Daniel's Forum Threads
Hiroshi Yoshimura - "Wave Notation 1: Music for Nine Post Cards" (1982)
This widely praised debut album offers a gentle yet still inherently deep ambient sound that soothes & relaxes the listener. It maintains one style & format throughout the nine tracks but there's enough melodic variation in its soft, low-tempo organ lines to keep the listener's interest. The tracklisting is fairly consistent but it's closer "Dream" that finally delivers on the full potential by taking me to the top shelf. This material is perfect for meditation & massage & I can see myself using it to distance myself from the stresses of everyday life for years to come.
For fans of Brian Eno, Harold Budd & Satoshi Ashikawa.
4/5
Mortal Decay - "Forensic" (2002)
I discovered this New Jersey brutal/technical death metal outfit back in the second half of the 1990's through 1997's "Sickening Erotic Fanaticism", Mortal Decay's highly regarded debut album that I really enjoyed. This led me to explore their sophomore record once I returned to metal in 2009 but I haven't returned to it since for one reason or another. Listening back now, "Forensic" has plenty to offer but I don't think it pulls it all off well enough to demand consistent revisits from me. They've added a greater level of complexity to the riff construction but that doesn't necessarily make for really memorable riffs. Instead, we get serviceable (& fairly brutal) US death metal with a multi-vocal attack that's highlighted by a really deep delivery that reminds me of Neuropath front man Mark Wangmann. There's some pretty decent stuff here (see "My Mind Bleeds Tragedies", "Beyond Forensic Knowledge" or my personal favourite "Brutalized & Defiled") but it hasn't quite sealed the deal in my opinion.
For fans of Dehumanized, Malignancy & Nuclear Remains.
3.5/5
Surrender - "Surrender " (1984)
The sole release from this Sydney heavy metal/hard rock four-piece who hold the prestigious honour of producing the very first metal album to come out of my home city of Sydney. It's not a bad one either although the thin, tinny production job has likely cost Surrender an extra half mark. Vocalist Dave Crompton is an absolute star & I love his powerful, melodic voice. Guitarist Stephen Medland can certainly shred too while the keyboards of Colin play a very strong role in the album's personality too. "Technicolour Fantasy" is an incredible highlight that I still regard as one of the finest heavy metal anthems to grace these shores while "Feelings" & "Funny Man" are also very solid. Opener "Just Couldn't Take It" even predicts the European power metal sound that would develop over the next twelve months or so. I've enjoyed this revisit but it's a shame about the primitive, self-produced & financed format because these guys definitely had something here.
For fans of Rainbow, Dio & Yngwie Malmsteen.
3.5/5
Here's the YouTube link for anyone that's interested.
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
Children of Bodom - "Hate Crew Deathroll" (2003)
The fourth full-length from these power metal-inspired melodic death metal legends is probably my favourite Children of Bodom studio release these days, although don't mistake that statement for any sort of proclamation of passion as I still struggle with it, just not as much as I do with releases like 1999's "Hatebreeder", 2000's "Follow the Reaper" or 2011's "Relentless Reckless Forever". On the positive, the Fins have backed off the classical influence a fair bit here with the guitars having been ramped up & taking the limelight from the keyboards which had played a more dominant role in the past. When you combine that with some excellent, driving kick drum work from Jaska W. Raatikainen & the brilliant, ultra-shredding lead guitar work of front man Alexi Wildchild Laiho, you receive a noticeably more thrashy sound that even hints at Pantera-style groove metal at times. In fact, there are a few tracks included that I find myself kinda digging (see "Bodom Beach Terror", the closing title track &, my personal favourite, "Sixpounder") but it's unfortunately still not enough to overcome the cheesier material with a noticeable mid-album lull going a long way to sealing the deal on my still generally lethargic feelings to Children of Bodom's best record. Oh well... you can't say that I don't try to understand the appeal in these dudes now, can ya?
For fans of Kalmah, Norther & Wintersun.
3/5
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
Rhythm & Sound - "See Mi Yah" (2005)
The fourth & final CD I purchased from this incredible German artist during the 2000's is a compilation of vinyl releases from the period. The interesting thing is that all of them come with basically the same backing track, only with slight variations in the arrangements & different Jamaican vocalists who each take different lyrical & melodic directions. And boy does it work too! I could honestly listen to that backing track in isolation for the entire duration of this release to tell you the truth as it puts me into a level of relaxation that I rarely achieve. Highlight tracks like "Lightning Storm", "See Mi" & "Free For All" are some of Rhythm & Sound's very best material, although I do think that their previous releases are just slightly better than this one which sees them abandoning their techno roots for a pure dub & roots reggae sound.
For fans of Babe Roots, Frenk Dublin & Deepchord Presents: Echospace.
4.5/5
Unfortunately, my old Darkthrone "Transilvanian Hunger" long-sleeve now has enormous holes in the elbows & I've finally laid it to rest so that I receive the sheer joy of replacing it with another awesome band shirt.
Saint Etienne - "Foxbase Alpha" (1991)
The debut album from this London-based trio offers a broad array of easy-listening, springtime vibes from a whole slew of different subgenres, from alternative dance to downtempo to UK street soul. The fifteen-song tracklisting is highly inconsistent but, when Saint Etienne get it right, they can hit some serious peaks, as seen in atmospheric EDM highlight "Stoned to Say the Least" & downtempo gem "Like the Swallow". Unfortunately, there are some noticeable periods of lethargy, particularly on the B side, which takes away some of the gloss while vocalist Sarah Cracknell isn't exactly a star which doesn't help. There's certainly enough to keep me interested though.
For fans of Stereolab, The Avalanches & Broadcast.
3.5/5
Cecil Taylor - The Cecil Taylor Unit (1978)
Genres: Free Jazz
Next up on my free jazz binge is the self-titled The Cecil Taylor Unit, an hour of more classical-infused surrealism hand delivered on a gold platter with a side plate of sample cheeses and wine. This album was the first of Cecil's attempts at bringing classicism to free jazz, and the most obvious effort in that vein. But this kind of sophistication isn't built on Mozart melodies and Beethoven drama. This is free jazz, and Cecil's band sets everything on FIRE.
Idut, track 1, is basically a shark's feeding frenzy of cheese and wine, proud and bombastic to whatever extreme they can achieve without breaking the surrealism. Track 2, Serdab, starts out much more quietly, but soon uses erratic violins and piano to create some very chilling atmospheres. But in these chills also comes a sense of wonder, one that looses none of the bombast of the previous track but rather sacrifices the loud tone for something more mellow. Even when the brass comes in, the build up tricks you out and loosens four minutes in. It goes into several places, recycling old sounds with new combinations, until we get to a gorgeous yet bizarre piano solo by Cecil himself. I'd say that this track was miles ahead of the Idut (no Miles David biopic ref intended). Now track 3 is the one that worried me. Holiday En Masque is a whopping 30 minutes long, so I was quite concerned with possible meandering. But the surprise is: it didn't meander as much as I thought, not until the last ten minutes or so. This was easily the most interesting of the three tracks. This was everywhere around whatever music spectrum the band could provide, and every step forward into another territory was built entyirely on natural progression and pacing. Maybe they stayed in a couple locations for just a little longer than necessary, but overall it was mysterious in all of its fury. It's probably even the best Cecil track I've heard so far.
SO even though the first track managed to be fun and interesting, each track upped the antes and delivered even more goods each time. This was exactly the kind of chaos one wants to experience with free jazz. Currently, this is the best Cecil Taylor album I've heard.
96
BTS - Wake Up (2014)
Genres: K-Pop, Pop Rap, Boy Band
I'm tired of avoiding this band and not knowing what the hype is. These guys are apparently big record-breakers, which isn't surprising considering that this is the first choice for a K-pop band that Americans will literally watch concert films for. Not a K-pop guy myself, usually just using the bands of said scene for chart filler, but whatever. Anyway, I went into this expecting more k-pop crap, especially since its genre tagging n RYM included "boy band" as a genre choice and not just a piece of a scene. So if RYM's acknowledging that, then that likely means this specific album took writing cues from 90's pop bands like Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. Initially, a bad sign. But nope. This one actually makes a strict point of slapping. Hard. Whatever tropes exist in this album are heavily backed up by the band's energy and some surprisingly tight instrumentation for a bunch of boy band songs. It suffered from a soggy middle syndomer, but I would even go as far as to say that this album shows more class than any Backstreet album. The first half is the superior half, but there's still fun to be had in the second. Anyway, even a non-K-pop fan can see that this delivers a good deal of goods, more so than a lot of average pop, and personality and independence drive it the whole way through.
75
Alice Coltrane - "Turiya Sings" (1982)
I discovered this lovely, meditative release many years ago now & have returned to it semi-regularly in the time since. "Turiya Sings" sees the iconic jazz artist & former wife of the legendary John Coltrane taking a dramatic stylistic departure from her jazz roots by composing nine deep new age pieces that utilize her own mantra-style vocals in praise of the Lord. It's quite a transcendental experience with the better inclusions relaxing & soothing me in a way that few others can.
For fans of Nala Sinephro, Sofie Birch & Mary Lattimore.
4/5
Drudkh - "Відлига [Thaw] EP" (2026)
This latest release from the ukrainian atmospheric black metallers is a three-track, twenty-minute EP and it exudes an air of melancholic reflectiveness that is reminiscent of the opening instrumental from previous album, 2025's "Shadow Play". This may well be all-new material, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it turned out to be leftover tracks from that album because it fits in so well as a companion piece. This turn in tone from Drudkh is unsurprising given the situation in Ukraine over the last four years, particularly around the band's hometown of Kharkiv which has seen some of the war's most intense fighting. Who wouldn't become pensive in such a situation? Although they don't address the war directly in their lyrics I think lines like "Only their silhouettes, Touched once by an indifferent hand, Take up faded places, In memory" (from "Memory") are fairly unambiguous in their sentiment.
The opener is indeed a reflective piece that, whilst still sitting comfortably under atmospheric black metal has such a melancholy air to it, emphasised beautifully by some subtly applied keys, that it also feels like it has one foot in the post-metal camp. The second track, "Somewhere, Sometime" is an instrumental that possibly feels even more wistful than the opener with its main melodic theme having a reflective, folky air, as if looking back fondly on simpler times now lost. Add in some picked guitar lines and, again, those subtle, melancholy-sounding synths and you have a fairly simple, melodic and exceedingly effective instrumental break at the heart of the EP.
The closer, "A Moment in Eternity" is probably the track most recognisable to long-standing Drudkh fans, being a more conventional slice of atmospheric black metal. Even here, though, the vicious bite that used to hone the edge of Drudkh's sound feels muted, as if the sorrow being felt by the musicians is so great as to infuse their very being and leave them changed as a result. Once more, even though the track is of a higher tempo and has a traditional black metal structure, the air of wistful reflection still permeates it and rather than being a celebration of ukrainian culture and history as a lot of Drudkh's past work seemed to be, this is more like a eulogy to something that has been lost, possibly for ever.
I understand if some long-time fans were to be unsure of this direction the band have taken as it is quite different to their best-loved releases but, as someone who is often drawn to the more downbeat and melancholy in metal, I have to say that I actually really like this, even though, unfortunately, its sentiments may well be rooted in real world tragedy which i am sure we all wish had never happened.
4/5