Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies
I've just made a couple Spotify best-of playlists containing songs from those 3 bands and After the Burial, and I recommended these playlists to be listened to by anyone who wants to hear those bands' highlights:
Any of you who doubt Trivium would make an epic after the triumphant Shogun track, prepare to have your doubts blown away by this epic to end all thrash-metalcore epics:
I gave this song another listen...while riding an exercise bike I have at home, throughout the track length! It was the most epic 8-minute exercise bike ride I've had in my life, like riding a bike all over Middle-earth, like a mix of Forrest Gump and Lord of the Rings, all visualized in my mind in the safety of my own home...
Perhaps someday I can revisit their other albums (along with Between the Buried and Me & Rivers of Nihil albums) to test whether or not my enjoyment has truly changed since these 6 months away from them. After moving away from a few great bands for whatever reasons, it is good to revisit them once in a while for memory-goodness' sake.
A beautiful progressive rock outing for fans of Leprous, Caligula's Horse & Dream Theater.
A mournful clean rock structure with trance-ish vocal patterns. This almost fits well with the penultimate-track ballad theme of the band's first two albums.
A wonderful ride through the fantastic progressive gold of Haken! I might not enjoy the band as much as I did a year ago, but my review serves as a good memento to keep, like my reviews for the new Between the Buried and Me & Rivers of Nihil albums. Cheers for the rec, Daniel! 5/5
All right, this is my chance to redeem the enjoyment I've once had for Haken a year ago. Review coming up!
Another metalcore song with the violent lyrics I prefer, the violence of WAR:
The violent lyrics in metalcore I prefer is similar to what Sonny prefers in extreme metal, according to one of his reviews. None of the brutal talk of extreme sexual abuse or dismemberment for torture purposes. No, you let out your violence in WAR:
Update on my Trivium album rankings:
j. Silence in the Snow, i. The Crusade, h. Ember to Inferno, g. Vengeance Falls, f. The Sin and the Sentence, e. Shogun, d. Ascendancy, c. What the Dead Men Say, b. In the Court of the Dragon, a. In Waves
Now this argument made it look like Jacques Cousteau was in a metalcore band, when obviously not true at all. I should've clarified this further. When my eardrums get pierced by indecipherable vocals, it sounds so unclear that my mind only focuses on one micro-aspect that might seem hard to believe. Quite strange, right? With lyrics reaching deep down into the extreme, making me remember some things I've stumbled upon that I wish I didn't, I wouldn't be surprised if the band's lyrics end up associated with European death metal, despite staying metalcore. That's another reason why this band has barely any appeal to me, in a similar level to death metal for me nowadays...
it seems like their "inspirations" are mainly rip-offs. There may be some lyrical copying from Whitehouse and De Sade, especially in the title track, all mangled in the French tongue.
Andi, I just had a read of your review & was very surprised to find that you're across the works of both UK power electronics artist Whitehouse & 18th Century French erotic writer Marquis de Sade (particularly the latter). I do think your statement about the lyrics being "all mangled in the French tongue" is a bit deceptive though as the vast majority are in English.
I've only heard/read a small bit of Whitehouse and de Sade, and I still remember from a long time ago. There were a few songs from Whitehouse I've heard from my young radio pop days, and I don't remember what the songs were, but definitely their less inappropriate singles. My brother and I like to play computer games, and one of his favorites is Assassin Creed. In one of the AC games, Unity, Marquis de Sade was portrayed as an NPC assisting the main protagonist in some missions. I looked up Marquis de Sade on the internet and found fragments of his works. Those works did not look so appropriate for me at the time (back then I was around 15), so I turned away from them, same with Whitehouse after finding more info and lyrics from that band.
When I made this review, once I heard those lyrics, my Whitehouse and De Sade memories came back, though I definitely can tolerate those memories more now. While those lyrics are in English, it seems like they're a little high in the accent of their native country at some points. If they wrote original, more suitable lyrics that aren't frequently accented, I would've given my review at least 3.5 stars and make it longer than this post, but unfortunately....NAH.
Here's my top 10:
10. Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth (1997)
9. Virgin Steele - Age of Consent (1988)
8. Accept - Metal Heart (1985)
7. Sanctuary - Refuge Denied (1987)
6. Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian (1986)
5. Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King (1987)
4. Queensryche - The Warning (1984)
3. Crimson Glory - Transcendence (1988)
2. Running Wild - Death or Glory (1989)
1. Riot - Thundersteel (1988)
A gorgeous post-rock collaboration with Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello from an album that should appeal to fans of Evanescence, Breaking Benjamin & Red.
I'm lucky enough to have people in the outside world who respect my metal interest as much as you all do in this site. Sure they might be a bit surprised when I first tell them, but they're OK with it whether they also listen to metal or not. The only person I know who doesn't really like metal is my mother. I mean she likes the classic metal ballads from when she was my age, but not the modern heavier metal that I like. Fortunately, she's never that demanding stereotypical woman named after Plankton's computer wife from Spongebob. Instead she respects and supports my metal interest as long as I don't take it too far. That's one reason why I don't take my metal interest too deep into the more extreme sides of doom metal, death metal, or black metal.
I haven't really seen people online target metal in general in one of their hate-rants, but if they have, then there probably has to be a logical reason, like they think it's nothing but noise and shouting, they think all of it is satanic and devil-worshiping, they think it might induce suicide (all because of a couple incidents that don't see a direct link), or they're one of those overprotective parents who try to prevent their children from seeing or hearing stuff that is even remotely offensive. With those parents targeting even children's comics like Big Nate (see this page: https://big-nate-comments.fandom.com/wiki/Community_Activity:Reading_Big_Nate_Reviews!), I bet they faint whenever they listen to something suggestive in a metal song or see an inappropriate cover artwork. Could one of those parents be Tipper Gore? Anyway, if someone told us something hateful about metal, are we gonna cry about it?
NO!! We can just ignore the hate and give no sh*t about it. True metalheads stay resilient!
Any of you who doubt Trivium would make an epic after the triumphant Shogun track, prepare to have your doubts blown away by this epic to end all thrash-metalcore epics:
Also I've been enjoying this metalcore/post-hardcore band This Day Forward, which I would recommend to fans of Skycamefalling, Hopesfall, and Underoath:
Apparently the video is a response to a thread challenge from some other site, "10 terrible albums that aren't St. Anger". I tried to Google it, but it has proven to be hard to find. If I were to list my own "10 terrible albums", half of them would be metal and the other half aren't. As some of you might recall, I've already written a list of 10 terrible SONGS as the first post of the "Greatest Sh*ts" thread, at the top of the page in this link (with new additions): https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/149
It is possible, Daniel, and indeed it depends on what I feel like. I've discarded my radio pop past when I've found something that I think is lightyears better, that of course being metal, when my metal interest first started. Still it's good to look back at the earlier past every once in a while, and I'm glad to have the bravery and leeway to do so...
This is how much I'm enjoying and listening to the new Trivium album, In the Court of the Dragon, along with my outside-world friends' reaction:
Totally looking forward to giving it a review once the album gets added to the site...
It has been so long since I've last listened to this song, and it's still a kick-A tune. Alt-groove metal that has not only pleased me and my brother, but can also please fans of Lamb of God, Bad Wolves, and Pantera:
Thanks, Sonny. It is tough to move away from something you enjoy after or during a bad event, but eventually there's a chance to return. I have not yet completely moved out of all metal (except for my couple-week break at the end of last year), and I'm glad to still be in the metal zone, though changes in taste can be adjusted at any time. You'll be quite amazed about how many taste changes I've gone through that involves going in and out of genres. First I was into alt-rock/metal when following my brother's footsteps, then I developed my own taste in power/progressive/melodeath/gothic metal, and later traded the power metal part of my taste for metalcore. However, thanks to the motivation and encouragement from you all, I returned to heavy/power metal and recently alt-metal. So there might be a chance to return to death metal and doom/gothic metal in the future...
So.... 1916 and 1968, huh? The current pandemic started in 2020. If we keep going at this once-every-52-years rate, would the next one be in 2072?? Probably, but hopefully not.
Today is the anniversaries of not one, not two, but 3 albums from the Pit that cross over with each band's main clan:
You know how much I like that Trivium album (though not as much as most of their other albums because in that album, they focused less on metalcore while still having it)! The 5FDP album is one of my brother's favorite albums from the band, and I listened to a few songs from that album when following his alt-metal footsteps. I'm feeling up to giving that album another listen and a review (this one's for you, bro!).
I'm sorry to hear you've been doing it tough Andi. We're all here for you if you ever want to talk. COVID has been a major challenge for every one of us (some in very different ways to others) & I can assure you that you're not alone in feeling depressed about the whole situation.
Out of interest, where does your new relationship with artists like Arcturus & Samael that began their careers as black metal bands fit into this arrangement? I also find it interesting that you've elected to keep your options open in regard to sludge metal when it's the most aggressive & violent of the subgenres The Fallen contains. I would have thought it'd be the first to go to be honest.
Despite what I've said about the virus still being around and strong, and me being in the depression stage, I'm actually getting slightly better than I was a month or two ago. The COVID cases are getting lower to the point where we are less restricted and isolated when it comes to going to places, though some restrictions still apply, and with me and my family vaccinated, it's much less of an issue now. I think if it all goes well by the end of the month and my gothic/doom departure, I should be heading into the acceptance stage and live with what reality has to offer. Thanks for your concern, Daniel!
With the slow darkness of gothic/doom to soon be out of my way, this would be a good chance to start building up the upbeat and extreme side of my relationship further, and that Samael album that was the Sphere feature release for last month was a good start. I'm still avoiding bands that are full-on satanic black metal (including subgenres) for my own moral reasons, but if a band is straight-up black metal for the first few albums or releases, and the rest is a genre that I still enjoy, that's OK for me. That's why I still like bands such as Arcturus, Samael, and Enslaved.
The aggressive violence of sludge metal is what sets this genre apart from the other Fallen genres, as that's what it focuses on instead of depressive darkness for the most part. Plus I can't say no to its hardcore roots because my Revolution passion is still strong, nor the post-variant because it's closer to post-metal. I don't mind bringing back some aggression into my life, since I've already left the anger stage earlier this year. And maybe one day I might have the courage to explore a bit of death metal again also, albeit in similar conditions as my black metal rule...
With my recently announced-to-be-starting doom departure (https://metal.academy/forum/7/thread/971), you won't see me do anymore of the sh*t we talked about in this thread, and I'm sure you all might be supportive of my decision, but I know what some of you will also say (though I wouldn't say this myself because it's not in my religion):
As a matter of fact, Daniel, I'm gonna make my official announcement about my gothic/doom metal departure and the reasons for it tomorrow morning. I've enjoyed My Dying Bride and other gothic/doom bands during my Fallen years, but enjoyment isn't forever. We all have our taste changes with good reasons. Soon would be, like that Hopesfall song, the end of an era. Stay tuned for my announcement tomorrow...
Spacey Norwegian avant-prog metal for fans of Leprous, Limbonic Art, and Samael:
Here are my ratings for this month's feature releases for all my clans, and a quick summary:
The Gateway: Linkin Park - The Hunting Party (2014) - 3.5/5
The Guardians: Fates Warning - Night on Bröcken (1984) - 4/5
The Infinite: Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I (2012) - 5/5
The Revolution: Kickback - Les 150 passions meurtrières (2001) - 2.5/5
Another good month for feature releases, again probably because of the releases submitted by us Metal Academy members (including myself), though in more mixed reactions from me. My feature release submissions for The Gateway and The Guardians are good enough for others to try but could've been slightly better. The feature release for The Infinite deserves a perfect 5 stars and is a great modern classic that I would recommend to any fan of progressive metal. The Revolution release is not really great for me and I'll never feel up to listening to more of that band anytime soon. Thanks for these amazing feature releases, guys! Looking forward to more of this cool activity, along with feature release submissions for next month coming in via private message...
Here are my overall ratings for the playlists I've reviewed this month (October):
1. Gateway playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commended: 5)
2. Guardians playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 6)
3. Infinite playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 9)
4. Revolution playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 11)
Another rewarding playlist month for me, this time my playlist ratings for all the clans I've commented on are each an average total of 4.5 stars! It is also the first month that I've never commented on a single part of the Fallen playlist because of my move out of The Fallen, with my move out of gothic/doom metal in general to be announced tomorrow. And yes, I enjoyed the Samael track I've submitted to The Sphere playlist, but my Sphere knowledge still isn't too great, so I'll take a break from making one-track submissions to The Sphere again. Anyway, good month!
Ben, please add the new Trivium album In the Court of the Dragon.
Happy 15th anniversary to a couple more albums essential for true fans of doom metal! I'm sure gonna miss when I used to enjoy that My Dying Bride album...
Wonderful Australian progressive metal for fans of Opeth, Xanthochroid & Persefone.
A perfect blend of loudness and emotion!
The two "Tower" songs really showed Rivers of Nihil's new direction in a weird tone that is a contributing factor to why the album came a star short from a perfect 5 stars:
Rivers of Nihil is back (and so is a bit of my interest in this band) with their new prog-death album The Work, including this 11 and a half minute epic in which listening to it speaks louder than speaking about it:
Also, Enslaved released a new EP the other day, titled Caravans to the Outer Worlds. Enslaved's new release continues their extreme progressive metal direction but apparently in a more appealing light for those outside the underground. One of my friends from the outside world claimed to have "also listened to 75 % of that EP!!!!"
OK, fine, just in case some of you are curious about the radio pop sh*t that I was listening to in the late 2000s before I was 11, I'll show you a playlist I made of some songs from those times. Just remember that I'm still a metalhead, and the pop past shall stay in the past. Also if you're wondering, the explicit songs were censored on radios where I listened to them. Playlist is right here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/19qhvuCnyKMasNoGAZqFJj
Here are my suggestions for November's Revolution playlist (I'll make sure any multi-clan suggestions fit well with the playlist I'm submitting to):
All That Remains - "This Calling" (3:39) from The Fall of Ideals (2006)
August Burns Red - "Coordinates" (5:11) from Phantom Anthem (2017)
Betraying the Martyrs - "Tapestry of Me" (4:36) from Breathe in Life (2011)
Bullet for My Valentine - "Scream Aim Fire" (4:26) from Scream Aim Fire (2008)
Converge - "Thaw" (4:30) from Jane Doe (2001)
The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Sandbox Magician" (2:31) from Under the Running Board (1998)
Unearth - "Watch It Burn" (4:06) from Darkness in the Light (2011)
Total length: 28:59
Here are my suggestions for November's Infinite playlist (I'll make sure any multi-clan suggestions fit well with the playlist I'm submitting to):
Evergrey - "Misled" (6:00) from In Search of Truth (2001)
Pain of Salvation - "On a Tuesday" (10:22) from In the Passing Light of Day (2017)
Seventh Wonder - "Unbreakable" (7:19) from Mercy Falls (2008)
Voivod - "Experiment" (6:10) from Dimension Hatröss (1988)
Total length: 29:51
Here are my suggestions for November's Guardians playlist (I'll make sure any multi-clan suggestions fit well with the playlist I'm submitting to):
Angra - "The Course of Nature" (4:31) from Aurora Consurgens (2006)
Battlelore - "Doombound" (8:02) from Doombound (2011)
Gamma Ray - "Land of the Free" (4:38) from Land of the Free (1995)
Riot - "Storming the Gates of Hell" (3:43) from The Privilege of Power (1990)
Running Wild - "Little Big Horn" (5:00) from Blazon Stone (1991)
Twilight Force - "Gates of Glory" (3:55) from Tales of Ancient Prophecies (2014)
Total length: 29:49
I'm still keeping the amount of Gateway suggestions from me slightly low because while I'm glad to join the Gateway, I'm new to the clan and want my alt-metal taste to build gradually before going all in with my suggestions. My number of Gateway suggestions will increase by 1 until I get to a set maximum of, say, 8. With that, here are what I'm submitting for November's Gateway playlist (I'll make sure any multi-clan suggestions fit well with the playlist I'm submitting to):
Disturbed - "A Reason to Fight" (4:44) from Evolution (2018)
Green Carnation - "The Quiet Offspring" (4:05) from The Quiet Offspring (2005)
Lacuna Coil - "Closer" (3:02) from Karmacode (2006)
Linkin Park - "Pushing Me Away" (3:11) from Hybrid Theory (2000)
While She Sleeps - "Anti-Social" (4:14) from So What? (2019)
Total length: 19:16
I haven't listened to that MonumentuM album yet, but that can make a good addition to my gothic metal bucket list...
Ben, please add these two new albums:
Rivers of Nihil - The Work
Enslaved - Caravans to the Outer Worlds (EP)
Ben, please add the Samael album Era One. Also I don't think you've added those other non-metal releases I've requested yet (from Eluveitie, Theatre of Tragedy, Underoath, and Virgin Steele), so can you please add them in as soon as possible to bridge the gap? Thanks...
An epic new music video from Trivium's soon-to-be-released album In the Court of the Dragon, with scenes from one of the greatest video game franchises, the Elder Scrolls:
This one didn't sound so great for me, I didn't even try writing a full review. Laugh at this if you must: https://metal.academy/reviews/22573/3132
I did my review, here's its summary:
It wasn't until Ray Adler joined the band when the more progressive era of Fates Warning came to full force, but after 5 years of trying to get into listening to Fates Warning, I've finally done so starting with the John Arch era. As early as their debut Night on Brocken, they had a bit of power/speed metal influenced by Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. While not super impressive, their debut has brooding rhythms and Arch's searing vocals that place him between Dickinson and Kotipelto (the latter from Stratovarius). Apparently, all the songs were re-recorded from a couple demos the band made, the first demo containing two-thirds and released under the band name Misfit, yet the lineup stayed during those first few years, consisting of not just John Arch, but also dueling guitarists Jim Matheos and Victor Arduini, bassist Joe DiBiase, and drummer Steve Zimmerman. The tones work well in the album with purely sung melodies despite sounding raw compared to the other two albums of the Arch era. I can understand why this album is shunned by even the remaining active founding member Matheos. But still there are some solid guitars and memorable vocals with rage nostalgia in the atmosphere. There's no chance this would ever be my ultimate favorite Fates Warning album, but it's a fine powerful Guardians feature release choice for you to get your US power metal on....
4/5
Recommended songs: "Buried Alive", "Night on Brocken", "Misfit", "Damnation", "Soldier Boy"
For fans of: 80s Queensryche, Riot, Omen
My thoughts on some tracks:
All Out War – “Resist” (from “Truth In The Age Of Lies”, 1997)
4/5. Let's start the playlist with one of the more violent metallic hardcore bands that is a direct opposite of those suburban emo bands that wish for peace. Mike Score has sick vocal brutality going on. The first couple minutes play off almost like a slower "Hell Awaits", but after that, they don't need to go thrash, groove, or Swedish death metal. Instead this is OG metalcore that they've helped developed along with Integrity. F***ing great bad-a** sound, but the intensity is slightly overwhelming. This song would definitely be for old-school metalcore fans. War awaits...
Unearth – “Incinerate” (from “Extinction(s)”, 2018)
4.5/5. This one with a hardcore riff that, along with an awesome guitar interlude, can incinerate listeners face down.
Bullet For My Valentine – “The Last Fight” (from “Fever”, 2010)
4.5/5. Here's a glimpse of a driving fighter-attitude. It has the first ever guitar solo in the album. It's my personal favorite song in terms of vocals, most of which is clean singing with background shouting in the chorus, which is unlike the rest of the clan while keep the rebellious attitude. That's a simple but cool mature song.
Shadows Fall – “Destroyer Of Senses” (from “The Art Of Balance”, 2002)
4/5. This one keeps up the fast thrashy pace from the BFMV track, but a little simplistic and repetitive. Brain Fair does some guttural screaming in the slow sludgy part. I just picked this one as a starter for thrashy metalcore newcomers.
Misery Signals – “Five Years” (from “Of Malice & The Magnum Heart”, 2004)
5/5. One of my favorite Misery Signals songs! The line "Blood is forever" really smashes my heart and fixes it back up, restoring the blood that came out of it. And d*mn, what a f***ing amazing ending here!
Born Of Osiris – “Angel Or Alien” (from “Angel Or Alien”, 2021)
4.5/5. What you may hear in this track is a long-time-no-listen infectious hook, in which you can't deny its resemblance to the band's past material while moving the evolution forward. What a grand album that is!
Amaranthe – “Drop Dead Cynical” (from “Massive Addictive”, 2014)
3.5/5. This song I'm not really a big fan of. Their attempt to sound heavier ends coming out as more of an industrial-pop single. That marks the start of the overpowering trance infecting their later albums.
All That Remains – “Behind Silence & Solitude” (from “Behind Silence & Solitude”, 2002)
4/5. One of my favorite songs from All That Remains' melodeath-fueled debut, though not as the same height as songs from their later metalcore albums.
After The Burial – “Pendulum” (from “In Dreams”, 2010)
4.5/5. After the Burial is a f***ing passionate progressive metalcore band that I used to enjoy, but I kinda wish I hadn't given up on this band. This is a great song from them. Justin Lowe did amazing djenty rhythms. RIP...
Converge – “No Heroes” (from “No Heroes”, 2006)
5/5. This awesome killer Jane Doe leftover-ish track has crazy good lyrics ("NO MORE HEROES!! NO MORE!! NO MORE!! In my world of enemies I walk alone!!!").
Threat Signal – “One Last Breath” (from “Under Reprisal”, 2006)
4.5/5. Time for one last song, this one with one of the best choruses by this band that I've also left behind listening to, this time because of their melodeath mixed with metalcore. This can really pound more than coffee for me! Thankfully, this isn't a Creed cover at all, but instead a much better original track than that Creed song. Absolutely kick-A! I haven't heard this band in 5 or 6 months but, I still understand how underrated this band is. The chorus might remind some of a mix of Linkin Park and Fear Factory.
My thoughts on some tracks:
Symphony X – “The Damnation Game” (from “The Damnation Game”, 1995)
4.5/5. When the opening track of Symphony X's second album and this playlist begins, you know right away that the melodic neo-classical/progressive metal sound is fully formed in a fast pace. Drummer Jason Rullo shows his fantastic skills, and new and current vocalist Russell Allen puts his voice in full power.
Leprous – “White” (from “Tall Poppy Syndrome”, 2009)
5/5. The epic closer of my favorite Leprous album (and the August Infinite feature release), Tall Poppy Syndrome, is the longest Leprous song at 11 and a half minutes. 10 minutes of glorious progressive metal, ending with a couple key transposes and unleashing the band's power before collapsing into a couple minute piano outro. Incredible!
Fates Warning – “Fata Morgana” (from “Awaken The Guardian”, 1986)
4.5/5. This one uses the usual melody and time changes less often, which I really like!
Between The Buried & Me – “Revolution In Limbo” (from “Colors II”, 2021)
5/5. A killer track from BTBAM's stylistic and conceptual comeback album, this one continues blending various characteristics including tricky shifts in instrumentation and catchy hooks, all in brilliant repetition that's never boring. The singing is around as often as the growling, and similarly, the guitars can range from acoustic cleans to violent shredding leads. Drummer Blake Richardson does killer growls in the massive breakdown, which is in return for what happens in the album's next track that's another story...
Evergrey – “Broken Wings” (from “Torn”, 2008)
4/5. Another song I like from when my progressive metal interest was slightly more melodic. With that said, this is a heavy song to headbang to that I like. Frontman Tom Englund knows how to make great progressive music despite some restraints for the band.
Cynic – “Veil Of Maya” (from “Focus”, 1993)
4.5/5. RIP Sean Reinert and Malone. Those two members of the band tragically leaving this world is one of two reasons why I lost interest in Cynic, the other being my death metal departure. It is a work of art that puts its album Focus next to Death's Human on the race to the top of the early 90s tech-death mountain, and I think Cynic has taken the lead. So f***ing good, and its 2004 remix makes the guitars sound clearer and more dynamic than the original. This song also inspired the name of death/metalcore band Veil of Maya. I wonder how the upcoming Cynic album would turn out as the first without the two Seans. RIP...
Æthĕrĭa Conscĭentĭa – “Liturgy for the Ekzunreh” (from “Corrupted Pillars Of Vanity”, 2021)
4/5. A bit of a more tribal and atmospheric-sounding Enslaved, but too blackened-ish for me. Next!
Dir en Grey – “Reiketsu nariseba” (from “Uroboros”, 2008)
4.5/5. A superb blend of the jazz and vocals of Mr. Bungle with Schizophrenia-era Sepultura.
Ænigmatum – “Fracturing Proclivity” (from “Deconsecrate”, 2021)
3.5/5. Is this for real progressive metal? Yes, it sounds progressive, but the style is closer to blackened death metal. Anyway it sounds killer, but with the style I just explained, it's not really my cup of tea. Not really the best way to end the playlist...
My thoughts on some tracks:
Savatage – “Sarajevo” (from “Dead Winter Dead”, 1995)
4/5. Dead Winter Dead is a recent favorite classic heavy metal album of mine and I love it all, along with their surrounding 90s albums. However, an intro is not usually the best of the album, still this one is very good. I submitted this one as a sneak peek for a special submission I plan for the December playlist. You can guess what it is...
Queensryche – “Walk In The Shadows” (from “Rage For order”, 1986)
4.5/5. This classic heavy metal track stays purely metal while beginning the band's more artistic direction. What makes this song a highlight is Geoff Tate's vocals of stylistic howling. The main riff and chorus melody are infectious enough to stay in your brain like a hotel visit.
The Lord Weird Slough Feg – “Asteroid Belts” (from “Traveller”, 2003)
4.5/5. This song continues those strong solos and riffs, along with a fantastic intro. Short comment for a short song!
Dark Moor – “Halloween” (from “The Fall Of Melnibone” E.P., 2001)
5/5. Pretty clever, right? Submitting this "Halloween" song for the month of Halloween... This has been an amazing epic from my earlier days of when my power metal taste was more emphasized. And yeah I enjoy this Dark Moor cover more. Sorry, Helloween.
Grand Magus – “Holmgång” (from “Triumph & Power”, 2014)
4/5. A short but enjoyable song. Enough said!
HammerFall – “Any Means Necessary” (from “No Sacrifice, No Victory”, 2009)
4.5/5. This track is from an album that's in the middle between the band's old and new eras. That song has a pattern of a driving verse, pounding bridge, and hymn-like chorus to prepare you for battle.