Sonny's Forum Replies

Agvirre - Silence EP released 24/01/20 on Trepanation Recordings.

Atmospheric Black Metal incorporating strings, electronics and plenty of post-metal stylings for an interesting new release.

Ben, could you please add Hazzerd (Canada).

Hazzerd - Delirium Released January 24th on M-Theory.

Great old-school thrash in the vein of mid-80's Anthrax with some serious shredding solos.

Puritanical Masochism - heavy as hell death doom / sludge metal from Danish all-female four-piece Konvent, released 24th January on Napalm Records.

Ah, the joy of brotherly love / sibling rivalry!

Hi Ben again. Sorry, but could you add Italian bands Black Capricorn, Zolfo, Bretus, Hands of Orlac, Messa and Temple of Pain.

Zolfo - Delusion Of Negation

Released Friday January 24th on Spikerot Records.

Ridiculously heavy and desperate-sounding sludge metal from Italy.

Hi Ben, could you please add Mouth of Oceans, Apostle of Solitude, Landskap and Dopelord.

Vengeful Spectre - 殞煞 (Vengeful Spectre) Released January 15th 2020

Melodic Black Metal from Guangdong Province that incorporates chinese folk music to truly devastating effect.

If you want something new in folk-influenced black metal then I strongly urge you to give this a listen - I mean just look at that cover, epic!

Grey Skies Fallen - Cold Dead Lands out Friday 24th January.

Impressively epic progressive doom from New York if this preview track is anything to go by.

Ah, good point, Ben. I hadn't considered that.

Album's out on Friday, so not long to wait, anyway!

Ben, please add Ether Coven (aka Ether) (USA) and Konvent (Denmark).

Sludge / Doom from German husband and wife duo Grin

Released 17/01/20 and available on Bandcamp

Heavy without being overbearingly crushing and the psych overtones add a positivity to the album's atmosphere. If I had to describe it in a couple of words, I would call it space sludge, a melding of the vastness of space psych with a dense sludge core.

Official video for the track Orbital Grace:

Sludge / Doom from Ballymena's Elder Druid

Released 17/01/20 and available on Bandcamp

 These songs are veritable monsters, the riffs are huge sludgy slabs of doom over miles-thick foundations laid down by the bass and drums, that crush all before them mercilessly and leave a wrung out husk behind. (4/5)

Official video for the track Golgotha:

I know where you're coming from MacabreEternal. My 2019 list on RYM has over 400 albums on it (that I've listened to, 700 in total) and these types of lists can take on a life of their own, becoming a chore more than an enjoyment as you force yourself obsessively to listen to more and more, the majority being terribly mediocre, in the search for the odd gem, ultimately turning you into a jaded cynic rather than someone fully engaged and enjoying listening to metal for it's own sake. The Clan Challenges have been brilliant at reminding me what I love about metal and where I should direct my energies and what I should let go, so thanks to Ben and Daniel for that!

Ben, would it be possible to add Grin (Germany) and Elder Druid (Belfast)?

Nice one with the chance to filter by releases we've rated, Ben.

Now it's a lot easier to compile those pesky lists of "favourite death doom albums released in 2002" and so on. Essential for me - as anyone who's seen my many lists on RYM may attest!

Brilliant three-track EP of stoner doom telling a cosmic tale of wizards and dragons.

Heavy stoner sh*t, highly recommended for fans of Ogre, Sleep etc.

Thanks everyone and good luck on all your own clan challenges!

Really looking forward to seeing how everyone  gets on.

Hi Ben, could you please add Kurse from Canada, their new EP is stoner doom heaven for fans of Ogre, Sleep, Electric Wizard etc.

Also Dukatalon from Israel - their new album is currently sitting at #1 on my 2020 list!

Just completed The Fallen's Doom Metal - The Modern Era challenge and am exhausted!

I have given a bit of thought to what I would choose as my fourth clan, in addition to my current Fallen, North  and Pit lineup and I may well be with Daniel on this one. I would probably choose between The Guardians or The Horde, but I'm not sure if my contributions would help because, although I love a lot of bands that fall under either clans auspices, there are sub-genres I struggle with in both. In The Guardians I've made no secret of my dislike of power metal and bands like Manowar I find a bit embarrasing, to be honest. Under The Horde umbrella I can't take to brutal death metal and it's often ridiculous violence-worship and technical dm leaves me cold in most cases.

Still, I've got two more monster challenges to complete before we cross that bridge, so here's to a challenging 2020...

Wow, Ben wasn't kidding when he said these were going to be a challenge!

However, I believe I have completed the Doom Metal - The Modern Era challenge at last.

Really enjoyed it, got back into some albums I've not played for a while and found some I've not heard before. I don't find writing reviews particularly easy and it can be quite mentally tiring, albeit very rewarding, so I think I'll take a break before embarking on my next challenge,  - The North and The Pit await...

Ben, could you please add 1914 (Ukraine), Gaoth (Ireland) and Crom Dubh (UK).

Ah, thanks for that Ben, I was expecting it to filter the list, I didn't notice the selected user's ratings coming up under mine.

Nice feature.

I decided to start the new year by moving out of my comfort zone and starting January's feature releases with a clan beyond my chosen three and a style of metal I'm less familiar with, so I thought I'd send some love The Sphere's way and checked out Ministry's Psalm 69. I'm not a complete newbie when it comes to Ministry (although pretty close) - I bought their Houses of the Molé album not long after it's release in 2004, after hearing NO"W" somewhere (I was always up for a bit of George W bashing!) It was kind of OK, but I've not listened to it in ages. Psalm 69, however, is a much better album with  energetic and at times thrashy songs and that beefy drum sound battering away in the background like a jackhammer. It's also fairly apparent that Al Jourgensen is a guy with a sense of humour (and a sense of the absurd too, I'm guessing), I mean just listen to Jesus Built My Hotrod for fuck's sake - crazy! My personal favourite is Scarecrow which, to my grizzled old ears, sounds like a mash-up of Zep's When the Levee Breaks and The Smiths How Soon Is Now? There is a couple of misfires -  I didn't like TVII or the racket of Grace, but tracks like NWO, Just One Fix and Hero kind of raised the bar on Industrial Metal as far as my listening experience is concerned.

So, nice one Daniel, excellent choice. Just goes to show - you can teach an old dog new tricks!

Is #1 fully implemented yet Ben, as it doesn't seem to be working for me?

Nice improvements, Ben. The clan links are likely to be particularly useful.

I like that I can see how many releases for a particular clan I've rated too - let's me know how much there's still to do!

Good idea to hide the empty users from the clan list too - will be especially relevant as the number of users increases, I would think. I assume if one of those users starts rating they will then become visible?

Nice one, Daniel - a great ep this one. Proper evil-sounding thrash.

Managed to pick up an original vinyl copy last summer too!

Agreed. Grindcore through and through.

Yeah, try and stick with it. It can only get better as more people get involved (and it's pretty good already!)

Hi Ben, please add:

Vin de mia Trix

Grey Gallows

Wolvserpent

Meth Drinker

Whelm

Obed Marsh

Hi Shezma. Have you tried YouTube? They are usually very good for finding obscure metal albums.

Unfortunately, unless they have had recent re-releases, early black metal albums can be quite expensive to buy on sites like Discogs or Amazon. Always worth looking though!

Ben, could you please add the new Cianide MLP, Unhumanized. It's killer!

I agree with Daniel that your scoring system needs to be consistent and like most of you, for me a 3.5 is really a minimum for an album to be on my radar beyond the first couple of listens. A 3 isn't a stinker, but it's not that good either. I also like to feel my rating system is absolute, in that it holds for all genres of music, so a rating of 0.5 is for absolute shit that I really can't stand, probably the likes of Justin Bieber, Crazy Frog or some other crime against music. A 0.5 or 1.0 is only meted out to metal albums on extremely rare occasions ( Adema and Atreyu are the only metal bands that I've ever given 0.5s to). I do try to listen to a lot of new releases and for most I prefer at least a couple of listens before forming a judgement, although I refuse to suffer again through albums I'm fairly sure after a single listen I'm not interested in. I also like to return to albums and reassess them at a later time, as sometimes they can sound better or worse when approached with fresh ears (and possibly a different mental attitude). In truth, the ratings we give albums is probably always going to be fluid as our tastes and attitudes change and as we are exposed to new music. I'm 57 years old now and there's no way my view of certain albums is the same as it was forty years ago when I was a 17 year old kid! If you remember that your ratings need never be set in stone and, in fact, it's a good thing if they change, then there's no need to sweat it too much.

Hi Ben, sorry but could you also add Monolithe's brilliant new album OKTA KHORA (it was released on digital in November whatever RYM says!)

Hi Ben, could you add Dödsrit (Sweden) and Dusk (Hungary) please.

I think that ultimately you have to decide what works best for you. If you start rating albums on perceived merits or flaws rather than what you really enjoy (or dislike) about them then you run the risk of rating to conform with other's opinions. Sometimes music just makes you feel something special and that's what you need to hold on to, regardless of it's supposed "worthiness". Let's face it, most music snobs already look down on Metal as it is, so fuck  'em and if you love it, rate it up! All opinions are valid.

Thanks, Xephyr. That Elvenking album ain't too bad. I particularly like the folk influence and the vocals are nowhere near as OTT as most power metal I've heard - a real sticking point for me usually. I'm interested enough to check out some of their previous albums anyway. Cheers!

The only industrial metal album I've paid any attention to this year is admittedly a cracker - Yerûšelem's The Sublime. So I guess that's #1 on my list!

Yeah Xephyr, I really can't get into power metal. I do like some early Iced Earth though, so maybe you could rec me an album or two that may change my mind!

That said, there has been some great classic metal out this year - it's great to see young bands still wanting to play this style of metal.

Hi Ben, could you please add the following Fallen related bands:

Tankograd (Poland)

Eremit (Germany)

Encoffination (US)

Alkymist (Canada)

Wolf Blood (US)

Wolf Counsel (Switzerland)

Pinewalker (US)

High Inquisitor Woe (Belgium)

God Disease (Finland)

There's not been a massive amount of quality pit-related releases this year, but I'll give it a go:

#1 Possessed - Revelations of Oblivion

#2 Critical Defiance - Misconception

#3 Inculter - Fatal Visions

#4 Bewitcher - Under the Witching Cross

#5 Aggressive Perfector - Havoc at the Midnight Hour

#6 Sins of the Damned - Striking the Bell of Death

#7 Wraith - Absolute Power

#8 Possessor - Gravelands

#9 Sadistic Ritual - Visionaire of Death

#10 Mother's Tomb - Absent Not Dead

I've not listened to a huge amount of death metal this year, especially if you don't count death doom, which I don't as that is covered by my Fallen list. Still despite that, here goes:

#1 Blood Incantation - Hidden History of the Human Race

#2 Coffins - Beyond the Circular Demise

#3 Vastum - Orificial Purge

#4 Exhumed - Horror

#5 Minenfeld - The Great Adventure

#6 Pulchra Mortem - Divina Autem et Aniles

#7 Immortal Bird - Thrive on Neglect

#8 Gatecreeper - Deserted

#9 Ossuarium - Living Tomb

#10 Tomb Mold - Planetary Clairvoyance

My Guardians related year end list is all traditional heavy metal as I don't much care for power and symphonic metal, my limited experience of both this year being largely negative.

#1 Spirit Adrift - Divided by Darkness

#2 Angel Witch - Angel of Light

#3 Smoulder - Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring

#4 The Lord Weird Slough Feg - New Organon

#5 Sanhedrin - The Poisoner

#6 Grand Magus - Wolf God

#7 Midnight Priest - Aggressive Hauntings

#8 Bloody Hammers - The Summoning

#9 The Ossuary - Southern Funeral

#10 War Cloud - State of Shock

What a stellar year for Fallen related releases. It's a great time to be a fan of doom and sludge metal.

My top albums list:

#1 Esoteric - A Pyrrhic Existence

#2 Inter Arma - Sulphur English

#3 Epitaphe - I

#4 Waste of Space Orchestra - Syntheosis

#5 Witches of God - Into the Heart of Darkness

#6 Gorge - Land Bridge

#7 Totengott - The Abyss
#8 Slow - VI-Dantalion

#9 Werian - Animist

#10 Lord Vicar - The Black Powder

#11 Ataraxie - Résignés

#12 The Red Widows - Fuzzifixion

#13 Palmistry - Behold!

#14 Endless Floods - Circle the Gold

#15 Mizmor - Cairn

#16 Plateau Sigma - Symbols-The Sleeping Harmony of the World Below

#17 Maestus - Deliquesce

#18 Runemagick - Into Desolate Realms

#19 Karyn Crisis' Gospel of the Witches - Covenant

#20 Tankograd - Totalitarian

Another great year for black metal, making it hard to choose, but here goes:

#1 False - Portent

#2 Ultha - Belong

#3 Werian - Animist

#4 Mayhem - Daemon

#5 Saor - Forgotten Paths

#6 Departure Chandelier - Antichrist Rise to Power

#7 Neige et noirceur - Interstellar Enigmatic Throne

#8 Violet Cold - kOsmik

#9 Darkthrone - Old Star

#10 The Great Old Ones - Cosmicism

Honourable mentions:

Nyss - Dépayser

Déhà - Cruel Words

Wormwitch - Heaven That Dwells Within

Nasheim - Jord och aska

Deathspell Omega - The Furnaces of Palingenesia

Blut aus Nord - Hallucinogen

Nocturnal Departure - Cathartic Black Rituals

Kauan's Sorni Nai is one that springs instantly to mind or what about Chelsea Wolfe's doomy 2017 album Hiss Spun?

As  a massive fan of doom metal, my list is heavily weighted towards releases from The Fallen.

Here it is anyway:

#1 Esoteric - A Pyrrhic Existence

#2 Inter Arma - Sulphur English

#3 Epitaphe - I

#4 Waste of Space Orchestra - Syntheosis

#5 Witches of God - Into the Heart of Darkness

#6 Gorge - Land Bridge

#7 Totengott - The Abyss

#8 False - Portent

#9 Slow - VI-Dantalion

#10 Werian - Animist

#11 Lord Vicar - The Black Powder

#12 Mayhem - Daemon

#13 Saor - Forgotten Paths

#14 Departure Chandelier - Antichrist Rise to Power

#15 Ataraxie - Résignés

#16 The Red Widows - Fuzzifixion

#17 Coffins - Beyond the Circular Demise

#18 Blood Incantation  - Hidden History of the Human Race

#19 Spirit Adrift - Divided by Darkness

#20 Palmistry - Behold!

#21 Neige et noirceur - Interstellar Enigmatic Throne

#22 Violet Cold - kOsmik

#23 Angel Witch - Angel of Light

#24 Vastum - Orificial Purge

#25 Smoulder - Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring

Sorry, I couldn't stick to a mere top ten in such a great year for metal releases as this!

Great list for the 80's. Some of my all-time favourite metal albums on there. Looking forward to the challenge!

Hi Ben, please could you add France's Gorgon and Italy's Selvans.