Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies
Good requests, Xephyr, but Revel in Time is already in the site: https://metal.academy/releases/35090
Thanks, Saxy.
Good luck, Daniel! I look forward to seeing what you think of their new album.
Probably until the end of the month.
I'm up for it! I look forward to some more Infinite release discoveries. May I please be added to the roster?
To paraphrase part of my review, the EP was known as a blueprint for the modern deathcore, and after this band's split, the members would continue in more famous deathcore bands. Indeed not really a household name, yet their sound would be popularized by the avenging league.
Amazing how a band that only made a few songs in their two-year existence can make a big impact in the deathcore scene, isn't it?
A thunderous deathcore epic, the way the genre is meant to be done:
I would very much be the one who called it, it's just so epic for me! Also in that article, there's a motivational Facebook post from Will Ramos in 2014 (long before he joined Lorna Shore) that basically combats Nergal's suggestion. While there are consequences such as relentless amounts of touring and recording and how much money to make, it's a good dream. I might not be able to accomplish such a feat today, but I might in the future if I can practice doing what I can when I can. You just gotta not put yourself down and instead believe in yourself. There's never too many bands or too much music, there just needs to be a balance in everything. No standstills and no overloads.
Getting back into the early deathcore zone, this band can make pure absolute mayhem:
One of the absolute worst stinkers in death metal and metal in general. I don't f***ing need to say more:
Awful Marilyn Manson-sounding bullsh*t:
I'm no fan of Morbid Angel, or at least never dared to explore more than just this album, but this has pleased me as much as it can please longtime fans of the band:
I decided to give this album a listen after you mentioned its industrial elements pointed out, plus a few tracks appearing in the earlier monthly Sphere playlists (before the ones I created), and I hear what you mean. I can hear some machinery drumming and industrial rhythm. Needless to say, "Radikult" is one of two awful sh*tters in the album, sounding too much like Marilyn Manson. So I definitely agree with your Hall submission, DinaricWarrior. Now we wait until Daniel adds this entry to the Hall...
There are a couple highlights worth mentioning from Demon Hunter's new album, including a beautiful 7-minute epic featuring Tom S. Englund of Evergrey:
And this one having incredible radio single potential:
I've crossed through the new Saint Asonia and Disturbed releases, now what's one more release from one of the bands my brother likes? Nickelback's new album Get Rollin' starts promising with their heaviest song since "This Means War", the lead single "San Quentin", filled with Avenged Sevenfold-like hard rock/heavy metal. "Skinny Little Missy" follows with a bit of the hard rock/alt-metal instrumentation of the more melodic songs from the aforementioned Saint Asonia and Disturbed releases. Then afterwards, the quality dropped hard for the rest of the album, mostly just pop rock/melodic hard rock with slight hints of country, in around the same rock level as their previous two albums. Although I might recommend this album to my brother, there's no chance I would ever get rollin' with this, other than those two killer opening tracks....
2.5/5
The new Saint Asonia and Disturbed releases each start strong in the first half, but I've struggled a bit in the second half, especially with a couple weak sh*tters, such as this one tearing down what would've made this EP great:
And this ballad featuring Ann Wilson of Heart, which might appeal to the softer melodic fans, but for the heavier ones such as myself, not so much:
Back with a vengeance is one of my brother's favorite bands, and a good band for me too, Disturbed:
Daniel, I'm glad you enjoy Mnemic's debut Mechanical Spin Phenomena. I've started a listening/reviewing marathon for the band's discography, and while the debut is indeed an underrated start of a journey for the band and their listeners, it's their second album The Audio Injected Soul where the band perfected their modern futuristic metal style. I'm sure you can find a great kick of enjoyment out of this one:
For fans of Three Days Grace, Staind, and Shinedown who wanna hear heavier melancholic groove from the ex-frontman of the former band:
A true anthem of modern thrashy industrial/groove metal that fans of Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad, and Machine Head should get into:
A highlight of progressive-ish industrial/groove metal:
I did my review, here's its summary:
Mnemic has touched the hearts of modern metalheads, even after their split. The remaining founding member, guitarist Mircea Gabriel Eftemie was a master of polyrhythms, and his clear riffing and melodies that stay together when the mechanical bass and drums are what kept the band in place until things changed. He caused progressiveness from the guitar to switch out of what you hear from Opeth into a hint at a new djenty chapter... Their debut Mechanical Spin Phenomena is a solid start of the band futuristic industrial/groove metal journey, though it wouldn't be perfected until The Audio Injected Soul. This storm of modern sounds is something that has changed part of the course of metal in the 2000s. There's a lot of the mechanical Meshuggah riff power and keyboards, plus some spacey ambience here and there, all in an almost entirely good metallic mix of brutal industrial attacks and melodic synth depths. If you're up for that, then crank up the volume....
4/5
Recommended tracks: "Liquid", "Db'xx'd", "The Naked And The Dead", "Mechanical Spin Phenomenon", "Zero Gravity"
For fans of: Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad, Divine Heresy
I'm still quite new to industrial metal, despite my ongoing quest to find more of this genre, but I can do a top 5:
1. Northlane - Obsidian
2. Gothminister - Pandemonium
3. Psyclon Nine - Less to Heaven
4. Motionless in White - Scoring the End of the World
5. Fear Factory - Recoded
Here's my top 10:
1. Lorna Shore - Pain Remains
2. Upon a Burning Body - Fury
3. Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas - Cocoon for the Golden Future
4. Motionless in White - Scoring the End of the World
5. Deadguy - Buyer's Remorse
6. Betraying the Martyrs - Silver Lining
7. Chelsea Grin - Suffer in Hell
8. We Came as Romans - Darkbloom
9. Underoath - Voyeurist
10. Bleeding Through - Rage
Welcome! If you'd like to request bands or albums to be added in the site, just comment in the respective clan request threads and Ben will add them in queue with other releases to be added. Here are the threads for your clans for example:
https://metal.academy/forum/9/thread/9
Here are my sneak peek submissions for the January Sphere playlist:
Circle of Dust - "Waste of Time" (4:13) from Disengage (1998)
Code Orange - "A Sliver" (4:37) from Underneath (2020)
Godflesh - "Endgames" (4:56) from Us and Them (1999)
Gothminister - "Utopia" (3:43) from Utopia (2013)
Mnemic - "The Eye on Your Back" (7:30) from Passenger (2007)
Pitchshifter - "Gritter" (4:03) from Submit (1992)
Total length: 29:02
Here are my sneak peek submissions for the January Revolution playlist:
Amaranthe - "Act of Desperation" (3:04) from Amaranthe (2011)
Born of Osiris - "Singularity" (3:33) from The Discovery (2011)
Misery Signals - "Coma" (4:51) from Controller (2008)
Northlane - "Vultures" (3:47) from Alien (2019)
Phinehas - "Eternally Apart" (5:04) from The Fire Itself (2021)
Trivium - "Incineration: The Broken World" (5:52) from Vengeance Falls (2013)
Winds of Plague - "Decimate the Weak" (3:38) from Decimate the Weak (2008)
Total length: 29:49
Here are my submissions for the January Infinite playlist:
Caligula's Horse - "The Tempest" (4:48) from Rise Radiant (2020)
Dream Theater - "You Not Me" (4:58) from Falling Into Infinity (1997)
Evergrey - "The Essence of Conviction" (6:07) from The Inner Circle (2004)
Ne Obliviscaris - "Of the Leper Butterflies" (5:53) from Portal of I (2012)
Textures - "Singularity" (6:46) from Dualism (2011)
Total length: 28:32
Here are my submissions for the January Gateway playlist:
Bring Me the Horizon - "Itch for the Cure (When Will We Be Free?)" (1:26) from Post Human: Survival Horror (2020)
Bullet for My Valentine - "Coma" (3:33) from Gravity (2018)
Disturbed - "Liberate" (3:30) from Believe (2002)
Fight the Fury - "Still Burning" (4:05) from Still Breathing (2018)
I Prevail - "Lifelines" (3:21) from Lifelines (2016)
Katatonia - "Consternation" (3:51) from The Great Cold Distance (2006)
Saint Asonia - "Break the Mold" (3:00) from Extrovert (2022)
The Raven Age - "The Day the World Stood Still" (5:25) from Conspiracy (2019)
Total length: 28:11
Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Gothminister - "Gothic Anthem" (from Gothic Electronic Anthems, 2003)
5/5. I'm currently 23. Throughout my teen-hood, I was into power metal, then melodic death metal, then gothic metal... But now here I am, a young adult enjoying the metalcore of the other monthly clan playlist I've made, along with the industrial metal of this one, including this kick-A gothic-influenced industrial metal band. And you never really have to be Satanic or Goth or swear to make or even listen to music like this. The music is what's supposed to matter.
Rob Zombie - "Dragula" (from Hellbilly Deluxe, 1998)
4.5/5. In the first Revolution playlist of this year, I added Motionless in White's cover of this Rob Zombie classic, and now at the tail-end of the year, I added the original song to this Sphere playlist! This would work well for a teen to blast this song while driving their parent's car in a Halloween joyride.
Nine Inch Nails - "Wish" (from Broken, 1992)
4/5. This one drops in with a programmed beat and spaced-out vocals making room for metal riffing. The catchy metal chorus spices up that mundane verse-chorus pattern with metal guitar and synths, the latter foreshadowing what they would have in The Downward Spiral.
Static X - "All These Years" (from Project Regeneration, Vol. 1, 2020)
4.5/5. Ah yeah, let's bring in some f***ing good hardcore industrial nu metal. The posthumous vocals by the late Wayne Static might bring in some Korn vibes. RIP Wayne
Lard - "Generation Execute" (from Pure Chewing Satisfaction, 1997)
4/5. Fascinating heavy riffing alongside the creepy yet fun signature vocals of Jello Biafra. Apparently, the riffing was reused from what was scrapped in the Ministry Psalm 69 sessions. The long-time fans of Jello and Ministry would have good memories. Give me more, all day all night!
Marilyn Manson - "The Reflecting God" (from Antichrist Superstar, 1996)
4.5/5. This is honestly quite omnipotent. It describes a dream within a dream more than Inception could, but "you'll understand when I'm dead". I still can't believe this band got blamed for the Columbine shooting because of what the perpetrators listened to...
Killing Joke - "Pandemonium" (from Pandemonium, 1994)
4/5. Killing Joke sit somewhere in the line between underrated and overrated. They broke ground with their earlier rock hits, but it's the more earthy and heavy songs like this that need more attention. But there's no f***ing shame in where they and other bands stand. This might've also appeared in a Top Gear episode. Jaz Coleman vocals can range from new wave to metal. Impressive, right???
White Zombie - "Blood, Milk and Sky" (from Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head, 1995)
4.5/5. Another song from Rob Zombie, or in this case, his former band White Zombie. It's one of the most haunting and hypnotizing tracks I've ever heard, and I'm talking strongly mesmerizing. Just don't listen when watching a boring sleep-inducing lecture.
Fear Factory - "Disruptor" (from Aggression Continuum, 2021)
5/5. I'm glad to find awesome music from this fantastic band, Fear Factory.
Samael - "Rite of Renewal" (from Hegemony, 2017)
4.5/5. This band deserves more attention for their inspiring music and lyrics. This is one of my favorite songs from their new album when I was still listening to the band. It brings back a bit of their late 90s vibe. They mix industrial metal with a bit of symphonic black metal (the latter at full front in their first few albums and Above), which is kind of why my time fully listening to this band wasn't so long. Still this is pretty cool!
Godflesh - "Anthem" (from Hymns, 2001)
4/5. This one's interesting. After a couple songs that have shouted vocals, this one focuses on clean singing. Quite an amazing anthem! A haunting vibe is added to the guitar thanks to those vocals.
Author and Punisher - "Kruller" (from Kruller, 2022)
4.5/5. Crushing doomy industrial metal, though the song title made me hungry for those crullers that used to be made in Dunkin' Donuts.
Morgoth - "Watch the Fortune Wheel" (from Feel Sorry for the Fanatic, 1996)
5/5. I love this one, though this was when this normally death metal band had a temporary turn into industrial metal.
Mnemic - "Mechanical Spin Phenomenon" (from Mechanical Spin Phenomena, 2003)
4.5/5. This epic kick-A sound of progressive-ish industrial groove metal would help bands like Sybreed and Divine Heresy find their direction and let bands of other genres like Animals as Leaders borrow their progressiveness. The chaotic electro-metal talent of Strapping Young Lad can definitely be heard in Mnemic's influences. They should really have more fame than a different Danish metal band Volbeat.
Blue Stahli - "Anchor" (from Quartz, 2020)
4/5. After the long wait for this playlist to be published while I was having the virus, I'm glad that I'm still alive and can hear this beautiful dreamy music where others in this site can hear. The heavier parts are worth headbanging to. Brutal heaviness can enhance a beautiful small symphony. The anchor still remains!
Viral Millennium - "Vomitosis" (from Vomitosis, 2014)
3.5/5. Nice song, though I wouldn't hope much for this band to shape the future of industrial metal.
Seecrees - "New Dawn" (from Genesis, 2012)
4/5. The 25-second intro can already get cyber metal fans hooked.
THE SIN:DECAY - "We Are All Slaves" (from Rehabilitation, 2007)
4.5/5. It's sad that bands like this one are practically unknown. This is hypnotic epic synth metal! There should be some new stuff with this cold beauty. I'm glad to find this 90% perfect song. Like I said before, music can be awesome whether religious or sinful, and people need to be grateful for the existence of other such bands like Sybreed and Neurotech. Also you don't have to use accepted copyrighted samples to be industrial metal, and you don't have to directly copy from Depeche Mode to get synths. There are no limits to make and listen to this music. Well, other than if your parents are strict against "parental advisory" albums, but you get the point. Just listen and appreciate!
Psyclon Nine - "Crwn Thy Frnicatr" (from Crwn Thy Frnicatr, 2006)
5/5. F*** yes, this is aggrotech gone industrial metal, foreshadowing what this band and Dawn of Ashes would have later. The vocals are so unclean yet unclear if you don't have the lyrics. The guitar sounds close to nu metal in a way, and that's quite awesome to hear.
Andrew Hulshult - "Dusk" (from DUSK (Original Game Soundtrack), 2019)
4.5/5. Now how about this theme song for an industrial metal soundtrack composed for the game DUSK? Let's think outside of DOOM for 3 minutes...
Dawn of Ashes - "Carnal Consummation in the Empty Space (To Mega Therion Mix)" (from Farewell to the Flesh, 2012)
4/5. This remix sounds to me like early Psyclon Nine with Therion symphonics. I like that one!
Dolor - "Metamorphosis" (Tanz der Schatten (Der Clown), 2010)
3.5/5. Not bad, but still not get the whole Neue Deutsche Härte appeal.
Treibhaus - "Kodex" (from Feinbild, 2006)
3/5. Same with this one, losing a little more heat.
Motionless in White - "Final Dictvm" (from Reincarnate, 2014)
3.5/5. While not exactly one of their best songs, it fits well for the electronics that form The Sphere, and once again the music has nothing worth b***hing about.
Ministry - "Amerikkka" (from Amerikkkant, 2018)
4/5. And now it's back to the pure OG industrial metal for one more track in this playlist. The samples can be repetitive, but the heaviness is practically. So don't you f***ing care about those naysayers I keep mentioning when I was commenting on this playlist. Just sit back and enjoy before your time comes....TO GET OUT.
Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a few slight bumps throughout... Anyway, I sure would recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start in enjoying 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 are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:
Make Them Suffer - "Doomswitch" (from Doomswitch, 2022)
5/5. Let's start with a f***ing masterpiece of a banger! Make Them Suffer has returned with a new keyboardist/co-lead vocalist Alex Reade.
Bring Me the Horizon - "Can You Feel My Heart" (from Sempiternal, 2013)
4.5/5. This one already hints at the new plateau the band's just reached in their journey. Vocalist Oli Sykes pours his soul out as he cries out the first verse, "Can you hear the silence? Can you see the dark? Can you fix the broken? Can you feel... Can you feel my heart?!" during an explosion of sonic atmosphere.
We Came as Romans - "To Plant a Seed" (from To Plant a Seed, 2009)
4/5. RIP Kyle Pavone. It's good to look back at where this late young man's journey began, from "the first note that I ever played, the first note that was ever sang". This music deserves much more attention that it has had. It's so good, this seed the band has planted! There are better songs from their later albums like Tracing Back Roots, but let's forever breathe in the beauty of this dude's clean voice...
Caliban - "Arena of Concealment" (from A Small Boy and a Grey Heaven, 1999)
3.5/5. This one has sick screams and the Slayer riffing to creep in your skin and get you headbanging, especially in a pummeling breakdown.
Abnegation - "When the Smoke Clears" (from Verses of the Bleeding, 1998)
3/5. This one is the promising start of one of the most brutal (and weakest) deathcore/death metal albums I've heard, my favorite song of that album as well as the shortest while still having guitar aggression.
Annisokay - "Like a Parasite" (from Aurora, 2021)
3.5/5. Recently my brother has been adding a few metalcore bands/songs to his playlist, and It's good that I discovered this from him, I mean what's not to love? The mix of clean and unclean vocals duel well like a boss. The screams remind me of We Came as Romans' other vocalist Dave Stephens, though Dave does them much better.
ERRA - "Divisionary" (from ERRA, 2021)
4/5. H*ll, these lyrics add relevance to what's happening in this world, and should really blast its way through the galaxy to be heard. Those magical vocals can remind some of Saosin, especially at the one-minute ending verse.
Any Given Day - "Savior" (from Overpower, 2019)
4.5/5. Another wicked metalcore track my brother likes lately, and probably one of my favorites in that category. Everything is emotional!
August Burns Red - "What Child is This (Greensleeves)" (from Winter Wilderness, 2018)
5/5. Since we're already approach "the most wonderful time of the year", it's time for some Christmas metalcore from the style's Christian masters August Burns Red! The drumming is especially creative, adding blast beats that are very unusual to hear in Christmas music. This fresh take on "Greensleeves" is one of the best moments of this EP, nailing it well like a boss. The wacky brass instrumentation adds a bit of a folk vibe. Merry metal Christmas!
Trivium - "Betrayer" (from The Sin and the Sentence, 2017)
4.5/5. This is one of the more furiously astonishing tracks that once again bring back the aggression from their earlier material.
Embodyment - "Embrace" (from Embrace the Eternal, 1998)
5/5. The ultimate climax in this track is where, at a 3-minute mark, a mid-paced melodic yet dissonant riff plays that alone would be the big bang for bands like Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, and maybe even Knocked Loose, way better done than Abnegation.
Lorna Shore - "Cursed to Die" (from Pain Remains, 2022)
5/5. In this epic shining highlight, the speed and precision from the band's rhythm section work like a charm. The breakdown fits well right in the middle of this epic glory without being abrupt.
From Here On - "Further Away" (from Hope for a Bleeding Sky, 2000)
4/5. This one has the ultimate best breakdown I've heard in any of the Tommy Rogers/Paul Waggoner bands. Other than that, it's mostly uninspired deathly metal/hardcore.
Converge - "Dead" (from Petitioning the Empty Sky, 1996)
4.5/5. This one has bright melody before jumping slowly into another breakdown spiraling into high-pitched guitar dissonance. Then it all crashes into mind-blowing chaos to end the song.
Deadguy - "Doom Patrol" (from Fixation on a Co-Worker, 1995)
5/5. It starts with a direct punch in the face as speedy riffs sear through riff harmonic dissonance. The intense vocals by Tim Singer (who shouts, not sings) is just what metallic hardcore really needs, working especially well in the slow breakdown.
Bleeding Through - "Buried" (from Love Will Kill All, 2018)
4.5/5. This one brings back the crushing heaviness from their first 3 albums.
Parkway Drive - "The Sound of Violence" (from Ire, 2015)
4/5. Here we have some violent fury that sounds exciting for the band to play live.
Rorschach - "Drawn and Quartered" (from Protestant, 1993)
5/5. Things get weirder here when the Slayer-ish thrash chaos ends up reaching a technical style before becoming a doomy elegy.
Unbroken - "In the Name of Progression" (from Life. Love. Regret, 1994)
4.5/5. This one is slightly more speedy and progressive, and it really hints at the metallic hardcore progression the band was shooting for. There's more madness to come...
After the Burial - "Deluge" (from Dig Deep, 2016)
4/5. A catchy riff opens this song that has a good mix of raw heaviness and clean melody. I wish I could've gotten into this band's music more.
Shadows Fall - "The First Noble Truth" (from Of One Blood, 2000)
4.5/5. This one has a lot you would expect in a melodic metalcore song.
Bad Omens - "Exit Wounds" (from Bad Omens, 2016)
4/5. Another great metalcore track, and I'm sure other fans of the style would agree.
Wage War - "Circle the Drain" (from Manic, 2021)
4.5/5. I love this one! It's amazing to hear even a ballad-like song sound so bad-a**.
Coalesce - "Harvest of Maturity" (from In Tongues We Speak, 1996)
4/5. This one has more relaxed maturity with midpaced riff variation to be explored along with more of the technical drumming. That's what I prefer!
My Enemies & I - "Carbon Copy" (from Sick World, 2015)
4.5/5. The clean and unclean vocals are in a solid balance beyond words that you can never get over. I am stoked to find Disturbed and Cancer Bats influences in the same song. It's quite amazing, especially in this hard breakdown bridge before the final chorus. Somehow this reminds me of a mix of Breaking Benjamin's "The Diary of Jane" and Bring Me the Horizon's "Shadow Moses". Keep it coming, guys!
Attila - "Jumanji" (from Rage, 2010)
4/5. The chorus is too punky and relaxing even though it's not supposed to be relaxing, but the breakdowns are straight-up f***ing brutal as sh*t ("SHUT THE F*** UP!!! THIS IS NOT THE TIME OR PLACE TO START THIS WAR!"). Secrets are no fun, but this song is fun and it's no secret. Jumanji is used as a metaphor here for drugs and strip clubs.
Convictions - "The Price of Grace" (from I Won't Survive, 2021)
4.5/5. I really appreciate all this song has to offer, from the band's work and the listeners' feedback. It relates to anyone who has lost a loved one. Even the brutal breakdown is quite a tear-jerker.
Everyone Dies in Utah - "Planetary" (from Supra, 2021)
4.5/5. Another relatable song for the dark times many of us have been through. The great emotion strikes me through the heart, and that's nice to hear.
The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "I'll Make My Own Hours" (from Worse Than Alone, 2009)
5/5. This is the perfect end of this band's last album in their initial run, in a depressing yet epic message, "Ten thousand times i could tell you over!" An awesome moment is the solo surrounding the 3-minute mark. It's so fantastic I could cry! But this playlist ain't over yet...
Like Moths to Flames - "Spiritual Eclipse" (from No Eternity in Gold, 2020)
5/5. Like Moths to Flames is an underrated with heavy songs and vocal anger. This band and Polaris are parts of the reason why metalcore is still alive and timeless in the 2020s. They can pull off a sonic headbanging closer to the album and this playlist, and it shows!
Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? Despite a few slight bumps throughout... Anyway, I sure would recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but wants to get into a great start in enjoying the genre. Thanks Daniel for accepting this, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!
December 2022
01. Animals as Leaders - "Gordian Naught" (from Parrhesia)
02. Cult of Luna - "Blood Upon Stone" (from The Long Road North)
03. Persefone - "Merkabah" (from Metanoia)
04. Seventh Wonder - "Invincible" (from The Testament)
05. Voivod - "Synchro Anarchy" (from Synchro Anarchy)
06. An Abstract Illusion - "In The Heavens Above, You Will Become A Monster" (from Woe)
07. Dreadnought - "Liminal Veil" (from The Endless)
08. Wilderun - "Passenger" (from Epigone)
09. Ibaraki - "Ronin" (from Rashomon)
10. Rolo Tomassi - "Drip" (from Where Myth Becomes Memory)
11. Holy Fawn - "Death is a Relief" (from Dimensional Bleed)
12. Astronoid - "Eyes" (from Radiant Bloom)
13. Fallujah - "Radiant Ascension" (from Empyrean)
December 2022
01. Coldrain - "Boys and Girls" (from Nonnegative)
02. Architects - "Burn Down My House" (from The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit)
03. Cave In - "Blood Spiller" (from Heavy Pendulum)
04. DIR EN GREY - "The Perfume of Sins" (from PHALARIS)
05. I Prevail - "Bad Things" (from TRUE POWER)
06. Memphis May Fire - "Only Human" (from Remade in Misery)
07. Motionless in White - "Masterpiece" (from Scoring the End of the World)
08. Northlane - "Is This a Test?" (from Obsidian)
09. Parkway Drive - "Soul Bleach" (from Darker Still)
10. Alter Bridge - "Sin After Sin" (from Pawns & Kings)
11. Slipknot - "Hive Mind" (from The End, So Far)
12. Alexisonfire - "Committed to the Con" (from Otherness)
13. Thornhill - "Casanova" (from Heroine)
14. Bloodywood - "Zanjeero Se" (from Rakshak)
15. Bad Omens - "Nowhere to Go" (from THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND)
16. Dog Fashion Disco - "Grand Experiment" (from Cult Classic)
17. Fit for a King - "Reaper" (from The Hell We Create)
18. Nova Twins - "Antagonist" (from Supernova)
19. Tallah - "Telescope" (from The Generation of Danger)
20. Moon Tooth - "The Conduit" (from Phototroph)
21. Disturbed - "Unstoppable" (from Divisive)
22. Halestorm - "Back From the Dead" (from Back From the Dead)
23. NOTHING MORE - "TIRED OF WINNING" (from SPIRITS)
Here are my thoughts on some tracks:
Animals as Leaders - "Gordian Naught" (from Parrhesia)
4.5/5. Animals as Leaders is a band with some of the most technical-playing musicians in humankind, though I prefer progressive metal slightly more with vocal flavor. There's even a rare blast beat from drummer Matt Garstka.
Cult of Luna - "Blood Upon Stone" (from The Long Road North)
5/5. Too early for an apocalyptic climax, but never mind that, this is a perfect epic! The guitarists from the band Phoenix join in, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz.
Persefone - "Merkabah" (from Metanoia)
4.5/5. This one is the right choice for all those pattern structures to decipher. The near-end breakdown is more straight than everything else. The keyboardist/clean vocalist sings a sincerely catchy chorus.
Seventh Wonder - "Invincible" (from The Testament)
5/5. One of my favorite tracks from the new Seventh Wonder album The Testament besides "The Light"! It's far more than just a cheesy anthem, the mind-blowing melody is awesome, and what keeps me hooked is vocalist Tommy Karevik who's also in Kamelot, one of two power metal bands I still have time for (the other being DragonForce). Besides those angelic vocals, the band performs an impressive blend of fast guitar/bass riffs, complex drumming, and single-handed keyboarding.
Voivod - "Synchro Anarchy" (from Synchro Anarchy)
4.5/5. Still doing great while aging, I see! Guitarist Daniel Mongrain can do the skills to the late Piggy justice while staying fresh. Their earlier albums from the 80s are still bad-a** though. Rock on!
Ibaraki - "Ronin" (from Rashomon)
4/5. Alongside wanting to find a song in the playlist for me to listen to besides the ones I've requested, I've heard of Trivium frontman Matt Heafy's progressive black metal side-project Ibaraki and thought of checking it out at some point. Now's the right chance! A major motion picture should have this track as part of the soundtrack, it's quite excellent. And wow, who knew My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way can be a kick-A black metal shrieker?! Still I prefer Matt Heafy performing with the metalcore power of Trivium, but maybe I'll someday check out more of this side-project Ibaraki....
Here are my thoughts on some tracks:
Coldrain - "Boys and Girls" (from Nonnegative)
3.5/5. Interesting start for this playlist, a nice beautiful rock ballad. It's different from the rest of the playlist and the song's original album, yet a nice emo tune that flashbacks to 10 years ago when the band also made a few ballads.
Architects - "Burn Down My House" (from The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit)
4/5. Another mid-tempo ballad-ish song though with a dark turn in the instrumentation. The more poppy aspects that appear in this song and much of its album end up giving Architects more in common with a band like Falling in Reverse.
Cave In - "Blood Spiller" (from Heavy Pendulum)
4.5/5. Cave In really should've been more popular than they really are, not just for their mainstream early-2000s sh*t, but also for d*mn beautiful pieces like this that just smell an Oscar for the band. Caleb Scofield would've been proud. RIP
DIR EN GREY - "The Perfume of Sins" (from PHALARIS)
5/5. I love this album's beautiful dynamic mix of heaviness and melody. This is one of my favorite songs here, both in the album and the band, with some of the wildest blackened death blast beats performed by their drummer Shinya.
I Prevail - "Bad Things" (from TRUE POWER)
4.5/5. Another d*mn good mix of heavy and melodic, only softer and less extreme. I first heard of bands I Prevail and Bad Wolves around 2018 when my brother was (and still is) listening to those bands. This is one of the best mixes of metal, pop, and rap since what you might find from the year 2001 in the nu metal age! A bad-a** song for anyone battling addiction, and a tearful polar opposite from a heavier song like "Body Bag". There are a few songs that my brother plays in the car, and he could drive twice the legal speed limit if he wanted to, but he wouldn't. He's a good law-abiding driver. Excellent lyrics, alongside the Linkin Park vibe in the music!
Memphis May Fire - "Only Human" (from Remade in Misery)
4/5. Sweet lyrics, interesting vocals including rapping, enough said.
Motionless in White - "Masterpiece" (from Scoring the End of the World)
4.5/5. Great tune from Motionless in White recent near-masterpiece album. I should recommend this one to my brother!
Northlane - "Is This a Test?" (from Obsidian)
4/5. Yes, this is a test! A test of 90s nostalgia. You can for sure understand when I say that this would fit well in the soundtrack for the rave scene of an action-thriller movie set in the 90s. When you listen, you can hear the palate being cleansed with fresh ideas. There's certainly never any filler, though the tempo change seems too calm for one.
Parkway Drive - "Soul Bleach" (from Darker Still)
3.5/5. This one puts us back on track with rapid pacing in the riffs.
Disturbed - "Unstoppable" (from Divisive)
4/5. F***ing throwing back to Disturbed's earlier days of 20 years ago, hard-hitting like a b***h!
Halestorm - "Back From the Dead" (from Back From the Dead)
4.5/5. I haven't heard of Halestorm (don't confuse them with Alestorm) in a long while, I mean the last time I heard a few songs was from my brother listening to them 5 years ago. This band really is back from the dead, with a heavy as f*** vengeance! This would be great for a wrestler's comeback into their career. The vocals would sound interesting when the band perform this live. I really should be thankful for my brother listening to bands like Halestorm and Skillet that set my eventual path to metal.
NOTHING MORE - "TIRED OF WINNING" (from SPIRITS)
4/5. Holy sh*t, this one I thought about recommending it to my brother, but then upon closer listen, I realized that this is a song he has already been listening to lately! I've been searching for it for a couple months! Thanks Saxy for the help even though it wasn't intended. What a way to end this playlist, with an unexpected realization.
Here's my review summary:
This album is as dark as the title would suggest! Apparently, the theme is confront a destructive event and standing up against it with your beliefs as you make your journey through this dark world. In other words, instead of living in nightmarish misery, let this metal tale motivate you to rise in resistance against what life has to threaten you. There are anthems to expect from this album, filled with heavy defiance and epic balladry, as you make a journey through Hell that you can pleasantly battle through and come out with as many scars as the band had making this powerful offering. The songs with the most strength come from the first half, though a couple ones in the second half are great too. All part of this test of promised survival....
4/5
Recommended tracks: "Ground Zero", "Glitch", "The Greatest Fear", "Darker Still", "From the Heart of the Darkness"
For fans of: Bad Wolves, Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed
Daniel, do you have a good Revolution track you wanna submit? I plan to start working on the January playlist later this week.
December 2022
1. Gothminister - "Gothic Anthem" (from Gothic Electronic Anthems, 2003) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
2. Rob Zombie - "Dragula" (from Hellbilly Deluxe, 1998)
3. Nine Inch Nails - "Wish" (from Broken, 1992)
4. Static X - "All These Years" (from Project Regeneration, Vol. 1, 2020)
5. Lard - "Generation Execute" (from Pure Chewing Satisfaction, 1997)
6. Marilyn Manson - "The Reflective God" (from Antichrist Superstar, 1996)
7. Killing Joke - "Pandemonium" (from Pandemonium, 1994)
8. White Zombie - "Blood, Milk and Sky" (from Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head, 1995)
9. Fear Factory - "Disruptor" (from Aggression Continuum, 2021)
10. Samael - "Rite of Renewal" (from Hegemony, 2017) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
11. Godflesh - "Anthem" (from Hymns, 2001) [submitted by Daniel]
12. Author and Punisher - "Kruller" (from Kruller, 2022)
13. Morgoth - "Watch the Fortune Wheel" (from Feel Sorry for the Fanatic, 1996)
14. Mnemic - "Mechanical Spin Phenomenon" (from Mechanical Spin Phenomena, 2003) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
15. Blue Stahli - "Anchor" (from Quartz, 2020)
16. Viral Millennium - "Vomitosis" (from Vomitosis, 2014)
17. Seecrees - "New Dawn" (from Genesis, 2012)
18. THE SIN:DECAY - "We Are All Slaves" (from Rehabilitation, 2007)
19. Psyclon Nine - "Crwn Thy Frnicatr" (from Crwn Thy Frnicatr, 2006) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
20. Andrew Hulshult - "Dusk" (from DUSK (Original Game Soundtrack), 2019)
21. Dawn of Ashes - "Carnal Consummation in the Empty Space (To Mega Therion Mix)" (from Farewell to the Flesh, 2012) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
22. Dolor - "Metamorphosis" (Tanz der Schatten (Der Clown), 2010)
23. Treibhaus - "Kodex" (from Feinbild, 2006)
24. Motionless in White - "Final Dictvm" (from Reincarnate, 2014) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
25. Ministry - "Amerikka" (from Amerikkkant, 2018)
December 2022
1. Make Them Suffer - "Doomswitch" (from Doomswitch, 2022)
2. Bring Me the Horizon - "Can You Feel My Heart" (from Sempiternal, 2013) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
3. We Came as Romans - "To Plant a Seed" (from To Plant a Seed, 2009) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
4. Caliban - "Arena of Concealment" (from A Small Boy and a Grey Heaven, 1999)
5. Abnegation - "When the Smoke Clears" (from Verses of the Bleeding, 1998)
6. Annisokay - "Like a Parasite" (from Aurora, 2021)
7. ERRA - "Divisionary" (from ERRA, 2021) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
8. Any Given Day - "Savior" (from Overpower, 2019)
9. August Burns Red - "What Child is This (Greensleeves)" (from Winter Wilderness, 2018)
10. Trivium - "Betrayer" (from The Sin and the Sentence, 2017) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
11. Embodyment - "Embrace" (from Embrace the Eternal, 1998)
12. Lorna Shore - "Cursed to Die" (from Pain Remains, 2022)
13. From Here On - "Further Away" (from Hope for a Bleeding Sky, 2000)
14. Converge - "Dead" (from Petitioning the Empty Sky, 1996)
15. Deadguy - "Doom Patrol" (from Fixation on a Co-Worker, 1995)
16. Bleeding Through - "Buried" (from Love Will Kill All, 2018) [submitted by Daniel]
17. Parkway Drive - "The Sound of Violence" (from Ire, 2015) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
18. Rorschach - "Drawn and Quartered" (from Protestant, 1993)
19. Unbroken - "In the Name of Progression" (from Life. Love. Regret, 1994)
20. After the Burial - "Deluge" (from Dig Deep, 2016)
21. Shadows Fall - "The First Noble Truth" (from Of One Blood, 2000) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
22. Bad Omens - "Exit Wounds" (from Bad Omens, 2016)
23. Wage War - "Circle the Drain" (from Manic, 2021)
24. Coalesce - "Harvest of Maturity" (from In Tongues We Speak, 1996)
25. My Enemies & I - "Carbon Copy" (from Sick World, 2015)
26. Attila - "Jumanji" (from Rage, 2010) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]
27. Convictions - "The Price of Grace" (from I Won't Survive, 2021)
28. Everyone Dies in Utah - "Planetary" (from Supra, 2021)
29. The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "I'll Make My Own Hours" (from Worse Than Alone, 2009)
30. Like Moths to Flames - "Spiritual Eclipse" (from No Eternity in Gold, 2020)
My time with progressive/avant-garde/post-metal has been rather turbulent this year while still staying in my position in The Infinite, so I didn't find as many new Infinite albums that would stick with me long as I thought I would, but I can do a top 5:
1. Seventh Wonder - The Testament
2. Dir En Grey - Phalaris
3. Voivod - Synchro Anarchy
4. Persefone - Metanoia
5. Meshuggah - Immutable
One honorable mention is the new In The Woods... album Diversum that I really enjoy, but I would need to give it more listening before it can end up somewhere in my list.
This is the first part of the Marriage of Heaven and Hell saga that would continue with Part II then end with Invictus. I haven't listened to this band and album since I moved out of the classic heavy/power metal sound I was burned out of, but maybe I can someday make my return trip to those metal genres and give good Guardians releases like this one another chance...
Here's my top 10:
1. Northlane - Obsidian
2. Dir En Grey - Phalaris
3. Cave In - Heavy Pendulum
4. Motionless in White - Scoring the End of the World
5. Coldrain - Nonnegative
6. Parkway Drive - Darker Still
7. I Prevail - True Power
8. Memphis May Fire - Remade in Misery
9. Disturbed - Divisive
10. Five Finger Death Punch - AfterLife
An honorable mention is Demon Hunter's Exile, but I plan to give that album a little more listening and wait for it to appear in the site before adding it somewhere in my list.
Hmm... It's mentioned as a CD or CD-R. If it is just a demo that can't be accepted, that's OK. I still would like the other releases I've requested added here when possible please.
Solid blend of metalcore and pop punk:
Ben, alongside the A Day to Remember albums I've requested above, please also add these albums:
Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas - Cocoon for the Golden Future
Chelsea Grin - Suffer in Hell
Dead to Fall - For the Memories
Ben, please add these new albums:
In the Woods... - Diversum
Voivod - Ultraman (EP)
Ben, please add these new albums:
Demon Hunter - Exile
Saint Asonia - Extrovert
I've given that Saint Asonia EP some listening and, to be honest, it's kind of like a heavier Three Days Grace (frontman Adam Gontier's previous band) in almost a similar vein to Fight the Fury. I consider the EP a mix of alt-rock/metal and post-grunge, and I've voted in those genres for the EP in RYM. However, whether or not Extrovert can be added to Metal Academy depends on if the EP's Alternative Metal tag gets more FOR or AGAINST votes.