Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

I don't know if this one works, but hopefully there's a way to enhance it:

With Rex pointing out the 35th anniversary of Marty Friedman's debut Dragon's Kiss, I thought it would be a good time to resurrect this thread again. So for Rex and any other neoclassical/speed metal fans here, wish this album a happy birthday:

Also on that day is the 10th anniversary of one of my favorite albums by spacey post-sludge metallers Rosetta:

Solid list, Rex! This might be great for a possible neoclassical metal Guardians clan challenge. What do you think, Ben?

Although my ultimate favorite album is Trivium's In Waves, I feel like there are some songs by Bullet for My Valentine that relate to me very well. When I have few dark struggles elsewhere, I feel the need to unleash my energy, and show that I don't wanna give up, yet I don't wanna hurt anyone, even when everything's too much to handle. This song provides a great example of that:

The Gathering's second album Almost a Dance.

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

Circle of Dust - "Exploration - Redux" (3:50) from Circle of Dust (1995, 2016 remaster)

Deathstars - "Tongues" (3:45) from Termination Bliss (2006)

Fear Factory - "New Messiah" (4:30) from Re-Industrialized (2023)

Godflesh - "Land Lord" (4:56) from Purge (2023)

Pain - "Season of the Reaper" (6:38) from You Only Live Twice (2011)

SKYND - "Katherine Knight" (5:08) from Chapter II (2019)

Total length: 28:47

Here are my submissions for the September Revolution playlist:

Any Given Day - "Endurance" (4:45) from Everlasting (2016)

As I Lay Dying - "Blinded" (3:22) from Shaped by Fire (2019)

Electric Callboy - "Best Day" (3:58) from Crystals (2015)

Emmure - "A Gift a Curse" (4:10) from Eternal Enemies (2014)

Northlane - "Corruption" (3:54) from Discoveries (2011)

The Word Alive - "Your Mirage" (3:59) from Real (2014)

Unbroken - "Zero Hour" (3:48) from Ritual (1993)

Total length: 27:56

Here are my submissions for the September Infinite playlist:

Dødheimsgard - "Det tomme kalde mørke" (7:35) from Black Medium Current (2023)

Evergrey - "Closure" (3:08) from Monday Morning Apocalypse (2006)

Pestilence - "Soul Search" (3:19) from Spheres (1993)

Sikth - "Cracks of Light" (4:13) from The Future in Whose Eyes (2017)

The Ocean - "Permian: The Great Dying" (9:22) from Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic (2018)

Total length: 27:37

Here are my submissions for the September Gateway playlist:

Asking Alexandria - "Bad Blood" (3:31) from Bad Blood / Psycho (2023)

Beartooth - "Might Love Myself" (3:40) from Might Love Myself (2023)

Celldweller - "Own Little World" (3:33) from Celldweller (2003)

Disturbed - "The Best Ones Lie" (4:02) from Evolution (2018)

Five Finger Death Punch - "Coming Down" (4:01) from American Capitalist (2011)

In This Moment - "The Great Divide" (4:11) from The Dream (2008)

Lacuna Coil - "Aeon XX" (2:04) from Comalies XX (2022)

Northlane - "Freefall" (4:02) from Alien (2019)

Total length: 29:04

Another ambient alt-metalcore highlight, starting soft before the heavier side with screamed vocals and djenty riffing:

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

Alien is one of the best albums I've heard to blend genres from 3 of my clans; The Gateway, The Revolution, and The Sphere. And seeing how well-deserving their earlier albums are of The Infinite, it solidifies Northlane's reign as one of the most suitable bands for me. The band had already reached a decade since formation at that point. Continuing their quest for worldwide fame, they were able to overcome lineup/touring changes. Alien is a true definition of the new modern direction they're going for. Electronic synths become more emphasized, while the riff heaviness and breakdowns are still around. Marcus Bridge continues his vocal diversity. Bassist Brendon Padjasek, who's only in the band for this album, also performs noticeable screamed vocals in a few songs, alongside Marcus Bridge's cleans, and even a screaming duel between the two vocalists. Northlane continues to rise as the album Alien expands their style into different realms. The elements can evolve while the source stays intact. This album is highly enjoyable and can be treated like a journey from the dark Hell to the bright Heaven. A true masterpiece from the masters of futuristic modern metal!

5/5

August 2023

1. DAGames - "Born Champion (Overwatch Song)" from Born Champion (Overwatch Song) (2016) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

2. King Satan - "The Faces of the Devil" from The Faces of the Devil (2022)

3. Gothminister - "Monsters" from Empire of Dark Salvation (2005) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

4. Deathstars - "Motherzone" from Termination Bliss (2006) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

5. Clawerfield - "Emotion Zero" from Engines of Creation (2014)

6. Black Comedy - "Sum of All Shit" from Instigator (2008)

7. Black Light Discipline - "Walls Inside Us" from Against Each Other (2012)

8. Fear Factory - "Genexus" from Genexus (2015) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

9. Treponem Pal - "Screamers" from Screamers (2023)

10. Lard - "70s Rock Must Die" from '70's Rock Must Die (2000)

11. Decree - "Fateless" from Fateless (2011)

12. Mortiis - "Doppelganger - Die Krupps Extended Version" from The Great Corrupter (2017)

13. Mick Gordon - "BFG Division" from DOOM (2016) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

14. Samael - "Ailleurs" from Eternal (1999) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

15. OOMPH! - "Sex" from Sperm (1994)

16. Ministry - "Thieves" from The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste (1989)

17. Pitchshifter - "Please Sir" from www.pitchshifter.com (1998)

18. Old - "Citient Null" from Lo Flux Tube (1991)

19. Waltari - "Prime Time" from Space Avenue (1997)

20. Rammstein - "Bück dich" from Sehnsucht (1997)

21. KMFDM - "A Drug Against War" from Angst (1993)

22. Godflesh - "Jesu" from Hymns (2001)

23. Final Light - "In the Void" from In the Void (2022)

I actually had a chance to buy a ticket to an Anthrax concert in my country, but it never happened. Here's the full story: https://metal.academy/forum/13/thread/826#topic_7164

If that doesn't work, can you try cutting the text and pasting it into Notepad and then copying and pasting it back into the review, then pressing Save? I know that's an unwieldy solution, but it will just help me understand what's happening.

I've done that before and it works. You think that will work for you, Rex?

Great updates, Ben! We appreciate it.

Djenty metalcore with haunting ambience and Marcus Bridge's unstoppable vocal force:

Ambient alt-metalcore with perhaps the most f***ing brutal breakdown by the band:

A modern heavy highlight that any Northlane newcomers should start with:

Epic list, Rex!

I'm telling you, catchiness and brutality make a strong duo when it comes to djenty metalcore:

Ben, please add the Parkway Drive / Think Straight / Shoot to Kill split album What We've Built.

A flawless headbanging djent-ish metalcore mix of ambient and brutal that fans of Architects, Within the Ruins, and Invent Animate should get into:

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

DAGames - "Born Champion (Overwatch Song)" from Born Champion (Overwatch Song) (2016)

4/5. Let's start this playlist with a solid catchy tune inspired by the video game series Overwatch. Such a great hard-hitter!

King Satan - "The Faces of the Devil" from The Faces of the Devil (2022)

4.5/5. H*ll yeah! Even the most satanic music doesn't have to be black metal. I mean I don't usually like the more satanic bands, but this is a f***ing house-shaker. It almost makes me want to say "Hail King Satan", though saying that wouldn't sound right for my standards. Can I get a "John 3:16" up in here?!

Gothminister - "Monsters" from Empire of Dark Salvation (2005)

5/5. The best track for me here, worth adding gothic-ish industrial metal to a club.

Deathstars - "Motherzone" from Termination Bliss (2006)

4.5/5. This one's amazing, but feels a little bothersome. I mean I love the warm chorus, but the change from techno groove to violent heaviness is abrupt.

Clawerfield - "Emotion Zero" from Engines of Creation (2014)

4/5. F***ing powerful cyber metal! What else can I say?!

Black Comedy - "Sum of All Shit" from Instigator (2008)

3.5/5. Ditto with this one, though some parts might be slightly sh*tty.

Black Light Discipline - "Walls Inside Us" from Against Each Other (2012)

4/5. F***ing beautiful electro-industrial/cyber metal from a practically unknown yet underrated band! As much of a banger this is, I have to say that I really like the lyrical phrase "Unstoppable oblivion".

Fear Factory - "Genexus" from Genexus (2015)

4.5/5. With more of that precise speed in this track, it fits well with Dino Cazares' crushing riffing.

Treponem Pal - "Screamers" from Screamers (2023)

4/5. Explore the wonders of industrial revolution with this sweet track! The beastly guitar talent is worth good respect. Think about this song as Ministry-style industrial metal with some riffing close to what Van Halen could do.

Lard - "70s Rock Must Die" from '70's Rock Must Die (2000)

3.5/5. This track is, in a word, HILARIOUS. Let me tell you, this is the band's attempt to parody the cheesy classic 70s rock of Aerosmith and AC/DC. The lyrics are quite ridiculous, especially the chorus that keeps declaring that this kind of sound must die. Biafra seems to do a good job impersonating Axl Rose of Guns n' Roses. You never usually hear something both headbanging and hilarious at the same time, and people say only Spinal Tap could do something like that. It's definitely a break from the punky attitude of bands like Dead Kennedys (Jello Biafra's former band). It's just so d*mn funny. I'm not sure what I was thinking adding that song to this playlist, but it's still good.

Decree - "Fateless" from Fateless (2011)

4/5. Apocalyptic industrial rock/metal to dive into a soundscape of dystopian Hell.

Mortiis - "Doppelganger - Die Krupps Extended Version" from The Great Corrupter (2017)

3.5/5. Somewhat of a thematic continuation from the previous track, though it could've honestly had some improvement.

Mick Gordon - "BFG Division" from DOOM (2016)

4/5. This man has never ceased to blessed fans of DOOM and/or its soundtrack with his music. A collaboration with Hans Zimmer would totally go beyond space and time!

Samael - "Ailleurs" from Eternal (1999)

3.5/5. This one will have you dancing along. It's almost close to the cyber metal sound The Kovenant would pioneer in Animatronic! Though some might also be reminded of Front Line Assembly.

OOMPH! - "Sex" from Sperm (1994)

3/5. One of only a few tracks in this album stand out for me. Enough said!

Ministry - "Thieves" from The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste (1989)

3.5/5. This one starts with a hyper guitar riff over a dance beat, then the verse has Al Jourgensen's distorted screams of "THIEVES AND LIARS!! MURDERERS!!! HYPOCRITES AND B****RDS!!!!" Then the chorus stops for a stretched guitar chord until one more scream of "THIEVES!!! LIARS!!!" Then the drums go full-on thrash, but they should've used real drums instead of programming. I'm guessing they couldn't find any drummers going that fast.

Pitchshifter - "Please Sir" from www.pitchshifter.com (1998)

4/5. This dark track has a black metal-sounding intro chord that makes that song the most enjoyable in its original album.

Old - "Citient Null" from Lo Flux Tube (1991)

4.5/5. An excellent track from an industrial/avant-garde metal classic album. To those looking for extra-terrestrial experimental metal, the search is over!

Waltari - "Prime Time" from Space Avenue (1997)

5/5. This favorite track of mine rocks out with heavy mid-paced groove before incredible hyper-thrash soloing. And it all starts from an 8-bit video game-sounding intro.

Rammstein - "Bück dich" from Sehnsucht (1997)

4.5/5. The masters of Neue Deutsche Härte have revolutionized modern metal in Germany, though they're currently in hot water due to some sexual allegations against vocalist Till Lindemann.

KMFDM - "A Drug Against War" from Angst (1993)

4/5. Also developing industrial rock/metal in Germany in the 90s is KMFDM. Although the band didn't make a full breakthrough until 1995's Nihil, this song from their 1993 album Angst is an early hint at their faster metal direction. Quite innovative!

Godflesh - "Jesu" from Hymns (2001)

4.5/5. Not many industrial metal songs can surpass this one, it's so beautifully haunting. The beauty is especially found in the clean hidden track, a good hint at the project Jesu, which Justin Broadrick would start in the aftermath of losing everything including his main band, money, house, and marriage, but with that project, he would slowly get his life and Godflesh back on track.

Final Light - "In the Void" from In the Void (2022)

4/5. One final track in this playlist is from a one-time collaboration project between Perturbator and Cult of Luna vocalist Johannes Persson. Although slightly too electronic and ending the playlist a little abruptly now that I look back at it, it will never disappoint fans of both artists. Long live the Cult!

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite some bumpiness in some places. Anyway, 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 Daniel for accepting this and your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Here's my review summary:

Converge is known as one of the pioneers of the metal/hardcore mix that is metalcore, and a developer of its mathematical subgenre mathcore. They're highly popular in the metalcore community despite the lack of mainstream attention. Its extreme taste might take a while to get used to but it has gotten better as time went on and the band would reach bigger labels for a bigger audience... I'm definitely sure you won't get straight into Converge right away. Listening to a band that extreme takes time for its full pleasure. I thought When Forever Comes Crashing only deserved a lower rating at first, but now I realize how incredibly extraordinary it is! I think another math/metalcore band this good is The Dillinger Escape Plan. Many of the songs strike with dissonant guitars and pummeling drums, and no metalcore fan can ever complain about the strong outstanding vocals, though it's astonishing how Jacob Bannon's vocal chords can survive his screaming sounding so intensely harsh. The songs are all strong for the most part with almost nothing being bad or week. And I think both the original album artwork created by Bannon and the reissue artwork by Aaron Turner (Isis) are amazing. However, the album and the band might not appeal to everyone in the world. Nonetheless, When Forever Comes Crashing is another fine metalcore album worth your money!

5/5

Here's my submission for the August Guardians playlist:

Volbeat - "Heaven nor Hell" (from Beyond Hell/Above Heaven, 2010)

Thanks, Ben! Judgement submissions coming soon...

Interesting idea, Rex! It would be great to find some albums that have very few ratings and make them more popular. Let's see what anyone else here thinks first...

Slam death metal is never usually my thing, as I tend to avoid the more brutal death metal subgenres, but Fanguine takes on a strong diverse direction in both the music and lyrical themes, instead of just gore, gore, and more gore. The music sounds quite good despite still sounding brutal, with several other metal genres thrown into their main technical/slam death metal sound. A couple highlights for me are the final two tracks; "Let Me Explain" with its "broken transmission" deathcore, and "Genocidal Genesis", a decently long progressive epic that still stands by their usual sound. I can definitely imagine the latter track making history in the extreme metal scene, and that final verse with "Angel of Death"-esque Nazi lyrics would definitely be making headlines. Lots of great moments in the album! Still too brutal for me, but highly recommendable for the more extreme metalheads. I give that album a personal rating of 3/5, or a percentage rating of 64%.

Emotional Suffering - Nocturnal Solitude

Primary genres: deathcore, melodic death metal

Secondary genres: dark folk, symphonic black metal, gothic metal

In November 19, 2027, an album is released to continue the rising scene of epic deathcore popularized by bands like Shadow of Intent, Lorna Shore, and Mental Cruelty. This is... Nocturnal Solitude by Emotional Suffering, a deathcore/melodic death metal band from Wisconsin. They expand on the dark lyrical themes mostly of death, depression, and loss, close to the lyrical themes that many doom metal bands have, but of course in a different sound. While sticking firmly in melodic deathcore, elements of genres like dark folk, symphonic black metal, and gothic metal are added into the mix. The ethereal yet spooky cover art is by a young artist inspired by the late Mariusz Lewandowski, a tree being blown heavily by a dark lightning storm, with a background mirage of a Grim Reaper. After the short symphonic blackened deathcore introductory title track that starts with a one-minute intro, you can expect a solid run of diverse melodic deathcore. Background female vocals can be found in the tracks "Darkness and Sorrow", "It's All We've Loved", and "Beyond the Killing End". The latter track is the 3-part 16-minute final epic, in a similar vein to the title suites of Shadow of Intent's Elegy and Lorna Shore's Pain Remains, though indexed as a full track. The second part is a 4-minute dark folk/ambient interlude, sandwiched between the two other 6-minute parts that have the usual melodic deathcore sound with symphonic black metal elements. The third part has less emphasis on deathcore, but it unleashes one final deathcore breakdown that, despite not being a single, can surpass that of Lorna Shore's "To the Hellfire", and a one-minute dark folk outro to end the album. Or at least the standard edition of the album. The edition released in Japan has a bonus track, a cover of Lorna Shore's "Immortal" released on YouTube the prior year, so popular upon upload, that's how they have gained a record label. The album sells well in a steady pace, and the aforementioned final breakdown and folk outro is often played at the end of concerts.

Lyrical themes: sadness (1, 5, 6, 7), death (2, 3, 4, 8, 9), loss (2, 4, 5, 6, 7), sorrow (3, 4, 8, 9), depression (3, 5, 7, 8)

1. Nocturnal Solitude (2:53, dark folk, deathcore, symphonic black metal)

2. Cut Up Alone (4:42, deathcore, melodic death metal)

3. Darkness and Sorrow (3:25, deathcore, gothic metal, melodic death metal)

4. Dead Tomorrow After Living Today (6:15, deathcore, melodic death metal, technical death metal)

5. Coma Eclipse (4:43, deathcore, folk metal, dark folk)

6. The Blackened Path of Silence (4:13, deathcore, melodic death metal)

7. Distant Calling (5:27, deathcore, melodic death metal, gothic metal)

8. It's All We've Loved (5:27, deathcore, gothic metal)

9. Beyond the Killing End (16:07, deathcore, melodic death metal, symphonic black metal, dark folk, dark ambient)

I. The Dwelling of Death (deathcore, melodic death metal, symphonic black metal)

II. Sun Without a New Year (dark folk, dark ambient)

III. It Ends Forever (melodic death metal, symphonic black metal, deathcore, dark folk)

10. Immortal (Lorna Shore cover) (Japanese edition bonus track) (6:48, deathcore, symphonic black metal, technical death metal)

There are a couple Attila albums I enjoy: Closure, Villain and Rage.

Rage and Outlawed are, to me, a perfect transition between their earlier metal/deathcore sound and their later nu metalcore. Villain and Closure I also find enjoyable.

Many albums from Attila, Emmure, and the deathcore era of Bring Me the Horizon. I can understand the hate for those bands/albums but I find them underrated and enjoy them far more than nearly everyone in the world does.

As much as I enjoy most of the new Freedom Call live album, a few tracks were a bit too happy-joy-joy for me. While I have mixed feelings for a couple of those tracks, this one is a strange sh*tter, in both the title and the song itself:

The ultimate highlight of Freedom Call's latest live album is actually a newly recorded studio track in honor of the eponymous festival:

But if you're expecting me to add something the main live part of the release, this is my pick:

Some more metalcore bands I now enjoy thanks to some amazing discoveries, including the deathgrind/core of Animosity:

The double female-fronted groove-ish metalcore of Butcher Babies:

And the melodic metalcore of these two bands:

Ben, please add the new Voivod re-recording album Morgoth Tales.

Ben, please add these new releases:

Butcher Babies - Eye for an Eye…

Butcher Babies - …'Til the World’s Blind

Waltari - 3rd Decade: Anniversary Edition

I've listened to that Devin Townsend album before, and I believe it to be a blend of atmospheric progressive metal and alternative metal, with a bit of industrial.

A brand-new emotional single from Beartooth as we wait for their upcoming album The Surface to surface:

Aside from the joke of the hair metal discussion, we still have people discussing, or even bickering, over whether or not Converge are too punk to be metal or too metal to be punk or both.

Metal Archives seems to think it's the former.

With some non-metal releases added to the site to be sent to the Hall of Judgement lately, I think it's a good time for me to suggest a couple more. Ben, please add the Psyclon Nine albums Crwn Thy Frnicatr and We the Fallen. I strongly believe there's a lot of industrial metal in the majority of those albums' tracks mixed with the band's earlier aggrotech.

All right! I look forward to seeing your list here, Rex.

Sounds like the industrial direction from the previous In This Moment album Mother will continue in their upcoming album Godmode. You'll know what I mean when you check out the brand-new single from this band led by modern metal goddess Maria Brink:

Moving further in my journey of symphonic black/death/metalcore, I had already crossed through early Make Them Suffer, then Lorna Shore, then Mental Cruelty's latest album, all leading up to this legendary EP by Abigail Williams. Songs like this kick off that unique underrated combo in an epic start:

Thrash aggression with a bit of melody, from the (at the moment) latest album from one of the most well-known American thrash bands besides the Big 4:

There was one song from this album that I discovered via a YouTube ad that made me up to checking out this band, and it's another well-done blend of heavy and ethereal:

Fair enough, Rex, for both the rule and what you think of the Kolossal albums. To be honest, when I was writing those song titles, a lot of ideas for what genres they should have came to mind, and I think I let my ideas run a little too wild. I tried to keep them in control for the second album, but it's still a similar problem to the first. Maybe if the songs I mentioned to have singles/music videos are compiled into their own album, we'll have a more enjoyable release of melodic death/power/symphonic metal. Anyway...

Now this Born from the Slime album is a little more up my alley! Crossover thrash/melodic metalcore are blended together along with some fun comedic elements, scoring some cool highlights in "The Gory Rebirth of Alex Kidd", "Drink", "I Burst Through a Wall and Felt Real Good", "Satanic Messages in the Static", and "Here's Your Grand Finale". The remaining 3 songs are too funky for me though. I give that album a personal rating of 4/5. My turn again, also with a different band...

Firebound - The Game of Flame

Primary genres: Technical thrash metal, progressive metal, heavy metal

Secondary genres: Power metal, neo-classical metal

1. Overpowered Beast (4:19, technical thrash metal, progressive metal)

2. The Game of Flame (4:49, progressive metal, technical thrash metal, heavy metal, power metal)

3. Everything Runs Wild (6:08, heavy metal, progressive metal, neo-classical metal)

4. Hell's Sofa (Instrumental) (7:30, technical thrash metal, progressive metal, neo-classical metal)

5. Over the Leviathan (7:38, technical thrash metal, symphonic death metal, progressive metal)

6. Dead Yet Victorious (5:30, technical thrash metal)

7. Shadows Falling (5:56, technical thrash metal, heavy metal)

8. Invictus Drift (4:15, progressive metal, heavy metal, power metal)

9. Ethereal Dreams (6:40, progressive metal, neo-classical metal)

10. Neon Paradise (3:54, progressive metal, power metal, heavy metal)

History:

Continuing the Kolossal story with a year added to the future, in late 2027, before recording of the band's second album can commence, one of their guitarists, who goes by the pseudonym Flameson Prime, calls it quits due to being dissatisfied with the band's indecisiveness between genres. Flameson wants to start a different band that can stick firmly in two or three genres that he likes with occasional visits to other genres. His new band Firebound is formed in early 2028, a technical thrash/progressive/heavy metal band with elements of power metal and neo-classical metal, a style he calls "epic bad@$$ action metal". The band record their debut The Game of Flame, releasing it on February 23, 2029. Songs released as singles/music videos are "Overpowered Beast", the title track, and "Over the Leviathan". There's also a music video for "Hell's Sofa", a 7 and a half minute instrumental tribute track to some of Flameson's favorite technical thrash and progressive metal bands, with the title parodying one of Dream Theater's instrumentals "Hell's Kitchen". The album gains more positive reception than any of the two Kolossal albums, with reviewers commenting on Flameson's motive for the band's sound being the right move, and mostly fitting well for the technical thrash revival, as many more bands of the subgenre are already forming thanks to bands like Coroner, Dark Angel, Demolition Hammer, and Sadus releasing their first albums in two or three decades (assuming that happens in the future). So anyone here in the present day, feel free to step into the imaginary future and get a chance to imagine-listen to this album and give it a suitable rating. A good future of technical thrash is nigh!

An atmospheric blend of beauty and heaviness, and the only track in this Finnish-sung album to have English lyrics:

Cool game, Rex! This is gonna be fun. For that Ovie Aries album, I'm not a fan of war/avant-garde metal, but I can recommend it to any fan of that combo. My personal rating would be 3/5, with "Left Behind" and the title track being my highlights. Now for my turn (two albums from one band if that's OK, might do more in my next turn)...

Band: Kolossal

Album 1: Cryogenic Pandemic

Primary genres: Melodic death metal, thrash metal, progressive metal, symphonic death metal

Secondary genres: Atmospheric black metal, heavy metal, alternative metal, power metal

1. Cold Singularity (Overture) (3:32, epic, Celtic folk, progressive folk, contemporary folk)

2. Cryogenic Pandemic (3:02, technical death metal, cybergrind, melodic death metal, black metal)

3. Octane Destruction (5:30, thrash metal, groove metal, heavy metal)

4. Replaced Existence (3:21, deathcore, melodic death metal, thrash metal, progressive metal)

5. Withering Course (3:17, melodic death metal, progressive metal)

6. Devouring Cataclysm (6:29, atmospheric black metal)

7. Dissonance is Here (3:39, melodic death metal, thrash metal, metalcore, symphonic metal, alternative metal)

8. Projected Wall (5:24, progressive metal, deathcore)

9. Cold Chronos (3:29, atmospheric black metal, symphonic metal, progressive metal)

10. Technical Hell (3:35, progressive metal, thrash metal, groove metal, industrial metal)

11. Siege of Oscillation (5:16, gothic metal, symphonic metal, melodic death metal)

12. Impervious to Death (3:53, thrash metal, power metal, speed metal, heavy metal)

13. Monster of Fear (2:46, heavy metal, power metal, symphonic metal)

14. Welcome to Your Fate (3:23, melodic metalcore, alternative metal, symphonic metal)

15. Fractured Vanguard (4:04, gothic metal, doom metal, alternative metal)

Album 2: Destruction of Equilibrium

Primary genres: Power metal, melodic death metal

Secondary genres: Progressive metal, symphonic metal

1. Destruction of Equilibrium (5:27, deathcore, technical death metal, progressive metal)

2. Seventh Reaction (6:27, folk metal, heavy metal)

3. Telekinetic Allegiance (6:21, progressive metal, power metal, melodic death metal, thrash metal)

4. Brain Storm (Mandragora Scream cover) (5:11, gothic metal)

5. Hell Necrosis (5:44, black metal, melodic death metal)

6. Parallel Resistance (6:36, heavy metal, folk metal, power metal)

7. The Forces of Evil (End of Time Part 1) (5:36, symphonic black metal, melodic death metal)

8. We Are Vengeance (End of Time Part 2) (5:57, melodic death metal, power metal, symphonic metal)

9. Chronos' Death (End of Time Part 3) (8:45, symphonic metal, progressive metal, power metal)

10. Will We Ever Die? (3:23, melodic metalcore, power metal, melodic death metal)

History:

Let's travel 5 years into the future for a glimpse at an upcoming heavily diverse metal band! Kolossal is formed in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2026, and their intention is to transcend through a huge variety of metal genres that the band members enjoy, all while following a conceptual saga about the Greek god of time, Chronos, with a sci-fi twist. The band consider their style to be "epic massive powerful shapeshifting metal". They record their debut album Cryogenic Pandemic, releasing it on February 19, 2027. The album receives good reception, but criticism is pointed towards the album title (referencing the COVID pandemic too soon), the band's indecisiveness between genres, the large amount of songs, and how condensed many of them are at a short length (mostly 3 to 4 minutes each). Songs released as singles/music videos are "Replaced Existence", "Withering Course", "Projected Wall", "Cold Chronos", "Siege of Oscillation", "Monster of Fear". The popularity of those songs (with "Withering Course" and "Monster of Fear" being the most popular) has encouraged Kolossal to seal a power/melodic death metal sound for their next album Destruction of Equilibrium, often dipping into progressive/symphonic metal, and several other genres though less frequently. There are 10 songs in the album, 9 of which are longer than 5 minutes. The remaining song "Will We Ever Die?" is a bonus re-recording/reprise of "Welcome to Your Fate", with different lyrics and a sound closer to that of the second album. A quest female vocalist was hired for the band's cover of "Brain Storm" by Mandragora Scream, a favorite song of one of the band members that fits well with one part of the concept. "Will We Ever Die?" was released as the album's lead single. This is then followed by singles/music videos for "Telekinetic Allegiance", "Hell Necrosis", "The Forces of Evil", and "We Are Vengeance". The music video for "Chronos' Death" will be released on July 21, 2028, the same day as the second album's release. Metal Academy members who have been on the site for at least a year get a secret link to the full album a week early. So anyone here in the present day, feel free to step into the imaginary future and get a chance to imagine-listen to this album and give it a suitable rating. And there will be more of the future of this band for me to explore in my next turn. Now onwards to a diverse future!

If you're up for some non-generic deathcore with atmospheric orchestral sounds, here's what I recommend to you, Rex:

Lorna Shore - Pain Remains

Make Them Suffer - Neverbloom

Mental Cruelty - Zwielicht

It's quite a strange thing to believe, but even a dark song about a real-life murder can be so mesmerizing:

I've just given the new Mental Cruelty album Zwielicht some listening and a review. It's one of the most epic albums of this year, but what's stopping me from giving it more than a 4-star rating? Well, the vocals of Lukas Nicolai are so powerful and diverse for the most part, yet the weakness lies in his attempts to imitate Lorna Shore's Will Ramos. I also would've liked the album a little more if it's not too heavily reliant on black metal in a couple songs. So that Mental Cruelty album is a prime example of a couple weaknesses that prevent an album from reaching total perfection for me; when the vocals try to purposely sound too much like someone else, and too much reliance on a genre I'm not usually up for.