extra material was recorded in 1992 & you can easily see the development that's taken place between those tracks & the ones taken from 1994's "Human = Garbage" E.P. In fact, there's a noticeable gap between them if I'm being honest, even if I do find myself receiving mild enjoyment from the majority of the extra inclusions. Overall though, I think I'll be sticking to the traditional "Human = Garbage" E.P. in future as the extra material included on this compilation only detracts from the very solid quality of that release.
For fans of Grief, Sea of Deprivation & Skaven.
3.5/5
Grief/Dystopia - "Lifeless/Sleep" split single (1993)
This three-song split single is a beauty, although its appeal is strongly weighted towards the Grief material for me personally with opener "Lifeless" being a truly classic sludge metal anthem & "Fucked Upstairs" also being very solid. The Dystopia track "Sleep" isn't too bad either but they would definitely produce much better in the future. I can see myself reaching for this release from time to time.
For fans of Eyehategod, Noothgrush & Iron Monkey.
4/5
Satanic Warmaster - "Exultation of Cruelty" (2024)
Finland's Satanic Warmaster is a solo black metal project of Lauri Penttilä, aka Werwolf, who is ex-vocalist of Horna (as Nazgul) and the current lead vocalist with Vargrav, amongst a million other projects. I haven't heard all of SW's releases, but what I have heard has a fair bit of disparity in quality, particularly due to quite a wide variation in production. "Exultation of Cruelty" isn't too bad as far as the production goes, but it certainly isn't the crispest, clearest black metal you will ever hear, exhibiting some degree of muddiness that does blunt the sound a little. The reverb is also set very high and impacts the clarity further.
Music-wise the playbook for most of the tracks sees them lurching from mid-paced, kind-of-melodic black metal riffing to more savage sounding blasting, these switches in pacing providing a dynamic impetus to the tracks that gives the impression of song progression even though there is a fair bit of repetition in the riffing. Occasionally the repetition just reaches the point of outstaying its welcome when, thankfully, Werwolf inserts one of these dynamic shifts and in so doing hits the refresh button before things become tedious. The tracks are actually quite lengthy for this conventional style of black metal, most hitting the 7-9 minute mark, timings more usual in the atmospheric black metal world, so he actually does a pretty good job of preventing staleness from setting in.
The playing is fairly precise, exhibiting none of the sloppiness that poor production values and excessive reverb sometimes attempts to cover up and it is evident that Werwolf is a guy immersed in the black metal scene who just "gets" what it is about and how to deliver it in an authentic and uncomplicated manner. There are no surprises here, but rather a well-conceived and executed album of fairly straightforward black metal. If you are looking for a challenge in your black metal listening then you would be best served looking elsewhere, but if you just love the old-school black metal ethos and aesthetic then get ready for an hour of leather and spikes, unholy blasphemy and spitting in the eye of "the Man".
4/5