Sonny's Forum Replies
Crippled Lucifer is one of my favourite doom metal albums and defines the extreme end of the doom metal spectrum. Here is my review:
Stephen O'Malley and usual cohort Greg Anderson, have produced some of the most extreme doom metal known to man as well as founding one of the premier doom metal labels, Southern Lord and are probably most well known for being the driving force behind SunnO))). After their short-lived first project, Thorr's Hammer split and before loosening bowels with the aforementioned drone metal titans, these doom metal stalwarts were the integral members of seminal extreme doom outfit Burning Witch. The band also featured vocalist Edgemont Martin (aka Edgy 59) and bassist G. Stuart Dahlquist (aka G. Subharmonium) along with a couple of drummers (successively, not at the same time)!
I think it is pretty safe to say that seldom has doom metal been served up that is more extreme-sounding and gruelling an experience than Burning Witch. As if the titanic, world-destroying chords of O'Malley and Anderson weren't enough then the tortured and deranged shrieks of Edgy 59 are sure to push you over the edge. This is most definitely not comfortable doom metal, in whose all-encompassing embrace you can wallow and luxuriate - no, this is deliberately confrontational, difficult and just downright unpleasant-sounding in order to throw you off balance and make you feel ill at ease and feed your suspicions that something IS indeed rotten in Denmark. A track like Country Doctor is certainly only going to appeal to those who like their metal music to confront them with the distressing and difficult-to-love, although there are a couple of slightly more accessible and, at least relatively speaking, conventional tracks such as Sacred Premonitions acting like pieces of flotsam for the drowning listener to cling to. One aspect of almost all of O'Malley and Anderson's music that cannot be ignored is that it is written with an additional instrument in mind. That instrument is sheer, unadulterated volume. Throughout their careers their music is seemingly intended to be as much a physical sensation as an auditory one and can only really be fully appreciated within the context of extreme volume, which is another reason that they should be considered as genuinely inhabiting the most extreme end of the doom metal spectrum. Sure, high volume has played a part in metal for all of it's fifty year reign, but with these guys it isn't just an option, it is an integral part of their whole sound.
Crippled Lucifer is actually available in a couple of versions, the original 1998 version being sub-titled Seven Psalms for Our Lord of Light, it is now available in an extended version which carries the sub-title 10 Psalms for Our Lord of Light. The original version contain seven of the eight tracks contained on the Rift.Canyon.Dreams and Towers EPs. The 2008 expanded version also contains the track Rift.Canyon.Dreams from a split release with Asva and Burning Witch's two tracks from their split with Goatsnake, which is pretty much the sum total of the band's recorded output and is the version I would recommend as the CD is a nice package altogether.
Whichever version you listen to, be sure that you are going to be subjected to a crushing, bleak-sounding, nihilistic version of doom metal, a million miles removed from Candlemass, My Dying Bride or Saint Vitus, that takes no prisoners, gives no quarter and, to be honest, couldn't even give a fuck if you like it or not. Be prepared.
5/5
An absolutely stellar playlist this month, Daniel. I loved pretty much every minute of it. Listened to it whilst out walking, so didn't keep an eye which track was which band, but I will definitely be returning to it over the coming month and I will take notes then. If this is an indication of where we're going with the playlists then things are looking good!
Hi KK and welcome. I hope you enjoy your time here.
I'm not on Facebook or X myself and I'm not even sure I know what reddit is, but I can see that you are really working hard on this Daniel, so I thought I would just add my moral support for all your efforts. I really hope you see some reward for your hard work as it would be nice to see an uptick in site and playlist traffic.
On a related matter, getting people to visit the site doesn't necessarily seem to be a big problem, whereas getting them to stay or revisit does. Do you have any theories on why this would be?
I must have had Hawkwind on the brain because I incorrectly named the album from which Sabbath's "Into the Void" is taken as "Master of the Universe". Now corrected, before anybody had chance to point out what a numpty I am!!
I had the whole collection of Masters of the Universe when I was a kid. Sold them to a collector for a significant amount of money years later too strangely enough.
Was that a TV show back in the eighties? I think I vaguely remember my little brother watching it. I was thinking of the Hawkwind track, Master of the Universe.
I must have had Hawkwind on the brain because I incorrectly named the album from which Sabbath's "Into the Void" is taken as "Master of the Universe". Now corrected, before anybody had chance to point out what a numpty I am!!
June 2024
1. Candlemass - "At the Gallows End" (from "Nightfall", 1987)
2. Black Sabbath - "Into the Void" (from "Master of Reality", 1971)
3. Paradise Lost - "Say Just Words" (from "One Second", 1997)
4. Darkthrone - "Howling Primitive Colonies" (from "It Beckons Us All.......", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]
5. Katatonia - "Endtime" (from "Brave Murder Day", 1996) [submitted by Vinny]
6. Autopsy – “In The Grip Of Winter” (from “Retribution For The Dead” E.P., 1991) [submitted by Daniel]
7. Orchid - "Silent One" (from "The Mouth of Madness", 2013) [submitted by Vinny]
8. Grin - "Deathbringers" (from "Hush", 2024)
9. Woods of Ypres -"Silver" (from "Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light", 2012) [submitted by Vinny]
10. Confessor – “Endtime” (from “Confessor” E.P., 1992) [submitted by Daniel]
11. High on Fire - "Darker Fleece" (from "Cometh the Storm", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]
12. Skumring - "Forførelse i natten" (from "De glemte tider", 2005)
13. Melvins – “Your Blessened” (from “Bullhead”, 1991) [submitted by Daniel]
14. Mizmor & Thou - "Subordinate" (from "Myopia", 2022)
15. Grief - "Depression" (from "Dismal", 1992)
16. Reverend Bizarre - "Cromwell" (from "II: Crush the Insects", 2005) [submitted by Sonny]
17. Fireball Ministry - "Sundown" (from "Their Rock Is Not Our Rock", 2005)
18. Slumber – “Fallout” (from “Fallout”, 2008) [submitted by Daniel]
19. Sunn O))) - "Frost (C)" (from "Pyroclasts", 2019)
Gave it a listen during this morning's walk and although it's early days yet, I'm very satisfied with what I heard. It's exactly what you would expect from Thou and won't do anything to change anyone's view of the band, I suspect, but if you're a fan then I would be very surprised if this didn't float your boat.
When my self-imposed exile from metal was ending at the end of the Nineties and I was casting around for bands to get me into the new sounds that had developed since I left it behind in 1990, I stumbled upon CoF playing live on some late night UK TV show and was mesmerised by their sound and aesthetic which were all new to me. I soon obtained a copy of Principles of Evil (via Napster I am ashamed to say) and really got into this new, eccentric-sounding and thoroughly exciting "new" style. I've not always been wowed by all their stuff, but I did find that this debut, Middian and even Nymphetamine offered me enough enjoyment to thoroughly shred any possibility of me claiming to be any kind of trve kvltist black metal fan! However, over the intervening years my black metal listening has refined itself somewhat with Cradle no longer appealing to me that much and it has been a long time since I last listened to Principles of Evil all the way through, so it's time to see how it stacks up 25 years on from my initial discovery of the East Anglian black metal goths.
The most striking thing about CoF is the sheer theatricality of their sound. Combining the symphonic black metal of Emperor with the gothic aesthetics of MyDying Bride, Dani Filth strikes me as a black metal version of Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Cradle albums as soundtracks to black metal musicals. In truth, that fanciful notion has less basis in fact here on the debut than it does on some of their later releases, but it is still a fair comment, I think, as it is still steeped in theatricality. To this end Benjamin Ryan's keyboards play a significant role on The Principle... providing intros, outros, interludes and as atmospheric layering they are never far from the action and provide some great moments, such as during The Forest Whispers My Name where they provide a nice melodic overlay and my favourite track, To Eve the Art of Witchcraft, which is undoubtedly elevated by Ryan's keyboard work.
Obviously, Cradle never really sounded this black metal again, with them inching into more gothic metal territory with each release, but underneath the gothic and atmospheric trappings there are some pretty decent slices of melodic black metal blasting here with the title track, the aforementioned The Forest Whispers My Name and A Crescendo of Passion Bleeding. They are unafraid to slow things down, too, and lean more into the gothic metal direction. The Black Goddess Rises, for example, contains little actual black metal and is a much more considered tempo, almost resembling doom metal, for much of it's runtime.
I'm actually glad I returned to this for May's feature because it has held up quite well across the intervening years and I feel a bit more love towards it today than I did before revisiting it. Of course there is an inherent degree of cheesiness here, with Dani's clean vocals providing much of it, but I do like his singular brand of ear-piercing screams which possibly makes me a bit more forgiving. All in all, I am feeling so well-disposed to Principle today, after several revisits during the month, that I am going to up my long-standing 3.5 star rating to a full 4.
4/5
I'm not a massive Exodus fan, but like Vinny says, maybe a live album from the time will reveal a missing dimension that elevates them to another level. Think I may give it a spin.
Unfortunately I find an awful lot of Alcest to be sonic wallpaper, which from a drone guy is a bit of a statement, I realise. I've not checked them out since 2016's Kodama and can't say this new one is likely to change that any time soon.
Yes, it does all look good, Daniel and I particularly love the Fallen picture. Great work once more. I have tried to programme the June Fallen playlist along the lines you suggested and I am quite pleased with the result myself, but I would like to hear from you guys as to what works and what doesn't.
It actually made for an interesting experience trying to produce something more ear-catching and re-ignited my enthusiasm for something that had felt like it was becoming a bit of a slog in all honesty.
I'm looking forward to hearing your lists,, Daniel, and I will even be checking the Guardians out, which is something I haven't done for ages (too much euro power metal in the past for me).
Here's hoping all your hard work has an impact and draws a few more metalheads sitewards. Onwards and upwards!!
I've been checking out their debut, Tyrant, over the last couple of days and been loving it, so this is one I really want to hear.
Deathspell Omega - Fas – Ite, maledicti, in ignem aeternum (2007)
Remarkably I haven't got around to DsO's "Fas – Ite, maledicti, in ignem aeternum" before, so I thought I would slap it on my player as I headed out with Koko this morning. As I have said several times before, I have very little tolerance for dissonant metal and even less for avant-garde music, yet somehow DsO seem to be able to transcend these ingrained prejudices of mine. I don't know exactly why the Frenchmen succeed where so many fail, but their dissonant form of black metal is so skillfully assembled that I find it irresistibly attractive with none of the built-in revulsion I feel for other practitioners of the dissonant style. Ultimately it feels more like a coherent wall of sound to me rather than diverse elements working against each other, which most other dissonant metal does. The vocals are fantastic and the drumming especially is transfixing in both intensity and precision. All-in-all these guys are the absolute very best at what they do and "Fas – Ite, maledicti, in ignem aeternum" is another brilliant example of the masters at their craft.
4.5/5
That is why my post was directed at Daniel, Andi.
In the interest of full disclosure, Daniel, I have used the Fallen clan logo to head up a public list on RYM where I list all the tracks I have used so far on the playlist. Would you prefer me to replace it or make the list private? In my defence, I only made it public in the hope that it might drum up some support for the playlist and, by extension, the website (which it seems to have spectacularly failed to do!) Sorry, I should probably have asked first.
Sorry, but I really don't have the time to search through countless pages of free to use images to try and find something suitable. Even my spare time has it's limits.
Guys, please feel free to suggest a suitable image for your playlists too. I've already changed the ones for The Horde & The Guardians to make them more appealing to the casual listener.
If using existing album artwork is permissible then the cover of Bell Witch's "Mirror Reaper" would be my first choice, closely followed by Jupiterian's "Protosapien" which has the added advantage of having no visible text to remove.
I've just done The Fallen, The Sphere & The Pit. Any ideas for The Gateway, The Infinite & The North playlist names?
Progressive Metal Dimensions
Progressive Metal Visions
Progressive Metal Voyages
Black Metal Wasteland
Black Metal Blasphemy
Black Metal Tundra
Black Metal Blizzard
Alternative Metal Authority?
Alternative Metal Assault?
Alternative Metal Armada?
Alternative Metal Attack?
I kinda like Alternative Metal Authority. What does everyone think?
Of the four, it is the one I would pick, but it seems very difficult to find sonething that feels right with alternative metal. I did give it some thought today, but drew a blank.
Interestingly, one of our inactive members has created a 224 hour Spotify playlist called "The Fallen" & has used our The Fallen clan symbol as the image which isn't wonderful, especially given that some of the content isn't in line with the Metal Academy clan genre trees.
If it's any consolation, Daniel, I couldn't find it and I searched for quite a while, whereas the "official" Fallen playlist (complete with new name) came up on the first page.
Hey Daniel, are you implementing any changes to the titles and descriptions of the playlists yourself, or do we list compilers need to do it?
I remember those covers well from way too many hours spent in record shops, flicking through endless racks of vinyl albums back in the day. It's a pity Molly Hatchet's music never lived up to the quality of the covers.
I certainly wouldn't disagree that the main riff is indeed a metal riff and a pretty good one at that. I quite like Dust as it happens and I have a double CD reissue of their two albums. The cover of second album, Hard Attack, is the type of cover that has graced many a metal album since, even up to the present day - compare it to the covers of Smoulder's albums, for example.
High on Fire - Cometh the Storm (2024)
High on Fire are a band I have derived a deal of enjoyment from, yet I haven't given them nearly as much attention as my taste dictates they deserve, not really checking out much since 2007's Death Is This Communion. I don't really have an explanation for this, it's just the way it's been. Anyway, Cometh the Storm is another really solid offering from the Matt Pike-led threesome and is yet another that is right up my street.
The basic sound here is sludgy stoner metal and within that framework there is a fair bit of variety, but with the riffs constantly being king. The production is of very high quality, so those fuzzed-up riffs are given some extra clout with a beefy sound job that still allows plenty of clarity and depth. The variation within the songwriting is illustrated very early on where the relentless chugging of Burning Down with it's myriad stoned-out solos leads into the almost thrashy Trismegistus that, with Matt Pike's grizzled and throaty, but quite shrill, bellows, makes the track sound a bit like Motorhead (a comparison that is even more obvious on The Beating). This then gives way to the psychedelically-loaded stoned-out grooves of the brooding title track and the unexpected, yet perfectly suited, Turkish folk music of Karanlık yol. Each is handled impressively as High on Fire demonstrate exactly how accomplished a band they now are with none of the tracks sounding out of place or mishandled. A quick word for ex-Melvins drummer Coady Willis who has come in to replace founding member Des Kensel and has dropped straight into the HoF groove with the band not missing a step despite the change and with Willis' busy and precise performance being the foundation on which the album is built.
Ultimately, this is top drawer stoner metal, skillfully performed, with great production values and a tough sludgy edge that draws upon the stoned-out psychedelics of past times and drapes them over a solid and harder than you may expect metallic core that is able to appeal to both stoners and moshpit denizens alike. I can't really define why, but this is just one of those albums that feels so authentically and unapologetically metal that it is impossible to do it down in any way.
4/5
OK, so how does "Doom and Sludge Metal Darkness" sound? The other two don't seem quite right the other way round.
Alternatively:
Doom Metal Domination
Doom Metal Dominion
Doomination: Doom & Sludge Metal
Doom Metal Apocalypse
Awesome! Have a think about how you might like to adjust the title of The Fallen then Sonny. I think we've been missing a trick here in a big way. Apparently including the more popular band names in the description helps too. Interestingly the list still comes up when I search on "Metal Academy" too, despite it no longer being listed in the playlist title.
I'm not really very good at this sort of thing, but how about "Metal Darkness: Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal"?
Or "Reflections from the Abyss: Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal"?
Or, maybe to attract a group with a specific interest: "Cthulhu Awakes: Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal".
I tried the same searches and pretty much got the same result, Daniel:
Death metal grindcore - 1
Death metal - 6
Grindcore - 3
Apocalypse - 1
I'm thinking that a good way to move forwards with the monthly playlist name change concept might be for me to develop a new tenth playlist that I can use as a test case in order to see if I can draw a wider audience to it. That way I can avoid fucking around with our established playlists. I've started to program one already but will take my time with it because it's important that it's of a very high quality & is programmed in a way that will attract an audience if it's going to make for a valid test case i.e. people need to be wowed by it if they're going to commit to subscribing to it & I'm not sure I've given that idea enough care in the past. I also need to do more research on how to name it well because most experts seem to say that changing the name of your playlist is a bad idea as it confuses your audience.
Some more tips from the web are that a) it's best practice to start your playlist with the five strongest tracks as a majority of people only give a playlist a maximum of five songs to win them over & b) you'll draw more hits if you include some classic songs in each playlist in order to draw in the less educated market segment. It's also worth including some of the more popular bands that reflect the overarching sound of your list in the playlist description in order to jag some additional search results.
OK, excuse me, Daniel, but I am getting a little bit confused now. Are we changing the focus away from programming the playlists to reflect the members' listening habits over the previous month to something that is more likely to attract new listeners? If the majority of any given playlist comes from other members' suggestions then the playlist compiler has to play the hand he is dealt, thus making the tips you suggest very difficult to follow. For The Fallen, for example, youself, Vinny and I tend very often towards the more extreme end of the Fallen scope, so producing a list to reflect these new guidelines would be quite challenging, given the tastes of the contributing members. I don't really know how to proceed now, I must be honest.
Once more I have to agree, Daniel. There are certainly death doom passages, but not really enough to justify a primary - a secondary tag absolutely, but not a primary. I must admit that when I first listened to it, I was surprised that Ben had nominated it for The Fallen as it didn't exactly scratch that Fallen itch for me, very good record that it is, though. I also recognise that my review focusses on the death doom aspect, but given my well-publicised preferences, I guess that isn't much of a surprise to long-time Academy members!
Absolutely, Daniel. I think Cathedral play very little doom metal outside the debut and Endtyme and are much more of a stoner metal band.
Morgul Blade - Heavy Metal Wraiths (2024)
I was quite interested by Morgul Blade's debut album, 2021's Fell Sorcery Abounds, with it's combination of traditional heavy metal with black metal vocals, but ultimately it sounded better in theory than in practice. It wasn't bad, but it didn't grab me as much as I had hoped it would. Anyway, here we are, two and a half years and a couple of personnel changes later with the Philadelphians' sophomore, Heavy Metal Wraiths. Guitarist Jason Hiller has been replaced by Heavy Temple's Elyse Mitchell (aka Elyse NightHawk) and bassist Dan JD has been superceded by Wild Beyond's Jim Viola. The personnel changes seem to have made a big difference, with the band sounding much tighter than on the debut which I felt got a little bit sloppy at times. The production is excellent with all the elements of the band being perfectly audible and the overall sound being thick and crunchy, from steel-coated riffs to crisp drum fills and thundering bass lines. I must make a particular mention of drummer Will Spectre at this point, who sounds amazing throughout with his energetic and entertaining fills supplementing his sterling work as timekeeper.
Musically they have their feet well and truly planted in the 80s with an arterial line of ascension leading straight back to the stalwarts of early USPM and european trad metal, deploying galloping riffs, melodious leadwork and a tireless rhythm section. Then, of course, there are Klauf's black metallized vocals that instill the tracks with a snarlingly vicious edge and which solves one of the major hurdles I have to overcome with any number of traditional and USPM-derived bands and that is the overt histrionics of some of the frontmen. Musically I like a lot of power metal, but I find the majority of the singers intolerable, so Morgul Blade are tailor-made for me. I guess there are those that will counter this by arguing that the vocals are restrictive compared to those employed by the more theatrical exponents of the art and I can understand that argument, but for me personally, lacking in range though they are, Klauf's blackened snarls just resonate with me so much more than some elaborate glorified air siren that dominates proceedings with attention-seeking wailings. Interestingly, they throw in a couple of curveballs with the short interludes "Widow's Lament" and "A Welcoming Hearth". The former is a clean-sung celtic folk song that I found worked really well in context here and it, along with the opening bars of "Spider God", very much reminded me of Solstice's New Dark Age album where "Blackthorne/The Keep" segues into "Cromlech", a transition I absolutely love. The other interlude, "A Welcoming Hearth", takes the form of a short electric piano and synth-driven electronic piece, which is less out of place than it sounds, following the synth-heavy ending of preceeding track "Razor Sharp".
Funnily enough I found the opening couple of tracks to be the least engaging and it wasn't until the title track, the album's third, that things really kicked into high gear. It, along with "Razor Sharp" and "Neither Cross Nor Crown" all really hit the spot with me and illustrated best how far the band had come since the debut. Ultimately, Heavy Metal Wraiths is an album of good, old-fashioned metal with hook-laden riffs that will be playing around in your head long after the album has ended and has a vitality that stems from songwriters that understand what makes heavy metal great for those who love it.
As an afterthought - and I don't know if it has any relevance - but the artwork shows four hooded, Nazgul-type beings whereas the debut only had a lone hooded figure and I wonder if this is a reflection of a new dynamic within the band, whereby Klauf viewed the earlier material as his own and sees this later release as more of a band effort. It certainly feels that way and is better for it.
4/5
Hi Ben, I have just been looking at the Emperor live releases and note that for 2009 you have the "Live at Wacken Open Air 2006 - a Night of Emperial Wrath" album and the "Thus Spake the Nightspirit - Live Inferno" EP. There was also an album called "Live Inferno" released which was on 2x CDs with a live set from the Inferno Festival on disc 1 and the Live at Wacken Open Air 2006 set on disc 2. I have a copy and can confirm it is a genuine and official release. Could it be added please?
For June Vinny:
Acid Reign - "Motherly Love" (from "Moshkinstein", 1988)
Demoniac - "The Trap" (from "So It Goes", 2020)
Pentagram (CHL) - "Devourer of Life" (from "Eternal Life of Madness", 2024)
Tankard - "Traitor" (from "Chemical Invasion", 1987)
For June Ben:
Above Aurora - "Inner Whispers" (from "Myriad Woes", 2024)
Antichrist Siege Machine - "Lysergic War Psychosis" (from "Vengeance of Eternal Fire", 2024)
Melechesh - "Incendium Between Mirage and Time" (from "Sphynx", 2003)
For June, Daniel:
Akercocke - "Shelter From the Sand" (from, "Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone", 2005)
Benighted - " Le vice des entrailles" (from "Ekbom", 2024)
Coffins - "Chain" (from "Sinister Oath", 2024)
Deicide - "Bury the Cross... With Your Christ" (from "Banished by Sin", 2024)
Discordance Axis - "Jigsaw" (from "The Inalienable Dreamless", 2000)
Devourment - "Shroud of Encryption" (from "1.3.8.", 2000)
Hour of Penance - "The Morality of Warfare" (from "Devotion", 2024)
Suffocation - "Catatonia" (from "Human Waste EP", 1991)
Venenum - "Merging Nebular Drapes" (from "Trance of Death", 2017)
I'm not sure if the Akercocke track is death metal enough, as it has black and progressive metal tendencies too. It is my favourite Akercocke track, but if you deem it to not be sufficiently death metal to make the playlist then that is fine.
I had actually forgotten that I had started this thread, so here we go again...
Pentagram (CHL) - Demo #2 (1987)
Pentagram Chile's second demo was recorded in September 1987, comprises three tracks, The Malefice, Profaner and Temple of Perdition for a total runtime of sixteen minutes. Like the first demo, the sound here is pretty good with the "cavernous" sound that would become so crucial to a certain style of death metal in the nineties being present by default and adding a grimy "evilness" to the Pentagram sound. It also possesses a weighty bottom end, the bass anchoring the tracks with a really meaty presence in a way that is still a feature of chilean thrash to this day.
This isn't massively different to Demo #1, but there has obviously been some technical improvements to the playing and a degree of progression in their songwriting. The aggression they brought to the first demo was still present with hats definitely still tipped towards Slayer and Possessed, but there is a bit of complexity creeping in, with Profaner in particular going through any number of tempo changes in order to mix things up a bit.
Unfortunately, despite releasing two absolute killer demos in '87, the band couldn't generate any interest from labels either inside or outside Chile and so, in 1988 they split-up with Anton Reisenegger going on to form power / thrash outfit Fallout.
Another high-octane playlist this month, Vinny that was a perfect accompaniment to a hot and sweaty morning of concrete and brick-laying. Particular standouts that I was previously unfamiliar with were Messerschmitt, Thanatos and Electrocutioner. But wait... is The Pit declaring war on The North with that Lich King track?!
As often is the case, some of the groove tracks left me somewhat indifferent, LoG and Gangrena Gasosa, for example. Overall, though, this was a damn great listen and one I thoroughly enjoyed.
I certainly wouldn't disagree with this. I think Iron Man encapsulates the kind of sound early Pentagram, Bedemon, Saint Vitus and The Obsessed were going for.
Is there a possibility that the title Metal Academy Radio is maybe no longer the best. Perhaps "radio" doesn't resonate with people, especially younger people, than it once did. How about Metal Academy Monthly? Also, do you want uniformity across the clans, title-wise, ot tailor the title to the clan. For example, The Horde, Pit and Revolution could reasonably be titled something along the lines of, Metal Academy Monthly: The Thrash and Groove Metal Workout, whereas the same wouldn't really work for The Fallen or The Infinite. Just throwing a couple more ideas out there.
I get what you are saying here Daniel and I would definitely agree that the main riff is a heavy metal riff, but the rest of the track contains an overwhelming amount of blues and rock to call it an actual heavy metal track. I wouldn't deny that it is a very early example of a heavy metal riff used in a song, but would be reluctant to make any bigger claim for it than that.
Hard rock with a side dish of heavy psych for me, Daniel.
I feel like you're on the right track there Sonny. I'll spend a bit more time thinking about this topic on the weekend but would appreciate it if everyone kept throwing out ideas. We obviously won't be able to list every major genre that's included in the playlist title for a clan like The Fallen but do you think it's too limiting to say Doom Metal for that one, Heavy Metal for The Guardians, Black Metal for The North or Thrash Metal for The Pit?
It is a bit limiting to be sure, but I can't see a way around it if you want a snappy title, plus the 100 character limit is a problem too. Once you have caught the searcher's attention, you can list the other genres for each clan in the description, so assuming the title is as I posted above, in the description we explain that The Fallen clan encompasses Doom, Sludge, Stoner, Drone and Gothic Metal. Obviously if we thought doom wasn't the biggest draw, we could call it "Metal Academy Radio - Sludge Metal Study Hour" (or maybe "time" would be better than "hour"). If we then decide which genre is most likely to be searched for each clan, we could name them accordingly. Personally, I think Black Metal for the North, Death Metal for the Horde, Thrash Metal for the Pit, Progressive Metal for the Infinite, Alternative Metal for the Gateway, Industrial Metal for the Sphere and Metalcore for the Revolution would work fine, or if you wanted to cover more bases an example would be "Metal Academy Radio - The Horde: Death Metal and Grindcore Study Session" (61 characters without spaces, I think). I think it would be a struggle to list more than a couple of main genres without making it too clunky.
I believe the tracks on this EP were recorded during the Necroticism sessions, that much seems quite apparent anyway. The opening title track is the only previously unreleased track and I must admit that I am quite taken with it, it still hangs on to some of the earlier grind influence and although it was clearly recorded later, it sounds similar to "Swarming Vulgar Mass of Infected Virulency" and easily could have been on Symphonies of Sickness, my personal favourite Carcass album. Second of the four tracks on offer here is Incarnated Solvent Abuse, lifted straight from Necroticism and is a worthy addition, it being one of the band's most recognisable and well-loved tracks, it's melodic chug always able to get the old head nodding.
The other two tracks are both re-recordings and are worthwhile additions here, if only as an illustration as to how good early Carcass' songs were when the production is polished up. First of the two is Pyosified (Still Rotten to the Gore), originally on Reek of Putrefaction which here is like a polished diamond compared to the original Reek version with it's demo-quality production values drowning most of the guitar work. Here the main riff is freed from the chains of poor production to reveal it's full galloping glory and allow a reappraisal of just how great a riff it is. The second re-recording is "Hepatic Tissue Fermentation II" the original of which I am unfamiliar with, it initially appearing on the 1989 Pathological Compilation, the first release from Pathological Records, alongside tracks from the likes of Napalm Death, Godflesh and Coil. At six-and-a-half minutes it's an epic early Carcass track and here it sounds very impressive, combining the later pure death metal sound with their earlier grind tendencies with significant pacing variation, to produce a track that would sound very much at home of Symphonies of Sickness.
These tracks are all now available on later-released comps, but at the time I am sure this would have been a very interesting insight into the Carcass story and would signal the end of one era of the band, prior to their embarkation upon the melodic death metal journey they undertook from the following year's Heartwork onwards.
4/5
This is an album I've always meant to get round to, but have never managed to.
Yeah, a typical example of early metal, still with plenty of rock influence. I get the stoner classification, but I must admit that I'm not completely convinced by it. That riff that they repeat at the end, most definitely stoner and if the whole track had sounded like that, then yes. I did enjoy it, though.
The second earliest genuine doom metal track I came across in my investigations is nowhere near as obvious & was actually recorded before the release (but after the recording) of "Black Sabbath" in early 1970. It comes from former Blue Cheer guitarist Randy Holden whose debut solo album "Population II" is a pretty decent heavy psych record to tell you the truth. The album includes this metal monster "Fruit & Icebergs" that I'd suggest showcases a clear infusion of his heavy psych sound into genuine doom metal, thus creating an excellent early example of the traditional doom metal subgenre.
What do you guys think of it? Doom metal enough for ya?
I've got to admit, Daniel, it does sound very much like the early Pentagram and Bedemon demos and I don't think it would raise too many eyebrows if it was on Child of Darkness or First Daze Here, so yes, I think there is some credence to the claim.
I hadn't heard of Civerous before Ben suggested their latest album, Maze Envy, for the Fallen feature, but a brief overview had me suitably intrigued. Chiefly, the Los Angelinos play an old-school death metal and death doom hybrid which can trace it's lineage back to the likes of Autopsy, but they also like to throw in some progressive tendencies that updates their sound into a more modern beast. And beast it is, the death and death doom components being pretty brutal-sounding with thick, towering riffing sounding at turns both threateningly ominous and bestially viscious. Yet this maelstrom of menacing violence isn't all there is to Maze Envy, there are also moments of beauty and calm reflection, such as that provided by the post-rock guitar work of interlude track, Endless Symmetry, the intro to Levitation Tomb and the sombre middle section of the progressive title track. Elsewhere the closer, Geryon (The Plummet), has a rich gothic atmosphere, reminiscent of My Dying Bride, complete with violin and keyboards, whilst the opening intro track is all dissonant violin work that feels like part of an avant-garde modern classical piece.
But, all that aside, Maze Envy ultimately lives and dies on it's deathly doom metal credentials. Luckily for all of us, these credentials are impeccable and Civerous know what they are about when it comes to old-school death and death doom metal. Think Coffins, but with more outside influences and atmosphere construction, their layering of fairly thin-sounding keyboards over the doomier passages being a big part of the latter. When they let loose, however, their delivery is devastating. Labyrinth Charm for example, is a brutal, ballistic, full-on charge that features a couple of killer guitar solos and Levitation Tomb is a throbbing chug that sounds like a battalion of battle trolls drumming fear into the hearts of their enemies.
On the downside, one slight criticism I have is that the whole album seems to be a victim of the loudness wars, making it sound like it has been fed steroids to pump it up to unnecessary sound levels, a move that the band hardly need as the music itself is sufficiently aurally arresting without resorting to additional production techniques. On the whole, though, this is a great example of the evolution of the old Autopsy sound into a very modern version of progressive death doom metal, featuring technical skill and imperious songwriting technique, resulting in an album worthy of the attention of any death doom fanatic looking for something that stands out from the crowd.
4/5
Or... "Metal Academy Radio - Doom Metal Study Hour" (I know it's two hours, but that doesn't have the same ring to it).
So, the first question must be, what is our playlists well-defined niche if the clans aren't likely to be a recognisable draw?
I've never been into marketing and I don't really have the kind of mindset that is good with slogans or buzzwords, I'm much too literal for that, so I'm not really sure how much help I'm going to be, but I'll do what I can.
How about "Metal Academy Radio - Doom and Stoner Metal to Get Wrecked To"
Or "Metal Academy Radio - For Hard Drinking Doom Metal Connoisseurs"
Yeah, I'm kinda with you on this Vinny. The clan aspect should definitely remain a focus in the title.