Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

A simple yet killer standout from this month's Guardians playlist, Sabaton's new single about the Hungarians battling against the Mongol Empire:

Here's my one submission for the August Fallen playlist, Sonny:

Trail of Tears - "Disappointment's True Face" (from Profoundemonium, 2000)

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

A Dark Halo - "It Never Sleeps" (4:01) from Omnibus One (2023)

Fear of Domination - "Legion" (4:19) from Distorted Delusions (2014)

The Interbeing - "Ruin" (4:22) from Icon of the Hopeless (2022)

Mechina - "Machine God" (6:56) from Tyrannical Resurrection (2007)

Omega Lithium - "Pjesma" (4:11) from Kinetik (2011)

Sybreed - "Emma-0" (4:27) from Antares (2007)

Total length: 28:16

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

All That Remains - "Six" (3:22) from The Fall of Ideals (2006)

Eighteen Visions - "Vanity" (5:46) from Vanity (2002)

Lorna Shore - "Unbreakable" (4:49) from Unbreakable (2025)

Parkway Drive - "Karma" (3:49) from Deep Blue (2010)

The Red Chord - "Face Area Solution" (2:01) from Fed Through the Teeth Machine (2009)

Underoath - "Thorn" (4:36) from Voyeurist (2022)

Wolves at the Gate - "Lights & Fire" (3:30) from Eulogies (2022)

Total length: 27:53

Here are my submissions for the August Infinite playlist:

Calva Louise - "W.T.F." (3:27) from W.T.F. (2025)

Cynic - "Sentiment" (4:23) from Focus (1993)

Shylmagoghnar - "I Am the Abyss" (8:50) from Emergence (2014)

Waidelotte - "Opulent Mirage" (5:35) from Celestial Shrine (2024)

Watchtower - "M-Theory Overture" (3:49) from Concepts of Math: Book One (2016)

Total length: 26:04

Here are my submissions for the August Gateway playlist:

Breaking Benjamin - "Crawl" (3:58) from Dear Agony (2009)

Disturbed - "The Vengeful One" (4:12) from Immortalized (2015)

Falling in Reverse - "God is a Weapon" (3:35) from God is a Weapon (2025)

Gemini Syndrome - "Stardust" (3:48) from Lux (2013)

Limp Bizkit - "My Generation" (3:43) from Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (2000)

Linkin Park - "Stick N Move - Demo" (3:17) from Xero (1997) (based on Hybrid Theory (20th Anniversary Edition) (2020))

Nonpoint - "Chaos and Earthquakes" (3:45) from X (2018)

Waltari - "Kill for Sport" (3:12) from Nations' Neurosis (2025)

Total length: 29:30

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

2 Times Terror - "D.E.A.D." from Equals One Sudden Death (2010)

4.5/5. Already making use of Turmion Katilot's roots is the opening track of its original album and this playlist. 2 Times Terror knows how to make electronic rhythms like The Berzerker but without any speed-grind. What's different compared to Turmion Katilot is the use of female vocals. All in all, we have an excellent piece of electro-metal with both male and female vocals. A well-done example of opposites attract!

Fear of Domination - "Pandemonium" from Create.Control.Exterminate (2011)

5/5. More of Saku Solin and Niina Telen's vocals come together in perhaps my favorite track of its original album. The song has some Norther vibes in both the music and vocals. Solin adds more depth and accent to his growls, and the end result is another unique blend of extreme and melodic.

Gothminister - "Darkside" from Happiness in Darkness (2008)

5/5. This highlight ascends with gloomy choir atmosphere before powerful drumming, alongside more of the hard-hitting guitars and orchestra.

Lord of the Lost - "I Will Die In It" from I Will Die In It (2025)

4.5/5. A well-done piece of gothic/industrial metal by this German band.

Genitorturers - "Liars Lair" from Sin City (1998)

4/5. Opening things up further is where Genitorturers continue riding through different stylistic territories.

Sonic Violence - "Tortured (Dub)" from Jagd (1990)

4.5/5. This next track is quite an effective one. It starts with a sample of Mozart's "Dies Irae". Then we have devastating on-off guitar riffing in mechanical greatness. You can also hear some lovely synths later on. The harsh vocals fit greatly with the lyrics.

Old - "Disconnect Self" from Lo Flux Tube (1991)

4/5. Deathly experimental industrial metal when an 8-bit-ish bass. "BODY TURN...TO ASH...TURN...TO MEMORY!!!!!"

Nine Inch Nails - "Wish" from Fixed (1992)

4.5/5. The 9-minute remix of the most well-known single of Broken, is given a minute-and-a-half long drum beat intro that crescendos into the dominating main riff.

The Amenta - "Vermin" from n0n (2008)

5/5. Another f***ing monster. It takes some time to patience to actually dig this kind of chaos, and when you do, it's all worth the experience. The vicious vocals ranging between growls, screams, and whispers are so haunting!

White Zombie - "Grease Paint and Monkey Brains" from Astro-Creep: 2000 - Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995)

4.5/5. This is probably one of the least popular songs amongst the earlier metalheads. Being the young modern metal listener I am, I like it. There's more of a Static-X vibe here which isn't too bad. One of the most metal songs in the album!

Ministry - "Stigmata" from The Land of Rape and Honey (1988)

4/5. One of the best tunes displayed in its original album kicks it off with fuzzy keyboard riffing. Al Jourgensen would enter the scene with a howl of maximum distortion. The riff and beat drives the song through well.

Oddko - "D4TM" from Digital Gods (2020)

4.5/5. "D4TM" stands for "Dope for the Masses". More like "Dope for the Mad Maxes"! If you've watched the music video, you would know what I mean. This is more of a punk-ish cyber/industrial metal track. Cyberpunk has gotten a new meaning!

Deathstars - "CyberGore Generation" from Damage Theory (2010)

5/5. This standout can almost be considered "Cyber-core", blending together the cyber metal of Deathstars with a bit of the melodic metalcore of Memphis May Fire, The Autumn Offering, and Of Mice & Men.

Neurotech - "Uplift" from Evasive (2015)

4.5/5. This is the closest we have to intense heaviness, actually being the only symphonic industrial metal track in Evasive in terms of vibe.

Mechina - "Unearthing the Daedalian Ancient" from As Embers Turn to Dust (2017)

5/5. The greatest symphonic-ish highlight is followed by the greatest cyber one with this darker, heavier, more epic take on the old-school technicality of Alchemist, Dark Angel, and Pestilence. Another strong climatic composition!

Pain - "I Am" from I Am (2024)

4.5/5. Pain shall never stop! The band, of course.

Poppy - "All the Things She Said" from All the Things She Said (2020)

4/5. The edition of I Disagree I was reviewing includes a bonus cover of this t.A.T.u. hit, and interestingly enough, this is one of my favorite tracks of that album, fitting in the "metalizing covers" category by adding in dark alt-/industrial metal drama while staying true to the original. If that isn't Poppy's most emotional moment, I don't know what is!

Celldweller - "Into the Void - Sebastian Kromor Remix" from Satellites (Remixed) (2023)

4.5/5. Amazing hellfire in this remix! "Baptized by Fire" should get a similar treatment.

Tyrant of Death - "Anchorite" from Superior Firepower (2019)

4/5. Something so simple yet blasting should end up in the DOOM soundtrack. The artwork for its original album fits well with the music. Alex Rise shows his kick-A talent from beginning to end. This is especially true throughout the second third of the track. Keep up the heaviness, Alex!

Shum - "F64.00" from Pulzáló dobok tisztítják meg az eget (2024)

3.5/5. This is where things start to rotate in experimental territory.

Bliss Signal - "Swarm" from Drift (2018)

3/5. And then some blackgaze gets added to the sound.

Neo Inferno 262 - "Of Angels and Silicon" from Pleonectic (2023)

3.5/5. Maybe some strange distorted angel chanting added here as well.

Deathstars - "No Light" from Synthetic Generation (2002)

4/5. Then we get back to more familiar territory with another strong track by Deathstars.

The Project Hate MCMXCIX - "Solemn" from Death Ritual Covenant (2018)

4.5/5. The grand finale, having the melancholic melodeath of Omnium Gatherum while still covered in electro-industrial beauty.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks to anyone who have contributed with their own submissions, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Imminence - "God Fearing Man" from The Return of the Black (2025)

5/5. Another super cool start to a Revolution playlist! As always, we have the blend of beauty and brutality. And d*mn, that breakdown is one of the heaviest of this year!

Miss May I - "I.H.E." from Deathless (2015)

4.5/5. "Miss May I is a Christian band", my a**. Sure some members are Christians, but the lyrics in some songs like this one darker and filled with swearing.

Lorna Shore - "Oblivion" from Oblivion (2025)

5/5. Lorna Shore are back with their upcoming album I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me. And with their new single "Oblivion", I enjoy the music that throws back to 5 years ago in the Immortal era, along with the lyrics growled by Will Ramos. With that said, I'm hoping for more of his vocal techniques in the upcoming album, like some of his clean singing from his YouTube covers? Not too much of it, of course.

Shadow of Intent - "Gravesinger" from Melancholy (2019)

5/5. Saxy requested this for the June playlist, but I postponed it to July because I wanted to include their new single "Feeding the Meatgrinder", and I felt like giving this one some slight space after its inclusion in April 2022's Revolution playlist. Anyway, seems like Shadow of Intent took Betraying the Martyrs' earlier sound to a much darker level alongside some classical elements of Bach and Beethoven mixed with some of the most brutal metal subgenres out there. This might also include some Dimmu Borgir-like symphonic black metal in the middle. And the outro with neoclassical soloing before a symphonic closure is just EPIC.

Undying - "Reckoning" from At History's End (2003)

4.5/5. This highlight has the best of many bands past and future, including late 90s Cave In, The Ghost Inside, Killswitch Engage, and Omnium Gatherum. A brilliant start to its original album!

The Autumn Offering - "Your Time Is Mine" from Fear Will Cast No Shadow (2007)

4/5. F***ing great melodic metalcore, similar to what All That Remains would have in Overcome the following year.

Cryptopsy - "Anoint the Dead" from The Unspoken King (2008)

3.5/5. This one is a far better blend of brutality and dissonance than the rest of its original album, tearing down the walls the way technical deathcore is meant to.

Drown in Sulphur - "Absentia" from Vengeance (2025)

5/5. Speeding things up is this incredible highlight, only slowing down at the end for one of the darkest breakdowns of the year. Perhaps my favorite deathcore track here!

Bury Tomorrow - "What If I Burn" from Will You Haunt Me, with That Same Patience (2025)

4.5/5. Daniel Winter-Bates and Tom Prendergast are two of the most kick-A vocal duos in modern metal, and their new album keeps up the power of the previous one.

Orthodox - "One Less Body (feat. Brann Dailor)" from A Door Left Open (2025)

5/5. WHAT THE F***?!? This is absolutely heavy brutal nu metalcore! The only moment of clean emotion is the guest appearance by Brann Dailor of Mastodon. He has already performed guest vocals in a Bleed from Within song, so that's a cool bonus. This is also around the time when Brent Hinds left Mastodon and is callous about it.

Malevolence - "So Help Me God" from Where Only the Truth is Spoken (2025)

4.5/5. Malevolence is back at it again with another gold heavy banger from their new album.

Dal Av - "Protohuman" from Protohuman (2025)

4/5. The intro to this song is quite phenomenal in the drums, leading to the rest of this neck-straining banger featuring Hollow Front vocalist Tyler Tate. The instrumentation sounds quite killer and might come out equally well on its own. You can really feel the anger in the lyrics. Not even Rammstein can go that dark.

We Came as Romans - "Shapes" from Dreams (2008)

4.5/5. RIP Kyle Pavone. He was an essential part of what made We Came as Romans one of the best metalcore/post-hardcore bands out there. I guess you can EP planted the seed for their debut To Plant a Seed.

Ankor - "Embers" from Shoganai (2024)

4/5. My brother and I aren't the only age group (mid-20s) to discover catchy bangers by this band. Even people around our dad's age are finding good appeal here.

Bury Your Dead - "Year One" from Year One (2008)

4.5/5. I love the soloing by Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge and Tremonti in this track, adding f***ing sweet emotion to the bada** heaviness. And the beauty bleeds into the final chorus. Myke Terry is an amazing vocalist in both Bury Your Dead and Volumes. Though I can't deny that Mat Bruso is the better deal for this band. Lots of dark emotion in the lyrics too, "It's an uphill battle, and we're losing stride". The blend of singing and screaming is what we need more of, not just from Myke Terry. This is true metalcore, unlike when people think The Black Dahlia Murder is metalcore (they're melodeath) and a few generic bands out there, no disrespect there. So if you wish to be open-minded, think twice before turning your back on the hardcore/metalcore scene.

Architects - "Even If You Win, You're Still a Rat" from Daybreaker (2012)

5/5. And even if the haters win, they're still rats. This awesome highlight has guest vocals by Bring Me the Horizon vocalist Oli Sykes. It's just 3 minutes of metalcore chaos, just the way I love it!

Confessions of a Traitor - "Fearless" from Guided (2019)

4.5/5. Confessions of a Traitor can strike hard with their metalcore sound without fear.

The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "Clarissa Explains Cuntainment" from Nuclear. Sad. Nuclear (2005)

5/5. I wanna set this as my phone's alarm tone. This is one of my favorite songs by this band, with so much to enjoy like the riff 30 seconds in and the one starting the final 30 seconds. And it would work as well without vocals which are also great.

Botch - "Closure" from The Unifying Themes of Sex, Death and Religion (1997)

4.5/5. Then we slam into this track from a various artists compilation. A true trail of noise and destruction!

Frontierer - "Glitcher" from Unloved (2018)

4/5. This mathcore banger barely disappoints at all.

Ion Dissonance - "O.A.S.D." from Solace (2005)

4.5/5. Some of the most brutal sh*t in mathcore right here! Especially in the killer breakdown at the one-minute mark. There's no harmony and barely any set structure and it works greatly, with lyrics suitable for battling enemies in video games. Truly emotional in the raging side! And they never have to go as deathly brutal as Despised Icon nor make any of the symphonic turns Winds of Plague has. This really should've been as popular as Justin Bieber, maybe even more so.

The Chariot - "The Deaf Policemen" from The Fiancee (2007)

4/5. The more melodic riffing here seems to have taken some cues from Nirvana, but I enjoy the lyrics here, especially at the ending, "If there's blood on the roots, then there is blood on the branches".

Polaris - "Fault Line" from Fatalism (2023)

4.5/5. This one starts soft in the synths before launching into another easy yet impressive banger.

Calva Louise - "Impeccable" from Impeccable (2025)

4/5. Great song with more of Jess Allanic's impressive vocals. I gotta thank my brother for recommending this track to me.

Demon Hunter - "Light Bends" from Light Bends (2025)

4.5/5. I'm not even Christian and yet I end up getting strong faith, thanks to this solid banger.

Blessthefall - "See You on the Outside" from Hollow Bodies (2013)

5/5. Absolutely perfect music and lyrics here! I really enjoy this one striking my metalcore/post-hardcore heart. Escape the Fate vocalist Craig Mabbitt was in this band for their debut before joining that other band.

Moments - "Black Widow" from Hopes & Dreams (2015)

4.5/5. Let's take a moment to enjoy this modern metalcore track.

Wage War - "Will We Ever Learn" from Pressure (2019)

5/5. "Death walks among us, his sword hangs above us."

The Amity Affliction - "All That I Remember" from All That I Remember (2025)

4.5/5. We need more content from this band with their new bassist/clean vocalist Jonathan Reeves, originally from Kingdom of Giants.

Wolves at the Gate - "Unrest" from Wasteland (2025)

5/5. Let's end this playlist with what might just be my new favorite song by Wolves at the Gate, and perhaps one of the best of this year! I have a feeling there will be a sequel album titled Borderland, based on the ending lyric, "Come out the wasteland into the Borderland." I also enjoy other lyrics such as "I need a remedy, I hear my elegy singing the last verse", and the drumming especially at around the one and a half minute mark. Absolutely fantastic and can easily decimate their earlier post-hardcore material. One of the heaviest parts is the breakdown complete with a "SHUT UP!!!" scream more powerful than that of Linkin Park's "One Step Closer". Truly a killer way out!

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? I recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks to anyone who have contributed with their own submissions, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Nice choice, Saxy! This may not be Cave In's best metal work, but it's interesting enough for me to consider reviewing, along with the rest of their discography beyond Until Your Heart Stops. Reviews coming up this weekend maybe...

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Nightwish - "The Poet and the Pendulum" from Dark Passion Play (2007)

4.5/5. Ah yeah, let's start this playlist with what I still think is one of the greatest symphonic metal album opening epics! 5 parts go on through an incredible 14 minutes. But why should I describe them all? It's too beautiful for words. Just listen and learn!

Deep Purple - "Speed King" from Deep Purple in Rock (1970)

4/5. This classic opener starts off this Deep Purple album in a bang with fast distorted shredding before fading into soft ambient organ. Then the hard rock/heavy metal rolls in, and you might not agree with me here, but this is practically proto-speed metal! Maybe close to speed rock? Still the organ shines in some sections. An upbeat way to begin this early example of a heavy metal album!

Black Sabbath - "Sweet Leaf" from Master of Reality (1971)

4.5/5. I love you, "Sweet Leaf"! The song, not the drug. I don't do drugs. This is a slow-ish early heavy metal song that can also come across as proto-stoner metal. I also love the soloing at the 3-minute mark that hints at the D-flat tuning Tony Iommi would in other songs from that album.

Ozzy Osbourne - "No More Tears" from No More Tears (1991)

4/5. Interestingly, this reminds me a lot of the second half of one of my YouTube pen-pal Danny Ultrawiz's songs, the progressive ballad "Thinking About You". I practically forgot about that Danny Ultrawiz song until I stumbled upon this Ozzy Osbourne. I wondering if that's part of what inspired it. Anyway, I enjoy the vocals, but the spoken words are hard to understand.

Rainbow - "Stargazer" from Rising (1976)

4.5/5. One of the greatest songs of 70s hard rock/heavy metal, hinting at both progressive and power metal tendencies. RIP DIO

Diamond Head - "Am I Evil?" from Lightning to the Nations (1980)

4/5. One more killer heavy metal epic. It was covered by Metallica and the entire Lightning to the Nations album was re-recorded for its 40th anniversary.

Fireforce - "The Battle of Ramadi" from The Battle of Ramadi (2025)

3.5/5. Some good kick-A thrashy power metal right here, sending the enemies into the lungs of Hell.

Iron Maiden - "Flight of Icarus" from Piece of Mind (1983)

3/5. Decent song, but better for my dad's generation, no offense. "Fly on your way like an eagle..."

Queensryche - "Take Hold of the Flame" from The Warning (1984)

3.5/5. Same with this one, although I enjoy Geoff Tate's golden singing and the soloing by Chris DeGarmo.

Airforce - "The Fury" from Acts of Madness (2025)

4/5. Wow, there are quite a few heavy/power metal bands whose name ends with "force"; Fireforce, Airforce, DragonForce... Anyway, it continues that classic heavy metal sound of Iron Maiden and early Queensryche, but better and more modernized.

Stratovarius - "Hunting High and Low" from Infinite (2000)

4.5/5. Still a power metal classic after all these years, like since I first heard it over 10 years before this comment. Lots of great melody here! And apparently its been associated a lot with Dragon Ball Z Budokai.

Visions of Atlantis - "Hellfire" from Pirates II: Armada (2024)

5/5. Wow... I thought I've distanced myself from exploring more female-fronted symphonic metal after the ones I've already heard of (apart from Mechina and other more extreme bands), but this is epic! Awesome power in the vocals and instrumentation, like Nightwish gone Alestorm.

Manticora - "Echoes of a Silent Scream" from To Kill to Live to Kill (2018)

4.5/5. Not gonna lie, this is one of the most intense power metal songs I've heard. Solid heavy/melodic gold! Thanks for this, Sonny.

Alestorm - "The Storm" from The Thunderfist Chronicles (2025)

4/5. Another pirate metal storm awaits for Alestorm. I really enjoy the guitar soloing that is like its own lyric-less vocal melody.

Gloryhammer - "He Has Returned" from He Has Returned (2024)

4.5/5. As for Christopher Bowes' other band Gloryhammer, Angus McFife has returned with a new voice in their new album Return to the Kingdom of Fife. This song never disappoints and details an exciting robot battle that would fit well in Ultrakill.

Warkings - "Kings of Ragnarok" from Kings of Ragnarok (2025)

4/5. Although I'm past my power metal prime, there are still bangers like this for me to love. Great song to touch the hearts of power metal fans!

Sabaton - "Hordes of Khan" from Hordes of Khan (2025)

4.5/5. Sabaton is back with a new single about the Hungarians battling against the Mongol Empire formed under the wrath of Khan. Genghis Khan. I don't care what some people say, there's lots of chaotic energy that hasn't left the band. It's a nice break from their two new albums centered around World War I. So simple yet killer!

Battle Beast - "Last Goodbye" from Last Goodbye (2025)

4/5. I'm thankful that bands like Battle Beast haven't said their last goodbye yet, when we have catchy bangers like this one.

Time Requiem - "Visions of New Dawn" from Time Requiem (2002)

3.5/5. Progressive neoclassical metal sounds quite cool though a little too cheesy. With that said, I like the keyboard work by Richard Andersson and the vocals by Apollo Papathanasio who would later join Firewind. Time Requiem didn't really last as long as Firewind though. I also like the Dream Theater vibes here.

Symphony X - "In the Dragon's Den" from Twilight of Olympus (1998)

4/5. Symphony X also kick a** with the progressive neoclassical metal sound. Sometimes, melody doesn't have to be as deathly as Dark Tranquillity and In Flames. You can get it from bands that are meant to sound like Symphony X, Stratovarius, and Nightwish. Short songs balance out against the longer epics like the 20-minute title epic of the previous album The Divine Wings of Tragedy.

Volbeat - "Evelyn" from Beyond Hell / Above Heaven (2010)

4.5/5. You want what sounds like Alter Bridge gone Entombed?! The guest vocals by Barney Greenway of Napalm Death are a killer surprise! Then the heaviness is dialed back by the usual rock-ish chorus. We need more heavy hammering tracks like this, honestly.

Xerath - "Veil Part 2" from Xerath III (2014)

5/5. Holding on to the epic intensity once more, the closing track of its original album and this playlist makes one final move at combining film score-style orchestra with metal, and it pays off, adding beautiful harmony to this apocalyptic chaos.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? I recommend this to any heavy/power/symphonic/neoclassical metal fan and anyone who isn't into those genres but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks to anyone who have contributed with their own submissions, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

As much as I appreciate your work on these playlists, Saxy, I'm actually losing a bit of mood for listening to a whole of progressive metal, so I'm reviewing a shorter amount of tracks in this playlist than the previous ones. Sorry about that. But don't worry, even though I've only chosen the final 6 tracks, most of those are long epics lasting more than 10 minutes, and altogether, those 6 tracks cover the entire second half of the playlist. So I don't feel too bad. And I still have some good ideas for the next playlist. Anyway, here are my thoughts on those tracks:

Opeth – The Baying of the Hounds (2005)

4/5. I still enjoy this great epic from these deathly progressive masters.

Rivers of Nihil – Terrestria IV: Work (2021)

4.5/5. Holy f***, now this is an epic!! It's the longest track by Rivers of Nihil at 11 and a half minutes (as much as the title track of Trivium's Shogun) and not only concludes its original album but also keeps up the "Terrestria" song suite from all their albums. Probably almost as epic than Cult of Luna's "Cygnus"! This is too astonishing for words. Hope you have a rewarded listen!

Source – Mandala (2023)

4/5. Another great epic, though taking on the more melodic bluesy side.

The 3rd and the Moral – Oceana (1994)

4.5/5. This one still reigns as the longest and greatest T3ATM song. Not even the closing track of Sorrow can surpass it. The band created a monstrous complex 19-minute epic can put Fates Warning's epics to shame. You can rarely find vocals and clean guitars as haunting as in the beginning. And as it goes on, you can find yourself swimming in an oceanic realm, with the guitar effects singing a unworldly whale-song. And the rest is excellent history!

Votum – Spiral (2016)

4/5. This is one of only two under 10-minute tracks in this second half, and it has great hypnotic heaviness. Underground songs like this need to be unearthed! The final minute of this track of the greatest part.

Xerath – Machine Insurgency (2011)

3.5/5. There's some slight inconsistency in this one, yet it's still great.

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Apocalyptica – Rage of Poseidon (2010)

5/5. Apocalyptica knows how to blend alt-metal rage with the epicness of their cello, and this epic is a prime example.

Black Orchid Empire – Motorcade – Live (2021)

4.5/5. More of this amazing alt-metal fury has been given some kick-A melody. I really enjoy the bass and drums here.

Chaoseum – Unreal (2022)

4/5. Some unreal nu metal vibes to remind some of Korn and Mudvayne. I'm thankful for my brother alt-rock/metal taste spreading into mine.

Darknet – gen: throwaway (2023)

4.5/5. Then the metalcore-ish nu metal gets darker. If you're up for more of that, here you f***ing go!

Demon Hunter – I’m Done (2025)

5/5. I'm never done with this band! I enjoy the lyrics, and I can add this to my potential funeral song list.

Five Finger Death Punch – Wrong Side of Heaven (2013)

4.5/5. This is still an excellent gem for me to love, some heavenly alt-metal sorrow.

(Hed) P.E. – Suck It Up (2003)

4/5. Although I'm not much of a fan of nu/rap metal, sometimes I have to suck it up to get some great bangers like this.

Limp Bizkit – Re-Arranged (1999)

3.5/5. Then we switch to this ballad-ish track, which almost made me sleepy like a lullaby, but it's still a good track.

VOLA – Cannibal (feat. Ander Friden) (2024)

4/5. Great song, destructive lyrics, f***ing killer guest appearance by In Flames' Anders Friden, a cool way out for this playlist.

July 2025

1. 2 Times Terror - "D.E.A.D." from Equals One Sudden Death (2010)

2. Fear of Domination - "Pandemonium" from Create.Control.Exterminate (2011)

3. Gothminister - "Darkside" from Happiness in Darkness (2008) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

4. Lord of the Lost - "I Will Die In It" from I Will Die In It (2025)

5. Genitorturers - "Liars Lair" from Sin City (1998)

6. Sonic Violence - "Tortured (Dub)" from Jagd (1990)

7. Old - "Disconnect Self" from Lo Flux Tube (1991)

8. Nine Inch Nails - "Wish" from Fixed (1992)

9. The Amenta - "Vermin" from n0n (2008) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

10. White Zombie - "Grease Paint and Monkey Brains" from Astro-Creep: 2000 - Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995)

11. Ministry - "Stigmata" from The Land of Rape and Honey (1988)

12. Oddko - "D4TM" from Digital Gods (2020)

13. Deathstars - "CyberGore Generation" from Damage Theory (2010)

14. Neurotech - "Uplift" from Evasive (2015) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

15. Mechina - "Unearthing the Daedalian Ancient" from As Embers Turn to Dust (2017) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

16. Pain - "I Am" from I Am (2024) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

17. Poppy - "All the Things She Said" from All the Things She Said (2020)

18. Celldweller - "Into the Void - Sebastian Kromor Remix" from Satellites (Remixed) (2023)

19. Tyrant of Death - "Anchorite" from Superior Firepower (2019)

20. Shum - "F64.00" from Pulzáló dobok tisztítják meg az eget (2024)

21. Bliss Signal - "Swarm" from Drift (2018)

22. Neo Inferno 262 - "Of Angels and Silicon" from Pleonectic (2023)

23. Deathstars - "No Light" from Synthetic Generation (2002) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

24. The Project Hate MCMXCIX - "Solemn" from Death Ritual Covenant (2018)

July 2025

1. Imminence - "God Fearing Man" from The Return of the Black (2025)

2. Miss May I - "I.H.E." from Deathless (2015)

3. Lorna Shore - "Oblivion" from Oblivion (2025)

4. Shadow of Intent - "Gravesinger" from Melancholy (2019) [submitted by Saxy S]

5. Undying - "Reckoning" from At History's End (2003)

6. The Autumn Offering - "Your Time Is Mine" from Fear Will Cast No Shadow (2007) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

7. Cryptopsy - "Anoint the Dead" from The Unspoken King (2008)

8. Drown in Sulphur - "Absentia" from Vengeance (2025) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

9. Bury Tomorrow - "What If I Burn" from Will You Haunt Me, with That Same Patience (2025) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

10. Orthodox - "One Less Body (feat. Brann Dailor)" from A Door Left Open (2025)

11. Malevolence - "So Help Me God" from Where Only the Truth is Spoken (2025)

12. Dal Av - "Protohuman" from Protohuman (2025)

13. We Came as Romans - "Shapes" from Dreams (2008)

14. Ankor - "Embers" from Shoganai (2024)

15. Bury Your Dead - "Year One" from Year One (2008)

16. Architects - "Even If You Win, You're Still a Rat" from Daybreaker (2012)

17. Confessions of a Traitor - "Fearless" from Guided (2019)

18. The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "Clarissa Explains Cuntainment" from Nuclear. Sad. Nuclear (2005)

19. Botch - "Closure" from The Unifying Themes of Sex, Death and Religion (1997) (based on Unifying Themes Redux reissue, 2002) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

20. Frontierer - "Glitcher" from Unloved (2018)

21. Ion Dissonance - "O.A.S.D." from Solace (2005)

22. The Chariot - "The Deaf Policemen" from The Fiancee (2007)

23. Polaris - "Fault Line" from Fatalism (2023) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

24. Calva Louise - "Impeccable" from Impeccable (2025)

25. Demon Hunter - "Light Bends" from Light Bends (2025)

26. Blessthefall - "See You on the Outside" from Hollow Bodies (2013)

27. Moments - "Black Widow" from Hopes & Dreams (2015)

28. Wage War - "Will We Ever Learn" from Pressure (2019)

29. The Amity Affliction - "All That I Remember" from All That I Remember (2025) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

30. Wolves at the Gate - "Unrest" from Wasteland (2025) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

July 2025

1. Nightwish - "The Poet and the Pendulum" from Dark Passion Play (2007)

2. Deep Purple - "Speed King" from Deep Purple in Rock (1970)

3. Black Sabbath - "Sweet Leaf" from Master of Reality (1971)

4. Ozzy Osbourne - "No More Tears" from No More Tears (1991)

5. Rainbow - "Stargazer" from Rising (1976)

6. Diamond Head - "Am I Evil?" from Lightning to the Nations (1980)

7. Fireforce - "The Battle of Ramadi" from The Battle of Ramadi (2025)

8. Iron Maiden - "Flight of Icarus" from Piece of Mind (1983)

9. Queensryche - "Take Hold of the Flame" from The Warning (1984)

10. Airforce - "The Fury" from Acts of Madness (2025)

11. Stratovarius - "Hunting High and Low" from Infinite (2000) (based on Best of compilation (2016))

12. Visions of Atlantis - "Hellfire" from Pirates II: Armada (2024)

13. Manticora - "Echoes of a Silent Scream" from To Kill to Live to Kill (2018) [Suggested by Sonny]

14. Alestorm - "The Storm" from The Thunderfist Chronicles (2025)

15. Gloryhammer - "He Has Returned" from He Has Returned (2024)

16. Warkings - "Kings of Ragnarok" from Kings of Ragnarok (2025)

17. Sabaton - "Hordes of Khan" from Hordes of Khan (2025)

18. Battle Beast - "Last Goodbye" from Last Goodbye (2025)

19. Time Requiem - "Visions of New Dawn" from Time Requiem (2002)

20. Symphony X - "In the Dragon's Den" from Twilight of Olympus (1998)

21. Volbeat - "Evelyn" from Beyond Hell / Above Heaven (2010)

22. Xerath - "Veil Part 2" from Xerath III (2014) [Suggested by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

Here's my review summary:

Conflиct has diverse maturity in their songwriting. The blend of industrial and groove is quite fresh and is different from how other bands do it. I enjoy Anna Hel's growls here, filled with emotion and passion. However, her cleans rely a little too much on autotune and almost come out as unnatural. I'm glad her contributions with Mechina involve just her growls. The riffing is often djenty, though they sometimes soften in the background to let the vocals shine. I enjoy this catchy heavy-melodic blend, often exploring the more progressive side of the djent-ish industrial groove metal sound that intrigues me. For those wanting more of the heavier side of Sybreed but with a female vocalist, I would recommend this offering. And I'm up to hearing more of Anna Hel's vocals. Well, mostly her growls....

4/5

Recommended tracks: "Circular Transition", "Mechanism of Life", "Rebuild the Parasite", "Half Man, Half Machine", "The Elements of a New Era", "Invisible Thread"

For fans of: Fear Factory, Mechina (especially Anna Hel's guest appearances), Sybreed

Here's my review summary:

Metalcore bands like Undying have really touched the hearts of people who were around my age (mid-20s) or younger back then. As always, Undying provide their melodic metalcore sound that was only in the early stages of popularity. There are some things different in At History's End compared to the previous album. More direct melodies, more hardcore riffs, and more poetic lyrics, the latter recited by female vocalist Logan White, replacing Timothy Roy. You gotta admire Logan's lyrical spirit! At History's End really should've had as much love and recognition as the more mainstream bands out there. Still it's fine staying underground. Now that the band has reformed recently, they now have time to create a new part of their melodic metalcore evolution and maybe hit that perfect 5-star mark. Their history shall be ongoing!

4.5/5

Recommended tracks: "Reckoning", "As Above", "For the Dying", "The Age of Grace"

For fans of: Allegiance-era As Blood Runs Black, early Killswitch Engage, Prayer for Cleansing

Here's my review summary:

I think we can thank two talented masterminds here for the brilliant idea of mixing metal and progressive jaxx, starting with the amazing guitarist Ron Jarzombek. He can handle time signatures and tempos in an impressive way that barely anyone else can with technical riffs and jazzy solos. The audible bass playing of Doug Keyser is PERFECT!!! Standing by with the guitar like a 3-legged race. What a duo of geniuses! Of course we can't ignore the other two band members, including vocalist Alan Tecchio. His high vocals are a usual part of progressive thrash, performed so well. It's impressive how high he can go while following the music. It sounds like he can do it normally with no struggle. Excellent! And finally, there's Rick Colaluca, whose style is very much the same as you would hear in jazz fusion. Imagine having an octopus drummer who's a fan of jazz and Megadeth, that's Rick right there! He has to make all those intricate time signature patterns, and yet it's all performed flawlessly. Keyser wrote and co-wrote all of the songs in this album, and Jarzombek has helped with some of the writing assisting him with the jazzy guitar progression as usual. Many highlights have insane jazzy soloing from Jarzombek as Keyser continues his amazing bass journey. So yeah, Control and Resistance deserves a perfect 5 stars for being able to add jazz into prog-thrash without messing anything up, with all that inspiring technicality and masterful writing. This is a jazzy metal treat to love!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "Instruments of Random Murder", "The Eldritch", "The Fall of Reason", "Hidden Instincts", "Dangerous Toy"

For fans of: Fates Warning, Sieges Even, Think This-era Toxik

Here's my review summary:

When lead vocalist Marc Hudson joined the band, some changes were made compared to the ZP Theart era. The songs are shorter and more restrained in length (except for an 11-minute epic), but they've added more adventurous diversity. Warp Speed Warriors sees the band exploring different territories as they did in Extreme Power Metal while not drastically diverting from their usual sound. So expect the usual speed, anthemic power, slight humor, and a cover song more powerful than its original (though it still can't beat the previous album's Celine Dion cover). As always, the band has shown what power metal should really be; fast tempos and technical soloing added to the genre's usual dose of epic and uplifting melody. But they sometimes like to make things more interesting and fresh by slowing things down for an 80s rock-inspired ballad and a couple goofy fun mid-tempo tracks. The deluxe edition comes with alternate editions of several tracks, the first 3 of which have guests from bands like Trivium, Arch Enemy, and Amaranthe. Talk about a powerhouse of metal guests! And they all perform their roles well. Hail the warriors!

4.5/5

Recommended tracks: "Astro Warrior Anthem"*, "Burning Heart"*, "Doomsday Party"*, "The Killer Queen", "Pixel Prison"

*Including guest vocalist editions

For fans of: Amaranthe, Gloryhammer, Kamelot

Here's my sneak peek submission for the August Guardians playlist:

Mechina - "Gene Heresy" (from Telesterion, 2019)

Update for August:

THE FALLEN: VINNY, Sonny

THE GATEWAY: ANDI, Saxy

THE GUARDIANS: SONNY, Karl, Andi

THE HORDE: VINNY, Sonny, Karl

THE INFINITE: SAXY, Andi

THE NORTH: KARL, Vinny, Sonny

THE PIT: SONNY, Vinny

THE REVOLUTION: ANDI

THE SPHERE: ANDI

Ben, please add Ravenface.

Thanks again, Daniel!

8 minutes of boring dark ambient which, apart from turning a half-hour EP into a full album, is uncalled for:

Native instruments such as the bandura are in superb balance with heavy riffing:

A more progressive highlight, mixing the mid-2000s eras of Enslaved, Leprous, and Opeth:

It's not often you hear flute after extreme fury, but it works out well in this deathly standout:

I've just given this release some listening and a review to continue exploring some progressive-ish melodic black/death after my experience with Shylmagoghnar's Emergence, and while it is a blackened death metal album, there's still enough melody for this still to still be melodic black metal. If this was added to The Horde and I was in that clan, I would vote in the melodic death metal subgenre. I also hear a lot of progressiveness in this offering as well, at times sounding like a blend of the mid-2000s eras of Enslaved, Leprous, and Opeth, so I would definitely vote YES for the entry of adding this album to The Infinite.

I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.

Thanks, Daniel. Also their 2022 album Elegy now qualifies as deathcore within the RYM 2:1 ratio: FOR - 40, AGAINST - 12. So could you please end this hall entry and pass the nomination uncontested: https://metal.academy/hall/382

May 2025

1. Any Given Sin – Insidious (2023)

2. Cave In – The World Is In Your Way (2005)

3. Clown – Love (2021)

4. DAGames – United We Stand (2016)

5. A Day to Remember – Make It Make Sense (2025)

6. Engine – Fascination Street (2002)

7. Exilia – Stop Playing God (2004)

8. Future Palace – Roses (2022)

9. Gonemage – Crawlspace (2024)

10. Islander – What Do You Gotta Lose? (2022)

11. Lacuna Coil – Zombies (2014)

12. My Ruin – Ready for Blood (2008)

13. Nothing more – Jenny (2013)

14. Puya – Oasis (1999)

15. Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol – Shoo-in (2022)

16. Saint Asonia – Devastate (2022)

17. Sensor – Resistance Now (2009)

18. Toothgrinder – The Shadow (2017)

19. The Urge – Jump Right In (1998)

20. Vexes – Head over Heels (2019)

21. We Butter the Bread with Butter – Alles was ich will (2013)

22. The Wreckage – Breaking Through (2011)

The most deathcore-fueled of this trio of tracks, particularly in the vocals:

More of the band's symphonic black metal influences appear here:

The dark djenty wonders commence in this epic extreme highlight:

Another epic new single from the upcoming Lorna Shore album:

Good feedback, David! I see you've been enjoying a lot of the deathcore and mathcore in my playlist, plus a few melodic metalcore tracks. I would recommend to you the albums those songs have appeared on, especially Ritual Hymns which is one of my all-time favorite symphonic blackened deathcore albums that isn't Lorna Shore and a perfect way to get into that kind of style. Also please feel free to submit one or two tracks per month for the monthly Revolution playlists. Here's the thread to submit tracks: https://metal.academy/forum/14/thread/484

Brutality and melody are in perfect balance in this highlight:

The guitar melodies and breakdown brutality are so delightful in this standout:

Absolute fire that makes perhaps the most powerful highlight of this album:

The band unleash their complex skills in a prime example of their symphonic deathcore/melodeath sound:

Ben, please add The Breathing Process' 2003 non-demo EP Dialog Analysis for the Heartless.

If they had more of the clean choruses from this bonus demo track in the actual album, I would rate it higher:

Lots of vicious headbanging moments in this winning highlight:

Great heavy start, though keep that in mind before the remaining full songs of the album follow the same formula:

A marvelous blend of progressive complexity and thrashy aggression with catchy vocal hooks:

The most mathematic thrashy progressive metal can be found in this overture:

And this epic:

The drama is lost by sounding laughable and, well, stupid:

A true trail of noise and destruction:

The addition of several of my judgement submissions into the Hall has ended up creating a wild coincidence involving 3 different cover arts:

As you can see, the Sonic Violence cover art consists of a drawing of an Iron Giant-like silver robot dude, and the Cryptopsy cover art consists of a futuristic post-apocalyptic dystopian wasteland. The Conflиct cover art looks like it has combined those other two artworks and made it better, by making the silver robot dude more realistic and adding him to a more detailed dystopian wasteland. Now that I think about it, I can kind of say the same about the music itself! In that Conflиct album, they take the electro-industrial of Sonic Violence and some of the death metal of Cryptopsy, then add in some melodic groove for a much better stylistic mix. At least that's what I'm hearing...

Thanks Daniel.