Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

I would've chosen one or both of the Crimson epics for this thread, but that felt like too much of a cheat. So I'll just go with this highlight of catchy progressive action:

A 30th anniversary remastering of that track, having just come out today:

Too atrociously poppy in the chorus for a symphonic death metal song:

An enjoyable piece of symphonic death metal:

This 9-minute progressive epic is the best way to summarize all this Mayan album has to offer:

Soaring blast-beats and riff-wrath are in perfect balance with Marcela Bovio's serene vocal glory in one of the best and heaviest tracks of this Mayan album:

This otherwise good song is totally ruined by Lars Eikind's cleans sound awkward and more overly dramatic than melancholic:

My favorite track of this Before the Dawn album with the right sense of closure and none of Lars Eikind's poor vocals:

The only Lars Eikind-led highlight of this Before the Dawn album, where he sings in more natural delivery in the soft verses, and it doesn't get in the way of the heavy guitar:

This wicked heavy highlight brings melody and speed up front, almost like Sonic Syndicate on steroids:

A dynamic progressive adventure within an adventure:

After revisiting a couple Wintersun releases yesterday, today I decided to listen to last year's instrumental single "Warning". I know not a lot of people like this sudden cyber djent twist in symphonic metal, but I do. This totally reminds me of Mechina and Neurotech, and I've listened to enough of those two bands to be used to this. Just be aware that the upcoming Time II is never going to take on that kind of style, since the majority of that album was recorded many years prior.

The usual sound of Edge of Sanity has taken on a more melodic route in this highlight while staying destructive:

I would've chosen one or both of the Crimson epics for this thread, but that felt like too much of a cheat. So I'll just go with this highlight of catchy progressive action:

Here are a few more hidden gems for me besides the ones in my earlier list:

Dethklok - The Doomstar Requiem: A Klok Opera (2013) - Melodeath/symphonic metal opera soundtrack to that Metalocalypse special

October Tide - The Cancer Pledge (2023) - Melodic death-doom

Hinayana - Shatter and Fall (2023) - Melodic death-doom

Mercenary - Everblack (2002) - Melodeath with power metal influences

Becoming the Archetype - The Physics of Fire (2007) - Progressive melodeath with metalcore influences

An unfitting bizarre stinker of a Doors cover:

The perfect progressive closing epic to this re-recording album, combining the heavy and acoustic versions of this iconic song for a memorable climax of harmonic leads:

Whether original or re-recorded, this still remains my favorite song of Amorphis' debut album:

Daniel, Ben, Rex, Sonny, Illusionist... Seeing how much you guys like the earlier melodeath material of Amorphis, here's the perfect test of how much enjoyment you can get out of a re-recording album of songs from that era that shall be right up your alley:

This progressive multi-part track I once enjoyed when I was younger, I now find annoying and pompous. Probably the weakest Wintersun track for me, and this drop C-tuned live rendition doesn't quite help despite closing the show suitably:

The concluding epic for Time I has more stable structure complete with soloing and epic melodies more tolerable for the present-day me:

My favorite track from Time I with melodic beauty in the riffing and orchestration that can please metalheads with its swaying melancholy:

The perfect climax of Wintersun's debut with epic majesty in the music and lyrics:

A short yet heavily diverse power metal/melodeath track with so much going on in just two and a half minutes:

The perfect progressive closing epic to this fascinating heavy experience:

Progressive death metal with lyrics following the simple yet intriguing Christian theme of faith vs. fire:

The most melodic song of Children of Bodom's second album and a memorable highlight that I still remember for so long:

The perfect conclusion to Avatar's earlier melodeath era:

You can already hear Avatar starting to explore their alt-metal side in tracks like this one:

To be honest, when I hear the vocals and breakdowns in this album, I find them more moshing than slamming and think more of Deformity and Despised Icon (Consumed by Your Poison era) rather than Suffocation, maybe even the stylistic missing link between Living Sacrifice albums Inhabit and Reborn. Plus I don't have the heart to dethrone the honor of its status as the earliest notable deathcore album. For these reasons, I'm voting NO for this entry, Daniel.

Nice one, Daniel! Earth Crisis still have the hardcore/metalcore energy of their over 30-year tenure, and it doesn't seem like they'll lose too much steam anytime soon. There should definitely be a live album (EP?) of this, or maybe even a re-recording album that includes those tracks. The best part for me is their backwards run of the Firestorm EP throughout the second half, though the C-tuned guitarwork makes it sound like if Hatebreed made a full cover of that EP.

OK, thanks Daniel.

Sorry Daniel, I meant have sludge metal added. It's OK though, we can start with The Pit entry first.

OK, thanks Daniel.

It's been so long since I last created or updated any lists in the public lists feature. Here are two I've just made:

Best of melodic metalcore 2004-2011: https://metal.academy/lists/single/124

Eternal melodeath (best of melodic death metal mixed with more epic genres): https://metal.academy/lists/single/273

1. Gateway playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 15)

2. Infinite playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 8)

3. Revolution playlist - 4/5 (number of songs commented: ALL 26)

4. Sphere playlist - 4/5 (number of songs commented: ALL 26)

For the clans I've made the monthly playlists for, I've listened to the entire playlists! I'm grateful to Saxy and Daniel for their playlist works. I really dig the tracks I've reviewed in the Gateway and Infinite playlists made by Saxy, and I'm glad the playlists I've made have paid off. I recommend them to any fan of the clans' respective genres and anyone who isn't into those genres but wants to get into a great start in enjoying them. Thanks, Daniel, for accepting these playlists, and good work all!

THE GATEWAY: Mushroomhead - The Righteous & the Butterfly (2014) 5/5

THE NORTH: Samael - Blood Ritual (1992) 4.5/5

THE REVOLUTION: Embodyment - Embrace the Eternal (1998) 5/5

THE SPHERE: Killing Joke - Pandemonium (1994) 3.5/5

My Gateway and Revolution nominations are glorious gems that I would recommend to fans of their respective genres. I also enjoy the North feature release more than I thought I would. The one for the Sphere, not so much, but still good. Keep up the good work on the feature releases, all! I look forward to more...

I've done my review, here's its summary:

It's strange how Mushroomhead is part of the nu/alt-metal pack but has never gained the huge success many of their other peers have gained. Nonetheless, this band has a large fanbase that barely of those other bands have. The dedication fans have for Mushroomhead is a good reason for their 3-decade existence at this point, and why open-minded metalheads, such as myself, have no trouble at all with albums like this one, The Righteous and the Butterfly! Following up from the heavy Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children, the industrial-ish nu/alt-metal blend of brutality and beauty still stands in this album. The Righteous and the Butterfly introduces two new members, guitarist Tommy Church and bassist Ryan "Dr. F" Farrell. Jason "J Mann" Popson returns on vocal duties to make a 3-vocalist lineup (or 4 if including their later vocalist Jackie Laponza who guest appears in one song here). The title pays tribute to two longtime contributors who passed away in the years leading up to this album, former guitarist JJ Righteous and band photographer Vanessa Solowiow (drummer Skinny's wife). RIP... Some tracks look back at the different past eras of Mushroomhead and summarize all that they're known for, while other songs add in different stylistic elements for something new, either way spawning some of my favorite songs from the band such as "Qwerty" (which my brother likes as well) and their cover of Adele's "Rumor Has It". It's no rumor that awesome cover is what got me into this band. Incredible! All in all, Mushroomhead have their strongest album since XIII in The Righteous and the Butterfly, nicely improved from the albums in between. Both longtime fans and newcomers will love this righteous album, essential for any nu/alt-metal fans' collection!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "Our Apologies", "Qwerty", "Portraits of the Poor", "This Cold Reign", "For Your Pleasure", "Out of My Mind", "Rumor Has It"

For fans of: Linkin Park's nu metal albums, Rob Zombie, Slipknot

One of my favorite Mushroomhead songs from the breakthrough era. The quality could've been slightly better but it's still a killer highlight in their finest hour:

One of the most popular songs from the band's 90s era, and I can totally understand from the vocal duo fitting well with the dramatic instrumentation:

Some of the greatest, most amusing lyrics from the band appear in this fantastic highlight:

There are a few pointless instrumentals in Mushroomhead's debut, but this is the worst offender there:

An industrial-infused alt metal assault:

Part of Front Line Assembly's one-time shot at adding a lot of metal to their electro-industrial:

With evil slow riffing and vicious vocals by Vorph, this is a destructive highlight and perhaps the best song of Samael's black metal era:

I've done my review, here's its summary:

Although I've just recently sworn off black metal (again), I don't mind revisiting an album by a band that started off as black metal but then became the Swiss leaders of industrial/symphonic metal. I actually like Blood Ritual slightly more than a couple of Samael's industrial metal albums that I reviewed. There's simpler yet more effective production than their debut Worship Him. While their debut has constantly switched back and forth from fast to slow, Blood Ritual focuses on the slower pace more. The sound is actually pretty clean! Their savage filth from the debut has mostly been cleared out. The music isn't played for shock value, instead opting for simple catchiness in the riffing. They still have their dark side though, appropriately timed in places. The clean production brings more life to the vocals and allows the guitars and keyboards to flow easily in the atmosphere. Soft ambient keyboards and heavy fist-pumping riffs can make an excellent match. This is for black metal fans who can listen to albums like this in its entirety!

4.5/5

Update to my list:

1. Ryujin - Ryujin [melodic death/power metal]

2. Madder Mortem - Old Eyes, New Heart [progressive metal]

3. DragonForce - Warp Speed Warriors [power metal]

4. While She Sleeps - Self Hell [alternative metal]

5. Amaranthe - The Catalyst [trance/symphonic/melodic metalcore]

And my wishlist:

Erra - Cure

Imminence - The Black (I enjoy the pre-release singles from this band so much and I want more of them)

Linkin Park - Papercuts (compilation of their greatest hits plus a couple demo tracks)

Northlane - Mirror's Edge

The Ghost Inside - Searching for Solace

High on Fire - Cometh the Storm (their Bat Salad EP is so fantastic for me that I want more of this band)

Pestilence - Levels of Perception

Gothminister - Pandemonium II: The Battle of the Underworlds

Knocked Loose - You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To

Like Moths to Flames - The Cycles of Trying to Cope

Pain - I Am

Trail of Tears - Winds of Disdain

Wintersun - Time II (how can I not look forward to one of the most anticipated albums in all of metal?)

Here are my sneak peek submissions for the May Sphere playlist:

Celldweller - "I Can't Wait" (5:24) from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012)

Circle of Dust - "Regressor" (Aggressive Mix) (6:11) from Brainchild (1994)

Fear Factory - "Demanufacture" (4:12) from Demanufacture (1995)

Red Harvest - "Move or Be Moved" (4:33) from Cold Dark Matter (2000)

Samael - "Rain" (4:01) from Passage (1996)

Turmion Kätilöt - "Teurastaja" (3:04) from Hoitovirhe (2004)

Total length: 27:25

Here are my sneak peek submissions for the May Revolution playlist:

Bullet for My Valentine - "Your Betrayal" (4:51) from Fever (2010)

Fit for a King - "Backbreaker" (2:50) from Dark Skies (2018)

In Hearts Wake - "Frequency" (3:59) from Ark (2017)

Like Moths to Flames - "All That You Lost" (3:35) from Where the Light Refuses to Go (2019)

Protest the Hero - "Limb from Limb" (4:22) from Fortress (2008)

Threat Signal - "Trust in None" (6:14) from Threat Signal (2011)

Whitechapel - "This Is Exile" (3:40) from This Is Exile (2008)

Total length: 29:31

Here are my submissions for the May Infinite playlist:

Devin Townsend - "Deadhead" (8:05) from Accelerated Evolution (2003)

Into Eternity - "Into Eternity" (4:07) from Into Eternity (1999)

Mutoid Man - "Beast" (1:58) from Bleeder (2015)

Persefone - "Lingua Ignota" (7:34) from Lingua Ignota: Part I (2024)

Voivod - "Technocratic Manipulators" (4:35) from Dimension Hatross (1988)

Total length: 26:19

Here are my submissions for the May Gateway playlist:

Bad Omens - "Just Pretend" (3:24) from The Death of Peace of Mind (2022)

BOI WHAT - "Funeral of an Antihero" (3:20) from Funeral of an Antihero (2024)

Breaking Benjamin - "Break My Fall" (3:25) from We Are Not Alone (2004)

Bring Me the Horizon - "Teardrops" (3:35) from Post Human: Survival Horror (2020)

In This Moment - "I Would Die for You" (4:36) from Godmode (2023)

Issues - "Since I Lost You" (4:09) from Since I Lost You (2024)

Linkin Park - "War" (2:11) from The Hunting Party (2014)

Sleep Token - "Blood Sport" (4:07) from Sundowning (2019)

Total length: 28:47