Daniel's Forum Threads
3 Inches of Blood was always a band I held off on checking out for a while thinking they weren't anything special. For some reason, when I checked it out recently, it kind of gave me a melodic death metal vibe or at least it sounded to me like metal of its time on top of all the classic metal influences it had. It probably gave me that impression because melodic death metal in general takes a lot from traditional stuff and this is a pretty modern metal record. I don't know where I'm going with this lol. Those dual vocals are pretty cool. The harsh vocals kind of make it accessible in an early 2000s extreme metal fan kind of way like I can imagine someone from that time who's into At the Gates or something and would be interested in this record. My favorite track so far is Premonition of Pain and that one I feel has a bit of that modern metal thing going on that I can't quite describe. Would you agree?
Mizmor & Hell - 'Alluvion' (2025)
As with anything involving two of the biggest names in doom metal, Alluvion was destined to succeed from the off. With main Hell man, Matthew Scott Williams deciding to collaborate with Mizmor supremo (and live drummer for Hell), Liam Neighbors on a full-length album, 2025 just got a lot more interesting. Both are established artists in their own right of course and so anything they collude on is bound to be monstrous, right? Well, the simple answer is yes, yes, it is. Alluvion is an absolute triumph of a release. It achieves that rarified atmosphere of being vast and expansive without ever becoming boring or taxing to listen to. Indeed, the only struggle I have when listening to it is to not immediately play it again on loop.
The atmosphere on Alluvion is nothing short of humongous. It is repressive in that it takes all your attention to truly admire its oppressive density. The whole experience is devoid of leniency in that it simply does not let up once for nearly forty-minutes. The boldness of artists who can produce such domineering sounds and not think to give any respite at all is a joy to behold in a world of mass produced, easily accessible and safe music. This album is just the soundtrack to your worst, unending nightmares by comparison. It relies on no pillars of technicality or musical fanfare. Repetition and (largely) slow grinding riffs are the order of the day here. Inflections of atmospheric chaos litter the record (those shrieking voices at the end of ‘Vision II’) along with black metal fury (‘Pandemonium’s Throat’) flooding in to really spice things up.
These bursts of variety give an impression of a morose record, its ill-tempered nature seemingly impatient with itself even at times. Yet perversely, in the main, it continues to pick agonisingly slowly at a festering scab that barely conceals an infected, gaping wound. Building is the wrong word to describe how tracks come together; they lumber into existence. Drenched in reverb and with a somehow beastly psychedelic edge to some of the guitar riffs, Alluvion continues to develop its hideous soundscape without respite. My only criticism is the drums seem too far away in the mix, they sound like they are treading water at times, notwithstanding they have a wall of noise to compete with most of the time. When they do bob their head above the crashing waves of misery there is a deftness in their delivery that probably could have been allowed to shine a little more in the mix.
It is still a minor quibble in an otherwise sensational auditory experience. As an aside, I am unsure if the it was the intention but it looks to me as if the album cover is trying to recreate the painting ‘Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion’ by John Martin.
4.5/5
Deftones - "Saturday Night Wrist" (2006)
After really enjoying 2010's excellent "Diamond Eyes" record last week, I thought I'd investigate Deftones' previous album from four years earlier which I don't recall ever hearing before. It was the band's first album without long-time producer Terry Date & would also represent their last with bassist Chi Cheng who was unfortunately involved in a serious car accident that would eventually prove to be fatal a couple of years later. "Saturday Night Wrist" was well worth the commitment too as their fifth full-length is yet another high-quality alternative metal release that sees the Sacramento five-piece taking a more ambitious route than "Diamond Eyes" which was generally a pretty standard effort. There's more variety here with a number of creative risks being taken & it amounts to a less accessible & immediate record which isn't a bad thing as I think I slightly prefer it over "Diamond Eyes" for exactly those reasons. I'd probably take it over Deftones' earlier efforts like "Adrenaline" & "Around the Fur" too actually as it's another highly consistent record that I'd suggest should be essential listening for our The Gateway clan members.
For fans of Hum, Faith No More & Chevelle.
4/5
Dead Can Dance - "Dead Can Dance" (1984)
The debut album from this wonderful Aussie artist is an underrated classic in my opinion. The self-titled album sees them alternating between gothic rock & darkwave with hints of their future ethereal wave sound popping up on occasion too. The highlights are devastating & generally occur when legendary female vocalist Lisa Gerrard makes an appearance but I also love the soothing, atmospheric sounds of Brendan Perry. The darkwave material appeals to me a little more from a stylistic point of view but there's something about DCD's gothic rock sound that draws me in too. It's as dark as they come but the post-punk basslines drive the song-writing into a cool place that sees me swaying along in a dreamy, brooding headspace. I can't recommend this one enough as it will always have a strong place in my heart & will forever remind me of late nights in Sydney goth clubs back in the mid-1990's.
For fans of Lisa Gerrard, Clan of Xymox & Cocteau Twins.
4.5/5
Dawn - "Nær sólen gar niþer for evogher" (1994)
Unlike many fans, I slightly prefer the debut album from these Swedes over their more widely celebrated 1998 third full-length "Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy)". It's an extremely consistent record that's highlighted by some powerfully executed drumming from Karsten Larsson (Falconer/King of Asgard). Henke Forss' (Niden Div. 187) blackened shrieks are rip-roaring too which sees him nicely complimenting the sophisticated & melodic guitar riffs which showcase an early Emperor influence at times. There are no weak numbers included which makes it hard to ignore Dawn's claims in the melodic black metal space. I think most The North members will get something out of this one.
For fans of Sacramentum, Vinterland & Dissection.
4/5
Here's my updated Top Ten Melodic Black Metal Releases of All Time list with Dissection's "The Somberlain" being the unlucky record to drop out:
01. Dissection – “Storm Of The Light’s Bane” (1995)
02. Rotting Christ – “Non Seriam” (1994)
03. Keep of Kalessin – “Reclaim” E.P. (2003)
04. Mare Cognitum – “Solar Paroxysm” (2021)
05. Les Chat de Nihil – “Le tyran et l’esthete” (2021)
06. Dawn - "Nær sólen gar niþer for evogher" (1994)
07. Dawn – “Slaughtersun (Crown Of The Triarchy)” (1998)
08. Iskald – “The Sun I Carried Alone” (2011)
09. Naglfar – “Teras” (2012)
10. Abigail Williams - "In The Absence Of Light" (2010)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/164
Fishmans - "Uchu Nippon Setagaya" (1997)
The seventh full-length from this Tokyo outfit & a bloody good listen it is too. It's often referred to as dream pop, ambient pop & neo-psychedelia but the reality is that the downtempo tag is all that's required here with the relaxed, soothing atmospheres presented having a noticeably calming effect on even the most battle-hardened extreme metalhead. Perhaps I'm a little more open to this sort of stuff than most but the lushness of some of these soundscapes can't be achieved without a deep understanding of the craft. "Uchu Nippon Setagaya" is classy release that's deserving of the hype around it.
For fans of Slowdive, Spiritualized & Stereolab.
4/5
Elliott Smith - "Either/Or" (1997)
I don't mind this American indie folk singer/songwriter although I do have to admit that I can't see why he's quite as revered as he is. I don't think he has enough depth to his music for that but I can still appreciate the appeal of these short-&-sweet folk songs.
For fans of Bright Eyes, Daniel Johnston & Sufjan Stevens.
3.5/5
Paramæcium - "Exhumed of the Earth" (1993)
The debut full-length from a relatively underrated Melbourne doom/death trio who built up quite a reputation in the local scene at the time. Ben & I picked up on Paramæcium very early on & "Exhumed of the Earth" received a lot of play time around our family home during the mid-1990's. Listening back with more mature ears now, it's very easy to see that My Dying Bride were the primary influence here as there are quite a few moments that I'd border upon plagiarism, especially when they bring out the violin. This is high quality stuff though nonetheless with the riffs all showing a clear understanding of the elements that make for great death doom metal. The dual vocal attack is a little flat though due to the cookie monster delivery being fairly generic & reminding me of fellow Aussie doom/death icons Cruciform's debut album "Atavism" from the same year. There are a couple of tracks included where the pace is picked up a bit but these offerings are clearly less effective than the deeper & more atmospheric inclusions as Jayson Sherlock (Horde/Light Force/Mortification) employs simple punky one-two beats that sound pretty dumb in this context. Still... I can't help but to buy into the product that Paramæcium are selling here as the rest of the album is simply so well executed. The Christian themes shouldn't be much of an obstacle as they're not all that easy to pick up if you're not made aware of it through the media first.
For fans of My Dying Bride, Cruciform & Schaliach.
4/5
Bezerker - "Lost" (1990)
The very impressive debut album from an Adelaide thrash metal band who would never fully realised their potential. It's a sophisticated, classy & well produced record that relishes the opportunity to up the ante on the technicality on occasion while never hinting at a ballad. Front man Patrick Cummins opts for a higher register vocal delivery that sit somewhere between Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden/Samson) & Joey Belladonna (Anthrax) & he is probably the limiting factor here given that his performance is a little inconsistent. The guitars are rip-roaring throughout though &, while I thoroughly enjoyed my revisit of Bezerker's 1988 "Laugh at the Light" demo a month or so back, "Lost" is even better & should appeal to most of our The Pit clan members.
For fans of Flotsam & Jetsam, Rampage & "Spreading the Disease"-era Anthrax.
4/5
Giacomo Puccini's "Teatro alla Scala: Tosca" (1954)
A 110-minute Italian opera from the Romanticism movement that's broken up into in three acts. Unfortunately, I found the first act (which makes up the first half of this release) to be a bit of a chore but I quite liked the second & third acts, particularly the final one. I tend to enjoy the more dramatic & firey sections the most with the more theatrical stuff largely going over my head.
For fans of Giuseppe Verdi, Gioachino Rossini & Georges Bizet.
3/5
Svartsyn - "Vortex of The Destroyer" (2025)
Hands down one of the best black metal releases of 2025 for me so far. I hit it off with this one from the very first time I heard it. Review in pipeline.
Necrotomy - "Cranial Dismemberment" demo (1990)
This Melbourne four-piece was the first death metal band I ever saw play live & I still really enjoy their fun blend of goregrind & traditional death metal today. The 1980's Carcass influence is massive for these guys but they pull it all off beautifully, particularly during the blast beat sections which are surprisingly tight for this sort of release. Interestingly, vocalist/bassist Mark Schilby also spent some time playing guitar for Abramelin while lead guitarist Dean Ruprich played bass on diSEMBOWELMENT's "Mourning September" demo.
For fans of Carcass, Decrepit Artery & Mortician.
3.5/5
Thrust - "Mindless" (1990)
The sole full-length from this melodic hardcore/skate punk outfit from my adopted stomping ground of the Gold Coast. It's very well produced & executed & has a bit of a heavy metal edge to it at times too.
For fans of The Ramones, Bad Religion & Motorhead.
King Tubby - "Herb Dub-Collie Dub" (1976)
A collection of instrumental dub remixes of tracks by The Skatalites. I quite like it too, particularly the more minimal, stripped back material which is druggy as fuck.
For fans of Augustus Pablo, Scientist & Prince Jammy.
3.5/5
Bobby Bland - "Two Steps from the Blues" (1961)
The highly regarded debut album from this soulful Texan rhythm & blues singer that I find to be a little too inconsistent & (perhap unsurprisingly) bland for my liking.
For fans of Syl Johnson, Freddie King & Little Milton.
3/5
Abigor - "Verwüstung/Invoke the Dark Age" (1994)
The debut album from this popular Austrian black metal outfit isn't a bad first up effort but it's also not anything particularly special. It's all pretty standard stuff for a European act of the time although there are signs of the experimentation Abigor would undertake in future years, particularly in a melodic sense as there's a clear melodic black metal influence to the way the tremolo-picked guitar lines interact with each other. The vocals aren't all that great but I find that the band sound at their best when they get their blast beats on & focus on laying waste to the listener's ear drums. Abigor would improve their game noticeably before their next couple of releases which would surface just a year later.
For fans of Amestigon, Dødheimsgard & early Emperor.
3.5/5