Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

A heavy almost ballad-ish track with some of the best aspects of their latest album:

This awesome epic by Black Veil Brides is the longest song by the band, and probably the best one too:

This huge disappointment is perhaps the worst song the band has ever done:

One of the best songs by the band to really level things up:

I find literally no f***ing point in this useless interlude:

An amazing alt-metal anthem that can surpass that similarly-titled Linkin Park hit:

Ben, please add these Blue Stahli albums:

Blue Stahli (currently this album's industrial metal ratio in RYM is FOR: 18, AGAINST: 10, but I strongly believe it's metal enough to be added in to this site and for me to make a judgement submission if it doesn't appear in The Sphere)

Blue Stahli Instrumentals

B-Sides and Other Things I Forgot

The Devil (in The Gateway as alternative metal, but I find a lot of industrial metal in this release and will make a judgement submission for that as well)

Tenacity

The Devil (Remixes)

The Devil (Remixes) (Instrumentals)

And all of their non-metal albums in between to bridge the gap.

Ben, please add the new Attack Attack! EP Disaster.

Ben, please add the new Sylosis EP The Path.

Some more industrial metal/rock bands I enjoy nowadays are the Finnish equivalent to Neue Deutsch Harte, Ruoska:

And Arizona-based multi-genre project Blue Stahli:

Nu metal-infused metalcore/hardcore from Philadelphia:

A couple bands I enjoy now are the experimental jazz-metal of Norwegian band Shining (not to be confused with the Swedish DSBM band):

And the progressive groove-ish metalcore of Jinjer:

A couple death metal bands with some slight industrial tendencies:

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

Everyone's gotta have past trauma sometime in their life. Even I had these kinds of painful experiences in the past. Sometimes you gotta battle those harrowing struggles or just accept them. You might get to move on, but if you're unable to do so, there are better ways in life than just taking the devastating but painless way out. Black Veil Brides' melodic metalcore debut will motivate you by detailing the somber sorrow while giving it optimistic light. It's the greatest the band has even been, alongside their 10th anniversary re-recording which I won't review because I'm not up for reviewing full-on album re-recordings. Andy Biersack can performed pleasant vocals, both cleans and screams. His cleans had yet to improve in quality, but that doesn't stop the perfect glory of this album. The drums and guitarwork are so catchy with enjoyable energy. The metaphorical motivational lyrics fit perfectly for anyone in the most dire situations. So if you're feeling down, overcome your struggles and look for as much help as you can. And this grand masterpiece of motivation can help be your savior!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "We Stitch These Wounds", "Beautiful Remains", "Perfect Weapon", "Knives and Pens", "All Your Hate", "Never Give In"

For fans of: The mid-2000s eras of Avenged Sevenfold, A Day to Remember, and Trivium

Here's my submission for the November Guardians playlist, and yes it sounds suitable there with its anthemic hard rock/glam/heavy metal sound:

Löded Diper - "Can You Smell Us Now" (from Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Soundtrack, 2022)

This thrashy metalcore instrumental is the only one in the Loded Diper album of that style and the only one of the dialogue-sampled instrumentals I really enjoy:

Having just listened to the fan-made Loded Diper album, I gotta admit how much I enjoy the official songs from the Wimpy Kid movies, especially this mid-tempo heavy metal/hard rock banger from the live-action Rodrick Rules movie:

And this fun hard rock/glam/heavy metal tune from the animated Disney+ movie that I wish was in the album:

The perfect starting track of Extol's self-titled 2013 album, with a sense of danger and chaos to give you motivation in life:

Here's the other bonus track in the 20th anniversary remaster of Sybreed's Slave Design. This re-recording of "Bioactive" is so killer and can almost compete with the original:

The thrashy diversity sounds so excellent in this highlight that is the somewhat title track:

Many ideas are extracted from the 1990/1991 albums of Believer and Coroner, as well as Opeth in the more mellow sections:

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

As I have embraced the greatness of Extol's discography throughout the past year and a half, Burial and Undeceived are a one-two punch of atmospheric technical/progressive death metal, the latter expanding on that sound with complex ideas. With that and the alt-ish prog-metal masterpiece that got me interested in this band, The Blueprint Dives, their catalog has truly made this band an unstoppable force! Their 2003 album Synergy is the band's first move to a different style from their earlier deathly sound, taking on more melodic thrash. This change of sound has turned away some earlier fans while winning some new fans who wanted to hear the continuation of progressive/tech-thrash after bands who have attempted that style in the early/mid-90s have faded out. It's safe to say that Extol took a lot of inspiration from fellow Christian progressive thrashers Believer. If Extol kept going with the violins from their deathly first two albums, they could've easily made "Dies Irae 2.0". At least they had first shown their Believer influences in songs like "And I Watch" and their cover of "Shadow of Death". Extol have executed their tech-thrash sound very well in Synergy, with ideas extracted from the early 90s albums of Believer and Coroner. The harsh vocals continue their blackened death range, while the cleans have sweet flavor as they shine in the Opeth-like mellow sections. You can definitely hear some early 90s Atheist in the guitarwork, ranging from a technical labyrinth to searing shredding, along with have some psychedelic balladry. Synergy has really shown the band dialing back the deathly brutality for some dynamic progressive tech-thrash with some Rush-like psychedelics. It also shows an early hint of the accessibility of The Blueprint Dives. There's barely anything awkward about Synergy, and Extol shall continue to delight their audience from time to time!

4.5/5

I find the heavy dissonance to be a little too weirdly used on that one, Daniel. Now that I think about it, "Crumbs" really would be a slightly better choice for this thread. It's too... crumby. Haha

A special playlist I've made to celebrate the third year of my monthly Revolution Spotify playlists: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1FQzoLLq4oQLjWKqYb7v1k

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

Circle of Dust - "Humanarchy" (5:00) from Machines of Our Disgrace (2016)

Code Orange - "The Above" (4:18) from The Above (2023)

Fear Factory - "Pisschrist" (5:25) from Demanufacture (1995)

PAIN - "Dancing With the Dead" (4:13) from Dancing With the Dead (2005)

Psyclon Nine - "We the Fallen" (5:24) from We the Fallen (2009)

Ruoska - "Alasin" (4:23) from Amortem (2006)

Total length: 28:43

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

As I Lay Dying - "The Cave We Fear to Enter" (5:07) from The Cave We Fear to Enter (2024)

Bury Your Dead - "Minority Report" (3:21) from We Are Bury Your Dead (2019)

The Devil Wears Prada - "To the Key of Evergreen" (5:07) from Transit Blues (2016)

Fit for a King - "TECHNIUM" (3:05) from TECHNIUM (2024)

Ice Nine Kills - "Rocking the Boat" (4:06) from The Silver Scream (2018)

The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "Like a Cat" (3:27) from Nuclear. Sad. Nuclear (2005)

Rings of Saturn - "Infused" (3:21) from Lugal Ki En (2014)

Total length: 27:34

Here are my submissions for the November Infinite playlist, having just two long epics in mind:

Sumac - "Will to Reach" (9:48) from What One Becomes (2016)

Textures - "Polars" (18:25) from Polars (2003)

Total length: 28:13

Here are my submissions for the November Gateway playlist:

All That Remains - "No Tomorrow" (4:40) from No Tomorrow (2024)

Daughtry, Lzzy Hale - "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" (5:16) from Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (2023)

Extreme - "He-Man Woman Hater" (6:20) from Extreme II: Pornograffitti (1990)

Mushroomhead - "Shame in a Basket" (8:22) from Call the Devil (2024)

Within Temptation - "Bleed Out" (4:30) from Bleed Out (2023)

Total length: 29:08

A deathly classic shaped up by early Believer as well as Trail of Tears and Underoath at that time:

This brilliant highlight might just go down as one of my favorite songs in all of progressive metal:

This highlight starts off in the first minute sounding somewhere between doomy and almost a slam deathcore breakdown, and then launches into the usual black-ish tech-death:

An amazing progressive track with clean/unclean vocals and lyrics of depression:

Another one of Mechina's mind-blowing covers, a Duran Duran ballad gone epic cyber metal:

This stinker fits well with its name, being far too weird for its own good:

The earlier experimentation fits greatly with the fantastic lyrics in this finale:

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

Ministry have made it big in pioneering the American side of industrial metal, with their 3 albums from 1988 to 1992 being commercially successful. With their 1996 album Filth Pig, the band's sound became darker and heavier than before, almost reaching sludge territory. According to founder Al Jourgensen, people hated the album. They wanted the humor and electronics of Psalm 69, but the album doesn't have much of those. I still like the heaviness though. Darkness is often what I look for when I want to take a break from the brighter reality. And sometimes, darkness can be a bit intimidating. It can also have a bit of humor, from the literally meat-headed young American politician in the album cover. A whole lot you can find in the dark, from the marching riffs to the awesome lyrics in half the amount of songs here. Although I often like songs that are long and dark, several of the ones here don't sit too well for me, being a little weird and not something I would listen to on the daily. Still there's nothing with switching gears to a heavier sound. A lot of us here are up for something like that. I just think a few of the songs in the album could've had better execution....

3.5/5

Thanks, Xephyr.

Update on my training program: Today was the second-to-last day, and after the main program ends tomorrow, the graduation ceremony won't be until sometime next month. This means I might have to wait one or two months until I find out whether or not I get the paid job. With that, I don't have to take that break after all! At least until after the graduation ceremony. So I'll continue submitting feature releases and Revolution playlists, beginning with the ones for November and December. Whether or not I'll have a break from those activities for two or 3 months afterwards will depend on if I get the paid job following the ceremony. Let's hope for the best!

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Gothminister - "Stonehenge" from Anima Inferna (2011)

5/5. The opening track for its original album and playlist begins with heavy guitar crunch and interesting synth harmonies. Then the guitars calm down to let Brem's baritone vocals shine. Sounds quite evil for a then-recently-married and domestically happy man, proving his ability to maintain the earlier darkness. Optimistic lyrics ain't gonna make the gloomy vocals fade away in this battle of life and death.

Blue Stahli - "Prognosis" from Obsidian (2021)

5/5. The effects and lyrics astonish me, and I'm certainly up for more of this music from Blue Stahli.

Killing Joke - "Aeon" from Democracy (1996)

4.5/5. This 8-minute epic has a spectacular mix of the band's new wave/post-punk sound from the 80s with the industrial rock/metal style that shaped up Pandemonium. Probably the best song of its original album and by the band!

The Amenta - "Plague of Locus" from Plague of Locus (2023)

4/5. The title track of this Amenta cover album is its second original track, this one being a full song. The brutality hits hard with heavy riffs, synths, and vocals, growing harder as the song progresses.

Megaherz - "Kopf Durch Die Wand" from Wer Bist Du (1997)

3.5/5. Pretty nice, but as always, NDH isn't really for me. Next!

Eisbrecher - "Bombe" from Eiszeit (2010)

4/5. Quite the bomb, but still missing a bit of impact.

OOMPH! - "Sandmann" from Monster (2008)

4.5/5. The lyrics are quite interesting as they detail the horrors of children disappearing in Germany while Hungary has them all protected.

Motionless in White - "America" from Infamous (2012)

5/5. This awesome highlight expands the band's sound yet again. This is more like the gothic industrial metal of Gothminister, especially the deeper cleans in the verses. Michael Vampire of Vampires Everywhere! sings together with Chris in a sing-along gang chorus, one of the best of the genre! That song can definitely reach the hard rock/metal charts. America, F*** YEAH!!!!

Marilyn Manson - "The Nobodies" from Holy Wood (2000)

4.5/5. The lyrics for this song are quite deep as well, addressing the Columbine shooters whom the band was falsely accusing of influencing, and the song title taking a quote from John Lennon's murderer. A remix would appear next year in the film From Hell starring Johnny Depp.

Deathstars - "Metal" from The Greatest Hits on Earth (2011)

4/5. A great piece of cyber/industrial metal from the masters of the genre.

Genitorturers - "Falling Stars" from Blackheart Revolution (2009)

3.5/5. Then we have another nice alt-ish anthem that's more melodic while still heavy. The guitar distortion of their 90s material is blended with an old-school rhythm that can easily be tapped by tambourine.

Samael - "Us" from Eternal (1999)

4/5. This one soars through the industrial metal cosmos once again with a memorable chorus despite it being a bit too noise-ridden in the background.

KMFDM - "From Here on Out" from WWIII (2003)

4.5/5. "Don't risk your life and the lives of your comrades. Leave now and go home, watch your children learn." I enjoy those lyrics sung by Lucia Cifarelli in an excellent that can be both relaxing and kick-A.

In This Moment - "Fly Like an Eagle" from Mother (2020)

5/5. The band took a Steve Miller song and covered it to make it dark and beautiful. Maria Brink's vocal power is incredible! The intro itself is almost a cover of the Terminator theme. I f***ing love it!

Mnemic - "There's No Tomorrow" from Mnemesis (2012)

5/5. What really brings the band back to a time 25 years before this album is "There's No Tomorrow", the 6-minute epic that almost sounds like a power ballad ala Bon Jovi/Dokken. There's even a beautiful guitar soloing crescendo. Of course, the brutal growls are still in great passion.

Diabolos Rising - "Genocide-I Am God" from 666 (1994)

4.5/5. Creepy yet excellent blackened industrial metal right here, though I would never have listened to this in my early teen years.

Nik Nocturnal, Our Mirage - "NEIN!" (Rammstein parody track) from How to Metal, Vol. 1 (2023)

4/5. Any Rammstein-inspired song should end up in a Sphere playlist without a doubt. Slightly better than most of the songs from the band parodied here.

The Interbeing - "Perplexion" from Icon of the Hopeless (2022)

4.5/5. This one kicks up the heaviness like an upgrade from Fear Factory and Mnemic in the riffing while making room for the epic melodic chorus. Often the riffing takes a turn from industrial metal to leaning close to metalcore, which actually opens up more outer dimensions in the music-verse.

Tyrant of Death - "Gone Too Far" from Superior Firepower (2019)

4/5. Another f***ing sick cyber metal banger that shall take you through an alternate reality. It's so heavily stellar!

Mechina - "Tartarus" from Xenon (2014)

4.5/5. You can swim through different dimensions ranging from cyber to deathly, as a saga unfolds, almost competing with Marvel, Star Wars, and even The Elder Scrolls. A truly dark and ethereal collision!

Psyclon Nine - "Order of the Shadow (The Heretic Awakened)" from Order of the Shadow: Act 1 (2013)

4.5/5. F***ing amazing as h*ll this song is, probably the best of its original album! It is lightyears beyond the aggrotech sound of their debut. It would've been perfect if Nero Bellum's high shrieks had better improvement.

Celldweller - "Birthright" from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012)

5/5. A slightly better one, and perhaps the best one of Wish Upon a Blackstar. Klayton is a true master of modern electro-industrial rock/metal!

Front Line Assembly - "Surface Patterns" from Millennium (1994)

4.5/5. This one uses samples from songs by other metal bands, with this one using that famous riff from "Walk" by Pantera, followed by "Don't Tread On Me" by Metallica.

Godhead - "Anybody Else" from Evolver (2003)

4.5/5. Excellent track, but I'm better off anywhere else.

Ruoska - "Rumavirsi" from Radium (2005)

5/5. D*mn awesome sh*t from this Finnish industrial metal band. Here's to another album in the future!

Ministry - "Ricky's Hand" from HOPIUM FOR THE MASSES (2024)

4.5/5. Sounds like Ministry is going back to their 90s/early 2000s material with this cover of an 80s synthpop hit. A bit more prominent guitar would've been necessary for me and the rest of the metal audience.

Napalm Death - "Contemptuous" from Utopia Banished (1992)

4/5. Ending this playlist is the second Napalm Death track suggestion submitted by Daniel, the first one from the Sphere playlist exactly one year ago. Sounds like the band has a little more creative freedom when experimenting with shoegaze-ish industrial metal. The band's usual violent deathgrind has been turned away for bleak industrial darkness of Godflesh. The riffing has beautiful atmosphere before leading into the final fading bass chords. I personally would pick this one and that other submission, "Evolved as One", over their more well-known grind that I'm not up for.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? I recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks 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:

Shadow of Intent - "We Descend" from Reclaimer (2017)

5/5. I didn't think an album intro would be the missing spark needed to finally to get me fully interested in Shadow of Intent, but here we are. The first 20 seconds consists of beautiful melancholic piano, then the heaviness builds up, reaching it's high point in the breakdown for the last 30 seconds. This is two minutes of my life I wanna repeat! How the f*** have I missed this in my life?!

As I Lay Dying - "Within Destruction" from An Ocean Between Us (2007)

4.5/5. I made that intro segue into this killer metalcore song to love.

Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas - "Hey Girl!! Why Not Party Like a Bitch!?" from Dance & Scream (2010)

4.5/5. Some say this divine brand of dance-core is sh*t, I say it's THE sh*t! This party's gonna rule like a b***h!

Motionless in White - "Black Damask (The Fog)" from Infamous (2012)

5/5. Like that Shadow of Intent intro, this song starts with soft somber piano, then when you least expect it, it switches to an intense head-ripping assault of vocals, guitars, and drums. The chorus is where the expected clean vocals come in greater range than in their debut. The perfect stage-setter!

MAYFLOWER - "Save Me" from Misery (2022)

4.5/5. Another excellent banger! I enjoy both the screamed verses and the clean choruses.

Hollow Front - "The Price of Dreaming" from The Price of Dreaming (2022)

4.5/5. Yet another killer banger! This one has a nice music video centered around a ballerina.

Make Them Suffer - "Oscillator" from Oscillator (2024)

5/5. Make Them Suffer can make kick-A tracks worth headbanging to. This and the other singles like "Doomswitch" makes me look forward to their self-titled album big time.

Lorna Shore - "Hollow Sentence" from Immortal (2020)

5/5. This one is a brilliant vocal battle between the growling of the one-man army that is McCreery vs. a multi-person choir, almost like a vocal exchange. There are huge dramatic theatrics while staying menacing. The riffing is also impressive, alternating between the slow breakdown and sledgehammering sections.

Impending Doom - "Nailed. Dead. Risen." from Nailed. Dead. Risen. (2007)

4.5/5. "NAILED. DEAD. RISEN!!!!!" Sometimes, even Heaven can reach the height of brutality. The band's deathcore was a lot more death than core back then. The breakdown at the last minute would certainly fit well for God striking down the hordes of Satan.

The Contortionist - "Advent" from Exoplanet (2010)

4/5. Beauty and brutality sound good together, especially at over the 30-second mark when you get to "ESCAPE!!!" through the cosmos. The breakdown-ish bridge that starts the last minute is out of this world.

Advents - "Stigma" from Advents (2022)

4.5/5. Check out these excellent vocals! Both the singing in the chorus and the screaming go down hard. This banger is cool as sh*t!

Void of Vision - "Blood for Blood" from Blood for Blood (2024)

4/5. ANOTHER HEAVY F***ING BANGER!!!! This oughta level up this playlist greatly.

Avenged Sevenfold - "The Art of Subconscious Illusion" from Sounding the Seventh Trumpet (2001)

4.5/5. G****mn it, M. Shadows' wife Valary DiBenedetto should've joined the band full-time as their screaming vocalist. With her demonic shrieks, A7X would've continued their metalcore sound at ease after Shadows decided to stop screaming following Waking the Fallen. Valary's screams come midway through the song, though the "This can't be happening" part is also brilliant, as well as the intro sounding like that Call of Duty song "115". Pretty much a lot has happened in the first couple minutes that band never had the chance to replicate ever since.

From First to Last - "Dead Trees" from Dead Trees (2014)

4/5. One of two singles from First to Last's heaviest album, this one is a powerful metallic throwback to the mid-2000s post-hardcore scene embraced by similar bands.

Trivium - "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation" from Ascendancy (2005)

4.5/5. This one unleashes a pummeling double bass drum rhythm leading into a ferocious verse and a pre-chorus decimating break.

Bury Your Dead - "Burn Baby Burn" from You Had Me at Hello (2001)

5/5. The more hardcore of metalcore is still going f***ing strong from the 1990s/2000s to the present day. Apparently, this track has a demo version that's twice as long.

Wolves at the Gate - "Weight of Glory" from Eulogies (2022)

4.5/5. Nick Detty's vocals shine as he screams about battling the darkest times of the world. New guitarist Joey Alarcon has made sure the band's fans' faith isn't lost. I'm glad to add this banger to the playlist! Once again, Christian lyrics can fit so well in the heavy metalcore fire. A gym workout can end up being a fight to the death between man and machine. It almost has the same impact as Polaris' "Landmine".

Memphis May Fire - "Cowbell's Makin' a Comeback" from Memphis May Fire (2007)

5/5. Memphis May Fire had more of a Southern metalcore/post-hardcore sound in the beginning. While Matty Mullins would always be the heart and soul of the band from the debut album onwards, former vocalist Chase Ryan Robbins has more spunk. I'm a little surprised someone with a voice sounding so young is already a father, and he left the band to prioritizing his parenting duties. Cowbells are more common in hard rock/glam metal, a path that, unfortunately, a similar metalcore band Black Veil Brides ended up taking. This song and EP is quite underrated. Maybe add a little a bit of piano there? I don't know... And if you're wondering where the h*ll the cowbell is, it's right at the midway point. No chance for Chase to ever make a comeback...

Monuments - "97% Static" from Gnosis (2012)

4.5/5. I can't believe I never thought about checking out this band and album until recently. Here we have some djenty power, with vocals that are both pure and raw despite sounding closer to Rage Against the Machine. This shall give the playlist a greater kick.

LIMBS - "Spirit Breaker" from Coma Year (2022)

4/5. The chorus near the one-minute mark shall get you pumped and jumping. I would recommend this song for any fan of Architects and Currents. It's quite g****mn interesting, and while I love the heavy verses, the clean vocals are wonderful in the chorus and bridge. Once again, we have some f***ing well-done metalcore here. I wonder how many people thought this was a song by Spirit Breaker called "Limbs". No matter how much confusion this might cause, the formula of heaviness and cleanliness is bound to win some new fans.

The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Clip the Apex... Accept Instruction" from Calculating Infinity (1999)

4.5/5. This one has impeccable tightness with guitars of tangling destruction, then just when you think the band has settled their sound into sanity, the sound rises into an amp-ruining wall of noise.

The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "Go Greyhound" from Danza II The Electric Boogaloo (2007)

4.5/5. This mathcore band has made another insane riot, all the way up to the lovely ending, apparently from the film Flowers in the Attic. This f***ing chaotic sh*t can hit you like a truck then revive you. There should be more guitar shredding though.

Car Bomb - "Garrucha" from w^w^^w^w (2012)

5/5. This highlight sounds so easy in the even-time patterns, yet emphasized by the grinding machinery of the percussion, crushing riffs that are already crushing.

Bloom - "Sink Into the Soil" from Sink Into the Soil (2022)

4.5/5. Sometimes metalcore can be more of a way of life than a temporary phase. I can hear the raging melody of Counterparts.

Rorschach - "Blinders" from Protestant (1993)

5/5. One of the best early metalcore breakdowns occurs here.

Knocked Loose - "Mistakes Like Fractures" from A Different Shade of Blue (2019)

4.5/5. Absolutely killer violent hardcore/metalcore with relatable lyrics. The bass at over the 30-second mark I would give a thumbs-up to. It's like a more brutal take on Slipknot's "Psychosocial". Anyone brought here by that Spongebob "GARY!" video?

Unearth - "No Reprisal" from Extinction(s) (2018)

4/5. This one tones down the mayhem in favor of shining melodic riff power. The heavy momentum is elevated through blast beats and a groove pace.

Within the Ruins - "Ataxia IV" from Halfway Human (2017)

4.5/5. Quite odd how this instrumental would be deemed "explicit", but whatevs. The "Ataxia" tracks are epic djent-core journeys, and this is probably the best of them all. Over the one-minute mark is what sounds like a brief take on the Tetris theme. The band's 7-string guitars are tuned quite low. The final two-minute section begins reminding some of Infected Mushroom, and it reaches a chilling climax at the last minute that starts fading out. That final section definitely fits well for a boss battle. It's a shame the band didn't continue the "Ataxia" series in their new album Phenomena II. The piano is a bit out of place, which brings the score a half-star down from perfection.

August Burns Red - "Reckoning" from Death Below (2023)

5/5. The second 8-minute epic of the new August Burns Red album. I know you metalcore fans wanna hear Underoath vocalist Spencer Chamberlain unleashing his vocals as furious as early Bring Me the Horizon. Those make the best moments of this playlist!

Ice Nine Kills - "Farewell II Flesh" from Welcome to Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2 (2021)

5/5. Of course, we have one more song to celebrate the spooky month of Halloween, the longest INK song at 5 minutes since the debut's "Family Unties", based on Candyman, with soothing yet eerie piano as the story of the Candyman is introduced. After layers of dramatic atmosphere, more layers come in thanks to the other instruments that create metalcore riffing from the guitars. Then after all those strings, heaviness, and growls, cue more bee noises to end the album and playlist.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? I recommend this to any metalcore fan and anyone who isn't into metalcore but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks 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 some tracks:

A((wake)) – Iron Mold (2011)

4.5/5. An excellent atmospheric start that's worth your money.

Alchemist – Worlds Within Worlds (1993)

5/5. This one has some of that Eastern balladry followed by a bit of thrashy death metal in a progressive epic.

Gloios – TELE II (2022)

3.5/5. There are some cool metal ideas thrown in here and there, but that and the first "Tele" track are the only ones in that Gloios album I would consider metal.

Meshuggah – Rational Gaze (2002)

4/5. Another killer song with a paradoxical lyrical theme.

Nevermore – The Termination Proclamation (2010)

4.5/5. RIP Warrel Dane. I need to one day get back in touch with the amazing blend of beauty and heaviness occurring in tracks like this.

Sadist – Sadist (1993)

4.5/5. The band's own theme interlude creeps in with horror-filled synths. This time, the heavy guitars join in on the spooky action. The band can actually pull off the horror movie vibe better than other death metal bands, enough for the chances of ending up in a film soundtrack to be likely. Probably a Psycho remake!

Scale the Summit – Atlas Novus (2013)

5/5. Now this one hits the right tone for my instrumental progressive djent search, and I need to scale more of this summit!

Scar Symmetry – Xenotaph (2023)

4.5/5. The 8-minute title epic of Scar Symmetry's latest album concludes this part of the Singularity trilogy, blending their own usual sci-fi melodeath with the extreme progressiveness of Ne Obliviscaris. By the end of this epic, you'll be wanting more from this saga and hoping you'll get it from the upcoming third part.

TesseracT – Juno (2018)

5/5. What's that? More progressive djent?!? You've come to the right place, and with vocals! Hope you've enjoyed the ride.

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Alesti, The World Alive – Disconnected (2021)

4.5/5. Let's start with a killer collaboration with an alt-metalcore band, between Norwegian metal producer Alesti and The Word Alive vocalist Telle Smith. I'm picking up some Hard Reset vibes here, even though this track came out a couple years before that The Word Alive album. The vocals are quite cool and practically make the song epic.

Falling In Reverse – Watch the World Burn (2024)

5/5. A true example of rap metal gone epic. The greatness of that song can practically compete with the Trivium one!

Ice Nine Kills – Hunting Season (2022)

4.5/5. Now this song is a legit contender for a video game-related album Ice Nine Kills should make next. Not just Player Unknown Battlegrounds, but also Call of Duty Zombies! It can almost compete with some of their greatest hits from the Silver Scream series. "SO WE'LL KILL SINGING!!!" Happy Halloween Month!

Last Crack – Squeeze It (2002)

4/5. They're really funkin' it up here, though too much for me to give it a crack.

Linkin Park – Runaway (2000)

4.5/5. More of the band's skyrocketing hooks appear in this highlight, where the primitive tune's melodies can probably get the song into alternative radio.

Living Colour – Wall (1993)

4/5. This one shows you all how this funky sound should really be done. As much as I enjoy Revolution bands from the electronicore of Enter Shikari to the mathcore of The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, I'm up for a bit of funky alt-metal once in a while.

Mushroomhead – We Don’t Care (2024)

4.5/5. This one aptly shows the band not caring about anything except their own thing. It's like they've taken a song from one of their 90s albums and made it much heavier. An instant classic!

Of Mice & Men – Pain (2016)

4/5. A total unclean crusher with lyrics about the pain of Carlile's Marfan syndrome, which he inherited from his late mother. "PAIN!!!! Every day that I awake, in my blood and through my veins, now there's nothing left that you can take away from me!"

Primer 55 – Loose (2000)

3.5/5. Primer 55 can cause some moshing action in the crowd similar to the catfight depicted in its original album's cover, all without stopping to breathe. Gen X can have some f***ing killer tracks, though there's more rap here than I can take.

Rvshvd, All That Remains – Proof (2024)

4/5. Another collaboration single, this one between Rvshvd and All That Remains. I thought it was going to be just a country rap song and I would've given it a "thumbs down to Hell" if it was, but it turned out to be something different and pretty good. Basically like one of All That Remains' ballads ("Just Tell Me Something" comes to my mind) but with a decent country twist of melodic sorrow. Nice potential as an alt-metal track!

System of a Down – B.Y.O.B. (2005)

4.5/5. Wrapping up my time in this playlist is an experimental alt-metal classic, launching into a thrashy intro followed by a blend of Iron Maiden-like verses and nu metal choruses. An epic diverse start to its original album, and the main reason why I became up to listening to Mezmerize, when my brother was listening to that song.

A superb tech-thrash offering from one of my favorite extreme progressive metal bands! I look forward to giving this album (and the rest of Extol's discography) a review after finishing the training program that I'm in (a couple more days to go).

October 2024

1. Gothminister - "Stonehenge" from Anima Inferna (2011) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

2. Blue Stahli - "Prognosis" from Obsidian (2021)

3. Killing Joke - "Aeon" from Democracy (1996)

4. The Amenta - "Plague of Locus" from Plague of Locus (2023) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

5. Megaherz - "Kopf Durch Die Wand" from Wer Bist Du (1997)

6. Eisbrecher - "Bombe" from Eiszeit (2010)

7. OOMPH! - "Sandmann" from Monster (2008)

8. Motionless in White - "America" from Infamous (2012)

9. Marilyn Manson - "The Nobodies" from Holy Wood (2000)

10. Deathstars - "Metal" from The Greatest Hits on Earth (2011)

11. Genitorturers - "Falling Stars" from Blackheart Revolution (2009) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

12. Samael - "Us" from Eternal (1999) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

13. KMFDM - "From Here on Out" from WWIII (2003)

14. In This Moment - "Fly Like an Eagle" from Mother (2020)

15. Mnemic - "There's No Tomorrow" from Mnemesis (2012)

16. Diabolos Rising - "Genocide-I Am God" from 666 (1994)

17. Nik Nocturnal, Our Mirage - "NEIN!" (Rammstein parody track) from How to Metal, Vol. 1 (2023)

18. The Interbeing - "Perplexion" from Icon of the Hopeless (2022)

19. Tyrant of Death - "Gone Too Far" from Superior Firepower (2019)

20. Mechina - "Tartarus" from Xenon (2014)

21. Psyclon Nine - "Order of the Shadow (The Heretic Awakened)" from Order of the Shadow: Act 1 (2013) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

22. Celldweller - "Birthright" from Wish Upon a Blackstar (2012) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

23. Front Line Assembly - "Surface Patterns" from Millennium (1994)

24. Godhead - "Anybody Else" from Evolver (2003)

25. Ruoska - "Rumavirsi" from Radium (2005)

26. Ministry - "Ricky's Hand" from HOPIUM FOR THE MASSES (2024)

27. Napalm Death - "Contemptuous" from Utopia Banished (1992) [submitted by Daniel]

October 2024

1. Shadow of Intent - "We Descend" from Reclaimer (2017)

2. As I Lay Dying - "Within Destruction" from An Ocean Between Us (2007) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

3. Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas - "Hey Girl!! Why Not Party Like a Bitch!?" from Dance & Scream (2010) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

4. Motionless in White - "Black Damask (The Fog)" from Infamous (2012)

5. MAYFLOWER - "Save Me" from Misery (2022)

6. Hollow Front - "The Price of Dreaming" from The Price of Dreaming (2022)

7. Make Them Suffer - "Oscillator" from Oscillator (2024)

8. Lorna Shore - "Hollow Sentence" from Immortal (2020)

9. Impending Doom - "Nailed. Dead. Risen." from Nailed. Dead. Risen. (2007)

10. The Contortionist - "Advent" from Exoplanet (2010) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

11. Advents - "Stigma" from Advents (2022)

12. Void of Vision - "Blood for Blood" from Blood for Blood (2024)

13. Avenged Sevenfold - "The Art of Subconscious Illusion" from Sounding the Seventh Trumpet (2001)

14. From First to Last - "Dead Trees" from Dead Trees (2014)

15. Trivium - "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation" from Ascendancy (2005) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

16. Bury Your Dead - "Burn Baby Burn" from You Had Me at Hello (2001) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

17. Wolves at the Gate - "Weight of Glory" from Eulogies (2022)

18. Memphis May Fire - "Cowbell's Makin' a Comeback" from Memphis May Fire (2007)

19. Monuments - "97% Static" from Gnosis (2012)

20. LIMBS - "Spirit Breaker" from Coma Year (2022)

21. The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Clip the Apex... Accept Instruction" from Calculating Infinity (1999)

22. The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "Go Greyhound" from Danza II The Electric Boogaloo (2007)

23. Car Bomb - "Garrucha" from w^w^^w^w (2012)

24. Bloom - "Sink Into the Soil" from Sink Into the Soil (2022)

25. Rorschach - "Blinders" from Protestant (1993) [submitted by Daniel]

26. Knocked Loose - "Mistakes Like Fractures" from A Different Shade of Blue (2019)

27. Unearth - "No Reprisal" from Extinction(s) (2018) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

28. Within the Ruins - "Ataxia IV" from Halfway Human (2017) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

29. August Burns Red - "Reckoning" from Death Below (2023)

30. Ice Nine Kills - "Farewell II Flesh" from Welcome to Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2 (2021)

Here's my review summary:

Falling in Reverse is one of the least liked bands in rock/metal, maybe even the world. All the hate is pointed towards frontman Ronnie Radke. Now as I've said before, I'm the kind of person who doesn't put direct association between art and artist. Just because someone is considered a total d*ck doesn't mean their music is automatically dogsh*t. Though exceptions can be made for those known for more serious stuff like murder and Nazism (Burzum's Varg Vikernes would qualify in both categories). Some music you can enjoy without thinking too much about one of the band members and what they've done, but we live in a world where people can easily put you down for something you like, which is what this site is supposed to prevent. With that said... I F***ING LOVE POPULAR MONSTER!!! That's right, I said it! Anyone can hate this album and the band, but personally, I find no reason to give it a thumbs-down, and that's my true opinion. I can witness a lot of talent from Radke and co. with their respective roles. 3 quarters of the album was already pre-released as singles, but they certainly shape it all up, and a good feeling was already made from the millions of streams some of the singles has earned. This proves that no matter how shunned a band can get, they can sweep the globe. A good metaphorical meaning behind the title of this monstrously grand album, Popular Monster. Even a rap metal track can expand into something climatic and epic. And when there's a metalcore track striking down, it strikes down HARD. And the more oddball tracks here, such as a country metal hoedown and an emotional strings-only cover of a Papa Roach hit, are actually pretty good. Popular Monster may not be for a lot of music listeners, but it certainly opened my ears to the talent for Falling in Reverse. It's honestly quite a unique album in the metal and hardcore realms. This experimental alt-metal style is something done in different ways by bands like Sleep Token and Bad Omens, yet Falling in Reverse step in with a more diverse mix. If anyone doesn't want anything to do with this album or band, they have their own ways. Just know that one man's sh*t is another man's treasure. One of modern alt-metal gold!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "Prequel", "Popular Monster", "Ronald", "Watch the World Burn", "Zombified", "No Fear"

For fans of: Jeris Johnson, Bad Omens, Linkin Park

Here's my submission for the October Guardians playlist:

Unleash the Archers - "Blood Empress" (from Phantoma, 2024)

These guys apparently like being different and released on a Wednesday.

A lot of Japanese bands and releases be like that.

Another new single from the upcoming Linkin Park album From Zero, this one a bit more metallic and powerful than "The Emptiness Machine". This heavy kick-A anthem would go on to be the theme song of this year's League of Legends World Championship:

An aggressive alt-metal anthem featuring Jinjer vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk: