Daniel's Forum Threads
Gun - "Gun" (1969)
It's my first time checking out the debut album from this London psychedelic rock outfit but it seems to be quite highly regarded these days. I've quite enjoyed it but can't see it as being any sort of underground classic. There are a couple of flatter tracks positioned early in the tracklisting (see "The Sad Saga of the Boy & the Bee" & "Rupert's Travels") which don't set a great platform but things pick up after that with the epic eleven-minute psych closer being a great way to finish & the highlight of the album. The catchy "Yellow Cab Man" is also excellent. This is worth a listen if you're into the early psych sound.
For fans of Blue Cheer, The Litter & Ultimate Spinach.
3.5/5
Nile - "Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka" (1998)
A very solid debut album from this South Carolina trio & one that shows a strong understanding of the death metal genre & what makes it so great. I really love the dark production job which further enhances the high-quality performances to make this a bit of a beast of a record. The middle eastern themes are perhaps not as prevalent as they would become in the future but that's never been the attraction to Nile for me personally. I just love the sheer relentlessness of this band & that's showcased beautifully here. Nile certainly have better records (see the classic "Annihilation of the Wicked", the excellent "Those Whom the Gods Detest" or the rock-solid "In Their Darkened Shrines" for example) but that shouldn't detract from death metal fans enjoying Nile's first-up effort as it still contains everything that makes these Americans a household name in extreme metal circles. In fact, I reckon I might even take this one over its 2000 follow-up "Black Seeds of Vengeance" these days, if by a fairly miniscule margin. Just listen to those over-the-top guitar solos which hark back to early Deicide. That's what death metal is all about guys.
For fans of Hate Eternal, Suffocation & Dying Fetus.
4/5
Limp Bizkit - "Significant Other" (1999)
Another pretty decent Limp Bizkit album that tends to be overly maligned due to people's hatred for Fred Durst's hobbo-isms. The band are really very capable & have a great understanding of dynamics & how to get a crowd jumping with the hip hop component being particularly strong throughout. This is a slightly stronger & more consistent record than the more popular 2000 follow-up album "Chocolate Starfish & the Hot Dog Flavored Water" in my opinion & I've actually quite enjoyed it if I'm being completely honest.
For fans of Papa Roach, Korn & 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 - "Life is Peachy" (1996)
07. Korn - "Follow the Leader" (1998)
08. Limp Bizkit - "Significant Other" (1999)
09. Sevendust - "Animosity" (2001)
10. Korn - "Issues" (1999)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/313
Massive Attack v Mad Professor - "No Protection" (1995)
Stoners should look no further than this wonderful remix album that contains eight stripped-back takes on tracks taken from Bristol trip hop kings Massive Attack's brilliant 1994 sophomore album "Protection". Guyana dub legend Mad Professor does a wonderful job at keeping the original depth of the pieces & taking them into even more cerebral directions. I can't tell you how many times my best mate & I numbed ourselves to this record during my 2000's club days. Massive Attack are one of my absolute favourite artists & this is one of the truest examples of an underrated gem you'll find.
For fans of Thievery Corporation, Hooverphonic & DJ Shadow.
4.5/5
Armoured Angel - "Mysterium" E.P. (1994)
I was well into this Canberra trio as a young chap & they would play a serious role in inspiring me to become a musician myself. Although they may not be all that well known outside of Australia, Armoured Angel are probably the most widely respected death metal act ever to come from these shores & this release comes from their peak period, a time when I would experience them in a live environment on numerous occasions. Armoured Angel's 1985 demo tape "Banished in Blood" was a pretty lacklustre affair but it was their two late 80's thrash metal demos "Wings of Death" & "Communion" that initially gained my attention, if not leaving me totally convinced. Once they sold their souls to the burgeoning death metal sound with 1992's "Stigmartyr" E.P. then there was no going back though & "Mysterium" sees the band continuing down that route, be it with their usual thrashy edge. Listening back now, I have to say that "Mysterium" doesn't hit as hard as the career-defining "Stigmartyr" did. The two highlight tracks ("Myth of Creation" & "Enigmatize") are both excellent but the other material doesn't live up to that promise, particularly the two combined pieces that close the release in "Pray for Me/Elegy" which don't do much for me. Still... there's enough quality to keep me interested & see me donning my old "Mysterium" t-shirt with pride although I do think I'd probably take the "Communion" demo over this CD these days if I'm being honest which isn't how I felt back in the day. The "Stigmartyr" E.P. is where you should direct your attention if you're looking to experience some premium Aussie death metal though.
For fans of Ares Kingdom, House of Atreus & Mi'gauss.
3.5/5
Discharge - "Fight Back" E.P. (1980)
A short six & a half minute shot of adrenaline containing five high-octane tracks that whip past you in no time at all. The Motorhead influence is obvious throughout & this is all enjoyable stuff, even for someone like myself who doesn't class themselves as a big punk fan. It's interesting that the two songs on the B side are comfortably the best material so I feel that Discharge would have been better served with an alternate arrangement of the tracklisting. Still... this is a decent way to fill a very small gap in your day. I just can't see myself thinking to return to it any time soon.
For fans of Poison Idea, Negative Approach & Anti-Cimex.
3.5/5
Alcest - "Les chants de l'aurore" (2024)
So, I've spent a bit of time with the French post-blackgaze stalwarts' seventh full-length now & have developed the feeling that it's not a bad record, if not one that I'm likely to reach for when I feel the urge for some Alcest. The tracklisting is without blemish but the overall atmosphere is extremely whispy & melodic (even for them) with the shoegaze influence being far more prevalent than the post-rock on this occasion. The black metal shrieks aren't used as regularly as they have been in the past either but the instrumentation has plenty of black metal about it. Overall, I'm gonna suggest that "Les chants de l'aurore" is probably Alcest's least impressive album since 2014's "Shelter" but it's still worth a few listens, even if (much like the Frenchmen's previous record "Spiritual Instinct") I can't say that this is an essential release for those looking for the elite-level blackgaze.
For fans of Amesoeurs, Lantlôs & Deafheaven.
3.5/5
Jesu - "Jesu" (2004)
This week's revisit to this old favourite has finally seen me understanding what it is that people call "doomgaze". Forget how many websites tag this record. There's bugger-all drone metal or straight-up post-metal here. It's a combination of industrial metal & doom metal with a clear shoegaze influence to some of the vocals & melodic components which leaves me opting for an industrial doomgaze tag. It's a fantastic metal release too, one of my all-time favourites in fact with the more industrial material sounding very much like classic Godflesh & the doomier & more emotional inclusions being nothing short of incredible. This is some of Justin Broadrick (Fall of Because/Godflesh/Napalm Death) & drummer Ted Parsons' (Godflesh/Killing Joke/Prong/Swans) finest work.
For fans of Nadja, Godflesh & Isis.
4.5/5
Vio-Lence - Eternal Nightmare
Genres: Thrash Metal
After hearing the band's two early demos, I still didn't have much of an inkling as to their true abilities because the recording quality, demo or not, was terrible for the first demo and slightly better for the second. With this one, they got a real producer to handle the sound quality, which maximizes everything they're capable of. Thing is, while these guys are still stylistically generic, not really standing out with a style of their own, theycan sure jam like fuck and play at Star Trek levels of warp speed. Much of the frontal work is done by later Machine Head guitarist Robb Flynn, who totally understand what thrash power and riffage needs to sound like. For the most part, the rest of the instrumentalists aren't really struggling to keep up with him at all. They match his power pretty easily, which is incredible considering that the single hiring of one different person would almost send this album toppling. Of course, that's as far as the instrumentation goes. Although this is a perfectly produced album with song great songwriting, I'm really not digging Sean Killian's vocals. Not only is he joining the chained-to-a-wall kink train of thinking shouting the same way through a whole album is somehow the coolest thing you can do, but it sounds like he's in the wrong genre. He sounds like he belongs in a power metal band or a Queensryche knockoff, like he's adjusting his voice for thrash to hide this and failing. As well, with half these songs sharing very similar tempos and practically all of them bearing the same vibe, they don't really push any boundaries beyond raw instrumentality. As well, some of the songs drag on much longer than they likely need to, largely because the album's mostly an exercize in showing off both instrumental and production techniques rather than an example of depth. So I think it's right that I give this a good rating for some incredible strengths, but from a broader perspective, it's not the most enlightening... just addictingly thrashy.
83
Rotting Christ - "Non serviam" (1994)
The highly regarded sophomore album from these Hellenic black metal kings also happens to be my favourite Rotting Christ release. I picked it up on CD at the time of release & have always seen it as a step up from their debut full-length "Thy Mighty Contract". It's a measured, consistent & highly focused release that sees the band keeping well within their limited technical abilities while championing a unique atmosphere built on repetitive mid-range tempos & palm-muted death metal riffs that are given a black metal feel by shrieking vocals & subtle synthesizer use, ending up somewhere between the melodic & conventional black metal subgenres. The use of melodic lead guitar themes definitely borrows from the early doom/death movement too & sees "Non serviam" sitting in the top couple of releases from the whole Hellenic black metal movement in my opinion. Highly recommended.
For fans of Varathron, Samael & Thou Art Lord.
4/5
Here's my updated Top Ten Melodic Black Metal Releases of All Time list:
01. Dissection – “Storm Of The Light’s Bane” (1995)
02. Mare Cognitum – “Solar Paroxysm” (2021)
03. Les Chat de Nihil – “Le tyran et l’esthete” (2021)
04. Rotting Christ – “Non Seriam” (1994)
05. Dawn - "Nær sólen gar niþer for evogher" (1994)
06. Dawn – “Slaughtersun (Crown Of The Triarchy)” (1998)
07. Iskald – “The Sun I Carried Alone” (2011)
08. Naglfar – “Teras” (2012)
09. Abigail Williams - "In The Absence Of Light" (2010)
10. Dissection - "The Somberlain" (1993)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/164
Art Pepper - The Trip
Genres: Post-Bop
It appears that Art pepper isn't very popular on Jazz Music Archives. That feels a little awkward since I've seen some darn good praise for his works on other websites. This album in particular, The Trip, is part of what looks to be a comeback period after a ten-year hiatus from 1963 - 1973. But I've heard quite a few Art Pepper albums before this one, and I have to say, I'm not terribly impressed. Out of the seven I've heard, this is the second worst.
And why? Now the moods are alright, nothing that hasn't been done before but nothing that doesn't at least get to the back of your neck. But the real issue is that only half of the six tracks have any engaging melodies or sax solos, so it's only really enjoyable half the time. Three tracks are pretty boring, two are only pretty good, and the only track worth bobbing your head to is Sweet Love of Mine due to its slight Latin flair. So suffice it to say, even though some people seem to love this one, I really can't see myself going back to this anytime soon. It's got some finely-tuned aspects, but the melodies can get quite dull.
67
New Hooded Menace due 03rd October. Two tracks up for streaming are okay. Heavy PL vibe of course but digging the 90's death metal album cover more than the tracks if I am honest.
Jordan de la Sierra - "Gymnosphere: Song of the Rose - Music for the Well-Tuned Piano" (1977)
The first of two releases from this Californian new age producer, this one being a 103-minute double-album comprised of four lengthy yet stunningly beautiful ambient piano pieces. I simply adore music that can put me into the most tranquil headspace imaginable & "Gymnosphere" achieves this consistently across it's run time, particularly through the two middle tracks which are really quite incredible. In fact, this may be my favourite new age release ever based on the evidence of this week's listening experiences.
For fans of Yutaka Hirose, G.S. Schray & Kevin Braheny Fortune.
4.5/5
Aldaaron - "Par-delà les cimes" (2025)
I have a project list in my office for sub-genres I need to conduct a deep dive on. Pagan black metal is one item listed there as I have very little, formal knowledge of the sub-genre. When I come to a release that is tagged as “pagan” on the Metal Academy site I instantly think of folk metal, then I quickly remember that is a different thing. At least I think it is? Anyway, I won’t let the study of the tag take over the whole review, but if pagan black metal has more of what Aldaaron offer on Par-delà les cimes then I will be taking that deep dive sooner rather than later. The title of the album translates as “how pagan black metal differs to folk metal”. No, wait that’s wrong. “Beyond the Peaks” is the correct translation and the album is dedicated to their fallen comrade Thöl who covered bass duties in the band 2010-2012. Sadly, he passed away in 2022.
The album caught me off guard in two aspects if I am honest. Firstly, its potent aggression is vivid and striking from the off. The harrowing scream that starts album opener ‘Antediluvian Prophecies’ is an early taste of the venom of Aldaaron have coursing through their veins. The second item that was unexpected is how atmospheric and expansive the sound is here. Beyond those earthy tones there are soaring tremolos and majestic melodies that loop up into the air around them. Although the release has a thirty-six-minute duration, there are only four tracks here and with a couple of them stretching over the ten-minute mark it is important that the main duo of Ioldar and Voldr create some enchantment to these tracks. Thankfully they achieve this in bundles.
The choral passages are unobtrusive and befitting to the aesthetic of the album. Spaced well apart from the blackened material that drive the tracks in the main, these more ethereal sections are a clever contrast option. The charging tremolo of tracks such as ‘Chants d’hiver et de solitude’ are a joy to behold. Add into this mix, the thoughtful production job that allows each instrument some space to be heard. The vocals are superb throughout, with their ghastly edge creating atmospheres all of their own. The way you can pick out the bass on the final track, ‘Under the Icy Sky, Memories Fade Away’ is pleasing on the ear and the soaring lead work only adds to the allure of the track. A superb discovery, if not a little too short overall.
4/5
Ad Nauseam - "Live at Roadburn" [Italian avant-garde/dissonant death metal]
Onslaught - Killing Peace (2007)
I am a big fan of Onslaught's first two albums. Let's face it they were one of the very few thrash metal bands of any real consequence that hailed from the UK, so a bit of local bias came into play to endear them to me, even though those two albums are really good anyway. However, I have never listened to any of their post-reformation albums. Well, the intervening years between the 1991 split and 2004 reformation had seen the thrash world fall under the thrall of the groove gods, with the shadow cast by the likes of Pantera and Machine Head proving to be almost all-encompassing. In the 21st century it feels like the thrash world split into two distinct camps, the bands who embraced extremity and incorporated more death or black metal into their sound (let's call these the good ones) and those who sold their souls to the groove gods (for argument's sake we will call these the bad ones) in the hunt for increased record sales. Listening to "Killing Peace" it is obvious that Onslaught took the latter path, despite their earlier stuff suggesting they would be more likely to embrace the former.
To be honest, after only a handful of tracks I had had enough of this, it's groove-oriented approach sounding far too much like a knock-off Machine Head for me to stomach it for long. I stuck it out until the end as I was out dog-walking and it was easier to keep listening than change it. However, come album's end I had the horrible empty feeling in the stomach that I get when I realise a band I once really dug has sold out and is nothing more than a trend-following shell of its former glory. In fairness only two of the guys who recorded "Power From Hell" were present on "Killing Peace", drummer Steve Grice and lead guitarist Nige Rockett who had even relegated himself to rhythm guitar in the new band, but even so, the latter album sounds like it was conceived and recorded by a completely different band, possibly one from a different dimension such is the lack of connection I make to it. For me, this is akin to the chasm in quality between St Anger and Master of Puppets.
On the plus side the production is super clean, as you would expect from an album recorded this century and there are a couple of quite gnarly solos, with opener "Burn" being a case in point. Steve Grice's drumming is very good too and is one of the only reasons to listen to this more than once, which I am doing right now, so dedicated am I to delivering a considered opinion! The lead vocals are pretty horrible though ("Destroyer of Worlds" is just painful), the gang backing vocals are even worse and those bouncy, groove-oriented riffs are anathema to all I hold dear. Add in yet another overused "I am become death" Oppenheimer sample and I have just about had it with this.
I originally had this pegged as a 2.5, but further listening has hardened my opinion agaginst it and I can't bring myself to go higher than a 2.0. I will definitely stick with Onslaught's 80s stuff and file their reform albums in the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet in the shed at the bottomof the garden marked "Do Not Listen - Ever".
Ambush - "Evil in All Dimensions" [Swedish heavy metal]
Get your denim and leather jackets ready for AMBUSH and their Napalm Records debut Evil in All Dimensions, out September 5, 2025! Bursting with relentless energy, this monster captures the classic essence of heavy metal - championing the genre’s roots while setting a new benchmark for modern heavy music. Formed in 2013, AMBUSH quickly became a staple of the Swedish metal scene, delivering classic heavy metal vibes with a modern twist. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Judas Priest, Accept, and Iron Maiden, AMBUSH’s unique blend of traditional metal and fierce energy has earned them a dedicated fanbase around the globe. From fingernail-shattering riffs to screaming-solos and emotional lyrics, the Swedes emerged from the underground scene landing performances at Europe's most prestigious old school metal festivals like Muskelrock, and touring as a fan-favorite next to heroes like ENFORCER and COBRA SPELL.
Marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter in their relentless quest for speed, AMBUSH are ready to rise to even greater heights with Evil in All Dimensions, and its explosive collection of high octane, riff driven anthems. The title track and opener perfectly delivers classic 80s heavy metal hooks with sleek, modern production. Taking listeners along a nightmare turned reality, this song kicks off with high energy drum grooves by Linus Fritzson and powerful riffs from guitar-virtuosos Karl Dotzek and Olof Engqvist. Bassist Oskar Andersson knows how to hypnotize the audience with his lines in the brooding “The Night I Took Your Life”, while "Maskinovka" is an anthem with a standout performance from vocalist Oskar Jakobssons. The track’s mid-tempo groove personifies the difficulties of standing up for truth in a world shaped by manipulation. But there is no rest for the wicked: whipping drums, sharp guitars, and high-pitched vocals, “Come Angel of Night”explores themes of reconciliation when the damage seems irreversible, culminating in a soaring solo that highlights the band's musical prowess. In addition to their undeniable talent to revive fast and glorious 80s headbangers, the Swedes also surprise with the gripping power ballad "I Fear the Blood”. It’s a song to pump your fist to, vacillating between themes of escapism and self destruction, amidst the battle against one’s inner demons. Founder Oskar Jakobssons screams his soul out in this heavy-hearted and honest masterpiece, which creates the perfect moment to wave your lighters in the air, passionately belting along.
Evil in All Dimensions is undeniable proof of the band's unwavering passion and talent for the genre. With Napalm Records as their partner, they are primed to take the world by storm. The evil in this world can't hide – AMBUSH will take care of it with relentless heavy metal power!
Spinal Tap - The End Continues" [US heavy metal]
The soundtrack release from the new film sequel "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues".
Between the Buried & Me - "The Blue Nowhere"
Progressive metal visionaries Between the Buried and Me return with their most immersive and eclectic record yet—The Blue Nowhere. Mixing uncharted musical detours with their distinctive aggressive identity, the band create a conceptual world unlike anything in their incredible catalog.
releases September 12, 2025
Pestilential Shadows - "Wretch"
Northern Silence, in conspiracy with Brilliant Emperor, are proud to present Pestilential Shadows' highly anticipated eighth album, Wretch.
One of Australia's longest-running and most respected black metal bands, Pestilential Shadows have been building a towering canon of work since 2003. Whereas many of their native land's extreme metal exports either tend toward the chaotic or too clean, the shadowy collective led by founding vocalist / guitarist Balam consistently create compelling swathes of drama and darkness, all-enveloping emotion and regal-yet-gritty grandeur. Truly, Pestilential Shadows are black metal classicism par excellence.
And while the last handful of their albums the past decade-plus have seen sizable gaps between them, Pestilential Shadows strike while the iron's hot with Wretch. Simply and substantially titled, Wretch follows from last year's Devil's Hammer and continues the band's progression / regression toward uglier, gnarlier expanses. Mind you, it's a lateral development rather than a vertical one - the "form" is still BLACK METAL, and its attendant contents are ruminations on death and the beyond - but the fact that Pestilential Shadows can subtly-to-significantly shift their sonic palette whilst conveying their characteristic melancholy and tragedy speaks to the enduring strength of their songwriting. What's more, the album's production is palpably professional, feeling effervescent and crisp even when running through those uglier, gnarlier expanses. If anything, said recording style of Wretch - mastered by Krvna mainman Krvna Vatra, who played on the aforementioned Devil's Hammer, with mixing done by Balam - gives the record a uniquely ethereal aspect, even when the band have kicked into ultraviolent overdrive. Above all, the eight songs that comprise the 49-minute Wretch prove Pestilential Shadows as masters of pacing, doling out the sublime and the profane with equally windswept aplomb. Of especial note is the solemn procession of "Where Sunlight Goes to Die," which features guest choral vocals from Dis Pater of Midnight Odyssey.
As always, totality is key, and thus has Greallach Art been brought back to provide stark & austere cover artwork for Wretch. On the strength of this album alone, Pestilential Shadows continue to assert their position as a classics-minded black metal vanguard, and will cement that position in the flesh with a European tour slated for late August through September and then an Australian / New Zealand tour to follow in October.
Esoctrilihum - "Ghostigmatah - Spiritual Rites of the Psychopomp Abxulöm"
From Bandcamp, “Often accused of having no sense of measure, Asthâghul churns out a new double album that is grandiose, symphonic, psychedelic, liturgical, delirious. In a word, excessive. "Ghostigmatah" is a prism that reflects every single nuance of the ESOCTRILIHUM sound. Conceptually, the album is divided into four chapters, each of which tells a ritual stage in the long journey of dead souls towards the jaws of the eight-eyed psychopomp Abxulöm, who will finally deliver them to eternal nothingness. A post-mortem ritual that is told in the secret grimoire of the “Ghostigmatah,” a sort of modern Necronomicon that constitutes another piece in ESOCTRILIHUM's phantasmagorical visionary world.”
The album has ten long-titled songs. “Hark! The Bewitched Trumpet of the Red Harbinger Is Calling the Dead to Gather” is first. The sounds that spew forth are like the worst utterings that Hell has to offer…thick, resonating bass notes, a wall of guitars, backing keyboards that are harrowing, machine gun drumming, and harsh vocals screams/gutturals. “Kneeling Before the Keeper of the Golden Key to the Absolute Void” has a more traditional Black Metal sound, but still, this is a lot of sonority coming from a single composer. The keyboards add a layer of melody to the song, but it’s mostly a landscape of controlled aggression. “Flesh Pierced by the Blades of Thritônh, Eyes Devoured by Vulth Suidarl, the Giant Fly” has both deeper elements on the low end, and surprisingly melodic ones on the upper end. A lot of the song seems to be part of a sight seeing trip down each plane of Hell.
“Hypnotic Danse Macabre of the Blind Noctivagants” embraces melody, and leaves some of the aggression behind. The abrupt change of pacing is a testament to the composer’s songwriting skills. “Orgiastic Sacrificial Mass to Conjur Abxulöm, Psychopomp Supreme” returns to some of the naked aggression of the previous songs. Harrowing elements abound, and it’s akin to being tortured over and over again. The bass work here is outstanding. “The Cosmic Deathbringer Comes, Riding a Bloody Horse of Goshenite” features deep, cavernous vocals and chaos that almost sees the wheels come off of the speeding bus. There is so much dissonance, it’s about all that you can peer through. “Mauled, Swallowed and Dissolved Into Nothingness by the 8-Eyed Psychopomp” features a gentler sound as well as some clean vocals, but take that with a grain of salt…it’s still dark, dangerous, and aggressive.
“Supplication of the Veiled Saint from the Secret Book of the Ghostigmatah Rites” is the final offering, and mysterious tones end the album. For me, the psychedelic landscape brings up more questions than answers. The album seemed to encapsulate everything that someone might come across in the underground…chaotic aggression, and vocals that can frighten you even when you are asleep. The composer is obviously talented, and the album is just diverse enough. Any fans of Extreme Metal will find this to their liking.
Merzbow - Metalvelodrome
Genres: Harsh Noise
On my noise ventures I found myself mostly driven by the challenge of finding truly artistic music from the more extreme variants: harsh noise and harsh noise wall. And I've found some that I've liked, but mostly when it plays with other genres like a Uboa album. But this 4-hour Merzbow album is at the top of the RYM harsh noise charts. Was that a good sign, or is this an album that only the ones who would listen to four hours would finish anyway, thus allowing less people who see problems with it to even rate it in the first place? Since I have the capacity to enjoy noise music and am mostly a rocker, I felt I had to say something.
And this is what I have to say: it's definitely the latter. If Merzbow, a man who had been doing noise albums for 15 years up to that point, wanted to make a 4-hour behemoth of ugly sound, then he should've done more to play with the sound. By this point, the vast majority of noise tricks pulled in these four hours can be done by literally anybody if you ask me. I've heard imitators that were much more intriguing. It starts out cool, but the entire first half is just generic noise music at this point. Now a lot of wacky and cool ideas are played in the 45-minute track, Another Crash for High Tide. The weird sounds, the vocal effects, it's all pretty cool. But there's so much packed into it that most of these ideas only get about 20 seconds of album time. And the worst part? THIS SONG STARTS AFTER THE FIRST TWO HOURS ARE OVER. In other words, it's two hours of generic noise before creativity has a say. Why the hell didn't Merzbow flesh all of these ideas out into better songs throughout the whole? That's pretty infuriating, especially since it goes back to generic noise for the rest of it, mostly.
This four hour behemoth needs a serious re-evaluation on RYM by more serious and diversified explorers. This is a pretty standard noise album for most of it with some creativity attached, going into unholy lengths to get 1 job done for three out of the four hours. Merzbow would do much better in the close-by following years, so while this album shouldn't need to be heard, historically speaking, it doesn't deserve to be the highest rated harsh noise album on RYM at all, let alone any website that covers noise music. If you wanna hear REAL Merzbow music, try Electric Salad.
52
Caronte - Spiritvs (2025)
I am a big fan of this Parma five-piece and was stoked to see they had a new album out, with minimal fanfare from the metal world, a long six years since previous offering "The Wolves of Thelema". Their brand of doom metal sits smack-bang between the stoner and the epic, with a wide streak of occult psychedelia, in the vein of The Devil's Blood, running through it's dark heart.
They have a quite distinctive sound, chiefly down to mainman Dorian Bones' vocals which come on like a mixture of the gothic flavour of Paradise Lost's Nick Holmes and the expansive epicness of a Robert Lowe. Over the previous decade and a half they have also become exceedingly proficient at writing more memorable, uptempo doomy riffs that are likely to be rolling around your head for hours after the record stops spinning. The rhythm section is exceedingly solid, with both drummer Mike De Chirico and bassist Henry Bones solidly and unshowily driving the tracks along and providing a solid foundation on which everything else is built.
The opening one-two of the punchy and catchy "Scarlet Love" and the slower and doomier "Aiwass Calling" sees the album kick off in fine style with two of the album's strongest numbers. Most of the tracks are mid-paced affairs, but the band do include a couple of slower, more doom-laden numbers with the aforementioned "Aiwass Calling" and the penultimate "Fire Walk With Me" being well-placed to prevent the album from sounding too samey. I feel there is a bit of a drop-off in the middle, though, with side one closer "Antikristos" and side two opener "Beyond Daath" not really hitting the spot for me. "Antikristos" feels like the band are fishing to catch the Jex Thoth / Devil's Blood crowd and "Beyond Daath", despite having a decent riff, leans too much into the occult theatrics vocally. Luckily things pick up with the album's doomiest (and my favourite) track "Fire Walk With Me" imparting a bit of class before closer "Interstellar Snakes of Gold" rounds things out with a melodic chorus and nice riff.
As much as I enjoyed Spiritus, I find myself being reluctant to impart a top-tier score. The main reason for this is the lack of adventure the band display, particularly in the restraint with which the guitar leads are deployed and their willingness to stick to the same old formula which has, admittedly, served them very well over the years. I think the album is lacking a really good solo or two with the leads mainly used to add melody over the riffs when I couldn't help feeling that on a couple of occasions they could have really let rip, but feel constrained by the tight discipline of the songwriting. The closing section of the aforementioned "Fire Walk With Me" is the only really extensive solo and even that feels like it is being held in check when it should howl and soar.
In truth, I don't need a band to constantly be pushing the envelope and redefining themselves for me to enjoy them, but sometimes they can be found sitting just a little bit too comfortably and I feel like that about Caronte at this point in their career. There are some good tracks here, but it feels to me like there is a little too much filler too with "Antikristos", "Beyond Daath" and "Interstellar Snakes of Gold" almost feeling like a band going through the motions and I hate saying this about a band I enjoy as much as I do Caronte.
I'm afraid I can only award it a measly C+