Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

1. Yes. Southern metal is a thing, with bands like Down, Corrosion of Conformity, Black Label Society, and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster.

2. It's Southern rock influences are much more prominent than other genres, so it's definitely identifiable and different.

3. Many of Maylene and the Sons of Disaster's releases for sure.

4. It's a descendant of Southern rock, but it stands out as its own genre.

5. I've mentioned this before, but Southern metal should have its own clan, The South. It has nothing to do with the traditional doom metal, gothic metal, and drone metal of the clan, and there are currently so many genres in that clan (5 genres). And because of Southern metal's relation with sludge metal and stoner metal, I think those two genres can be taken out of The Fallen and reside in The South as well.

6. Black Label Society and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster do NOT belong in The Fallen. Black Label Society is comfortable in its place in The Guardians for their heavy metal sound mixed with Southern metal that would get them in hypothetically The South.

7. That, of course, is where The South clan comes in.

So those are my answers based on my Southern metal knowledge (which isn't much, by the way), and I hope to have given you enough info, Daniel. Good luck and take it easy!

Atrocity! I forgot about their debut Hallucinations that I also recommended to Sonny last month. Thanks for the (indirect) reminder, Ben!

A massive comeback for the kings of American progressive tech-death:

The Delirium album I've recommended to you last month seems like a good addition, Sonny.

Another early metalcore/mathcore classic:

A weird yet highly chaotic mix of early metalcore with some tech-thrash and doom influences:

I gotta say how both stunned and glad I am by this change. On the one hand, I was quite used to metalcore being used split into two genres with one of them reserved for the more melodic subgenres. On the other hand, throughout my time of listening to metalcore, I've always thought of melodic metalcore as a metalcore subgenre like the melodic death metal subgenre for death metal. Either way that I think, this approach seems like the right call for the future of metalcore in this site, and I applaud that move. However, of course that means the amount of primary genres in The Revolution has been reduced, and with that and the removal of the Nintendocore and Trancecore subgenres, I'm gonna have to re-assemble the subgenre ration for my Revolution playlists, but I won't judge. Now one more Revolution question remains, what would be the fate of trance metal? https://metal.academy/forum/14/thread/1097?page=1#topic_9334

Ben, please add the new Deadguy live album Buyer's Remorse.

Ben, please add the new Seventh Wonder album The Testament.

Ben, please add these new albums:

Memphis May Fire - Remade in Misery

Motionless in White - Scoring the End of the World

Hey there, Daniel! I thought I would let you know that the deluxe version of the Treyarch Sound's "Call of Duty: Black Ops - Zombies Soundtrack" includes 3 bonus tracks that are all metal, none of the non-metal OST sounds from most of the standard edition's main tracks. These bonus tracks are heavier than even the standard edition's metal tracks, with the last of the 3 approaching ultra-heavy punky death metal during the harsh-vocal parts. There's no chance that you would ever change your mind about the soundtrack being non-metal, but please check out these bonus tracks and let us know what you think. Saxy, I would recommend them to you as well:

If I had given this album a closer listen before, not just after, choosing this album as this month's Gateway feature release so I would remember more than just those metal tracks from all those years ago, I probably would chosen a different release. Memories can be tricky that way, huh? So I would have to agree with you on this one, Daniel, along with your submission for Code Orange's Underneath that offers far more than that band's earlier metalcore. We'll see the fate of those releases' clan positions in the Hall.

This closing instrumental progressive rock shredder was my pick from the album Andi:

Probably the best non-vocal track for me in this soundtrack.

This band shows how to revive post-hardcore/metalcore from 20 years ago while staying unique and fresh for a new generation:

Static Dress - Rouge Carpet Disaster

I know Andi enjoys the romp of a mid 2000s post-hardcore/metalcore record, so I'm guessing you'll enjoy this trip down nostalgia lane from this new UK outlet.

https://staticdress.bandcamp.com/album/rouge-carpet-disaster

You're right about me enjoying this, Saxy. A couple songs have some vulnerable weaknesses, but it's highly enjoyable. Thanks for this! This band revived the scene from 20 years ago with fresh sounds to make their own sound more unique and less tiring. Rouge Carpet Disaster might just be the start of a new emo generation!

4.5/5

Ben, please add Crawlspace (very early deathcore band, mixed with death metal that would also qualify in The Horde).

A brutal early blend of death metal and deathcore, showing that they improved a lot since the Misanthrope EP:

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks in my first ever assembled Sphere playlist:

Code Orange - "Out for Blood" from Out for Blood (2021)

5/5. What a headbanger to start this playlist! It's thanks to this band that helped expand my like for industrial metal to point where I can join this clan and create this playlist. They could tour with Corey Feldman if they had the chance! F***ing powerful industrial metal! This is like Guilty Kills in the same metal level as Slipknot, particularly a song that we'll soon be talking about...

Scum of the Earth - "Pornstar Champion (We Will Rock You)" from Blah...Blah...Blah...Love Songs for the New Millennium (2004)

4.5/5. This is a clever song to love, making their own distorted cover/remix of Queen's "We Will Rock You". You can't argue with something as fantastic as this! RIP Freddie Mercury... This is probably slightly better than Three Days Grace's Michael Jackson cover!

Gravity Kills - "Guilty" from Gravity Kills (1996)

4/5. This is that Gravity Kills song I hinted about, "Guilty"! It's an older song that somehow I never discovered until a few weeks ago when making this playlist. This is good song to jam to, and they might've been an influence to Spineshank, whom we'll talk about one of their songs later in the playlist. The reason for that Code Orange comparison above was because this band sounds closer to the style of Orgy and Nine Inch Nails. It's quite cool, and not as controversial as the more well-known industrial metal songs out there.

Emigrate - "My World" from Emigrate (2007)

4.5/5. This song has quite some fire here! Frontman Richard Kruspe is also the guitarist from Rammstein. This song also ended up in the soundtracks for the movies Resident Evil: Extinction and True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet.

Circle of Dust - "Machines of Our Disgrace" from Machines of Our Disgrace (2016)

5/5. Oh man, this is so great! I gotta listen to more of Klayton's projects.

The Clay People - "Awake" from The Clay People (1998)

4.5/5. This is quite cool, still pleasing industrial metal fans since the late 90s.

Spineshank - "New Disease" from The Height of Callousness (2000)

4/5. The early 2000s was when alternative/industrial metal was on the rise, and when songs like this one were sports video games. I did not like metal during my kiddy years of the 2000s. It wasn't until the 2010s when my metal interest took off. Still this can give fans of this style of metal quite a bit of nostalgia.

Bile - "In League" from Sex Reflex (1999)

3.5/5. Listen to this, another song featured in a movie, Dee Snider's Strangeland. This is underground industrial metal that should have slightly more attention. Those lyrics are fun to listen to, "We are the dead... We are the doctors of low self-esteem". Sounds like a psycho hospital story there, plus a bit of a Ghostemane vibe.

Ministry - "Antifa" from Amerikkkant (2018)

3/5. This is quite a well-done tune, but the lyrics seem both hilarious and disappointing. It fits well for the Trump era of the US that was happening when the album was released. So grab your popcorn and enjoy the band fighting against political power.

Blue Stahli - "Eat the Light" from Quartz (2020)

3.5/5. This one's a heavy fast rocker that should be recognized more. Blue Stahli is one of a few bands that can mix old and new electronics and metal together quite well, alongside Klayton's projects. Quartz is part of a trilogy of albums that includes Copper and Obsidian. The chorus is quite heavenly, and the techno-metal influences are most likely adopted from Circle of Dust, even going as fast as that band. This would go well for a Terminator-DOOM crossover or something.

Rorschach Test - "Satan" from The Eleventh (1994)

3/5. See, this is the kind of music, besides black metal, that my concerned mom would burn in the fires of Mount Doom. When this album was released, Benjamin Anderson was still in the band. I'm quite disappointed about this song being slightly weak, but it shows that the underground is not always chaotic.

Die Krupps - "Vision 2020 Vision" from Vision 2020 Vision (2019)

3.5/5. A slightly less disappointing song. Clearly they saw the f***ing virus-ridden reality of 2020 coming. So yeah, this song's quite good.

Sinisstar - "Freak of Nature" from Future Shock (2002)

4/5. 20 years and still hitting industrial metal fans hard. Let's tear this f***ing place down!

Skrew - "Mouthful of Dust" from Dusted (1994)

4.5/5. Another great kick-A track pleasing industrial metal fans for so many years, filled with monk-like chanting.

Gothminister - "Red Christ" from The Other Side (2017)

5/5. Words can't do this perfect epic song justice. Just listen to believe!

Klank - "Downside" from Still Suffering (1995)

4.5/5. Also amazing, though it can't beat the previous song's reign.

N17 - "Kontrol" from Trust No One (1997)

4/5. Another cool band, this one still active but haven't been releasing any new material. They can battle against sadness and depression with hope and power! There's a bit of a Marilyn Manson vibe here. This is the kind of sound Judas Priest's Rob Halford would experiment on in his side-project Two. It also helps up get over the f***ing virus.

1000 Homo DJs - "Supernaut" from Supernaut (1990)

4.5/5. "Practically every one of the top 40 records being played on every radio station in the United States is a communication to the children to take a trip, to cop out, to groove. The psychedelic jackets on the record albums have their own hidden symbols and messages as well as the lyrics to all the top rock songs and they all sing the same refrain: It's fun to take a trip, put acid in your veins." Well said for this amazing old-school industrial metal cover of a Black Sabbath tune.

Psyclon Nine - "Beware the Wolves" from Icon of the Adversary (2018)

5/5. I need to listen to more of this album after this song. This is brilliant!

Illidiance - "Hi-Tech Terror" from Damage Theory (2010)

4.5/5. Now this is a nice tune of cyber metal! This should've fit well in Tron Legacy.

Re:Aktor - "Damage Zone" from Zero Order (2003)

4/5. Despite living on the other side of the world, I can definitely enjoy some industrial/cyber metal from the western lands, this band reminding some of Fear Factory and Machine Head. Quite a bit of f***ing killer metal here!

Minority Sound - "Toxin" from Toxin (2019)

3.5/5. This is some h*lla groovy cyber metal here. Enough said!

Schwarzer Engel - "Ewig Leben" from Sieben (2022)

3/5. This is a catchy tune with an OK melody. I'm not sure what else to say that would make a positive comment, but this is some enchanting magic and beauty in this song. I wouldn't be give this so many spins despite the f***ing mesmerizing emotion. I'm just not into much of the Rammstein-style NDH.

Eisbrecher - "Eisbar" from Sturmfahrt (2017)

3.5/5. A slightly more well-done catchy NDH tune. This should be Ice Bear (from We Bare Bears)'s theme song!

OOMPH! - "TRRR – FCKN – HTLR" from Ritual (2019)

3/5. OOMPH, this is a hard song for me to enjoy at its fullest. The song title, if we restore the vowels is "TERROR F***ING HITLER".

Voivod - "21st Century Schizoid Man" from Phobos (1997)

3.5/5. A better cover, this one tackling that King Crimson hit. I don't really hate it, but it could use some improvement. This was after all from the E-Force era where the band experimented with other territories, though the rest of that album isn't industrial metal. Still this sounds quite progressive.

Godflesh - "Flowers" from Merciless (EP) (1994)

4/5. Lastly, "Flowers" is just a strange drone instrumental based on "Don't Bring Me Flowers" from the Pure album. It can work as both an eerie piece of music in a dark haunted house and relaxing background music when chilling in a lounge. Good ending for this playlist!

Although my reception for this playlist is a little more mixed, it turned out quite well. I had fun assembling the playlist and look forward to continuing my duty of creating monthly playlists for this clan and The Revolution. I would recommend this to any industrial metal fan and anyone who isn't into industrial metal but wants to get 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:

We Came as Romans/Brand of Sacrifice - "Darkbloom" (Reimagined) from Darkbloom (2022)

5/5. Let's start with a killer deathcore-infused remake of We Came as Romans' new epic metalcore single, so I thought I would add it as a tribute to one of my favorite songs from my first assembled Revolution playlist from November. A f***ing amazing banger in the heart of dark fire!

All That Remains - "Madness" from Madness (2017)

4.5/5. This is a heavy groove song that was a good choice for a single. The political lyrics are somewhat repetitive, but the rest of the song is pure heavy metal madness, enjoyed by me and my brother!

Ice Nine Kills - "Assault & Batteries" from The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood (2021)

5/5. The experimentation continues in this track, based on the Chucky series (Child's Play), where after a couple news broadcast samples, child singing adds to the incoming terror. While mostly referring to the first Chucky film, his bride is sometimes mentioned ("stitched back together it seems, by the evil bride of his dreams"), further expanding the concept to the rest of the franchise. I thought the "Hey Andy..." part spooked me a bit, since that's close to my name.

Currents - "Delusion" from The Place I Feel Safest (2017)

4.5/5. Another good band that deserves to be more popular. This is quite d*mn sick as f*** with a good amount to love in this tune, especially the djent soloing in under the 3-minute mark. It's much more deserving than that overrated pop/rap cr*p.

Among Them - "Still" from Coming and Going (2018)

4.5/5. This one has quite some meaning in the lyrics, along with killer depth in the growls and djent influence. This band has potential to go big in fame. Probably the best part is near the 3 and a half minute mark when the guitar harmony and bass have heavy emotion. F***ing sick, man! I should keep my eyes and ears for more modern djenty metalcore like this and listen to them. However, a minute before that best part is the second-best, a brutal yet emotional breakdown. Nice!

For the Fallen Dreams - "10 Years" from Six (2018)

5/5. Now this is an awesome band! Holy f***ing h*ll, I love this furious fire! My brother has listened to a few songs from this band around the time of this album's release, but somehow I never got around there until now.

Northlane - "Colourwave" from Mesmer (2017)

5/5. The breakdown here is one of the best, and it has stirred up a new favorite song and band here. I'm so pumped up for more of this album and band entering my comfort zone. I've reached a good street in the metalcore highway.

Upon a Burning Body - "A New Responsibility" from Fury (2022)

5/5. Let's f***ing roll with another killer band that's a recent favorite of mine!

Demon Hunter - The Negative" from War (2019)

4.5/5. This one's excellent, showing more of the vicious growls/screams in ways never usually heard from the band.

Dreamwake - "Paradise" from Virtual Reality (2022)

4/5. I found this song via a YouTube ad, and I like this quite a bit. Who knew you can add saxophone to an ending metal breakdown?!

Invent Animate - "Shapeshifter" from Greyview (2020)

4.5/5. D*mn, there's a bit of Cult of Luna-like clean ambience while still being upbeat metalcore. This combination with the vocals of Garrett Russell from Silent Planet works like a boss. I especially love the bridge at the two and a half minute mark before the last chorus. The lyrics are slightly heavier than the music and never disappoint. While I enjoy the Garrett's vocals, the rest of the song is still silver and enjoyable. It definitely puts the band near the top trio of Architects, Northlane, and In Hearts Wake, helped out by the middle breakdown. They should go on tour with Polaris!

Crystal Lake - "Freewill" from The Voyages (2020)

5/5. I can't put to words how perfect this is. Listen for yourself!

Born of Osiris - "Throw Me in the Jungle" from Soul Sphere (2015)

4.5/5. This one has some of the most varying vocal styles in a Born of Osiris song; lows, mids, highs, cleans, you name it. However, the harsh/clean dueling chorus is a little flat and the lyrics can be a bit confusing, but that doesn't affect the rest of the track.

Employed to Serve - "I Spend My Days" from The Warmth of a Dying Sun (2017)

4/5. Another automatically recommendation, this time from Spotify when I was assembling this playlist. D*mn, this sounds almost as f***ing brutal as Gojira. Some pretty good bad-a** sh*t right here!

War From A Harlots Mouth - "The Polyglutamine Pact" from MMX (2010)

4.5/5. This is definitely the best track here with riffs crushing through frantic drumming. Great choice, Daniel!

Converge - "Trespasses" from All We Love We Leave Behind (2012)

4.5/5. This one punches in a full assault of blazing percussion, indecipherable screaming, and intricate guitars and bass. The ugly and nasty production gives the track an excellent advantage. The tremendous speed works much better than the earlier calculated rhythm.

The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Calculating Infinity" from Calculating Infinity (1999)

4/5. This interlude is softer with some guitar crunch before building up building into the maximum tension needed for the later tracks.

Car Bomb - "HeLa" from Mordial (2019)

4.5/5. This is a basic mathy metalcore song that's isn't bad at all. Good break from the unique heavy intensity while keeping a bit of it.

Gaza - "Cult" from I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die (2006)

4.5/5. Also not as highly insane as the first two mathcore tracks, but it does have some funny lyrics ("Hey kids, the Jesus-reaper wears a cowboy hat!!!!") and a guest appearance Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder with his own shrieking verse. RIP...

The Contortionist - "Oscillator" from Exoplanet (2010)

5/5. This is the only re-recording from this band's EP Apparition to keep the original title and practically be the same as the original, yet it has better production that further lightens up the drum talent and the song's epic outro lead solo.

Enter Shikari - "Adieu" from Take to the Skies (2007)

4.5/5. This is one of the most beautiful ballads from a Revolution album I've heard. This band is the best at making pleasant surprises for the listeners. A beautiful soft break from all that intensity before it makes a sinister return in the next song...

Polaris - "The Descent" from The Death of Me (2020)

5/5. The metalcore power returns, hitting you like a bullet-train. F***ING INCREDIBLE!!! It's moments like the last third of the track that makes you wonder why this band isn't so highly popular. Absolutely underrated!

Emmure - "203" from Hindsight (2020)

5/5. This is the kind of music I can probably make when I start making my own metal compositions, simple yet deep in the meaning while giving you a dark blast in the face. I love this one and there's more I gotta find from this band!

Make Them Suffer - "How to Survive a Funeral" from How to Survive a Funeral (2020)

4.5/5. This track's drum beats, piano melodies, and soft vocals show a different side of Make Them Suffer, as if it's something new yet something old. I'm OK with that! All those dynamic changes integrated sound greatly thought-out to the point where the next album should have deeper experimentation, just as long as they stand by the sound that they've been known for.

Chelsea Grin - "Hostage" from Eternal Nightmare (2018)

4.5/5. This is some sick deathcore in this song for you to fight the world at war. At the two and a half minute mark is a short soft ambient section that would work for a trap remix, not that I would ever be a fan of trap music. The new vocalist f***ing rules! Do you see your demons?!

Embodyment - "Golgotha" from Embrace the Eternal (1998)

5/5. This is another song re-recorded from a demo. It really stays true to the deathcore sound this album has spawned, and is one of the best here.

Trivium - "Shogun" from Shogun (2008)

5.5/5 (not exaggerating). The title track of Trivium's 4th album Shogun is the longest track they've ever made at nearly 12 minutes. It is the most epic and progressive song of the album, pretty much partly inspired by Dream Theater. The guitar work in the verses is a little sludgy, but once again contains some battling contrasts between clean vocals and screams, and the chorus is as well-done as steak. Then after a few minutes of soft vocals and soloing, the song builds up to an epic climax featuring lightning fast soloing, chaotic drums, and Heafy's vocals become more powerful than ever before. Then it's back to the chorus followed by the repetitive yet still nice outro. Here's how I would describe the song in an epic fantasy tale: 0:00-3:54 - A knight goes on a huge journey to track down an evil overlord and his army threatening to destroy the land. The knight fights some monsters on the way. 3:54-7:13 - The knight reaches the overlord's lair and goes around finding some allies willing to form an army for the knight. 7:13-7:43 - The knight and his assembled army are ready to fight the overlord's army. 7:43-9:40 - An epic battle commences between the two armies and between the knight and the overlord. 9:40-end - The overlord and his army are defeated, the knight's army wins in victory, peace is restored, and the knight heads off into the unknown.

Motionless in White - "Eternally Yours" from Graveyard Shift (2017)

5/5. Then the knight finds the princess of the kingdom and elopes with her, living eternally ever after. Very much some alt-metalcore fire before calming down for a final outro to pleasantly end this playlist.

Holy wars, this is probably the best Revolution playlist I've assembled, with all songs reaching 4 to 5 stars! To make sure my opinion doesn't sound selfish or bad form, I 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 your help with your submission, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!

Here are my thoughts on most of the tracks in this playlist:

Breaking Benjamin - "Breakdown" (from We Are Not Alone)

4.5/5. After a "Fur Elise"-like piano intro, Burnley screams "BREAKDOWN!!!" to begin a hardcore riffing part of the intro similar to the heavy parts of their debut. That should've been a single!

TOOL - "Prison Sex" (from Undertow)

4/5. OK, there's a bit of disturbing groove sh*t, but it's dominated by amazing riffs and melodies.

Evanescence - "Better Without You" (from The Bitter Truth)

3.5/5. This one starts off with a soft synthesized music box before an industrial earthquake.

Coldrain - "RUNAWAY" (from Vena)

4/5. Masato sounds just fine in this song, but when Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix butts in, he really has his vocal power that make that song another highlight. However, if you thought this was intense, another Japanese metal song I'm gonna comment on would be even more...

Dir En Grey - "AGITATED SCREAMS OF MAGGOTS" (from THE MARROW OF A BONE)

4.5/5. This one's absolutely killer, pure brutal alt-metalcore right here! The music video is also cool, though some viewers would be like "WT*?!" This is over-the-top madness, much different from the band's softer "empty" ballads.

MAXIMUM THE HORMONE - "Seritsuwa Kannazukiwo Korasu Kion" (from Kusoban)

5/5. Who else but this band can make lyrics about "physiological pain" and "freezing temperature" in the same song? I'm not usually in the more funk-oriented alt-metal, but this is so brilliant I can cry!

Five Finger Death Punch - "Under and Over It" (from American Capitalist)

4.5/5. This one fulfills the band's resolution with their revolution against critics.

In Flames - "Where the Dead Ships Dwell" (from Sounds of a Playground Fading)

4/5. In Flames was a band that gave me good alt-metal/melodeath in the times when I was up for them. I can still hear the anger and sadness in the chilling lyrics ("I won't let the world break me, so I need to change direction..."). This amazing song hits me with unique beauty much more than bands like Killswitch Engage. This modern alternative sound they've been having since Soundtrack to Your Escape. Maybe I will return to this band someday when I'm fully back in my melodeath sound...

Vanilla Ice - "Too Cold" (from Hard to Swallow)

3.5/5. Wow, I didn't expect the "Ice Ice Baby" dude to appear here, but it makes sense because of his nu/rap metal material, which I'm not usually fond of. This one's a good hard-hitter though, so it's fine.

Lacuna Coil - "Within Me" (from Karmacode)

4/5. A good song for post-breakup woes of loneliness, bring back good memories of when I used to listen to this band full-time. This band still exists in activity, and I'm glad about that, though their earlier gothic years are far behind them.

Cave In - "New Reality" (from Heavy Pendulum)

5/5. H*ll yes, another awesome discovery for me from this band. It sounds so zany and they have good relation with Converge, with that band's guitarist Kurt Ballou manning the album's production and Nate Newton as their new bassist after Caleb Scofield's fatal car crash. RIP...

Linkin Park - "Somewhere I Belong" (from Meteora)

4/5. This one is more melodic with incredible emotion. There's powerful guitar along with great vocals alternating between rapping and singing. The lyrics are a bit forced and unable to flow well, but the song is still awesome.

Machine Supremacy - "Anthem Apocalyptica" (from Origin)

4.5/5. This one I still love as a potential fight-preparation song. The music fits well by itself without any lyrics. I discovered this band 7 years ago when I was still in the power metal zone. This was before their debut Deus ex Machinae when they creating singular tracks to upload on their website. It's still quite, including that calm beginning. I think this should've been in the movie Ready Player One. While I enjoyed the instrumentals, same goes for the real songs despite the whininess in the vocals. I also enjoyed playing the demo of the Jets'n'Guns game they composed music for. A great outro to end this playlist!

I'd like to once again thank Saxy for allowing me to create the threads for his Gateway and Infinite playlists each month and including my really long submission in this one. However, I will skip out on commenting in this month's Infinite playlist. After that incident last month that happened because I didn't ask for permission that time (among other reasons), I'm still not sure about commenting on tracks from clans with the more melodic genres (except for a few tracks that I still like from this month's Guardians playlist). I'm currently more focused on my other 3 clans, but don't worry, I'm still staying in The Infinite, I just need to pace myself if I want my time in the clan for be more bearable for myself and others. With that said though, I've already submitted track suggestions for next month's Infinite playlist, which I'm still up to doing. Plus I'm planning to comment on the majority of the Gateway playlist, so stay tuned for that...

June 2022

01. Jason Richardson, Luke Holland - "p00mbachu" (from p00mbachu)

02. Dream Theater - "Take the Time" (from Images and Words)

03. Gojira - "Clone" (from Terra Incognita)

04. Seventh Wonder - "The Light" (from The Light)

05. Spheric Universe Experience - "Where We Belong" (from Where We Belong)

06. Liquid Tension Experiment - "Three Minute Warning" (from Liquid Tension Experiment)

07. Voyager - "Entropy" (from Colours in the Sun)

08. The Odious - "Mono No Aware" (from Vesica Piscis)

09. Anciients - "Buried in Sand" (from Voice of the Void)

10. Kardashev - "Glass Phantoms" (from Glass Phantoms)

11. Intronaut - "Speaking of Orbs" (from Fluid Existential Inversions)

12. Chaosbay, Siamese - "What is War" (from What is War)

13. Pain of Salvation - "The Perfect Element" (from The Perfect Element, Pt. 1)

June 2022

01. System of a Down - "Question!" (from Mezmerize)

02. Northlane - "Clockwork" (from Obsidian)

03. Breaking Benjamin - "Breakdown" (from We Are Not Alone)

04. TOOL - "Prison Sex" (from Undertow)

05. Evanescence - "Better Without You" (from The Bitter Truth)

06. Coldrain - "RUNAWAY" (from Vena)

07. Mudvayne - "Happy?" (from Lost and Found)

08. Taproot - "Calling" (from Blue-Sky Research)

09. Dir En Grey - "AGITATED SCREAMS OF MAGGOTS" (from THE MARROW OF A BONE)

10. MAXIMUM THE HORMONE - "Seritsuwa Kannazukiwo Korasu Kion" (from Kusoban)

11. Five Finger Death Punch - "Under and Over It" (from American Capitalist)

12. Gone is Gone - "Violescent" (from Gone is Gone)

13. Fair to Midland - "Uh-Oh" (from Arrows & Anchors)

14. In Flames - "Where the Dead Ships Dwell" (from Sounds of a Playground Fading)

15. Vanilla Ice - "Too Cold" (from Hard to Swallow)

16. Lacuna Coil - "Within Me" (from Karmacode)

17. Cave In - "New Reality" (from Heavy Pendulum)

18. Linkin Park - "Somewhere I Belong" (from Meteora)

19. Skindred - "Electric Avenue" (from Shark Bites and Dog Fights)

20. Faith No More - "The Gentle Art of Making Enemies" (from King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime)

21. Machine Supremacy - "Anthem Apocalyptica" (from Origin)

Funny song title, scary lyrics (for newcomers), metalcore/mathcore greatness:

Here are my sneak peek submissions for the July Sphere playlist (starting at 2 before gradually building up to a set maximum):

Godflesh - "Perfect Skin" (7:37) from Slavestate (1991)

Samael - "The Cross" (3:21) from Eternal (1999)

Total length: 10:58

June 2022

1. Code Orange - "Out for Blood" from Out for Blood (2021) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

2. Scum of the Earth - "Pornstar Champion (We Will Rock You)" from Blah...Blah...Blah...Love Songs for the New Millennium (2004)

3. Gravity Kills - "Guilty" from Gravity Kills (1996)

4. Emigrate - "My World" from Emigrate (2007)

5. Circle of Dust - "Machines of Our Disgrace" from Machines of Our Disgrace (2016)

6. The Clay People - "Awake" from The Clay People (1998)

7. Spineshank - "New Disease" from The Height of Callousness (2000)

8. Bile - "In League" from Sex Reflex (1999)

9. Ministry - "Antifa" from Amerikkkant (2018)

10. Blue Stahli - "Eat the Light" from Quartz (2020)

11. Rorschach Test - "Satan" from The Eleventh (1994)

12. Die Krupps - "Vision 2020 Vision" from Vision 2020 Vision (2019)

13. Sinisstar - "Freak of Nature" from Future Shock (2002)

14. Skrew - "Mouthful of Dust" from Dusted (1994)

15. Gothminister - "Red Christ" from The Other Side (2017)

16. Klank - "Downside" from Still Suffering (1995)

17. N17 - "Kontrol" from Trust No One (1997)

18. 1000 Homo DJs - "Supernaut" from Supernaut (1990)

19. Psyclon Nine - "Beware the Wolves" from Icon of the Adversary (2018)

20. Illidiance - "Hi-Tech Terror" from Damage Theory (2010)

21. Re:Aktor - "Damage Zone" from Zero Order (2003)

22. Minority Sound - "Toxin" from Toxin (2019)

23. Schwarzer Engel - "Ewig Leben" from Sieben (2022)

24. Eisbrecher - "Eisbar" from Sturmfahrt (2017)

25. OOMPH! - "TRRR – FCKN – HTLR" from Ritual (2019)

26. Voivod - "21st Century Schizoid Man" from Phobos (1997)

27. Godflesh - "Flowers" from Merciless (EP) (1994) [submitted by Daniel]

June 2022

1. We Came as Romans/Brand of Sacrifice - "Darkbloom" (Reimagined) from Darkbloom (2022) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

2. All That Remains - "Madness" from Madness (2017) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

3. Ice Nine Kills - "Assault & Batteries" from The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood (2021)

4. Currents - "Delusion" from The Place I Feel Safest (2017)

5. Among Them - "Still" from Coming and Going (2018)

6. For the Fallen Dreams - "10 Years" from Six (2018)

7. Northlane - "Colourwave" from Mesmer (2017)

8. Upon a Burning Body - "A New Responsibility" from Fury (2022)

9. Demon Hunter - The Negative" from War (2019) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

10. Dreamwake - "Paradise" from Virtual Reality (2022)

11. Invent Animate - "Shapeshifter" from Greyview (2020)

12. Crystal Lake - "Freewill" from The Voyages (2020)

13. Born of Osiris - "Throw Me in the Jungle" from Soul Sphere (2015) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

14. Employed to Serve - "I Spend My Days" from The Warmth of a Dying Sun (2017)

15. War From A Harlots Mouth - "The Polyglutamine Pact" from MMX (2010) [submitted by Daniel]

16. Converge - "Trespasses" from All We Love We Leave Behind (2012) [submitted by Sonny]

17. The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Calculating Infinity" from Calculating Infinity (1999)

18. Car Bomb - "HeLa" from Mordial (2019)

19. Gaza - "Cult" from I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die (2006)

20. The Contortionist - "Oscillator" from Exoplanet (2010)

21. Enter Shikari - "Adieu" from Take to the Skies (2007) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

22. Polaris - "The Descent" from The Death of Me (2020)

23. Emmure - "203" from Hindsight (2020)

24. Make Them Suffer - "How to Survive a Funeral" from How to Survive a Funeral (2020)

25. Chelsea Grin - "Hostage" from Eternal Nightmare (2018) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

26. Embodyment - "Golgotha" from Embrace the Eternal (1998)

27. Trivium - "Shogun" from Shogun (2008)

28. Motionless in White - "Eternally Yours" from Graveyard Shift (2017) [submitted by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

Thanks, Daniel!

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

Bullet for My Valentine - "You Want a Battle? (Here's a War)" (4:14) from Venom (2015)

Coalesce - "Simulcast" (4:33) from 002 (1996)

Damaged - "The Mirror Perils" (3:51) from Token Remedies Research (1997)

Eighteen Visions - "1996" (3:25) from 1996 (2021)

Trivium - "Declaration" (7:00) from Ascendancy (2005)

We Came as Romans - "I Knew You Were Trouble" (3:38) from Punk Goes Pop, Vol. 6 (2014) (thought I would have some fun by submitting one of the Punk Goes Pop covers, and that compilation has the valid Metalcore tag in RYM)

Total length: 26:41

Here are my submissions for the July Infinite playlist:

Dream Theater - "The Shattered Fortress" (12:49) from Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009)

Gojira - "Magma" (6:42) from Magma (2016)

Mastodon - "Fallen Torches" (4:22) from Medium Rarities (2020)

The Ocean - "The Grand Inquisitor I: Karamazov Baseness" (5:02) from Anthropocentric (2010)

Total length: 28:55

Here are my submissions for the July Gateway playlist:

Avatar - "Bloody Angel" (6:04) from Hail the Apocalypse (2014) (this album has the alternative metal genre and conventional subgenre, but The Gateway clan is missing from view, plus the song sounds close enough to alt-metal that I personally think would qualify)

Bloodsimple - "Blood in Blood Out" (2:20) from A Cruel World (2005)

Disturbed - "Intoxication" (3:14) from Believe (2002)

Embodyment - "Pendulum" (3:39) from The Narrow Scope of Things (2000)

Evanescence - "Everybody's Fool" (3:16) from Fallen (2003)

Nekrogoblikon - "This Is It" (4:00) from The Fundamental Slimes and Humours (2022)

New Years Day - "Crawling" (3:21) from Diary of a Creep (2018)

Treyarch Sound - "115" (3:48) from Call of Duty: Black Ops - Zombies Soundtrack (2011)

Total length: 29:42

Hi Xephyr, here's my submission for the July playlist:

Within Temptation - "Iron" (from The Unforgiving, 2011)

Even though I'm no longer in The Guardians, I'm still going to comment on a few tracks here that I still like, for memories' sake. So here are my thoughts:

Kamelot – “Wander" (from "Epica”, 2003)

5/5. The first semi-acoustic ballad in its original album. Simply just soft guitar, smooth bass, and beautiful singing. Soon, the chorus adds back some of the metal along with vocal harmony. One of the best tracks here and a rare ballad that I truly enjoy!

Power Quest – “Master of Illusion” (from “Master of Illusion", 2008)

5/5. One of my favorite tracks from the second power metal band I started listening to (first being DragonForce)! When I was just starting my power metal quest at the time that I first discovered this band, the lyrical theme of this song and others from this album isn't dragon fantasy, but rather the real-life sh*t going on in the world, lying about how "perfect" society is. That's one reason why my brother likes this song as well, besides a bit of growling in the second verse. The singing is amazing enough to love to.

Sanctuary – “Battle Angels” (from “Refuge Denied”, 1987)

5/5. This album was popular among Megadeth fans who want to hear that band's frontman Dave Mustaine's production work on Sanctuary's debut. I enjoy the f***ing awesome vocals of Warrel Dane that level up this pure metal sound. RIP...

Blind Guardian – “Born in a Mourning Hall” (from “Imaginations from the Other Side”, 1995)

4.5/5. Another band responsible for shaping up my earlier era of epic metal 6 years ago. Good times! Strange lyrics, yet f***ing killer metal!

Avantasia - "The Wicked Symphony" (from "The Wicked Symphony", 2010)

4.5/5. What a way to end this playlist! I love how deep these lyrics are, and this wicked symphonic instrumentation is fantastic, though it would've been perfect for me when it was up in my alley around 8 years ago. It's still definitely strong for me, but I've already moved on. I still applaud your well-done playlist work, Xephyr!

The best and most popular part of the Call of Duty Black Ops Zombies soundtrack, and arguably my first (melodic) metalcore encounter:

I did my review, here's its summary:

My brother is a pro-gamer (though never really joining any E-gaming tournaments) and has played dozens of different computer games. COD: Black Ops was one of those games from 10 years ago. Back then he and I also enjoyed the soundtrack. Going further into the backstory, as an MMORPG gamer myself, I find that multiplayer activities are terrible time-wasters when the other players can't co-operate. That's why I prefer going solo in these games, and why it was also fun watching my brother play Call of Duty Zombies Mode (when he lets me watch) with his player kicking undead a** for as long as he can survive. The soundtrack for this mode in World at War and Black Ops is quite fun to listen to at times. Throughout the 17 tracks of the original version, it's all mostly electro-industrial interludes with only a few actual metal songs scattered around, which are the real treats of the soundtrack, especially "115", the best part of the entire soundtrack, and my aforementioned first (melodic) metalcore encounter. Blazing riffs and drumming, with vocal alternation between screams and cleans, make that song a memorable metalcore one. The tracks all flow and spread well without ever sounding too forced in most of the interludes. Treyarch Sound made the right move of releasing the soundtrack for people to hear anywhere else besides the game. Call of Duty Zombies players should definitely check this out, and if you're there for the metal songs, you would get the most out of that side from the deluxe version with the 3 bonus tracks. Enjoy this soundtrack for battling the undead....

3.5/5

Recommended tracks: "Lullaby of a Deadman", "The One", "Beauty of Annihilation", "Voice in Your Head", "115", "Undone", "Abracadavre", "Pareidolia", "Coming Home"

For fans of (the Call of Duty games mostly, but we're referring to bands): The Pretty Reckless, Motionless in White, Mick Gordon's DOOM soundtracks

Here's my review summary:

Metal has gotten a bad rep for its association with Satanism that has gotten people thinking all metal is satanic, just from hearing that kind of theme in extreme genres like death/thrash/black metal. However, metalcore is highly different there, take some of that extremeness and mixing it with hardcore, with lyrics of revolution. Code Orange can be industrial metalcore but it's a lot more. It's kind of a diverse mix that mixes those genres with small bits of thrashcore, sludgecore, grunge-y screamo, and nu metalcore, all in a new powerful cauldron! There's screaming industrial metalcore madness all around, with occasional emotional balladry. Technical industrial metalcore has never reached that high amount of immediate brilliance before, thus further proving Code Orange's omnipresent contribution to the recent metalcore scene. They indeed carry a stylistic stash of diverse styles without a limit!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "Swallowing the Rabbit Whole", "You and You Alone", "Cold Metal Place", "Sulfur Surrounding", "Last Ones Left", "Autumn And Carbine", "A Sliver"

For fans of: Circle of Dust, Knocked Loose, Vein.fm

No problem, Sonny.

Definitely the former. I checked on one of my earlier-rated Guardians releases after I left that clan as well, and my rating is out of the clan ratings list.

A blast through the rebellious lyrics and chorus rhythm of metal/hardcore:

Bonus epilogue part of this journey before really putting it to rest:

With their debut, Satisfaction is the Death of Desire, it amazingly describes the band's lack of satisfaction for life's advantages and disadvantages. In its release year 1997, their former label Victory Records was still focused on hardcore/early metalcore bands that included not just Hatebreed but also Earth Crisis, Integrity, and Strife. If this early debut isn't an honor for the metalcore sound that would stick with Hatebreed, I don't know what is! You can hear a lot of strong guitar, smashing drumming, and rebellious lyrics in this awesome metal/hardcore gem that is quite short, but length doesn't matter here. I'm glad to finally complete my early metalcore rediscovery voyage with this album. Thanks Ben for adding this to the site, and I ever come across some more albums that can top this one, I'm up for that challenge. Bring on the hate for me to love!

5/5

I think there's more clarity, Ben. Also why are the My Dying Bride and Cynic albums both #4 on your list?

Now that the ability to add your own top 20 releases to your profile page has been added, I think we can retire using this thread. I will, but I don't know about the rest of you, whether you wanna keep using it or switch to the new feature.

Just done my list. Thanks for implementing this ability, Ben! https://metal.academy/users/profile/97/top-20

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a band who's sole claim to fame is that they were on M-A's top 100 list of bands by number of full-lengths...Baboon/Baboon Rising. And also used to not have any reviews whatsoever, which was irrespective of quality, they just weren't on the internet.

https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/baboon_rising

In RYM, no ratings at all, and the last two albums are missing.

Maybe even reviews of album covers...

Welcome, Morpheus!

Try to find some good metal in this hardcore sh*tter. SPOILER: There's barely any.

Post-sludge metal should certainly have its own category in order to be distinguished from post-metal or sludge metal releases, and it's more significant and easier to see which genre it's most likely to stay in than a subgenre label like post-black metal that's torn between two subgenres (atmospheric black metal and blackgaze). Now let's say there are releases like Isis' The Red Sea that have both the Post-Metal and Sludge Metal tags but DON'T say "Atmospheric Post-Sludge Metal", they probably have both genres dominant without necessarily being just a subgenre where one genre stands out more than the other. So the Post-Sludge Metal subgenre would still make sense if you're looking for a style of post-metal where sludge is only secondary, which is basically what Post-Sludge is.

Once again, post-sludge has the slow tempo and harsh vocals of regular sludge, but otherwise, it puts its focus on the intense atmosphere, lengthy structures, and crescendo themes of post-metal, all that more superior to the sludgy aspects. With a lot more in common with post-metal, that's why I think it should be treated as more of an Infinite subgenre than The Fallen. For post-black metal, it's more related to blackgaze bands like Alcest and Deafheaven than atmospheric black metal, with the latter subgenre more synth-oriented than the dreamy ambience of post-metal. You wouldn't call bands like Summoning and Burzum "post-metal", now would you? For post-death metal, there are only 4 releases here that mix post-metal and death metal, so that wouldn't qualify as a real subgenre.

Another post-x subgenre, huh? How about post-hardcore! Just kidding. Haha

I enjoy the experimental chaos of mathcore, but I don't think I found as many releases from that subgenre as most other metalcore/melodic metalcore subgenres. Fortunately, thanks to a few grand discoveries in my rediscovery voyage, I now have enough for a top 10, which I'm sharing right here:

1. Botch - We Are The Romans (1999)

2. Converge - You Fail Me (2004)

3. Every Time I Die - Radical (2021)

4. Gaza - I Don’t Care Where I Go When I Die (2006)

5. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity (1999)

6. Deadguy - Fixation on a Coworker (1995)

7. Coalesce - Give Them Rope (1997)

8. Knut - Challenger (2002)

9. Iwrestledabearonce - Ruining It for Everybody (2011)

10. Psyopus - Odd Senses (2009)