Sonny's Forum Replies

Ben, please add Havukruunu's latest album Uinuos syömein sota.

I'll give it a spin...

Could you add Italian black metallers Fides Inversa please, Ben.

Hi Ben, please add Eremit's new EP, Desert of Ghouls.

Jettegryta, the second preview track from Enslaved's new album Utgard, due out October 2nd. Better than the first preview, Homebound, as it exhibits more of Enslaved's black metal roots woven into it's progressive metal.

Exumer - "Rising From The Sea" (1987)

Am I the only one who finds German thrashers Exumer's least celebrated sophomore effort to be better than their highly regarded debut "Possessed By Fire" from the previous year? From my brief googling it would seem to be that way. Everyone seems to say that it was a bit of a misfire with flat riffs & very little energy but I can't for the life of me see where that opinion's coming from. Sure it's not as raw, is slightly more accomplished musically & is a complete & utter rip-off of "Hell Awaits" & "Reign In Blood" era Slayer but metal doesn't get any better than classic Slayer & the band do a pretty good job at interpreting it so who fucking cares. The new vocalist is pretty bad ass too & he contributes a more than decent Tom Araya impression. Despite a stupid two minute S.O.D. style comedy number I find this to be a massively underrated record.

4/5

I've just reviewed Exumer's second (better) album and I completely agree Daniel. Sure the first is good, but this is the best Slayer-influenced album I've heard outside of the masters themselves. Some people just get too caught-up in over-thinking metal - sometimes you just gotta let go! We're not talking Mozart here for fucks sake!

Holy Moses - "Finished With The Dogs" (1987)

Rip-snorting Teutonic thrash with amazing riffs & aggressive female vocals. It's tight & focused as hell & I love it. In fact, it's a world away from Holy Moses' lackluster speed metal debut "Queen Of Siam". This is pure thrash metal from start to finish.

4/5

Just checked this out. What an amazing leap in quality from the original. Thanks for highlighting this Daniel.

Blue Oyster Cult - Tyranny And Mutation (1973)

Hard rock is the flavour of the day for Sunday, as the sun is out for the first time in about a week.  The sophomore from Blue Oyster Cult is a bright sounding record that is still full of their trademark shadowy allure.

Great album, especially side one.

Tracks like Hot Rails to Hell and 7 Screaming Dizbusters whilst not being metal as such, enormously influenced metal, especially thematically.

Ben, I think you may well enjoy the latest Convocation album.

Epic death doom with a little extra!

Full album at Bandcamp

Hi Ben, could you add Iceland's Äkth Gánahëth please.

Hi Ben, please add Croatian doomsters Old Night.

One small issue I have with the clan challenges is that due to the nature of the charts on MA, the albums in the challenges have a disproportionate advantage in the charts as more members are encouraged to review them.

I actually think it's the other way around. The less ratings a release has the more likely that it hasn't been shit-canned by someone & that's why we see some strange inclusions at the top of the charts that only have the bare minimum quantity of ratings to qualify yet all have come from obsessive fans that rate it extremely highly. This will disappear over time as we up the minimum rating requirements for the charts.

I thought we were all "obsessive fans" here, that's one of the main attractions of the Academy for me. I for one hope MA's charts don't merely reflect the charts of RYM and the likes where only the most well-known and obvious albums rule the roost. With a minimum rating threshold which is currently one sixth of the most-rated album's number of ratings (Ride the Lightning's 30) as long as no one is cheating (as was exposed recently) then surely any album on the chart deserves it's place.

Something very different to their usual stoner doom from Electric Wizard as they try their hand at ritualistic drone:

Sounds to me like we're in danger of over-complicating matters here. I actually agree with Daniel that you can have too many clans and challenges and I applaud his decision to opt out of the North. I myself was caught up in the clan challenges without stopping to think if I even wanted a fourth clan and now I have given it some thought I've realised that I really don't as I dislike too many sub-genres of both the Guardians and the Horde (one of which my 4th clan would have to be) to make a meaningful contribution to those clans. I also agree that if a main clan challenge feels like a nightmare to you then you're probably barking up the wrong tree. I'd rather now review or comment on releases that have actually made an impression on me (positively or negatively) than to churn out reviews on stuff I could care less about.

One small issue I have with the clan challenges is that due to the nature of the charts on MA, the albums in the challenges have a disproportionate advantage in the charts as more members are encouraged to review them.

The new album from M.S.W., who is the guy behing US sludge / doom outfit Hell, is amazing.

You can hear the whole album at Bandcamp

No is brilliant, but only a couple of songs are metal, the majority are fast-as-hell crust and hardcore punk - which is OK by me, but if you are expecting Feedbacker, then it isn't that.

Hi Ben, please add M.S.W. (US) and his absolutely brilliant new album Obliviosus.

Technically, remixing and uploading without the copyright holder's consent IS actually a crime. And if you think I wouldn't yell anything rude at the radio then you don't know anything about me!

I will leave this alone now Andi, but I presumed that as you had made a post on an internet forum that you were interested in interaction from others. Now I will always give my honest opinion, so if you are offended by it I apologise and will bear this in mind for any future discussions.

Doom Metal, particularly the more extreme sub-genres such as funeral doom is paced to create a specific atmosphere of mournfulness, sorrow and desolation. It is impossible for me to grasp why you would want to nullify the artist's intention and the overriding purpose of the music. If you really don't like the music as produced and it's intended atmosphere why would you bother listening to it at all? This doesn't make any sense to me. Would you change the colours on the Mona Lisa because you like orange more than brown? I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but I really don't get where you're coming from here. I've also got a feeling the band's involved will probably be none too amused if you are altering their music and posting it online.

Sonny, have you checked this one out before? I think you'll probably dig it as I know you loved their debut.

I was led to believe that their later albums weren't very good, but this is great.

Sounds like Vice Squad and very early Slayer jamming together.

The longest and doomiest track on Count Raven's final album Mammon's War.

For lovers of Ozzy, Sabbath and any good true doom metal:

Seriously, someone would bother doing this? To what end? I must be so out of touch because I just don't get it.

Perhaps each user could have the option to choose an album of the month that they can display on their profile page? I think it might make for an interesting talking point that encourages connection & recommendation.

Yes, I could really go for this idea. A good way to start conversation and a touchstone for other members to get an idea of where you're coming from. Also a nice touch of personalisation that let's you put a "flag in the ground".

Daniel's choice for July's The Infinite featured release immediately made me think of this.

A fantastic live version to boot (damn these guys were good!!):

I've just gotta add my praise and love for this record, sitting as it does slap-bang in the middle of Opeth's Triple-Fives: Still Life, this and Deliverance (Still Life taking the title for me). Not many bands have ever managed a run of albums that awesome before and definitely  not since.

A rare track from Cathedral now only available on the Serpent's Gold comp, the briliant Schizoid Puppeteer, twelve minutes of WTF?? Stoner Doom:

I must admit, I shied away from tracks that are an entire album, otherwise I would also have seriously considered including Mirror Reaper, along with Monolithe III and Ogre's Plague of the Planet. But I agree with Xephyr, after 44 years of listening to metal this is a nigh-on impossible task!

I must disagree Xephyr,  I only very rarely find that gothic metal sounds sincere (and this ain't it). I do agree about the Idle Hands album, though - I just found it boring. However, I've just looked back at my RYM list for last year and I gave it 3/5. Wow, I must have really been in a good mood that day! It was still only #376 on my year list, though.

OK, I suppose I'd better show how out of touch I am with the general consensus, but I find this album excruciating. It's attempt at the whole laconic libertine act just makes me want to cringe and epitomizes everything I dislike about gothic metal, a genre I've always considered to be merely a gateway into the  metal world that people grow out of when they've heard some real metal (or maybe if they're trying to impress a girl/boy who doesn't even like metal). Sorry, I don't mean to offend anyone, but I just feel embarrassed listening to this and find it very difficult to hide my contempt for it!

Hi Ben, please add Saudi black/folk metal outfit Al-Namrood and German black metallers Dauþuz.

... shit, but then what about Motorhead - Overkill, Enslaved -  Lifandi liv undir hamri, Grand Magus - The Hunt, Sabbath - Into the Void, Darkthrone - In the Shadow of the Horns, Panopticon -  Bodies Under the Falls, Winterfylleth - Mam Tor (The Shivering Mountain), Electric Wizard - Funeralopolis, Reverend Bizarre - Goddess of Doom, Venenum -  Trance of Death - Part III: There Are Other Worlds... and a thousand others. This too difficult man!!

Just off the top of my head and subject to constant change:

1. I Am the Black Wizards - Emperor

2. Cromlech - Solstice

3. Killers - Iron Maiden

4. Creeping Death - Metallica

5. Watching From A Distance - Warning

6. Raining Blood - Slayer

7. Servants of the Warsmen - Winter

8. Jewel Throne - Celtic Frost

9. The Usher - Subrosa

10. Freezing Moon - Mayhem

This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement. Just for the record, I personally feel that Ben & Jerry's is more black metal than Sonny92 realises.

Awesome.. TRVE KVLT Black Metal ice cream!!!

Nice to see Paul Di'Anno's Maiden albums well-represented. They're both much overlooked in my opinion and show a punkier, more raw and aggressive side to Maiden that I think they lost later. 

OK, being a major listaholic, I can't believe I let this pass me by until now.

This is also extremely difficult, so here's mine as it stands (limited to one entry per band):

 
1. Warning - Watching from a Distance
2. Slayer - Reign in Blood
3. Winter - Into Darkness
4. Solstice - New Dark Age
5. Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion
6. Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky
7. Enslaved - Vikingligr veldi
8. Metallica - Master of Puppets
9. Opeth - Still Life
10. Evoken - Quietus
11. Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse
12. SubRosa - More Constant Than the Gods
13. Autopsy - Mental Funeral 
14. Burzum - S/T
15. Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny
16. Iron Maiden - Killers
17. Sodom - Persecution Mania
18. Terrorizer - World Downfall
19. Grand Magus - The Hunt
20. Cianide - A Descent Into Hell 
21. S.O.A.D. - Toxicity
22. Panopticon - Kentucky
23. Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
24. Windhand - Soma
25. Reverend Bizarre - In the Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend

 ...ask me again tomorrow it may be different!

One thing I particularly like about The Academy is the decision to ignore micro-genres and focus on the more general metal sub-genres. I was wondering, though, if it would be possible to filter the charts not just by clan, but also by genre. For example, I am a proud member of The Fallen but, as some of you may have gathered by now, I am no big fan of Gothic Metal, so I would like to be able to view a chart for, say, just Doom Metal, or Drone Metal, or maybe multiple filters could be applied. Maybe this could be a feature that is Clan-gated.

I agree with that sentiment wholeheartedly Daniel. The clan-filtered charts should end up being  particularly relevant to what true genre enthusiasts view as the most essential releases and that definitely sets The Academy apart from other websites.

Is Danigate an attempt by rogue government agency bots to try to influence our free and fair Hall of Judgement voting?!

Only had a quick listen yet, but... HELL, YES!!

I agree that a clan and site rating option is the best way to go for rating album covers. This would also make for an interesting comparison between, for example, what devotees of grindcore consider a classic cover and what the wider metal community think of the same cover. In other words, would you rate a cover purely on it's own merits as a piece of art or by how appropriate it is to the album it adorns?

Almost as a side thought, I would be interested to know how important fans think album covers still are. Obviously growing up with vinyl records and physical record shops, the covers of albums were particularly important in capturing your attention as you flicked through racks of records, but is this still the case in the modern world of streaming and downloads? I'm still an old vinyl junkie and must admit there are still some crackers out there, but what does everyone else think?

I'm with Vinny regarding limiting clan activity to members only, in that I think it would be counter-productive. The reviews, forums etc. are great places to expand into musical genres you may not usually listen to. I myself aren't a member of either The Horde or The Guardians, but have more than a passing interest in bands that would feature in both of these and wouldn't like to feel I was being excluded from any interest in those bands. I do really like the clan concept though, so maybe smaller items like the anniversary releases could be available only to clan members. 

Ben, could you add Panphage (Sweden), Phobonoid (Italy) and Psicosfera (Argentina), please.

Hi Ben, please add Morag Tong (UK), Dirty Grave (Brazil), Benthic Realm (US), Second Grave (US) and Witchthroat Serpent (France).

2/5

I'm no massive fan of speed metal anyway, but I just found this boring. Poor production, as Saxy says the bottom end is non-existent, the vocals leave an awful lot to be desired and the songs feel flat, often merely a device to hang yet another masturbatory solo on. With so much music in the world, I can't imagine ever bothering with this again.

A crushing and visceral slab of "true" doom from Oakland's criminally overlooked Cardinal Wyrm. From their debut album, Another Holy Trinity.

I've not even heard the Agent Steel album... and I don't need to.

To Mega Therion tops nearly everything so that's where my vote goes!

(In the interests of fairness I will check out Skeptics Apocalypse, but I hope it's better than the title!)

Well, Daniel, you've really thrown the cat amongst the pigeons for me with this month's featured releases. I never thought I would prefer The Gateway's release to one from The Fallen in a month of Sundays, but after only a few attempts you've managed it! I won't go into my dislike of October Rust here, but Battle of Los Angeles is certainly one of only about four releases from The Gateway that I have amongst the 1300+ albums in my physical collection of LPs, CDs and tapes and, along with Toxicity, one of the few I would even bother listening to nowadays.
I first crossed paths with RATM after catching the Freedom video (from the S/T) on MTV and it's message against extra-judicial police killings as represented by the shooting of Leonard Peltier (shit, some things never change...) This hard-hitting video had such an effect on my subconscious that when I saw BoLA in my local CD store I grabbed it without thinking. I don't much like rap, apart from Straight Outta Compton and It Takes a Nation of Millions so I've never given it much ear time and rap rock like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers leaves me cold, so this was a bit outside my comfort zone.
But, hell, this is one great record - angry and intense, but not in a misdirected "hit out at everyone" kind of way, but in an invigorating, energetic and focussed tirade against those who deserve it. My only real reservation about my undying love of metal is that too often as a genre it is lyrically vacuous and I can't in all honesty say if I would dig this to the same degree without Zack de la Rocha's political messaging, but I think the music is strong enough in it's own right to command respect (Tom Morello was never better). Testify, Calm Like A Bomb, Sleep Now in the Fire and War Within A Breath are all stone-cold classics as far as I'm concerned and the lyrical content elevates them even higher. I don't know if this was a deliberate choice, Daniel, but this album is possibly even more relevant today than when it was released over twenty years ago and that is a hell of a testament to it's power.

I wasn't suggesting replacing the monthly featured release feature at all as I think it's a damn good idea and does get members involved. I was thinking more of somehow having a new release feature up front somewhere, not  necessarily a featured release for each clan. A lot of people are interested in current releases as the endless myriad of current year lists on RYM testifies, in fact my own yearly lists are some of my most popular! I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel, but I'm puzzled as to why a significant number of visitors don't return and am mulling over possible ways the site could ensnare their attention longer term. Maybe this isn't the direction to go as there are plenty of metal sites and mags that deal in new releases, but I thought I'd suggest it anyway as, personally, I get a real kick out of discovering brand new releases.

I agree that the monthly release feature should be more up-front as it is a good starting point for discussion and reviewing and placing it more prominently may encourage more to become involved with it.

Kind of connected, I would like to see a monthly release feature related to new releases, enabling the site to stay current and maybe attract members who are newer to metal. Sometimes us older members forever reminiscing about the "old days" might be a bit off-putting to younger potential recruits. I don't know, maybe I'm full of shit (it has been said before!)