Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies
January 2025
1. Dawn of Ashes - "Thirteen Chants to Lilith" from The Crypt Infection II (Non Serviam) (2019)
2. Celldweller - "Unshakeable" from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
3. Fear Factory - "Zero Signal" from Demanufacture (1995) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
4. Meathook Seed - "Day of Conceiving" from Embedded (1993)
5. Davey Suicide, Telle Smith - "Medicate Me" from Rock Ain't Dead (2020)
6. HEALTH, Filter - "FREE TO DIE" from RAT WARS ULTRA EDITION (2024)
7. Lord of the Lost, Feuerschwanz - "Lords of Fyre" from Lords of Fyre (2024)
8. Red Harvest - "Dead Cities" from A Greater Darkness (2007) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
9. Psyclon Nine - "Anaesthetic (For the Pathetic)" from Crwn Thy Frnicatr (2006) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
10. Device - "Out of Line (feat. Serj Tankian & Terry "Geezer Butler)" from Device (2013)
11. Northlane - "Freefall" from Alien (2019)
12. Eisbrecher - "Everything is Wunderbar" from Everything is Wunderbar (2024)
13. Megaherz - "Engelsgesicht" from In Teufels Namen (2023)
14. Knorkator - "Eigentum" from Das nächste Album aller Zeiten (2007)
15. Combichrist - "Heads Off" from CMBCRST (2024)
16. Static-X - "From Heaven" from Project: Regeneration Vol. 2 (2024)
17. Blacklodge - "All Seeing Eye" from Machination (2012)
18. Shining - "Off the Hook" from One One One (2013)
19. Strapping Young Lad - "Consequence" from SYL (2003)
20. Brujeria – "Molestando Ninos Muertos" from Matando gueros (1993) [submitted by Daniel]
21. Ministry - "No W Redux" from Houses of the Mole (2004)
22. Pitchshifter - "Underachiever" from Infotainment? (1996)
23. OOMPH! - "Bastard" from Unrein (1998)
24. Sybreed - "Twelve Megatons Gravity" from Antares (2007) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
25. Turmion Katilot - "Schlachter" from Reset (2024) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
26. Neo Inferno 262 - "Pleonectic" from Pleonectic (2023)
27. Mechina - "The Assembly of Tyrants" from The Assembly of Tyrants (2005)
28. Neurotech - "Ultra Us" from Infra Versus Ultra (2014)
January 2025
1. Hollow Front - "Afflicted" from Loose Threads (2020)
2. The Browning - "MISERY.exe" from OMNI (2024) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
3. Shadow of Intent - "Flying the Black Flag" from Flying the Black Flag (2024)
4. Carnifex - "Dragged into the Grave" from Die Without Hope (2014) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
5. Aviana - "Ominous" from Polarize (2017)
6. Alleviate - "DMNS" from DMNS (2024)
7. Haste the Day - "For a Lifetime" from When Everything Falls (2005) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
8. Thrown - "Dislike" from EXCESSIVE GUILT (2024)
9. Malevolence - "Eternal Torment" from Reign of Suffering (2013)
10. Signs of the Swarm - "Bleak Cycle" from Senseless Order (2016)
11. Oceano - "Plague Campaign" from Depths (2009)
12. Elwood Stray - "Reset" from Burn the Bridge (2017)
13. Kingdom of Giants - "Hope" from Every Wave of Sound (2013)
14. Black Veil Brides - "Knives and Pens" from Re-Stitch These Wounds (2020) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
15. Enter Shikari - "Sorry, You're Not a Winner" from Take to the Skies (2007) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
16. Dal Av, Jackson Rose - "Insanely Illegal Cage Fight" from Insanely Illegal Cage Fight (2023)
17. All That Remains - "Forever Cold" from Forever Cold (2024) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
18. Trivium - "Forsake Not the Dream" from In Waves (2011) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
19. Vicious Rain, Half Me - "Hysteria" from There is Beauty in Letting Go (2024)
20. Vianova - "Wheel of Fortune" from Wheel of Fortune (2024)
21. Imminence - "Lighthouse" from Turn the Light On (2019)
22. Shadows Fall - "In the Grey" from In the Grey (2024)
23. Ankor - "Shoganai" from Shoganai (2024)
24. Architects - "Whiplash" from Whiplash (2024)
25. Earth Crisis – "Eden's Demise" from Firestorm E.P. (1993) [submitted by Daniel]
26. Void of Vision - "As Above So Below" from Children of Chrome (2016)
27. Converge - "Locust Reign" from The Poacher Diaries (1999)
28. Psyopus - "Medusa" from Odd Senses (2009)
29. Ion Dissonance - "Play Dead... And I'll Play Along" from Solace (2005)
30. Car Bomb - "Spirit of Poison" from 'w^w^^w^w' (2012)
31. Underoath - "To Whom It May Concern" from Define the Great Line (2006)
32. Make Them Suffer - "Small Town Syndrome" from Make Them Suffer (2024)
if you enjoy technical thrash metal with death metal leanings (yes Daniel, that's you), you owe it to yourself to devote some time to this release.
To clarify, I enjoy melodic Kawaii thrash with trance metal & melodic metalcore influences exclusively.
Now that's something to add to my "unusual metal genre blends" bucket list.
Here's my submission for the February Guardians playlist:
Savatage - "Strange Reality" (from Streets: A Rock Opera, 1991)
Hope you have a better healthy start to the new year, Vinny. Get well soon.
A lot has changed throughout my 5 and a half years as a Metal Academy member. When I first joined, I was in the metalcore/progressive/melodeath zone, hence my initial Horde/Infinite/Revolution clan lineup. Back then, I had already dumped my earlier interest in the more epic melodic power/symphonic metal for those heavier modern metal genres, but I was motivated to revive that melodic side of my metal palate, switching from The Horde to The Guardians, along with The Fallen as I started to explore some gothic metal/death-doom/post-sludge. Sometime later, I faded out from The Fallen/Guardians genres (again for the latter) and switched from those clans to The Gateway and later The Sphere, since the playlists for those clans included some songs that sparked up my interest for alt-/industrial metal. In fact, I've barely heard of industrial metal until around 4 years ago, and now that I'm in The Sphere and have been assembling that clan's playlists for two and a half years, my industrial metal knowledge has expanded quite vastly and sealed that genre as one of my favorites. And I have a lot more to find there, like its overlooked yet underrated subgenre cyber metal. So all these special features, reviews, and recommendations have changed my metal path for the better, and my time in the site has paid off as well. I'm so grateful to be here all these years....
Ben, please add these bands:
Any Given Sin
Seasons After
Thanks, Daniel. Glad you agree.
Ben, please add Daedalean Complex.
Metalcore/post-hardcore band from Ohio:
Checking out that Monolithe album earlier this month was the boost I needed to be up for more of the melodic death-doom sound from these Finnish masters of the genre:
Once again getting into more of the progressive metal zone, here are a few bands I enjoy now including the progressive tech-death of these two bands:
These two more melodic progressive metal/rock bands:
And the epic symphonic in-between of Xerath:
December 2024
1. Altesia – Mouth of the Sky (2021)
2. Atomic Guava – Tether (2024)
3. Chaos Divine – Landmines (2015)
4. Devin Townsend – Goodbye (2024)
5. DGM – From Ashes (2024)
6. Extol – Reflections of a Broken Soul (1998)
7. Fates Warning – One (2000)
8. Hemotoxin – Reborn in Tragedy (2024)
9. Intronaut – The Unlikely Event of a Water Landing (2015)
10. Kardashev – Silvered Shadows (2022)
11. Mur – Vitrun (2024)
12. The Ocean – Unconformities (2023)
13. Opeth – S4 (2024)
14. Pyrrhon – Not Going To Mars (2024)
15. Tesseract – Luminary (2018)
16. Textures – To Erase a Lifetime (2008)
17. Trenches – Pathways (2008)
18. You Win Again Gravity – Dreadbound (2024)
November 2024
1. Amiensus – Solfario (2024)
2. Anciients – Raise the Sun (2013)
3. Arch Echo – SUPER SUDDEN DEATH (2023)
4. Arcturus – Crashland (2015)
5. Black Crown Initiate – A Great Mistake (2014)
6. Cynic – Integral Birth (2008)
7. Hammers of Misfortune – Widow’s Wall (2006)
8. Hippotraktor – The Indifferent Human Eye (2024)
9. In Vain – Watch For Me On The Mountain (2024)
10. Jakub Zytecki, David Maxim Micic – Eternal Fact of Water (2015)
11. Night Verses – Bound To You (2024)
12. Ramage Inc. – Humanity Has Failed (2023)
13. The Resonance Project – Ad Astra (2023)
14. Scale The Summit – Trapped in Ice (2015)
15. Sumac – Clutch of Oblivion (I) (2016)
16. Thy Catafalque – Piros kocsi, fekete éj (2024)
17. Textures – Polars (2003)
18. Thrailkill – Exercise in Futility (2020)
19. Vintersea – Celestial Abscission (2024)
it'd be cool if there was a band that was like Skinny puppy if they played metal, but I failed to find it.
How about Front Line Assembly's Millennium? The band was formed by ex-Skinny Puppy member Bill Leeb, and Millennium is the most metal album in their discography.
Welcome to Metal Academy, MiNd KeYs! The more progressive and boundary-pushing industrial metal releases that I've experienced are the ones that cross over between The Infinite and The Sphere clans. Those include:
Dødheimsgard - Supervillain Outcast
OLD - Lo Flux Tube
OLD - The Musical Dimensions of Sleastak
Strapping Young Lad - The New Black
Voivod - Phobos (although I consider it much more progressive than industrial)
If you would also like post-industrial metal (as in a combination of post-metal and industrial metal), I might also add:
Corrections House - Last City Zero
Godflesh - Post Self
Red Harvest - HyBreed
And I don't know if you like the more underrated and overlooked cyber metal subgenre, but if you do, I would also recommend Mechina's Acheron, a journey through epic cinematic progressive cyber metal.
Please feel free to check out those releases and hope they match what you're looking for. Enjoy!
The perfect music and lyrics to end the cyber metal adventure of Neurotech's Infra Versus Ultra:
A few of the greatest highlights of The Decipher Volumes, one per each volume, including the ultimate cyber metal anthem:
This dominating dance-y standout:
And the grand ambient finale:
The shortest and weakest failure of Neurotech's debut album:
The best highlight in this good yet humble start of Neurotech's career (besides the Transhuman EP):
Ben, please add these Fire From the Gods releases:
Eat
Narrative Retold
This dynamic highlight can sound so melancholic and malicious, sometimes at the same time:
Nice one, Storm_Lord!
Two new singles have come out last Friday, this one another kick-A single by this Australian alt-rock/metal band:
And as for this one below... two groundbreaking Asian modern metal bands UNITE!
The perfect climax of slow progressive death-doom, as growls and cleans battle it out once more:
One of the greatest standouts of this progressive death-doom offering, unleashing guitar aggression in contrast with the string tranquility:
I've given this album some listening and a review to explore some progressive death-doom after I was tricked by Novembre's 1994 progressive gothic black metal debut, and you're absolutely right there, Sonny. The complex structures, tempo changes, and extensive keyboard ambience greatly define progressiveness, to go with the doomy melancholy. I'll be voting YES for this entry once it makes it into the Hall.
This progressive thrash instrumental journey can be considered the Quadra Crusade:
An orchestral march leads into high-speed chaos in this blazing epic opening track:
I can definitely hear some thrash in the few thrash tunes you have mentioned in your review ("Isolation", "Last Time", "Ali"). However, even "Means to an End" blasts through with the thrash/groove metal of The Haunted, according to my ears. And even the more progressive tracks like "Guardians of Earth" and "The Pentagram" don't sound too far from thrash, with the latter track having some similar ideas to the title instrumental of Trivium's The Crusade. So I'll have to vote NO for this entry, Daniel. But I'll vote YES for the entry adding this album to The Infinite.
I've done my review, here's its review summary:
The 80s thrash tsunami occurred mostly in the US, the UK, and Germany, but one band from Brazil has propelled that country into the scene. Sepultura brought Brazilian thrash metal forward with albums Beneath the Remains and Arise. Though longtime thrash fans were turned off by their switch to groove metal in Chaos A.D. and the more Korn-ish nu metal of Roots. After that, frontman Max Cavalera quit the band, followed by his brother drummer Igor a decade later. The band has continued to stay active, all the way up to this year (as of my review), when they started a farewell tour that will last until 2026. More often than not, when a thrash band tries to relive their 80s era of destruction and mayhem, it doesn't reach the same glory as that era. However, the thrash sound in the band's possible final album before retiring has been given more modern depth, and whether or not you've only heard one of Max Cavalera's other projects like Nailbomb or Soulfly beforehand, you can't resist the tribal heaviness of this band now led by top-notch vocalist Derrick Green. Bassist Paulo Jr. and guitarist Andreas Kisser have kept the band going throughout their history, heating things up with the riffing and shredding. And we have the rocket-powered drumming of Eloy Casagrande, who didn't stick around for the farewell tour. Quadra is an album of 4 different 3-track sections that practically pay tribute to their different eras. In my full review, I've named them after 4 of the classical elements; the "Thrash Fire", the "Groove Earth", the "Progressive Water", and the "Melodic Air". Of course, each section doesn't strictly follow its respective sound. The "Thrash Fire" section can bring in some groove for a thrash/groove blend similar to The Haunted. The "Groove Earth" section can go progressive at times. The "Progressive Water" section is more than just that, as I consider a couple highlights each an epic progressive groove/thrash fest. The "Melodic Air" section has two melodic heavy metal/hard rock tracks that are stylistically untouched, nor does their sound bleed into the other sections while makes this one the odd section out. Anyone who has enjoyed Sepultura since before their move out of thrash 30 years ago will find something to love, and those who came here for progressive energy and/or earthly groove will be in luck. This blend of thrash and groove is similar to Slayer's final album Repentless, only lightyears better and more progressive. I think Quadra can win back earlier Sepultura fans while also bring newcomers who have spent time with music from bands like Machine Head and Gojira. The possible final offering from these Brazilian thrash masters shall be worth it for any metalhead!
4.5/5
Cool, thanks Ben!
THE FALLEN: Novembre - Dreams d'azur (2002) 4/5
THE GATEWAY: Devin Townsend - PowerNerd (2024) 4.5/5
THE INFINITE: Atheist - Unquestionable Presence (1991) 5/5
THE PIT: Sepultura - Quadra (2020) 4.5/5
THE REVOLUTION: Imminence - The Black (2024) 4.5/5
Another solid month for feature releases, with many of them, including the ones I've nominated, being fantastic albums that I would recommend to fans of their respective genres. Keep up the good work on the feature releases, all! I look forward to more...
Too much of a dramatic sh*tter:
Lots of speed and destruction from the music and vocals, with a fun anthemic chorus:
Kicking things off hard is this heavy track in which fast rhythms and grooves stick together with some clean melodies:
Ben, please add the Neurotech compilation album The Decipher Volumes.
An epic piece of majestic symphonic metalcore:
A true f***ing banger of alt-metalcore:
I've done my review, here's its summary:
Swedish violin-fueled metalcore masters Imminence has been gaining a lot more fans with their successful 2021 album Heaven in Hiding. Their growing maturity has pulled them towards their vision to please metalcore listeners with a unique atmospheric sound. Several singles for that album and its deluxe edition have spawned, and they came with immersive music videos for anyone wanting more than just the music experience. And now they're back with their new album The Black! Despite half the amount of songs having already been released as singles, their great consistency is still on, with heaviness from breakdowns and melodies from hooks. And of course, the violin is what helps them stay nicely different, while the songs attack with thick riffs and rhythms that fit with the drumming of Peter Hanstrom. You can expect songs focused on heavy aggression or majestic symphonics or both. Let your mind absorb The Black and remember the band's game-changing ways in the metalcore scene. A big impact rising out of the void!
4.5/5
Recommended tracks: "Heaven Shall Burn", "Beyond the Pale", "Death by a Thousand Cuts", "The Call of the Void", "Continuum", "The Black"
For fans of: Architects, Ne Obliviscaris (for the blend of violins and metal), Northlane
Ah jeez... I was trying to ease myself through the drama of As I Lay Dying falling apart and their frontman Tim Lambesis involved in domestic violence, and now another band appears to have a similar ordeal. With Jon Allen's domestic abuse and subsequent firing, Sadus is down to its last member (Darren Travis) and dropped from their record label Nuclear Blast. I feel sorry for all affected and harmed in this matter and wish them the best.
The perfect summary of all the band had to offer in their 4th album:
The heavy guitars and drums, as well as emotional cleans and screams, can have you thinking of Architects with violins:
Just a sh*tty poppy track sounding like a leftover from their previous album This is Goodbye:
The epitome of epic ambient metalcore:
An amazing track with sweet piano and drums:
An amazing highlight to please metalcore fans who have been following Imminence in the 10 years since this album's release:
I have to admit, I was also sitting on the fence between whether or not I would consider this album and the 1994 debut black metal as a primary genre. While there are songs with a prominent black metal sound, whether in sections or as a whole, the other main genres have more of the spotlight. But ultimately, after some further listening, I've come to the conclusion that there is enough black metal to qualify. My opinion on the gothic metal side of the sound still stands though in the more mellow melancholic moments. So I'd consider both albums progressive/gothic/black metal, thereby voting YES for the entries adding them to The North and NO for the entries removing them from The Fallen.
Here are my sneak peek submissions for the January Sphere playlist:
Celldweller - "Unshakeable" (5:14) from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012)
Fear Factory - "Zero Signal" (5:57) from Demanufacture (1995)
Psyclon Nine - "Anaesthetic (For the Pathetic)" (4:02) from Crwn Thy Frnicatr (2006)
Red Harvest - "Dead Cities" (3:42) from A Greater Darkness (2007)
Sybreed - "Twelve Megatons Gravity" (5:44) from Antares (2007)
Turmion Katilot - "Schlachter" (3:49) from Reset (2024)
Total length: 28:28
Here are my sneak peek submissions for the January Revolution playlist:
All That Remains - "Forever Cold" (4:44) from Forever Cold (2024)
Black Veil Brides - "Knives and Pens" (4:16) from Re-Stitch These Wounds (2020)
The Browning - "MISERY.exe" (2:22) from OMNI (2024)
Carnifex - "Dragged into the Grave" (3:54) from Die Without Hope (2014)
Enter Shikari - "Sorry, You're Not a Winner" (4:12) from Take to the Skies (2007)
Haste the Day - "For a Lifetime" (3:23) from When Everything Falls (2005)
Trivium - "Forsake Not the Dream" (5:20) from In Waves (2011)
Total length: 28:11