Sonny's Forum Replies
Hey Ben. Could you add UK black metallers Helgafell please?
Not sure if you're still cutting down on non-Fallen members' track submissions, Sonny, but here's one to fill the 6-minute void left by David:
Novembers Doom - "Not the Strong" (from To Welcome the Fade, 2002)
It's OK Andi, I will take it as David has left a few minutes unclaimed.
Melechesh is a Hebrew/Aramaic word meaning King of Fire and the band began in Jerusalem in 1993 as a solo project of Ashmedi before expanding to a three-piece in 1994. The band's black metal is based on Assyrian occult themes and caused them much grief with the authorities in Israel where they were accused of "dark cult activities", ultimately leading to them relocating to Europe in 1998.
The Epigenesis is the band's fifth full-length album and was originally released in 2010. Its eleven tracks weigh in at a whopping 71 minutes, but I never really noticed the album's length (always a good sign) due to the high quality of the music on offer. I would hesitate to call this folk metal as only a couple of tracks feature traditional instruments heavily, but the black metal on offer here most definitely has rhythms and patterns more commonly associated with traditional Middle Eastern music. The majority of the album comprises medium-paced, melodic black metal, incorporating influences from progressive and technical death metal with those traditional rhythms helping to evoke an effective and vivid atmosphere - you can almost smell the hookah smoke as you approach one of the regions dusty and ancient monuments to people and deities long forgotten, invoking images similar to those of Max von Sydow in Iraq at the beginning of The Exorcist. There is an epicness on display here that speaks of the esoteric history of the lands of the band's beginnings and the long-forgotten occult origins that have since been replaced by more modern monotheistic religions.
The album kicks off with a killer one-two punch, the memorable black metal riffing of Ghouls of Nineveh then the thrashiness of Grand Gathas of Baal Sin with it's war-chant ending make for a top-notch start. Sacred Geometry takes up the torch and runs with it, pulling in influences from tech-death to add to the arabic rhythms of the track's black metal root. The Magickan and the Drones is one of the most savage-sounding tracks on the album, it's riff has an edge that could dismember the listener if they are caught unaware and Mystics of the Pillar is an epic monster with a slower pacing and a heavier arabic-folk influence, particularly in it's middle section. At this point the first of a couple of traditional-sounding arabic folk tracks is encountered, serving as a respite from the unrelenting heaviness of the album's first half an hour or so, this gives the listener chance to breathe and take in the atmosphere. Defeating the Giants is the album's shortest track and with a thrashing chug added to it's black metal savagery it buzzes round your head like a swarm of locusts. Now where most black metal album's would be thinking of calling it a day at this point The Epigenesis ups it's game and the final four tracks are possibly the album's best. Two guts and blood crackers in Illumination: The Face of Shamash and Negative Theology are followed by the second arabic folk track, A Greater Chain of Being, that perfectly sets up the epic, twelve-minute eponymous closer.
It must be said, the production on this is fantastic, every track and instrument is crystal clear so that the production process doesn't get in the way of the music's impact. Interestingly, the album was recorded in Istanbul and Ashmedi admits to recording the vocal tracks naked at night because "I wanted to feel as primal as possible to fairly represent the vocals."
Melechesh are most definitely one of my favourite melodic black metal bands, their songwriting and mucisianship are superb and they certainly refuse to tread the same old furrows as some of their contemporaries. I love all the band's albums, but this is definitely my favourite, it's incorporation of other musical elements and an overall more technical and progressive feel are a departure from their earlier sound and feel like a band growing and stretching themselves whilst losing none of their bite. To produce an album that is at once savage, primal, complex and atmospheric is one hell of an achievement and I for one can't get enough.
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.
My suggestion for May, Andi, is:
Y&T - "Forever" (from "Black Tiger", 1982)
Hi again Ben, could you please add canadian atmospheric black metal band Harrow?
RYM: https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/harrow-1
Bandcamp: https://harrowblackmetal.bandcamp.com/album/a-fire-in-the-mountains
Hela - "A Reign to Conquer" (2026)
I have followed spanish doom crew Hela since their earliest days and have found them to be consistent deliverers of understated female-fronted doom metal. They are one of those bands that don't push the boat out too far from familiar shores and are quite unlikely to be anyone's favourites doom metal band, but keep plugging away, refining their sound and carving out a niche for themselves.
"A Reign to Conquer" features half a dozen 7-8 minute tracks that follow a similar pattern. Taking their cues from post-metal, they generally begin softly and serenely and build in intensity as the track progresses. The intensity level never really rises above a mildly elevated pulse rate, though, and the band don't really seem to be ploughing the old atmospheric sludge furrow of catharsis through ferocity, but are content to merely shake their proverbial fists at the sky rather than tear it down. They remain melodic throughout with some doleful riffs and new vocalist, Raquel Navarro, has a plaintive, yearning style of vocal delivery that underpins the melancholy atmosphere so vital to decent doom metal.
What Hela do they do pretty well and both the songwriting and performances are proficient and point to a very professional outfit who know what they want to deliver and exactly how go about it. This all sounds like criticism through faint praise I know and I like the band, but the simple truth is that they are a decent doom metal outfit who produce albums that are enjoyable enough, but which will seldom stick with you for too long after they end.
There is a serious side note which needs addressing regarding the production which may negatively impact most people's enjoyment - it certainly did mine. This is the fact that the album features terrible sound compression which makes it feel like it is being rammed into your ears, rather than allowing the nuances of the music as written to be experienced. This is especially sad because this feels like an album that is written with subtlety and contrast in mind. For example, listen to the album's best track "Emerald Mirror", which is amped up to levels that cause actual sound distortion when it is evidently written as a far more subtle exploration of light and shade which I feel is seriously undermined by the production. Even Raquel's vocals are distorted by the mix and a more sympathetic production job would have seen my score elevated a good half-star or more I believe.
3/5
April 2026
1. Solstice - "Survival Reaction" (from "Solstice", 1992) [submitted by Karl]
2. Voidhämmer - "Cadaveric Bloat" (from "Noxious Emmissions", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]
3. Void Monuments - "Invocation" (from "Posthumous Imprecation", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]
4. Regurgitate - "Destined To Burn" (from "Hatefilled Vengeance", 2002)
5. Vader - "Dark Age" (from "The Ultimate Incantation", 1992) [submitted by Karl]
6. Ingurgitating Oblivion - "Amid the Offal, Abide With Me" (from "Vision Wallows in Symphonies of Light", 2017)
7. Architectural Genocide - "Stuffed Under Floorboards" (from "Malignant Cognition", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]
8. Kataklysm - "Dead Zygote" (from "Sorcery", 1995) [submitted by Karl]
9. Carrion Vael - "Truth or Consequences" (from "Slay Utterly", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]
10. In Flames - "Dead Eternity" (from "Subterranean" E.P., 1995 - w/ Marduk's Jocke Göthberg on vox) [submitted by Karl]
11. Rotten Sound - "Brave New World" (from "Mass Extinction EP", 2025)
12. Valdur - "Drinking from the Chalice of Banishment" (from "Gilded Abyss", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
13. Degrade - "Blood Rampage" (from "Lost Torso Found", 2006)
14. Morgue - "Bonesander" (from "Bonecrunch EP", 2000) [submitted by Sonny]
15. Sinister - "The Bloodfeast" (from "Hate", 1995) [submitted by Karl]
16. Fossilization - "Servo" (from "Advent of Wounds", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]
17. Mortal Decay - "My Mind Bleeds Tragedies" (from "Forensic", 2002)
18. Intestine Baalism - "A Knight Appears From the Lake of Blood" (from "Banquet in the Darkness", 2003)
19. Pyrexia - "God" (from "Sermon of Mockery", 1993) [submitted by Karl]
20. Vorum - "Current Mouth" (from "Current Mouth", 2015) [submitted by Vinny]
21. Arkaik - "Occultivation" (from "Nemethia", 2017)
22. Terrorizer - "Ripped To Shreds" (from "World Downfall", 1989) [submitted by Sonny]
23. Ectovoid - "Formless Seeking Form" (from "In Unreality's Coffin", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]
24. Therion - "The Way" (from "Beyond Sanctorum", 1992) [submitted by Karl]
April 2026
1. Finntroll - "Vindfärd / Människopesten" (from "Nattfödd", 2004) [submitted by Sonny}
2. Cirith Gorgor - "Shadows over Isengard" (from "Onwards to the Spectral Defile", 1999) [submitted by Karl]
3. Ensanguinate - "Angel of a Thousand Poisons" (from "Death Saturnalia (With Temples Below)", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]
4. Archvile King - "Le carneval du roi des vers" (from "Aux heures désespérées", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]
5. Mütiilation - "Shadows over the Valley" (from "Pandemonium of Egregores", 2025) [submitted by Karl]
6. Coscradh - "Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld" (from "Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld", 2026) [submitted by Karl]
7. Caladan Brood - "Echoes of Battle" (from "Echoes of Battle", 2013)
8. Kostnatění - "Řemen" (from "Úpal", 2023)
9. Misotheist - "Blinded and Revealed" (from "De Pinte", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]
10. Gorgoroth - "Gorgoroth" (from "Antichrist", 1996) [submitted by Karl]
11. Epitimia - "Delusion IV – Contemplation" (from "(Un)reality", 2014) [submitted by Sonny}
12. Leviathan – “F**king Your Ghost In Chains Of Ice” (from “The Tenth Sub Level Of Suicide”, 2003) [submitted by Sonny}
13. Cabinet - "Hydrolysated Ordination" (from "Hydrolysated Ordination", 2024)
14. Woe - "Far Beyond the Fracture of the Sky" (from "Legacies of Human Frailty", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]
15. Drautran - "Dusk of the Fimbulwinter" (from "Throne of the Depths", 2007)
16. Argentum - La Sorella di Satana (from "Ad Interitum Funebrarum", 1996) [submitted by Karl]
17. Fell Omen - "Born to Siege" (from "Caelid Dog Summer", 2025)
18. Solar Temple - "Those Who Dwell in the Spiral Dark" (from "Fertile Descent", 2018) [submitted by Sonny}
Not heard of these guys before, but it sure sounds interesting.
Hoping to get a couple of days away this weekend so this should be fine travel music to get me up and around Scotland.
Have fun!!
April 2026
1. Mountain Witch - "The Dead Won't Sleep" (from "Burning Village", 2019)
2. Kylesa - "Drop Out" (from "Spiral Shadow", 2010) [submitted by Vinny]
3. Louded - "Fatman" (from "Satanic Boogie Woogie", 2013) [submitted by Sonny]
4. Centurion’s Ghost – “Misery Serenade” (from “A Sign of Things to Come”, 2005) [submitted by dk1]
5. Thorns of the Carrion - "The Jonah" (from "Church of the Devil - Tribute to King Diamond", 2000)
6. Triptykon - "Myopic Empire" (from "Eparistera Daimones", 2010) [submitted by Vinny]
7. Boghaunter - "Ordeals in Stillness" (from "Writhe EP", 2018) [submitted by Sonny]
8. Usnea – “Eidolons and the Increate” (from “Portals Into Futility”, 2017) [submitted by dk1]
9. Death the Leveller - "A Call to Men of Noble Blood" (from "I", 2017)
10. Process of Guilt – “Dust” (from “Erosion”, 2009) [submitted by dk1]
11. Lone Wanderer - "Anhedonia" (from "Exequiae", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]
12. Indian - "Banailty" (from "Guiltless", 2011) [submitted by Vinny]
13. Sadhak - "On the Arrival of Man" (from "Sadhak Demo, 2013) [submitted by Sonny]
14. Minsk - "White Wings" (from "The Ritual Fires of Abandonment", 2007) [submitted by Sonny]
15. Greenmachine - "Punisher" (from "The Archives of Rotten Blues", 2004)
16. Griftegård - "The Mire" (from "Solemn.Sacred.Severe", 2009)
Thanks, Vinny. I completely agree that corporate manipulation and influence has completely undermined faith in not only medical professionalism, but any kind of public service, whether it is food production, news reporting, even car emissions ratings. Is it any wonder that there is such a proliferation of mistrust nowadays when the system has proved itself time and again to be untrustworthy, working to benefit the corporate world and perpetuate the status quo that suits the rich and powerful rather than working in the public interest.
Had a bit of a wake-up call this week. Last year I was feeling generally unwell and went to the doctor and they said I had very high blood pressure. I was resistant to being put on medication, so I changed my diet and increased exercise. I don't use gyms or anything organised, I have always had manually demanding jobs and walked a lot, so am reasonably fit for my age. Anyway, I shed over 20 lbs, improved my diet and felt a lot better.
This week I went for a six-month check so they could see how I was doing. Annoyingly my blood pressure had gone up. The nurse took it four times to make sure then said it was worryingly high and she needed to speak to the doctor about it. She came back and said he had prescribed meds for me and I needed to take them straight away as I was now at very high risk of heart attack or stroke. I asked how this could be when I had done all that they told me to and she said that sometimes it is just genetics.
So here I am stuck taking blood pressure meds and the cold reality that I am now officially old has slapped me in the face. I think it is that that pisses me off more than the actual health implications themselves. Hopefully the meds will work and I will still be here posting bollocks for a few more years yet!
I have just received my copy, so can you add the brand new Winterfylleth album, "The Unyielding Season" due out tomorrow please Ben?
BC: https://winterfylleth.bandcamp.com/album/the-unyielding-season
Thanks Ben. Much appreciated.
Hi Ben, could you please add Anachitis, the atmospheric black metal project of Uada's James Sloan?
RYM: https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/anachitis
BC: https://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-sorcerer-s-sorrow
"Space Opera" is the sub-genre of science fiction that deals with epic, galaxies-spanning stories and, usually, interstellar warfare between huge space-faring civilizations. This is as opposed to "hard science fiction" the feature of which is fictional stories which still sit within the realm of science fact, so usually no aspects which theoretical physics cannot justify. The Expanse or even Star Wars could be termed "space opera" and "The Martian" would be deemed "hard science fiction".
No singing is usually involved in either!
I am about a quarter way through "The Mercy of Gods", the first installment of the new space opera series from James S.A. Corey, the writers behind "The Expanse". Similar themes of political intrigue and humanity under threat are playing out so far and it is very readable, so anyone who did enjoy the earlier series should be well-served here too.
I actually don't mind King Diamond's vocal histrionics, but even so I approach Mercyful Fate in a bit of a different way. The thing is, I think that Melissa is a great set of songs in spite of King's voice, not because of it. The riffs and melodies are sheer brilliance and the vocals are just a bit of a curveball that are definitely an acquired taste.
On a different subject, I have found compiling these lists, going back to some of my earlier listening treats (and discovering some I overlooked first time around) to be very therapeutic. I think it has been quite obvious that I have been feeling a bit jaded and burnt out with the metal world over recent months, but I have really enjoyed reconnecting with this era of metal and I can feel this exercise reigniting my fire and passion for the genre as a whole.
1983 wasn't such a bad year, but in retrospect it feels like a year that was waiting for something big to happen. I know I was - I was shit broke and still working nightshifts in a factory making frozen pies, so some of these records really helped make that shit easier to live with.
Anyway, here's my top dozen for that year.
https://metal.academy/lists/single/346
1. Mercyful Fate - "Melissa"
2. Iron Maiden - "Piece of Mind"
3. Slayer - "Show No Mercy"
4. Satan - "Court in the Act"
5. Metallica - "Kill 'Em All"
6. Dio - "Holy Diver"
7. Raven - "All For One"
8. Motörhead - "Another Perfect Day"
9. Thin Lizzy - "Thunder and Lightning"
10. Acid - "Maniac"
11. Anvil - "Forged in Fire"
12. Battleaxe - "Burn This Town"
I have done a fair bit of new and relistening over the last few days since I first published this list and have made some changes:
1. Mercyful Fate - "Melissa"
2. Iron Maiden - "Piece of Mind"
3. Slayer - "Show No Mercy"
4. Satan - "Court in the Act"
5. Metallica - "Kill 'Em All"
6. Dio - "Holy Diver"
7. Raven - "All For One"
8. Motörhead - "Another Perfect Day"
9. Sortilège - "Sortilège EP"
10. Acid - "Acid"
11. Warlord - "Deliver US EP"
12. Acid - Maniac
A new Darkthrone album out on May 8th entitled "Pre-Historic Metal".
The title track has been released as a preview single and, solely judging on this track, it sounds like a move away from the doomier stuff they have explored over the last two or three albums back to the crusty heavy metal of the 2010s.
I have the most recent Darkthrone albums on vinyl and thought I would like to get the earlier stuff on that format to. Nicely timed is the release of this beast of a boxset, a copy of which I have arriving tomorrow.
The Fist in the Face of God (2026)
The nine albums from "A Blaze in the Northern Sky" through to "Sardonic Wrath" in vinyl format with a shit ton of other stuff. Really looking forward to this baby's arrival!
So this finally arrived today - no fucking thanks to Amazon. Supposed to arrive Mar 6th. Nope - put back to Mar 13th. Nope - now due to arrive end of April. I have fallen for this shit with Amazon before and in the end they say they can't get hold of it anymore so you end up disappointed. Checked on the Peaceville online store and it was still available, so cancelled the Amazon order and bought it direct. Arrived in 3 days. Fucking Bezos!!
[It is every bit as great as I had hoped by the way.]
Yep, gave up with Amazon ages ago for this very same reason, although currently in dispute with Artoffact Records after the Mares of Thrace record I ordered directly at end of Dec 25 with a 7 Feb 26 delivery date has still not arrived. Bandcamp can't even get an answer out of them either.
I often wonder nowadays if the world is becoming peopled by complete incompetents and shysters. Nothing seems to work anymore and no one seems to know why, or even want to do anything about changing it. I have had no end of things lost in the post - especially things I send to my brother in Scotland - but no one seems to care or wish to do anything about it. In fact it is now seen as quite usual. They all want you to pay for registered and insured post rather than making the standard post better - another damn scam.
I have the most recent Darkthrone albums on vinyl and thought I would like to get the earlier stuff on that format to. Nicely timed is the release of this beast of a boxset, a copy of which I have arriving tomorrow.
The Fist in the Face of God (2026)
The nine albums from "A Blaze in the Northern Sky" through to "Sardonic Wrath" in vinyl format with a shit ton of other stuff. Really looking forward to this baby's arrival!
So this finally arrived today - no fucking thanks to Amazon. Supposed to arrive Mar 6th. Nope - put back to Mar 13th. Nope - now due to arrive end of April. I have fallen for this shit with Amazon before and in the end they say they can't get hold of it anymore so you end up disappointed. Checked on the Peaceville online store and it was still available, so cancelled the Amazon order and bought it direct. Arrived in 3 days. Fucking Bezos!!
[It is every bit as great as I had hoped by the way.]
1983 wasn't such a bad year, but in retrospect it feels like a year that was waiting for something big to happen. I know I was - I was shit broke and still working nightshifts in a factory making frozen pies, so some of these records really helped make that shit easier to live with.
Anyway, here's my top dozen for that year.
https://metal.academy/lists/single/346
1. Mercyful Fate - "Melissa"
2. Iron Maiden - "Piece of Mind"
3. Slayer - "Show No Mercy"
4. Satan - "Court in the Act"
5. Metallica - "Kill 'Em All"
6. Dio - "Holy Diver"
7. Raven - "All For One"
8. Motörhead - "Another Perfect Day"
9. Thin Lizzy - "Thunder and Lightning"
10. Acid - "Maniac"
11. Anvil - "Forged in Fire"
12. Battleaxe - "Burn This Town"
Hi Ben, could you please add swedish melodic BM / Viking metal band Fimbultyr?
Just re-reading Fahrenheit 451 and I am truly stunned at how prophetic it was. The inanity of a lot of modern entertainment and uncritical modes of thinking are predicted from almost 70 years ago.
Motörhead - Another Perfect Day (1983)
It has got to be said - I have been far too hard on "Another Perfect Day" for far too many years. Motörhead were one of my absolute favourites in the late 70's, probably even more so than Sabbath, so when the 'classic' lineup split and Fast Eddie moved on, I wasn't really prepared for what came next. Sure, I quite liked "Robbo" when he was with Thin Lizzy, but Motörhead were a whole different kettle of fish. Consequently, the release of "Another Perfect Day" saw me turning away from Lemmy and the guys for the very first time. The situation was exacerbated by my discovery of thrash metal shortly after and for a very long time I didn't really give The 'Head much thought. Time has seen my attitude change and I have really dug on a few of the later albums, yet I stubbornly refused to give much eartime to "Another Perfect Day". So now, over the last few days whilst I have been compiling my favourites of '83 list, I have spent a fair bit of time with this misfit of a record and, you know what, I have really enjoyed the experience and I keep coming back to it for just one more spin. It is almost like I am hearing it for the first time. Brian Robertson's more expansive guitar style actually complements Lemmy's thundering basslines and gruff vocal delivery beautifully and his soaring soloing is a whole lot better and more expressive than I ever gave it credit for.
On the downside, I am not so sure that there are any real standouts like "Overkill", "Stone Dead Forever", "(We Are) the Roadcrew" or "(Don't Need) Religion", but there are some solid tracks here and the soloing on a track like "One Track Mind" give the band a fresh dimension and dynamic. I guess it is better late than never but I was a pig-headed little fucker when I was younger (what do you mean I still am?) and I guess I have missed out on some good stuff over the years because of it. Remember, though, that I couldn't just bang this on a streaming platform to allow me time to get into it, I would have had to shell out hard-earned cash for an LP and from what I had heard of it at the time I wasn't prepared to do so. I am glad I got there in the end though.
4/5 (up from probably a 2 in 1983).
Baphomet released this in 1992 then changed name to Banished to avoid confusion with the german death thrashers of the same name before promptly splitting in 1993. They did reform in 2013, but so what. Luckily they left The Dead Shall Inherit as their legacy and this is a great example of Nineties' death metal that sits between the cavernousness of Autopsy or Asphyx and the brutality of Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation and that really hits the mark for me. There is no technical wizardry or songwriting complexity on show here, this is unadulterated OSDM filthiness and menace that appeals to the animal, not the cerebral. Now that isn't enough for some metalheads I am sure, but when a band does these things right then there isn't much better in the death metal world as far as I am concerned - and Baphomet most definitely do it right here.
4.5/5
Thanks for the reply Vinny. I think calling music listening a job was probably a poor choice of words. A better term may be compulsion. The compulsion to get "under the skin" of a release and to try to express my thoughts on it rather than just enjoy it on a surface level. I am not a natural communicator, as I have mentioned before, and know sweet FA about music theory, so end up feeling like a bit of a fraud as I ramble on about things that, in all honesty, I know very little about.
I think you are right, getting old sucks and one aspect that sucks the most is the world weariness that life-experience brings into a person's thinking and that replaces wonder and excitement with cynicism and suspicion.
I have been thinking about this thread a lot since Zach posted it and it has led me to several other musings on the changing world of metal fandom. One thing that has persistently been tugging away at my brain is the role of the internet in music fandom in general and metal in particular. The question that keeps coming to me is "has the internet and membership of sites like Metal Academy, RYM, or any other you may be a member of, taken the fun out of music?"
This isn't really aimed at the younger members who have grown up with the internet, but at any of you who were metalheads back before we all became irrevocably connected. For myself, I feel like I had much more fun with it back then. I would usually come in from work, slap on "Ride the Lightning" or "Number of the Beast" and sing my heart out while I made my tea! And the thing was, I could play those records over and over and never tire of them, but actually looked forward to hearing them once more. The anticipation I had for new releases from my favourite artists was immense too. I was virtually bursting with excitement waiting for "Master of Puppets" or "South of Heaven" to hit the shelves of our local record shop, whereas now, even releases from some of my current faves have been out for a while before I get round to listening to them.
To be honest, listening to music now sometimes feels more like a job than fun. I feel weirdly guilty for just listening to a record for its own sake, it is as if I feel I must sit and listen intently to try to ascertain all the nuances and subtleties and then to conjure up words to try to convey what I have managed to take away from it to any poor soul who may be bothered to listen to my blatherings. Sounds miserable, no? But it is like I can't stop and it is some kind of addiction. In fact my life as a metalhead probably follows the course of addiction, initially exciting and fun, but gradually taking over and continuing out of compulsion and habit, rather than out of genuine love for it, to the point where I know it is not really good for me. Or maybe the addiction part is irrevocably tied into the online aspect of fandom. On the other hand maybe it is just the inevitability of aging and a changing life, after all much water has flowed under the bridge since those lovingly-remembered days (and some of it quite unpleasant).
I think what I am hamfistedly trying to say is that I yearn for the days when metal gave me mere happiness and, yes, fun and it didn't require the deepest of concentration and mental exertion just to get through it and then do it all over again.
Is this just a me thing, or does this resonate with anyone else?
Oh man. That f--in sucks. RIP.
I actually really like DFM. The energy and naive looseness of it really appeals to the side of me that spits in the eye of technicality, complexity and polish.
Funeral doom does seem to be well-suited for closing tracks on the playlists and it sometimes feels out of place when buried in the middle as it can result in a bit of a flat spot, whereas it gives a suitably mournful atmosphere with which to end when used as a closer.
I am happy to see some love for Ea, as they are one of my favourite funeral doom bands. They are a mysterious bunch though and have never revealed their identities. They sing in a dead Babylonian language that has been recreated by linguistic archaeology and variously claim to be from St. Petersburg in Russia, Wyoming and even Antarctica!
Hi Ben. Could you add US atmospheric black metallers Eissturm please?
I forgot to highlight it in my review, but I agree that the drums are pushed way too far down in the mix and the album suffers for it as a result.
After extensive refamiliarisation with some of these over the last couple of weeks, my 1982 hot dozen looks like this:
https://metal.academy/lists/single/343
1. Witchfinder General - Death Penalty
2. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
3. Diamond Head - Borrowed Time
4. Saxon - The Eagle Has Landed: Live
5. Mercyful Fate - Mercyful Fate
6. Venom - Black Metal
7. Taipan - Taipan
8. Motörhead - Iron Fist
9. Witchfinder General - Soviet Invasion!
10. Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance
11. Pagan Altar - Pagan Altar
12. Tank - Filth Hounds of Hades
Could you also add US solo BM project Echoes of the Moon please Ben?
Sorry, but no.
Had this on this morning while I was painting the fence and enjoyed it mostly, although the bookends provided a bit of a challenge. The first two tracks were a bit power-metally for my taste and the third sounded a bit like UK punks Vice Squad. All was put right by the time we got to Graveripper though. The last three were a struggle too and I especially don't think I will ever get on board with Pantera. Sterling work anyway Vinny. I think the Pit may be the hardest playlist to program (after the Sphere) as it is quite a tightly focussed clan with less genre variation than some of the others.
Hi Ben, could you add italian melodic black metallers Dewfall please?
Despite my well-publicised obsession with chilean thrash metal and the fact that Mental Devastation have been around for well over a decade and a half, I haven't crossed swords with these guys before and so went into it with great anticipation. Now strictly technical thrash metal doesn't always appeal to me so much, as I like my thrash to have an inherent aggression and fire, that I think is often lost amongst excessive technicality. As is usually the case with chilean thrash, though, this certainly delivers on the passion and aggression front, whilst also displaying an impressive level of technical ability. The usual chilean hallmarks are all present, breakneck pacing, vicious vocals and pronounced basslines, all well-represented by a nice, clean production job.
Following a brief anticipatory intro the opener proper, "Symbiosis", tears out of the blocks with a riff that proceeds to tear any unprepared listener a new one. With exuberant, energetic guitar soloing and bassist Alejandro Lagos' aggressive vocal delivery this is proper celebratory and whiplash-inducing stuff. They are perfectly capable of dialling it back a little though with "Judge and Jury" initially hitting a more mid-paced tempo. It is at these lower speeds, however, that Lagos' limitations as a vocalist are exposed as he maintains the ragged delivery he uses on the blisteringly fast tracks, which doesn't really suit the mid-paced stuff at all well and feels a bit like a sonic splinter in the thumb of the album. They also attempt something a bit more progressive on "Pulsions" but the gentle opening section exposes the vocal shortcomings even more.
I don't think that the technical aspect of "The Delusional Mystery of the Self Part II" is especially pronounced, certainly as far as the songwriting goes as the riffs still rule the roost here. For my money, dual guitarists Matías Morales and Felipe Espinoza are the guys who provide the secret sauce. Their riffs are pretty good, but their soloing is the real draw for me, delivering a great line in short, sharp shocks without sapping the momentum from the tracks by becoming too self-indulgent, even during the track "Primitive Paths" where they really go to town. All-in-all this is a very enjoyable slab of chilean thrash with enough energy and aggression to keep pace with my favourites from that neck of the woods, but which is robbed of my highest marks by the vocal limitations which I occasionally found too jarring to excuse and the superfluous instrumental "Dõ" which, for me, had no place being here at all.
4/5
The monetisation of human interaction has killed off any kind of community feeling on 95% of the internet. I don't use any of the (anti-) social media sites because I have no interest in those kinds of interactions. Metal Academy is now the only site I use in an interactive way anymore because the small, but easy going, membership make it the only site I have found where the interactions approximate normal, everyday human behaviour rather than the point-scoring, antagonistic bullshit that proliferates elsewhere.
I am glad you say it isn't going anywhere Ben, because I keep thinking that you may close it down and then I wouldn't have anywhere to shoot the shit about my life's passion, metal music, as my missus hates it and my real-life social interactions outside of family have petered out to almost zero as I have got older. Sad, I know, but true all the same!
Well, Zach, being born in the early 60's I grew up in the very early days of metal and, especially during the NWOBHM years here in England's north-west, the metal brotherhood of which you speak was very much a thing. Heavy metal was generally mocked and reviled by the wider community and its fans were very often the subject of piss-taking and even violence from the likes of the punks, mods and skinheads in every town centre. Yet, whenever you went to see a metal band live you would see the same faces from all the little shithole towns in which we lived come together, have a beer before the gig and generally have a great time of it, free of the threats and taunts from the dickheads you usually had to put up with.
I distinctly remember going to see Motorhead in '77 as a spotty 15 year-old and was a little nervous as they had a reputation for having a violent biker fanbase, but even being one of the youngest people in the venue that night, my mate and I were made to feel a part of something really special and, yes, it was full of huge hairy bikers from some of the most notorious bike gangs in the UK, but we were welcomed and treated just like old friends by all the guys we spoke to. That feeling of brotherhood and sharing in something special that outsiders could never understand has stayed with me my entire life and although the metal world is very different now and the internet has brought people on the other side of the world into our lives, I still feel a special affection and respect for any other metalhead I encounter, whether online or in real life. The latter are, however, few and far between nowadays as most people, certainly in the part of the world I inhabit, seem to all want to live carbon copy lives driven by algorithms and popularity.
I guess a youngster getting into metal now would have a very different experience to my own because online acceptance and brotherhood is very different to the tactile experience of real human beings, sharing a beer in the pub before a gig, getting animated arguing about who is better, Di'Anno or Dickinson, or whether Motley Crue are even metal or just a bunch of poseurs and then going to the venue and moshing together like crazy men!
I guess at my age we all wish we could be young again but, in truth, I wouldn't exchange those early experiences I had as a metalhead, which influenced my entire life view, for what passes as community nowadays. So I would say, Zach, that yes, the metal brotherhood at one time was very much a thing, certainly as far as my own experience goes.
That cover is absolutely fucking heartbreaking man. What a sickening and utterly tragic waste of an exceedingly rare and truly one-off, albeit extremely troubled, metal individual. RIP.
Hey, Ben. Thanks a lot for adding all my recent requests. A couple more for you when you're ready:
Black Tar Prophet - Instrumental sludge metal from Nashville
RYM: https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/black_tar_prophet
Bandcamp: https://blacktarprophet.bandcamp.com/
Blood Red Water - Italian sludge metal
RYM: https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/blood_red_water
Bandcamp: https://bloodredwater.bandcamp.com/album/all-the-ills-of-mankind
Boghaunter - US doom outfit who only have one EP to their name, but I quite like it.
RYM: https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/boghaunter
Bandcamp: https://boghaunter.bandcamp.com/album/boghaunter-writhe-ep
Cabeza de Caballo - Stoner doom from Spain
RYM: https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/cabeza-de-caballo
Bandcamp: https://tormorecords.bandcamp.com/album/d-lmenn
Louded - Spanish sludge metal
RYM: https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/louded
Bandcamp: https://louded.bandcamp.com/album/satanic-boogie-woogie
Sorry, it is actually a few more than a couple!
I have the most recent Darkthrone albums on vinyl and thought I would like to get the earlier stuff on that format to. Nicely timed is the release of this beast of a boxset, a copy of which I have arriving tomorrow.
The Fist in the Face of God (2026)
The nine albums from "A Blaze in the Northern Sky" through to "Sardonic Wrath" in vinyl format with a shit ton of other stuff. Really looking forward to this baby's arrival!
Thanks guys. I really appreciate you getting your picks in early.
Suggestions for April in by the 15th please guys.
My suggestion for April, Andi, is Plasmatics "Doom Song" from their "Metal Priestess" EP which is under "New Hope for the Wretched / Metal Priestess" on Spotify.