Sonny's Forum Replies

Overkill - The Grinding Wheel (2017)

I am not the biggest fan of the New Jersey thrashers, but this album is just so excruciatingly terrible that it makes me want to go back to all the albums of theirs that I have rated and knock a star off each ones rating. This must be easily the most grating vocal performance I have ever heard - yes, even worse than Axl Rose. Most of the tracks seem like thrashed-up versions of old rock n roll songs. I truly cannot express how much I hated this record and it has thrown a shadow over my whole afternoon with its sheer awfulness. So FUCK OFF OVERKILL!!

0.5/5 (and lucky to get that much)

This sucks so much. I cannot express how much this guy and his music has meant to me over the years. I guess we all saw it coming one day soon, but we kept hoping that it would be tomorrow and not today. Now today is here and another metal icon has gone to join Lemmy in metal Valhalla. R.I.P. Ozzy.

I missed a word there. I meant "I'm NOT surprised" as I'm aware of your aversion to the more chaotic & abrasive stuff.

Ah, right you are.

"One of Us is the Killer" is my Dillinger release of choice these days & I'm surprised that you might find it a little more palatable than a more abrasive & chaotic record like "Calculating Infinity" Sonny.

Like I say, Daniel, I haven't heard any other DEP albums, so I don't know how typical of their sound this is. Your comment makes me think that I have given the impression in the past that I prefer abrasive and chaotic when that is absolutely not the case. I have often railed against chaotic-sounding records as they usually send my mind into turmoil. I do like aggressive music, but stuff that is too abrasive and chaotic often sets my teeth on edge. This is part of the reason I listen to so little from the Revolution and when I do I enjoy the stuff that dabbles with catchy choruses and melodic, albeit muscular,  riffs.

Krallice - Diotima (2011)

So, here is yet another example of the fact that I have no idea what I am talking about, or even what I like half the time. My only other exposure to Krallice was their 2015 album, Ygg Hur, to which I awarded a measly 2.5 stars. I remember said album as being a bit technical and a bit dissonant in the way that I didn't especially enjoy around that time. As such, I wasn't particularly enthused going  in to this, but it is actually pretty good and I enjoyed it a helluva lot. It is made up of fairly lengthy and repetitive tracks of muscular black metal that seem to have a beefiness derived from employing death metal production techniques. With the repetitious nature of the riffs and lengthy runtimes you would be forgiven for filing this away as atmospheric black metal but it isn't really as I don't think the repetition is deployed in a way as to create atmospheric layers, but rather to bludgeon the listener and make them feel like they have taken a metaphorical punch on the nose. There is some dissonance involved, but nothing too egregious and certainly not enough to put even my sensitivity to it on alert, just enough to add a bit of bite and edge to the tracks to prevent them becoming too warm and fuzzy. 

I don't want to give the impression that this is a boring slog of repetition, though, because the songwriting and composition of a track like "Telluric Rings" is much more accomplished and nuanced than that and is a fine of example of a band who want to make interesting black metal whilst still delivering on the darker side of the genre. The band employ two vocalists, the main one, I think, is guitarist Mick Barr whose vocals are a harsh bark in a more death metal style than the more familiarly thin shrieks of second vocalist, bassist Nicholas McMaster. Speaking of which, I must also make mention of McMaster's bass playing which is busily at work doing some serious heavy lifting for a fair bit of the runtime, not content to just follow the riffing, the bass weaves some quite complex patterns, adding some nice flavour to the musical mix.

I have got to say, I am quite impressed by Diotima and feel that maybe I have been unjustified in giving Krallice short shrift in the past. Every track is strong, but the aforementioned "Telluric Rings" sounds like something special to me and is possibly heading towards becoming a firm black metal favourite of mine. I notice that I am the first on here to rate it, but I strongly recommend a listen to most of the North regulars because, honestly, it is much better than I make it sound.

4.5/5

The Dillinger Escape Plan - One of Us Is the Killer (2013)

Now I am starting to wonder if I even know what I like any more. I thought I hated metalcore with a passion, yet now I find that the further I delve into it, the more I find something there that I can engage with. I have never knowingly listened to a DEP album before, but they are one of those bands I had rolled my eyes at in the past, in an arrogant, nothing-to-do-with-me show of disdain, that now looks increasingly stupid and elitist and crumbles upon first contact with the "enemy". Sure, there are a couple of moments that are a bit too abrasive and rub me up the wrong way a little, but generally speaking this is something I can get on board with. When the riffs and catchier melodies hit then it sounds great, especially when deployed in direct contrast to the more abrasive moments, with this dichotomy providing the musical tension that fires and drives the album for me, particularly on a track like "Hero of the Soviet Union". A couple of tracks, such as the title track and "Paranoia Shields" even remind me of a more vicious Soundgarden and these two are the album highlights for me, particularly the latter.

Fuckin' hell, at this rate I am going to have to come up with one of those "my top ten metalcore albums" lists. See, you can teach a (very) old dog new tricks!

4/5

Well, they say laughter is the best medicine and your final comment had me literally laughing out loud, so I reckon I am well on the way to full recovery (sorry Ben). All the best anyway and hopefully we will have many more years of shooting the shit about metal and everything else!!

I have recently had a bit of a health scare. After feeling unwell for a few days I went to see the doctor and they found my blood pressure was at dangerously high levels. In order to avoid going onto long-term medication I have had to undertake some radical lifestyle changes, including a strict diet and exercise. I also need to reduce my stress levels, so I have pretty much stopped consuming news and curent affairs which have been a massive source of stress (and anger) recently.

This does, however, mean I have needed to stop writing reviews for the time being as I actually find it incredibly stressful trying to write several paragraphs of thoughts on music as I am not a natural writer like some of you guys. I would like to continue participating though, so I will probably only contribute shorter, more concise comments for the time being.

The good news is that the steps I have introduced seem to be paying off and my BP is steadily coming down to more normal levels, so hopefully I will still be around for a little while longer!!

Be well big man.  Look after yourself.

Thanks Vinny, I'm trying.

I have recently had a bit of a health scare. After feeling unwell for a few days I went to see the doctor and they found my blood pressure was at dangerously high levels. In order to avoid going onto long-term medication I have had to undertake some radical lifestyle changes, including a strict diet and exercise. I also need to reduce my stress levels, so I have pretty much stopped consuming news and curent affairs which have been a massive source of stress (and anger) recently.

This does, however, mean I have needed to stop writing reviews for the time being as I actually find it incredibly stressful trying to write several paragraphs of thoughts on music as I am not a natural writer like some of you guys. I would like to continue participating though, so I will probably only contribute shorter, more concise comments for the time being.

The good news is that the steps I have introduced seem to be paying off and my BP is steadily coming down to more normal levels, so hopefully I will still be around for a little while longer!!

My suggestion for August Andi:

Enforcer - "Mask of Red Death" (from "From Beyond", 2015)

Really nice playlist. I've listened through this a few times mainly while working, so can't really do a song by song review. I only knew just overe half of it, so was great to hear some new bands. I've got to say I really enjoy the playlist aspect of the site - I've already listened to one from the Horde and the Revolution clans.

The one that really jumped out at me was Mares of Thrace - "The Fifth Stage: Depression" (from "The Loss", 2025) and the album was promptly added onto my to listen to list. I loved the clanging drums and vocals on this one. It appealed to my love of post-hardcore and noise rock and I guess the sound makes sense as I noticed that Thérèse Lanz was briefly a member of KEN mode. Great stuff. 

Yeah, that is a great track. I am glad to see the band finally gaining some traction.

King Witch - III (2025)

I am only part-way through my first listen to this new one from KW, a band that I have been following for quite a while, and i just had to come here and post, "holy shit Laura Donnelly can fucking sing". If Ronnie James Dio  was a woman (and a bit taller) then he would have sounded just like this. I can definitely feel that this is going to be a 2025 favourite for me. If you love epic doom / heavy metal then you need to do yourself a favour and get an earful of this shit! 

No score yet, but it's gonna be good....

Arkham Witch - I Am Providence (2015)

Despite appearances to the contrary, I do actually like metal that is fun, alongside all the doom and gloom that makes up the bulk of my metallic intake. One of my primary sources for when I feel the need for some light-heartedness is Keighley's Arkham Witch. On "I Am Providence" they provide twenty very short and punchy, tongue-in-cheek heavy metal celebrations of horror writer HP Lovecraft's eldritch stories that are both catchy and fun and which I more often than not find myself singing along to (too loudly and out of tune). This is an album for lightening your mood when you are feeling low. It feels kind of like a heavy metal version of The Misfits and it is a joyous celebration of both metal and horror stories, two things that have been a part of my life since I was a teenager. I have a score for this, but I'm not posting it here because I don't want to affix a number to how much fun and joy this album brings to me.

Here we go Sonny:

Coltsblood - "Until the Eidolon Falls" (from "Obscured Into Nebulous Dusk", 2025)

Ossuary - "Forsaken Offerings (to the Doomed Spirit)" (from "Abhorrent Worship", 2025)

King Witch - "Sea of Lies" (from "III", 2025)

Fer de Lance - "The Feast of Echoes" (from "Fires on the Mountainside", 2025)

That Fer de Lance record walks a line dedicated to mostly epic heavy metal for the most part and so if you feel that track is not for The Fallen then feel free to exclude.

I honestly don't think there is much to be gained from being too dogmatic about suggestions in all honesty, Vinny. Sure, there should be something of interest to Fallen members, but there is so much cross-pollination in metal now that as long as it is loosely relevant then I am all for including any suggestion. Maybe I am mellowing with age, but it is all about it being enjoyable for folks to listen to, not about rigidly adhering to dogma.

Thanks guys.

Amenra - De toorn EP (2025)

De toorn is a two-track EP running for 25 minutes and is the first of two EPs already released this year by the belgian atmospheric sludge band. Both tracks follow a very similar path, starting off in a very gentle, minimalist manner. The opener "Heden" begins with soft, heartbeat-like drumbeats and a murmuring bassline interjected with gentle guitar strumming and vocalist Colin Van Eeckhout quietly intoning the lyrics with a spoken word delivery. We all know this quiet calm cannot last and that it is just a matter of time until the wave comes crashing in. That it takes until the final quarter of the track for it to happen, just as you start to wonder if this is not the track you thought it was, it almost takes you by surprise. Van Eeckhout goes into full desperate, Burzum-like shrieking mode as the heaving tsunami riff hits and the shuddering climax is brought to fruition. Heden is definitely a case of the payoff being worthy of the build-up and is a decent, if not exactly unpredictable piece of atmo-sludge songwriting.

The problem for me is that they then try to pull off exactly the same trick with the second track, the EPs title track. This time the quiet calm, post-rock led extended intro is provided by a jangling guitar and snare beat with the vocals again pretty much being spoken word. The climax this time around hits at the two-thirds in mark and takes a very similar form to the opener. Whilst the atmospherics on both tracks are exceedingly well delivered and they are obviously very comfortable with both their instruments and songwriting technique, the similarity of the two tracks feels almost a little lazy and too comfortable for a band who have delivered much more variety in the past. Look, these guys are good, and both these tracks are too, but I expected a bit more from such a talented bunch.

3.5/5

Sacrilege - Behind the Realms of Madness (1985)

Because I lived in a nowhere industrial town in England's north Midlands back in the day, I had to rely on magazines and music papers to suggest new bands for me to try so I could expand my listening. Unfortunately, they only really covered already fairly well-known bands or those who had created a bit of a buzz (usually begun by industry insiders), so many great releases from the 1980s escaped my notice until much later. Seeing as the UK had very few decent thrash acts it is weird that Sacrilege never got any coverage from the music press and it also means that I almost missed out on a brilliant slab of crusty, Discharge-influenced thrash metal from my own neck of the woods. The production is crap, but this only adds to the album's crustiness and gives it a DIY air that I really love. It has the kind of energy the majority of thrash bands could only ever hope to possess. Pity they were never this good again, but, hell, to make one record this awesome is more than most manage.

As an aside, listen to "Shadow of Mordor" and tell me if you think Curt Cobain ever heard it before writing "Negative Creep".

5/5

While I certainly have a bit of time for "Behind the Realms of Madness" (3.5/5), I do have to admit that I've never found it to be as essential as other old-school fans seem to. I actually prefer 1987's "Within the Prophecy" (4/5) which I consider to be a really solid thrash record & a step up from the debut.

It's that Discharge-derived, crusty sound that I love so much about this. 

I've noticed that a lot of modern-day critics seem to struggle with "Dopesmoker" but I've always found it to be really solid (4/5). Could this be a product of the Spotify age where the patience of your average listener has gradually diminished? Perhaps. "Sleep's Holy Mountain" is my favourite Sleep record these days though (4/5).

I'm not sure what the issue is to be honest Daniel. I would agree with your hypothesis, but then you see albums like Mirror Reaper doing really well, so lack of patience can't be the whole story. 

I have gone the other way, to you, Holy Mountain was my introduction to Sleep and was mt favourite for ages, but in the last couple of years Dopesmoker has superceded it. Maybe now I have finished working and have more time on my hands i can appreciate it more.

Sacrilege - Behind the Realms of Madness (1985)

Because I lived in a nowhere industrial town in England's north Midlands back in the day, I had to rely on magazines and music papers to suggest new bands for me to try so I could expand my listening. Unfortunately, they only really covered already fairly well-known bands or those who had created a bit of a buzz (usually begun by industry insiders), so many great releases from the 1980s escaped my notice until much later. Seeing as the UK had very few decent thrash acts it is weird that Sacrilege never got any coverage from the music press and it also means that I almost missed out on a brilliant slab of crusty, Discharge-influenced thrash metal from my own neck of the woods. The production is crap, but this only adds to the album's crustiness and gives it a DIY air that I really love. It has the kind of energy the majority of thrash bands could only ever hope to possess. Pity they were never this good again, but, hell, to make one record this awesome is more than most manage.

As an aside, listen to "Shadow of Mordor" and tell me if you think Curt Cobain ever heard it before writing "Negative Creep".

5/5

Necrodeath - Into the Macabre (1987)

The best ever thrash album to come out of Italy is probably not that well-known, but it is a super-intense blast through riffs and thrashbeats that is both wild and exhilharating. Vocalist, Ingo, has a really evil-sounding bark that gives the album even more of a dark edge. If you have listened to much South American thrash then you will feel perfectly at home here. Driving right up to the border between death and thrash metal, whilst definitely remaining on the thrash side, this takes the intensity of the Big 3 teutonic thrashers and injects it with the evil darkness of atmosphere found on Possessed's Seven Churches. In common with most people I suspet, this passed me by in the Eighties, but I am glad I stumbled upon it years later and it still carries an effective and vital intensity even nowadays. A much overlooked 80's thrash metal gem.

4.5/5

Sleep - Dopesmoker (2003)

Let my precautionary tale be a warning to all you young metalheads out there. It all begins with Black Sabbath and if you start down that road of taking tokes of the Brummies' fairly lightweight stoner metal you eventually end sprawled out on some mates bedroom floor, rendered virtually catatonic by constantly huffing bong hits of Sleep instead of going out to walk in the sunshine occasionally! Sleep and Dopesmoker are synonymous with the real hardcore end of stoner metal and their huge, fuzzy riffs are dragged out almost beyond endurance, to create a metaphorical blanket of weed smoke that both cradles and stifles the listener, leaving them unable to do much other than lay back, open their mind and just go with the flow (man!!) And I am guessing that that was exactly the band's mission statement when they set out to create Dopesmoker, to which end they have been inordinately successful. The perfect accompaniment to afternoons spent earnestly discussing man's cosmic insignificance and wolfing down Sugar Puffs straight out of the box with mates just as hammered as you are.

4.5/5

Hi Ben, could you please add the 2010 split EP between Stormcow and Coffins.

https://rateyourmusic.com/release/ep/stormcrow-coffins/stormcrow-coffins/

Hi guys, can I have suggestions for August's playlist in by the 15th. Time allocation is now up to a maximum of 35 minutes for each participating clan member (Vinny, David).

Hi guys, can I have suggestions for August's playlist in by the 15th. Time allocation is now up to a maximum of 35 minutes each (Vinny, Karl).

Some notes on this month's playlist:

1. Electric Wizard - "The Sun Has Turned to Black" (from "We Live", 2004) [submitted by Sonny]

"We Live" is one of my favourite Electric Wizard albums and is very underrated when compared to the band's earlier stuff. It marks a transitional point for the band where the songwriting tightened up as the jam-oriented approach of the original trio was replaced by a more focussed and structured songwriting team when Jus Osborne's partner, Liz Buckingham, became more involved in the process. This is probably the best track on the album with a subsonic guitar tone that may well undermine your home's foundations if played too loudly.

2. Saint Vitus – "Trail of Pestilence" (from "Die Healing", 1995) [submitted by dk]

A great illustration of the crawling, creeping riffs Dave Chandler spent a career producing. Scott Reagers was back behind the mic for this album after the band had dallied with Count Raven's Chritus following Wino's departure and the band turned in their best post-1990 album as a result. Another brilliant track that is a perfect snapshot of what you should expect from St. V.

3. Daevar - "Mirrors" (from "Sub Rosa", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

I really enjoyed Daevar's previous album "Amber Eyes" so was already well-disposed to this track. It is a catchy muthafucker that is for sure and I genuinely can't understand why a track like this wouldn't garner some radio airplay and even a break into the mainstream. Love it!

4. Concilium - "Red Sun, Red Moon" (from "No Sanctuary", 2019)

Concilium is the brainchild of Kayo Dot / maudlin of the well guitarist Greg Massi and are a female-fronted epic doom act that are very accomplished and skilled songwriters and performers. So far this EP is there only release, but with quality like this on show it would be a huge shame if we didn't hear more from them in the future. This is the closer from the EP and rounds it off in epic and triumphant style.

5. Rothadás - "Vértükör" (from "Töviskert... a kísértés örök érzete... Lidércharang", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

This Hungarian duo are a completely new one on me, but their thundering, hulking death doom that reaches back to early 90's OSDM is defintely something that will gain favour with me. I love this track and will definitely be looking into these guys further in the very near future.

6. Myraeth - "Monarch" (from "In Glorious Death", 2012)

This is from a 2012 album which is the sole full-length release from the Sydney gothic doomers. Obviously influenced by My Dying Bride, they bring the whole gothic toolbox to bear with violin strings, keys and female vocals to complement the gruff male growls, all ably provided by Samantha Kempster who now has a solo gothic doom project called Promethean Misery. A nice take on the gothic death doom templatethat doesn't overdo the gothic side and so avoids any accusations of cheesiness.

7. Moonspell - "Capricorn at Her Feet" (from "The Antidote", 2003)

Portugal's Moonspell are exceedingly accomplished producers of gothic metal and are always decidedly listenable. The Antidote is one of my favourites and this is another exceedingly memorable and catchy number that should perhaps gain favour beyond the strictly metal sphere.

8. 5ive – "Gulls" (from "Hesperus", 2008) [submitted by dk]

OK, now we have got all that tunefulness out of the way let us get on with the show. 5ive are yet another completely new one on me and are, apparently, a Boston instrumental sludge act. If "Gulls" is typical fare then I think 5ive will gain much favour from fans of Ufomammut and the likes. I am not a huge fan of instrumental doom, but this is very, very good with its driving, kinetic style appealing to me immensely.

9. Secret Cutter - "Spleen" (from "III ", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

Venomous and ascerbic sludge metal that is filled with all the anger and despair that epitomises the true spirit of sludge metal. This is proper "Fuck off you fucking fucks!"metal.

10. Mares of Thrace - "The Fifth Stage: Depression" (from "The Loss", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

Mares of Thrace are a band I have been following for some time now, since 2012's "Pilgrimage" album in fact. 2022's The Exile was actually a big step up for the duo and it appears that new album, "The Loss" sees them develop even futher. This is an incredible track with mainwoman, Thérèse Lanz, really laying it on the line with such a desperate and heartfelt vocal performance that it has you genuinely concerned for her well-being. That said, though, I suspect being able to pour yourself so fully into an artisitc endeavour is exceedingly cathartic and I am sure Ms. Lanz will be fine. If the rest of the album is this good then it will certainly feature very highly in my end-of-year list I am sure.

11. Structure - "Will I Deserve It" (from "Heritage", 2025)

Solely judging on the strength of material featured on this here playlist, 2025 looks like being a very good year for Fallen releases. "Heritage" blew me away when listening to it after Vinny nominated it as a monthly feature, leading me to compare it (in effect, if not style) to my all-time favourite "Watching From A Distance". Now maybe that was a little bit over-effusive of me - those are fucking massive boots to fill after all, but I stand by my assessment of this as being an emotionally resonant album that speaks to something inside me in a quite positive way. This opener leads us into the album with a very melodic refrain that makes the whole more accessible than may be expected from a funeral / death doom hybrid.

12. Wolvserpent - "Within the Light of Fire" (from "Perigaea Antahkarana", 2013) [submitted by dk]

I love Wolvserpent's last album, 2016's "Aporia:Kāla:Ananta" but, oddly, I have never looked beyond that album into the rest of their discography. Well this is at least one other I have to check out. I love the kind of psyched-out, ritualistic droning as typified here. It is similar in a way to the direction Oranssi Pazuzu or their Waste of Space Orchestra have taken. It has a very sinister and dark atmosphere as if the listener is overhearing some forbidden occult rite that they should never behold. Great stuff.

13. My Dying Bride - "Thy Raven Wings" (from "A Line of Deathless Kings", 2006)

This is one of my favourite MDB albums as it is more stripped-back than the majority of their catalogue. With less emphasis on the atmospherics, they get down to being a damn fine doom / gothic metal band instead.

14. Yith - "Madness" (from "Immemorial", 2019)

Yith is an act I have been championing for ages now, generally to no noticeable effect. That doesn't deter me however as a guy who is able to so effortlessly combine doom and black metal into such a coherent statement as this must ultimately win through on quality alone. Black / doom hybrids so often have doomy bits and black bits welded together but Yith genuinely takes from both worlds and serves us up examples of a distinct sub-genre. Dark and desperate stuff that is made of nightmares.

15. SubRosa - "Whippoorwill" (from "No Help for the Mighty Ones", 2011)

Another excellent, but now defunct, band that have been high up on my list of favourites for some time. There is a certain unsettling quality to SubRosa's doom metal, as if there is something in the Salt Lake City air. The strings and layered vocals over the ponderous doom riffs always sound a little discordant and never allow complacency to set in, keeping you on your guard. "No Help for the Mighty Ones" was the precursor to the immense classic that was "More Constant Than the Gods" and "Whipoorwill" gives an insight into what was on the horizon.

16. Mournful Congregation - "The Paling Crest" (from "The Exuviae of Gods: Part II", 2023) [submitted by Sonny]

MC tend to get overlooked in the great funeral doom bands conversations, but this is a little unfair to the Aussies in my book. They haven't been as prolific as some, or maybe as consistent, but at their best they are excellent purveyors of this most morose of all sub-genres. Their two "Exuviae of the Gods" EPs are examples of them on top form and although I actually prefer "Part I" to "II", "The Paling Crest" rounds off the series in fine form with a wistful introspection that feels like the protagonist reaching back through the years towards lost loves and glories.

July 2025

1. Electric Wizard - "The Sun Has Turned to Black" (from "We Live", 2004) [submitted by Sonny]

2. Saint Vitus – "Trail of Pestilence" (from "Die Healing", 1995) [submitted by dk]

3. Daevar - "Mirrors" (from "Sub Rosa", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

4. Concilium - "Red Sun, Red Moon" (from "No Sanctuary", 2019)

5. Rothadás - "Vértükör" (from "Töviskert... a kísértés örök érzete... Lidércharang", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

6. Myraeth - "Monarch" (from "In Glorious Death", 2012)

7. Moonspell - "Capricorn at Her Feet" (from "The Antidote", 2003)

8. 5ive – "Gulls" (from "Hesperus", 2008) [submitted by dk]

9. Secret Cutter - "Spleen" (from "III ", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

10. Mares of Thrace - "The Fifth Stage: Depression" (from "The Loss", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

11. Structure - "Will I Deserve It" (from "Heritage", 2025)

12. Wolvserpent - "Within the Light of Fire" (from "Perigaea Antahkarana", 2013) [submitted by dk]

13. My Dying Bride - "Thy Raven Wings" (from "A Line of Deathless Kings", 2006)

14. Yith - "Madness" (from "Immemorial", 2019)

15. SubRosa - "Whippoorwill" (from "No Help for the Mighty Ones", 2011)

16. Mournful Congregation - "The Paling Crest" (from "The Exuviae of Gods: Part II", 2023) [submitted by Sonny]

July 2025

1. Bathory - "Enter the Eternal Fire" (from "Under the Sign of the Black Mark", 1987) [submitted by Sonny]

2. Norrhem - "Teräsmyrskyssä" (from "Aurinko ja teräs", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

3. Enthroned - "Deny the Holy Book of Lies" (from "Prophecies of Pagan Fire", 1995) [submitted by Karl]

4. Trespasser - "To the Barricades!" (from "Чому не вийшло?", 2018) [submitted by Sonny]

5. Immortal - "Storming Through Red Clouds and Holocaustwinds" (from "Pure Holocaust", 1993) [submitted by Karl]

6. Varathron - "Unholy Funeral" (from "His Majesty at the Swamp", 1993) [submitted by Karl]

7. Enslaved - "Lifandi liv undir hamri" (from "Vikingligr veldi", 1994) [submitted by Sonny]

8. Regnum Noricum - "Aminata Muscaria" (from "Lost Legacy", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

9. Groza - "Dysthymian Dreams" (from "Nadir", 2024) [submitted by Saxy]

10. Shylmagoghnar - "A New Dawn" (from "Emergence", 2014) [submitted by Andi]

11. Häxkapell - "Metamorfos" (from "Om jordens blod och urgravens grepp", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

12. Mystifier - "The Baphometic Goat of Knights Templar in the 12th Century" (from "Göetia", 1993) [submitted by Karl]

13. Niden Div. 187 - "A View in the Mirror Black" (from "Impergium", 1997) [submitted by Karl]

14. Lycopolis - "Lord of the Necropolis" (from "The Procession", 2021) [submitted by Sonny]

15. Mortuary Drape - "Evil Death" (from "Secret Sudaria", 1997) [submitted by Karl]

16. Void of Hope - "The Hollow Hymn" (from "Proof of Existence", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

17. Deathspell Omega - "Wings of Predation" (from "Paracletus", 2010) [submitted by Sonny]

18. Summoning - "Beyond Bloodred Horizons" (from "Lugburz", 1995) [submitted by Karl]

19. Malokarpatan - "Ve starém mlyne čerti po nocách mariáš hrávajú" (from "Nordkarpatenland", 2017) [submitted by Sonny]

20. Moonsorrow - "Pimeä" (from "Verisäkeet", 2005)

Tool - Lateralus (2001)

At the time of its release I was very much a fan of Lateralus, its take on progressive metal was so dense and industrialised as to be a little alienating, yet it also felt quite intimate and personal at the same time, which was a combination I found to be endlessly fascinating. Over time I cooled to Tool and the endless bullshit that seemed to get bandied about on internet forums on their behalf, but as I listen to Lateralus again after a lengthy break, I am beginning to feel some of the attachment to the record I originally forged over twenty years ago beginning to resolidify. Sure, a lot of their fans are still pretentious as fuck, but frankly that's just noise, whereas Lateralus itself is far from that, but is a fairly unique-sounding album within my collection. Yeah, I'm gonna call it - this is a great record and no amount of internat crap will deter me from that position!

4.5/5 (upped from my long-standing 4/5)

I have just been taking a look at and rating the covers of a few recent additions to the site and I have to say that I have immense respect for Ben's devotion in trying to source high quality images of what seem to be increasingly low-effort covers. To spend hours sifting through such frankly awful "artwork" must be a bit of a chore. I know that the predominence of streaming has pretty much negated the need for striking or aesthetically pleasing cover art, but some of the shit masquerading as such over recent years makes some of the old hand-drawn death or black metal cassette demos look like Leonardo DaVinci's handiwork.

Destiny's End - Breathe Deep the Dark (1998)

I was recommended this by a friend on RYM earlier in the year and finally got round to giving it a spin. It appears that Destiny's End were a fairly short-lived USPM outfit that featured Helstar vocalist James Rivera. Forming in '97, they released a couple of albums before splitting in 2001, "Breath Deep the Dark" being the debut. If I do dip my toes into power metal, which I do like to do every now and then - I am nothing if not persistent - then it is to the US version that I turn. In truth this ain't sctually half bad and is a reasonable example of USPM, to my inexperienced ears at least. There is a whole heap of energy and enthusiasm on display here, along with reasonably impressive technical ability. There are a shed full of riffs and the soloing is energetic and frenetic without ever becoming too self-indulgent, with twin guitarists Dan DeLucie and Perry Grayson (who actually featured on the Isen Torr EP "Mighty and Superior" that I love) playing off each other to great effect. James Rivera's vocals are up front and in your face, which I guess is the norm for power metal and while he likes to exercise his range, he isn't much given to the vocal histrionics that ruin many a PM album for me. 

All-in-all I would have to say that this was quite a nice surprise and I am a little flummoxed as to why Destiny's End are so obscure - their two albums are on here but have zero ratings so far. I have certainly heard worse USPM and I would definitely recommend this to anyone for who enjoys the genre. I am undecided whether it deserves a 4/5 just yet, so I have gone with a 3.5+.

3.5+/5

I have only just got round to this one and I am liking what I am hearing at this point. I will give it a few more spins and see if I can work a review up.

Ripper are yet another of the superb thrash acts hailing from the Santiago / Valpairiso area of Chile, forming in 2007 and still going strong. That said, the lineup that recorded 2016's Experiment of Existence is very different to today's with only band founder, guitarist and vocalist, Patricio Spalinger, remaining. The entire album was written by bassist Pablo Cortés who departed in 2019 and is now to be found in death metal acts, Suppression and Ancient Crypts. As is fairly typical for the chilean thrash scene, Experiment of Existence is very tightly performed and especially aggressive deaththrash that captures the essence of something like Seven Churches, but with more ambitious songwriting and a greater emphasis on technical skill.

One thing you may have come to expect when you spin a chilean thrash album is that you are gonna get some killer thrash riffs along with electrifying soloing thrills and Experiment of Existence certainly doesn't disappoint with Ripper delivering in spades. One particular area where the chileans excel though is in the rhythm department and, again, Ripper tick that box too. Drummer Nicolás Villanueva, who was also sticksman for another favourite of mine, Parkcrest, is an excellent thrash drummer with a powerful and busy style that never misses a beat and his timekeeping drives the tracks at considerable velocity throughout. As I mentioned earlier, bassist Pablo Cortés wrote the album and this may be one of the reasons for the prominence of his driving and fairly complex basslines although, in truth, a prominent bass presence in the mix is yet another telltale sign of the modern chilean thrash scene. Patricio Spalinger's vocals are are of a vemomously ascerbic style that sounds like it takes a lot from Chuck Schuldiner's influence.

So, basically, Ripper have reached back to one of the most interesting times in metal's development as thrash was inexorably metamorphosing into death metal and given it a modern makeover with generally better production values and technical competence whilst never losing sight of what made those times so exciting in the first place. The tightness of the performance is a testament to the four guys' ability and you will be hard-pressed to find a metaphorical musical hair out of place here. Experiment of Existence is a triumph of high velocity, aggressive and muscular thrash metal that proves that thrash didn't die in the 90's - it just moved south!

4.5/5

[Apologies as it appears that this isn't on Spotify. I caught up with it on Bandcamp and have ordered a CD from Discogs so I don't have to bend over backwards next time I want to give it a spin.]

Earth Crisis - Destroy the Machines (1995)

I am not super familiar with a lot of metalcore, outside of a few big names like Converge and Trivium and I have only very recently tried to explore it further. I find a lot of it to be very samey, with little to differentiate a lot of the bands, but Earth Crisis certainly are not one of them. Destroy the Machines sounds very much to me like a straight edge band that has discovered Sepultura's Chaos AD and thought "We'll have some of that". I like quite a few straight edge bands, even though they can be annoyingly preachy, and Chaos AD is a great record, so that combination works really well for me.

Vocals can often be a personal bugbear with metalcore acts, but Karl Buechner has a raggedness to his voice that makes it sound less shouty and forced than most and that is definitely a plus. A lot of more modern metalcore feels like it has moved away from the punk side of the equation, but Earth Crisis are most definitely authentic when it comes to their punk credentials, which gives the album a looseness that allows it to breathe rather than the constipated tightness of more recent metalcore orthodoxy. The riffs are great, even pretty groovy at times, yet still contain a lethal agressiveness that lets everyone know exactly just how pissed off these guys are. If more metalcore sounded like this then I would most definitely be a bigger fan.

4.5/5

Demolition Hammer - Tortured Existence (1990)

Demolition Hammer's debut is a brutal thrash classic, with a death metal production job (courtesy of Scott Burns at Morrisounds) that gives it as solid a punch as an eponymous demolition hammer indeed would pack. Despite the production, this definitely is a thrash record, with chugging riffs, scorching solos and a rough and aggressive thrash vocalist, not a guttural-voiced death metal growler. Also on the vocal front, a dead giveaway is the USHC-informed backing gang vocals often deployed by Anthrax that are regularly wheeled out here. These are not criticisms though, this is a great example of a thrash band pushing right up to the dividing line and turning in a heavy-duty thrash record that showed that, even as late as 1990, there was still life in the old dog yet. 

4.5/5

Listening to these older thrashers that haven't been remastered on Spotify, does show a stark difference between older and more recent production methods with the uncompromising nature of modern, highly compressed releases being in stark contrast to the warmer sound of older stuff. I think I like the old way better as it lets you take more in than the wall of sound you are often faced with nowadays. 

 Батюшка [Batushka] - Литоургиiа [Litourgiya] (2015)

Despite all the falling out, legal wranglings and bullshit arguments over the band name ownership, this is still one of the most interesting black metal records of the 2010's with it's blend of quite muscular melodic black metal and liturgical chants. I've not listened to it in a while, so it was well overdue a spin and it still stands up very well. Despite being an irreligious bastard, I have always found Eastern Orthodox chanting to be quite stirring stuff, so combining it with black metal was pretty much guaranteed to appeal to me. Pity it all went sideways so fast with the two competing Batushkas (prior to court adjudication) falling somewhat short of the debut's magnificence and soiling its legacy in the process.

Checked this out as it is one of Andi's two 0.5 star rated releases. In truth I don't really know what to make of an album like this. I am probably very wrong, but this doesn't seem like a very serious release and its heavy reliance on samples, despite the whole album only being 25 minutes long, seems like a low-effort affair. Cybergrind really ain't my thing and even though this is far from the worst example I have heard, my in-built aversion to too much chaos is stretched beyond its limit here. Strangely, I think that some of the "riffs" if replicated by a capable grindcore band with some real vocals attached would be pretty good. So I would say the guy can write grindcore riffs, but can't execute them very well... and there is just too much going on for my brain to deal with.

2/5

Grindcore has some of the most terrible band names in my opinion, ranging from ridiculous to just offensive for the sake of offensiveness. Another good reason why grindcore is not worth my time. While a couple of the most notorious examples include A.C. and Pig Destroyer, two more come from bands whose albums I've reviewed are, to my ears, the sh*ttiest releases I've heard in all of metal, and the only ones I've rated 0.5 stars. You can find what they are here: https://metal.academy/users/profile/97/ratings?rating=0.5

I haven't heard either of those albums, Andi, but I will check them out and get back to you!!

A.C. is a dumb name - it doesn't even make sense.

I had a quick look to see if I had encountered Structure's main man, Bram Bijlhout, before and the only time our paths have crossed was Officium Triste's 2013 album, Mors Viri, which I honestly can't remember listening to and which I rated a measly two-and-a-half stars, so not an auspicious start then. However, whether my long forgotten score is an accurate reflection of Mors Viri's quality or not, one of us has changed because I honestly cannot express how utterly affecting and emotional I found Heritage to be. This may sound a bit odd considering Pim Blankenstein uses the guttural growls of extreme metal and the ponderous riffs are huge, crushing affairs, but there is also a melancholy yearning oozing out from under that crushing weight which is often accentuated by lighter instrumental moments.

Heritage actually straddles the line between death doom and funeral doom, allowing for well-executed tempo variations that ensures the generally medium-length tracks don't succumb to saminess. The riffs are melodic and memorable in the main, and really do strike an impressive balance between musical and emotional weight, providing the discerning metalhead with more than enough heaviness to satisfy their craving whilst simultaneously tugging at their heartstrings. The lead work often soars above the miasma created by the riffs, rhythm section and guttural growling like a released spirit taking its leave of the soul-crushing grind of earthbound existence, shrieving itself of its earthly cares and reaching towards its personal nirvana.

I haven't sat down with a lyric sheet, so I don't know what the philosophy behind Heritage is, but for some reason I can't help but feel uplifted and hopeful both whilst and after listening to it, as if it is saying, no matter how hard and heavy things may be, ultimately everything will be OK. This may be fanciful on my part, and yes, it is steeped in melancholy and a gruelling weight, but there is a ray of something more at the heart of the album that genuinely makes me feel good and that is something that I have found in very short supply in recent times. I am exceedingly impressed and it will take a fucking great record to beat this to my AOTY for 2025.

5/5 (and then some!!)

Do you know if there is a vinyl version available, Vinny? I have ordered the CD from Bandcamp but would love this on vinyl.

Just looked on the label website and only has CD option.  Metal Archives lists digital as only other option.

OK cheers Vinny. It may be one of those where they want to see the response to the album before committing to a vinyl issue.

After Reign in Blood, when it seemed the gore-drenched four-piece could only follow up such an extreme and brutal album by doubling down and going all-in, they did just the opposite and pulled back from the edge with a much more considered release. The title track looms with an ominous intro that blindsided those looking to continue where Reign in Blood left off. RiB is my favourite Slayer album and, in truth one of the greatest metal albums ever released and South of Heaven still delivers some high-adrenaline rippers, such as "Silent Scream" that echo RiB's inherent brutality, but the ratcheting back of the tempo enable South of Heaven space to breathe and reveal it's horrors with an almost leisurely relish. The title track, "Live Undead", "Mandatory Suicide" and "Spill the Blood" seem to revel in the slowly revealed horrors they contain and may be even more effective for it. Where Reign in Blood hits like a mallet to the skull and gives no pause for reflection, South of Heaven wants to show you the instruments of its horror so you can feel the fear. It would have been very easy for Slayer to just recycle their Frankenstein monster of an album, but I think they deserve more credit for the route they actually took with South of Heaven.

As everyone here knows I am not the biggest fan of power metal, but if pressed I would definitely say that I much prefer the US version as it feels grittier and more hard-edged than the often bloated beast that is the european version. Likewise, Manilla Road isn't a band I have a great deal of history with, but I really like The Deluge. This doesn't sound a million miles away from classic Iron Maiden to my ears and that ain't a bad thing in my book. Galloping, uptempo riffs and a surfeit of fretboard-searing solos make for a dynamic and thrilling listen with no time to think of anything but banging that damn head!! The only reservation I have is that the vocalist is a little nasal-sounding for my taste, but its no big deal and doesn't detract from an otherwise excellent slab of metal splendour.

I had a quick look to see if I had encountered Structure's main man, Bram Bijlhout, before and the only time our paths have crossed was Officium Triste's 2013 album, Mors Viri, which I honestly can't remember listening to and which I rated a measly two-and-a-half stars, so not an auspicious start then. However, whether my long forgotten score is an accurate reflection of Mors Viri's quality or not, one of us has changed because I honestly cannot express how utterly affecting and emotional I found Heritage to be. This may sound a bit odd considering Pim Blankenstein uses the guttural growls of extreme metal and the ponderous riffs are huge, crushing affairs, but there is also a melancholy yearning oozing out from under that crushing weight which is often accentuated by lighter instrumental moments.

Heritage actually straddles the line between death doom and funeral doom, allowing for well-executed tempo variations that ensures the generally medium-length tracks don't succumb to saminess. The riffs are melodic and memorable in the main, and really do strike an impressive balance between musical and emotional weight, providing the discerning metalhead with more than enough heaviness to satisfy their craving whilst simultaneously tugging at their heartstrings. The lead work often soars above the miasma created by the riffs, rhythm section and guttural growling like a released spirit taking its leave of the soul-crushing grind of earthbound existence, shrieving itself of its earthly cares and reaching towards its personal nirvana.

I haven't sat down with a lyric sheet, so I don't know what the philosophy behind Heritage is, but for some reason I can't help but feel uplifted and hopeful both whilst and after listening to it, as if it is saying, no matter how hard and heavy things may be, ultimately everything will be OK. This may be fanciful on my part, and yes, it is steeped in melancholy and a gruelling weight, but there is a ray of something more at the heart of the album that genuinely makes me feel good and that is something that I have found in very short supply in recent times. I am exceedingly impressed and it will take a fucking great record to beat this to my AOTY for 2025.

5/5 (and then some!!)

Do you know if there is a vinyl version available, Vinny? I have ordered the CD from Bandcamp but would love this on vinyl.

Thanks fellas. 

I have found myself really missing messing around with The Fallen playlist on a regular basis, so I am going back to compiling it monthly, starting with July. As main co-contributor, Vinny, if you want to post any suggestions before the end of the weekend then that is cool. Any non-clan members may make one suggestion each, again before the end of the weekend. David, if you want to contribute with any suggestions as a clan member let me know and I will spell out the deal.

So, going forward I will be compiling two playlists a month with the Fallen playlist being issued every month and the Horde and North playlists alternating. July is the turn of the North, so The Horde will be August, the North September and so on. 

Thanks folks...

I'm interested. Let me know what the rules are for submissions either here or by PM. Is there a song length limit for instance? In the meantime, I'll have a look through the past playlist tracklistings.

Nice one David. Currently the only clan members submitting suggestions are myself and Vinny and we have been limited to 50 minutes total each. If you wish to become a regular contributor, as a clan member I would then change these limits to 30 minutes each, allowing non-clan members to submit one each (Saxy and Andi have been the only ones contributing from outside the Fallen). Within the 30 minutes you can submit songs of any length, so one 30 minute song, two 15 minute songs or whatever up to the 30 minute maximum total. I will use any spare minutes within the two hours to attempt to include tracks from sub-genres that may have been ignored. As far as repeating previous picks goes, if it hasn't appeared for over a year then I am inclined to include it. Suggestions should usually be in by the 15th of the month, so for August's playlist suggestions should be posted by 15th July. If you want to suggest some picks for the July playlist then post them here before Sunday night.

Likewise, if you wish to become a regular contributor to the Horde and / or the North then let me know either via PM or on the respective clan playlist suggestions threads and I will adjust the timing requirements as required.

I have found myself really missing messing around with The Fallen playlist on a regular basis, so I am going back to compiling it monthly, starting with July. As main co-contributor, Vinny, if you want to post any suggestions before the end of the weekend then that is cool. Any non-clan members may make one suggestion each, again before the end of the weekend. David, if you want to contribute with any suggestions as a clan member let me know and I will spell out the deal.

So, going forward I will be compiling two playlists a month with the Fallen playlist being issued every month and the Horde and North playlists alternating. July is the turn of the North, so The Horde will be August, the North September and so on. 

Thanks folks...

Get well soon, Andi.

Slipknot - Iowa (2001)

I am not going to claim to be any great authority on nu-metal, but there was a spell there in the early 2000s when I got caught up with it a bit, mainly through friends, and I do possess a handful of nu-metal CDs, this probably being the best of them. The thing about Slipknot was that they seemed far more aggressively angry than most of the other nu-metal acts. Korn and Linkin Park just felt a bit whiny to me, whereas Slipknot seemed to be determined to make someone pay for their grievances. This probably comes down to the fact that there is a greater leaning towards death metal in the Slipknot gene sequence than in that of their contemporaries, giving them a more violent and heavier aesthetic. I'm not espousing Slipknot as one of the top-drawer metal acts ever, but they did have a big impact on early-2000s metal and listening to Iowa again as I write this, I gotta say I am actually having a real blast with it. That said, the two parts of Vermillion from The Subliminal Verses are far and away my favourites from the whole nu-metal scene, but that album, as a whole, is more patchy than Iowa.

3.5/5

As good a place as any to start. I said in my introduction that drone metal was my route back into metal after listening to lots of drone/noise such as  New Zealander Campbell Kneale's Birchville Cat Motel. His drone metal outfit tops my drone metal Top 10 and has done for some time. I have the vinyl version that includes two songs, the CD version and the one on youtube contains an extra track in the middle. Not on spotify. Maybe if I get a bit of time I can work up a review of this one.

Top 10

01. Black Boned Angel – Verdun (2009)

02. Earth - Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version (1993)

03. Sunn O))) – “Monoliths & Dimensions” (2009)

04. Sunn O))) – “Black One” (2005)

05. Nadja – Guilted by the Sun (2007)

06. Boris - Boris at Last -Feedbacker- (2003)

07. Wolvserpent - Aporia:Kāla:Ananta (2016)

08. Bismuth - The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef (2018)

09. Boris - Amplifier Worship (1998)

10. Earth - Extra-Capsular Extraction (1991)

Nice top ten David. We have a lot of overlap in our drone metal taste it appears.

I need to check out Black Boned Angel further. I enjoyed Supereclipse a lot, yet haven't listened to any more of their stuff. That's another one for the list!

It's probably worth pointing out that should you be unhappy with your original clan selections you can easily change them by sending a PM to Ben who will do the necessary.

Hey, David, nice to see you decided to join up. Welcome to the site, hope you enjoy your interactions here as we are all pretty chill people and are always pleased to see new members getting involved. There are a few features here that are a little different to other sites, such as the monthly feature releases for each clan and the specific clan playlists that are hosted on Spotify. If you have any questions about interacting with the site you can post them on the "Questions & Answers" thread on the General Forum board, or just PM me and I will try to answer as best I can. Ben or Daniel most definitely will be able to do so for sure.

Immolation's "Close to a World Below" has just made it onto the 20+ ratings chart and is now sitting at #1 showing what fantastic taste the Metal Academy members have!

Blind Guardian's "Imaginations From the Other Side" has also debuted on the 20+ chart at #8, Deftones' "White Pony" has come in at #27 and Ulver's "Bergtatt" at #29.

There are now 77 releases on the 20+ chart.