Saxy S's Forum Replies

August 2024

1. Blackbriar – Arms of the Ocean (2018)

2. Clawfinger – Catch Me (1993)

3. Darwin’s Waiting Room – Trap (1996)

4. D’espairsRay – “Forbidden” (2006)

5. Decyfer Down – Fight Like This (2006)

6. Deftones – Tempest (2012)

7. Dog Fashion Disco – Pale Horse (2014)

8. Evanescence – Whisper (2003)

9. Faith No More – The Cowboy Song (1991)

10. Giraffe Tongue Orchestra – Everyone Gets Everything they Really Want (2016)

11. Katatonia – The Parting (2012)

12. MAZIAC – Splendour (2024)

13. Mushroomhead – Fall In Line (2024)

14. OSI – Radiologue (2009)

15. Scars of Life – Pool of Fears (2005)

16. Sevendust – Prayer (1997)

17. Sleep Token – Take Me Back To Eden (2023)

18. Turnstile – T.L.C. (Turnstile Love Connection) (2021)

19. Wheel – Vultures (2019)

August 2024

1. Anciients – In The Absence of Wisdom (2024)

2. Angra – Gods of the World (2023)

3. Ætheria Conscientia – Haesperadh (2024)

4. Entheos – All for Nothing (2024)

5. Ever Forthright – Kickfun (2024)

6. Gojira – Esoteric Surgery (2008)

7. Haken – Cockroach King (2013)

8. In Mourning – Hierophant (2019)

9. Last Chance to Reason – The Divide (2024)

10. Mandroid Echostar – Haunted Vows (2013)

11. Nospun – The Death of Simpson (2023)

12. The Ocean – Hadopelagic II: Let Them Believe (2013)

13. OK Goodnight – The Falcon (2023)

14. Opeth – Ghost of Perdition (2005)

15. PainKiller – Morning of Baladchaturdasi (1994)

16. Sieges Even – The Weight (2005)

17. Umpfel – Peddler of Words (2019)

18. Zeal & Ardor – Hide in Shade (2024)

I really enjoyed the hybrid of styles and influences Ætheria Conscientia took on this album. The Blossoming has showings from progressive metal giants as Ihsahn and Rivers of Nihil, and also avant garde stylings of Kayo Dot and Pan.Thy.Monium. This record shows more restraint than the previous album and makes wonders; songs like "Endless Cycle" show that they can write well developed songs without always resorting to the ten minute epic. They can be concise and still say everything they need to say. The avant-garde tag is more of a passing one as the record is still rather accessible from a progressive standpoint; The Blossoming takes liberties from atmospheric black metal for its feel, while occasionally adding the tremolo guitar and blast beat percussion. It's fascinating that a "black metal" album has so little black metal on it, but it sounds great when they do go all out.

8/10

Revisiting this album after hearing that god awful HARDY album Quit!! exemplifies why I enjoyed it in the first place.

Nu metal is notorious for not having any substance beyond edgy teenagers whining and getting angry at the most trivial of issues. These are not inherently bad, but without anything closely resembling a melody or instrumental motifs make them insufferably one dimensional. Reliqa are doing nu metal sure, but instrumentally, Secrets of the Future is very dense, unique and above all, interesting. The lyrics and music play off of one another in a very progressive manner, while retaining the shorter song structures to allow for more mainstream accessibility. 

Overall, the blend of styles here are exceptional. Reliqa show a lot of potential at making modern nu metal that is not dated or cringe. If you don't like nu metal because of this, I recommend giving this a try. It might not be for you, but it is a very different style of nu metal than you're used to.

8/10

I do not mind this. No really, I thought that Schizophrenia was decent enough of a redo of an older, some might say "classic" Sepultura album. The best way that I can describe this album to you is if you wanted to hear the old school thrash/death sound of the late 1980s, but played with the machismo that is 21st century production, well you're in luck. It gives off the feeling of "modern nostalgia," where this album is well indebted to its past, but is aware enough to know that this is not the 1990s anymore, and not sounding like a record that should have been released in the 1990s is just what the doctor ordered. If this was any number of disposable, modern thrash metal bands I would be far more critical, but since this is a remaster of sorts, I can't be too critical.

What I can be critical for is the implications of what this album represents. I am by no means a huge Sepultura fan, but I can appreciate some of their early work (i.e. Beneath the Remains, Chaos A.D. etc.). The reason the remasters of Morbid Visions and Bestial Devastation were so appreciated by fans was because of how poor those original showings were to the start of Sepultura's career. Schizophrenia was never really an album that needed this kind of gloss up. What's worse is that those classic Sepultura records are starting to come into view. I can't imagine that longtime Sepultura fans will be super impressed if Cavalera continues down this path in the forseeable future.

3.5/5

July 2024

1. Amorphis – My Kantele (2010)

2. Anciients – Cloak of the Vast and Black (2024)

3. Astronoid – Up and Atom (2016)

4. Cynic – The Space for This (2008)

5. Dysrhythmia – Coffin of Conviction (2024)

6. Edge of Sanity – Incantation (2006 Remastered)

7. Ever Forthright – Tambora (2024)

8. Evergrey – Cold Dreams (2024)

9. Fallujah – Sapphire (2014)

10. Hippotraktor – Echoes (2024)

11. Luna’s Call – Signs (2020)

12. Meshuggah – New Millennium Cyanide Christ (1998)

13. Metavore – Cheek (feat. Tymon Kruidenier) (2024)

14. Nuclear Power Trio – Critical Bass Theory (2023)

15. Psychotic Waltz – All the Bad Men (2020)

16. Rendezvous Point – Presence (2024)

17. Richard Henshall – Granular (2024)

18. Rivers of Nihil – The Void from Which No Sound Escapes (2021)

19. Riverside – Left Out (2009)

20. Shining – The Madness and the Damage Done (2010)

21. Spiritbox – Trust Fall (2019)

22. TesseracT – Burden (2023)

23. Voivod – Killing Technology (1987)

24. Zeal & Ardor – Gotterdammerung (2022)

July 2024

1. Any Given Day – Apocalypse (2024)

2. BOI WHAT – The Both of Us (2024)

3. Chevelle – Send the Pain Below (2002)

4. Coldrain – Miss you (2010)

5. Crossfaith – Godspeed (2024)

6. Dog Fashion Disco – Tastes So Sweet (2014)

7. Fudge Tunnel – Spanish Fly (1991)

8. Four Stroke Baron – 1000 Threads (2024)

9. Jeris Johnson – Ode to Metal (2024)

10. Jucifer – Hennin Hardine (2006)

11. Memphis May Fire – Misery (feat. Atreyu) (2023)

12. Moron Police – Prepopherous, This Prepophery (I Will Not Have It) (2014)

13. New Years Day – Relentless (2015)

14. Nik Nocturnal, Ankor – Unforgiven (2023)

15. Northlane – Miasma (2024)

16. Of Mice & Men – Tether (2023)

17. OSI – Free (2006)

18. Pyogenesis – Twinaleblood (1995)

19. Reliqa – A Spark (2024)

20. Rishloo – Lovely Room (2004)

21. Sevendust – Too Close To Hate (1997)

22. Signals of Bedlam – Pendulum in Swing (2021)

23. Twelve Foot Ninja – Over and Out (2021)

24. VOLA – Break My Lying Tongue (2024)

I think that it is time that we collectively update the clan challenge lists.

Recently I have browsing the clan challenges page on this website and noticed that the "modern era" lists are starting to become dated. Most of the playlists peak at the year 2019, which does help to perpetuate a feeling of nostalgia farming. This isn't anyone's fault specifically, since most of these lists were likely updated five years ago. I think that it would serve as a huge benefit and eye opener for Metal Academy as to potentially bring in more active contributors in addition to more engaging forums.

In my spare time I have been looking through the Infinite clan and see what kind of changes I would like to see made. If this sounds appealing to anyone else I would love to be able to talk more about it in DM's

Rendezvous Point - Dream Chaser

Next up, we have the third (and newest) release from Nordic progressive symphonic band Rendezvous Point. 

Who likes new releases? You already know I do, so here's a couple of big ones to satiate with:

Alcest - Les chants de l’aurore

Let's start with undoubtledy the big one, since it comes from one of the innovators of a genre. France's Alcest are back with their seventh studio album of post-metal/blackgaze bliss!

https://alcest.bandcamp.com/album/les-chants-de-laurore

Have no fear, your resident new music sap is here!

1. Ulcerate - Cutting the Throat of God (Technical Death Metal)

2. Pallbearer - Mind Burns Alive (Doom Metal)

3. Dvne - Voidkind (Atmospheric Sludge/Post-Metal)

4. Big Brave - A Chaos of Flowers (Post/Drone Metal)

5. Vorga - Beyond the Palest Star (Black Metal)

6. Judas Priest - Invincible Shield (Heavy Metal)

7. Ihsahn - Ihsahn (Progressive/Symphonic Metal)

8. Dissimulator - Lower Form Resistance (Technical Death/Thrash Metal)

9. Hoplites - Παραμαινομένη (Paramainomeni) (Avant Garde Black Metal)

Sorry for not including a whole lot of black metal so far this year; scheduling adjustments have made finding new black metal really difficult. These are just some of the albums that I went through my list and found albums that we have not mutually reviewed yet. I also kept the genres pretty close to ones that I know you'll be more interested in checking out.

Ulcerate - Cutting the Throat of God 

While calling Ulcerate a progressive band might not be the best descriptor, their take on technical death metal is unlike anything that's out there right now. And for me personally, they are the band that singlehandedly changed my entire perspective on technical death metal music. This has been one of my most anticipated releases of 2024 so far. It most likely won't appeal to everyone in the Infinite, so proceed with care.

https://ulcerate.bandcamp.com/album/cutting-the-throat-of-god

This is actually the first time I've listened to a full Of Mice & Men album. I've heard singles from the band before and enjoyed some of them, ("Bones Exposed" and "Echo" specifically) and was interested to see how well this band could hold an entire album together.

Once it was finished, I realized why Of Mice & Men have been a singles band. The singles "Castaway", "Indigo" and "Warpaint" are decent, but the remainder of Tether is quite boring actually. It isn't bad, but this band has their feet firmly planted and watered in alternative metalcore and this record does not do much of anything in forcing it to stand out. It feels very redundant of The Devil Wears Prada's Color Decay from 2022. Some of the atmospheric interludes sound good, but the execution can be tedious. I noticed it mostly during the opening verse of "Warpaint" where the vocals are a harsh scream, while the instrumentals are mellow and synthetic; they do not mesh well at all. 

Nothing about Tether makes me want to listen to it again, but if it came on, I wouldn't be bothered by it or skip it on sight. This feels like fast food metalcore; it's quick, easy and tastes good for only a moment, but you know its bad for you and I find myself looking for something with a more cultured palette. 

2.5/5

Hi.

Here's a (rare) recommendation for the playlist for July:

Slave Agent - "Slaughter at the Gate" (from Silent Univserse, 2024)

Rejoice Infinite clan, for June has finally arrived! So far as my radar is concerned, June has five (5) significant albums releasing that are in, or adjacent to, the Infinite clan. Hope you all have clean slates for the month because we're coming in hot!

Richard Henshall - Mu Vol. 1

The super talented guitarist/musician of Haken/Nova Collective, Richard Henshall releases their first solo record since 2019's Cocoon titled Mu.

Just revisited this album and my thoughts remain unfazed by time. By now it should be no surprise that I value melody over sheer brutality in my music and Maze Envy is a solid balance of the two elements. By incorporating more doom elements into a death format means that Civerous play some solid grooves and instrumental leads. The structure is pristine by allowing the album to grow from shorter songs at the beginning, to longer, drawn out doom metal during the second half and creates a real sense of growth and development. That it to say, the long songs at the end of this album are more than justified.

Production can be a hit or miss call with some of the pummeling death metal during the first half coming as being just a little too overwhelming. But when it comes to death doom metal in 2024, Civerous are doing it in a way that was much different than I was expecting, but more than thrilled to give a chance.

4/5

June 2024

1. Amorphis – Course of Fate (2009)

2. Animarum – Vikalpa (2024)

3. Becoming the Archetype – The Balance of Eternity (The Physics of Fire Pt. 4) (2007)

4. Boneweaver – White Knuckles (2020)

5. David Maxim Micic – Itch (2022)

6. Dream Theater – About to Crash (2002)

7. The Fucking Champs – A Column of Heads (2007)

8. Hadean – Saudade (2015)

9. Kardashev – Between Sea and Sky (2017)

10. Keyan – Arrhythmia (2024)

11. Last Chance to Reason – False Walls (2024)

12. Pain of Salvation – Reasons (2017)

13. Rendezvous Point – Utopia (2024)

14. Rivers of Nihil – Criminals (2024)

15. Scar Symmetry – Reichsfall (2023)

16. Teramaze – Step Right Up (2024)

17. Textures – Awake (2008)

18. Wheel – Saboteur (2024)

June 2024

1. 24-7 Spyz – Why (1994)

2. Avatar – Make It Rain (2024)

3. Bad Omens – Kingdom of Cards (2019)

4. Cave In – Trepanning (2005)

5. Dog Fashion Disco – Struck By Lightning (2014)

6. Dreamshade – Where My Heart Belongs (2016)

7. Evancescence – Lithium (2006)

8. Future Palace – Paradise (2022)

9. The Gazette – Shiver (2011)

10. Godsmack – No Rest For the Wicked (2006)

11. Gwar – Jack the World (1994)

12. Infectious Grooves – Infectious Grooves (1991)

13. Lantlos – Lake Fantasy (2021)

14. Linkin Park – QWERTY (2024)

15. Mushroomhead – Your Demise (2010)

16. Nik Nocturnal, Bad Wolves – Octane (2024)

17. Omerta – Charade (2024)

18. OSI – No Celebrations (2009)

19. Pleymo – New Wave (2002)

20. Reliqa – Dying Light (2024)

21. Scars of Life – Bullet with Your Name (2001)

22. Sleep Token – Alkaline (2021)

23. Stuck Mojo – Rising (1998)

Reliqa - Secrets of the Future

Although this might not necessarily count as real progressive metal, I think there are more than enough people in this clan who would find this debut album interesting. This is Reliqa, an Australian alternative/progressive metal band who have released a couple of well received EP's up to this point, and this is the bands first full length studio album. I've been anticipating this release for a few weeks and hope that you might check it out as well.

Intervals - Memory Palace

Got a local feature this month from Toronto's progressive djent band, Intervals and their fifth studio album, Memory Palace. Djent might not be everyone's cup of tea here, but I think that Intervals have been able to pull off a decent balancing act between metalcore riffage and progressive songwriting up to this point. And early returns on this new album are solid as well.

https://intervalsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/memory-palace

May 2024

1. Devin Townsend – Deadhead (2003)

2. Leprous – Mb. Indifferentia (2011)

3. Pain of Salvation – On a Tuesday (2017)

4. Into Eternity – Into Eternity (1999)

5. Richard Henshall – Mu (2024)

6. Parius – Arecibo (2022)

7. Mutoid Man – Beast (2015)

8. Hippotraktor – Stasis (2024)

9. Rototypical – Relic Grow (2021)

10. Persefone – Lingua Ignota Part 1 (2024)

11. Ever Forthright – Techniflux (2024)

12. Intronaut – Fast Worms (2015)

13. Voivod – Technocratic Manipulators (1998)

14. Slugdge – Putrid Fairytale (2018)

15. Zeal & Ardor – To My Ilk (2024)

16. Pull Down the Sun – Of Valleys and Mountains (2020)

17. Wheel – Disciple (2024)

18. Cyborg Octopus – Dreamkiller (2024)

May 2024

1. Anthrax/Public Enemy – Bring The Noise (1991)

2. Bad Omens – Just Pretend (2022)

3. The Blank Theory – Faded (1998)

4. BOI WHAT – Funeral of an Antihero (2024)

5. Breaking Benjamin – Break My Fall (2004)

6. Bring Me the Horizon – Teardrops (2020)

7. Butcher Babies – Lilith (2017)

8. Cadaveria – The Dream (2007)

9. Exotic Animal Petting Zoo – Thorough.Modern (2012)

10. Gravity Kills – Enough (1996)

11. In This Moment – I Would Die For You (2023)

12. Issues – Since I Lost You (2024)

13. Linkin Park – War (2014)

14. Nothingface – Defaced (1997)

15. Otep – Battle Ready (2002)

16. Papa Roach – She Loves Me Not (2002)

17. Prisma – Stormbound (2021)

18. Reliqa – Killstar (The Cold World) (2024)

19. Serj Tankian – Sky Is Over (2007)

20. Sleep Token – Blood Sport (2019)

21. Voice of Baceprot – Testify (Live Session) (2021)

April 2024

1. Wandering Oak – To Lir Thy Fell (2024)

2. Anacrusis – Still Black (1991)

3. Mechina – Earth-Born Axiom (2015)

4. DGM – The Secret Pt. 2 (2016)

5. Mr. Bungle – Squeeze Me Macaroni (1991)

6. Mutoid Man – Siphon (2023)

7. Protest the Hero – Gardenias (2020)

8. Rolo Tomassi – Closer (2022)

9. Rendezvous Point – Don’t Look Up (2024)

10. Cyborg Octopus – Afterburner (2024)

11. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Dragon (2023)

12. Alkaloid – Kernel Panic (2018)

13. DVNE – Pleroma (2024)

14. Artificial Language – Two Faced Star (2024)

15. Avenged Sevenfold – Cosmic (2023)

16. Four Stroke Baron – The Witch (2024)

17. ALMO – Reconciliation (2024)

18. OK Goodnight – The Crocodile (2023) 

I really enjoyed No Life Forms when it was the featured release back in 2022. So much so that it ended up making my year end list. So I was super thrilled to hear what The Search Won't Fall had to offer.

And while the album is stylistically great, something about it just didn't feel right. Sonny's review brought forth to me that both the guitarist and drummer for this record are former members of blackened/tech-thrash bands Demoniac. And you can hear that influence spreading its way onto this album. But that has become a sound that is synonymous at this point with other Chilean thrash bands, such as Demoniac. My biggest concern with The Search Won't Fall was that the brain off, mosh till your neck falls off thrash metal that originally attracted me to Critical Defiance, was now being replaced with a sound that EVERY Chilean thrash metal band is using at the moment. It is not bad, in fact, it's probably the best blackened thrash I've heard in recent memory (except Malleus maybe), but it is not as memorable or unique as previous Critical Defiance releases.

3.5/5

Night Verses - Every Sound Has a Color in the Valley of Night, Part II

The second half of one of my most surprising albums of 2023 has its direct sequel from Night Verses and is out now. Progressive instrumental metal that knows how to create atmosphere.

Weston Super Maim - See You Tomorrow Baby

If you like Meshuggah and ever wondered to yourself "I sure wish I could hear what Meshuggah would sound like if they couldn't count!" then you're in luck! The newest album from Weston Super Maim attempts to destroy your expectations on what djent should sound like. Mathcore may the more appropriate term given its intensity and the band immediately referencing Car Bomb, Frontierer and Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza on their BandCamp page. Proceed with caution.

https://westonsupermaim.bandcamp.com/album/see-you-tomorrow-baby

March 2024

1. Job for a Cowboy – Beyond the Chemical Doorway (2024) 

2. The Ocean – Permian: The Great Dying (2018) 

3. Ibaraki – Kagutsuchi (2022)

4. Last Chance to Reason – Archons & Acolytes (2024)

5. Artificial Language – Skinwalker (2024) 

6. Intronaut – Prehistoricisms (2008)

7. Igorr – Parpaing (2020) 

8. Teramaze – Perfect World (2024) 

9. Periphery – Zagreus (2023)

10. Eidola – No Weapon Formed Shall Prosper (2024) 

11. Hippotraktor – Silver Tongue (2024) 

12. Stortgern – Xeno Chaos (2023)

13. Charlie Griffiths – Arctic Cemetery (2022) 

14. The Human Abstract – Complex Terms (2011) 

15. Rivers of Nihil – Where Owls Know My Name (2018) 

16. Syncatto – Now Sink (2024) 

17. Alcest – L’Envol (2024) 

18. Leprous – Contaminate Me (2013) 

March 2024

1. Alien Weaponry – Titokowaru (2021)

2. Biohazard – These Eyes (Have Seen) (1996)

3. Demon Hunter – Revolutions (2022)

4. Foreign Objects – Far Cry Behind (1995)

5. Godsmack – Speak (2006)

6. He Is Legend – China White III (2009)

7. Imminence – Death by a Thousand Cuts (2023)

8. Karnivool – Mauseum (2005)

9. Katatonia – Lethean (2012)

10. Klone – Monster (2011)

11. Pop Evil – Divide (2013)

12. Reliqa – Terminal (2024)

13. Saron Gas – Tied My Hands (2000)

14. Sleep Token – The Offering (2019)

15. Spotlights – Crawling Toward the Light (2023)

16. Type O Negative – Anesthesia (2003)

17. Ugly Kid Joe – Sweet Leaf/Funky Fresh Country Club (1991)

18. Waltari – Infinite Dreams (2011)

Borknagar - Fall

Nordic progressive folk/black metal band Borknagar are back with their new (12th) studio album Fall, the first in almost five years. I've always viewed Borknagar as one of metal's most consistent projects and early returns from Fall suggest much the same as well. That can be either a good or a bad thing depending on how you feel about this band not reinventing the wheel. 

https://centurymedia.bandcamp.com/album/fall-24-bit-hd-audio

I gave a review of this album last year, but I was not impressed. In This Moment were one of the fringe metalcore bands that I listened to during high school and starting into my post-secondary. I remember Maria Brink's distinctive vocal timbre in relation to another Century Media girl: Christina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil, and how much more expressive she was. Through the 2010s, this bands songwriting flailed out of control, but was still tolerable thanks to Maria's vocals. But on Godmode, In This Moment and their producers did everything in their power to remove that identity from the equation. The instrumentals are tinny and compressed to hell and back, and the vocals are just so uninspired. There is no dynamic growth or development here and it leaves the whole thing feeling flat. 

It's a shame because there are melodic motifs that sound decent, but it's hard to focus on when all I can hear is the lead pipe snare drum and whiny guitar timbre. A production closer to 3TEETH would have worked wonders, and Maria would have been able to express herself more, but as it is, Godmode is kind of a mess.

2/5

Vipassi - Lightless

One more new album to report today and we return back to Australia for the debut from Progressive/Technical Death Metal band Vipassi. Benjamin Baret plays guitar on this record and may be best known for his contributions to Ne Obliviscaris.

https://vipassi.bandcamp.com/album/lightless

Madder Mortem - Old Eyes, New Heart

The eighth (8th) studio album from Norwegian Progressive/Gothic metal band Madder Mortem released today! 

Caligula's Horse - Charcoal Grace 

The sixth (6th) studio album from Australian progressive metal band Caligula's Horse releases today!

https://insideoutmusic.bandcamp.com/album/charcoal-grace-24-bit-hd

Okay, so I'm not gonna gain any new friends here because I didn't like the new Panopticon. I thought it was a slog, and a less interesting, less concise version of ...And Again Into the Light and is more concerned with dragging along with atmosphere than actually saying something. My list of North albums is something like this:

1. Svalbard - The Weight of the Mask (Post-Hardcore/Blackgaze)

2. Fen - Monuments to Absence (Atmo-Black metal)

3. Bludgeon Oath - A Burning Wrath (Atmo-Black metal)

4. Malleus - The Fires of Heaven (Blackened Thrash metal)

5. Wyrgher - Panspermic Warlords (Progressive Black metal)

6. Krisgrav - Fires in the Fall (Melodic Black metal)

7. Malokarpatan - Vertumnus Caesar (Old school Black metal?)

8. Graveworm - Killing Innocence (Gothic Black metal)

This is a debut record of a very traditional progressive metal slab and takes a lot of its influence from giants like Dream Theater and more recently Haken. And Nospūn are really good at paying homage to their idols within progressive metal. The album is incredibly well performed, the song compositions/structures are given a lot of detail as to not make any of the tracks here (including the fifteen minute "Within the Realm of Possibility") feel extended for their own sake, and the production is top notch. I can hear each instrument with the utmost clarity, including the bass, and some of the tracks even have a decent melodic hook to anchor them down, including "The Death of Simpson" and "Back, Yet Forward".

But the record is marred by two major faults. The first is quite obvious: Nospūn do not really have much of an identity of their own at the moment. I am willing to be a little bit more forgiving in this regard since this is the bands debut album, and it's disingenuous of me to expect the band to rock the progressive metal world, in the same way that Black Sabbath did back in the 1970s. However, the other big issue has to do with this god awful synthesizer that persists throughout the entire record. When it isn't there, or not at the forefront of the track, Opus can sound really good, but "Dance With Me!" and "4D Printing" sound brutal as the keyboards rival even the most nasally pop-punk vocalists with their irritation.

It's a solid debut, but I hope that Nospūn will take notes for a follow-up and carve their own identity within the world of progressive metal. Otherwise, they are likely to flounder just like so many others before them.

3.5/5

The Revolution was the clan that received the most increased attention from me in 2023 thanks in large part to its mainstream tilt. Unfortunately, many of this years most mainstream records were not great. Whether they were new bands trying to experiment (Dragoncorpse, Humanity's Last Breath) or old guard releasing the S.o.S. (Suicide Silence, Thy Art is Murder). I'd probably go with a list like this:

1. Dying Wish - Symptoms of Survival

2. Veil of Maya - [M[other

3. Drain - Living Proof

4. Callous Daoboys - God Smiles Upon the Callous Daoboys

5. August Burns Red - Death Below

6. The Hirsch Effekt - Urian

7. Unearth - The Wretched; The Ruinous

8. Will Haven - VII

2023 had some good progressive metal with a lot of staying power too. That always seems to be my biggest issue with the genre as a whole, but I feel like this year bucked that trend, if only slightly. Here's a top ten:

1. Ne Obliviscaris - Exul

2. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse et al.

3. TesseracT - War of Being

4. Haken - Fauna

5. Horrendus - Ontological Mysterium

6. OK Goodnight - The Fox and the Bird

7. Night Verses - Every Sound Has a Colour in the Valley of Night Part 1

8. Periphery - V: Djent is Not a Genre

9. Lunar Chamber- Shambihalic Vibrations

10. Aviations - Luminaria

I pretty much had the same favourites as Xephyr for 2023. I listened to more alternative metal because that's what gets popular, but even this years biggest breakthrough act, Sleep Token, did not wow me the same as they did for so many others. Perhaps I expected more from them following the rollout of the singles.

Anyways, here's the full list:

1. Klone - Meanwhile

2. Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars

3. Sleep Token - Take me Back to Eden

4. Spiritbox - The Fear of Fear

5. Narrow Head - Moments of Clarity

6. Silent Planet - Superbloom

7. Sevendust - Truth Killer

8. Code Orange - The Above

9. Avatar - Dance Devil Dance

10. BABYMETAL - The Other One

11. Soen - Memorial

12. Vulture Industries - Ghosts From the Past

13. Beartooth - The Surface

14. Polaris - Fatalism

15. In This Moment - Godmode

16. Asking Alexandria - Where Do We Go From Here?

17. Godsmack - Lighting Up Bar-B-Q's The Sky

xNOMADx sounds like a band that should be edgelord trash, but it turned out to be surprisingly good. I enjoyed the mixing on this record and the compositions are exquisite. Too many melo-hardcore bands think that the "melodic" part of their tag means they are required to have sung vocal shout choruses, but xNOMADx prove that is not the case. Reminded me a little bit of the more artsy screamo of So Hideous and SeeYouSpaceCowboy. It can be derivative at times, but the melodic leads more than make up for the underwhelming breakdown sections.

4/5

First off, congratulations Daniel on finally being able to share your baby with us after all this time. It was a delight to hear some of the demo recordings from your band and provided some really great insight towards the type of music you not only enjoy, but make.

Unfortunately for us, that style of music has never really been a go to for me so I did find At Damnation's Core to have its fair share of structural issues. But, as I outlined in my review, those structures are part of the appeal of brutal death metal (especially during the early 1990s) that I just had to come to terms with. When I did, I realized that this record actually had some solid moments with its songwriting and motivic development. 

Overall, this was a nice change of pace from the melodic side of metal music that I frequent and a fine example of some early brutal death metal. It might sound a tad bit derivative of other bands at the time, but At Damnation's Core also had its own personality, which is rare from what I've found.

3/5

January 2024

1. Caligula’s Horse – The World Breathes with Me (2023)

2. Liquid Tension Experiment – Acid Rain (1999) 

3. Devin Townsend Project – Higher (2016) 

4. Slice the Cake – Homecoming (2020) 

5. Sunless Dawn – Grand Inquisitor (2018)

6. Moon Tooth – Nymphaeaceae (2022)

7. Kayo Dot – The Manifold Curiosity (2003)

8. Opeth – Blackwater Park (2021)

9. Somnium de Lycoris – Obstacles in Our Path (2023)

10. Threshold – Elusive (2010)

11. The Contortionist – Return to Earth (2017) 

12. Gojira – The Art of Dying (2008) 

13. Borknagar – Summits (2023)

14. Ihsahn – Twice Born (2023)

15. In Vain – Season of Unrest (2023) 

16. Leprous – Mediocrity Wins (2012) 

17. Nöspun – The House at the Beginning (2023)

18. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum – Burn Into Light (2023)

19. VOLA – We Are Thin Air (2018)

January 2024

1. Beartooth – I Was Alive (2023)

2. Bullet for My Valentine – Riot (2013)

3. Death Angel – Stagnant (1990)

4. Ed Sheeran, Bring Me the Horizon – Bad Habits (2022)

5. Filter – Where Do We Go From Here (2002)

6. Five Finger Death Punch – My Heart Lied (2013)

7. Jolly – The Pattern (2011)

8. Klone – Blessed are the Blind (2004)

9. Limp Bizkit – Break Stuff (2001)

10. Living Colour – Bi (1993)

11. Megan Thee Stallion, Spiritbox – Cobra (Rock Remix) (2023)

12. Mudvayne – Nothing to Gein (2000)

13. No One Is Innocent – Silencio (2015)

14. Northlane – Bloodline (2019)

15. Otep – Smash the Control Machine (2009)

16. Polkadot Cadaver – Shapeshifting Reptilian Overlords (2023)

17. Roadrunner United – The End (2005)

18. Spotlights – Algorithmic (2023)

19. Static-X – Anything But This (2004)

20. Suicidal Tendencies – Send Me Your Money (1990)

21. While She Sleeps – Self Hell (2023)

Unfortunately I did not listen to nearly enough Fallen playlist material in 2023. It feels like a lot of it didn't garner enough attention across the general metal sphere so most of the Fallen albums I heard in 2023 were paired with another clan. But if I had to provide a top five at least for favourite clan albums of 2023 it would likely be:

1. Mizmor - Prosaic (Doom/Sludge)

2. Fires in the Distance - Air Not Meant For Us (Death Doom)

3. Baroness - Stone (Progressive Stoner)

4. Church of Misery - Born Under a Mad Sign (Stoner)

5. Graveworm - Killing Innocence (Black/Gothic)

Death Angel - "Stagnant" (from "Act III", 1990)

Are you sure about this one? Even by a very loose standard of what Act III represents for Death Angel, I still don't hear much in the way of Gateway material on this album, or this song in particular. Maybe it's some of that funky verse riff?

December 2023

1. Madder Mortem – Towers (2023)

2. Anacrusis – Sound the Alarm (1993)

3. Nospün - …And Then There Were None (2023)

4. Opeth – Hex Omega (2008)

5. Charlie Griffiths – Dead in the Water (2022)

6. Periphery – Dying Star (2023)

7. Wilderun – And So Open the Earth (Ash Memory Part I) (2015)

8. Star One – Human See, Human Do (2010)

9. Intronaut – Above (2010)

10. Tool – The Pot (2006)

11. Plini – Still Life (Feat. Tosin Abasi) (2023)

12. TesseracT – Of Reality – Eclipse (2013)

13. The Anchoret – Stay (2023)

14. Aviations – Legend (2023)

15. Earthside – The Lesser Evil (2023)

16. Caligula’s Horse – Slow Violence (2020)

17. Wheel – Wheel (2019)

18. Pomegranate Tiger – The Cryptographer (2023)

19. Myrath – Child of Prophecy (2023)

20. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum – Salamander In Two Worlds (2023)

21. TEMIC – Skeletons (2023)

December 2023

1. Alien Weaponry – Whisper (2018)

2. Beartooth – The Better Me (20230)

3. Bury Your Dead – Broken Body (2009)

4. Chevelle – Saturdays (2007)

5. Code Orange – Take Shape (2023)

6. Coldrain – 24-7 (2009)

7. Elysion – Dreamer (2009)

8. Escape the Fate – LOW (2023)

9. Fair To Midland – Kyla Cries Cologne (2004)

10. Five Finger Death Punch – Burn MF (2013)

11. From Ashes to New – My Fight (2013)

12. Godsmack – I Stand Alone (2003)

13. Karnivool – C.O.T.E. (2005)

14. Katatonia – Sold Heart (2010)

15. Lacuna Coil – Survive (2009)

16. Living Colour – Type (1990)

17. Machinae Supremacy – Phantom Battle (2014)

18. Nothingface – Murder is Masturbation (2003)

19. Red – Surrogate (2023)

20. Riot Stares – Burst (2023)

21. Slipknot – Custer (2014)

22. Spiritbox – Ultraviolet (2023)

Well this was interesting. I actually discovered Malokarpatan during 2020 and found it relatively enjoyable as the weird old school heavy metal/black metal hybrid it was originally marketed as. But I wasn't in the brightest of spirits when I listened to Krupinské ohne so it was never a record that I would return to. Most likely the language barrier had something to do with that. 

So getting back into Malokarpatan was a bit of a stretch, but I did enjoy Vertumnus Caesar because, unlike Daniel, I actually see this record as being closer to traditional heavy metal (or at the very least, early proto-black metal bands like Bathory) and the truly black metal elements serve more as window dressing.

The riffage on display here does take a few liberties when it comes to drive as much of the record is rather slow and mellow instead of pummeling with blast beats and tremolo picking. Some of the riffs feel similar to the early thrash metal bands who began experimenting with death metal like Possessed and Slayer, while the vocals are the closest and main reason why those who listen to this band claim them to be a hybrid with black metal. This delivery is drenched in a reverb effect and are performed with a contempt flare, almost like Burzum. 

This isn't the first album in this style that I've listened to this year. A previous Guardians featured album (Darkmoon Blade - Darkmoon Rising) raised my eyebrow in much the same way, as did Darkthrone's 2022 album, Astral Fortress. That isn't to say that I didn't like Vertumnus Caesar. Since I have been exposed to more artists like Malokarpatan, I can start to tell who does this OSBM sound well and Malokarpatan are near the top of that list. It isn't really a genre that I plan on exploring too much, but for a brief period of time, I did enjoy this.

3.5/5

I reviewed this album already so to summarize: 

The newest Code Orange album The Above is a frustrating listen as it ping-pong's back-and-forth between heavier metalcore romps in the vein of Tallah, and alternative, industrial metal like Static-X. I always find that when you have an album such as this, it can be a difficult sell, since it is clear that Code Orange are trying to make a sound that is "more accessible", which I do not have a problem with on its own, but pairing it with heavier, bone shaking metalcore breakdowns has the added effect of scaring normies away in addition to putting the heads of their fans on a swivel.

The being said, the albums attempts at becoming more mainstream are pretty good as the vocal timbre is very sultry for this type of music, and the glitchy percussion rarely feels like it's taking over the production. Otherwise, my biggest issue is that The Above feels very immature as it appears to be calling upon the dreaded nu metal palette. This is obviously a subjective take, but nu metal rarely works for me in the modern age because of its immaturity. And hearing what was once a promising metalcore band starting to use it liberally is a wee bit disappointing.

3/5 

November 2023

1. Between the Buried and Me – Ants of the Sky (Live) (2008)

2. Opeth – Forest of October (1995)

3. Disillusion – Back to Times of Splendor (2004)

4. Edge of Sanity – Crimson Pt. 3 (1996)

5. Haken – Elephants Never Forget (2023)

6. Caligula’s Horse – Autumn (2020)

7. Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit of Calamity (2023)

8. White Walls – Eye for an I (2020)

9. Intervals – Mnemonic (2023)

10. Vildhjarta - + ylva + (2023)

11. Mastodon – Gobblers of Dregs (2021)

12. The Totemist – Less We Know (2023)

13. Moon Tooth – Grimothy (2023)

14. Voices From the Fuselage – Ortus (2015)

15. Slice The Cake – The Holy Mountain (2023 Remaster)

16. OK Goodnight – The Journey (2023)

17. Caligula’s Horse – Marigold (2023)

18. Monosphere – Method Acting (2023)

19. Ne Obliviscaris – Painters of the Tempest – Part II (Triptych Lux) (2014)

20. Rivers of Nihil – Hellbirds (2023)

November 2023

1. Pyrogenesis – Survival of the Fittest (2020)

2. 36 Crazyfists – Better to Burn (2017)

3. Life Of Agony – Last Cigarette (2005)

4. Otep – Perfectly Flawed (2007)

5. Sleep Token – The Summoning (2023)

6. Korn – Clown (1993)

7. Soen – Violence (2023)

8. Alien Weaponry – Kai Tangata (2018)

9. Alter Bridge – Fortress (2013)

10. Any Given Day – Wind of Change (2022)

11. Celldweller – Switchback (2003)

12. In This Moment – In The Air Tonight (2017)

13. Spiritibox – Cellar Door (2023)

14. Evanescence – Far From Heaven (2021)

15. nothing.nohwhere. – CHROMAKILL3R (2023)

16. Rage Against The Machine – Bullet In The Head (1992)

17. Stuck Mojo – (Here Comes) the Monster (1996)

18. Halestorm – Bombshell (2022)

19. FEVER 333 – BURN IT (2019)