Sonny's Forum Replies
Remember the first wave was little bit more relaxed in it's parameters than the second wave. Mercyful Fate is also considered a first-wave black metal band, and they are farther away than Venom from what became the "pure" template.
Not here they aren't!
Absolutely agree with "Storm of the Light's Bane" as almost everyone who plays melo-black seems to quote that album as an influence.
I am not nearly steeped enough in the Hellenic scene to gainsay your pick there, Ben, so will go along with you.
Windir's Arntor is, again, an album many quote when talking about melodic black influence, so will tick that box too.
I would just throw a more recent release into the ring which has seen an awful lot of bands trying to emulate it and that is Mgla's "Exercises in Futility". It's not a release I am a particular flag-waver for, but I have seen a lot of bands and reviewers referencing it in the context of modern melodic black metal and it seems to have been a particular touchpoint for a lot of younger bands.
I think it is important to emphasise the necessity to make any lists relate to the most influential rather than the best of a genre. Let's face it, anyone can do lists of their favourites, or what they consider to be the best and they are ten a penny on the internet, but to aspire to produce lists of the most infliential, although still difficult to establish, is a more objective search, particularly if produced collaboratively.
It all depends on how you define Essential. Does that mean the best albums that everyone should hear, or does it mean the most important albums that either formed an important aspect of black metal or pushed it in a new (and also important) direction? Without defining that, it's difficult to assess.
The inclusion of albums like The Principle of Evil Made Flesh and Burzum's debut suggests it's based on importance / influence, but then I fail to see how Sons of Northern Darkness, Rebel Extravaganza or Sworn to the Dark could be considered particularly ground-breaking or important.
Hmmm...I might throw together my own personal top 25 most important black metal list and see what it looks like.
Maybe a fun project would be for the members of each clan to collaborate and produce a Metal Academy Top 25 Most Essential Releases list for the respective clan's parent genres. That way we have no need to concern ourselves with other publications speculative lists.
Anyone compiling a list of the essential albums of a genre as wide-ranging and with such a storied history as black metal is setting themselves up for a fall. I am unfamiliar with the mag in question, so I don't know what their expertise is, but I would say that for a magazine they have made a decent effort. Nods to Hellhammer and Bathory are obligatory I would say, as are Darkthrone, Burzum, Dissection, Emperor, Mayhem and Ulver. Satyricon, Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth and Satyricon maybe not so much. Behemoth are much better-known in the death metal field and I love that Gorgoroth album, but I'm not sure if it's essential in this context.
Personally I think WitTR or Panopticon should have had a look in (but probably not both) and possibly Blut aus Nord. Deafheaven are maybe ok as they opened up the way for Blackgaze, even though the style doesn't appeal to me much personally and Sigh were quite influential. Watain seem to be well-thought of, but I haven't ever really heard what makes that the case. DsO and Enslaved have both earned their places.
No War Metal is unforgivable, though. If you're gonna let blackgaze represent then war metal deserves a place at the table.
Overall, I would give the list a 7/10, although I'm sure there are plenty of trve kvltists gnashing their teeth and hammering their keyboards in frustration!
Definitely with you regarding samples, Karl, unless done very well.. and yes, those "sex-act" vocalisations are just plain embarrassing - as is screaming accompanied by the sound of power tools.
Hello Sonny, Ben & Andi, it's a pleasure to meet you.
Zachary, you'll be pleased to hear that I gave The Call of the Wretched Sea a spin and I must say, I dig it quite a bit. Since I'm new to the band (and fairly new to funeral doom in general), it's going to take a fair amount of time & subsequent listens before I fully wrap my head around it. That said, I'm genuinely impressed with how cohesively they managed to execute the theme and the lyrics are top tier. What's more, I can already say that I have two personal highlights: The Sermon (when he goes My song forever shall record that terrible, that joyful hour... - man, shivers down my spine!) & Ahab's Oath (this one is soul-crushingly heavy and i really like the synth parts here). Curious to hear which one is your favorite.
That's a great place to start with Ahab, Karl, and with funeral doom in general - definitely one of my favourite FD releases.
I was in a gaming club back in the Eighties playing Iron Crown's Rolemaster system which I much preferred to D&D. I think I may still have some of the lore books in the attic somewhere.
Mark definitely sounded better than Barnes.
Mark is absolutely frothing that you just said that. His most major influence/idol is 1991-92 Chris Barnes.
To transcend one's idols is surely the aim of all artists. Believe me, I genuinely think he's better.
I've always found that the fact that I was already a Cannibal Corpse fan before the release of "Tomb of the Mutilated" gives me a slightly different perspective to many people. It was the record that converted a lot of the kids in my area over to death metal & that certainly did my band Neuropath a lot of favours as the only more brutal death metal band that existed in Sydney back in 1993. I don't think there's any doubt that it was the shock-factor that was responsible for Cannibal Corpse's rise as, despite it being a solid enough release from a purely musical point of view, there were frankly more classic death metal records out there. There can be no denying how fun it was to listen to as a young fella though & it certainly ticked the brutality box that was so much of a passion for me at the time. Some of that gloss has definitely been taken off it over time though & I struggle with Paul's drumming in particular these days as he really does only have three beats that he repeats over & over again with one of those admittedly having invented the double-kick-driven blast-beat technique that would become common-place in the scene almost immediately afterwards. These days I find myself preferring records like "The Bleeding", "Evisceration Plague", "Kill" & "Butchered At Birth" over "Tomb of the Mutilated" but I'll always have a soft spot for it. Neuropath was heavily influenced by early Cannibal Corpse & inevitably always seemed to be associated with them too, perhaps unsurprisingly given our early lyrical direction. We actually played a cover version of "Hammer Smashed Face" at the end of a couple of shows in order to satisfy the repeated crowd requests.
But Daniel, Neuropath were better than Cannibal Corpse. If I had heard your Nefarious Vivisection demo back in the day, instead of this or whatever CC album it was, then my whole death metal adventure may have begun much sooner. I would have liked to have heard your version of Hammer Smashed Face, though. Mark definitely sounded better than Barnes.
Hey Karl. Great to make your acquaintance. Hope you enjoy the site. Feel free to post any questions you may have - we're a pretty chilled bunch here, so dive in!
Cannibal Corpse - Tomb of the Mutilated (1992)
Whilst listening to Tomb of the Mutilated this morning a revelation hit me. The reason I was so belated getting into death metal was the fact that the very first DM band I encountered was Cannibal Corpse (possibly even this album, I don't remember) and I made the error of believing them to be typical of death metal in general. So what, I hear you say. Well the simple fact is that I find CC to be incredibly boring and so took very little interest in death metal generally after that. The vocals are a dull monotone that exhibit no emotional context and although they are capable of throwing out the odd decent riff, they seem incapable of sustaining it for any length of time. Then there is the band's whole extreme gore and horror perspective. Like slasher movies they don't repel or cause me moral outrage, they just bore me because they have no connection to my life or thoughts and so are rendered completely meaningless. I understand that it may just have been a way of baiting the PMRC and the Moral Majority, which, if it is the case, I wholeheartedly endorse, but, I'm sorry, that's just not enough for me. The drumming is good, I'll give them that, but outside the odd riff that briefly hits the spot I can quite happily live out my life never listening to Tomb of the Mutilated again.
2.5/5
You make me sad good Sir, you make me sad. Seriously? "Hammer Smashed Face" riffs do nothing for you? Poor creature!
With that out the way, I would encourage you to take a second shot at CC with "Eaten Back to Life" it is their debut and in my opinion most catchy album. If "Skull Full of Maggots" doesn't move you then you can dismiss CC.
I need no pity, unless I have to listen to this again!
Cannibal Corpse - Tomb of the Mutilated (1992)
Whilst listening to Tomb of the Mutilated this morning a revelation hit me. The reason I was so belated getting into death metal was the fact that the very first DM band I encountered was Cannibal Corpse (possibly even this album, I don't remember) and I made the error of believing them to be typical of death metal in general. So what, I hear you say. Well the simple fact is that I find CC to be incredibly boring and so took very little interest in death metal generally after that. The vocals are a dull monotone that exhibit no emotional context and although they are capable of throwing out the odd decent riff, they seem incapable of sustaining it for any length of time. Then there is the band's whole extreme gore and horror perspective. Like slasher movies they don't repel or cause me moral outrage, they just bore me because they have no connection to my life or thoughts and so are rendered completely meaningless. I understand that it may just have been a way of baiting the PMRC and the Moral Majority, which, if it is the case, I wholeheartedly endorse, but, I'm sorry, that's just not enough for me. The drumming is good, I'll give them that, but outside the odd riff that briefly hits the spot I can quite happily live out my life never listening to Tomb of the Mutilated again.
2.5/5
I will have to give this a bit of thought, but one thing I do love is lyrics about history - especially WWI or WW2, but shit like Maiden's Alexander the Great is great too (although I do avoid the power metal historical epics).
Oh, and singers with gnarly, grizzled voices like Lemmy or Wino.
The cavernous sound of old-school death metal in the vein of Autopsy. The deeper in the earth it seems to emanate from, the more I love it.
A new Akhlys album called "House of the Black Geminus" is due 5th July... looking forward to this one.
You ever heard Masters Hammer- Ritual?
it’s Czech Heavy Metal. One of the jewels in the first decade black metal list (good shit Dan+Ben)
Yeah, I quite like it, although I haven't listened to it in a while. I don't think I dig it quite as much as most do however.
Vocals that you can't understand. Cookie monster vocals. If I can't understand you then I assume you are not proud of what you say and it's not worth me hearing.
How about lyrics in a language you don't speak?
Hi Vinny, my picks for July:
Metallica - "Disposable Heroes" (from "Master of Puppets" , 1986)
Municipal Waste - "Mutants of War" (from "Waste 'Em All", 2003)
Slayer - "Behind the Crooked Cross" (from "South of Heaven", 1988)
Toxic Holocaust - "War Is Hell" (from, "Evil Never Dies", 2003)
Violator - "Addicted to Mosh" (from "Chemical Assault", 2006)
Violent Force - "Dead City" (from, "Malevolent Assault of Tomorrow", 1987)
ZnöWhite - "To the Last Breath" (from "Act of God", 1988)
Vocals play a massive part in music for me and are probably the thing most likely to get me hitting the off button, so:
1. Shouty hardcore-style vocals where the singer sounds like a three-year old throwing a tantrum in Tesco.
2. Power metal vocals where the singer thinks Bruce Dickinson is OK, but is far too restrained in his delivery.
3. Gothicy vocals where the singer wants you to believe that he really is a romantically melancholy vampire rather than some sad act in a leather trenchcoat. Chances are Andrew Eldritch has already done this ten times better.
4. Overtly technical or avant-garde stuff that exists to illustrate how superior the musician is to us plebs either intellectually or technically.
5. Excessive use of keyboards smeared over the music like too-thick marzipan on a nice cake.
There's probably more, but these are the ones that really twist my melon (man!).
Yay, Sabs in The Fallen where they rightfully belong!!
When I was heavily into gigs, back when I was a lot younger, I wore a sleveless battle vest with a full back panel of Motorhead's Bomber over a leather bike jacket as I was also a biker and had no intention of having my skin flailed off in the event of a crash! I still have the leather jacket somewhere but it has been a long time since I could actually get it on. I think my sister may have my battle vest somewhere having rescued it from my parent's house after my dad passed away.
I am fourteen years older than my youngest brother and when he was two or three we got him a tiny denim jacket and I got a girlfriend to sew some of my extra patches on, so he had a little baby battle vest - although the little fucker has never liked metal or even rock music so it didn't influence him very much! I'll have to see if I have a picture anywhere.
Anyone else ever into bikes? I had a shedload from Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda 250s, through Honda 550 / 4, a 1968 Triumph 650 T120 Boneville and several Kawasakis - Z650, GPZ 600 and, my favourite after the Bonny, a Z1000 LTD factory custom.
Fucked knees have seen me have to leave the bikes behind, although I did have some stupid cars for a while until I got all old and sensible, and severe tinnitus has seen me leave gigs in the past too (although I do like to go to stand-up comedy shows sometimes).
We all have certain forms of one genre or another that we're the most passionate about, like how my favorite brand of EDM is breakbeat whereas I struggle with house.
This is exactly my point & what we're trying to tap into. I feel that I have one of the most diverse metal palates you'll find but there's no doubt that I prefer death metal over heavy metal. That's not to say that I don't know a shitload about heavy metal, have releases that I genuinely love from that genre & could talk about it for hours on end (like I did on the Metal Academy podcast for years) but the fact remains that I'll always reach for a death metal record over a heavy metal one. We want our The Guardians clan members to be the ones that reach for the heavy metal record first (along with their other clans of course).
When using the releases pages or charts, I almost always sort by clan rating now rather than site rating for the exact same reason. I have sometimes stepped outside my comfort zone and checked out and rated releases from clans I don't much care for, say for a monthly feature or whatever, but if I rate it low because it isn't my cup of tea that doesn't make it a bad record and people can rightly ignore my rating input. By checking out releases based on clan rating it means I can see what albums people who are knowledable about a given genre consider the best in said genre, so if I dislike them, then it probably means it is down to my taste profile rather than poor records and that style is not really for me.
Four clans is plenty, any more would see a dilution of the site's founding and unique principle. I just wonder if there is some ambiguity for people joining the site around what they can or can't do. Is it clear enough to someone joining anew that they can still review and rate releases from other clans and post on other clans' forums, listen to other clans' playlists and comment on other clans' monthly features or do they shy away because they feel restricted by the clan system when, in truth, the only meaningful restriction is Hall genre voting?
Just to clarify, Zero, you don't have to complete any challenges before you rate or review other releases as the clan challenges are completely optional. Members can completely ignore the challenges if they wish, although at this stage, it is the only way to unlock a fourth clan. I only unlocked my own fourth clan late last year and I have been here since 2019!!
I do understand what you are saying about the fixed nature of the clan challenges though. I have always myself quietly favoured a set number of reviews for a clan, whether it be 20, 25, 30 or whatever, but on whichever releases the user chooses themselves.
Been checking out Deathcade this morning and, although I need more time with it, I'm liking what I'm hearing. Some really nice melancholy melodies and a vocalist who at times sounds genuinely in despair. Thanks for the rec, Zero.
Glad to hear you are enjoying it. They also have pretty high quality live footage out there on youtube. I came across an album in the 1st decade black metal challenge list titles "Vampires of Black Imperial Blood" by Mutilation. It's allegedly the pre-cursor to the DSBM genre, and I think it's an absolute masterpiece. However the production values may very well be the worst that you have ever heard so it might not be your cup of tea. I'd still absolutely urge you to check that out.
I am well familiar with "Vampires of Black Imperial Blood" - I have it on CD and it is one of my 5/5s. I have no problem with lo-fi / zero-value production, in fact, as far as black metal goes I love it. I listen to my fair share of early metal demos, so production isn't a deal-breaker for me if the material is strong enough.
Been checking out Deathcade this morning and, although I need more time with it, I'm liking what I'm hearing. Some really nice melancholy melodies and a vocalist who at times sounds genuinely in despair. Thanks for the rec, Zero.
Here's a concept I quickly threw together for a Fallen-specific shading to start with, using one of my previous posts.
Yeah, it looks really good. Nice one.
If you press "see more reviews" then it shows the last 50 reviews to be posted. Surely that is enough for anyone!
Deathcade from Nocturnal Depression is in my opinion the best Depressive Black Metal offering of all time. Hell It's my favorite black metal album of all time. That's where I would point you Sunny. It's a compilation of their best songs but re-recorded with better production. Lifelovers' Pulver is pretty damn good too.
Silencer is indeed polarizing, I'm not even a huge fan of it myself, but I recognize it as a major album within the subgenre.
Thanks, man. I'll check them out.
I saw you name checked Silencer there, Zero. Now that is a divisive album. Personally I love it, but I have seen a lot of hate for it elsewhere (it actually rates pretty well here). It definitely contains one of the all-time outstanding vocal performances (as in, it stands out). I'm not the biggest fan of DSBM as I have spent too long on Bandcamp listening to third-rate bedroom acts, but Silencer and Shining (if you count them as DSBM) are excellent. Any more recommendations for top quality albums in the genre?
As for site functions... two things I'd be interested in would be an actual weighting system to releases (more ratings=more weight, even if it was only a small amount. This could even be a toggle feature, if the community is split about it) and the ability to rate alternate album covers, such as on re-releases or odd examples where the album kinda has two official artworks (Like God Hates Us All does for censorship reasons).
I do like the weighting idea. It would be best if it wasn't too heavily weighted in favour of number of ratings though.
I've never used Discord, but toxicity online is certainly something I want no part of. I probably wouldn't get involved with a live chat room as I prefer to think out my posts beforehand and live chat, by it's instantaneous nature, may lead to ill-considered interactions which potentially feed into toxicity and misunderstanding. Good luck to anyone who does go for it, but it's not for me.
I had a sneaking suspicion that this might be right up your street, Daniel.
I kind of agree with your views on the symphonic metal bands, but SubRosa are very much not in that style. They are far doomier than any of those symphonic bands. Check out More Constant Than the Gods.
I think doom metal is very inclusive for women, with loads of bands having female members and not just vocalists, but even when they are singers, the likes of Windhand's Dorthia Cotrrell and Acid King's Lori S. are nothing like Tarja and co.
I grew up with The Runaways and have several of their albums on vinyl from the time. Girlschool I saw a million times during the NWOBHM era - they were on tour almost constantly and were tons better live than on record.
I do quite like Savage Master - have you listened to Smoulder, they are similar, but maybe more epic doom leaning.
Dan and Ben seam like damn cool dudes. I know now not to worry about it. I'll probably go back and try to add more bulk to my more lean reviews-not gonna lie sometimes its a real chore, but we'll get it done.
About Type O- I love that whole late 90s'-2000's Gothic Aesthetic. Something about being in formative years, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Alison Hannigan (Willow). I just love everything about that. It's thick in their work and if you don't like it you probably aren't going to like Type-O, the 69 Eyes, Moonspell, etc. There is just no getting around it with those bands.
However, if you have not heard "I Don't wanna be me" I would throw that your way. It still has Type-O all over it, but it's a shorter song with a punk rock composition rather than the lengthy slow material you would often associate with them.How do you feel about Danzig?
I feel you on the low sounds. Good doom is like a warm blanket. I will have to look into Tangerine Dream-I'm intrigued.
When it comes to the technical stuff I don't immediately hate it. I would say Tomb of the Mutilated is a fairly technical album, but it still has recognizable strong structure and hooks and I love that album.
I don't like things like Brain Drill or Periphery where the whole stick is "look at how goddamn good I am at this instrument." I can play in those styles, and I've done it in the past, but I'd much rather listen to Cronos growl and smack his bass and play like a demon.
Likewise, I don't hate all technical metal out of hand, but I do like to be able to hear an actual "song" under the technicality. Atheist, Nile, Death etc. are all fantastic and several of my five star albums are by these bands.
I'm not massively into Danzig either, although I did love The Misfits when Glenn Danzig was in the band. The Type O track I do like (and I really like it) is Creepy Green Light, so if there's anything else like that then I may be interested. Even My Dying Bride sometimes piss me off, but they have a lot more great stuff than not, so they are forgiven their innate "gothicness", similarly with Paradise Lost. A band I really love who are in similar vein, but with female singers, are SubRosa. Somehow female singing in gothic metal annoys me less, I think it's because they aren't doing the whole "listen how deep and vampirey my voice can go" thing - and I do love violins in metal.
If you do look into Tangerine Dream then try their 1970's stuff first, Rubycon, Ricochet, Stratosfear and such are far better than their later, more movie soundtrack-sounding stuff, for me anyway.
Edit: Just checked out "I Don't wanna be me" and guess what, I liked it. It sounds a bit like early Sisters of Mercy - yes, I actually love gothic rock, but not gothic metal so much - go figure. I'm also very keen on old-school punk rock and hardcore, so the punky feel to this is actually right up my street. So now I like two TON tracks - we're really getting somewhere!
I went back to Gorguts and did my thing. I don't know if you will like the thing, but I thinged my ass off.
Hi, Zero. Just read your review and although I may not have put it quiite so bluntly, I actually agree with your view of excessively technical metal. I am over sixty and have been a metalhead since I was 14, so remember all too well when metal was treated with contempt by fans of other styles of music for being simplistic and dumb, so it rubs me up the wrong way too when some devotees of technical and complex metal look down on fans of "simpler" forms (ie metal with actual songs). It's bad enough when outsiders do it, but it feels like a betrayal when so-called metal brothers do it. But Ben was right, your new review has given everyone a far better insight into who you are and where you're coming from than the original one-liner. For the record, I thought Gorguts' first two albums were pretty good, but when they ditched the songs for a purely technical form of expression on the highly-rated Obscura they completely lost me.
As a massive fan of funeral doom metal and judging by some of your comments so far regarding it, I suppose we won't always see eye to eye, but it's good to meet you and I hope you enjoy your time here. Welcome.
Thank you so much man. That truly means a lot to me. I just didn't know if my brand of negative review would be well received. I've had the misfortune of being around moderation elsewhere (looking at you Reddit) that would chalk up any kind of negativity as toxic trolling, so I had learned to reel myself in. I was genuinely concerned that I was gonna wake up banned this morning.
I absolutely love funeral doom, I just prefer the "pretty" stuff with the violins and keys as opposed to the oppressive wall of sound synthesizer approach.
You're welcome, ZS. Obviously I can't speak for Daniel and Ben, but as long as things remain respectful to other site members, there has never been any problem with posting negative reviews. We can't all like everything and in the great wide world of metal there will be things that wind us up. For example, I recall you said you liked Type O Negative, but they are a band I just cannot get along with, the whole theatrical gothic schtick in certain styles of doom metal being a particular bugbear of mine.
As far as funeral doom and drone go, I have said it before on the site, I sometimes struggle with auditory overload, but I find the monolithic nature of FD and Drone extremely calming. Progressive electronic like Tangerine Dream has a similar effect on me, but the unadulterated volume of doom metal suits my needs better. This is also probably why I am not a fan of excessively chaotic avant-garde and technical metal. Anyway, whether we agree or disagree, I hope we are all able to get along together and I look forward to reading more of your stuff as it's nice to have new points of view.
I went back to Gorguts and did my thing. I don't know if you will like the thing, but I thinged my ass off.
Hi, Zero. Just read your review and although I may not have put it quiite so bluntly, I actually agree with your view of excessively technical metal. I am over sixty and have been a metalhead since I was 14, so remember all too well when metal was treated with contempt by fans of other styles of music for being simplistic and dumb, so it rubs me up the wrong way too when some devotees of technical and complex metal look down on fans of "simpler" forms (ie metal with actual songs). It's bad enough when outsiders do it, but it feels like a betrayal when so-called metal brothers do it. But Ben was right, your new review has given everyone a far better insight into who you are and where you're coming from than the original one-liner. For the record, I thought Gorguts' first two albums were pretty good, but when they ditched the songs for a purely technical form of expression on the highly-rated Obscura they completely lost me.
As a massive fan of funeral doom metal and judging by some of your comments so far regarding it, I suppose we won't always see eye to eye, but it's good to meet you and I hope you enjoy your time here. Welcome.
Fear Is the Mindkiller is an EP of remixes of tracks from the FF's debut, Soul of a New Machine, with three of the six tracks being various versions of Self Immolation, one of which is the original album version. To be honest, the first two tracks sound fucking horrible to my ears, bringing to mind images from second-rate post-apocalyptic movies where tribes of rejects from Mad Max 2 dance round huge bonfires before setting off to harass the movie's main characters. Industrial metal mixed with electronic dance music and exactly the sort of thing that overloads my auditory sense mechanism, verging on the unbearable. For me personally, Hell sounds like this.
Things do improve after that and, in fairness, the remixes of Scapegoat and Scumgrief aren't quite that bad, but Scapegoat sounds poorly put together (the clean singing sections just sound right out of place) with Scumgrief (Deep Dub Trauma Mix) probably coming out on top of the remixed tracks. The Liquid Sky Mix of Self Immolation also has it's moments, but it does tend to drag on a bit. I know the fact that I have never been part of the EDM scene massively affects my opinion here, but it is what it is. Obviously, for me, the original version of Self Immolation is the best track here by a long way and even that is well short of FF's best work.
2/5
Crippled Lucifer is one of my favourite doom metal albums and defines the extreme end of the doom metal spectrum. Here is my review:
Stephen O'Malley and usual cohort Greg Anderson, have produced some of the most extreme doom metal known to man as well as founding one of the premier doom metal labels, Southern Lord and are probably most well known for being the driving force behind SunnO))). After their short-lived first project, Thorr's Hammer split and before loosening bowels with the aforementioned drone metal titans, these doom metal stalwarts were the integral members of seminal extreme doom outfit Burning Witch. The band also featured vocalist Edgemont Martin (aka Edgy 59) and bassist G. Stuart Dahlquist (aka G. Subharmonium) along with a couple of drummers (successively, not at the same time)!
I think it is pretty safe to say that seldom has doom metal been served up that is more extreme-sounding and gruelling an experience than Burning Witch. As if the titanic, world-destroying chords of O'Malley and Anderson weren't enough then the tortured and deranged shrieks of Edgy 59 are sure to push you over the edge. This is most definitely not comfortable doom metal, in whose all-encompassing embrace you can wallow and luxuriate - no, this is deliberately confrontational, difficult and just downright unpleasant-sounding in order to throw you off balance and make you feel ill at ease and feed your suspicions that something IS indeed rotten in Denmark. A track like Country Doctor is certainly only going to appeal to those who like their metal music to confront them with the distressing and difficult-to-love, although there are a couple of slightly more accessible and, at least relatively speaking, conventional tracks such as Sacred Premonitions acting like pieces of flotsam for the drowning listener to cling to. One aspect of almost all of O'Malley and Anderson's music that cannot be ignored is that it is written with an additional instrument in mind. That instrument is sheer, unadulterated volume. Throughout their careers their music is seemingly intended to be as much a physical sensation as an auditory one and can only really be fully appreciated within the context of extreme volume, which is another reason that they should be considered as genuinely inhabiting the most extreme end of the doom metal spectrum. Sure, high volume has played a part in metal for all of it's fifty year reign, but with these guys it isn't just an option, it is an integral part of their whole sound.
Crippled Lucifer is actually available in a couple of versions, the original 1998 version being sub-titled Seven Psalms for Our Lord of Light, it is now available in an extended version which carries the sub-title 10 Psalms for Our Lord of Light. The original version contain seven of the eight tracks contained on the Rift.Canyon.Dreams and Towers EPs. The 2008 expanded version also contains the track Rift.Canyon.Dreams from a split release with Asva and Burning Witch's two tracks from their split with Goatsnake, which is pretty much the sum total of the band's recorded output and is the version I would recommend as the CD is a nice package altogether.
Whichever version you listen to, be sure that you are going to be subjected to a crushing, bleak-sounding, nihilistic version of doom metal, a million miles removed from Candlemass, My Dying Bride or Saint Vitus, that takes no prisoners, gives no quarter and, to be honest, couldn't even give a fuck if you like it or not. Be prepared.
5/5
An absolutely stellar playlist this month, Daniel. I loved pretty much every minute of it. Listened to it whilst out walking, so didn't keep an eye which track was which band, but I will definitely be returning to it over the coming month and I will take notes then. If this is an indication of where we're going with the playlists then things are looking good!
Hi KK and welcome. I hope you enjoy your time here.
I'm not on Facebook or X myself and I'm not even sure I know what reddit is, but I can see that you are really working hard on this Daniel, so I thought I would just add my moral support for all your efforts. I really hope you see some reward for your hard work as it would be nice to see an uptick in site and playlist traffic.
On a related matter, getting people to visit the site doesn't necessarily seem to be a big problem, whereas getting them to stay or revisit does. Do you have any theories on why this would be?
I must have had Hawkwind on the brain because I incorrectly named the album from which Sabbath's "Into the Void" is taken as "Master of the Universe". Now corrected, before anybody had chance to point out what a numpty I am!!
I had the whole collection of Masters of the Universe when I was a kid. Sold them to a collector for a significant amount of money years later too strangely enough.
Was that a TV show back in the eighties? I think I vaguely remember my little brother watching it. I was thinking of the Hawkwind track, Master of the Universe.
I must have had Hawkwind on the brain because I incorrectly named the album from which Sabbath's "Into the Void" is taken as "Master of the Universe". Now corrected, before anybody had chance to point out what a numpty I am!!
June 2024
1. Candlemass - "At the Gallows End" (from "Nightfall", 1987)
2. Black Sabbath - "Into the Void" (from "Master of Reality", 1971)
3. Paradise Lost - "Say Just Words" (from "One Second", 1997)
4. Darkthrone - "Howling Primitive Colonies" (from "It Beckons Us All.......", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]
5. Katatonia - "Endtime" (from "Brave Murder Day", 1996) [submitted by Vinny]
6. Autopsy – “In The Grip Of Winter” (from “Retribution For The Dead” E.P., 1991) [submitted by Daniel]
7. Orchid - "Silent One" (from "The Mouth of Madness", 2013) [submitted by Vinny]
8. Grin - "Deathbringers" (from "Hush", 2024)
9. Woods of Ypres -"Silver" (from "Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light", 2012) [submitted by Vinny]
10. Confessor – “Endtime” (from “Confessor” E.P., 1992) [submitted by Daniel]
11. High on Fire - "Darker Fleece" (from "Cometh the Storm", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]
12. Skumring - "Forførelse i natten" (from "De glemte tider", 2005)
13. Melvins – “Your Blessened” (from “Bullhead”, 1991) [submitted by Daniel]
14. Mizmor & Thou - "Subordinate" (from "Myopia", 2022)
15. Grief - "Depression" (from "Dismal", 1992)
16. Reverend Bizarre - "Cromwell" (from "II: Crush the Insects", 2005) [submitted by Sonny]
17. Fireball Ministry - "Sundown" (from "Their Rock Is Not Our Rock", 2005)
18. Slumber – “Fallout” (from “Fallout”, 2008) [submitted by Daniel]
19. Sunn O))) - "Frost (C)" (from "Pyroclasts", 2019)
Gave it a listen during this morning's walk and although it's early days yet, I'm very satisfied with what I heard. It's exactly what you would expect from Thou and won't do anything to change anyone's view of the band, I suspect, but if you're a fan then I would be very surprised if this didn't float your boat.
When my self-imposed exile from metal was ending at the end of the Nineties and I was casting around for bands to get me into the new sounds that had developed since I left it behind in 1990, I stumbled upon CoF playing live on some late night UK TV show and was mesmerised by their sound and aesthetic which were all new to me. I soon obtained a copy of Principles of Evil (via Napster I am ashamed to say) and really got into this new, eccentric-sounding and thoroughly exciting "new" style. I've not always been wowed by all their stuff, but I did find that this debut, Middian and even Nymphetamine offered me enough enjoyment to thoroughly shred any possibility of me claiming to be any kind of trve kvltist black metal fan! However, over the intervening years my black metal listening has refined itself somewhat with Cradle no longer appealing to me that much and it has been a long time since I last listened to Principles of Evil all the way through, so it's time to see how it stacks up 25 years on from my initial discovery of the East Anglian black metal goths.
The most striking thing about CoF is the sheer theatricality of their sound. Combining the symphonic black metal of Emperor with the gothic aesthetics of MyDying Bride, Dani Filth strikes me as a black metal version of Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Cradle albums as soundtracks to black metal musicals. In truth, that fanciful notion has less basis in fact here on the debut than it does on some of their later releases, but it is still a fair comment, I think, as it is still steeped in theatricality. To this end Benjamin Ryan's keyboards play a significant role on The Principle... providing intros, outros, interludes and as atmospheric layering they are never far from the action and provide some great moments, such as during The Forest Whispers My Name where they provide a nice melodic overlay and my favourite track, To Eve the Art of Witchcraft, which is undoubtedly elevated by Ryan's keyboard work.
Obviously, Cradle never really sounded this black metal again, with them inching into more gothic metal territory with each release, but underneath the gothic and atmospheric trappings there are some pretty decent slices of melodic black metal blasting here with the title track, the aforementioned The Forest Whispers My Name and A Crescendo of Passion Bleeding. They are unafraid to slow things down, too, and lean more into the gothic metal direction. The Black Goddess Rises, for example, contains little actual black metal and is a much more considered tempo, almost resembling doom metal, for much of it's runtime.
I'm actually glad I returned to this for May's feature because it has held up quite well across the intervening years and I feel a bit more love towards it today than I did before revisiting it. Of course there is an inherent degree of cheesiness here, with Dani's clean vocals providing much of it, but I do like his singular brand of ear-piercing screams which possibly makes me a bit more forgiving. All in all, I am feeling so well-disposed to Principle today, after several revisits during the month, that I am going to up my long-standing 3.5 star rating to a full 4.
4/5
I'm not a massive Exodus fan, but like Vinny says, maybe a live album from the time will reveal a missing dimension that elevates them to another level. Think I may give it a spin.
Unfortunately I find an awful lot of Alcest to be sonic wallpaper, which from a drone guy is a bit of a statement, I realise. I've not checked them out since 2016's Kodama and can't say this new one is likely to change that any time soon.
Yes, it does all look good, Daniel and I particularly love the Fallen picture. Great work once more. I have tried to programme the June Fallen playlist along the lines you suggested and I am quite pleased with the result myself, but I would like to hear from you guys as to what works and what doesn't.
It actually made for an interesting experience trying to produce something more ear-catching and re-ignited my enthusiasm for something that had felt like it was becoming a bit of a slog in all honesty.
I'm looking forward to hearing your lists,, Daniel, and I will even be checking the Guardians out, which is something I haven't done for ages (too much euro power metal in the past for me).
Here's hoping all your hard work has an impact and draws a few more metalheads sitewards. Onwards and upwards!!