Sonny's Forum Replies

I must admit that I am exceedingly reluctant to share my thoughts on AiC's seminal Dirt album as it seems to be one of those untouchable records that everyone adores, yet for some reason I just don't feel it. I had never listened to Alice in Chains much, at least until we had The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here as a monthly feature for July last year. Now, I really enjoyed that album and started to think that maybe I'd missed out on something with AiC, but now that I've checked out Dirt properly I don't think so at all. 

The problem isn't an aversion to grunge, I was quite heavily into it back in the day and I still love me some Soundgarden, Nirvana, early Pearl Jam and even Hole and Silverchair, to this day, but Dirt just doesn't cut it for me compared to Superunknown, Nevermind or Ten. My biggest confession is that the reason for this is mainly that I don't like Layne Staley's singing. I much prefer Will Duvall's vocals as he tries less to dominate things and just sounds more natural to me. Staley's style seems overwrought and just too theatrical, as he plays up to the troubled genius persona, for my taste.

Musically I must admit that the band sound great, but their heavy leaning towards a blues sound does make me scratch my head at why these guys are never challenged as to their metal credentials when others are often scrutinised for playing rock-adjacent metal. Now don' t get me wrong, there are some good songs here, but they are the more well-known ones which are such for good reason, but many just feel like metallised verions of old Cream or Led Zeppelin numbers.

I'm sure you will all be queueing up to tell me how clueless I am but, quite frankly, you're probably best saving your breath (or at least your typing fingers) because it is what it is.

3.5/5

I reviewed Aveilut only two or three days ago and in all honesty I really struggled with it for reasons I explain in the review. I acknowledge this issue is a personal one but it makes it very difficult to be objective about the album. Anyway, for what it's worth, I'll repost my review here:

After requesting recommendations from what so far feels like an underachieving year in black metal, Ben kindly offered up his top ten list, #1 on which was this debut from Brooklyn avant-garde black metallers Scarcity. So, I must admit upfront that this was a massive struggle for me, especially during the first five minutes or so when I almost had to turn it off. But first I'd better explain some background. I am one of those people who is occasionally subject to sensory overload when subjected to overly busy sounds or visuals. When this happens it manifests as an almost physical discomfort and I tend to have to get away or block out the offending sensory input. This is why I struggle so badly with especially dissonant or avant-garde music and probably explains my love of more atmospheric and monolithic metal like funeral doom, drone or atmo-black. Anyway the opening minutes of Aveilut really triggered those feelings and I truly struggled to get through them. But persist I did and although there was a few passages that I did enjoy, on the whole I didn't really get a lot out of this I'm afraid. The whole thing is just too dissonant and unconventional sounding for me and whilst I understand that there are loads of people to whom this more challenging music provides huge satisfaction, I am sorry, but I just can't relate. This is a release I can't see myself returning to and yes, I realise that the fault is mine, but sometimes we just have to admit that something is not for us and move on. Sorry, it's not much of a review, but it is what it is.

September 2022

1. Temple of Void - "Deathtouch" from "Summoning the Slayer" (2022)
2. Candlemass - "Tears" from "Tales of Creation" (1989)
3. Celtic Frost - "Obscured" from "Monotheist" (2006)
4. Bog Body - "Ice Stained Kurgan" from "Cryonic Crevasse Cult" (2022)
5. Hangman's Chair - "Who Wants to Die Old" from "A Loner" (2022)
6. Mastodon - "Crusher Destroyer" from "Remission" (2002)
7. BlackLab - "Abyss Woods" from "In A Bizarre Dream" (2022)
8. The Gates of Slumber - "Bastards Born" from "The Wretch" (2011)
9. Esoteric - "Sinistrous" from "The Pernicious Enigma" (1997)
10. Come to Grief - "When the World Dies" from "When the World Dies" (2022)
11. Skeleton Gong - "Nephilim" from "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" (2015)
12. Slomatics - "Futurian" from "Estron" (2014)
13. Witchfinder General - "Death Penalty" from "Death Penalty" (1982)
14. Wolf Counsel - "Aeons" from "Initivm" (2022)
15. Churchburn - "Scarred" from "Genocidal Rite" (2021)
16. Type O Negative - "Creepy Green Light" from "World Coming Down" (1999)
17. Until Death Overtakes Me - "Missing" from "Prelude to Monolith" (2003)

Horna are a band I have seen mention of nearly everywhere but have never listened to, so I will take "Perimä vihassa ja verikostossa".

Over to you Vinny.

I am unfamiliar with any of these, so I will go for the band with the coolest-sounding name and Legion of the Damned's "Slaves of the Shadow Realm" is my pick.

On to you Vinny.

OK Ben, I was tempted by "Death's Crown Is Victory" as it is a release I own on CD, but instead I will take Wall of Sleep's "When Mountains Roar".

As there is an overwhelming percentage of unrated releases on the site, after refreshing the page, starting with the first release, why not take the first four unrated (or unreviewed) releases that come up? This way we would all probably be hearing something new to us (which could become a previously undiscovered favourite) and it would also have the added benefit of expanding the number of releases that have been reviewed and rated. Just a thought...

I'm not sure that's actually necessary, as the percentage of unrated vs rated on the site is huge. We'll end up with a full suite of unrated releases quite often I reckon. Plus there are so many rated releases that I haven't got around to rating / reviewing myself, so I'm actually keen to use my draft pick to do just that.

If the likes of Reign in Blood / Master of Puppets come up, we can always make a group decision at the time to ignore them.

That's fair enough Ben. To be honest I tried it with the Fallen and the first four releases that came up had a grand total of one rating between them,  so I guess you are right, there will probably be loads of unrated stuff coming up anyway.

You are right Andi, it is a very serious topic and is one that deserves serious discussion. The thing is that musicians are only human like the rest of us and posses all the qualities and failings that the rest of us possess, so inevitably there will be those whose actions are reprehensible, just as in the wider population. Metal musicians seem to be a particular target for criticism, but there have been many examples of musicians from other, often more accepted, musical spheres who have been bastards too - Phil Spector and Gary Glitter for example. There have also been numerous examples of well-regarded writers, artists and philosophers who were utter twats. In fact, I am such a natural cynic that I would probably be more surprised to find out that egotistical musicians were decent people rather than complete c**ts!

I think it is a mistake to put musicians on a pedestal in the first place. It is unlikely that the reality will ever live up to the expectation, as I say, they are human beings, not saints. The dilemma is for the listener. Does a musician's (or writer's or artist's) actions negate the power or relevance of the work they have produced? Could there be an argument that their flaws are what contributed to their genius in the first place.  I have no desire to defend Kelly or his actions, what he has done sounds awful, but I don't see how that changes a single note from the music he has produced and if it meant something to you yesterday, why wouldn't it still mean something today? If you no longer wished to support such an artist financially by not paying for music or merch then that is fine, but personally I have never been dazzled by "celebrity" and can separate the person from the music fairly easily. 

Here's hoping his family can move on from the toxic influence of such an unpleasant individual.

As there is an overwhelming percentage of unrated releases on the site, after refreshing the page, starting with the first release, why not take the first four unrated (or unreviewed) releases that come up? This way we would all probably be hearing something new to us (which could become a previously undiscovered favourite) and it would also have the added benefit of expanding the number of releases that have been reviewed and rated. Just a thought...

OK Ben, if you are willing to put up with even more of my nonsensical ramblings you can count me in for the North, Fallen and the Pit. As it is randomised will you be publishing a list of the available releases because I presume it would be different for everyone (or am I missing something).

"Easy wins" seems like a poor choice of words, though.

But we can still but heads to find some fair way to do this without sacrificing the integrity of the clan system.  Maybe I see it a little differently since I'll listen to any metal genre, but if Daniel and Ben wanted to draw attention to the Hall, then it's still an important part despite being so small.

I don't think it's a poor choice of words at all. To compromise the site's whole purpose to push through a few Hall judgements seems exactly like the definition of seeking easy wins. I think it is also obvious that despite their hope to see Hall submissions resolved, neither Ben nor Daniel are keen to relax the long-established rules around it that they themselves set.

I can't say I agree with this approach. A member's clan assignments are intended to play a strong role in their identity at Metal Academy so I would discourage repeated swapping of clans. It's important to remember why we have clans in the first place which is to ensure that anyone that's voting on a release's clan or subgenre is well qualified & to do so & that there's an easy avenue to differentiate between a devoted & a casual listeners feelings on a release. The Hall of Judgement is such a small part of the site in the grand scheme of things so I don't think we should be diluting the fundamental intent of the site in order to better facilitate fast outcomes there (& in doing so risk the integrity of the voting just quietly too). Remember, not being a part of a clan doesn't restrict you from enjoying the releases & sharing your thoughts on the releases it contains in any way so I can't see why anyone would want to swap to a clan simply because they feel like listening to some releases from that clan. I'd suggest that I have one of the broadest taste profiles at the Academy but there's no doubt that everyone has comfort zones where they're more knowledgeable than others & I'm well aware of what mine are. That doesn't mean that I don't love a whole bunch of releases from each of the other five clans & I don't feel in any way restricted. I know perfectly well that there are people that are more qualified than I am to select the feature releases & nominate the playlist inclusions for the other clans & I treat it as an opportunity to discover new things while I can do the same for others within the context of my own clans.

I agree with all that Daniel has said here.  Not that I give two shits about the Hall of Tagging or whatever it is used for but it strikes me that the clan membership should not be driven by votes being needed in the Hall.  My understanding is that the clans (and the luxury of being afforded a fourth clan) was to develop real expertise or be given the opportunity to grow your musical experience I think this suggestion to spuriously change your clans once a month is ludicrous and seriously detracts away from the ethos of the site.  For me, to switch up clans you have to put the work in and complete the challenges required, just like you would have done in the initial qualification for the fourth clan.  I think some of us need to take a step back and be a little less excitable (although I do not for one minute doubt that this excitement comes from a genuine and passionate standpoint on metal music) and focus on the principals of why the site is here.

I must throw my weight behind Daniel and Vinny here. The clan system is what differentiates Metal Academy from other music sites and to dumb that down is to do the fantastic work that Daniel and Ben have done a great disservice. The Hall is but a small part of the site and to sacrifice the integrity of the site's main focus to get a few easy wins there seems disingenuous.

Scarcity - Aveilut (2022)

After requesting recommendations from what so far feels like an underachieving year in black metal, Ben kindly offered up his top ten list, #1 on which was this debut from Brooklyn avant-garde black metallers Scarcity. So, I must admit upfront that this was a massive struggle for me, especially during the first five minutes or so when I almost had to turn it off. But first I'd better explain some background. I am one of those people who is occasionally subject to sensory overload when subjected to overly busy sounds or visuals. When this happens it manifests as an almost physical discomfort and I tend to have to get away or block out the offending sensory input. This is why I struggle so badly with especially dissonant or avant-garde music and probably explains my love of more atmospheric and monolithic metal like funeral doom, drone or atmo-black. Anyway the opening minutes of Aveilut really triggered those feelings and I truly struggled to get through them. But persist I did and although there was a few passages that I did enjoy, on the whole I didn't really get a lot out of this I'm afraid. The whole thing is just too dissonant and unconventional sounding for me I think and whilst I understand that there are loads of people to whom this more challenging music provides huge satisfaction, I am sorry, but I just can't relate. This is a release I can't see myself returning to and yes, I realise that the fault is mine, but sometimes we just have to admit that something is not for us and move on. Sorry Ben.

1.5/5

Thanks Ben. I have heard and enjoyed the DsO and BaN albums, but I wasn't impressed by Celeste. I'll check out some of the others pretty soon though. Have you listened to the Blackbraid album? Vinny recced it to me and it is very good.

As the regulars will know, I recently did a deep dive into the early years of death metal and listened to some excellent demos from the likes of Possessed, Death and Autopsy. I find demos to be extremely interesting records of band's early development and how they put their sound together, especially interesting with bands like the above and the early black metal bands such as Mayhem who were developing new sounds and ended up being massively influential. The very early Metallica demos with Dave Mustaine still on board are very interesting too. 

Unfortunately demos aren't catalogued on Metal Academy so there is no facility to rate them and if you want to review them you have to do it through a forum thread. If you are interested Rex, here's the link to the death metal thread I made with several demo reviews within it: https://metal.academy/forum/10/thread/1230

Similarly to Vinny, I have never really been able to commit fully to a fourth clan. I have dabbled with the idea of The Guardians, The Horde and to a lesser extent The Infinite, but I don't like power metal which dominates The Guardians, I'm not keen on brutal or slam death and don't have much tolerance for avant-garde or post-metal so feel my membership of  any of those clans would be detrimental to the clans in question as there are vast swathes of releases in all of them that I don't care for. That said, I am still chipping away at the clan challenges for no other reason than I enjoy doing them even if I don't aim to take up clan membership as a result of completing any of them.

Here are some for my clans' genres/subgenres:

Nu metal - Linkin Park's first two albums (Korn is the founding band of nu metal and has been active even during that genre's downfall, but I chose Linkin Park's nu metal era that pretty much everyone in the world knows)

Melodic progressive metal - Dream Theater

Extreme progressive metal/djent - Meshuggah

Standard metalcore - Converge

Melodic metalcore - Trivium (move over, Killswitch Engage, Trivium is the real deal in melodic metalcore's popularity)

Industrial metal - Godflesh (for the experimental side, anyway, showing more of the cold bleakness that the genre is about than the mainstream of Ministry)

I don't think you can say that Linkin Park dominated Nu Metal to the extent Maiden did the NWOBHM Andi. I remember Korn and Slipknot both being massive and Slipknot still are to some extent. If you generate charts in RYM by popularity Linkin Park are #2 & #3 behind Deftones' Around the Fur album with Slipknot and Korn close behind, whereas a NWOBHM chart with the same criteria returns all the Maiden albums that qualify as NWOBHM (the debut through to Piece of Mind) in the top four places with the fourth best (Killers) still having twice the ratings of the next best, Venom's Black Metal. I don't know enough about the others you mention to comment I'm afraid.

Similarly for Viking metal their chart seems to share between Bathory and Moonsorrow, but tellingly Hammerheart has more than twice the ratings of any other album, so I think it's fair to say that Viking Metal is dominated by one album.

The Neue Deutsche Harte chart is even more skewed - Rammstein occupy the first EIGHT places and number eleven is Til Lindemann's Lindemann project F&M album. I think we may have a winner here!

Interesting thread Sonny. Here's a few off the top of my head:

Viking metal - Bathory

Gorenoise - Phyllomedusa

Rap metal - Rage Against The Machine

Neue Deutsche Härte - Rammstein

Djent - Meshuggah

Yes, Rammstein was the one other I could think of off the top of my head but Bathory and RATM are both good calls too. I know zilch about gorenoise and care even less about djent so have no evidence about either to judge.

True but considering the staff is very limited, there may be other potentially more important features to include and program first.  Even RYM has a million things to do and they have a staff of around 200 moderators, but only two developers.

Ben and Daniel have always been very encouraging in getting the members to come forward with ideas to improve the site and Vinny sees that as an improvement (and, for the record, I agree with him) so was perfectly justified in raising the subject with Ben.

Russian Circles - Gnosis (2022)

I was first switched onto Russian Circles' new album by Vinny and at first glance it isn't really the kind of stuff I would be falling over myself to check out. Firstly it is classed as post-metal, a genre that doesn't always chime with me personally and, secondly, it is entirely instrumental. I don't have a problem with instrumental tracks, but rarely enjoy a whole album that is completely vocal-free. Fortunately these preconceptions were kicked into the long grass in short order as this is a fantasic record from beginning to end and won me over within a very short timescale. The difference between this and many other post-metal albums I have heard is that this gets on with it and doesn't spend a seeming age building up to a questionably worthwhile payoff.

The guitars weave a tapestry of thick and vibrant sound that sometimes bouys the listener along and other times envelops and soothes them. The lack of vocals actually works well in the album's favour, allowing those gorgeous guitar lines to stay in focus and sparing the listener the distraction that vocals always provide as they are usually pushed to front and centre even at the expense of everything else. There is a certain parrallel to be heard here to some of the more lush-sounding atmospheric black metal acts like Saor or Mare Cognitum with some of their inate epicness seeping through - check out the title track or opener Tupilak to hear what I mean.

I don't know, maybe there isn't enough here to satisfy the usual post-metal fan, but I found it to be a thoroughly satisfying and uplifting experience and it has quickly cemented itself a place near the top of my personal top post-metal albums list.

4.5/5

I don't want to put words into his mouth, but I think Vinny's point is that even if there is a thread you may be interested in they are in danger of quickly being pushed off the previous forum posts list by endless "yes it is", "no it isn't" posts relating to the minutiae of genre classification which not everyone may be interested in. Surely it is reasonable therefore to enquire if there is any possibility of filtering out threads a member may not be interested in and so allowing everyone to interact with the site in a way which may suit them.

Hi Ben, when you've finished with Andi's shopping list could you please add Chilean blackened thrashers Mayhemic.

Hi Ben, any chance you could add the new Wolf Counsel album, Initivm please?

Personally, I have always viewed speed metal as the evolutionary step between heavy metal and thrash metal, so I'm kind of on the fence with this one and feel that both The Guardians and The Pit have a valid claim on it's inclusion. Maybe as it was birthed within The Guardians remit though, then they have the stronger claim, but I could be persuaded either way.

Only one contender for me today. The new Autopsy track Skin By Skin is completely badass.

New Autopsy album is due out 30th September. Released on Peaceville it is called Morbidity Triumphant.

A lyric video promo for the song Skin By Skin is available on YouTube:

Aren't wolverines essential small bears?

No, they are a particularly vicious relative of the polecats or weasels.

From wikipaedia:

"The wolverine has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times larger than itself."

 If that's not a "metal" animal, then I don't know what is!

I never said it wasn't METAL.  I just don't know if it's PUNK.  When I think of punk, I think of hyperactivity and obnoxiousness, as well as rebellion and... revolution.  Wolverines are one of my favorite animals because of their raw fucking power, and I'd love a wolverine to represent something here, but I don't know if The Revolution is the right place.  Of course, I'm not a member of the Revolution and I've never taken part in their discussions the way I have Guardians.  And I know it's technically a relative of weasels; the point I was making was that it's still pretty similar to a bear in shape, structure and strength.

I guess we will have to agree to disagree on the essential bearishness of wolverines for now - at least until I can get the funding for my planned new Rate Your Wildlife website. (If any wolverines are reading this who do identify as bears that's cool too. I have no wish to judge any creature based on their lifestyle choices).

How about a bluebottle then? They break into your house with shit all over their feet, vomit on your food then incessantly buzz round your head on a Sunday afternoon when you're trying to watch the match. They also abandon their kids to grow up inside a dead body. How much more punk can you get!?

Aren't wolverines essential small bears?

No, they are a particularly vicious relative of the polecats or weasels.

From wikipaedia:

"The wolverine has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times larger than itself."

 If that's not a "metal" animal, then I don't know what is!

Could you add Providence sludge / death doomers Churchburn please Ben.

Revolution - Wolverine, the most "punk" animal going.

Candlemass have a new album due out on 18th of November. Released on Napalm Records it is called Sweet Evil Sun.

Featuring original vocalist Johan Langquist, the only advance track released to date is called Scandinavian Gods:

BlackLab - In a Bizarre Dream (2022)

I've been a fan of the Japanese stoner metal duo since their debut ep which saw light of day in 2017. They've come a fair way since those early days and have grown in confidence, with their sludgy stoner metal taking on a certain punkish swagger as they raise two fingers to all the naysayers. Coincidentally I have been listening to the new Boris album also this week and the two do seem to compliment each other pretty well. They aren't exactly the same, but they both utilise a riotous expression of stoner metal, Boris drawing on noise rock and hardcore, BlackLab using sludge and punk to achieve a similar aim. In a Bizarre Dream is the more "metal" of the two albums but is a bit less anarchic than Heavy Rocks.

There are some killer cuts here, the opening riff to the single Abyss Woods is a real doozy for example and Yuko's guitar work in general is a treat as she fires off riffs and solos with equal abandon. Her vocals aren't bad either, her harsh howls are nerve-shredding and her cleans have a grungy punkishness to them. Meanwhile drummer Chia provides creditable support, having to propel the tracks forward solo with the duo not electing not to employ a bassist (which also adds to the punky diy sound of a track like Dark Clouds.)

The driving Crows, Sparrows and Cats features Stereolab's Lætitia Sadier on lead vocal which adds a different dynamic, she sounds a bit like Nico on the Velvet Underground album, which has a softening effect to the track, making Yuko's heavily distorted guitar sound less aggressive and more trippy. Sometimes the duo throttle things back, such as the crawling Evil 2, but in the main they attack the material with a hefty dose of aggression and leave the impression that these two are seriously not to be fucked with. This is stoner metal for sure, but not in a laid-back, groovy style, but in an, in-your-face, fuck you if you don't like it assured manner.

4/5

On this subject, I'm working on a top 100 metal albums list, but I want to provide commentary for each entry.  Is there a special place where I can create a separate thread and post a few at a time until it's done over the course of a few days so people have albums to talk about for each post?  Or is the general chat section good?  I plan on doing this the same way people on Movieforums post their top 100 movie lists, and I'm doing it this way on Metalforum too.

I think you are probably best starting a new thread under the general chat tab, Rexorcist.

Alright I'm wrong - Hell III is heavier.

One of my all-time favourites right there.

Hi Ben, could you please add BlackLab's new album, In a Bizarre Dream.

If I was forced into a particular answer off the top of my head, Rexorcist,  I would have to suggest bands like Hell, Thou, Sunn O))), Earth, Ufomammut and definitely Electric Wizard.

It's a hard question to answer but I'd suggest that almost my entire top ten would come from The Fallen. I don't think terms like "brutal" & "extreme" are the same thing as "heavy". To me that term is about suffocatingly thick down-tuned riffs that make your insides shake so subgenres like Drone Metal, Sludge Metal & Doom Metal would certainly feature fairly prominently in my list.

Agreed.

Thirded!!

Nice. Mine's not all that different from yours, although I need to check out that Funeral Orchestra album (and add it to the site!). One correction though; the wonderful Return to the Void is by Shape of Despair, not Swallow the Sun.

DOH!!

I still need to check out the Ataraxy album as I quite enjoyed their previous one and I also need to listen to the Thou/Mizmor split.

The year is shaping up a bit better now after a slow start and the Fallen end of year list should look a bit better than I originally feared.

Been doing some catching up on this year's Fallen releases so here's an update to my Top Ten of the year to date:

1. Messa - Close
2. Epitaphe - II
3. Mournful Congregation - The Exuviae of Gods: Part I EP
4. Shape of Despair - Return to the Void
5. The Funeral Orchestra Funeral Death - Apocalyptic Plague Ritual II

6.Tzompantli - Tlazcaltiliztli
7. Temple of Void - Summoning the Slayer
8. Boris - Heavy Rocks

9. Night Hag - Phantasmal Scourge
10. Friends of Hell - Friends of Hell

Mares of Thrace and Deathbell fall out of the top 10.

Boris - Heavy Rocks (2022)

Another Boris album, another slab of noise-drenched, riotous stoner metal. The Japanese crew just sound like they were having so much fun when they recorded this album. Some of the tracks here are just so insanely energetic and anarchic they sound like they have produced the perfect soundtrack to a riot. There are songs that poke their heads above the general mayhem, such as the industrial dance-beat affected Ghostly Imagination, the ominous, sax-laden Blah Blah Blah or the closing piano-led (Not) Last Song, but mostly this is an album to break stuff to! I know we are all supposed to stroke our chins and think deeply then write reams of crap because it's Boris, but fuck that, just slam it on, bounce around the room and have some fun.

4/5

Tzompantli - Tlazcaltiliztli  (2022)

Tlazcaltiliztli is an album of thick as molasses death doom riffs and awesome bellowing growls for vocals that sound like a wounded bison and remind me somewhat of Japanese death doomers Coffins. Whilst the bulk of the album consists of this crushingly brutal assault on the listener's sensibilities there are also some really cool indiginous Mexican folk interludes that make for something a bit different and are undeniably an interesting diversion. The death doom side of things isn't the most earth-shatteringly awesome or original metal you are ever likely to hear, but it is authentic and it's chugging riffs are heavy as fuck and if you are a fan of extreme doom metal then that, along with the more interesting indiginous music interjections, should at least merit you checking it out (just don't try spelling it!) Me, I'm always a sucker for anything that sounds like it was derived from the early Autopsy sound, which this assuredly is, so for me this is a big thumbs up.

4/5

Until Death Overtakes Me - Prelude To Monolith (2008)

For my money, funeral doom metal is possibly the most primal of all metal genres. The immense crushing weight it conveys speaks of the unimaginably massive forces that shaped our world and, indeed, the universe itself back in the furthest aeons of time. There is also a form of funeral doom that is less heavy but, in a way, is almost spiritual in what it calls to within those willing to receive it. When I say spiritual, I don't mean in a, for want of a better word, "god-centric" way. This type of spirituality predates any man-made anthroporphism of the forces at work and instead speaks to an interconnectedness with the flow and essence of these inconceivable forces and energies that is buried deep inside all of us.

Until Death Overtakes Me's Prelude to Monolith is exactly one such release. It's iteration of funeral doom is not going to leave you gasping for air like an Esoteric or Ahab album, for it's touch is not quite as pulverisingly massive. Rather, it draws on dark ambient for inspiration and weaves it throughout it's sixty-eight minutes with the effect of leavening some of the sheer weight with lighter, more ethereal threads. There is a "booming" nature to the drum sound that is suggestive of tympani drums and that always adds an esoteric (small "e") atmosphere and that is reinforced by the sometimes barely perceptible rumble of the vocals. Overlaying this is a thin keyboard drone that is reminiscent of Thergothon's Stream From the Heavens. The whole effect makes for a remarkably relaxing-sounding album that cradles and croons rather than overwhelms the listener, allowing them to touch the infinite, if only for a mere heavenly hour!

4/5

Thanks Ben. I agree wholeheartedly with your comments about funeral doom. It is one of my absolute favourite styles of metal and has some utterly sublime practitioners. But because it is based on fairly simple principles there are some very amateurish-sounding attempts at it. I think the true skill with funeral doom is taking these simple basics and producing music that feels profound and speaks to something deep inside the listener. I understand that it's not going to be for everyone, but I personally think it is one of the most affecting and personal of all metal genres. 

I haven't listened to Until Death Overtakes Me before, so I'm looking forward to hearing this one.

Japanese female stoner doom duo BlackLab are back with new album In a Bizarre Dream released by New Heavy Sounds on 19th August.

A single from the LP was released earlier in the year, called Abyss Woods and it's an ass-kicker:

Just ordered my vinyl copy from Bandcamp!!

French funeral/death doom outfit Monolithe have a new album out this autumn called Kosmodrom.

They have released a ten-minute single from it [spoiler alert - it is great!]

From YouTube:

Monolithe presents a new song: "Soyuz".

Lasting 10 minutes, "Soyuz" is an excerpt from the band's new album "Kosmodrom" to be released in the fall of 2022.
The song narrates the crash of the Soyuz-1 spaceshuttle in April 1967, killing its passenger, cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov.

"Soyuz" and the rest of the album tell the tale of intrepid pioneers, explorers, discoverers and the dangers and sacrifices inherent in their leap into the unknown, may it be voluntary or not, through the metaphor of real historical events related to the space conquest on the Soviet side.

To avoid any potential ambiguity, Soyuz and the album this song is taken  from have absolutely no relation to the current dramatic geopolitical situation, nor are they an ode to the Soviet era. The concept, music, lyrics and visuals were created between spring 2020 and the very beginning of 2022.

Finnish traditional doomsters Spiritus Mortis have a new album out September 16th via Svart Records on CD & vinyl.

The single from the album is called Death Charioteer:

Come To Grief - When the World Dies (2022)

Conventional sludge is musically not the most nuanced or complex of metal genres in the main, focussing more on bludgeoning riffs and aggressive vocalisation to present an atmosphere of alienation, frustration and down-right discontent with the world. Come to Grief don't buck that trend at all here, presenting an album that is based largely on quite basic doom metal riffing. Although it is fundamentalist in principle, it has a great, full sound that allows the riffs to expand to fill all the available space. The vocals too are fairly typical for sludge metal, but they are suitably aggressive and angst-ridden and sound authentically aggrieved. The very first verse of the album reads, "I never write about love, It's something I've never felt, Others laugh, enjoy life, I'm just a miserable fuck". So it's pretty obvious that we're not in "shiny, happy people" territory here - and, being the incurable miserablist that I am, that suits me just fine. As an aside, the vocals on that track, Life's Curse and also on Bludgeon the Soul / Returning to the Void are handled by guest vocalist, Converge's Jacob Bannon.

Ultimately what we have here is an album of straight-forward sludge metal done exceedingly well that doesn't do anything unexpected or seek to push boundaries, but that successfully conveys a feeling of frustration and resentment both musically and lyrically and as such must be considered a success. The downside of course is that, although worth hearing, it is far from an essential listen and so may ultimately become lost in the crowd, which is a great pity.
4/5

Since there aren't many posters, I'll tell you what I had in mind for the Horde: rats.  They brought the black plague, and a group of rats IS called a horde.

Plus, rats are fucking rad.

Good call.

Epitaphe - II (2022)

Epitaphe's debut album, I, was one of my favourites of 2019 and earned itself a five-star rating in the process. So we are now three long war- and pandemic-riddled years on and the French death doomers have unleashed their sophomore, II, upon us (with huge anticipation from me). Luckily for us all their lack of imagination in the titling of their albums is the only area where they are deficient on the imagination front.

Once more the band employ a symmetry in the tracklisting as they did on the debut with a couple of three-minute, gentle instrumental pieces book-ending three nineteen-minute epics. II seems to be primarily tagged as progressive metal, but I am not entirely sure if that tagging is appropriate, chiefly because I don't know if a huge percentage of usual progressive metal fans would love this. I think of it more as death or death doom metal release that has some progressive tendencies, particularly in the songwriting department, rather than an actual prog metal release. The progressiveness here doesn't amount to overindulgence or technical showiness that bedevils so many releases labelled as prog metal, but is merely a convenient label to describe the convoluted songwriting. One thing is for certain, Epitaphe certainly employ an impressive arsenal of extreme metal tropes to achieve those songwriting aims. Vocally they run the whole gamut from deep, rumbling death metal growls to clean doom metal singing to harsh sludgey howls, back to soft, clean vocals similar to Mikael Akerfeldt's cleans on a track like Face of Melinda. Musically there are brutal death metal riffs, thick, sometimes melodic doom metal riffs, subsonic OSDM riffing and a plethora of blastbeats. All this multitude of weapons in the Frenchmens' arsenal are skillfully deployed with some excellent songwriting that, despite all the twisting and turning, is still fundamentally heavy as fuck! These lengthy tracks are not the slow-build, increasingly formulaic musings of the atmo-sludge wave, but tracks that rise and fall less predictably, ranging from intense explosions of brutal death metal savagery to calm and serene pastoral sections and artfully displayed technical prowess.

II is not an album for the impatient metalhead, but is a technically impressive (in both songwriting and performance) release that does not skimp on sheer aggression and heaviness when the music calls for it, but also contains plenty of nuances and variety. More challenging extreme metal releases can often, by their nature, be quite alienating with a tendency towards dissonance and angular song structures, but Epitaphe, much like Mikael Akerfeldt's Opeth before them, produce complex and challenging music that doesn't alienate the listener, but rather entrances and mesmerises them. This latest album should definitely cement Epitaphe's reputation as a metal band of immense ability and one of which to take note.

4.5/5

Hangman's Chair - A Loner (2022)

I must admit that this is my first exposure to French gothic metallers Hangman's Chair, so I was unsure what to expect. Well this isn't the gothic death doom of My Dying Bride or Swallow the Sun, but is a much cleaner style of doom metal altogether. It utilises contemporary melodic doom structures and overlays them with a clear, ringing lead guitar tone and clean vocals which in effect comes across as a metallised version of gothic rock bands like The Cult et al. With it's oft-catchy choruses, clean vocals and melodic riffs it is perhaps a little more commercial-sounding than I would usually be comfortable with, but I would be lying if I said I didn't find anything I enjoyed here.

Oh, and is it just me or does the lead singer often sound like Alison Moyet?