Sonny's Forum Replies
Black Sabbath
https://metal.academy/lists/single/306
Top Ten:
1. Master of Reality
2. Paranoid
3. Sabotage
4. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
5. Black Sabbath
6. Vol. 4
7. Mob Rules
8. Heaven and Hell
9. The Devil You Know*
10. Dehumanizer
I completely understand your reasoning, Daniel and as someone who has actually engaged with the process, I fully respect your position, but on this I think we will have to agree to disagree. Maybe I am just a cynical old bastard who doesn't embrace change as I should or properly understand this brave new world, so I think I'll leave it there.
I have got to say, Daniel, that doesn't sound much like AI, as it is understood to be, but rather a software tool for art creation, in essence a piece of graphic design software. Maybe the software designers are shooting themselves in the foot labelling every new piece of software as AI just to jump on that particular bandwagon when, in reality, it isn't AI at all. To the layman, i.e. me, AI means autonomous software that makes it's own decisions, such as you tell it "give me a vision of hell with three fiery demons in the foreground" and that is exactly what the software produces for you. If you are then just tweaking it by inputting something like "move the outer two demons back a little" then that isn't art, that's engineering.
If, however, we are genuinely talking about AI software, how would you feel if a new metal label was putting out all AI generated music, or movies were using AI to produce soundtracks? Are these not just slippery slopes for corporate types in the future to use computer programs to satisfy all their artistic dollar needs by getting us used to them now while human beings still have some input. It feels a bit like turkeys voting for xmas to me.
I think it is more than valid to be apprehensive about such things in the hands of corporate entities because the money men have consistently proven that they never have the consumer's or their employees' best interests at heart. The bottom line has always been and will always be the hill on which they stand.
I think comparing AI art software to synths and even drum machines is a false equivalence to be honest as they still require significant human input. That said, they too have been a part of the "slippery slope", being now so ubiquitous that when they are programmed by AI rather than a human then no one will care or even notice probably.
I completely agree with the sentiments about sexualised violence. I get that in most cases it is probably just shock tactics, but I feel it contributes to the "normalisation" of violence against women and should really be unacceptable to any mature mind. I also avoid the real-life victim of violence photo- type covers if at all possible because, quite frankly, they make me feel a bit queasy.
Totally agree with the "cutesy" comment of Ben's too. Every time I see an anime-inspired cover to a metal record I die a bit inside. Another bugbear is real low effort covers - photos of the band, etc (except on live albums), or mundane photos of everyday shit like, say, a car.
As far as cassettes go, as Daniel says, a lot of underground bands release albums on cassette only. I have bought several myself from Bandcamp because I want to support the artist and they usually include the download too. It is quite common for the bands to put the download alone up for something like £666 or £999, but allow a legal download to be included with a £5 or £7 cassette. I even bought a cheap retro Walkman-type player so I could get the whole authentic tape hiss experience!
I am all in on the genre covers, though. Sci-fi, fantasy, Lovecraftian-type horror are all big faves and make up the majority of my 5s.
I have found that I am actually a tougher scorer on covers than I am on the music inside them. I have rated roughly twice as many covers as releases and I only have 27 five star covers and 125 five star releases.
Back to the point in question, I rate cover art like I rate music, the more it resonates with me then the higher I rate it. Ir really is as simple as that for me. I don't care if the band logo is on it or not and sometimes they just get in the way - if it's on the back cover instead then that's fine.
I love good cover art and the covers are one of the reasons I still love to collect vinyl albums, but I tend to judge them solely as art works when rating them here. This doesn't always necessarily sit right and I do occasionally question my methodology, but as long as I stay consistent then I don't intend to lose sleep over it (unlike the proliferation of AI). Oops, sorry. There I go again!😉
I honestly couldn't care less whether a band utilizes AI for their cover artwork. We were actually going to use AI for the Neuropath cover artwork before the platform our designer was using decided to ban all the gory stuff. The ideas we were coming up with were genuinely unnerving & intimidating & suited the themes beautifully. I was initially disappointed that we couldn't use it until I noticed the eventual artwork we went with on sale online.
I honestly think this is a big deal from a human perspective, Daniel. Cover artwork, good or bad, is created by humans who often get paid for their endeavours and are able to pay their bills as a result. I know most bands don't make millions out of their music and AI-generated cover artwork may be a good way of reducing costs, but this reeks of corporatism and the requirements of capital over art and human endeavour which I will always rail against.
Apart from the ethics of the matter, do we really want to remove the human factor from art? If we do, what are we really left with? Soulless images bereft of human interpretation. Even photographic shots, such as many on atmospheric black metal covers, are framed by human eyes to speak to something deep inside us that no computer program could ever fathom.
I would rather AI be limiited to use as a tool to aid in objective and scientific fields like medical diagnosis or solving climate change than trying to get inside human beings heads and touch us emotionally.
Sorry for the rant, I'm sure I sound like a right preachy twat, but this is something I feel very strongly about. I am not completely against AI, but I feel it should be used appropriately and restrictively. No, I don't think AI will destroy the world, but unrestricted use will enable the corporate world even more control over what we think and do. Mobile phones are bad enough, but combined with AI the effect on human beings may well be catastrophic. I am into my 60s now, so I am sure most people will just say I am an old man who fears change, but change isn't always for the better and nowadays is seldom for the common good, but is rather for the benefit of the few.
Don't fuck with the nerds. They rule the world now!!
i didn't realise that so many people did things this way and I am not knocking it at all - whatever works for the individual is cool with me, but I am a bit old-fashioned I suppose and a definitive methodology is a bit too "scientific" for me. I am much more of a "feelings" person when it comes to music and it is often the intangibles that make or break an album or piece of music for me. This is very much tied into my own mental or emotional state at the time, which is obviously subject to fluctuation (wildly varying fluctuations if I am being honest). As a result, I find it much harder to definitively state that a certain album is objectively "X" and set my opinion in stone, other than for a few exceptionally meaningful (for me) albums such as Watching from A Distance, Killers, Stained Class, A Pyrrhic Existence, Mental Funeral, Bomber or Transilvanian Hunger.
In fact, now that I am thinking a bit more deeply, I wonder if my list-making obsession is due to a deep-seated need to try to order my often exceedingly disordered mind (psychology graduates only need reply!)
This is a fascinating conversation though.
Thanks for the replies. It looks like I'm a real amateur when it comes to rating and ranking metal releases compared to you guys!!
I've just published my best of 2024 list, with the link below for anyone interested:
I am starting to think that maybe I'm not taking this whole music rating thing seriously enough.
I understand exactly what both of you are saying, but do you not find that your opinions and "enjoyment factor" changes over time? Just for example, I have been re-evaluating my 2016 list (from RYM) which was made at the time and found that several albums have moved significantly, both up and down. I was convinced of their positionings at the time, but time has woven it's spell and now I am equally convinced otherwise. I guess I am asking can a list ever be anything more than a snapshot in time?
I have got to ask, Daniel, are you being serious about the spreadsheet or is that a bit of sarcasm aimed at ardent listmakers like myself, because I can assure you I do nothing of the sort?
I quite enjoy looking through extensive lists, if only to get to more obscure stuff and I enjoy finding out what others may like, but very long lists (over 100 or so) can get a bit samey.
Would you put me on rotation for The Fallen clan please Andi?
Nice one, Vinny. It felt a bit awkward being the only one putting forward feature releases.
Some good stuff there, especially the Ulcerate and Oranssi Pazuzu albums which should feature in any best of the decade list. I thought the High on Fire album was a bit ordinary to be honest with far better albums in the Fallen this year (Ataraxie, Monolithe, Scald, Pallbearer, to name but four).
Nice choice, Andi. I hadn't heard of this project before, but a single playthrough while I was out this morning found me enjoying it very much. Hopefully I will be able to spend a bit more time with it during the month and work up a review.
Here's my review:
This 2018 album was CHRCH's second full-length album and, for me, a step up from their still impressive debut. One of the most striking strengths of CHRCH's music is the simplicity of the melodies and I don't mean that in a negative way. Despite the lack of complexity they are delivered in such a way that the effect is shattering. The opener, the twenty-minute "Infinite Return" for example, begins with a really simple melody picked out by guitar with very little distortion to produce a beautifully clear sound, accompanied by Eva Rose's clean-sung vocals for a gorgeous, calm opening that we all know just can't last. As guitar and vocals are joined by the drums, beating out a distant-sounding militaristic tattoo, the ominous atmosphere builds like gathering thunderheads. The guitar becomes increasingly insistent as the vocals get more desperate-sounding until the storm hits around the seven-minute mark and the riff crushes all before it as Eva shrieks and snarls and the drums hit the fore like a seven-pound sledgehammer. Around the midway point the maelstrom passes and a similar, but more hesitant-sounding, melody to the one at the beginning of the track is picked out and the calm returns, albeit now with a lost innocence as notes of dissonance insert themselves into this gentle refrain. This too cannot last and another, albeit more triumphal and anthemic, crescendo is reached, as if the victims of the first have now become the perpetrators of this second atrocity. What an opening twenty minutes - possibly one of my favourite slabs of doom metal ever - and a real high mark for the rest of the album to follow.
Second track Portals weighs in around the fifteen minute mark and kicks off with a weighty riff from the outset, but despite this it manages to become increasingly heavy as the track buids, filling all available space and threatening to collapse under it's own weight. Again this main riff is quite simple, but is deployed in such a way that it seems to be more complex than it actually is as the listener's mind grapples with the crushing weight of it. The vocals once more run the whole gamut from ethereal and angelic to savage and demonic. The soaring, distorted guitar solo towards the end of the track feels like the Comfortably Numb solo being torn apart and destroyed by the mass of an errant supermassive black hole. Final track Aether is the shortest at nine and a half minutes and has a riff and tone that sounds remarkably like Warning's Watching From A Distance album, at least until the last couple of minutes anyway, which are just utter madness as everything must go before album's end! Before concluding I must make mention of Adam Jennings drums, they sound phenomenal and as good as any doom drum performance I can recall. In fact, the production as a whole is superb and is a major factor in the success of the album.
This has jumped right in as one of my absolute favourite doom albums. To use a sporting analogy, it sounds like an album where the band have "left everything on the field" and absolutely given it everything. If I had any criticism at all it would be very minor - with the epic Infinite Return up front, the rest of the album is overshadowed slightly. I would have liked to hear the running order of Portals; Aether and closing with Infinite Return ending the album with a real triumph. FFO Sub Rosa, Warning, Pallbearer and any "no fucks to give" doomhead. If you have any love at all for real doom metal then you need this album.
5/5
So, it appears that this is Mechina's debut album, released in 2005, a year after the band formed. I understand that they later went down a more symphonic path with their industrial sound, but here they have gone for straight-up classic Nineties-era Fear Factory worship. The riffs are decent with a meaty guitar tone FF fans will feel comfortably at home with, although I don't think Mechina's riffs have the same high memorability factor as the LA legends achieved on their best material. Where they do score well though is when they use synths to add an additional, thin layer to their sound, such as during "Afterimage" or on the title track. "War Fog", which connects the two tracks, is a short, synth-driven interlude which is also quite evocative and further illustrates the band's nascent atmosphere-building prowess. Vocalist David Holch also has a creditable crack at reproducing Burton C. Bell's growling bark as the main vocal, but where he comes unstuck is with the complementary clean vocals which, in all honesty, sound terrible, as if he can't carry a tune at all. They are so bad that I can't believe no one advised the band to re-record them or get a guest in to help out.
Ultimately, for me, this is an enjoyable enough slab of Fear Factory worship, irreparably tainted by very poor clean vocals, that I am unlikely to turn to in the future unless the FF back catalogue suddenly disappears from the face of the Earth.
3/5
February 2025
1. Bathory - "A Fine Day To Die" (from "Blood Fire Death, 1988) [submitted by Sonny]
2. Dark Funeral – “My Dark Desires” (from “Dark Funeral” E.P., 1994) [submitted by Daniel]
3. Kampfar - "Kledd i brynje og smykket blodorm" (from "Mellom skogkleedde aaser", 1997) [submitted by Karl]
4. Novembre – “Let Me Hate” (from “Dreams d’azur”, 2002) [submitted by Daniel]
5. The Great Old Ones - "Me, the Dreamer" (from "Kadath", 2024) [submitted by Vinny]
6. Keep of Kalessin - "Obliterator" (from "Reclaim", 2003)
7. Black Anvil - "On Forgotten Ways" (from "As Was", 2017) [submitted by Sonny]
8. Ragnarok - "Minner om svunne tider" (from "Nattferd", 1995) [submitted by Karl]
9. Imber Luminis - "We Are Not Free" (from "Nausea", 2017)
10. Ellende - "Ballade Auf Den Tod" (from "Todbringer", 2016) [submitted by Vinny]
11. Al-Namrood - "Kail be mekialain" (from "Wala'at", 2020)
12. Aggressa – “VooDoo Doll” (from “Nuclear Death” E.P., 1988) [submitted by Daniel]
13. Kvlthammer - "Hounds" (from "Kvlthammer", 2014)
14. Gehenna - "Morningstar" (from "First Spell", 1994) [submitted by Sonny]
15. Bestial Warlust – “At the Graveyard of God” (from “Vengeance War ‘Till Death”, 1994) [submitted by Daniel]
16. Angantyr - "De dødes valg" (from "Indsigt", 2024) [submitted by Karl]
17. Impaled Nazarene – “Steelvagina” (from “Suomi Finland perkele”, 1994) [submitted by Daniel]
18. Barshasketh - "Nitimur in vetitum" (from "Antinomian Asceticism", 2025) [submitted by Sonny]
19. The Black – “The Black Opal Eye” (from “The Priest of Satan”, 1994) [submitted by Daniel]
20. Смрт - "U raljama košave" (from "Na utrini", 2024) [submitted by Karl]
21. No Point In Living - "The Path To the End" (from "The Cold Night", 2017)
February 2025
1. Burn Down Eden - "Fake News for Breakfast" (from "Epiphany", 2024) [submitted by Vinny]
2. Dismember – “Fleshless” (from “Indecent & Obscene”, 1993) [submitted by Daniel]
3. Nile – “The Underworld Awaits Us All” (from “The Underworld Awaits Us All”, 2024)
4. Gorguts – “The Erosion of Sanity” (from “The Erosion of Sanity”, 1993) [submitted by Daniel]
5. Siderean - "The Sacred Sea" (from "Spilling the Astral Chalice", 2024) [submitted by Karl]
6. Bolt Thrower - "Celestial Sanctuary" (from "The IVth Crusade", 1992) [submitted by Karl]
7. Coffin Curse - "Reeking Filth of Ages" (from "The Continuous Nothing", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]
8. Dissection - "Retribution" (from "Storm of the Light's Bane", 1995) [submitted by Karl]
9. Revocation - "Lessons in Occult Theft" (from "Netherheaven", 2022) [submitted by Vinny]
10. Blood Incantation - "The Stargate [Tablet III]" (from "Absolute Elsewhere", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]
11. Vitriol - "Flowers of Sadism" (from "Suffer & Become", 2024) [submitted by Vinny]
12. Diabolic Oath - "Oracular Hexations Leeching" (from "Oracular Hexations", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]
13. At the Gates - "Windows" (from "The Red in the Sky Is Ours", 1992) [submitted by Karl]
14. Avulsed – “Morgue Defilement” (from “Dead Flesh” compilation, 1993) [submitted by Daniel]
15. Mortician – “Brutally Mutilated” (from “Brutally Mutilated” single, 1990) [submitted by Daniel]
16. Exhumed – “Oozing Rectal Feast” (from “Dissecting the Caseated Omentum” demo, 1992) [submitted by Daniel]
17. Pathologist – “Progression of Putrefaction” (from “Forensic Medicine & Pathology” demo, 1992) [submitted by Daniel]
18. Eucharist - "Floating" (from "A Velvet Creation", 1993) [submitted by Karl]
19. Black Curse - "Ruinous Paths…" (from "Burning in Celestial Poison", 2024) [submitted by Vinny]
20. Atomic Aggressor - "Faceless Torment" (from "Sights of Suffering", 2014) [submitted by Sonny]
21. Slaughter Lord – “Die by Power” (from “Taste of Blood” demo, 1987) [submitted by Daniel]
22. Antagonyze - "Deadly Sorrow" (from "Interpretations of the Unknown Wilderness", 2024) [submitted by Karl]
23. The Fallen Prophets - "Beneath the Veil of Flesh" (from "Beneath the Veil of Flesh", 2024) [submitted by Vinny]
24. Illdisposed – “When You Scream” (from “1-800 Vindication”, 2004) [submitted by Daniel]
25. Embalmer – “Rotten Body Fluids” (from “Rotting Remains” demo, 1993) [submitted by Daniel]
26. Invocation - "Hypnosis" (from ""The Archaic Sanctuary" (Ritual Body Postures)", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]
February 2025
1. Paradise Lost - "No Forgiveness" (from "Shades of God", 1992) [submitted by Vinny]
2. Avatarium - "My Hair Is on Fire (But I'll Take Your Hand)" (from "Between You, God, the Devil and the Dead", 2025)
3. Smoulder - "The Sword Woman" (from "Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring", 2019)
4. Electric Wizard - "Legalise Drugs and Murder" (from "Legalise Drugs and Murder" single, 2012) [submitted by Sonny]
5. Impaled Nazarene – “Quasb/The Burning” (from “Suomi Finland perkele”, 1994) [submitted by Daniel]
6. Boris - "Farewell" (from "Pink", 2005)
7. Woods of Ypres - "Shards of Love" (from "Woods 4: The Green Album", 2009) [submitted by Vinny]
8. Iron Monkey - "Misanthropizer" (from "Spleen & Goad", 2024)
9. Marthe - "Victimized" (from "Further In Evil", 2023)
10. Hypocrisy – “Apocalypse” (from “The Fourth Dimension”, 1994) [submitted by Daniel]
11. World Below - "Gilgamesh" (from "Repulsion, 2006)
12. Ufomammut - "I" (from "Eve", 2010)
13. Chained To the Bottom of the Ocean - "One Last Dream" (from "Sisyphean Cruelty", 2024)
14. Orphaned Land – “My Requiem” (from “Sahara”, 1994) [submitted by Daniel]
15. Daevar - "Amber Eyes" (from "Amber Eyes", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]
16. Toadliquor - "Tenderloin" (from "Feel My Hate - The Power Is the Weight - R.I.P. Cain", 1993)
17. Slimelord - "The Hissing Moor" (from "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished", 2024) [submitted by Vinny]
18. Sepulcros - "Vazio" (from "Vazio", 2021)
Winterfylleth - The Dark Hereafter (2016)
The Dark Hereafter was the fifth full-length from the Mancunian black metallers and marked a slight tonal shift for the band. It also courted some controversy amongst fans, not for its musical progression, but for the fact that it had a mere forty minutes runtime and only five tracks, one of which "Pariah's Path" was already available as a bonus track on the previous The Divination of Antiquity album. The closer, "Led Astray in the Forest Dark" is a cover of Ulver's "Capitel I: I Troldskog faren vild" from their iconic Bergtatt album, so The Dark Hereafter only actually delivered three new tracks, yet at full price!
Anyway, down to the music. Side one comprised three tracks of the sweeping and melodic atmospheric black metal we were familiar with from Winterfylleth's previous output. Opening with the title track, the pummelling blastbeats tell us we are on solid ground, especially when the expansive tremolo riff sweeps us away to windblown moors where opposing warrior bands face off against each other. The lyrics of this opener and also "Ensigns of Victory" feed very much into that aesthetic with tales of Anglo-Saxon resistance against Norse invaders in Dark Age England. Along with the aforementioned "Pariah's Path" these two tracks comprise side one, their familiarity easing us fans into the album. I must, however, point out at this point that I felt something a little "off" here and decided it comes down to the production which seems to mute the higher registers of the tremolo riffs and renders the cymbals almost inaudible. It's not a big deal as such, but it is sufficient to be noticeable.
With the two tracks on side two the Mancunians depart somewhat from their usual approach. "Green Cathedral" is a much slower affair than we are used to from the band, straying into post-black metal territory, spending much of its opening five minutes building from a sparse beginning with thin synths, a clean, almost liturgical chant and a hypnotic, chiming guitar phrase into a mournful-sounding middle section with plodding drumbeats and a ringing tremolo riff accompanied by Dan Capp's harsh vocals. The final third of "Green Cathedral" sees the synths sweep in and the liturgical voices join with the harsh shrieks to provide a quite epic and melancholy climax, eventually ending with a clean-spoken eulogy to a departed soul, which I personally found to be quite haunting and affecting.
The album then closes out with the Ulver cover, "Led Astray in the Forest Dark" which is faithfully reproduced by the Mancunians as a tribute to an album that they claim was very influential on them. It has a bit more meat on its bones than the thinly-produced Bergtatt original, but otherwise it is a faithful rendering of the Ulver classic. Small quibbles aside regarding whether this is worthy of full-length album status and a niggling issue with the production, it is nevertheless an interesting release in the Winterfylleth discography and is probably worth it for "Green Cathedral" alone, although the rest is certainly up to the band's usual standards musically. Interestingly, this is the first Winterfylleth album to involve Mark Deeks and, in light of some similarities between "Green Cathedral" and some of Deeks' work under his Arð banner, I can't help but wonder if he had a big impact on the band's songwriting at this point. It may also be salient to acknowledge that the next album was the pure folk album The Hallowing of Heirdom and The Dark Hereafter may have been a case of the band clearing the decks before a new phase in their development.
4/5
If you are looking for really dark gothic country then I highly recommend Black Claw's "Thieving Bones" album.
Wędrujący Wiatr - O turniach, jeziorach i nocnych szlakach (2016)
Wędrujący Wiatr are a polish duo comprising W. (aka Swaikstan), who is also a founder member of Sworz, and Razor (real name Tadeusz Jurzec). Both play guitar and contribute folk instrumentation with Razor performing vocals and playing drums and keyboards, whilst W. is the band's bassist.
"O turniach, jeziorach i nocnych szlakach" is black metal that is completely rooted in the natural world, its title translating as "About the Peaks, Lakes and Night Trails". From its panoramic, sweeping soundscapes with their pipe-like accompaniments to the restrained, clean-picked folk interludes and field recordings of natural sounds such as birdsong, wind and running water, this is a celebration of the Great Outdoors in all its splendour. There is a richness to the sound that gives it more solidity than the ephemeral and thin production often associated with the frostier versions of atmospheric black metal, as if to emphasise the permanence of the mountains and lakes when compared to the mere fleeting passing of seasons. The vocals contribute to this fuller sound, Razor's voice being a lower-pitched, ragged bellow rather than the harsh shriek often employed by black metal vocalists. It is still pushed down slightly in the mix to give it a more distant quality, as is common, but it retains sufficient power to bolster the depth of the overall sound.
Instrumentally, the tremolo riffs swell and recede like the mountain peaks they portray, with some gorgeous melodies that speak of the immense majesty of the natural landscape. The sound is filled out further with the incorporation of several folk instruments, particularly pipes, it appears, and with a restrained application of keyboards which gives several of the tracks, especially the opener-proper, "Wołanie z granitowych twierdz", a Celtic flavour, reminding me very much of Andy Marshall's Saor project. Razor's drumming is mostly blastbeats and cymbals, driving the tracks and adding impetus to the riffing to ensure the dynamic sweep of the tracks never flounders.
With "O turniach, jeziorach i nocnych szlakach" these Poles have turned in exactly the sort of album that hits my atmospheric black metal sweet spot, its paeons to the natural world being both uplifting and inspiring, this is black metal with a positive spirit for those who feel any kind of connection with Nature.
4.5/5
Looks like the venue owners were deceived by duplicitous bastards. If nazis are so proud about who they are why are they so fucking sneaky about it?
It sounds like the venue did the right thing shutting it down as soon as they realised what was going on.
Maybe your band could talk to the venue owners about putting on an anti-fascist show or something?
With how things are panning out, it was probably openly promoted on X with full approval of Mr. Musk. I have a feeling black metal acts won't be the only nazis coming out of the closet in the next four years.
It still sucks though.
1. Deep Purple - "Bloodsucker"
2. Uriah Heep "Look At Yourself"
3. Diamond Head "Am I Evil?"
4. Motorhead "English Rose"
5. Blitzkrieg "Blitzkrieg"
6. Iron Maiden "Wrathchild"
7. Black Sabbath "Children of the Grave"
8. Venom "Countess Bathory"
Removing Rainbow for no other reason than when I saw Rainbow with Dio back in 1979, sulky-faced Ritchie Blackmore decided that the crowd hadn't worshipped him adequately and refused to play an encore, so fuck him (oh yes I can carry a grudge for a long time). Replacing with Blitzkrieg's brilliant eponymous track, one of the most vital and energetic tracks of the NWOBHM era.
1. Ash - "Midnight Witch"
2. Black Sabbath "Snowblind"
3. Burning Witch "Sacred Predictions"
4. Sleep "Dragonaut"
5. Eyehategod "New Orleans is the New Vietnam"
6. Electric Wizard "Funeralopolis"
7. Year of the Cobra "Lion and the Unicorn"
8. Buzzo*en "Hollow"
Nice enough though "Rip Van Winkle" is, particularly the guitar leads I am going to drop it for Year of the Cobra's "Lion and the Unicorn", the opener from their "...In the Shadows Below" album. YotC are husband and wife duo who don't use guitars. As a bassist yourself, Zero, I thought you might appreciate Amy's stoned-out psych-heavy basslines.
OK Sonny explain it to me, what is the thing with "Am I Evil"? I've never really gotten on with that tune or with Diamond Head.
Really? Lightning to the Nations is one of the best albums of the entire NWOBHM era and Am I Evil? has one of the greatest intros outside of Hell Awaits as well as being one of the tracks that encapsulates the metal spirit for me.
I know I am the only one, but I fucking love "War".That said Holy Moses are pretty damn great too, so I will give this a spin later.
I agree Daniel that Angel Witch the track is a little bit hokey. I've drunkenly sung along to it a thousand times and live it always got the crowd going, but of all AW's debut it has aged least well.
1. Deep Purple - "Bloodsucker"
2. Uriah Heep "Look At Yourself"
3. Diamond Head "Am I Evil?"
4. Motorhead "English Rose"
5. Rainbow "Run with the Wolf"
6. Iron Maiden "Wrathchild"
7. Black Sabbath "Children of the Grave"
8. Venom "Countess Bathory"
Removed Rocka Rolla. It is perfectly fine, but has never been one of JP's anthemic numbers. My replacement is "Am I Evil?" Why? Because it's " I Am Evil? " of course.
Truth be told I am also not a huge Uncle Acid fan, I like them well enough but they wouldn't be absolute favorites. Their inclusion here is partly for being right on theme, and mostly because my wife loves that song. Gotta check out some Burning Witch when I get home if they are as nasty and trippy as you imply here.
I don't know about trippy, but nasty, most definitely and liable to induce a bad trip in any unsuspecting acid head.
Great set Zero. Another one where I don't really want to change anything.
1. Sargeist "Black Fucking Murder"
2. Burzum "War"
3. Nargaroth "Possessed by Black Fucking Metal"
4. Satyricon "Mother North"
5. Immortal "Blashyrkh-Mighty Ravendark"
6. Darkthrone "In the Shadow of the Horns"
7. Mayhem "Freezing Moon"
8. Bathory "One Rode to Asa Bay"
But, CF are probably the weakest of a great bunch and I will replace them with Sargeist's BFM which just about sums up the cold hatred and pure evil of the best scandi-BM.
Daniel, you must check out Mexico's Stenched and their "Purulence Gushing From the Coffin" album before the closing date. I came upon it by accident and it is utterly filthy and rotten sounding OSDM that has got me proper fired up. Fuck all this fancy bollocks, this is the shit.
What a great playlist, Zero, I almost don't want to change it as I had seen all of these bands live back in the day and it would be a great playlist for a bit of reminscence.
1. Uriah Heep "Look At Yourself"
2. Judas Priest "Rocka Rolla"
3. Motorhead "English Rose"
4. Rainbow "Run with the Wolf"
5. Angel Witch "Angel Witch"
6. Iron Maiden "Wrathchild"
7. Black Sabbath "Children of the Grave"
8. Venom "Countess Bathory"
However, I have heard Doctor Doctor roughly one billion times and it isn't a patch on Rock Bottom or Lights Out, so has to go. I am replacing it with a well-known, but lesser-acknowledged band and my favourite track of theirs, Uriah Heep and the title track from their 1971 album.
Also, the British aren't coming - we have always been here!!
1. Black Sabbath "Snowblind"
2. Burning Witch "Sacred Predictions"
3. Sleep "Dragonaut"
4. Eyehategod "New Orleans is the New Vietnam"
5. Weedeater "Long Gone"
6. Electric Wizard "Funeralopolis"
7. Witch "Rip Van Winkle"
8. Buzzo*en "Hollow"
I am not a big fan of Uncle Acid, so I will drop them first and replace them with one of the ultimate "bad trip" bands, Burning Witch. Even the very thought of dropping acid whilst listening to Crippled Lucifer makes me feel like I am gonna have a panic attack, over thirty years since I last did psychedelics!
1. Cannibal Corpse "A Skull Full of Maggots"
2. Neuropath "Incantations of Decrepit Nihilism"
3. Morbid Angel "Where the Slime Live"
4. Mortification "Terminate Damnation"
5. Cryptopsy "Phobophile"
6. Atrocity "Hold Out (to the End)"
7. Death "The Philosopher"
8. Carcass - "Ruptured in Purulence"
Carcass were by far at their best when they hit the midpoint between grindcore and death metal that was Symphinies of Sickness. I have never been a fan of Heartwork and their later stuff. It may have been a fine album by somebody else, but this is Carcass here. "Ruptured in Purulence" is one of the filthiest-sounding tracks they produced and is much more my particular cup of poison.
Is this to stay within the Horde remit, Zero, or basically anything metal?
Just finished reviewing Mayhemic's Toba and yes, that is the thrash metal album of the year for me. I have given the Hemotoxin a couple of listens but I don't yet think of it as highly as even the Critical Defiance album. Maybe that will change, but so far I'm not that impressed.
Mayhemic - Toba (2024)
Mayhemic guitarist and vocalist Noctumbra may be better known by his real name, Javier Salgado, ex-mainman of Parkcrest, guitarist with Hellish and one of the leading lights in the chilean thrash metal scene. Unsurprisingly then, Mayhemic encapsulate the archetypical chilean thrash sound, which is typified by white-hot, hyperkinetic riffs and an influence from black and death metal. Toba marks the band's debut full-length after an EP in 2019 and a split album with Hellish in 2020. The band have undergone a number of lineup changes since they formed in 2018, with Noctumbra himself switching from drums to guitar in 2022 and only he and guitarist Doom (Nacho Pérez) remaining from the band's previous releases.
I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that chilean thrash metal is well and truly in the vanguard as the standard-bearers of the modern thrash scene. As the genre enters its fifth decade the sounds coming out of Santiago and Valparaíso are the most vital and energising thrash metal has known since its heyday ended in the mid-nineties. Salgado himself, and by extension his bands, are prime examples of just how the chileans have been able to inject new life and energy into the mouldering corpse of thrash metal. Toba is just the latest in a string of releases that have redefined what thrash metal means in the 21st century. The members of most of these Santiago thrash bands are almost invariably members of several others, so are constantly either recording or playing live, honing their skills with every performance to a point where these guys are absolutely razor-sharp technically, wrangling every ounce of energy and vitality out of their instruments and laying it down for us all to marvel at.
Toba is a relatively short album by modern standards, only running for thirty-six minutes, yet it doesn't feel particularly short due to the sheer effusive energy it radiates throughout its runtime. In the main, Toba's eight tracks are high velocity affairs chock-full of lightning fast and precise riffs that slash at the listener like a flurry of rapier cuts. They may like to rein back on the tempo and drop into a mid-tempo, groovier riff, with most songs involving several such tempo changes, but the main impression Toba leaves is that this is absolutely blistering stuff. The riffs are well-written and are pretty damn memorable, not merely blurs as they flash from speaker to ear and are designed to wreak maximum neck-wrenching damage. There is a certain infectious ebullience about Mayhemic and, for me, that is most aptly illustrated by the frantic and searing guitar solos which howl with an effusive elation at being unleashed upon the unsuspecting listener. These are not just the standard Hannemann / King short, sharp shocks that became pretty much the standard for the more extreme styles of thrash metal, but are wild expressions of metal's irrepressible ability to excite and thrill, each sounding exuberant and unique.
Noctumbra and Doom share vocal duties. with Noctumbra leading on tracks 1, 3 and 8, Doom on 2,4 and 6 and both contributing on Olduvai's Lullaby. Both are ragged and aggressive bellowers with Noctumbra having a slightly shriller, black-metal influenced shriek and Doom having a similar, but lower-pitched style. In truth there isn't a huge amount of difference between them and I wouldn't really say one is better than the other as both suit the material equally well. Drummer Leviathan (Javier ''Crow'' Buzeta), who has since left the band, is beastly behing his kit, unleashing salvo after salvo of thrashbeats and busy fills, driving the tracks along with precision and powerful kit work. He is ably supported in the rhythm section by bassist Magelis (Ítalo Sánchez). A feature of many chilean thrash releases is a very prominent bass presence, but here the bass takes up a more traditional position in the mix. It is nevertheless perfectly audible, but not as noticeably intrusive as it sometimes is within the chilean scene.
With Toba Mayhemic may not have produced the kind of original and unique thrash release compatriots like the superb Demomiac and even Salgado's previous crew Parkcrest managed, but with a blackened snarl, shredding strings and a withering and pummelling rhythm section, they have captured the essence of what makes metal so damn thrilling and attractive in the first place.
4.5/5
^^^^ Sonny, please report directly to this release as I feel that you'll love it.
Oh yes indeed. Is this all these guys ever did?
Vinny, as it is just me and you now suggesting tracks for the Fallen playlist you may now submit up to 50 minutes worth (I will reserve some time for less popular sub-genres that you and I don't cover with our submissions).
Submissions by 15th April for May's playlist please.
Vinny, Karl, Xephyr, as Daniel has stepped back from the playlists and features you may now submit up to 30 minutes of suggestions.
Please submit your suggestions by 15th March for inclusion in the April playlist.
Vinny & Karl, as Daniel has stepped back from the playlists and features, you may now both submit up to 40 minutes worth of suggestions for the playlist.
Please submit them by 15th February for inclusion on the March playlist.
Daniel, if you still want to submit some then that is fine by me, your knowledge of the clan far exceeds my own and your picks better informed as a result, so are always welcome.
I guess a few dystopian novels such as 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Slaughterhouse 5 and I, Robot have been quite influential on metal themes too.
I believe the book that’s had the most influence on metal lyrics & themes is by this dude called God. It’s an old one. I forget the name but I think it starts with a “b”. Some bad ass atrocities transpire in it too by all reports. Metal as fuck!
Or another by Anton LaVey if we are talking about black metal!
HP Lovecraft is a staple in certain areas of the metal world, but he is more of a short stories guy than novels. At the Mountains of Madness is one of his longer stories which I often think of when listening to funeral doom.
The In Her Name series of books by Michael R. Hicks are also very "metal" in subject matter.
Not sure what you mean Rex. Do you mean novels related to actual metal music or novels that cover the themes and spirit that metal thrives on, such as fantasy for power and heavy metal, horror for death metal and the occult for black metal?
If it's the latter then I have always thought of William Gibson's seminal cyberpunk novel Neuromancer as thematically quite metal. Any of Michael Moorcock's Elric series are definitely metal fodder - Cirith Ungol often use Elric cover paintings as their album covers.
Here is my review:
Knowing nothing of Code, I did my due diligence and it turns out that they are from the UK, or at least founding member (and only remaining member of the lineup that recorded Nouveau Gloaming), Aort, is. He began the band as a solo project called Seaonal Code in 1998, recording a number of demos before shortening the name to Code and expanding the lineup by bringing in fellow Brit Kvohst as vocalist and recording a further demo in 2002. Further expansion to a five-piece with the addition of US guitarist, Vyttra and a norwegian rhythm section of bassist Viper and drummer AiwarikiaR, saw the release of this, their debut, in 2005.
An initial, cursory listen-through reveals something a little unusual with Nouveau Gloaming, which is the liberal use of clean vocals on what is, essentially, a black metal album. Not exclusively, to be sure, but enough to make the listener sit up and take notice. Kicking off with opener, "The Cotton Optic", things begin fairly conventionally with a very tightly-performed slice of conventional black metal which has a memorable, medium-paced riff that wouldn't sound out of place on a Satyricon album. Very soon, though, things take a different turn with second track "Brass Dogs" being the first to feature the aforementioned clean vocals. It starts and ends with a crackling sound and those clean vocals, recorded very thinly, as if playing on an old record player through cheap speakers. A fairly ominous and slow-tempo tremolo riff joins in along with sluggish drum beats to provide accompaniment to the, obviously deliberately, oddly-produced and slightly disorientating vocals. This is quite a stange track and it does have a kind of disconcerting effect on the listener, which, after the fairly conventional and accessible opener made me wonder where Code would be taking us next.
"An Enigma In Brine" has a post-black feeling to it, with the tremolo riffs forming a wall of sound, alternating clean and harsh vocals and a slow tempo, with lumbering drumbeats, eventually building in tempo and intensity. This is followed by "A Cloud-Formed Teardrop Asylum" which begins with a liturgical chant vibe and those increasingly familiar clean vocals before turning in a progressive black direction that feels a little like the kind of track latter-day Enslaved would be very comfortable with, sounding both epic and poignant, although I felt it ended a little too abruptly.
I think by now you get the picture that this is not exactly your typical black metal album, but something far broader in scope, with a diversity of structure and texture from track to track. It must be said, however, that the album as a whole, despite the individual tracks' diversity does have a coherent and cohesive tone and atmosphere, with a general feeling of discomfort and unease generated by the feeling that something is somehow amiss. I see that the band later went in a more progressive direction and that is certainly hinted at here in their earliest work as even this early on they seem to be seeking to breach the boundaries and constrictions of their chosen genre. Technically the band sound consumately accomplished to my untrained ear and their songwriting is forward-looking and ambitious, building a fairly unique atmosphere with their musical abilities rather than relying on production techniques to do the heavy-lifting atmosphere-wise as some are wont to do. The production is exceedingly clear and allows each member ample exposure in the mix.
I must admit I am very pleasantly surprised by Nouveau Gloaming as I was unaware of the UK having been the home of such a unique black metal release. It is both accessible and thoughtful, whilst still generating the kind of uneasy air that great black metal is so consummately suited for and is one of the UK's more interesting black metal efforts.
4/5
OK, so after some further consideration I have decided to follow Vinny's lead with the Pit and move to issuing a new playlist every three months, thus allowing me to produce one a month, rather than trying to cram more in than I may be able to handle. I intend to stagger the three playlists for the clans I am responsible for, so here are the main points and schedules:
1. I will release new playlists for all three clans, The Fallen, The Horde and The North on 1st February
2. The next new playlist for the Horde will be released on 1st March and I would like any suggestions for this playlist in by 15th February please.
3. So the release schedule for the Horde for the rest of 2025 will be:
1st March 2025 with suggestions in by 15th February
1st June with suggestions in by 15th May
1st September with suggestions in by 15th August
1st December with suggestions in by 15th November
Let us see how this pans out and then take it from there. Sorry for the change of mind, but I think this is for the best.
OK, so after some further consideration I have decided to follow Vinny's lead with the Pit and move to issuing a new playlist every three months, thus allowing me to produce one a month, rather than trying to cram more in than I may be able to handle. I intend to stagger the three playlists for the clans I am responsible for, so here are the main points and schedules:
1. I will release new playlists for all three clans, The Fallen, The Horde and The North on 1st February
2. The next new playlist for the North will be released on 1st April and I would like any suggestions for this playlist in by 15th March please.
3. So the release schedule for the North for the rest of 2025 will be:
1st April 2025 with suggestions in by 15th March
1st July with suggestions in by 15th June
1st October with suggestions in by 15th September
Let us see how this pans out and then take it from there. Sorry for the change of mind, but I think this is for the best.
OK, so after some further consideration I have decided to follow Vinny's lead with the Pit and move to issuing a new playlist every three months, thus allowing me to produce one a month, rather than trying to cram more in than I may be able to handle. I intend to stagger the three playlists for the clans I am responsible for, so here are the main points and schedules:
1. I will release new playlists for all three clans, The Fallen, The Horde and The North on 1st February
2. The next new playlist for the Fallen will be released on 1st May and I would like any suggestions for this playlist in by 15th April please.
3. So the release schedule for the Fallen for the rest of 2025 will be:
1st May 2025 with suggestions in by 15th April
1st August with suggestions in by 15th July
1st November with suggestions in by 15th October
Let us see how this pans out and then take it from there. Sorry for the change of mind, but I think this is for the best.