Sonny's Forum Replies

Thanks for such a forthright and honest reply, Daniel. Sorry for being so damn nosy, I promise I'll stop bugging you about it now.

One final question, Daniel. Do you think you moved away from metal altogether and into the club scene because of a disenchantment with metal following the demise of Neuropath and the lack of a strong support structure for death metal in Sydney, or  because you felt your need to create would be better served by the club scene, or was it something different altogether?

P.S. I hope no one took my comment about Mark as a negative, he seems like a really cool guy and someone I feel I could get along with (which isn't actually that many people usually).

Just checked out the interview and never having been near to being in a band myself, I found it really interesting listening. I don't know, but having zero musical ability I have always put those who do have it on a pedestal, so it was great to hear how a gang of normal kids actually went about putting a band together and making it work. I have heard endless stories of bands' origins obviously, but when you hear it from household names like Ozzy or Lemmy or whoever, it is still very hard to relate to, yet your explanation of Neuropath's beginnings and, indeed, ending was very relatable indeed. It was a bit of a surprise to me that Sydney didn't have a big death metal scene back then, again probably because my own personal experience is of shitty little industrial towns and I always thought every big city had almost everything!

It seems ironic how Mark, who wrote the lyrics and by extension projected the band ethos, seems to be quite reserved in conversation (a bit like myself I might add). He seems like a guy who only speaks when he really feels he has something to say. It had puzzled me why you hadn't carried on in the metal "biz" when you obviously had so much ability and an affinity for it, but that seems much clearer now.

It's also funny how you build up a picture of people in your mind's eye and I've got to say, Daniel, you look far more "normal" than I had pictured!!

Update to my list:

1. Panopticon - The Rime of Memory

2. Árstíðir Lifsins - Hermalausaz

3. Ebony Pendant - Ebony Pendant

4. Profane Order - One Nightmare Unto Another

5. Imperium Dekadenz - Into Sorrow Evermore

6. Taake - Et hav av avstand

7. Tilintetgjort - In Death I Shall Arise

8. Thy Darkened Shade - Liber Lvcifer II: Mahapralaya

Yay, my CD has arrived. Not bad, just over two weeks from the other side of the world, it took nearly that long for my brother's xmas card to get to him in Scotland from here in England!

Enjoyed reading the liner notes and hearing how the band was put together and, unfortunately, disbanded in the end. The trials and tribulations of a life in metal. Great photos too, so I've got to ask Daniel, in the picture on the video above, which is you?

Hi Ben, any chance of adding Árstíðir Lifsins' latest release, the Hermalausaz EP?

Very little from me by way of Pit listening this year with Demoniac predictably being my thrash album of the year. I gave Trastorned a quick listen and quite liked what I heard, so will revisit it at some point. I'll have to give a few on your list a go, if only for completions sake, Xephyr.

Árstíðir Lifsins - Hermalausaz (Released 21/12/23)

Árstíðir Lifsins have become one of my favourite pagan black metal bands over the last few years, mainly due to the quality of their two Saga á tveim tungum (Story in Two Languages) albums and their ability to craft sweeping nordic epics that stir the blood and lift the soul. Their latest release, Hermalausaz, supposedly an EP, consists of two lengthy tracks, Ýrr and Þistill, with a total runtime of over forty minutes, which once again illustrates the Icelanders' ability to compose saga-like epics as befits their own cultural heritage. The lyrics are written in Old Norse poetic form, as were the sagas of old and are, as is revealed on the EP's Bandcamp page, "inspired by the runic inscription of the western Norwegian Eggja rune stone", which is a rune-carved grave-covering from around 650-700 CE, the runes upon which tell the tale of a shipwreck caused by a mighty sea-creature and the journey of the lost to the land of the dead.

The instrumentation is first and foremost powerful and epic-sounding black metal, with quite a thick bottom end over which the tremolo riffing can sweep and soar and featuring a variety of vocal styles from throaty, shrieking howls to harmonised, baritone nordic chants. The pummelling double kick drums and punishing blastbeats of Árni Bergur Zoëga's drumming propel the tracks along with an intense fury borne of raw, old-school black metal. However, interspersed within this sweeping, metallic maelstrom are folk-inspired, mournful-sounding acoustic sections, that are mercifully bereft of the inherent cheesiness often associated with folk metal, but rather serve as tonal contrasts, representing the rising and falling of the narrative threads within the tales and allowing moments of respite from the black metal intensity. Other times a slower, melodic theme will take over, often with a piano or keyboard accompaniment, to introduce a different narrative thread and further variety within these epics' tonal pallette.

I see Árstíðir Lifsins very much as the torch-bearers for a narrative style of black metal championed by Enslaved on their early releases such as Vikingligr veldi's "Lifandi lif undir hamri" and Eld's "793 (Slaget om Lindisfarne)", although those were more stripped-back than Hermalausaz' powerful-sounding production, there is still a direct line of epic-storytelling running from one to the other. With only three members and only two being instrumentalists, the music Árstíðir Lifsins' put out is testament to the technical proficiency and adaptability of the band members, sounding like a veritable horde of norse heroes on a musical rampage through some poorly-defended coastal enclave. A massively underappreciated band with a glorious and epic vision of what they are about and the music they want to produce, I hope they ultimately get the praise they deserve.

4.5/5

My Black Metal AOTY will ultimately be the Panopticon one too, Xephyr, but so far I have been reluctant to review it as it resonates with me so much that I don't think I could ever do it justice.

I've been checking out a few Fallen-related releases I am looking forward to that are coming out in 2024 on Bandcamp and a couple of old favourites of mine have albums out soon.

The Obsessed release "Gilded Sorrow" on 16th Feb and those familiar, gravel-voiced, fuzzed-up guitar tones are all present and correct. A couple of preview tracks are up, the brilliantly titled "Stoned Back To the Bomb Age" and "It's Not OK".

Also Saturnalia Temple have a new album, "Paradigm Call", out on March 1st. The preview track, "Revel In Dissidence" and it's sludgy stoner doom sound has really got me stoked for this one!

Vinyl pre-orders have already gone in!!

Again, not really very many new death metal albums for me this year.

1. Torture Rack - Primeval Onslaught

2. Fossilization - Leprous Daylight

3. Tomb Mold - The Enduring Spirit

4. Obituary - Dying of Everything

5. VoidCeremony - Threads of Unknowing

And that's about it so far...

Cirith Ungol and Smoulder's "Violent Creed of Vengeance" are the only Guardians releases that have caught my attention this year, both being very good.

Taake -Et hav av avstand (2023)

Taake mainman Hoest is an interesting and somewhat underappreciated contributor to the history of Norwegian black metal. Beginning the band in Bergen as Thule in 1993 he has been around that infamous scene since it's earliest days. Whilst undoubtedly taking his cues from those raw, primal black metal beginnings, he has always been an artist who treads his own path. He has never shied away from longer tracks, having several clocking in around ten mibutes, but here he goes all-in with the album's 42 minutes being taken up by just four tracks, with opener "Denne forblaaste ruin av en bro" and following track, "Utarmede gruver" running into each other and coming off as one long twenty-minute-plus epic.

The album is jam-packed with tremolo-picked riffs that are generally quite catchy and melodic, yet Takke's skill is in not making it sound at all like a melodic black metal album and believe me when I say that this is jam-packed with riffs then you had better believe it, the tracks switch from riff to riff like a hyperactive toddler in a Coca-Cola factory. Despite his riffs incorporating influences from everything from trad metal to post-punk, he still imbues them with enough true black metal rawness to leave no one in any doubt that this is indeed a norwegian black metal album. That aesthetic is more than ably reinforced by Hoest's searing, screeching vocals, that provide that quintessentially authentic nordic black metal vocal experience and leave you in no doubt as to what type of album you are listening to.

The opening diptych is followed by the album's shortest track, Gid sprakk vi, which is the most obviously black metal of the tracks here, it's icy blasting reaching reaching for us through the years from the time of Darkthrone's unholy trilogy and producing a shiver down the spine of real black metal afficianados. That blast of nostalgia is followed by the closer and the album's longest single track, Et uhyre av en kniv. This has a progressive feeling to it with an overarchingly melancholic atmosphere, sounding to me a bit like something you may have heard from Ihsahn early in his solo career.

In summation I would say that Hoest has pulled off quite the trick here, releasing an album that is atmospheric, melodic and progressive, but that wears the monochromatic clothes of blistering and raw true norwegian black metal, leaving the listener with a decidedly original experience. I don't suppose this will receive too much attention but it really should as I think it is a wonderously creative slice of modern black metal that appeals to me far more than the preponderance of unlistenable dissonant and avant-garde black metal that everyone seems to be championing nowadays.

4/5

It is quite timely for an Isole feature, as they have had a new album out this year, with Anesidora hitting the shelves back in March. For me, Isole have been on a bit of a downward trajectory since their late-2000s high water mark and listening to Bliss of Solitude and Anesidora back-to-back gives an illustation of why. The latter release feels stripped of any real emotional weight, with the band seemingly seeking a sound more palatable to the mainstream, stoner doom crowd.

So, enough of what went wrong and let us focus on what the band were doing well fifteen years ago, with Bliss of Solitude and it's follow-up Silent Ruins. After forming in 2004 the Swedes released a couple of solid doom metal albums in 2005's Forevermore and '06's Throne of Void, but it was with 2008's Bliss of Solitude that they found themselves nearing the summit of the doom metal mountain. Obviously they were influenced by Candlemass' bombastic style of epic doom metal, but that was certainly not the full extent of what Isole were about, that bombast being tempered by a sorrowful, emotionally resonant side like that being displayed by the likes of Patrick Walker's Warning. The result of this for a release like Bliss of Solitude is that it sounds at once romantically triumphant, but also heart-rending and mournful, like the emotions of the victors of a savage battle won at great cost.

The production is spot on and producer, drummer Jonas Lindström (also of Ereb Altor), have fashioned a perfect guitar sound, being at once huge and weighty whilst still possessing a sorrowful emotion that also keeps it quite personal-sounding. Additional weight is provided by the thundering basswork and Lindström's well-pitched drumming, which act as a perfect foundation for the emotionally-charged dirges of the riffs. The band employs dual guitarists / vocalists in Daniel Bryntse and Crister Olsson, their style of esoteric, layered clean vocals being another source of the album's essential melancholy, particularly on a slower, more inward-looking track like "Imprisoned in Sorrow" or "Dying".

There is a classiness to Isole's best work, of which this is definitely an example, to which not all doom bands are able to aspire. This isn't just about playing super-slow riffs, dragged-out to inordinate lengths, but it is about portraying sadness and sorrow in a relatable and humanly resonant way, being able to express negative emotion in a manner that hints at both redemption and hope without sounding trite or insincere. Bliss of Solitude is a classic slab of emotionally-charged doom metal that deserves a larger share of the praise that is heaped on lesser releases and as such is a perfect choice for a feature release. Nice work Ben.

4.5/5

Tomb Mold - The Enduring Spirit (2023)

I really enjoyed Tomb Mold's previous album, 2019's Planetary Clairvoyance. TM have evolved their sound even further since that album, branching out in a more technical and progressive direction, even dabbling with the ever more fashionable sorties into jazz metal territory. Whilst I understand and respect the band's desire to evolve and challenge themselves in both songwriting and technical expertise, it doesn't necessarily mean that I am fully on board with it. I have never made any secret of my lack of enthusiasm for the more technical style of metal and as for jazz, it generally has very little to do with me and is something I tend to keep at arms length. That said, the basis of TM's sound is very much in line with my preference for old-school, cavernous death metal and as such enables me to give them the benefit of the doubt. As I am exposed to repeated runthroughs, The Enduring Spirit is beginning to win me over, using the OSDM sound as a handhold I am finally coming to grips with Tomb Mold's continuing refinement of their direction.

In truth most of the evolution on the album is not as jarring as I first thought and is limited to some technical flourishes in the riffing and overall guitar work with the songwriting moving in a more progressive direction rather than a technical one, the band never going full-on Gorguts, which I am thankful for. Will of Whispers is the track I struggle with the most as the smooth jazz-like tone it employs in places is so at odds with the band's death metal roots and my own personal preferences, especially when the growling vocals are performed over the jazz sections (from around the four-minute mark), that it just sounds "wrong" to my ears. More generally, though, the technicality adds some spice to the riffing and battery that is the band's core sound, the technical aspect of the riffing on Fate's Tangled Thread, for example, gives an extra kick to what is actually already a bit of a killer and the more expansive and adventurous soloing in the latter half of the track is most definitely a cool direction to take it in. Tomb Mold almost seem like what would have happened if Autopsy had followed Death's career trajectory.

I think that for me the major takeaway from The Enduring Spirit is that this is not an album that deserves a rush judgement, it reveals more with every listen and I am definitely thawing to what I think the band is trying to achieve here. Most importantly, it still retains the ability to kick ass, no matter what it's technical or progressive intentions and that will always carry a metal album a long way with me.

4/5

If you enjoy Raphael Weinroth-Browne, Vinny, I strongly recommend you check out The Visit's 2015 album Through Darkness Into Light. It was my AOTY for 2015 and features Weinroth-Browne on cello and piano with vocalist Heather Sita Black. It's a beautiful album that deserves to be much more highly acclaimed than it is. In fact, I am going to go and listen to it again now.

Fossilization - Leprous Daylight (2023)

I had a few reservations about Fossilization's 2021 EP, He Whose Name Was Long Forgotten, going into it with the feeling that it was definitely something that should really appeal to me. It was from members of a band I really enjoy (Brazil's Jupiterian) and they were playing my favourite style of death metal, the cavernous old-school version, so it should have been a no brainer, yet I felt there was sadly something lacking. Maybe my expectations for a couple of members of Jupiterian were misplaced, anticipating a more doom-filled approach to their death metal that didn't really transpire.

So, two years on and I am going into their debut full-length with my eyes much more wide open and my expectations held in check. Initial impressions were that little has changed and I still felt a bit short-changed, yet... As exposure to it increased with additional playthroughs, I am beginning to overcome my reticence and am actually really starting to enjoy this M-F. Although there are a number of doomier moments during the runtime, this is far more effective when it is pummelling the loving shit out of you, such as during the faster sections of the title track or The Night Spoke the Tongue of Flames, where it feels like you have thrust your face in front of a sandblaster! The guitar sound is a real down and dirty old cavernous sound that has been dug up from some music production graveyard, ably boosted by thundering basslines and infernal blastbeats whilst Vakka's hoarse growling roars threaten to strip away your sanity with tales of demonic delight at the destruction of the world we know and the advent of hell on Earth.

The album is quite short, it's eight tracks only amounting to a 36 minute runtime, but this is to it's credit as it doesn't outstay it's welcome, which I think a longer album of this intensity would. The band wield a consummate savagery that evidences their South American lineage, no one quite does metal viciousness like the South Americans do they? Ultimately, through sheer adrenaline intensity and technical adroitness, the duo have won me over and I take back all my earlier misgivings.

4/5

Dirge - Dirge (2023)

Dirge are an Indian sludge metal five-piece, formed by members of hardcore punk band Death By Fungi in 2014. After almost ten years, this self-titled effort is only their second release, but they must have been busy honing their craft over the last decade, because this is a very accomplished slab of atmospheric sludge metal that certainly flicks all the right switches, at least as far as I am concerned.

Playing up to the sludge metal tag, this has thick, smoke-wreathed, stonerized riffs that serve as one half of their dual attack, in combination with Tabish Khidir's taut, throat-shredding roar, this is an example of the cudgel and the blade wielded with impressive adroitness and clinical skill upon the listeners aural sensibilities. Don't let me give the impression that this is relentlessly aggressive however, no there is more to Dirge in the songwriting department than that. They are equally adept when luring the listener into a misleading sense of calmness with gentler, soothing sections before unleashing their pent-up anger once more, such as during Malignant where the hypocritical politicians and businessmen of the world stumble into their lyrical sights and feel the full weight of Dirge's spleen being vented upon them (not as it bothers the bastards much I don't suppose, but you can't knock the band for trying).

I did label this as atmospheric sludge, but I mean that more as a description than in relation to the actual genre. Dirge don't exactly adhere strictly to the post-metal convention of build-build-release, but rather use gentler sections as a counterpoint to the general agressiveness of most of the runtime and thus render their conventional sludge metal more atmospheric as a result. I certainly wouldn't lump them in with Cult of Luna or Neurosis, but a better comparison for me is Germany's Hexer. The production absolutely nails the requisite sound, imparting a huge amount of weight to proceedings that an album like this stands or falls upon. I don't know too many Indian metal acts I must admit, but of those I am familiar with, Dirge top the tree.

Super-solid 4/5

I  hadn't really noticed that you had reduced the focus on newer material, Daniel.  Is there any particular reason for it?

I've got an idea what most of those niche genres are, but wtf is mincecore?

I find that the efficacy of demo tracks within a playlist depends a bit on the other tracks around them. If they are quite a bit quieter, or excessively messy-sounding and the tracks around them have crystal clear or beefed-up production then the transition from one to the other can be a bit jarring and take the listener out of their headspace, but reasonable-sounding demos that fit in with the other tracks can be pretty interesting.

I've not done much stat examination for a while and so I have been looking at some stats relating to the Clan charts.

For each clan I looked at how many releases were on the chart with a minimum of 5 ratings and then how many were in each clan with a minimum of 4 ratings, thus seeing how many were a single rating away from making the 5 rating minimum chart:

The Fallen - 180 / 257 = 77

The Gateway - 98 / 161 = 63

The Guardians - 344 / 471 = 127

The Horde - 242 / 346 = 104

The Infinite - 237 / 326 = 89

The North - 249 / 362 = 113

The Pit - 232 / 312 = 80

The Revolution - 60 / 101 = 41

The Sphere - 57 / 71 = 14

I think for the New Year I will set myself to the task of converting whichever of those fours I can into fives, at least for my clans anyway.

I'd love to see one of the clan charts get to 500 entries.

Nice work, Daniel, I think this may be my favourite Horde playlist to date. There were only the Imperial Triumphant and the last couple of tracks that I really didn't like.

Standout for me was the Nihilist track which, considering I am a bit uncommited when it comes to Entombed, was a nice surprise. Other big-hitters that I am less familiar with were Universally Estranged, Gates of Ishtar, Theory in Practice, Tenebro, Wharflurch and, of course, Neuropath are well worth their place on here. Thanks, man.

The last day or so of listening has seen me make a couple of changes to my Fallen top 20 of 2023:

Isole and Tribunal drop off the bottom of the list.

Edit: A further edit is the inclusion of Indian band Dirge's self-titled at #9, costing Hamds of Orlac a place in the top 20.

Godthrymm - Distortions (2023)

Godthrymm were formed by vocalist and guitarist Hamish Glencross who, along with drummer Shaun Taylor-Steels, was a member of My Dying Bride for some of their most iconic albums. Unsurprising then that they sound heavily influenced by the Yorkshire gothic death doom pioneers. The lineup is completed with Sasquatch Bob Crolla on bass and Glencross' wife Catherine was brought in as keyboard player and full-time female singer in 2022, after guesting as vocalist on a couple of tracks on the debut.

Although the MDB influence is apparent, this is nothing like as sorrow-ridden and mournful-sounding as the seminal Peaceville acolytes. The riffs aren't universally crushing and although they do carry sufficient weight, there is also an intangible airiness concealed within them that allows the tracks to breathe rather than being stultifyingly uncompromising. This effect is also enhanced by the concentration on clean vocals, not just Catherine's female vocals, but also Hamish's cleans seem to soar rather than bear the listener down. The rhythm section of Bob's bass and Shaun's drumming also keep things driving forward and are relatively busy for a doom album, providing further variation within the overall doom aesthetic.

The album as a whole and the individual tracks themselves are longer than on Reflections and so allow for more development and atmosphere-building with the songwriting seeming to have received an upgrade in the interim between albums. Overall, I would say that this is an album that takes a classic doom metal template and weaves lighter melodies within the riffing whilst harnessing a gothic aesthetic to produce an album that still manages to remain quite heavy, whilst delivering a refreshing and expansive atmosphere. It may not appeal to everyone, but I think it provides something a little bit different whilst not departing enormously fom what doom metal afficianados would be justified in expecting.

4/5

I thought the same thing Sonny.

Nothing wrong with it, enjoyed it for a listen, but I've had zero want to go back to it. It scratched the itch for some classic stoner tunes at the time but like you said, it feels hard to get truly excited about something like this. 3/5 as well from me, hence why it didn't make it onto The Fallen 2023 roundup list.

Yeah, like I say, it is a shame, because the band are very competent and I don't like to slag off albums solely for sounding like other albums, especially in a genre like stoner metal where basically everyone's ripping Sabbath off to a greater or lesser degree. I guess the problem's mine, not the band's and over-exposure to the genre is the main culprit. 

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs  - Land of Sleeper (2023)

Pigs x7 are a Geordie stoner band, their sound based around fuzzed-up Sabbathian riffs and a passing nod to 1970's hard rock. Pretty much par for the course I suppose and no, they don't break the mould of stonerized doom metal, but it is pretty enjoyable and more than passes the requirements of heaviness that we stoner doom disciples expect. I must admit that when I hear an album like this nowadays, I think that the band are probably more enjoyable in a live environment than on record, not because there is anything at all wrong with it, but because it is based around riffs that are 50 years old now and the lack of originality is less of an issue in a live setting.

I do find it hard to get over-enthused about a lot of stoner metal these days and Land of Sleeper doesn't do anything to change that attitude. I feel a bit bad about heaping such faint praise upon this, because there really is nothing wrong with it at all, and it does occasionally hint at a darker side, but there is just so much familiarity contained within the grooves of the album that it is hard to get overly excited about it, If you are new to stoner doom, or are just a stoner obsessive, however, then you may well enjoy this a lot more than I did and I hope there are plenty of you because these guys deserve it, unfortunately I'm just not feeling it.

3/5

Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean - Obsession Destruction (2023)

Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean are an anonymous, four-piece sludge metal crew from Massachusetts. Their name is apt as a metaphor for the crushing weight of their material, bearing the listener down as surely as those many, many metric tonnes of pressure exerted at the ocean's floor. That monicker is, of course, taken from a Thou song and that is hardly surprising as they sound remarkably like their obvious influence, yet they are proficient enough, both songwriting and performance-wise to stand on their own two feet and stand clear of the shadow of the Baton Rouge sludge masters.

The band have a devastatingly thick, distorted guitar tone that is very much based on Thou's signature sound, but as I absolutely love Thou's guitar tone, then that is just fine by me. The vocals are painful, ragged howls with their origins in both hardcore and black metal, that shred the ears with their shrieking roar and tear at the soul with their heartfelt desperation. It has to be admitted that this is quite simple metal, there are no fancy tricks, technical gymnastics or attempts to surprise the listener, but that is all to the good as far as I am concerned, because this is metal for those who want to engage with the music on an emotional and visceral level rather than an intellectual one. This is as visceral a sound as any high-intensity death metal or febrile black metal, it's just that this is bludgeoningly heavy rather than rapier sharp and will result in crushed limbs rather than savage flesh wounds and ultimately it is music so heavy it feels like it has some physical effect on reality itself.

Though I say that this is fairly simple in structure, that doesn't mean that it is monolithically dull or unimpressive. There is enough variation in tempo and tone to keep the mind engaged, often turning to a post-metal style of atmospheric tension building and release that gives the listener a well-deserved payoff by track's end. Ultimately, it must be admitted, if you have no love for Thou and their extended sludge metal outings, then Obsession Destruction will probably leave you cold, but for those of us who view this style of throbbing, crushing sludge as manna from heaven and who enjoy being swamped and overwhelmed by the listening experience, then this is 66 minutes of pure gold.

4.5/5

I've just gone to "Releases" and put in 2023 Fallen albums that I haven't rated and have just realised how slack I have been with new releases this year as there are loads I would like to check out still and over 100 that I haven't heard at all. I guess my focus has been elsewhere ths year!

Convocation - No Dawn for the Caliginous Night (2023)

Finnish duo Convocation inhabit that sector of the metal Venn diagram where the arcs of funeral and death doom overlap, which also happens to be one of my favourite shades of metal. For latest album, No Dawn for the Caliginous Night, they lean more towards the funeral doom side of things, ultimately taking a leaf out of the mighty Esoteric's book. One danger of funeral doom that these Finns avoid is in overcooking things and allowing tracks to drag along without much variation, producing arse-numbingly long albums in the process. Convocation rarely go beyond the 12 minute mark for individual tracks and their longest album is fifty minutes, this one clocking in at forty-eight. They also like to bring in some textural and tonal variation, whilst still maintaining the slow, funereal pacing from whence the genre derives it's name.

The production is excellent, allowing the heaving chords to provide a huge wall-of-sound which towers over and threatens to smother the listener with sheer sonic immensity and even though there is an undoubted crushing power to the tracks, there is much more to them than just that, with string accompaniment and vocal and guitar melodies providing a striking countepoint to the fundamrntal heaviness of the instrumentation. Opener, Graveless yet Dead, features Shape of Despair's Natalie Koskinen as second vocalist, whose soaring, angelic vocals provide perfect contrast to Marko Neuman's bellowing roars as he rails against his fate as a cursed, undying soul, fated to forever wander the Earth. The album features another couple of guest vocalists, Corpsessed's Niko Matilainen on second track, Atychiphobia, and Dying Fetus / Misery Index singer Jason Netherton guesting on closer, Procession (which also sees Ferum's Samantha Alessi providing a spoken narration).

The eye of the album's storm is the instrumental track Between Aether and Land which sits at the heart of the album and which has a less dense feel to it, being woven through with a nice melodic thread that makes it sound less despairing and hopeless than the opening twenty minutes, allowing a shaft of light or a glimpse of open countryside to infiltrate the ominous and despairing atmosphere of the remainder of the album. Naturally this is short-lived and Lepers and Derelicts hits with the full crushing force of a tsunami of hopelessness, sucking all air and positivity out of proceedings and feeling all the more forceful for it's contrast with the preceeding track, Marko Neuman's howling roars sounding increasingly desolate as he bellows the protagonists hatred of his own existence as a torturous demon, bedevilling mankind. On closer, Procession, Convocation really reveal their hand with a track that has a massive epic quality to it, with superb compositional and atmospheric flourishes, from guest Antti Poutanen's cello accompaniment to Samantha Alessi's narration and the melodic guitar work that threads it's way through those hefty, intimidatingly massive chords. Ultimately the track (and by extension, the album) sheds it's horrors and ends with a much more serene feeling as cello and picked guitar along with the closing narration seem to offer the consolation that eventually all horrors must pass.

With No Dawn.. Convocation have truly cemented their place as one of my absolute favourite funeral / death doom bands and I would claim this as a classic of the genre, making them fit to take up their place alongside genre greats like Esoteric and Evoken.

5/5

Another top list this month, Ben. I don't know if it's because the winter is here and the music suits the mood so well, but the last couple have been very good indeed. In fact there wasn't a single track I could say I disliked. Sure there were a couple that were a bit more melodic than I prefer, but they were still fine in their own way. I'm with Vinny in thinking that Faidra track was a particular highlight. Deiphage, Ebony Pendant, Fork Of Horripilation, Glemsel and Auriferous Flame were fantastic too. And let's face it, any playlist with Mayhem, Emperor and Darkthrone is going to kick ass anyway. Nice work Ben and everybody who submitted their selections.

Hands of Orlac - Hebetudo Mentis (2023)

I was quite the fan of Hands of Orlac's debut album, even scoring myself a vinyl copy. Their split album with The Wandering Midget was pretty good too. However, I was intially a bit reticent about their new release. The production sounds washed-out and it robs it of any heft or weight to a degree, with Ginevra's vocals particularly sounding quite weak. The early tracks are a bit lukewarm songwriting-wise too, lacking any speacial kind of hook or particularly interesting idea and ultimately failing to grab my attention.

Things take an upward turn after the short instrumental title track at the midpoint, however, with Malenka sounding much more like the sort of thing I have come to expect from the Italians. Frostbite is a much more interesting track too, with the flute adding some nice variation and giving it more of a paganistic, Blood Ceremony vibe. The lengthy closer Ex Officio Domini (The Executioner of Rome) weighs in at just under fifteen minutes length and is a bit of a proggy, psychedelic doom epic where we get to hear some nice soloing at last.

Overall a step down from their earlier material for me, let down by weak production and two or three formulaic and uninteresting tracks early on. I am glad I persevered though, because the last three tracks are very good and make the album overall a worthwhile listen.

3/5

Benthic Realm - Vessel (2023)

I have been a fan of Krista Van Guilder's turns in bands like Warhorse and Second Grave for some time now and was very contented with the direction of latest band Benthic Realm as indicated by their first couple of EPs released in 2017/18. However things had gone quiet on the BR front while the world battled the Covid-19 pandemic, but now they are back with their debut full-length, five years after their last EP hit the shelves. Well, the band have certainly not been sitting back and I've got to say up front, this is possibly my favourite release from bands Krista has been involved in. The guitar sound is perfect for this style of doom metal, with a powerful, booming tone that imparts a huge amount of heft to the riffs. The bass and drums provide a rock solid foundation upon which these booming riffs are built, providing a dense, all-enveloping quality to the sound. Then over all this soars the heavenly vocals of Krista herself. These aren't the ephemeral, airy vocals associated with a lot of female singers in the doom metal scene, but powerful and authoritative with a gorgeous tone that perfectly complements the weight of the riffs with a strength of their own, providing both melody and power in equal measure.

The songwriting is very good also, being instantly relatable to any doom metal veteran fan, whilst still retaining a vibrancy and identity very much of their own. No, Benthic Realm don't throw away the doom metal rulebook, but they are so proficient as songwriters and performers that Vessel sounds anything but tired and derivative, feeling like a shot in the arm to a scene that often retreads old ground with solid, but indistinguishable releases. If you only listen to one female-fronted doom metal album this year then you could do much worse than grab a copy of Vessel.

4/5

Thanks Ben. I must check out that Convocation album myself, as I am a big fan of their previous two.

Ben, do you have any suggestions for January's playlist?

Much appreciated Sonny. Feeling very honored that you would invest your hard-earned money in our little release. Wait till you see the band photos on the inside cover. :)

I must admit, the booklet is one of the big reasons I wanted to get hold of a physical copy. I'm looking forward to reading it.

Hi Ben, could you add Benthic Realm's latest album, Vessel, please.

Sod it, I've gone ahead and ordered a copy from Bandcamp, anyway.

I'm gonna call it a Xmas present to myself!

Ben / Daniel, are there any plans to run these again for 2023?

Hi Ben, could you add norwegian doom bands Helldiver and Superlynx, please.

Hi Ben, could you please add the latest album from Italy's Hands of Orlac, "Hebetudo Mentis". Also their 2017 split with The Wandering Midget. Thanks.

That is indeed a very positive review, Daniel. It must make you feel very proud to be spoken of in such glowing terms.

I have looked into getting a CD copy, but Bandcamp want 150% of the media cost for postage alone, so they want £20 for a CD that costs £8. Discogs is even worse, one guy wants £16 shipping! I'll have to settle for the digital version for now and see if any UK distros pick it up later.

Nice one Xephyr. Got my vinyl copy delivered this morning. Only had chance to check out the first LP so far, but I am enjoying it immensely. Sounds a lot like ...And Again Into the Light, but the even longer track lengths seem to allow for a more narrative kind of song structure.

Hi Ben, could you add Lithuanian death doom crew Sullen Guest please.

My suggestions for the next playlist:
Lord Vigo - Eternal Saviour (off Blackbourne Souls)
Ningen-Isu - 鬼  (off 修羅囃子)

The Ningen-Isu album is in The Guardians and not The Fallen, so I cannot accept that suggestion, Morpheus, but the Lord Vigo has been added.

The first half of this month's playlist was as good as anything you've put together, Vinny. Iced Earth, Coroner, Possessed, Mystik, Motorhead, Nihilist, Mystic Storm and Hellish, along with my own picks made for an imperious first hour. The more groove / crossover focus of the second half found my attention wandering a little with Upon A Burning Body and Scatterbrain's impersonation of The Offspring being the lowlights for me. Things picked up nicely towards the end however, from Virus onwards, closing with an absolute killer cut from Vektor. Thanks a lot, Vinny, especially for that first hour!

Hey Vinny, my suggestions for January are:

Machine Head - "In the Presence of My Enemies" (from "Through the Ashes of Empires", 2003)

Mekong Delta - "The Final Deluge" (from "The Music of Erich Zann", 1988)

Necrodeath - "Necrosadist" (from "Into the Macabre", 1987)

Power Trip - "Firing Squad" (from "Nightmare Logic", 2017)

Ratos de Porão - "Amazônia Nunca Mais" (from "Brasil", 1989)

Toxic Wine - "Opresión masiva" (from "No hay lugar para los débiles", 2016)

Hey Daniel, my suggestions for January are:

Behemoth - "Xul" (from "Demigod", 2004)

Death - "Bite the Pain" (from "The Sound of Perseverance", 1998)

Edge of Sanity - "Blood-Colored" (from "Purgatory Afterglow", 1994)

Napalm Death - "Out of Sight Out of Mind" (from "Order of the Leech", 2002)

Tiamat - "Sumerian Cry (Part III)" (from "The Astral Sleep", 1991)

Hi Ben, my suggestions for January are:

Enslaved - "Heimdallr" (from "Vikingligr veldi", 1994)

Skogen - "Under Fullmånens Sken" (from "Vittra", 2015)

Stilla - "Skuggflock" (from "Skuggflock", 2016)

I've been meaning to check this out for ages after being blown away by their previous album, Death, so thanks for nominating it Daniel. Maybe I'll get off my arse and give it a review now!

Nice choice Ben. My go-to album for Isole is their next one, Silent Ruins, but Bliss of Solitude runs it a close second. I haven't listened to it for a while, so I'll try and muster up some listening time and hopefully a review.

December 2023

1. Cough - "Killing Fields" (from "Sigillum Luciferi", 2006) [submitted by Sonny]

2. Candlemass - "Dark Are the Veils of Death" (from "Nightfall", 1987) [submitted by Vinny]

3. Sir Lord Baltimore - "Kingdom Come" (from "Kingdom Come", 1970) [submitted by Daniel]

4. EverEve - "A New Winter" (from "Seasons, 1997)

5. Mother of Graves - "Of Solitude and Stone" (from "Where the Shadows Adorn", 2022) [submitted by Ben]

6. Hamferð - "Sinnisloysi" (from "Evst", 2013] [submitted by Sonny]

7. Remembrance - "Stone Mirrors" (from "Fall, Obsidian Night", 2010)

8. Dymna Lotva - "Папялішча (Ashes)" (from "Зямля пад чорнымі крыламі: Кроў (The Land Under the Black Wings: Blood), 2023)

9. Margarita Witch Cult - "The Witchfinder Comes" (from "Margarita Witch Cult", 2023)

10. Sadhak - "The Perfection of Wisdom" (from "Sadhak" EP, 2013) [submitted by Sonny]

11. KEN mode - "A Reluctance of Being" (from "VOID", 2023) [submitted by Vinny]

12. Plateau Sigma - "Maira & the Archangel" (from "White Wings of Nightmares", 2013) [submitted by Daniel]

13. Black Sabbath - "Black Sabbath" (from "Black Sabbath", 1970) [submitted by Daniel]

14. Melvins - "Night Goat" (from "Houdini", 1993)

15. Warning - "How Can It Happen?" (from "The Strength To Dream", 1999)

16. Dream Unending - "If Not Now When" (from "Starpath" split with Worm, 2023) [submitted by Ben]