Sonny's Forum Replies

S.N.F. - ...Acting like a Fool (1989)

S.N.F. were a five-piece formed in Santiago in 1987 and this 24-minute, seven track EP is the only recording they ever released before disappearing from the thrash metal radar completely and, unlike a lot of their contemporaries, never returning. The version available on YouTube sounds very professionally recorded and of superior quality when compared to the demos of most of their contemporaries in the chilean scene although, obviously, I don't know if this accurately reflects the quality of the original cassette release.

"Acting like a Fool" sits between conventional thrash and crossover thrash, particularly with it's subject matter of political topics and their irreverent manner on obvious "party track" "Mr. Harry". I am not always the biggest fan of early crossover thrash, to be honest, but the punkier, crossover tracks like "Disorder" and "Euthanasia" would certainly hold up well against the more lauded stuff from US bands like D.R.I. or The Accüsed, in my opinion. Elsewhere, "The End of the World Cabaret", "Soldiers of Nowhere" and "Let's Start Again" are more conventional and thrash pretty fucking hard, it must be said, with some really cool chugging riffs. The timekeeping of drummer Osvaldo Mellado is very competent and bassist Borracho's driving basslines provide able support to the chugging of the two guitarists who also turn in a decent solo or two.

These guys obviously weren't the finished item at this point, but I think for a quite young band this demo shows a lot of promise, yet in a now familiar story, they shortly disappeared from the music scene altogether. I don't know if there was some external factor that saw all these promising young chilean thrash bands disappear, or if it was just a question of economics and maybe the necessity to start earning a living forced them away from music. Unfortunately this seems to have cost the metal world a number of interesting acts.

4/5

When I was first getting back into metal, around the turn of the millenium, I had a very good friend who wasn't much of a metal fan, but was heavily into the female-fronted symphonic metal scene and through them I became interested in the Finns with the striking, classically-trained lead singer who, along with Italy's Lacuna Coil, seemed like the only ones in this style who seemed worth the attention. My first exposure to them was through their debut "Angels Fall First" album which had a number of tracks that impressed, particularly "Elvenpath" and "Astral Romance". Subsequent albums "Oceanborn" and especially "Wishmaster" always had a track or two that I enjoyed, "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion" on the former and the title track and "The Kinslayer" on the latter. By the early 2000s I was bathing in the dubious glories of more extreme metal genres like black and doom metal, yet I was still interested enough in new Nightwish material to take note, but unfortunately I thought 2002's Century Child was a dip in quality, so by the time of the release of 2004's "Once" I was not really that interested. However, videos for "Nemo" and "Wish I Had an Angel" saw me being dragged back in by Tarja's charismatic presence, to the degree that I actually bought the album on CD while I was in town one weekend.

Now, I would be lying if I said that this was high on my list of all-time great metal releases, but I would be lying just as much if I claimed to dislike it completely. I have a natural aversion to overblown metal genres in general and symphonic metal in particular, but no one has ever rivalled Tarja-fronted Nightwish in the genre and every other band in this field so obviously wants to be them that they must have been doing something right. The operatic orchestration and synths may well be what draws people to this style of metal, but for me, it is the surprisingly heavy, yet melodic riffs, Tarja's vocals and their ability to write memorable tunes that are the beating heart of Nightwish and which none of their rivals can remotely match. There is a nice variation in pacing and atmosphere on "Once", from heavy and bombastic to reflective and wistful which manages to keep me engaged for the total runtime. The band are obviously well-versed in their instruments and the clarity of the production allows them all their space to impress and in Tarja Turunen they have probably the singularly most accomplished and physically striking frontwoman in the history of metal. 

It may do my metal street-cred no good whatsoever (as if I could give a shit), but I happily chuck "Once" into the CD player now and then when I just want to hear some entertaining metal solely for enjoyment and to feel uplifted and not to think about too deeply. And that's as high a recommendation as I can give to an album in this style and, in fact, I'm listening to it right now and it sounds better than ever!

4/5

World Below - Repulsion (2006)

World Below are a relatively unknown name outside of diehard swedish doom metal fandom. Formed in 1999, they involve veterans of a plethora of swedish metal bands such as Scar Symmetry, Grave and Carnal Forge, among many others, and have released three full-lengths to date, of which Repulsion is the third. They are still mooted as a going concern, but have been silent, at least as far as recorded material goes, for almost two decades now.

Repulsion is made up of five lengthy tracks with a 50+ minute runtime. Musically it has it's feet firmly planted in the eighties and early nineties and the old-school traditional doom metal of Pentagram, The Obsessed and lesser-known lights like Revelation with plenty of Sabbath-y moments, particularly during opening track, "Monsters in the Closet", with it's Ozzy-like vocals and "Children of the Grave" aping riff. Whilst the first half of the album sit firmly within the traditional doom metal sphere, the second also contains a significant stoner rock component and the album as a whole makes a nod or two in a progressive direction, particularly the epic twenty-minute, closer, "Monument", giving the second half more than a passing resemblance to the work of prog-stoner bands like Merlin.

The songwriting is very good, with the tracks all developing nicely, feeling like they are actually going somewhere and the technical aspects are very accomplished. The riffs are suitably heavy and mournful, the rhythm section of drummer Ronnie Bergerstål and bassist / vocalist Mikael Danielsson are unfussy and direct, providing solid footing for guitarist Jonas Kjellgren to launch some very satisfying solos, his Tony-Iommi influenced guitar work being the focal point for almost all the album's best moments.

It may well be that Repulsion is not going to satisfy the doom fan looking for bleak as hell, crushingly heavy, ultra-slow riffs and mournful, heart-achingly bereft vocals and the inclusion of some old-fashioned, rock-based riffs may further tip the scales against it, but if you are willing to forgive it it's perceived transgressions then it contains some fantastic lead work and memorable stoner doom riffs coupled with epic and skillful songwriting that may just persuade you of it's undoubted merits.

4/5

Year of the Cobra - ...In the Shadows Below (2016)

I first encountered this Seattle-based doom duo via their "The Black Sun" debut ep in 2015 and I have been quite the fan ever since. Comprising husband and wife team of bassist and vocalist Amy Tung and drummer, Jon Barrysmith, Year of the Cobra are a unique voice in the world of doom metal. Of course they are influenced by the usual suspects, such as Saint Vitus, Sabbath et al, but they eschew the use of guitars, relying on Amy's bass riffs to power the songs. Her bass playing reminds me quite often of Geezer Butler's classic Sabbath style, which oftentimes lends it a psychedelic and bluesy edge, planting Year of the Cobra firmly in the stoner doom camp. Vocally, she mainly uses a languid and breathy style that is laid-back and seductive like a nightclub jazz songstress, check out opener "Lion and the Unicorn" for a prime example. That isn't her only play, however, and she can also project more force when the need arises.

There are a number of pitfalls with having such a bare bones set-up of course, the tendency to fall into repetitive and hypnotic trance-like pieces for one, or just producing very basic, lo-fi garage metal with a heavy punk influence is another scenario. YotC fall into neither of these traps, however, thanks to an ability to write really nice doomy bass riffs which enable them to produce actual songs rather than just drawn-out jams, which are at once melodic and reasonably memorable, with an admirable variation in tempos and styles, from the longer, hulking, conventional doom tracks, through the psych-inflected catchiness of "Spider and the Fly", the punky vitality and urgency of "Persephone" and doom'n'roll of "Temple of Apollo" to bluesy jams such as closer "Electric Warrior". I think the bass lines are multi-tracked quite often, which also allows Amy's playing to become more expansive. Drummer Johannes is every bit as important to the success of the duo, his impeccable timekeeping obviously underpinning the tracks, but also his busy, jazzy style, again referencing Sabbath and drummer Bill Ward's love of jazz drummers, provides plenty to hold the the listener's attention and to engage with.

In conclusion, I think "...in the Shadows Below" is a great example of how much can be accomplished in the doom and stoner sphere by creative minds, even with the most basic of set-ups. Considering that, apart from a bit of multi-tracking, this is truly just drum, bass, and voice, the resulting variety, melodicism and memorability is an impressive feat of artistic endeavour.

4/5

Thanks Daniel. The RYM genre voting pixies have fucked up again on this one.

Spectral Wound - Songs of Blood and Mire (2024)

For the past decade or so, black metal releases have come at the rate of three to four thousand a year and a significant number of these are, to be frank, sub-standard efforts. Atmospheric, dissonant and avant-garde sub-genres are in the ascendancy and a vociferous portion of fans seem to want metal bands to be forever pushing the envelope. Within this landscape I, for one, am glad there are still bands, like Spectral Wound, that hark back to the genre's early nineties beginnings and understand that it is still possible to produce black metal that has actual tunes, whilst not compromising on the visceral savagery that is at the heart of it's ethos.

I was a big fan of the Quebecois five-piece's previous album, 2021's A Diabolic Thirst, so I was already well predisposed to their latest. Since A Diabolic Thirst there has been one personnel change, with Sean Zumbusch being replaced by Cauchemar bassist, Andres Arango, on second guitar. Even so, Spectral Wound haven't missed a step and time will tell, but I believe Songs of Blood and Mire is the band's best work to date, sounding like the product of a band who are supremely confident in their ability to deliver their vision faultlessly. Their songwriting is pretty much flawless, with well-written riffs that have an inherent memorability, yet which still project an icy savagery that belies their melodicism. Vocalist Jonah Campbell possesses a vitriolic shriek that doubles-down on the instrumental viciousness and ensures that there is no misconception about just how blasphemic these guys are. There are some nice tempo changes, from Celtic Frost-inspired chuggy slower sections to full-on, blistering, blastbeat-led, sharp-edged charges and brief black 'n' roll outbursts, rendering any possible accusations of saminess invalid. The lyrical content is almost gothic, but very black metal, concerning as it does, the occult predilections of the protagonist, who comes across like a fallen knight of old whose pursuit of forbidden knowledge has damned his soul. Technically, all five seem, to my untrained ears at least, to be exceedingly proficient with never a missed beat or note to be found anywhere.

The whole album feels very heavy for black metal, more akin to death metal in the heaviness stakes, whilst still unashamedly residing in the black metal realm. The production may have something to do with this heaviness as it is quite robust and deep, like a full-bodied red wine and it veers away from the thin, lo-fi sound you may normally expect with similar material, which works exceedingly well here. The production also plays no favourites, a crystal clarity and with all the band members being well-represented in the mix each has ample opportunity to shine.

I have to say, I am especially impressed by Songs of Blood and Mire. I was honestly starting to believe that black metal's best releases were all firmly in the past, but these guys have thankfully showed me the errors of such defeatist thinking and proved that the heart of black metal is still capable of pumping icy blood into the veins of the world's metal hordes even in these anodyne, corporation-dominated times. Come, enter the crypt and be saved.

4.5/5

 I am familiar with the Walknut and Satyricon tracks and it was fantastic to hear them again.

I absolutely love "Walk the Path of Sorrow" & my recent revisit of "Dark Medieval Times" has only further fueled those flames. It's the only genuine classic on that record in my opinion. I could have picked a number of tracks from "Graveforests & Their Shadows" actually but the extra aggression in the shorter closing track gave it a slight edge over the other more solid inclusions on that album.

I don't mind DMT, but The Shadowthrone is my favourite Satyricon album if you don't count the The Forest Is My Throne / Yggdrasill split with Enslaved.

I have been rather negligent in my black metal listening recently, but now that winter is coming I can feel that icy flame rekindling once more. The problem is that there is just so much utter trash released under the black metal banner nowadays that it is hard to know where to look for the best that the frosty North has to offer. If only there was a website that published a regular playlist where genre specialists selected the best the genre has to offer to make finding something great to listen to a much less hit and miss affair!

All facetiousness aside, this month's playlist has indeed re-ignited my black metal fire, so great job, guys. I am familiar with the Walknut and Satyricon tracks and it was fantastic to hear them again. Possibly my favourite track on the list was the Spectral Wound track - I really liked previous album, A Diabolic Thirst, but haven't yet heard the latest, so there's one new one to try for sure. Other top picks for me were Theotoxin, One of Nine, Ethereal Shroud and Umbra Conscientia with honourable mentions to Schammasch, Amestigon, Forlorn and Nahtrunar. It seems that now I have no excuse for not turning Northwards once more, so bring on the blasphemy and thanks for such sterling work everyone.

The Ufomammut / Lento collaboration album, Supernaturals - Record One is definitely worth listening to. Ufomammut's Eve (which I actually reviewed today, coincidentally) is mostly instrumental, having only a very small amount of vocals. Sea Witch's The Blackened Sea may also be worth you checking out.

Ufomammut - Eve (2010)

Ufomammut's fifth album, Eve, is, essentially, a single suite made up of five parts, with a total runtime of 45 minutes and is a concept album centred on the Fall of Man as Adam's wife, Eve, was tempted by a serpent to persuade her husband that they should eat an apple from the Tree of Knowledge, resulting in their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. I am a massive fan of the italian trio and I will lay it out up front, this 2010 album is my favourite release of theirs.

Ufomammut have always really been about atmosphere rather than "songs". Their space-rock influenced, psychedelic, sludgy doom metal is ever an experience and a sensation rather than an invitation to sing or hum along with the band. The band's inate heaviness registers nearly as high on the tactile scale as it does on the sonic, it's lower registers being felt almost as keenly as heard. Well, on Eve they achieve an even deeper level of atmosphere creation by introducing tropes derived from atmospheric sludge practitioners like Neurosis and Cult of Luna. This takes the form of tracks that begin deceptively serenely, building intensity, layer on layer, often accompanied by spacey, electronic flourishes until reaching a critical mass and achieving cathartic climax by exploding into roars of thundering downtuned bliss.

The opening section is a 14-minute prime example of this and is probably my favourite Ufomammut track. It builds gently, but inexorably, with an almost mystic, ritualistic, eastern vibe which may or may not have been the inspiration for the track "Pearl Snake" on Hexer's 2017 debut album Cosmic Doom Ritual, before erupting in a bassy roar, complete with bludgeoning drumming and a feedback-drenched guitar lead. As this chaos subsides we enter part II, which is another builder, but this time the build-up involves a repetitive three-note piano theme, accompanied by crashing cymbals and brooding synths that is sinister and faintly disturbing in a being-stalked-by-a-masked-killer kind of way. After this second part has reached it's apex, however, it doesn't subside into part three, but this short section doubles-down on the heaviness of the previous part's climax with a thunderous riff, accompanied by theremin-like synths and a distant roaring vocal decrying the horror of the original couple's act of defiance.

A further short section follows with a throbbing riff and ethereal voices that travel from speaker to speaker as if blowing in the aether, eventually giving way to a howling guitar solo as, presumably, the miscreant pair pay the price for the betrayal of their god. The closing section of Eve is another longer track, over thirteen minutes, that treads a now familiar furrow with a fairly repetitive and lumbering riff, once more accompanied by theremin-like cosmic airs, which eventually subside, leaving the simplistic riff to gain weight and transform into a thundering colossus which picks up pace as it becomes a maelstrom of violence as the couple pay the price for their folly and are ejected from The Garden, closing the album with a riotous and impressively heavy coda.

I like the implementation of the concept here, with the music interpreting the tale in an accessible manner without resorting to lengthy reams of lyrical verbiage, in fact the amount of vocals is very small indeed with the total lyrics for the whole album amounting to less than twenty lines, so the story never gets in the way of the music. The building of intensity and atmosphere that the band have introduced from atmo-sludge fits their style of ultra-heavy psychedelic metal to a tee and sees the band take a step up in quality as a a result here, I believe. Eve is basically a stoner's wet dream of repetition, heavy distortion and spacey electronic touches that, if I were so inclined, would have me reaching for the nearest available bong in celebration of it's awesomeness.

4.5/5

The Wandering Midget - The Serpent Coven (2008)

The Wandering Midget were a finnish three-piece, formed in 2005 and split in 2020, who played traditional doom metal very much in similar vein to Reverend Bizarre. In fact, guitarist and vocalist Samuel Wormius has a voice that is remarkably similar to RB's Albert Witchfinder, making the comparison even more pertinent. The Serpent Coven marks the band's debut full-length, released in 2008 and comprises a short intro and five fairly lengthy tracks, clocking in between eight and thirteen minutes, so not as monolithically drawn out as Reverend Bizarre were often wont to be, but long enough to provide the full doom metal experience.

Fuzzy, crawling riffs, accompanied by glacial drum patterns and rumbling bass lines are the order of the day here. B-movie lyrics of the occult and monsters, both Lovecraftian and classic, tread the well-worn path of traditional doom metal lyrical tropes, delivered in an unfussy, basic style familiar to fans of finnish doom metal. The Serpent Coven's sluggish, Sabbathian-derived riffs ooze from the speakers with the implacable ponderousness of lava and the weight of mountains, delivering the goods for any doom metal junkie looking for another fix of the drug that had had it's supply cut off with RB's demise the year before. No marks for originality I'm afraid, but the tracks are well put together with some nice tempo changes, the rhythm section's work is simple, but effective and Wormius delivers some pretty good solos which stops the tracks from becoming too monolithic, all of which makes for a high quality doom metal release in my book.

And that is all there is to it, really. If you have ever heard Reverend Bizarre and thought "I like this but why do the tracks have to be so damned long", then The Wandering Midget may well appeal to you. If RB never floated your boat in any way then there's little chance these guys will either. For me, this delivers exactly what I look for in traditional doom metal and is an uncomplicated slab of metal that summons forth primal forces and allows my mind to drift and wallow in the album's slothful heaviness.

4/5

A really solid list this month guys. There were one or two standouts, though. Number one for me was The Chasm track - I really need to dig deeper into these guys' discography. I have only heard their 2000 album, "Procession to the Infraworld" which I dug quite a lot. Elsewhere, tracks that stood out, that I was unaware of, were those by Edge of Sanity, Necrot, Defeated Sanity and Mortem. A few I already know and enjoy were from Coffins, Nile and Immolation. The only one I struggled with a bit was the Kataklysm track, mainly because of the vocals - I liked the tone of them, but the guy's delivery was really awkward and it seemed like he was trying to cram too many lyrics into each line which I ultimately found distracting. 

Nice work by everyone involved.

Paul Chain's Violet Theatre - Detaching From Satan (1984)

Detaching From Satan was Paul Chain's first release following his split from the legendary Death SS and was a four-track EP with Chain writing the songs, playing guitar and organ and performing vocals, helped out by drummer Enrico Giampaoli and bassist Paolo Giannotti. After an organ and sound effects intro, "Occultism" kicks off with a doomy Sabbathian riff, heavily informed by the NWOBHM, so having a quite rock-y feel to it. In it's mid-section Chain's guitar lead takes over and we are treated to an extended solo before things get back on track. I actually quite enjoy Chain's singing here, but I can understand why others may struggle with it as it is very reedy and he certainly isn't the most gifted vocalist in the world, yet I feel it really suits the lo-fi aesthetic and general weird vibe of the EP.

"Armageddon" is up next and after a quite substantial, choral, hymn-like intro, we are treated to another terrific, pounding riff that Witchfinder General would have been proud to have written, followed by another display of Chain's demented guitar shredding. "Voyage to Hell" follows a similar template, but here the vocals sound even more demented as Chain tries to add a harsher edge to his singing performance and often sounds genuinely unhinged. Closer "17 Day" is the EP's longest track, running for just short of eight minutes and here his vocals are probably least weird-sounding with him lowering his register a bit and even sounding almost normal. After two or three minutes, an eerie organ interlude insinuates itself into the track, acting as prelude to another extended solo as Chain allows himself to let it all hang out with a climactic ending.

So, this neat 19 minute EP is quite effective as a calling card for Paul Chain as if he is "putting himself into the shop window", so to speak, after his departure from Death SS. His catchy riffs and dextrous guitar solos are the main raison d'etre of these four tracks and I think it also does a good job of displaying Chain's quirky character. I like this quite a lot and it is an interesting release in the development of doom metal, particularly in his home country of Italy and shows the guy as an intriguing character having a quite singular style.

4.5/5

Windhand - Windhand (2011)

I have never made any secret of the fact that Windhand are my favourite female-fronted metal band and are also one of my favourite stoner doom bands, full-stop. My introduction to them actually began with their sophomore, the excellent Soma, and it wasn't until a year or two later that I tuned this, their debut in, finaly scoring a CD copy from Bandcamp after hearing Winter Sun on the band's Live at Roadburn album. Released in 2012, the debut followed a two-track practice space demo from 2010, which contained my two favourites from the debut, which also bookend the album, the opener "Black Candles" and closer and the previously mentioned, "Winter Sun".

From the very earliest days, it seems that Windhand were a band who knew exactly what they were about and the sort of sound that they were looking for. That sound is characterised by plodding, dirge-like, distorted riffs that still contain a melodic sensibility, psychedelia-tinged solos, distant, soaring female vocals that seem as if heard on the wind or in a dream and an esoteric and occult vibe. These traits are certainly in evidence here in spades on their first official release and provide the foundation and launchpad for a climb to the summit of the stoner doom mountain. Each of the five tracks on Windhand begin in a very similar manner, with a crawling bassline which is then joined by the heavily distorted main riff and hard-hitting drumbeats, followed shortly after by Dorthea Cottrell's ethereal, ghost-like vocals.

Despite the heaviness that the band generate, Windhand are still very melodic, with both the riffs and Dorthea's vocal lines being really memorable, in a still-humming-it-several-hours-later kind of way. Being a child of the late-60's and 70's I really love the retro guitar solos from guitarists Garrett Morris and ex-Alabam Thunderpussy six-string slinger, Asechiah Bogdan, both of whose swirling leadwork is heavily tinged with psychedelic tendencies. The rhythm work of bassist Nathan Hilbish and drummer Ryan Wolfe, who was previously drummer with sludge / hardcore crew, Facedowninshit, is the slow-drying glue that holds everything together, anchoring the ponderous doom-laden atmosphere that allows the guitarists to take off on their sonic flights of fancy without trading-in any of the album's inate heaviness and providing the counter to Dorthea's light and airy vocals.

Sure, this style of female-led occult doom has now become a little bit old hat now, with a seeming small army of such bands abounding, but Windhand were one of those who first took the psychedelic occult vibe of early-70's acts like Coven or Black Widow and marrying it to the punishing, dirge-like riffs of Sleep or Electric Wizard to produce this modern occult doom sound. That, and they do it so much better than everyone else. Need proof? Two words - "Winter Sun".

5/5

Atomic Aggressor - Bloody Ceremonial Demo EP (1989)

Now this is a very impressive demo indeed. The cover art is very good, produced by the band's guitarist Enrique Zúñiga and the package has a much more polished look than a lot of the demos of the time (although it is still a cassette demo, so don't expect wonders). The original demo sounds OK, albeit a bit muddy, but if you hear a rip of the 2021 vinyl 10" re-release then the sound has a much more meaty depth to it and good clarity, although the bottom end is still king and the solos in particular sometimes sound a little bit thin, as on the original. It features four tracks, "Beyond Reality", "Bleed in the Altar", "Bloody Ceremonial" and "The Session" - the band even made a video demo of the track "Beyond Reality" (see below).

Musically this is an authentic slab of early South American deaththrash (certainly the earliest example I have found of chilean death metal), the band having shed a llot of the thrash metal influence from their sound and it has an impressive level of aggression and brutality that would certainly have rivalled any number of better-known acts were the band to have taken off at the time. Sadly, that wasn't to be and the band split in 1992 after their third demo failed to garner them any attention from record labels. Of course, things being what they are, the band reunited in the 2000's and are still going, but by then these songs were nothing particularly outstanding and so have never gained the respect that they may have had had they broken through first time around.

For a young band playing extreme metal in the late-80's, the four-piece sound pretty tight and considering that this was their first recording since forming in 1985, it seems they had wisely spent the intervening four years practicing the shit out of the material. I'm guessing that Atomic Aggressor were familiar with the early US death metal demos from the likes of Death and Morbid Angel because the four tracks have more in common with those than demos from more thrash-oriented acts like Possessed and Brazil's Mutilator. Vocalist Alejandro Díaz has a nice guttural sneer and he also delivers some impressive basslines too. The riifs are filthy-sounding chuggers and the soloing of twin guitarists, Zuniga and Jaime Moya, is exceedingly accomplished, stretching well beyond the King / Hanneman squeals so much in vogue at the time.

All-in-all this is an impressive piece of work and is definitely something I could listen to in it's own right, especially in it's later re-released format, not just as a historical documentation of a time and a place, but as a bona fide slab of early death metal.

4/5

And here's that original video demo:

I checked this out via their "The Collection of Carnage" compilation on Spotify and I've got to say it is great. Even I can hear a thread linking this to the first Neuropath demo. There is just something about the vicious brutality and sheer untrammelled exuberance of these early death metal demos that inherently appeals to me, sometimes even more so than the official releases. I think death metal sounds best when it has that filthy underground feeling that these demos possess. Death metal shouldn't be shiny and clean if you ask me (which no one did, of course).

You are dead right, Daniel, those uber-gutteral vocals are awesome.

Smoulder - Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring (2019)

Smoulder are a five-piece formed in 2013 and centred around married couple, guitarist Shon Vincent and vocalist Sarah Ann. Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring marked the band's debut full-length and followed their well-received three-track demo, The Sword Woman, which supplied two of the six tracks featured here.

Musically the album skirts the border between epic doom and good, old-fashioned heavy metal, tinged with a pinch of USPM. They lean more towards the triumphal heroicism of Solstice's brand of epic doom rather the more mournful laments of, say, Solitude Aeternus with the tempos of most of the tracks edging towards the pacier end of the doom metal arsenal, never really dropping to the ploddingly mournful pacing more common of most doom metal albums. The downtuned guitar and meaty bottom end still sit this within the doom metal sphere, though, with only a couple of tracks, "Bastard Steel" and "Voyage of the Sunchaser", edging into heavy or power metal territory and both of which are riotous, fist-pumping headbangers. The riffs on display throughout are solid and project vitality, power and strength, whether galloping at pace or hulking at a more sedate pace. The riffs are more than capably bolstered by a tight-knit rhythm section of drummer Kevin Hester and bassist Adam Blake, both of whose work is neat and effective. The leadwork of both Shon Vincent and second guitarist Collin Wolf is confidently done, with some fine solos that are expressive and exhilharating without ever leaning towards the self-indulgent.

Inevitably, though, the main focus of attention is going to be vocalist Sarah Ann Kitteridge whose powerful pipes are perfectly suited to the more epic style that Smoulder are going for. Like a female Messiah Marcolin, her voice soars above the instrumentation, demanding the attention of the listener. This is no slight on the rest of the band members, but her voice does project such irresistible power that it is impossible for it not to become the focus and luckily she has the talent to carry off such a central role, never wavering or losing pitch which, unfortunately, I hear all too often nowadays from vocalists operating outside their capabilities.

The songwriting is generally of a high quality and is split between most of the band members, with only Adam Blake not contributing, which allows for some nice variation, yet illustrates the band's unity of vision as the tracklisting is very consistent. Lyrically, they fall back on the well-worn metal trope of sword and sorcery epic fantasy storytelling for the most part, with opener, "Ilian of Garathorm" delving into an old epic metal staple, Michael Moorcock's world of Elric and The Eternal Champion.

Overall this is a well-executed slab of triumphalistic metal that reaches back to the earlier days of the genre, yet is still refreshingly exciting and vital and should appeal to anyone who still loves the power and glory of epic metal storytelling.

4/5

Slomatics - Estron (2014)

Slomatics are a little-known doom metal three-piece from Belfast in Northern Ireland who formed in 2004. As well as their seven full-length albums they have featured on a slew of splits with the likes of Conan and MWWB, so have certainly been around the block a few times, despite making little impact outside of the hardcore doom metal fraternity. Estron was the band's fourth full-length, released in 2014 and, for me, still ranks as their best.

The album is a concise affair, it's seven tracks clocking in at 37 minutes, which is fairly brief for this style of doom metal. It kicks off with a great one-two punch of Troglorite and Tunnel Dragger the former of which runs straight into the latter, denying any respite from the looming, thunderous riffs. It is worth pointing out at this point that the trio has two guitarists and no bassist, yet despite this there is still a huge depth to the distorted riffs and the lack of a bassist is not readily apparent. The vocals are provided by drummer Martin Harvey and are quite thin and reedy, pushed down in the mix to give that distant, heard-on-the-wind kind of feeling that is quite popular in some corners of the doom world and of which I am quite a fan, actually. Harvey's drumming is also very good, with some busy fills and crashing cymbals aplenty, his work on "Futurian" illustrating this best. A feature that sets the band apart from most of their contemporaries is their sci-fi aesthetic which they express through the inclusion of spacey synths both within the tracks generally and in interlude, a trope that puts them more in-line with a band like Ufomammut than Monolord, despite being straight-up doomheads rather than stoners.

Side A, ie the first four tracks, continues in the relentlessly punishing mode of the two openers, providing little relief from it's menacing, booming riffs, other than a short synth-led breather during Tunnel Dragger. Side B is a bit different, featuring two longer tracks, bridged by a brief space ambient interlude called "Red Dawn", which is actually quite a soothing touch after all the sonic bombardment that had gone before it. Red Dawn's ambience leaks into the beginning of the album's longest track, the closer "The Carpenter" which I have seen touted as being about film director John Carpenter, which I would say is a good shout, because those first few minutes of the track come across very much like a John Carpenter soundtrack, which always had a very distinctive feel. Then, four minutes in, a huge, hulking riff kicks in and things get seriously heavy as the riff morph into a very close approximation to the famous riff from the track "Black Sabbath" with Harvey even begging "No, no,no..."

I love this album, I love the huge riffs, the distant-sounding vocals and the cosmic flourishes that lend it something a little different. It is eregiously heavy, yet still manages to turn in some nice melodies within the riffs that stop it becoming relentlessly monolithic. It manages to do something a little bit different whilst still sitting comfortably within the conventional doom metal template and, being quite short, it is never in danger of outstaying it's welcome.

4.5/5

Let's also not forget the awful cover songs on early Megadeth albums with Boots and Anarchy... both being especially loathesome.

Betrayed - Our Option EP [Demo] (1989)

Valparaíso's Betrayed formed in 1988 and Our Option is a four-track demo released in 1989 on cassette. The band went on to record one full-length, "1879 Tales of War", released in 1990 before splitting in 1994. Of course, like seemingly every other 80's chilean thrash band, they reformed in the new millenium (2007), releasing a couple of EPs so far.

Our Option has more of a crossover appeal than the earlier releases from the chilean scene, having a much punkier feel about it. The opening title track combines punky, d-beat style grooves with Scott Ian-influenced, choppy, chuggy riffs channelled straight from the grooves of Among the Living and is a lively opener that very much has a crossover thrash, snotty-nosed, rebellious aesthetic.

The second track, "You Are a Worm" leans even more into the Anthrax influence, whilst continuing with the crossover punkiness - at least initially. This is because it suddenly stops and gives way to a gentle guitar refrain that gives a bit of a pause in the action before the riffing kicks in again, accompanied by an energetic guitar solo which is followed by another breakneck charge to song's end. Meanwhile singer Blas Mateluna spits out the lyrics of everyday injustices with a suitable level of venomous anger, which is ironic seeing as he ultimately became a real estate agent!

Third track is the band's eponymous track, the anti-religious "Betrayed" which, again, displays an enormous amount of youthful energy and vitality and a really cool main riff, but which also sees them struggling technically in places, especially during the guitar solos which tend to get a bit messy. The demo is closed out by a short acoustic guitar piece, accompanied by storm sound affects, called "Alleviation" which is actually very nice, but very much at odds with the rest of the demo and I am not sure what the purpose of it's inclusion was, other than to illustrate another side to the band.

Soundwise the demo is OK and I have heard much worse, although it is obviously nothing like you would expect from modern demo recordings. Musically, I like the band's energy and punky spirit and they come across as a lively bunch whose shows were probably great fun. That said, they were obviously still quite young at the time and their technical skills would need some developing, but their songwriting was quite ambitious for a crossover band, although it too probably still needed work. Overall it's worth a listen and is a neat example of what sort of thing was going on in the metal underground in the late 1980's.

3/5

Ufomammut - Hidden (2024)

If you don't know what to expect from a new Ufomammut album by now, then you really haven't been paying attention. By this stage Ufomammut are a band who have a firmly established style and long ago perfected the recipe to deliver whatever they wish to express with their music, so if you haven't been seduced by the sounds this italian trio produce by now, then this won't do anything to change your opinion and you are probably best moving along.

So anyway, if you are still with me, Hidden is the Italians' eleventh full-length album and comprises six tracks of their trademark spacey, sludgy stoner metal. Blasting straight off with the ten-minute Crookhead, they make their intentions known with a mighty stoner riff that possesses a thundering roar usually only produced by a NASA rocket during take off. The key to Ufomammut's sound is the extreme distortion applied to both six- and four-strings and the driving nature of the riffs and rhythm section that propel a huge wall of sound with an irresistible kineticism, perfectly illustrated here on the opener. Combine this with the restrained, washed-out vocals and the inclusion of an arsenal of electronic beeps and squiggles and you have an exceedingly effective metal approximation of a rocket journey through space, with old "Space Ritual"-era Hawkwind being a quite obvious influence. Yet, despite all the spacey, wacked-out, stoner vibes, Ufomammut are also ridiculously heavy and when they slow the tempo down, the seismic ripples they generate could topple office blocks. Just check out the middle heavy section of the otherwise creepy-sounding second track, "Kismet", if you need an illustration of just how ball-crushingly heavy the trio can be.

For me, the attraction of Ufomammut is that they are a band in whose album's I can lose myself and just mentally float, drinking in the cosmic atmosphere that they create without having to ponder the context or the nuances of what the band are trying to convey. The experience is the point with these Italians, not the need to marvel at their ingenuity or technical prowess and that really is the mark of success for any stoner-adjacent band, the ability to be able to transport the listener to an alternative state of being through the expression of their art and if that is how I am to judge them, then I would have to declare Hidden to be an unqualified success.

4/5

One Sabbath song that has always irritated the shit out of me and spoils a brilliant album is "Am I Going Insane (Radio)" from Sabotage. I f***in' hate that song!!

My Dying Bride - A Line of Deathless Kings (2006)

I have a bit of an up and down relationship with the Yorkshire gothic doom crew which I have touched on many times previously. They are a band within whose albums I usually find plenty to enjoy, but they are prone to annoying me with an overly pretentious theatricality that, I personally think, demeans them and diminishes their work. To put it more succinctly MDB are a band I often like, but hardly ever love. Well, maybe that is about to change, because it appears that with A Line of Deathless Kings they finally shed the aspects of their persona that grate on me and accentuated the aspects that appeal. They had done the same to a lesser degree on 2001's The Dreadful Hours which, up until now, had been my favourite MDB album, but here they strip back the overtly gothic schtick even further and rely on their doom metal credentials instead to generate the mournful and melancholy atmosphere, being much the better for it, in my opinion. This approach also allows for some seriously heavy moments to thrust their monumental heads above the tragic atmospherics, the killer riffs of "Love's Intolerable Pain" and "One of Beauty's Daughters" (even with the synths) being such examples that reveal a Line of Deathless Kings to be a high tide mark of heaviness for the band.

The stripping away of the keys (for the most part), strings and Aaron Stainthorpe's ham-fisted, vampiric overacting seems to have given the band a fresh sense of direction and focus and produced an album that I find it much easier to identify with. They still manage to generate a mournful sense of longing, but it feels somehow more honest because it comes directly from the songwriting and not from the addition of layers of atmospherics, making the emotional heft feel more visceral and vital. Along with the atmospherics, the Yorkshiremen have also shed any remaining death metal influence on their sound resulting in their most pure doom metal album to date. The production, of course, is terrific with a clear, yet weighty feel that serves all of the members very well indeed, allowing all their contributions to be appreciated in full.

By the time of this ninth full-length it seems My Dying Bride had gained enough confidence in their own abilities to stop hiding behind the atmospherics and production and lay it all out in the open. I, for one, am absolutely ecstatic because A Line of Deathless Kings shows MDB to genuinely be the band I had always hoped they were capable of being. Sometimes a bit less is a lot more.

4.5/5

Moonspell - Wolfheart (1995)

Contrary to appearances, I don't think I am especially dogmatic when it comes to metal appreciation and one illustration of this is the softening of my stance regarding gothic metal over the last couple of years. At one time I wouldn't have given an album such as Wolfheart the time of day, but exposure to top gothic metal perpetrators such as Paradise Lost and Draconian has definitely shifted my view on the genre and what it is capable of. I recently listened to Moonspell's 2008 album, Night Eternal and I enjoyed it quite a bit, awarding it a princely four stars, so I went into the band's debut, 1995's Moonspell, with high hopes.

Was this optimism justified then? Well, yes... and no. Musically there was plenty here that took my fancy, the guitar work especially standing out. The tone of the six-strings is great and the bass supplies a nice deep bottom end. The riffs are dolorous, heavy and quite memorable but the solos are the best thing about the album, in fact it's a pity the leads aren't given a bit more of a free rein as I would have liked to hear more from Tanngrisnir and Mantus in the vein of the soloing in the latter part of the opener.

Unfortunately Wolfheart suffers from the same bugbear that I have always had with a lot of gothic metal, that of excessive cheesiness. This takes the form of a heavy-handed application of synths, smothering a number of the tracks with a suffocating layer of 1980's-like keyboards that just doesn't sit well with me at all. The synths aren't the only issue though because the vocals annoyed me almost as much. The gruff, deathly male vocals are fine, but the forced, deep, clean male vocals that seem intended to mimic Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker's Dracula still sound as ludicrous as I have always found that style of singing to be. There is, of course, several tracks with supposedly ethereal female vocals but, and I have no wish to be unkind, the effect is ruined because, to be frank, Birgit Zacher is here sounding like she is fighting to stay in tune, with "Love Crimes" especially sounding like she is struggling. Then, as if that wasn't enough there is also the track Trebaruna which is a full-on folk metal cheesefest and does absolutely nothing positive for me whatsoever.

Overall, then, I would have to say that although Wolfheart has some aspects I really enjoyed, especially when it is at it's heaviest or when the leads are firing off solos, the album's inherent theatricality is just too jarring for me to excuse completely, no matter how much I may enjoy it's positives and so ultimately it's score has to be accordingly middle-of-the-road.

3/5

Necrosis - The Search (1988)

The full-length album, The Search, was the only official release from the first iteration of Santiago's Necrosis before they split in 1990 and is the earliest chilean thrash album I could find. It was released in July of 1988 on vinyl and limited to 3500 copies with four of it's eight tracks having debuted on the 1987 Kingdom of Hate demo, the lineup here being identical to the one that was responsible for the demo.

As I said during my review of Kingdom of Hate, Necrosis' sound is very much rooted in the Bay Area thrash scene, particular touchpoints being Exodus and Testment and The Search is more of the same, with mid- to fast-paced chugging riffs, tight, aggressive guitar solos and an energetic rhythm section. Songwriting-wise, Necrosis go for a fairly orthodox approach, but they do like to incorporate several tempo changes during most of the tracks, so they seldom turn in tracks that are just generic chugathons and they even have a couple of quite progressive numbers. I have only managed to listen to Necrosis' back catalogue on YouTube, so I'm not sure if this was the case with the original recordings, but even though the full-length has a deeper, bassier sound, the demo actually has more clarity with the later recording sounding a bit dampened and less crisp than the former.

So, any production issues aside, is it any good? Well yeah, it's not bad actually and whilst I wouldn't place it quite as high as either Bonded By Blood or The Legacy, in my opinion it certainly holds it's own against the follow-ups to both of those albums. Kicking off with the title track it immediately dives headfirst into the moshpit with a killer riff straight from San Fran Bay, never really letting up for the whole forty-odd minutes runtime. Second track "Fall in the Last Summer" was for sure influenced by Anthrax's New York sound and Among the Living in particular, originally appearing on the demo, which was released not too long after the Anthrax album and is a decent take on Scott Ian and co's more jagged style of thrashing. The nine-minute "Prayer" goes even further taking a few twists and turns by combining both New York and Bay Area styles into one thrashtastic epic which makes the album worth hearing on it's own. Ultimately, I guess accusations of The Search being derivative hold some weight, to a degree, but with a track like "Prayer" the band seem to have been genuinely trying to stamp their own personality onto the burgeoning South American thrash scene.

As for the new tracks, I have already covered the title track (which is the pick of the four), "From the Sea" is a less than one minute bass guitar instrumental a bit like the latter part of "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)", "Liar" has a nice chuggy riff and is very solid and the last of the new tracks, "Golden Valley", is a decent enough instrumental with some nice soloing. Track-for-track I would have to say that the material from the demo is the stronger.

As much as I would love a copy of The Search, it is currently shifting for £80-£200 on Discogs!! I enjoyed it a lot, but not quite that much. Still, it is a little bit of thrash metal history, especially for anyone interested in the early South American scene, so the touts will price it accordingly. Incidentally, The Search was re-recorded in 2009 by Kingdom of Hate, who are comprised of original members of Necrosis. Although the production is much, much better, I think a significant portion of the vitality and youthful vigour of the original is lost in the process, making it a diminished release as a result.

3.5/5

Katatonia - Discouraged Ones (1998)

The latest subject of my quest to rate all the albums on the Fallen chart has led me to Katatonia's 1998 third full-length. I've got a bit of a troubled history with Katatonia, with my earliest exposure to them, Last Fair Deal Gone Down not at all being to my liking. However, both Brave Murder Day and the subsequent Sounds of Decay EP restored my confidence in the Swedes and I enjoyed both quite a bit. Oh dear, between those and this, though, things went horribly wrong. I found this to be incredibly insipid, with the comparison that kept leaping into my mind being "it's metal Coldplay". I have no intention of providing a full review because that would entail me having to listen to it several more times, a prospect that is just too daunting for me to contemplate, even though my doctor says I need to get my blood pressure down and listening to something this bland on hard rotation may well manage that. Sure there were a couple of decent tracks, "Cold Ways" and "Saw You Drown" are quite nice, but the vocals are the most banal I have heard this side of Chris Martin. I'm really sorry to anyone who does love this (I know Ben is a fan) and I mean no disrespect, but I disliked it immensely. Discouraged Ones? Yeah, I'm one of 'em.

2/5 

There’s no reason why you’d need to concentrate on brand-new releases over the incredible weight of the previous 53 years of metal to achieve that buzz though. You’re actually better off concentrating on older releases that you haven’t checked out yet but have stood the test of time.

Absolutely, Daniel. And i do that too, as my embracing of the Horde and it's previously undiscovered (by me) wonders will attest and which provided me many such great moments. But, as is evident, my particular passion is all things doom and by now I have covered an awful lot of the older stuff worth listening to and, rightly or wrongly, I like to keep abreast of what is currently going on in the doom metal scene.

I have also been trying to fill in any gaps in my Fallen knowledge by going through the releases I haven't rated yet on the Academy clan chart. I know many of you will probably roll your eyes at my doom metal obsession and lack of diversity in my listening habits, but I make no apologies for it - I'm too old for that shit any more and nowadays I like to do what I like to do and fuck the rest (curmudgeonly old man rant ovet!)

There really isn't THAT much more music than in a pre-streaming world. The major difference is the endless number ways for people to publish their music.

Gone are the days where you had to be on a major record label (Universal, Warner, EMI, etc.) in order for your music to be heard on a inter/national scale. Now you can just upload a video to YouTube and before you know it, you'll be famous for fifteen minutes. Unlike Vinny, I still keep up to date with modern releases, but on a vastly smaller scale than I did five years ago. Listening to new music for its own sake just to find out it isn't very good did a huge number on my mental health and I wondered if I should retire from music reviewing. 

For me, keeping up with the times is essential to know what the kids find "hip," even if I don't like it, and then try assisting them towards similar sounding music from the present or past that they may have never heard before. And as a musician myself, having a finger on the trigger ensures that I have steady work.

If you look at the stats, Saxy, then there is indeed much more metal released now than there were in days past. According to the RYM genre release graph in 1980 when the NWOBHM was kicking in in earnest there were 268 metal releases that year, then first hitting 1000+ in 1985. By 1990 it was just under 2500, by the year 2000 it was up to almost 4500 and by 2010 it hit 9k. 2020 & 2022 saw over 13000 metal releases each. 

I understand people who say they are no longer interested in following new music and, sure, I sometimes question the wisdom of doing it myself. If I only listened to the stuff I own as physical copies I would never be short of something I hadn't listened to in a good while, so why bother? Well, for me, I may well be like the smack addict trying to relive that incredible first high. I just keep chasing that unbeatable buzz I get when discovering something new that blows me away, no matter how much shit I have had to wade through to find it, it always seems worth while. Also, now I am getting into my twilight years, most of the surprises life throws your way are downright unpleasant, so it's great to find something unexpected that is amazing rather than fucking dreadful.

I don't think there's too much music out there to be honest. I don't think there can EVER be too much music at our disposal actually as the intention was never that people should attempt to listen to literally all of it. That's a post-internet concept that's the result of people growing up with Napster, YouTube, Spotify, etc. i.e. a quantity over quality approach. As someone with a very broad taste profile, that whole concept just seems like madness to me. If only there was an online resource that helped people to identify metal music that was likely to fall into their unique taste profile & provided a forum for discussion with like-minded fans from around the world. Hhmmm....

Yeah, I wasn't implying that anyone would want to listen to everything, but what I am curious about is, with the equivalent of 200 metal releases a week being issued, how do people decide what is worth their time?

I tend to, first of all, seek out the new releases of acts I already know that I enjoy. Secondly I look to releases that other people whose opinions I respect are recommending. Then, if I fancy any further exploring of the latest stuff then I will cast around a little and see if anything sounds interesting to me.

Grand Magus - Sunraven (2024)

Grand Magus are one of my favourite bands, a go-to act when I long for some epic norse heavy metal and a consistent provider of fist-pumping and horns-raising battle hymns. Sunraven is the trio's tenth album and comes a full five years after the very solid, if not exactly earth-shattering, Wolf God. Well, was it worth the wait? I would give an unequivocal "hell yeah!" To my ears this is the band's best since 2012's stellar The Hunt.

Metal has become a very diverse scene over the years. There are bands who push the envelope of what it is to be metal, there are bands that strive to be ever more extreme in brutality or heaviness, there are yet others who seek to elicit deep emotions and those who create gorgeous, sweeping and epic soundscapes. All those are great and deserve every respect, but one of the most maligned types of metal bands that exist today are those that know what their fanbase expect and enjoy and who deliver that in the form of expertly crafted songs that tap into the days when fans listened to metal for enjoyment and to pump their fists in the air whilst banging their heads out of sheer exuberance for the glorious sounds leaping at them from out of their speakers. Grand Magus are one such band and, in my opinion, one of the best. This is metal that is meant to be experienced and enjoyed, not dissected by chin-stroking pseudo-intellectuals who would shit themselves at the mere thought of diving into a moshpit.

Sunraven is a very tight album, it's nine tracks run for a total of only thirty-five minutes, so there is no self-indulgent wankery here, this is to-the-point and succinct metal that encapsulates the very essence of the genre. The production is great, with superb clarity and a nice depth to the sound, especially in it's vinyl format. Grand Magus have few contemporary rivals in heavy metal when it comes to writing sing-along choruses and memorable riffs that swirl around your head for days. I for one find it almost impossible to get through a GM album without bawling out at least one chorus, much to the consternation of all the other dog walkers in the woods that day, I dare say!

The rhythm section of bassist Fox and drummer Ludwig are terrific, the drums here sound excellent in fact, and the basslines are economical and powerful, the two operating as a tight and efficient unit, but, let's be honest, Grand Magus are defined by guitarist and vocalist, JB and he is on fine form throughout Sunraven's runtime. He has a strong and fairly powerful, yet unstrained voice with a clear delivery which enables the listener to discern all the lyrics easily. His guitar work is impressive, without being even remotely showy, with well-written, memorable riffs and some of his finest solos to date, sounding natural and efficient but also epic and vital at the same time, which is not always an easy feat to achieve.

There really isn't much more to say, Sunraven is unapologetically business as usual for Grand Magus, but when your business is just so fucking metal then who's going to complain. They take great delight in the tropes of heavy metal and celebrate their own scandinavian heritage and epic myths with pride and affection it seems. I, for one, am glad that a band like Grand Magus, who possess an instinctive feel for metal, still exist and have carved out a dedicated following of nuts who are still able to celebrate the genre for the escapist, life-affirming wonder that it is capable of being. If tracks like !Skyborne", "Wheel of Pain", "Hour of the Wolf" and the title track aren't capable of getting your head nodding and your fingers twitching of their own accord in an attempt to throw the horns, then you probably need to check your pulse... or at least your metal credibility!

4.5/5

Warpath - Alternative Dose EP (1988)

Warpath were formed in 1988 by Marco Cusatto and Octavio Arizala of Rust, a fledgling thrash band who were veterans of the Santiago scene, opening for acts like Pentagram and Massakre. They turned in three demos from 1988 to 1990 before splitting, with Alternative dose being the first of the three, released in May of '88. It was released on cassette and featured four tracks, "Warpath", "Morphine Helps You Die", "Advent Days Visitors" and "Alternative Dose" with a runtime of 18 minutes. The demo has a decent sound, although it could do with a bit more of a beefy bottom end, but it has good clarity and allows all the band members to be heard reasonably well.

Technically, the band sound reasonably adept and the songs are terrific thrashers in the vein of early Megadeth, with Marco Cusatto's vocals sounding convincingly similar to Dave Mustaine (without the sneer). The riffs are great and are typical of the chuggers of the time with Cusatto's solos also impressing, sitting somewhere between the primal viciousness of Kerry King and the more adept shredding of Mustaine or Hammett. The duo of tracks that make up side one of the tape are the strongest here with "Warpath" really kicking ass straight out of the blocks with energetic riffing and a nicely developed song structure. "Morphine Helps You Die" probably just edges it, though, as it rips through it's riffs and shreds with a take-no-prisoners attitude. The two tracks on side two don't quite hold to the high standard of the A-side, but are still pretty solid, albeit not quite as well-written.

Overall this is a nice find and is a real diamond in the rough. On the strength of the four tracks here alone, it seems a shame that the band were unable to continue beyond 1990 and hadn't, at that point, released any official material. Of course, like a number of the bands featured here, Warpath reformed in the 2000's (2007 actually), finally releasing a full-length album, Rust, in 2016 which actually features three of the songs from this demo - all except "Advent Days Visitors" which is undoubtedly the weakest track here. To date they are still to release a follow-up to Rust, but are still a going concern apparently.

4/5

Grin - Hush (2024)

With Hush comprising 16 tracks and a runtime of forty minutes, it is obvious that Grin are a different beast from most of their peers in the world of stoner sludge metal, much preferring to build heaviness from the pile-up effect of a number of short, focussed sludgy blasts rather than extended stoner jams. Comprising husband and wife team, Jan (drums, vocals) and Sabine Oberg (bass), both of sludge band Earth Ship and stoner / psychedelic rock band Slowshine, this is their fourth full-length, maintaining their strike-rate of an album every even-numbered year since 2018. I missed previous offering, 2022's Phantom Knocks, but, to be honest, Hush, is very much in similar vein to 2020's Translucent Blades, so I guess that the duo have hit upon a formula they are happy to stick with and with Jan producing, mixing and mastering the album, he is ensured that he controls the vision.

Apart from the short song lengths, they also differentiate themselves from most of their peers by disdaining the use of six-stringers. The riffs are powered by Sabine's powerful, driving bass and the leadwork, as so far as it exists, is provided by synths. A fair number of the tracks also have a heavy psychedelic component with swirling synths and Jan providing washed out clean vocals rendered even more trippy by a noticeable echoing effect, with a couple (Neon Skies, Vortex) even sounding like metallised versions of the neo-psychedelia of the 90's Madchester Baggy scene. Whilst the psychedelic component is significant, this is no lightweight affair, it's bottom-heavy stoner metal bolstered by a sludgy influence courtesy of Jan's harsh vocals and the driving rhythms, Sabine's bass underpinning everything with a mega-solid foundation.

Ultimately, though, as much as I enjoyed Hush, it is an album I like rather than love. This is mainly due to the fact that I would like to have heard some of the ideas presented here expanded upon beyond the two or three-minute, self-imposed limit to the tracks' runtimes, some of them sounding like snippets or incomplete ideas in need of further development. I do like their fusing of sludgy metal and light and spacey psychedelia and I found plenty that appealed to me, but I feel that the promise of the premise is never fully realised and that is a shame because it is an idea that works well.

3.5/5

Yeah, both of the ...Sermon bands are still on my "to listen to" list, Xephyr, and I have quite high hopes  for them, so it's good to see them at the top of your list. Inter Arma are another I have enjoyed in the past, so hopefully that's a good one too. I listened to  the Thou album a bit ago and enjoyed it, as I always do, but haven't worked up a review yet, hence it's missing from my list.

Listened to Ponte del Diavolo today and that's going to go into #5 spot on my list. I would recommend it if you haven't heard it.

Ponte del Diavolo - Fire Blades from the Tomb (2024)

Following a trio of EP's, none of which I have heard yet to be honest, Fire Blades from the Tomb marks the debut full-length from Turin gothic metallers, Ponte del Diavolo (which translates as The Devil's Bridge). I must admit I have been blindsided somewhat by this, as I have been continually slipping it to the bottom of my "to-listen" pile, for no reason other than I knew nothing about the band But that was a major miscalculation on my behalf because this is a really interesting listen and reminds me a little of Belgium's Messa in that the band seem to be trying to break out from genre conformity and produce something less predictable, yet still completely listenable. They aren't quite as genre-bending or progressive as Messa, however, with the majority of the tracks here on Fire Blades From the Tomb being assembled from recognisable gothic and black metal components. The gothic elements are the most prevalent, particularly the vocals provided by Erba del Diavolo (real name Elena Camusso) who's vocal style is very reminiscent of The Banshees' Siouxsie Sioux (who is a particular favourite of mine) and the, for want of a better word, "twangy" quality to the guitar sound. It is the black metal elements that make themselves initially known, however, with opener "Demone" launching out of the blocks with a pummellng blastbeat, tremolo riff and a decidedly punky feel. The track then alternates between these punky black metal and lumbering doom-laden slower sections with Erba's soaring vocals tying it all together.

Fire Blades From the Tomb sees the band displaying a nice variation in their songwriting, though, as second track, "Covenant", has a decidedly more post-punk gothic feeling to it with Erba turning in a great performance from demented-sounding shouts to ethereal croons, the track even ends with an always weird-sounding theremin providing a 1950's sci-fi retro feel. Next up "Red as the Sex of She Who Lives in Death" is a brooding doomy gothic piece with Erba providing a powerful and strong vocal that is many miles away from the ethereal and washed-out vocal style often assosciated with female singers in gothic metal, the track's sinister atmosphere reinforced by the clarinet of guest musician Vittorio Sabelli (Dawn of a Dark Age) who actually features on three of the album's seven tracks. If further proof of the band's determination to expand their songwriting is needed, "La Razza" begins with an intro that sounds decidedly like classic space rock before exploding into blastbeat and tremolo riffing territory for a slab of blackened gothica.

I don't intend to do a track-by-track analysis, but merely cover the first four tracks in order to illustrate the variations in the material on offer here. Each of the tracks is sufficiently interesting, well-written and performed to stand on their own, but the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts, with the occult atmosphere building up over the course of the album, whether through brooding ruminations, ritualistic exhortations, haunting lamentations or outright vitriolic outbursts of violence. Fire Blades From the Tomb is well-written, expertly performed and quite ambitious in scope. It's ability to weave together a variety of styles into a coherent whole and maintain a consistent atmosphere is admirable and mark Ponte del Diavolo as a band to keep a close eye on in the future. As if that wasn't enough reson to check this out, in Erba del Diavolo they have a bona fide gothic metal star and a vocalist with a talent and versatility that elevates the music around her to another level. If you love dark, brooding, occult metal then I couldn't recommend this higher.

4/5

Jon Schaffer breaks his silence and expresses regret for his actions during the Jan 6th insurrection:

https://metaladdicts.com/jon-schaffer-i-profoundly-regret-my-actions-on-january-6th-2021

In the Woods... - Pure (2016)

Norway's In the Woods... originally split in 2000 after releasing three albums that saw them move away from the atmospheric black metal of their critically acclaimed debut, HEart of the Ages, in a more progressive direction that dabbled in the avant-garde. Reforming in 2014, Pure marks their comeback in grand style. Whilst it is also considered as another progressive metal release, Pure moves away from the more avant-garde aspects of the previous works, including ditching the dual male/female vocals found on both Omnio and Strange in Stereo and incorporating far more from gothic and doom metal. This makes for a less ambitious-sounding release, but comparing this with an album like Strange in Stereo is a little like comparing apples and oranges in that they are separate entities distinct from each other, both with their own merits and may as well be by different bands and as such comparing the two iterations of the band is a futile exercise.

As anyone who is familiar with my taste knows, the shift into a more doomy direction is something that is always going to find favour with me. To be clear, though, this isn't a doom metal album as such, it certainly deserves it's progressive metal tagging, but the generally slow- to medium-paced tempos, downtuned guitar and heavy bottom end provided by the robust production, when coupled with James Fogarty's languid vocal style and clear, ringing lead guitar work sets Pure firmly within the gothic metal territory inhabited by the likes of mid- to late-era Paradise Lost. The songs are tightly written, featuring some wonderful and memorable melodies and there are some nice touches, such as the subtle use of keyboards, especially when they reference a psychedelic Hammond organ sound on a couple of tracks, "This Dark Dream" seeing them used to greatest effect and the space rock atmospherics of "Transmission KRS" are one of my album highlights. In fact the psychedelic / space rock connection is such that there is even a point where I could swear the track "Cult of Shining Stars" directly references the riff and melody from Hawkwind's classic from Warriors on the Edge of Time, "Magnu". The performances are terrific, all the members seeming very confident in their own ability to deliver exactly what they envisioned conceptually and the production is beefy, yet retains excellent clarity allowing each member's contributions to be heard.

The first forty minutes are great, but for me, things get even better for the final three tracks when the band are joined by Green Carnation guitarist and long-time collaborator Bjørn Harstad. His guitar work is exceptional here with some truly sublime soloing, the previously referenced, ten-minute instrumental, "Transmission KRS" being an extended showcase of this and his solo towards the end of closing track, "Mystery of the Constellations" is almost up there with Dave Gilmour's "Comfortably Numb" for sheer soaring magnificence.

Of course, because of the modern internet-led obsession with experimentation and the ever-frantic search of metal fans for innovation, Pure's trading of the band's previous "avant-garde" work for well-crafted and performed songs with more traditional structures saw a number of fans bemoaning this turn of events. Well, more fools them, because this is an absolute top-drawer doomy prog metal release that, just sheer quality-wise, brings to mind post-Isa Enslaved and it's incomprehensible to me that a release of such quality could be considered a backward step.

4.5/5

Nimrod (later Nimrod B.C.) - Time of Changes (1988)

Nimrod B.C. were originally a four-piece thrash crew in existence from 1985-91 (as Nimrod). They reformed in 2007, splitting again in 2015 and then reforming once more in 2017. These later iterations leant more towards power metal than out and out thrash I believe. This four-track demo is the sum total of the original band's output and shows the band to be a more intense thrash / deaththrash entity than it's later selves.

The four tracks featured here are "Dark Land". "Time of Changes", "The Message" and "Nimrod" and the EP runs for almost 17 minutes. The sound isn't too bad at all, albeit a bit on the tinny side, but it is clear and gives a good indication of what the band must have sounded like at the time. All of these except the instrumental "The Message" appear on 2008's return full-length, Return to Babylon, albeit in new versions which emphasise a more USPM-style approach than the death-leaning, intense thrash of the originals. Me, I much prefer the raw intensity of these originals over the overblown production and OTT power metal vocals of the later versions. The demo does illustrate well that the band were more technically accomplished than some of their contemporaries, sounding more like a band that knew what they were about rather than a band finding their way. The four tracks are high tempo and pretty tight, well-written affairs that tap into the Slayer-isms of the early deaththrash outfits whilst still retaining something of the early Metallica sound as found on Kill 'Em All. Unfortunately this, like Massacre, is another case of a chilean band with huge potential failing to capitalise on that potential and falling off the radar until returning as a shadow of their younger selves. Still, this is a pretty good demo that is definitely worth a listen if you are interested in the early days of the chilean extreme metal scene.

Downfall of Nur - Umbras de Barbagia (2015)

Downfall of Nur is the brainchild of argentinian songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Antonio Sanna and Umbras de Barbagia is his only full-length album to date. Vocal duties are undertaken by guest vocalist Dany Tee, a veteran of numerous acts from Buenos Aries' death and black metal scene. The album is a concept album, relating the tale of the downfall of the Nuragic civilization that populated the Meditteranean island of Sardinia during the Bronze Age, particularly as it relates to the gods and religious practices of the Nuragics.

This is realised through four lengthy tracks and an intro of paganistically-themed atmospheric black metal that, through it's dabblings into dark folk and ambient territory is reflective and pastoral at times and at others, breathtakingly majestic with huge riffs overlaid by traditional instruments such as pipes and strings (which may or may not be synthesized). The counterpoint to all this is provided by Dany Tee's piercing and anguished vocals which are of nerve-shredding intensity and serve to illustrate the tragedy unfolding on this forgotten people by the ruthless invaders who cast them down, the lyrics relating to the destruction and erasure of the gods and temples of the nuragic culture and of how those who fled still carried these beliefs with them, passing them down through the years.

OK, as I have revisited this over the years I must admit that I have had to shed some of my initial overeffusive praise and recency bias as others in the field, such as Saor or Panopticon have exceeded it's scope. That, however, doesn't mean this isn't an album worthy of your time, because it most certainly is if you enjoy either of those two acts mentioned, or high quality atmo-black generally. The musicianship is excellent, Antonio is evidently very accomplished on several instruments, his songwriting has a progressive narrative quality to it and Dany Tee's vocals are some of the most intense I have heard on an atmospheric black metal album. So, if you are in the market for quality black metal with a nice line in paganistic folk accompaniments then you would do well to lend this your ears.

4/5

These guys sound very interesting to me, Daniel. Did they carry on after this or were they a short-lived outfit?

MASSACRE - Beyond the Psychotic Redemption (1988)

Massacre's 1988 final demo is a four-track affair with a fifteen-minute runtime. Three of the tracks, "Inmolation", "Addicts to Insanity" and "Morbid Death" would ultimately surface on the 2001 album, Psychotic Redemption. This has got a pretty good sound with decent clarity, although the guitars are bit pushed down and the bass is elevated in the mix. By this time the band seem to have tempered their more outlandish ambitions and the four tracks presented here are much more straight-ahead slices of early deaththrash which sees them playing to their strengths, them never really being able to successfully pull off the more ambitious stuff convincingly.

So this tidy little EP of demos that seemed to have them sailing full ahead along with the winds of the zeitgeist should have seen Massacre sailing on to glory with the release of their debut album the following year. Yet, for some unknown reason the band abandoned the visceral deaththrash of their three demos and put out an album of chugging hard rock-infused heavy metal which seemed to flummox the entire fanbase they had amassed and saw them sink into obscurity for a dozen years, before returning after the turn of the millenium.

But, future faux-pas aside, this is an exhilharating and entertaining quarter-hour of south american deaththrash that is probably the pick of the band's three Eighties demos and is a testament to a band that should have had a much bigger impact on the brave new world of Nineties thrash and death metal.

Here I am once more trying to revive this thread. I'm going to go back a step or two here and listen to Massacre's 1986 full-length demo, the six-track "Altazor".

Massacre - Altazor (1986)

Massacre's second demo is a lengthier affair at 35 minutes with re-recordings of the first demo's three tracks and three new tracks, "Tortured to Die", "Misery Human's Son" and the title track, Altazor. The sound on this is much clearer than on the earlier demo, the vocals have lost most of that echoing effect that I found so annoying and the Slayer-like solos are more audible. You get an even better insight than on the earlier demo into what a great track "Pissing Into the Mass Grave" could be with the clearer recording letting that killer riff star. Of course this is all relative and this is still essentially rehearsal-quality soundwise, but if you are a veteran of listening to metal demos then you shouldn't find it too bad.

The first new track, "Tortured to Die" shows that by this stage it was apparent that Massacre were looking to the more extreme reaches of thrash metal and were most likely getting inspiration in how to achieve such extremity from the early demos of bands like Death and Possessed. The second new track "Misery Human's Son" is, to be perfectly blunt, a bit of a mess and illustrates as much as anything that maybe the band's ambition outstripped their ability to deliver at this point in time. The last new track, "Altazor", is better, being a much more straight forward thrasher with a breakneck pace and some frantic soloing, it is probably the best-realised of the new tracks and illustrates great promise.

Altazor closes out with re-recordings of "Death Poem" and "Our Everyday Blood" and both sound significantly better here than on the original demo, although "Death Poem" still suffers from a case of overkill as it just seems to be a little too ambitious, ultimately coming off as all over the place. I think this sums up the band really - when they are playing straight ahead, agrressive thrash (or deaththrash) then they are great, rifling off riffs and tearing it up with killer solos, but when they get overconfident and attempt to write and play more complex stuff, they come a bit unstuck with "Death Poem" and "Misery Human's Son" not really cutting it for me when compared to the other tracks. "Pissing Into the Mass Grave", "Tortured to Die" and "Altazor" in particular are worth a listen for any fan of South American thrash or death metal.

Yith - dread (2016)

Yith is a solo artist playing a hybrid of black and doom metal and "dread" was the project's debut full-length album (the album title should properly be all in lower case). Blackened doom metal has become more prevalent in the last decade or so, but a number of it's practitioners, such as The Flight of Sleipnir, are really doom metal bands using certain tropes from black metal, such as shrieking vocals and the odd temolo riff, while others will play a black metal section, then a slower, doom metal section and essentially alternate between the two, whereas Yith produce a genuine seamless melding of black and doom metal. This manifests as tracks that, in the main, follow doom metal pacing, although faster, blastbeat-driven sections rear their heads from time to time with a more significant bottom end than is present in most black metal, with the bass in particular having a decided prominence in the mix. on top of this a lot, in fact most, of the guitar work consists of tremolo riffs, even during the predominant doom sections and the vocals are strictly black metal derived howls and shrieks. This makes for a particularly bleak atmosphere with the melancholy of doom metal being accentuated by the icy frostiness of the black metal component, indeed "dread" is well-named.

The opener, "time and loss" is probably the most recognisably black metal track, opening up with a withering blackened onslaught, before hinting at things to come with a slower doom-laden middle section. For me, the duo of tracks that is the title track and "centuries of horror" are really where it's at with "dread". Following another trope common in black metal, a short, folky interlude called "remembrance", the title track oozes it's way into your concsciousness with an epic and ominous main riff that calls on all the decayed monumental majesty that doom metal atmospherics can muster. When this is coupled with Yith's demonic snarls then a special atmosphere is created that would certainly be at home as the backdrop to one of Lovecraft's tales of existential dread. Great though "dread" is, the next track "centuries of horror" is even better for my money. With a most epically monumental riff and ritualistic drumming it reaches back into primal depths and ancestral fears of the horrors of the unknown and the majesty and dangers of the natural world and is a towering paeon to man's deepest-seated fears.

The songs in general are well-constructed with a nice flow to the songwriting and Yith demonstrates a more than capable grasp of his instrumentation, at least to my uneducated ears. Overall, "dread" is a well put together and mature amalgamation of two distinct styles of metal from which Yith has fashioned an identity of his own and should appeal to anyone looking for a fresh fix of quality extreme doom that yet yearns for something a little different by someone who inherently understands the genre.

4.5/5

I’m very much the opposite to be honest. I came to Maiden through “Somewhere in Time”, “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” & “Live After Death” before heading back to their esrlier work & I have to admit that the Dianno albums always seemed to be a step down (a couple of steps down in some cases) from the Dickinson ones for me personally. In fact, the only Dianno record that I regard as being essential is the “Maiden Japan” E.P. & I consider “Killers” to be the least impressive of Maiden’s 80’s full-lengths. I guess the huge variety in opinions on what Maiden’s best & worst records are is the strongest representation of just how consistent & relevant they were during their prime.

Yeah, I think with Maiden, more than with any other metal band, it all comes down to what albums meant most to you when you got into them. Sure, I can appreciate that the later albums are technically better and better written, but they don't mean as much as Killers because that album captured a period of time, for me personally, that transcends mere grooves on records. That is one of the things I find endlessly fascinating about music - it's ability to capture a time and place in a listener's mind better than any photograph. I think that if we dismiss that and judge music solely on it's technical merits then we are much poorer as individuals for it.

I have both di'Anno albums rated highly, both 4/5 from when I did my original Maiden marathon, but I find myself not finding time for them for whatever reason. That'll have to change this week for a few revisits, is a shame how none of the tracks from the first two Maiden albums seemed to stick around in the popular eye. 

RIP 

Killers has always been a top 3 Maiden album for me. I vacillate between Killers, Powerslave and Piece of Mind. I was gutted when Paul left (or was sacked from) Maiden and, being young and stubborn, at first I refused to acknowledge Bruce as Maiden's singer, especially as he was previously with Samson who I thought absolutely sucked. Still, I did come around when I heard the Number of the Beast LP and obviously Bruce has been great, but I still longed for Paul to return to the band. His vocal delivery provided an aggressiveness that Bruce, for all his technical superiority, just couldn't replicate.

OK, I'm gonna go with:

1. Killers

2. Murders in the Rue Morgue

3. Phantom of the Opera

4. Another Life

5. Remember Tomorrow

6. Twilight Zone

7. Prowler

8. Purgatory

9. Wrathchild

10. Innocent Exile

I've been hammering these three early maiden classics all day and raising the horns to mark the passing of Paul di'Anno. RIP.

Here's my newly created Top Ten Metal Releases of 1993 list which clearly shows the impact that the now thriving doom/death subgenre was having on me at the time:

01. diSEMBOWELMENT - "Transcending Into The Peripheral"

02. My Dying Bride - "Turn Loose The Swans"

03. My Dying Bride - "The Thrash of Naked Limbs" E.P.

04. Anathema - "Serenades"

05. Death - "Individual Thought Patterns"

06. Dream Theater - "Live at the Marquee" E.P.

07. Morbid Angel - "Covenant"

08. Cynic - "Focus"

09. Burzum - "Det som engag var"

10. Gorguts - "The Erosion of Sanity"

https://metal.academy/lists/single/290

I think I need to spend a bit of quality time with "Transcending Into The Peripheral" because I have never thought that highly of it. Whether this is due to the fact I had no contemporary experience of it and only came to it long after the fact, or I just don't get it, I'm not sure. Either way it has been quite some time since I last listened to it, so it's probably long overdue a revisit.

Funnily enough, my #2 is something you reviewed very recently, Daniel:

1. Earth - Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version

2. Emperor / Enslaved - Emperor / Hordanes Land

3. Darkthrone - Under a Funeral Moon

4. Rippikoulu - Musta seremonia

5. Demilich - Nespithe

6. Death - Individual Thought Patterns

7. Beherit - Drawing Down the Moon

8. Gorguts - The Erosion of Sanity

9. Blasphemy - Gods of War

10. Sinister - Diabolical Summoning

The Flight of Sleipnir - Nature's Cadence (2024)

Released: 27th September

Nature's Cadence sees Coloradan blackened doomsters, The Flight of Sleipnir, continuing down the path they have been treading for some time now. This means another dose of well-written doom metal that is given a frosty edge by the black metal-style vocals of drummer David Csicsely and the occasional deployment of tremelo riffing. This has been tagged on RYM as Pagan Black Metal, but I don't really think their material deserves a black metal primary tagging, though, because there is a complete absence of blastbeats and the tremelo riffing is used only very sparingly, leaving Csicsely's grim shrieking vocals as the only major black metal influence and vocals alone do not a black metal band make.

Anyway, the album consists of five tracks and a relatively slight runtime by modern standards of 38 minutes, but each of those minutes is well-utilised and I never felt short-changed because there is a complete absence of filler here. It kicks off with the longest track, the almost twelve-minute "North" which is a neatly-written epic that takes a number of twists and turns with chunky doom riffing, gentle folky acoustic passages, ascerbic black metal interjections and soaring guitar soloing as it weaves it's tale of seafaring Viking warriors returning home from their raiding. "North" is a great example of how the band have honed their songwriting craft over the years, it's various diverse elements flowing organically one to another with an economy of expression that they struggled to master earlier in their career as, going back and comparing them, some of their early tracks were a little bloated compared to a track like this.

Next up is "Madness" which has a really catchy refrain and is destined to become one of those tracks I am forever finding myself singing out loud, long after I have put the record back in it's sleeve. "Madness" also heralds the introduction of steel guitar into the mix, with a couple of short country-style interludes that are reminiscent of the bluegrass and american folk that Austin Lunn of Panopticon has made a signature sound. Any black metal influence is entirely absent from this track and the two seemingly disparate styles of the quite catchy main refrain and the restrained country sound work surprisingly well together.

Side two begins with "Vingthor" (an alternative name for the god of thunder himself) whose energetic main riff incorporates a psychedelic tilt to it's downtuned doominess, seemingly at odds to the black metal shrieks of the vocals, although it works just fine and a merging of psychedelia and black metal never hurt Oranssi Pazuzu did it? "The Woodsman" is an acoustic folk track which sees Clayton Cushman's steel guitar from "Madness" make a return and it's a nice track in it's own right, even more so as it leads into the intro to closer, "Wanderer" which is interestingly reminiscent of Ennio Morricone's soundtrack work on Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns, at least until the track erupts into a thundering and looming slab of blackened doom metal glory.

Now, Nature's Cadence is not really going to appeal to those who need to be constantly challenged by their metal listening fare, because this is a furrow The Flight of Sleipnir have been ploughing for some time, but no one else sounds quite like them and the introduction of elements of americana signals a slight evolution of sound for the band. Their version of doom metal is actually quite vibrant, with a rich, thick sound counterpointed exceedingly well by those black metal shrieks. For me, FoS are one of the better modern practitioners of doom metal and manage to have a signature sound and an ability to write memorable riffs and interesting lyrics in a genre that is overflowing with uninspiring copycats. This alone is reason to give them respect, but the high quality of all their work ensures that I will always be happy to lend them an ear and, in fact, I blind-ordered Nature's Cadence on vinyl because I was supremely confident that the band would deliver once more - and, luckily, I wasn't disappointed.

4/5

Dystopia - The Aftermath EP (1999)

The Aftermath exists in two formats, the original 19-minute four-track vinyl EP and the CD / streaming version with nine bonus tracks that runs for almost 45 minutes. The latter version contains the four tracks the band contributed to a 1995 split with Oakland crust punk band Skaven, the three tracks from their own 1997 Backstabber 7" EP, their track, "Diary of a Battered Child", from a split single with L.A. psychedelic crew, Suffering Luna and a one-minute track called "Cosmetic Plague", which is from a 1996 VA comp ironically called Whispers!. This review is for the extended version.

Dystopia are one pissed-off band, with a whole armoury of axes to grind, be it corporate greed, prejudice, injustice or self-loathing, if you name it then Dystopia have got a beef with it. Of course this makes for some gloriously feral-sounding sludge that leans heavily into the hardcore / crust vibe with ominous, downtuned riffing and some gloriously pounding and relentless drumwork from the superb Dino Sommese who has got to be one of the best punk drummers going.

The first four tracks which constitute the original EP are the best, especially from a metalhead's point-of-view, as these are not only the best-produced tracks, but also the most metal-sounding, with huge, downtuned riffs and thundering drumwork counterpointing the seething, furious vocal delivery for a nineteen-minute onslaught of true sludge metal violence. Dystopia make no concession to the stoner element that often creeps into sludge metal, this is pure, undiluted vitriol and venom and isn't meant to be heard as anything other than an attack on those with who the band have taken issue, so there's no druggy-like instrumental breaks to provide any relief from this aural warfare. This is the sound of a band who really mean it.

The bonus tracks, which were all released earlier than the first four, lean even more into the punk side of sludge metal. They are generally shorter, less well-produced, more simply structured and some of the lyrical content is a bit less sophisticated. Three or four of these bonus tracks feature samples as intros, which is often a feature of protest music, but of which I am not a fan and which bring nothing much to the table here either. I love me some punk, so I found these bonuses to be entertaining enough, but they may not appeal as much to someone not as enamoured of hardcore or crust as myself. There is still a metallic element to all but the final track, but it is less pronouced than that of the original four tracks and they are without a doubt the main draw for most listeners, certainly from Metal Academy anyway.

As such, I look upon this as a high quality EP of true sludge metal, as it was originally conceived, that contains a fair set of bonus tracks that chart the evolution of the band from a hardcore / crust origin to an accomplished crossover metal act.

4/5

I can't see you ending up like that Xephyr. I'm not presuming to know the inner you, but I recognise traits you display that I identify with and I think music discovery is too pivotal a part of who you are for it to just become a comfort blanket.

Sure, we all like to have those albums we know we can fall back on. Whenever I find myself in a bad place, there are certain records that can provide a familiar and emotionally calming oasis in a seeming desert of shit. But, even now in my sixties I still get a buzz from hearing something new (to me) that hits the spot and with metal now being more diverse than ever why would I want to abandon it when it has such an ability to surprise and delight? Good surprises get ever rarer at this age, so I'll be damned if I'll turn my back on such a good source.