Sonny's Forum Replies
I used to watch cricket when I was a teenager when England could actually give you Aussies a game, but it is a sport that I think is much more fun to play than watch and I haven't bothered with it for years.
Also, there's quite a contrast in your sporting passions there Daniel. Test cricket which (usually) is a patient and lengthy affair seems heavily at odds with the point-a-second, attention-deficit-friendly NBA. Basketball is one sport I just don't get at all.
Sorry to hear that, Daniel. Wishing her all the very best and a speedy recovery.
Thanks David. I love that Age of Taurus album so nice pick.
Dead Kennedys - "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables" (1980)
I came across Dead Kennedys' debut full-length at around the same time I was introduced to Slayer back in my early high school days & it was through the same school mate too. I can't say that Dead Kennedys ever resonated with me like they did for a couple of my metal mates & they still don't to tell you the truth, although I do quite like this record nonetheless. Unfortunately, it's noticeably devoid of any tracks that I genuinely love so it doesn't tend to be a release that I go out of my way to seek out when I'm looking for an early hardcore punk fix.
For fans of Black Flag, Minutemen & The Vandals.
3.5/5
Fresh Fruit is definitely one of my top 3 punk albums. I was turned on to it shortly after its release by a friend at work who was sadly killed in a car crash just a couple of years later. That may have some personal bearing on why I value it so highly, but I do really enjoy most of the tracks. If they had swapped "Police Truck" for "Drug Me" it would be even better though.
I love Icelandic BM as a rule, but I have never heard of these guys before. Gave it a listen this afternoon and enjoyed it. It possesses many of the hallmarks of classic Icelandic BM, but also has a certain meaty brutality derived from death metal I would suggest. Will give it a few more listens before trying to work up a review.
Interesting picks Vinny. Three of these bands I haven't even heard of. Thanks.
While I've always kept up to date with most of the Bulldozer back-catalogue over the years, I have to admit that I've struggled to get into some of their more seminal records. Their first two full-lengths are a prime example of that as neither have ever done a lot for me. I do get a little bit more out of the thrashier "The Final Separation" than I do the speed metal of "The Day of Wrath" but I don't think I'll ever understand the underground appeal of either if I'm being honest. The claims that they're an early example of genuine black metal are misguided too in my opinion, despite with Fenriz may say. 3/5
I agree, Black Metal - No.
December 2025
1. Sadistic Intent - "Dark Predictions" (from "Resurrection", 1994) [submitted by Vinny]
2. Ritualhammer — "Devoid of Grace and God" (from "Grand Pestilential Flame", 2024) [submitted by Karl]
3. Proscription - "Behold a Phosphorescent Dawn" (from "Desolate Divine", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
4. Atavisma - "Sacrifice unto Babalon" (from "The Chthonic Rituals", 2018) [submitted by Sonny]
5. Immolation — "God Made Filth" (from "Failures for Gods", 1999) [submitted by Karl]
6. Revocation - "Confines of Infinity" (from "New Gods, New Masters", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
7. Abraded - "Menticide" (from "Ethereal Emanations From Chthonic Caries", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
8. Inanna - "Mind Surgery" (from "Void of Unending Depths", 2022) [submitted by Sonny]
9. Disgorge — "Manipulation of Faith" (from "Consume the Forsaken", 2002) [submitted by Karl]
10. Carcinoid - "Morbid Curse" (from "Encomium to Extinction", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
11. Brutal Truth — "Walking Corpse" (from "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses", 1992) [submitted by Karl]
12. Mercyless — "Abject Offerings" (from "Abject Offerings", 1992) [submitted by Karl]
13. Baphomet - "Valley of the Dead" (from "The Dead Shall Inherit", 1992) [submitted by Sonny]
14. Imperishable — "Bells" (from "Swallowing the World", 2025) [submitted by Karl]
15. Kontusion - "Endless Horror" (from "Insatiable Lust for Death", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
16. Magrudergrind - "Martyrs of the Shoah" (from "Magrudergrind", 2009)
17. Meth Leppard - "Idiocracy" (from "Gatekeepers", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
18. Anata — "Released When You Are Dead" (from "The Infernal Depths of Hatred", 1998) [submitted by Karl]
19. Night in Gales — "Towards a Twilight Kiss" (from "Towards the Twilight", 1997) [submitted by Karl]
20. Ataudes - "La Desgracia" (from "Tempus edax rerum", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
21. Gigan - "Square Wave Subversion" (from "Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus", 2024)
22. Diphenylchloroarsine - "Asphyxiating on Hazardous Pollution" (from "Post Apocalyptic Human Annihilation", 2017)
23. Imprecation — "Daemonium" (from "Vomitum Tempestas", 2025) [submitted by Karl]
24. Benediction - "Eternal Eclipse" (from "Subconscious Terror", 1990) [submitted by Sonny]
25. Deteriorot — "Horrors in an Everlasting Nightmare" (from "Awakening", 2025) [submitted by Karl]
26. Décryptal - "Flétrissement" (from "Simulacre", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
27. Grenadier — "The Swine of Mount Cashel" (from "Wolves of the Trench", 2025) [submitted by Karl]
28. Iniquitous Deeds - "Abstract Vibrations Compressed" (from "Incessant Hallucinations", 2015)
29. Disma - "Of A Pasat Forlorn" (from "Towards the Megalith", 2011) [submitted by Sonny]
December 2025
1. Count Raven - "The Poltergeist" (from "Mammon's War", 2015)
2. Gates of Slumber - "Iron Hammer" (from "Hymns of Blood and Thunder", 2009)
3. Evoken – “Lauds” (from “Mendacium”, 2025) [submitted by dk]
4. Hexvessel - "Nights Tender Reckoning" (from "Nocturne", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
5. Lo-Pan - "God's Favourite Victim" (from "Get Well Soon", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
6. Apocalypse Orchestra - "Virago" (from "A Plague Upon Thee", 2025) [submitted by Sonny]
7. Tombs - "Granite Sky" (from "Feral Darkness", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
8. Primitive Man – “Water” (from “Observance”, 2025) [submitted by dk]
9. Secrets of the Moon - "Black House" (from "Black House", 2020)
10. Stygian Crown - "Where the Candle Always Burns" (from "Funeral for a King", 2024)
11. Gloombound - "An Eternity of Complete Acquiescence" (from "Dreaming Delusion", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
12. desolat - "Central European Nihilist Arrogance" (from "Get Sick and Let me Watch You Die", 2024) [submitted by dk]
13. Pale Divine - "Cemetery Earth" (from "Cemetery Earth", 2007) [submitted by Sonny]
14. Wolvennest - "Burial" (from "Procession", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
15. Doomsday Profit - "Spirits" (from "Doomsday Profit", 2025)
16. Sunn 0))) – “Raise the Chalice” (from “Eternity Pillars EP”, 2025) [submitted by dk]
17. Electric Wizard - "Supercoven" (from "Supercoven EP", 1998) [submitted by Sonny]
A brand new Blut Aus Nord album is always a cause for rejoicing. Only a single listen as yet, but it contains all the the usual psych-tinged hynotism we have come to expect from the french black metallers in recent times. It may be fanciful on my part as I haven't studied the lyrics as yet, but atmospherically it seems to tap into the feeling of the environmental zeitgeist for me, in a similar way to Caio Lemos' Kaatayra project. I'm enjoying it.
A relatively new name on the death metal scene, Mortual hail from Costa Rica and hold true to the legacy of the death metal of the Americas. Being a completely new name to me I went back to their earlier EP to get a feel for the band and found it to be a little bit messy with a poor production that saw the tracks descending into a bit of a quagmire of identical-sounding noisiness. Thankfully on this, their debut full-length, the production issues have been addressed and that has revealed a much more accomplished band than was originally projected. The title alone should be an indicator that, despite hailing from elsewhere in the Americas, we are definitely on Floridian territory here with Morbid Angel obviously being a touchstone. Their sound also incorporates the abyssal, thunderous quality of the likes of Autopsy and, probably more pertinently, Incantation which feels like it actually intensifies the brutality the band serve up.
Opening up with an absolute brute of a track in "Mortuary Rites" Mortual set out their stall in no uncertain terms with the track veering from an almost black metal-ish, lightning fast tempo to an ominously brooding crawl and back again all in the space of five minutes of thunderous riffs and battering drum patterns. I appreciate the variations in pacing and am always up for a drop into a doomy tempo as a respite from the blitzkrieg riffs and machine gun blasts. Guitarist Justin Sánchez Barrantes, aka Justin Corpse, doubles-up as vocalist and possesses an excellent guttural growl that is one of the real highlights of the album for me, his sulphurous belchings drenched in foetid filth.
The riffs are fine but, in truth, there weren't really that many that hit me hard and stuck for long and I would like to hear a few more that rolled around for a while in my head later. The guitar soloing is pretty intense and mercurial and is certainly a strong point, providing a manic energy to what is already a pretty stoked atmosphere. In all honesty though, there isn't anything here we haven't heard many times before, so what you think of the album depends on whether you are happy to hear a band playing a well-established style of metal very well or if you place more emphasis on the search for growth and experimentation in your metal. Me, I am quite at ease listening to a technically adept band with a deep understanding of the genre in which they ply their trade and an album that enhances the legacy of the giants who influenced them.
4/5
I agree with all that. What a combination of internet, Covid and corporate marketing has done is consign the concept of definable sub-cultures to the dustbin of history, the Baggies of the 90s being the last really definitive movement (in the UK that is). That said, anyone who thinks these subcultures were primarily about what you wore, understandably, has no idea what they were about. To those inhabiting those spaces it was more than a fashion choice, it was a way of life that informed everything you did, who you hung around with and provided a sense of community, belonging and especially freedom, particularly within poorer communities.
It still makes me laugh to see middle-class twats paying £100 for a pair of ripped jeans. I regularly wore ripped jeans back in the day, but only because I couldn't afford new ones. This was back when you used band patches to actually cover holes in denim jackets and jeans eaten away by battery acid, not merely to profess your fandom. What we would have given for a new pair of Levis back then!I
Today the cult of the individual is king, which is weird because it seems to me like everybody looks the same!
Could it be that metal fans don't only listen to metal anymore? With a lot of metal music itself playing around with outside genres, and a few popular genres being more accessible in general, perhaps the average metal fan isn't as "metal or nothing" as they used to be?
I know that I listen to quite a lot of stuff that wouldn't be found on this site. My passion will always be metal, but I have much broader tastes than I once did. This could explain why you don't see as many obvious "metalheads" anymore. We're all just a little bit more cultured.
I also think that podcasts have likely taken over much of the space that used to be reserved for music. I would spend as much time listening to podcases as I do music. Not sure about the rest of you?
I know I am an old man now and as such am becoming less and less relevant in the world (just how it is kids - it will happen to you too), but, speaking for myself, I have been listening to less non-metal music than I used to. With the sheer variety in metal nowadays it is possible to get most of the music fixes I need within the metal world. I also still buy physical media, so not all my listening is tracked by Spotify and, to be honest, if it wasn't for the Academy playlists I probably wouldn't even have an account there - certainly not a subscription.
I never listen to podcasts because most of them are by people whose views are uninformed, sacrifice complexity and nuance and prioritise clicks over objectivity.
To get back to the original point, though, I don't think the visibility of metalheads was ever cited as the issue, it was based on listening habits. I haven't looked like a metalhead for years - shaved my hair off when hair loss started to make long hair look ridiculous, don't have tattoos (in fact I hate them) and rarely wear band shirts (only gifts), or any logos for that matter, any more - I'm not payiing for the privelege of being someone's fucking billboard! Yet I see many people who look like old-school metalheads with long hair and beards who have never heard a metal album in their lives and listen to shit like the aforementioned Coldplay and go to Glastonbury every year. Certainly here in the UK, I don't think there are really any clearly identifiable music-based "cultures" any more. I grew up a "rocker" and that set you apart from the mods, punks, skins, disco-heads and northern soul fans. But those distinctive and instantly recognisable sub-cultures no longer exist and popular culture feels like it has become very bland, homogenous and corporate.
Sorry - old man shouting at the clouds rant over... (at least until next time).
To be honest, I am not sure what constitutes a "listen" on Spotify. If you listen to one track or even part of a track does that count as a "listen" or must it be something a bit more substantial? As David says, Spotify's own playlists probably generate an awful lot of "listens" for those bands featured on them and I have heard talk of labels actively paying Spotify to push their artists on those playlists, so it is hardly a level playing field. If only more people would listen to the Academy playlists we could boost the profile of metal on the platform!
Anyway, fuck em, as long as there are bands out there playing and releasing metal then they can keep all the fashionistas and trend-followers who jump on any bandwagon that is currently popular.
This month's suggestions have made me realise how little I have dug beneath the surface of the Horde as I have only heard of about three of the bands amongst Vinny and Karl's suggestions. Makes me wonder if I am really the man for this job!!
Cheers, Vinny. I will add it now.
Allright!
Night in Gales — "Towards a Twilight Kiss" (from "Towards the Twilight", 1997)
I can't find a track called "Towards a Twilight Kiss" Karl. Are you sure you have the correct title?
That was a good year for black metal. Here's my ten:
1. Darkthrone - "Transilvanian Hunger"
2. Emperor - "In the Nightside Eclipse"
3. Mayhem - "De mysteriis dom Sathanas"
4. Enslaved - "Vikingligr Veldi"
5. Cianide - "A Descent into Hell"
6. Burzum - "Hvis lyset tar oss"
7. Bestial Warlust - "Vengeance War 'Till Death"
8. Fimbulwinter - "Servants of Sorcery"
9. Thergothon - "Stream from the Heavens"
10. Gorement - "The Ending Quest"
Pretty much everyrhing is becoming beyond the financial reach of the average family and we are being taken for a ride. I was talking to a Spurs fan recently and he said that for a seat right at the back of the top tier it now costs £75 each. Iron Maiden tickets are priced £87 - £110 for a show in Glasgow. I saw them several times early on, the last time being the Somewhere in Time tour when I paid £6 for a ticket which, allowing for inflation, would still be less than £20 today. Even a ticket for Chester Zoo is £39 for an adult and £27 for a kid - £132 for a family of four!! They are taking the piss and anything but the essentials is becoming unaffordable for the average Joe.
December playlist is built, with the above suggestions from Andi and Karl included.
Shit, sorry Vinny. Things have been a bit hectic recently and I forgot all about it, so didn't post any noms. I will redouble my efforts for the next one.
It really depends on which state you were brought up in as to which footy code you were most exposed to Sonny. Traditionally, New South Wales & Queensland were stronger in rugby league & rugby union while the rest of the country were stronger in AFL. That’s become a bit muddier over time with Melbourne winning NRL premierships & Sydney & Brisbane winning the AFL competition but I still can’t understand the appeal of AFL. It just seems so messy & lacking in structure to me. Gimme the brutality of rugby league any day of the week.
That sounds a lot like rugby in England. If you grew up in the north of England, especially Yorkshire and Lancashire, then you were most likely into league, whereas the south was union. Like Aussie rules that has become blurred over time mostly due to union finally turning professional and some high profile league players switching code because of the higher profile of union, especially at international level with the Six Nations tournament. I played union at school, but actually prefer league and its quicker pace.
I am a Liverpool FC fan and had a season ticket on the Kop throughout the 90s and 2000s. I had to give it up after the 2009 season as I just couldn't afford it anymore. I don't really watch much football now though as it just isn't the same watching it on TV. I do still miss that matchday buzz though.
My favourite sport over the last decade or so has been biathlon and I feel an affinity for the Norwegians mostly seeing as the UK has no representation. Unfortunately it has switched from being free to watch on Eurosport and gone to some channel that wants like £25 a month to watch, so I will probably end up watching it with slovakian commentary on YouTube.
Other than that I love track and field (my wife used to be a national-level 100m hurdler back in the 1970s) and watch a fair bit of the NFL with my team being the Washington Commanders. So in both the Premier League and the NFL my teams are following up a great season with a pile of shit this time around. Add to that the fact that my favourite biathletes, Johannes and Tarje Boe both retired at the end of last sesason and this winter's sport is looking a bit grim.
Do you not follow Aussie rules football Daniel because that shit looks insane?!
Pentagram - "Pentagram" (1985)
Firstly, unless you own the original 1985 vinyl, then you haven't heard "Pentagram" as it was originally released because this version has never been re-issued. The version most people (myself included) know is the 1993 Peaceville reissue which has a resequenced track listing which matches that of the 1982 " All Your Sins" demo from when the band were still called Death Row and which featured new artwork and a title change to "Relentless". As I am sure most doomheads know, Pentagram had originally formed in 1971 and gone through many lineup changes and tribulations that saw them issuing very little by way of official product with a 1972 seven-inch of "Be Forewarned" probably being the most significant. This meant that despite being around for so long, Pentagram's debut was pre-empted by the likes of Trouble and Saint Vitus who were already leaning further into doominess than the genre's godfathers Black Sabbath, so for many "Pentagram" could be seen as a backward step.
Pentagram's sound paid massive homage to Sabbath, who must have been a huge influence on sole remaining founding member Bobby Liebling back in the early 70's, which meant that they didn't lean as heavily into the slow, dirgelike pacing of Saint Vitus' debut, but more akin to that of the NWOBHM, particularly the likes of Witchfinder General. However I am not convinced that ultra-slow pacing is the be all and end all of traditional doom metal, with the riffs and guitar tone playing as much a part in creating the aesthetics of doom and here there can be no doubt of Pentagram's success with the shitty production lending a decidedly grimy filthiness to the riffs that feed fittingly into the album's occult aesthetic. A track such as "All Your Sins" could almost be a demo of an unused track from "Master of Reality" - and I mean that in the best possible way. The quickest tracks are where the band depart most from the accepted doom aesthetic with "Sign of the Wolf (Pentagram)" or "Relentless" kicking out riffs more reminiscent of "Stained Class"-era Judas Priest than "Master of Reality" or "Saint Vitus" and closer "20 Buck Spin" is essentially straight-up hard rock or heavy psych at best. Now this isn't an issue for me per se, being a big fan of late-70's Priest and early 70's heavy psych, but I must admit that the doomier stuff such as "The Ghoul" and "All Your Sins" are where it scores highest with me.
"Pentagram" must really be viewed as a band with a lengthy history finally getting to release their material in full-length form and can possibly be viewed as them 'clearing the decks' so that they could move forward now that they had a record deal. It must be put into context that, despite the emergence of bands like Saint Vitus and Trouble, "Pentagram" was released into a musical environment dominated by the aggressive high energy assault of thrash or the sleazy decadence of glam metal and didn't gain a huge following first time around, recognition not coming until the Peaceville re-release in the early Nineties. Personally, as an old 70s vintage metalhead, I think there are some good tracks here and, despite it's 1980s release date, it gives a perspective on the metal underground from the 70's that not everyone is necessarily au fait with, so it should at least be given some acknowledgement and respect within doom circles as well as the wider context of metal history.
4/5
Just put in a pre-order for the "Watching From A Distance" 4x LP boxset 20th Anniversary edition. It's a bit pricey, but some things are worth it!
OK Zach. Here's half a dozen of my favourite more traditional doom metal tracks off the top of my head. I don't think you have rated any of these albums to date. See how you go on with these and I will have a think about some other doomy sub-genres.
Warning - "Footprints" from "Watching From A Distance"
Reverend Bizarre - "Doom Over the World" from "II: Crush the Insects"
Solstice - "Cromlech" from "New Dark Age"
Windhand - "Woodbine" from "Soma"
Spiritus Mortis - "When the Wind Howled With a Human Voice" from "The God Behind the God"
Triptykon - "Goetia" from "Eparistera Daimones"
Yes it is, and send whatever you want that I haven’t got.
Sure thing. I will give it a think. Nice to hear from you again by the way.
Do you want well-known stuff or more obscure tracks?
PS - Is that Zach? Have you changed your name from Zero Symbolic to (a more floridian) Gator?
It was this album's turn in my feature release rotation this morning and impressions after a single playthrough were very positive. Hoping to get a full review issued at some point after a few more spins. Loving this guys vocals.
It looks like you double-rated this release Sonny. I didn't mind it when I checked it out in September 2022 but I have to admit that those vocals were an obstacle to me fully committing.
I don't know how that happened, I certainly didn't do it on purpose. I have deleted my rating and it seems ok now.
This afternoon we watched the new Netflix three-parter "Des" starring ex-Dr. Who, David Tennant, as notorious UK serial killer Denis Nilsen. Compelling stuff which begins with his arrest and covers Nilsen's manipulation of the police unvestigation rather than concentrating on showing his crimes. Great performance from Tennant and definitely worth a watch if you are into criminal psychology shows (as my wife certainly is).
I have finally got round to checking out Ashenspire and their 2022 album, Hostile Architecture after it romped to one of the easiest ever wins in a series of yearly metal games I host on RYM's Polls/Games forum. All I can say is - WOW!! It is amazing when, even at my age, you can hear an album that completely collapses your musical world and opens it up to previously unheard marvels. I am not even sure I can do the album any justice, but Ashenspire sound like a metallic Velvet Underground if VA were pumped up on steroids instead of zoned out on smack, were infinitely more pissed-off and many times more technically gifted. Also, why do vocals sound angrier and more menacing when delivered in a Glasgow accent? This, alongside Ulcerate's truly awesome Cutting the Throat of God make 2025 a sterling year of metal discovery for me, with two genuine new favourite albums to make life feel a little less shit.
Yeah, my wife watched all the Downton Abbeys recently as well. I am not a period piece fan either, especially as Downton Abbey just seems like a modern update of Upstairs Downstairs from the 1970s. Luckily, she is cool with me putting my laptop and headphones on while she watches stuff I don't care for.
A more interesting period piece I rewatched this week, as it is that time of year, was Gunpowder about the Catholic plot to blow up the Parliament of James I and assassinate the king. Although Jon Snow isn't particularly convincing as notoriously fanatical and ruthless conspiracy leader Robert Catesby, it is still a decent show and is even particularly brutal in places.
It is great when a record that only seemingly means something to oneself strikes a chord with another human being, especially if it is in a less tangible way that possibly transcends the mere music itself. I completely get what you are saying, Vinny, about this record in particular, but also funeral doom in general, being a therapeutic experience because I have thought this for a very long time. I find great comfort in funeral doom that I don't really get from any genre and the calming effect it induces soothes my often frazzled nerves supremely well. I am sure this woulddn't be the case for everyone, but for those of a certain mental setup this album should be available on the NHS!
Keep it slow, keep it low and grind away that stress....
Here's wishing you a speedy recovery, Vinny.
Great stuff Vinny. Glad you like it.
Thanks, David. Having listened to the track I am perfectly happy to include it as it sounds like an awful lot of sludge I have heard over the years.
Thanks, guys. I completely understand the antipathy towards Dawn of Winter, but I have a soft spot for trad doom outfits who have no chance of popularity. I am fairly immune to questionable vocals with this particular sub-genre where an awfully high percentage of vocalists are functional at best.
The thing is, all three of us contributing members to the Fallen playlist have quite similar preferences within the clan's remit, tending mostly towards the more extreme end, so I try to cover the sub-genres that we are less popular amongst the three of us, which I may not always be totally au fait with - gothic metal being one particular sub-genre I try to cover without being much of a devotee. This may well result in some questionable picks. Trad doom was my gateway into doom metal, bands like Saint Vitus, Reverend Bizarre and the likes, so it will always be a sub-genre I will support, however, despite being a one-time massive fan of stoner metal, I have become a bit bored of the more meandering style over recent times.
I am glad the playlist is still getting some listens anyway, and it is nice to get some feedback, so thanks for the continued support fellas.
Just as an example of how many fuckers will try to rip you off nowadays, I have been trying to get a reasonably-priced copy of this for ages now and saw one on Discogs for 23 Euros, so dipped in for a look and the guy selling it wants to charge 100 Euros for shipping - from Norway to the UK. Alongside tales of scalpers buying up tickets for the forthcoming Iron Maiden tour (and many others), so they can sell them back to real fans at extortionate prices it makes my damn blood boil.
Sorry David, I have been unable to find the Harvey Milk song or album on Spotify. Do you want to nominate an alternative?
Thanks Vinny.
Selections by the 15th please David.
I am more than happy to provide a review if I can think of something to say about the features, Vinny and I have quite a few thoughts on this one - nice pick by the way.
It seems like the Old School are mounting a fightback in 2025 with new albums from Coroner, Sodom, Dark Angel, Destruction, Onslaught, Hirax, Sacrifice and Testament all hitting the shelves of metal emporiums the world over. I would be lying if I said I was feverish with anticipation over any of the above, but in the past all have made thrash albums I love to a greater or lesser degree, so at least deserve a hearing. Now, I do like Testament, Chuck Billy is one of my favourite thrash metal vocalists, but somehow, much like fellow Californians Exodus, outside of their debut album they just don't excite me as much as they should, their songwriting not always flipping my switches.
Initial impressions of Para Bellum, however, are good, especially as Chuck's excoriating bellow is still as potent as ever, despite being the same age as me, old bastard (me, not Chuck)! Kicking off in thrashtastically invigorating style, the opening dual salvo of "For the Love of Pain" and "Infanticide A.I." hit pretty hard with some high-energy riffing, scintillating leadwork from Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick and defiant roars from Chuck. They follow this up with the medium-paced chug of "Shadow People", allowing for a change of pacing and lyrical content. Whereas the opening brace are lyrically centre around the modern concern that the power-hungry few are trying to exert control over the wider population's lives, "Shadow People" takes on the old metal staple of demonic forces and black magic.
"Meant To Be" kicks off in 80's power ballad style as Testament attempt their own version of "Fade To Black", with the track building in intensity and heaviness, although the stadium-friendly, Zippo-waving chorus is a bit cheesy-sounding for my taste, the lead work is pretty decent. Whilst it misses the mark a bit, I do applaud the band trying to mix things up and provida a little bit of the epic amongst the machine-gun firestorm around it, which certainly continues apace with the next couple of tracks, "High Noon" and "Witch Hunt", both of which attempt to tear your head from your shoulders with chainsaw riffs and by sheer weight of aggression. I think new drummer, ex-Seven Spires skinsman Chris Dovas is probably worth a mention at this point. Following previous two drumstool occupants Gene Hoglan and Dave Lombardo gives Dovas some pretty big boots to fill, but his drumming is precise and powerful and provides the riffs with added impetus and velocity.
Unfortunately this point now sees the album hit a flat spot as we hit filler territory. "Nature of the Beast" is the blandest and most uninspiring track on the album for my money and I feel its presence also has a negative effect on the next track "Room 117", which isn't strong enough to lift the album, despite a decent chugging riff and a nice mid-track solo, with it feeling like it too is dragged down by the banality of its predecessor. "Havana Syndrome" encounters more of the same, with the vicious main riff being let down by a rather unimpressive chorus. The album concludes with the title track and here we hear the band back at full tilt and sounding so much better as a result as they declare war on your eardrums once more with a war-drenched slab of epic thrash glory.
There is a killer 41 minute album in here. I would have liked them to have stripped out the two filler tracks, "Nature of the Beast" and "Havana Syndrome", which would have left us with a leaner, meaner fighting machine of an album. I also know that "Meant To Be" is a misfire, but like I said, I kind of admire the intent behind it, so am inclined to want it to remain. All-in-all I am glad to have heard Para Bellum and would have no issue picking up a copy if I could get it for under a tenner.
3.5/5
December sees the Horde take its turn in the playlist rotation. Suggestions by the 15th please Vinny, Karl. I am not currently taking non-clan member suggestions for any of the playlists I curate.
November 2025
1. Mayhem - "Buried by Time and Dust" (from "De mysteriis dom sathanas", 1994) [submitted by Sonny]
2. Sargeist - "Ordained and Adorned" (from "Flame within Flame", 2025) [submitted by Karl]
3. Destruction Ritual - "Washed Away Sins" (from "Providence", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
4. Kadotettu - "Kuolema ylivuotinen" (from "Ihmisyyden viimeiset askeleet", 2016)
5. Der Weg Einer Freiheit - "Eos" (from "Innern", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
6. Throne of Ahaz - "An Arctic Star of Blackness" from "Nifelheim", 1995 [submitted by Karl]
7. Abduction - "Vomiting at Baalbek" (from "Existentialismus", 2025) [submitted by Sonny]
8. Arkona - "Only True Belief" from "An Eternal Curse of the Pagan Godz", 1994 [submitted by Karl]
9. Profane Order - "Black Vomit Desecration" (from "Slave Morality", 2019)
10. Medieval Demon - "Raging Lord of the Deeps" (from "All Powers of Darkness", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
11. Finsterforst - "Zerfall" (from "Zerfall", 2019)
12. Polemicist - "The Infidel" (from "Medieval Rites", 2025) [submitted by Karl]
13. Bekhira - "Gas the Christ" (from "Demo '96", 1996) [submitted by Karl]
14. Autrest - "Ruins of the Lost" (from "Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
15. Together to the Stars - "Gravity Eater" (from "The Fragile Silence", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]
16. Bethlehem - "Verheißung - Du Krone des Todeskultes" (from "Dictius te necare", 1996)
15. Spiter - "Transylvanian Night" (from "Bathe the Babe in Bats' Blood", 2022)
16. Swordmaster - "Wraths of Time" (from "Wraths of Time", 1995)
17. Helheim - "Dualitet og ulver" (from "Heiðindómr ok mótgang", 2011)
18. Panopticon - "The Echoes of a Disharmonic Evensong" (from "Roads to the North", 2014)
November 2025
1. Cosmic Reaper - "Parasite" (from "Bleed the Wicked, Drown the Damned", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
2. Void Moon - "The Mourning Son" (from "On the Blackest of Nights", 2012) [submitted by Sonny]
3. Bala – “Agitar” (from “Maleza”, 2021) [submitted by dk]
4. Paradise Lost - "Salvation" (from "Ascension", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
5. Krux - "Prince Azaar and the Invisible Pagoda" (from "III - He Who Sleeps Amongst the Stars", 2011) [submitted by Sonny]
6. Dvvel – “Son” (from “Quiescent”, 2022) [submitted by dk]
7. Virgin Black - "And the Kiss of God's Mouth, Part 2" (from "Elegant... and Dying", 2003)
8. Faetooth - "Hole" (from "Labyrinthine", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
9. Mortiferum - "Incubus of Bloodstained Visions" (from "Preserved in Torment", 2021) [submitted by Sonny]
10. Goya - "In the Dawn of November" (from "In the Dawn of November", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
11. Conjurer “In Your Wake” (from “Pathos”, 2022) [submitted by dk]
12. Dawn of Winter - "Ritual Magic" (from "In the Valley of Tears", 1998) [submitted by Sonny]
13. Blood Vulture - "Entwined" (from "Die Close", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]
14. Amenra –“Ogentroost” (from “De doorn”, 2021) [submitted by dk]
15. Indian - "Ration" (from "The Unquiet Sky", 2005)
16. The Fall of Every Season - "From Below" (from "From Below", 2007)
i have been looking at the new cover at the top of the homepage for the last few days, thinking what a horrible cover it is and it only occured to me today that it is A BRAND NEW EVOKEN ALBUM!!
...and it is pretty damn good too (unlike the cover that still sucks).
Yeah, it's not the best. I'm very much looking forward to checking out the album though!
The music is great though. Quite 'progressive' in that the tracks keep moving forward and rarely repeat riffs, phrases or motifs, whilst still sitting recognisably within the funeral/death doom sphere.
i have been looking at the new cover at the top of the homepage for the last few days, thinking what a horrible cover it is and it only occured to me today that it is A BRAND NEW EVOKEN ALBUM!!
...and it is pretty damn good too (unlike the cover that still sucks).
Here is a transscript of an actual conversation I was a party to between two of my internal organs:
Brain: Wow, Heart, I bet you're loving this album aren't you?
Heart: I don't know. Not really. It hasn't made me skip a beat or anything.
Brain: Yeah, but these super-distorted, oozing sludgy riffs are just the sort of shit we adore though aren't they?
Heart: I know, I know, but, well, something really isn't connecting here and it just makes me feel kind of empty.
Brain: Oh, come on. You're just being difficult now.
Heart: I'm really not. It just sounds like someone took Dopethrone, ran it through a distortion pedal and added a load of Sonic Youth noise to it.
Brain: Exactly! Great innit?
Heart: No, its just making feel a bit worn out and tired.
Brain: Oh fuck off then!!
I am a bit conflicted by this to say the least. I know I should love it, but it isn't reaching me for some reason. I suspect that the fault is mine and not theirs. I think it best I return to this at a later date.
Hello, can anyone post in this thread?
Hey, Miles. Everyone can post in any thread on the site, even ones for clans of which they are not a member. Any posts you wish to make will be very welcome.
Just watched the three-part Netflix documentary "Katrina: Come Hell and High Water" about the 2005 hurricane that hit New Orleans and the systemic and continuing failures of organizations to respond to the crisis. Should be seen as a wake up call to anyone who still thinks that governments will come to save them when the shit hits the fan.
Spike Lee was involved in this one as well as his excellent 2006 series "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" which is also excellent. In this day and age of unashamed worldwide governmental corruption and self-serving negligence, I think we tend to forget just how fucking useless W was as president of the US.
Well, I always said that I would rather have root canal surgery than listen to St. Anger again, but I have changed my mind. I had just such a procedure this afternoon and it sucked every bit as bad as St. Anger, except that the Metallica dud didn't cost me 600 quid, which makes it the winner in the battle of "Shittest things I have ever endured that last an hour and fifteen minutes!"