Saxy S's Forum Replies

The "vocalist" in that band is stealing a living.

Your negative feedback on that Disillusion record made me feel a little better about my less than favorable opinion on that record as well so thanks for that Vinny!

 I also agree that the album is pretty front heavy (NOTE: Rereading, I realize Saxy said “back” heavy, so maybe we’re not in sync?). 

I realize that my framing was a little ambiguous at first so allow me to clarify:

When I said the back end of the record as being heavy, I meant that the song quality was more impressive. The front half of the record is heavy in aggressiveness for sure, but I just found it to be less enjoyable. Basically, the first half is aggressive heavy, the second half is quality heavy.

Hope that clears things up somewhat. 

I have to thank you once again Daniel for recommending some modern metal in the featured clan challenges. It is a great reason for me to explore places I don't necessarily visit. Such as mid 90s tecch death circa Immolation/Cannibal Corpse. And while I will admit that it certainly isn't my cup of tea, there is a lot of promise that someone who really appreciates that sound will enjoy more than myself. This is some clean sounding death metal; some of the best I've heard in years. However, the compositions are pretty jarring in their transitions. Also, the lack of guitar/bass independence makes for some pretty uneventful instrumentals throughout.

In addition, the general consensus surrounding this album is that it's "not really reinventing the wheel". I don't mind worship of a time once passed, but if their is nothing that distinguishes it from those early Immolation and Cannibal Corpse records, why would I not just listen to those instead? Undeath needs to do... something to make them stand out in the future. Otherwise, bands like Tomb Mold will run circles around them.

6/10

DSBM is a really tough subgenre of music for me to listen to or even discuss. I have listened to, at most, three DSBM album in my entire life, and all of it has been pretty forgettable to outright bad. Shining are within the former of those two categories. While the music is produced well and very dreary to match the atmosphere, the compositions are really weak. Not helped at all by some honestly painful sounding vocals. I understand why they sound the way that they do, but it doesn't take away from the fact that they sound very amateurish. Not to mention the fact that Kvarfoth is an absolutely reprehensible human being (I only just discovered this after completing my review). Shining have no stakes in the content and it shows.

6/10

HEALTH - DISCO4 :: PART 1

Not metal, but it does have features from Full of Hell and Youth Code so...that counts right?

I really enjoyed this post-industrial darkwave album from L.A. group HEALTH. The record is called DISCO4 :: PART 1 and has features across the spectrum of unconventional soundscapes to create a dark, claustrophobic environment.

7/10

https://youwillloveeachother.bandcamp.com/album/disco4-part-i

It's hard to explain this album and I'm pretty confident that that most people who read my review for it will will be thrown off by how disjointed it was. Even looking back on it a day later and I'm wondering what the hell was I talking about! So allow me for a brief redo.

This record is not good. And it highlights pretty much all of my dissent towards math/grindcore over the years. The frantic passages are so quick and plentiful that none of them are given ample amounts of time to resonate beyond some howling vocals and unconventional guitar techniques. This also carries on for far too long. In addition, when the record transitions into the more tuneful, sludgy breakdown passages, they feel so short and added as an afterthought. They don't develop nearly enough to warrant their extended appearances, especially on the extended tunes "Hospital Fat Bags" and "Pork Finder".

What it all boils down to is a mosh fest album that I can respect in a mosh pit. It's heavy, aggressive and relentless. But, outside of a mosh pit, there is nothing of memorable value on display on I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die. The compositions are painfully run of the mill, and with the benefit of hindsight, we can see this brand of nihilistic math/grindcore can be executed well, such as Daughters. Gaza is not that, and it disappoints me that more modern mathcore bands use this as their framework instead of bands like Dillinger Escape Plan and Daughters.

4/10

...What? You didn't think that I was going to miss out on my opportunity to talk about Devin Townsend did you?

To me, Strapping Young Lad has always been the red headed stepchild in Devin Townsend's musical endeavors. And with Alien, I can see it's appeal within Devin Townsend's discography with a lot more hindsight and deep dives into his entire discography. To me, SYL reminds me more of a project in which Townsend is free to let out his most absurd, technical thrash adjacent music that he is physically capable of making. And if that's what you're looking for, then cool; more power to you! This is very impressive technical thrash by it's own regard.

However, that seems to be all that it is. Let me not mince words here: Devin Townsend is one of heavy metal's most eclectic musicians. So for him to make a pure industrial-thrash metal album is a little disappointing. Not to mention the fact that the music found within is not among his best. "Imperial" and "We Ride" work really well, "Love?" is a very accessible song I guess, and the album ends with "Thalamus" and "Zen", which turn out to be the albums most progressive moments. Beyond those, this is pure aggression all of the time. And I can only listen to so much of it before it gets tiresome. To hear guitar riffs that are almost indistinguishable from one track to the next is infuriating to say the very least.

For an industrial-thrash album, it is very solid. But I expect more out of Devin Townsend; the guy responsible for Terria. The sequencing of this album is extremely back heavy, and the full frontal assault leaves me exhausted by the time it reaches the "Two Weeks" interlude. 

7/10

ugh...

I do not like Disillusion's sound even though I know I should. I just find their music to be so boring and devoid of emotional presence. The music is fine and produced well, but the compositions are so disjointed and held together with the thinnest string imaginable. As I said in my review, I cannot remember a single idea brought forth on this record in comparison to Mabool by Orphaned Land, or Isa by Enslaved, both released in the same year.

5/10

In regards to Bath by maudlin of the well, that record, along with Leaving Your Body Map are an incredible one-two punch that is still unlike anything that you will ever hear within the realms of avant-garde/post-metal. These records are among my most played metal albums of all time.

As for The Roundhouse Tapes, I don't typically listen to live or compilation records, but it was nice to hear some live Opeth. They are a phenomenal group live at recreating their studio sound. The inclusion of "Windowpane" was a welcome touch.

My list is very unconventional and perhaps contentious depending on who you ask:

1. Metallica - Ride the Lightning (1984)

2. Anthrax - Among the Living (1987)

3. Testament - The Ritual (1992)

4. Slayer - Season in the Abyss (1990)

5. Metallica - Master of Puppets (1986)

6. Kreator - Phantom Antichrist (2012)

7. Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black (1999)

8. Testament - Souls of Black (1990)

9. Vektor - Outer Isolation (2011)

10. Overkill - The Years of Decay (1989)

I have made it clear in recent months that I have never cared for Primus, nor do I predict that I will ever care about Primus. They have always turned me off with their "look how quirky we are!" mentality to writing music that I just tune out. With Faith No More, you can still hear the cheese and it is on full display in the music, but I have always felt like, and with this album in particular, there has been some reality or seriousness attuned to it. And I have really enjoyed trying to pick it apart. As for the music itself, it is some of the best funk metal I have ever heard and helped lay a framework that most of us attribute to Rage Against the Machine. I really like most of the genre blending that takes place and all of it is crafted with the same amount of care; nothing sounds forced or underperformed. Very solid stuff.

9/10

Having gone back and re-listened to Black Sabbath's first six studio albums have made me realize how much their sound changed over the first five years. Given that this band was taking rock and roll to places it had never been before and were ridiculed by the mainstream for it, but Ozzy and company were not simply contempt with their sound from Paranoid and Master of Reality. And this record proves it.

I never truly realized how remarkable until just recently. For the longest time, I felt as if the debut self-titled album was the pinnacle of Black Sabbath's career. But It was clear with Sabbath Bloody Sabbath that they were going to take the more alien tones of what we now know as doom metal from the self titled debut, and the more rock leaning "accessibility" of the Paranoid and Master of Reality LP's. The title track is excellent, "Sabbra Cadabra" is slightly more uptempo, but the grooves are heavy, Ozzy's vocal performance is stunning, and the guitar leads/solos are among some of the best in Black Sabbath's entire discography. The album ends with a really cheesy strings outro on "Spiral Architect" that is reminiscent to "The End" of Abbey Road, but it fits the environment so incredibly well that it is almost impossible to hate. I even really enjoy the acoustic interlude, "Fluff" as a show of restraint and anticipation.

The self titled debut may have been the record that invented heavy metal, but Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is the album that nearly perfected it. Almost every song on this record (with the exception of "Looking for Today") has purpose. Sabbath must have known about the shockwaves they were making in the underground, even as the mainstream had to reluctantly acknowledge their existence. But Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is the magnum opus and has forced to reconsider my favourite Sabbath album.

9/10

I already did a review of this record so here's a modified, cliff notes version:

Thrash metal has been dealing with an identity crisis for some time now, and Warbringer are near the forefront of this. They have a sound that is undeniably 1980s thrash, but they do nothing with it. Every riff, every solo, and every lyrical theme has been beaten to death by the bands they are attempting to imitate, to the point where they don't even bother trying to cover it up on "Power Unsurpassed"!

The band also can't figure out how to mix a bass guitar properly, which makes these songs feel really long and boring and the guitars are not doing enough heavy lifting to compensate. If I want to hear modern thrash music done well, I will stick with Testament, Kreator and Havok. Hell, even Anthrax's 2016 album For All Kings was a step up. It will be far more enjoyable that listening to Peace Sells...But Who's Buying for the eight-hundredth time.

6/10

First of all, let me say that I am flattered that my review of this record was enough to intrigue Daniel enough to check out this record, and include it in this month's clan challenge. And that's even with the knowledge that comparisons are scarce. So thanks.

As for the record itself, you can read my review if you want to know more. But this album is much more tune focused than a number of the drone album's I've heard in recent years. The almost free jazz elements are intriguing and the long song structures allow for some truly great crescendos. That said, the concept surrounding it does feel like the band were trying to compose something that was transcendent (did the album cover not give that away?), the album is too long and meanders a lot, which may be the point as this feels like the perfect soundtrack as you surround yourself in a cloud of smoke. 

But my opinions on this record is quite simple: approach this with an open mind and an endless array of possibilities. If you treat this as a "Drone metal" album (emphasis on metal), then you will be disappointed, as many early reviews showed. I understand that this might not be for everyone, but you would be foolish to not appreciate the leap forward that Neptunian Maximalism are taking in Avant-garde Drone music.

8/10

Greetings Keleros! We are always glad to see new faces visit Metal Academy and we hope that you stick around and check out some of the unique features that we have. Whether it be rating your go to albums or perhaps giving them full reviews, checking out new music in the forums, or my personal favourite, featured releases, where we discuss classic albums of all different styles and learn a bit more about what makes them stand out for each of us. There is plenty to see and do around here so check it all out and enjoy yourself!

Well, for one, the feature on this website that I appreciate the most is the featured release tab. It has allowed me to hear a swath of albums that I would never even have considered to listen to on my own time. It also gives me an opportunity to revisit older albums to freshen up and see if they hold up as they did when I originally discovered them. I also enjoy hearing the opinions of others to see what makes them tick about a these albums as well. One thing that I would like to see improved upon is the addition of modern releases on occasion. I have a library full of music within the last five years that I adore, but are seemingly unheard of by many, and I'm sure that many others have records like this as well.

While the clan challenge lists seem intriguing, it is something that I would like to do, but I would never be able to find the time. However, I noticed that the "Critic List" and "Metal Academy Lists" are severely underutilized. I briefly spoke to Daniel in a PM asking about allowing for other users to be able to create their own lists. I specifically brought up the example of "Best of 2020" lists created by users. Of course, it does not have to be limited just to "Best of 2020" lists. I would leave that up to the discretion of of the individual users.

I will say that I think the Hall of Judgement is broken. Or at the very least, very few people use it. This could also be in large part to the very few "recurring students". I also think that because those recurring users are all in different clans, very few records ever make it to the fifteen vote minimum. Maybe we can reduce the vote count? I can think of other alternatives that I would prefer moreso, but it's a start.

That's all I can really think of atm. As I have said from the very beginning, my favourite element of this website is being able to discover lots of heavy metal music. I have heard more new records in 2020 than I have in any of the previous three years. I hope that my comments are a step in the right direction for this website for the remainder of the year, as well as into 2021.

Svalbard - When I Die, Will I Get Better?

I will post in The North clan as well, but this English Hardcore group is pulling out all of the stops bringing in elements of Black and Post-Metal into a one of a kind experience that I never knew that I needed! FFO: Rolo Tomassi, Astronoid & Harakari for the Sky

9/10

https://svalbard.bandcamp.com/album/when-i-die-will-i-get-better-2

Svalbard - When I Die, Will I Get Better?

I will post in The Revolution clan as well, but this English Black Metal group is pulling out all of the stops bringing in elements of Hardcore Punk and Post-Metal into a one of a kind experience that I never knew that I needed! FFO: Rolo Tomassi, Astronoid & Harakari for the Sky

9/10

https://svalbard.bandcamp.com/album/when-i-die-will-i-get-better-2

Swallow The Sun are a band that I have found lots of time to digest (pun intended) over the last two years or so. Their 2019 album, When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light, was a spiritual successor to Trees of Eternity's Hour of the Nightengale, an album I herald as one of the best records of the 2010s, and not just in metal. And for what it was worth, that record was solid as well and Swallow The Sun's discography has been pretty redundant, even calling for their mammoth triple album from 2015.

And so with this EP Plague of Butterflies, a single, thirty-four minute song, what we ended up getting is pretty impressive. This band know how to write a good song and how to hold onto that idea for as long as they can without having it sound repetitive or boring. It starts off harmless enough, but when we enter the second large chunk of the song, we start to hear the death metal elements creep in with relatively faster tempos and crunchier grooves. But its the final portion that hunkers down and brings this piece to an absolute stand still. Whether or not you like that will heavily determine your enjoyment of this.

I didn't find it that bad. In fact, the first few minutes of "Evael 10:00" is a return to the opening riff, which I very much appreciated, but it falls off the rails a little bit near the conclusion. In the end, the booming guitars and soaring strings sound awesome during the loud sections, almost bordering on prog metal. But the poor mixing of transitions between loud and soft sections hold this song back from being an all time classic. Still highly recommended though.

8/10

Hi Ben. Can we Add The Reticent? 

Hi Ben. Can we add The Reticent? 

I don't usually participate in Horde clan challenges. This is in part due to my lack of knowledge within this clans subgenres, and the stuff that I have listened to does not leave me with a lot of positive stuff to say. So when I saw this months clan challenge was from a Melo-death band that I have had lots of success with in the last five years, I had to share my thoughts.

And while I do enjoy Above the Weeping World, my enjoyment of this record is hindered by this bands later success. The album sure does have its great moments, but the albums previous to this one show that the band were not willing to take that many risks within the subgenre beyond some production adjustments and minor tweaks. Meanwhile the bands 2010s output is far superior as both death metal records, and progressive metal albums. This is good, but not deserving of legendary status, in my opinion. I think that this record had the band only scratching the surface of what they could accomplish.

7/10

Single-track albums typically come with a heap of speculation and worry in which the group will not be able to live up to the heightened expectations. These expectations are primarily brought on by the fact that there are two drastic extremes in this style with little room for a middle ground. It's either Crimson or it ain't Crimson as it were.

Green Carnation's Light of Day, Day of Darkness is a phenomenal Progressive/Doom/Gothic Metal album and it is done by excellent songwriting and interconnectivity. When the album breaks away from the Doom metal mold, it produces some beautiful interludes. The hooks are plentiful and the production is solid, if a little patchy. A lot of people listen to Dopesmoker when they want to get high and sucked away into that musical world. I listen to Light of Day, Day of Darkness for that rush. And I don't even need drugs to get there!

9/10

SOAD are one of the few groups that made nu-metal cool back in the day. For a genre that is pretty reviled by the metal community in hindsight, this band's blend of Alternative/nu-metal along with mild engagements with oriental Armenian music was very cool. And not only that, the lyrics, provided by Serj Tankian, were very invigorating. On Toxicity, the band took this up a notch and created their most commercially successful record and most critically favoured. And while I personally believe that Mezmerize is better, that does not leave Toxicity a slouch.

The tunes are quite fruitful for a nu-metal album and the the tonal quality is very progressive for the time. It is a record that has stood the test of time and is one of this subgenre's shining beacons in a very long and dark cavern. 

7/10

Slayer - Dead Skin Mask

Today marks thirty years of my favourite Slayer record, Seasons in the Abyss. I'd like to indulge in a classic.

Can we add the new Anaal Nathrakh album Endarkenment?

I'm just going to copy my review here:

I don't have much to say about Hopesfall and their second official record, No Wings to Speak Of, a short four song EP from 2001. What I will say is that if you go into this album expecting the same metalcore experience you got from Converge and their album, Jane Doe, from the same year, boy are you in for a surprise. These songs feature a much cleaner production quality and some very pretty songwriting, both during the albums soft and loud passages. The loud portions are anchored by some very sweet octave melodies in the guitar. The vocals are solid from Jay Forest during his screams, but his clean singing does lag a little bit. Not that it's bad, I rather enjoyed "Open Hands To The Wind" and "The End Of An Era", but they do sound pitchy at times. A bit of a shame since they typically appear overtop of tighter instrumentals.

The only real thing that I can critique this album for is how similar it sounds to so many other post-hardcore/metalcore albums that would precede in the years following. Given that Hopesfall is mostly remembered as a mediocre band at best by most critics, I doubt this EP could possibly be "legendary". But for a brief moment, Hopesfall had the sound that defined an entire decade of post-hardcore/metalcore music. And it just so happens to be the kind of metalcore that I immediately fall for. It's short and sweet, does not overstay its welcome, the worst elements are not held on to for an extended period of time, and in some cases are even lifted up by other strong elements, and is just a lot of fun.

8/10

So...I do not listen to very much industrial metal. Much of my brief dabbling's in the genre have been met with a resounding "meh". I don't think any of it is inherently bad, but there are so many acts just refusing to push boundaries. When you hear one industrial album, you've heard them all I guess.

However, when I saw Nine Inch Nails' Broken EP featured, I had to talk about it because Nine Inch Nails is one of my most important artists of all time. As a alternative rock group, they were one of a kind incorporating electronic percussion and manipulating other parts. As an electronic act, they have been constantly evolving their sound and style into something that is polished and clean.

Broken is certainly not polished and clean. The heavier guitars and Trent Reznor's howls are matched wonderfully with the abrasive percussion and thumping bass. I really enjoyed how this EP uses both live and electronic percussion together, giving it at least somewhat of a sense that it is really there. I can't say the same about the changing timbre of the guitars though.

I will be unapologetic when I say that Nine Inch Nails are a much better electronic band than as an industrial rock one, to the contrary of many music critics. But Reznor created a truly special industrial rock/metal side venture with Broken. While the band did experiment further with this sound on The Downward Spiral, it was inevitable that it would not last. But we can all still enjoy this fractured trip.

8/10

Hi Ben, can we add the new The Ocean album Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic/Cenozoic?

Listening to Mystification is just a simple reminder to myself that I do not listen to nearly enough American Power Metal. Most of it reminds me of watered down Thrash, and who wants to listen to that?

This album by Manilla Road has no synths, no symphonic breaks, and no bombastic vocal performances which are par for the course in European Power Metal. And you know what? On this record, that isn't a bad thing. While the melodic passages might be more subdued, they still hit with an emphatic gut punch that is unmistakable. The fast tremolo picking of the guitar that pollutes this album is in debt to early thrash metal, especially "Up From The Crypt". And I have to disagree with Macabre about polish on this one; for as in debt as this album is to those early, rough thrash albums by Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer, Manilla Road perform these songs with such subtle precision and polish that some listeners might not even notice!

The album is produced remarkably well, highlighted by its thunderous bass lines. This album is relentless with its grooves, and after all of that, they throw a ballad on the end of the album "Dragon Star" that is the best song on the record! Honestly, I could see myself returning to this again and enjoying it even more than I did for the clan challenge. 

8/10

Rolo Tomassi - Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It

British Post-Hardcore/Mathcore outlet Rolo Tomassi's fine 2018 album that I discovered late in the year and really impressed with its melodic flare, songwriting and clean production. I'm surprised it hasn't been heard by more Metal Academics. FFO: The Dusk In Us by Converge

9/10

https://rolotomassi.bandcamp.com/album/time-will-die-and-love-will-bury-it

Interesting. One thing that needs to be taken into consideration when looking at lists like this from big name publications like MetalSucks is that many of their choices are determined by a mainstream consensus. That is to say that the albums that are reviewed by a lot of people are given special prominence; there is no room for nuance. Case in point, there is no reason as to why Metallica's Hardwired should be anywhere near a list of the albums of the decade other than name recognition. These are the decades most popular metal albums and while I do enjoy a fair number of them, I also understand that The Ocean, Cult of Luna, Deafheaven are here because of their gross popularity throughout the decade. And many other mainstream lists are going to look very similar.

My personal top ten would probably look something like:

10. Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage TIE: Wilderun - Veil of Imagination/Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here

9. Cult of Luna - A Dawn to Fear

8. Ishahn - After

7. Insomnium - Winters Gate

6. Threshold - Legend of the Shires

5. Ayreon - The Theory of Everything

4. Trees of Eternity - Hour of the Nightingale

3. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I

2. Saor - Guardians

1. Fen - Winter

EDIT: I've honestly thought about this list a lot lately nine months removed from the 2010s and while my list still holds up, I did make a slight change at the number 10 position. I think the tie at the bottom makes this list far more enjoyable. If I had to have a tiebreaker, I guess AiC would just miss the cut.

Okay, so I'm a noob who never experienced the thrash metal wave that took over the scene during the 1980s. What was the initial reaction to Overkill's debut record, Feel the Fire in comparison to...Metallica or Megadeth? Why do Overkill get so heavily overlooked? Would they have been in "The Big Five" if such a thing existed? Perhaps someone like Sonny would be able to provide me with some much needed context.

As for the record itself, I was not at all impressed by the debut LP. I'll keep my review brief, but this record feels really sloppy, both in the production, as well as in the overall performance. Overkill would redeem themselves substantially with Taking Over and The Years of Decay in the following years. If Overkill were in fact overlooked during the eighties, it was probably because of this album. You only have one chance to make a good first impression I guess.

6/10

Hi Ben. Can we add the new Ayreon record Transitus?

Can we add Ohms, the newest album by Deftones?

I agree with Daniel with his assessment of Converge's All We Love We Leave Behind. I found this record to be far more enjoyable than the bands more critically successful Jane Doe from 2001.

And given my opinion on that record to be quite controversial, Converge fixed the production significantly from that record, and created a throwback album that is more refined, melodic and well thought out than any in their entire discography. It's still ruthless and aggressive as hell, but in a more developed and intentional way. One that I greatly appreciate and marks the turning point (at least for me) where I start to "get" Converge. Mathcore is not a genre I take lightly, but Converge deliver here.

8/10 

Not very much to say about Ok nefna tysvar ty. I did enjoy most of what I heard, but to be honest, this feels like a step down from their next album, Heralding: The Fireblade. Perhaps that was a part of Falkenbach's appeal, specifically playing out their folk/Viking metal sound, without the more blatant black metal influence of this album's successor. Like Macabre before me, I cannot criticize a band for that, but parts of this album do feel dull, especially on its second half. The lack of experimentation that was deployed on Heralding was far more engaging.

7/10

I have to admit, I've never really cared for Helloween in the same way that I have for the bands that would have taken influence from Helloween, particularly during the early part of the 1990s. For me, Blind Guardian and Nightwish have always been my go to groups. Whether or not that is the byproduct of my age and not growing up with Helloween is a very likely possibility, but I have always viewed Helloween as the birthplace of the style, not as its de-facto form.

As a result, my experience with Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II was not at all surprising. Good stuff, solid hooks, Michael Kiske's strong vocal timbre to play out the heightened fantastical storytelling, but carried by less than stellar production that keeps much of the low end muted. I would have liked to hear more developed song structures, rather than rapid transitions between ideas, an idea that was carried in a greater capacity in the same year by Queensrÿche on Operation: Mindcrime. And yes, that album does share a lot of similarities with Helloween's album.

I generally enjoy 1990s (and beyond) power metal, so it was nice to go back and hear the genre in its earliest form. And I did enjoy parts of what I heard, even if I personally believe that Helloween were surpassed in nearly every way by artists/bands taking influence from them in the future.

7/10

Dopethrone is a tale of two albums for me. As a straight up piece of music, it really isn't that fantastic. The forms of the individual songs are very simplistic and repetitive. And with no sense of development in those themes, it leaves the songs memorable for sure, and they are groovy as hell, but they grow tiresome very quickly. For me, I prefer the albums shorter song forms like "Barbarian", "We Hate You" and "Funeralopolis" on occasion.

But as I outlined in my review, I think that the "Stoner" portion of the "Stoner Metal" tag is essential to really enjoying this album in the way that so many have highly regarded this album over the years, including myself for a time. Dimming the lights in my dorm room, getting high, and blasting Dopethrone was a hell of an experience, but it almost always turned into background noise, which in hindsight, is kind of disappointing.

I still occasionally return to individual songs from this record, but never in its entirety. I put Stoner Metal in the same designation as I do with Deep/Techno House while I'm playing video games; it's great music that fits the environment, but that does not always make for a great pure album listening experience.

6/10

Venom's debut record was a forward thinking project that combined elements of NWOBHM, Speed Metal, Hardcore Punk, and laid the groundwork for extreme metal with some very subtle Black Metal tinges scattered throughout this record. And listening to this record today, it has aged remarkably well! I see why this album has received legendary status by those who've heard it.

9/10

Big Tool fan here. While Undertow set a very high standard for this band, it was Ænima that sent them over the edge from a critical standpoint. And when the band were creating well thought out developments of their original sound, they created some of their best all around songs in their entire discography. However, in their bid to become more progressive/avant-garde, Tool created something that was trying to be humouous, but ended up falling flat. If they took out all of those damn interludes, the album would have been more streamlined and perhaps would not feel like a slog by the time you reach "Pushit" and "Third Eye".

6/10

I recently checked out this album and I understand where Andi is coming from with his take. With the very short song structures, atonality in the guitars, the intensity of the percussion and vocal howls, I can see why someone might call this "Grindcore leaning".

But what I hear is just a hardcore punk album with some very obvious metal tendencies. I know very little about Grindcore, but of the little of it that I have heard, I can comfortably say that this sounds nothing like that! I would say that from a compositional standpoint, this reminds me more of straight up Mathcore than anything else. It's macho, it's ruthless and it sounds like "LET'S OPEN UP THIS PIT!" music. That alone makes me think that this should stay pat where it is, as a Metalcore album.

For an album with as much going on as the self titled debut from BABYMETAL has, I find it very difficult to find much to say about the music itself. It borrows elements from across the entire musical spectrum into one very messy album. There is trap, reggae, oriental, dubstep, nu-metal, power metal, j-pop. I enjoy the power metal moments the most (such as the songs "Akatsuki" and the closer "Ijime, Dame, Zettai"), but everything feels forced in to cover as many bases as possible.

But the real reason why I am even reviewing this is because of the cultural impact it had when it was released. I was there to see the ridiculous backlash that this group faced when they dared to mix j-pop with heavy metal. Some people even went so far as to say that this album is the reason why metal died in the 2010s. When it comes to branching out and creating something that is accessible; to be consumed by a wide audience, BABYMETAL are the group that we needed. Heavy metal has always been isolated from the mainstream. I don't know how many people reading this feel the same way, but for a time, I fully embraced this outcast status, and in some regards, I still do to this day. But I am always welcoming of new faces into our clique in hopes of expanding our outreach. That's why I find it infuriating when metal acts do find some mainstream popularity, much of the metal community shuns them and treats them as "non-metal". We all have to start somewhere, and if BABYMETAL is the band that leads you down the rabbit hole to more interesting, and for lack of a better term, interesting music, then so be it.

That was long winded. I do not mean to insult anyone with my words, but the gatekeeping surrounding metal (and all genres of music for that matter) genuinely upsets me. As for BABYMETAL themselves, I think their reputation is tainted by poor single selection. If they chose one of the Power Metal leaning songs as promotional singles, they may have fared better.

5/10

P.S. I'm kind of disappointed that more people haven't gotten involved in talking about this album. I am genuinely intrigued to hear what my fellow metal fans think of this.

I have to take Sonny's stance on this one.

There are plenty of artists over the years whose stars have faded with time because their brand of "avant-garde" or "progressive" music becomes less forward thinking as more and more new bands/artists try to mimic that sound. It's part of the reason why my opinion of Dream Theater has fluctuated drastically over the years. But that does not make them less progressive/avant-garde by definition. I have been a staunch advocate for years now that genre tags are subjective and arbitrary ways of linking similar sounding music together in an attempt to lure in a new audience. I say this under the impression that I get from a band like Slayer. They are clearly a thrash metal band first and foremost, but their tone is so drastically heavier than their contemporaries. And I personally believe that without an album such as Hell Awaits, the genre that we know as Death Metal would not exist. So why does Possessed's Seven Churches have that sole honour? Same year, same style, but only one is viewed as the birthplace of a new genre.

Genre's are always changing and redefining their boundaries. But I also believe that it is important that we maintain historical importance as well. While I was learning about music history in school, I found it ever so important to know the historical background to a piece's conception and how it fared with it's contemporaries. Beethoven; the composer that is widely regarded as the face of classical music, was a rebel when he composed his most daring, romantic works. Jazz and early Rock & Roll were the poor man's music. And heavy metal was heretic. And the tags associated with each were added much later.

I guess what I am saying is that we can call an album "Thrash", but still recognize that, for a time, it was "Avant-Garde", even if those same designations do not hold up the same today. As for Into The Pandemonium, I do not believe that the "Avant-Garde" tag should be removed, because of the albums constant style changing for dramatic effect. 

Just shared my review. I had a lot to say so let me be brief:

Sunbather is a record that shocked a lot of people when it came out. Hell, it's still controversial even to this day. Some "metal purists" do not like the idea that their favourite genre is commercializing. They can't stand change. But change can be for the better. I believe that Deafheaven created the most culturally significant metal record of the 2010's and a great one to boot. The major chordal harmonies found within are truly spectacular and unlike anything I've heard in any strain of extreme metal. The atmosphere is warm and uplifting rather than cold and brooding. It is flawed for sure, but its unique charm almost makes me lenient by default.

8/10

P.S. If you like this new wave of blackgaze, may I suggest giving artists such as White Ward, Sylvaine and Unreqvited a chance as well. 

I am a melo-death fan first and foremost in this clan, so take my opinion with a grain of salt everyone.

Here's an honest question for my like minded metal-head friends: after the initial shock of this albums creating a new genre called "death 'n' roll", what else is there to this album? This album is a mashup of straightforward rock grooves, and crunchy distorted death metal, usually included with deep howls. And while I might appreciate the effort, it does not resonate at all. To me, this album sounds like what Pantera might have resembled if they had driven more into darker subsections of the heavy metal landscape. There are a lot of influences from hardcore/crust punk as well, but at least many of those albums bothered to have a tune. Outside of "Full of Hell", I can't recall anything here. As an introduction to the style, I can only hope that this isn't the best this subgenre has to offer.

4/10

I may have been too generous when I reviewed Frizzle Fry back in April. I found the record to be tolerable, but pretty boring. And so when I reviewed this record, I was happy to hear some evolution from a production standpoint, but had to drop off considerable points from it with the songwriting. I know it's meant to be corny and wacky and doesn't take itself too seriously, but where are the hooks/grooves? Nowhere to be heard as far as I can tell.

I toss this record up in the same vein as any modern math rock record; one that tries to be fancy with all of its crazy time signature changes and oddball guitar solos, but lacking in any substance. In other words, Sailing the Seas of Cheese is the definition of a wank-fest.

5/10

I'm not gonna lie, this album left me conflicted. I can see it's appeal. I can tell that the album is really good, and just like with Darkthrone's A Blaze In The Northern Sky, I am truly grateful that it exists. But as I said in my review, this record feels like an attempt to "commercialize" metal; to make it popular in hopes that it may become a trend. The self titled record from Sabbath managed to be a far more unique experience.

I have lived my entire life as a fan of metal and have always been treated as an outsider because of it. When I turn on classic rock radio and I hear "Paranoid" or "Iron Man" come on, I enjoy it, but something about it feels wrong. As if heavy metal could not have become a phenomenon without it. Granted, this was the 1970s and promoting your music was far more challenging; you could not just post on Facebook with "hey guys check out my demo!" and if it was not accessible within reason, radio would never play it. 

That said, this is still a very good record, one that would set the framework for an entire genre and this entire website. We are all incredibly grateful for its existence.

7/10

I won't say that Leviathan is the bands "best" record, but it is the one that ascended them into household names... and rightfully so. The commercial success of "Blood and Thunder" may have resulted in the change of direction beyond Crack the Skye in 2009, but their songwriting was impeccable to go along with some catchy as hell riffs. I noticed that BABYMETAL is also featured this month in the clan challenges, so I'll go into more detail about this later, but when a certain crowd of metal fans get antsy that their favourite band is becoming mainstream, sometimes it's warranted.

8/10

This is excellent! I'm looking forward to using this feature to search for new artists/albums that have gone unnoticed.