Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

How about depressive power metal or blackened funk metal?

If you wanna hear some power metal with depressive themes, I would suggest the earlier Sonata Arctica and the recent Kamelot. Not sure about “blackened funk metal”, but that would be an interesting as f*** mix.

I must admit that I like the fact that Metal Academy isn't too specific in it's genre selection. Do we really need to break a main genre like Doom, Death or Black metal into anything more than a handful of easily differentiated sub-genres? Surely any more specific genre indicators are better as part of a review.

Breaking down a main genre like Doom, Death or Black metal is a bit necessary because then it’s easier for people to listen to sub-genres they like from a main genre they generally avoid, like how I listen to death-doom and melodeath while avoiding the standard doom or death metal. But if you don’t feel up for the whole genre-splitting idea, that’s fine. I’m just pointing out my opinion...

Psychedelic black metal can be another valid metal genre. However, I don't know about "psych-doom", that can refer to either adding psychedelic fragments to gothic/doom metal (Tiamat's Wildhoney) or a nickname for stoner metal.

Genres should not be created based on a scene or a location, nor should they be created based on lyrical content. Genres should (in my opinion) categorise releases based on the music they contain, and nothing more. Should Goregrind be a genre or is it just Grindcore with a gore theme (I don't know, just putting it out there)? Should Enslaved and Borknagar albums be labelled as Viking Metal or are they just Black Metal albums with Viking themes?

There are definitely a couple Grindcore subgenres; Goregrind and Pornogrind, but I personally don't think those genre labels should be added here. They openly point out the lyrical content that is so gory and X-rated, and if people checking out the site who are sensitive to that kind of inappropriate sh*t see those labels, they would probably be outraged and prevent themselves and their kids from going here, and we would have much less new members in the future. Remember, I'm still living with my sometimes suspicious parents. Viking Metal is often a mix of Black Metal instrumentation with Viking themes, so some Enslaved and Borknagar albums can count as Viking Metal, I guess? But I agree that just because a band has Viking themes, doesn't mean they can be labeled Viking Metal. Death metal bands can have Viking themes, such as Amon Amarth and Unleashed, but since those are probably the only two prominent bands with that combination, "Viking Death Metal" wouldn't cut it as a subgenre.

Do we include NWOBHM as a subgenre? It will mean that releases from that movement have the potential to not come up in heavy metal searches &, despite the fact that the New Wave definitely has its own unique attributes & characteristics, it also covers such a diverse range of sounds from speed metal to traditional doom metal. I'd suggest omitting it.

Agreed, Daniel. NWOBHM is more a wave than a genre. Enough said...

I love it! With that new upcoming feature, it'll be easier for Metal Academy members to find specific subgenres they like in genres they would otherwise generally avoid, like if I wanna find releases with subgenres such as Death-Doom, Melodic Death Metal, etc. To be honest, I think of the term "Classic" more in terms of time, rather than genre, like the "classic" albums would be for releases that are in the earliest origin eras of their respective genres to which they helped popularize said genres. Y'know, their "Early Days", "1st Decade/Era", like in Clan Challenges (for example; https://metal.academy/lists/single/22, https://metal.academy/lists/single/28, https://metal.academy/lists/single/35, https://metal.academy/lists/single/41). And of course, the "Traditional" label was taken by Traditional Doom Metal. So the term I would prefer is..."Standard", as in "Standard Death Metal", "Standard Doom Metal", "Standard Black Metal", etc.

While I'm on the subject of doom metal sub-genres, would you consider Epic Doom Metal as valid? This isn't recognised by RYM, but I believe there are enough adherents and it is distinguishable sufficiently from other doom metal sub-genres to justify inclusion on MA.

Epic Doom Metal really is an actual doom metal subgenre. I'm guessing RYM didn't feel like using that subgenre because of the overuse of the term "Epic" to describe other genres for some bands in websites such as the Metal Archives (for example; "Bal-Sagoth = Symphonic/Epic Black Metal", "Battlelore = Epic Symphonic Metal", "Dethlehem = Epic Melodic Death Metal", "Ensiferum = Epic Folk Metal", "Manilla Road = Epic Heavy/Power Metal"). Yeah, overly adding the word "Epic" to genres for bands that are already epic enough can make that word a little less...epic. But if we are gonna add genre terms that are different from RYM such as "Standard", then why not? I'm fine with Epic Doom Metal being a valid genre here!

It's going to take me a while to get this up and running, and I may not be adding as many releases to the site as I normally do for a while (I'll prioritise requests, so keep them coming).

You'll still add requested releases, Ben? Sweet!! I made a couple band/album requests the other day (Prayer for Cleansing and the new Kamelot live album I Am the Empire – Live from the 013), but I still haven't seen them here yet so I'm not too sure if you saw my requests or not. Could you please add them as soon as you can? Thanks! Can't wait to see them here, along with the exciting upcoming Filterable Subgenres feature...

Update on my list (still alphabetized):

1. All That Remains - Overcome (2008)

2. Amaranthe - Amaranthe (2011)

3. Anata - The Conductor's Departure (2006)

4. At the Gates - Slaughter of the Soul (1995)

5. August Burns Red - Constellations (2009)

6. Ava Inferi - Onyx (2011)

7. Before the Dawn - Rise of the Phoenix (2012)

8. Between the Buried and Me - Colors (2007)

9. Bleeding Through - Love Will Kill All (2018)

10. Botch - We are the Romans (1999)

11. Bullet for My Valentine - The Poison (2005)

12. Charon - Songs for the Sinners (2005)

13. Converge - Jane Doe (2001)

14. Cynic - Focus (1993)

15. Darkest Hour - Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation (2003)

16. Demon Hunter - The World is a Thorn (2010)

17. Draconian - Arcane Rain Fell (2005)

18. Edge of Sanity - Crimson I+II (1996/2003) (both work better as one full 2-part suite)

19. God Forbid - IV: Constitution of Treason (2005)

20. Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage (2012)

21. HIM - Venus Doom (2007)

22. Ice Nine Kills - The Silver Scream (2018)

23. In Flames - The Jester Race (2006)

24. In Mourning - Shrouded Divine (2008)

25. Katatonia - Brave Murder Day (1996)

26. Lamb of God - Ashes of the Wake (2004)

27. Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome (2009)

28. Lord - Fallen Idols (2019)

29. Make Them Suffer - Neverbloom (2012)

30. Mastodon - Leviathan (2004)

31. Maudlin of the Well - Bath (2001)

32. Meshuggah - Catch Thirty-Three (2005)

33. Moonspell - Irreligious (1996)

34. My Dying Bride - Turn Loose the Swans (1993)

35. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I (2012)

36. Opeth - Blackwater Park (2001)

37. Paradise Lost - Draconian Times (1995)

38. Persefone - Spiritual Migration (2013)

39. Protest the Hero - Kezia (2005)

40. Revocation - Existence is Futile (2009)

41. Sentenced - North From Here (1993)

42. Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls (2008)

43. Shadows Fall - The War Within (2004)

44. The Contortionist - Exoplanet (2010)

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

46. The Ocean - Pelagial (2013)

47. Threat Signal - Under Reprisal (2006)

48. Tiamat - Wildhoney (1994)

49. Trivium - In Waves (2011)

50. Type O Negative - October Rust (1996)

51. Veil of Maya - [id] (2010)

52. Vektor - Black Future (2009)

53. Underoath - Lost in the Sound of Separation (2008)

54. Unearth - The Oncoming Storm (2004)

55. Within the Ruins - Elite (2013)

Some of you might know I'm a fan of bands like Converge and The Dillinger Escape Plan, which is why Daniel made the right choice of recommending me that Botch album. Also as much as I like this song "Conduit", have any of you noticed that the brief riff fiddling that appears a few times sounds exactly like that of the last part of My Dying Bride's "Vast Choirs"? Seriously, it does! I think I'm the only one who has noticed that because of my interest in both metalcore and death-doom.

Now that I think about it, you're probably right Daniel. I think I was a little shocked by this album being more intense than most albums from my favorite metalcore bands that the genre that came to my mind was grindcore. There are a couple songs that aren't grindcore at all for the most part, such as its ending track "Sin in My Heart". However, in case a few people here say otherwise, let's see what the Hall has to say...

Here's my short summary:

After the Burial is a great melodic/technical death/metalcore band with intense breakdowns. You know how in France, they refer to sun-rain as "the devil beating his wife and marrying his daughter"? Well...the devil is Meshuggah, the wife is Cynic, and the daughter is Maya (Veil of Maya). And a child was born as a blessing, After the Burial! Yeah, that seems like a somewhat wrong story, but I can't think of any other description to sum this up. I reviewed the remastered version with vocals by Anthony Notormaso, instead of the original vocalist Grant Luoma whom I guess people didn't like. I like the off-beat guitar weirdness by Justin Lowe, who was a real djent guitar hero. Despite the incredible precision of the drumming, it's actually programmed, even in the remastered version. Also, the sound might be a bit scratchy, but it gives a cold feeling that helps the album stay awesome. Rareform is fantastic!! Not only would Veil of Maya fans love this, but also Meshuggah fans. Besides all that djent, it has everything to expect from deathcore and metalcore; quick solos, searing melodies, and earth-quaking breakdowns. After the Burial is a band I would recommend to a lot of metalheads out there! RIP Justin Lowe

5/5

Some of you might know I'm a fan of bands like Veil of Maya (one of their songs below) and Within the Ruins, which is why I decided to review After the Burial's Rareform.

No problem, Daniel! I shall review that Gulch album, plus that After the Burial album Rareform because I'm a fan of a couple of those bands you mentioned:

Djent-fueled Minneapolis deathcore for fans of Veil Of Maya, Within The Ruins & Rings Of Saturn.

With many of my favorite metal albums from exactly 15 years ago (https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/297), sometimes older, I kinda have the same reaction as Sonny, though that doesn't make me feel old as much as 15-years-old metalheads having more talent than I wish I could (hello, Alien Weaponry). Great feature, by the way, Ben!

Epic symphonic deathcore to delight fans of Septicflesh, Winds of Plague, and a bit of Jen Ledger from Skillet:

Thanks, Xephyr! You really allowed me to realize how low Machine Head can get, especially in their own awful Dropkick Murphys knockoff:

Catharsis, their 2018 album, was on another level of awful. If you wanna see how terrible Machine Head's style can really get if you think these lyrics are slanderous, test out that one to even out your rating curve. 

Challenge accepted, Xephyr! Bring it on, Catharsis!!

Part of the problem I had with Machine Head's The Blackening is the lyrics in a few songs here, like in this f***ing slanderous stinker:

Speaking of Metal Sucks, don't say that about my favorite music genre!

Hey hey! Look's who back for more DISing and DATing! Let's start off with two great sludge classics released in 2004. Which one has the greater edge? Choose one and explain the reason!

Here's my review summary:

The 2004 Rammstein album Reise Reise (Reise meaning "Journey" or "Rise") is harder to tackle than a swift ninja when you're reviewing it. First, the lyrics! Most of the lyrics are performed in the band's native language German, many of which use wordplay that might be difficult to interpret what they mean, but listeners can make up what they want. It seems like a lot of Rammstein's work is overshadowed by controversial views of politics, racism, and sexism. I normally try not to venture into that territory, which is a good reason why industrial metal isn't really my thing, but there is some good powerful riffing in the epic title track and the fancy dance-y "Moskau". However, the lyrics can range from horrific ("Mein Teil") to humorous ("Keine Lust"). Yet there are strengths in the album including Till's vocals, the impressive content of the songs, and the album staying consistent, helped by only a couple songs to skip. But those skippers aren't the only weak parts of the album, it's also the lack of variety and arrangement, stick too close to their original methods instead of doing much of the experimentation. Still, this album is solid, and you can probably listen to it while taking a two-to-three day road trip by yourself. Just don't crash and you'll be fine....

4/5

Here's my review summary:

I still really like modern progressive metal (but more into the extreme side now), and it has a good feeling that makes everyday stuff more fun like washing dishes (not that I ever like doing chores like that). Mastodon can be considered modern but there are some differences that set them apart from other bands. They put more heart into music than mind. It's interesting what insane drumming skills Brann Dailor has, unleashes a lot of his wild power-hunger, a little more than drummers like Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy. I still like odd time signatures, but sometimes you would have no idea when a time riff starts or ends, and if an entire album is plagued with stuff like that, it can be pretty confusing to listen. Many of the songs here are progressive sludge classics, telling the story of a certain killer whale (sperm whale, not orca), and most of the tracks are in radio-friendly lengths shorter than other albums in the genre, except for a 13-minute epic. No other progressive sludge release can match a glorious album like this....

5/5

Update on my list (it's been a couple months):

Classic oldies:

1990: Paradise Lost - Lost Paradise

1991: Meshuggah - Contradictions Collapse

1992: Edge of Sanity - Unorthodox

1993: Sentenced - North From Here

1994: Tiamat - Wildhoney

1995: My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River

1996: Katatonia - Brave Murder Day

1997: In Flames - Whoracle

Old-school but newer:

1998: Meshuggah - Chaosphere

1999: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity

2000: In Flames - Clayman

2001: Opeth - Blackwater Park

2002: Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance

2003: Darkest Hour - Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation

2004: Officium Triste - Reason

2005: Trivium - Ascendancy

Higher original quality:

2006: Persefone - Core

2007: Between the Buried and Me - Colors

2008: Protest the Hero - Fortress

2009: August Burns Red - Constellations

2010: Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy

2011: Trivium - In Waves

2012: Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence

2013: The Ocean - Pelagial

New and improved:

2014: Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel

2015: Bullet for My Valentine - Venom

2016: Vektor - Terminal Redux

2017: Septicflesh - Codex Omega

2018: Rivers of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name

2019: DragonForce - Extreme Power Metal (NOT in my current playlist, but I loved it so much that it just had to be in the list)

2020 (first half): Trivium - What the Dead Men Say

2020 albums I'm looking forward to getting:

Avatar - Hunter Gatherer

The Ocean - Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic I Cenozoic

Amaranthe - Manifest

Draconian - Under a Godless Veil

I was thinking about what Tymell said about shuffling songs in albums, and I decided to shuffle songs in one of my recent favorite albums, Trivium's What the Dead Men Say! But it wasn't randomly shuffled, I just manually arranged the songs into a different order that would be more suitable for any first-time Trivium listeners who want to build up slowly from mild fun to wild chaos. My new order for this album is: 1, 2, 5, 3, 8, 6, 4, 9, 7, 10. Or to be more specific:

1. IX

2. What the Dead Men Say

3. Bleed Into Me

4. Catastrophist

5. Scattering the Ashes

6. The Defiant

7. Amongst the Shadows & the Stones

8. Bending the Arc to Fear

9. Sickness Unto You

10. The Ones We Leave Behind

See, while I made sure the order still follows The Perfect Metal Album Storm (intro/beginning track, middle track, ending track), all the other songs are rearranged in a way to more appropriately test the intensity of the album. The "IX" intro and the title track both tell you what to expect in this album. "Bleed Into Me", "Catastrophist", and "Scattering the Ashes" are the cleaner melodic trio; two slower clean songs (NOT ballads, I wouldn't put ballads in the beginning of a metal album) with a nicely heavier song in between, to test the mild side. Then "The Defiant" is a bridge between the two sides to both recap the journey so far and hint at the next part. Up next, "Amongst the Shadows & the Stones", "Bending the Arc to Fear", and "Sickness Unto You" are the heavier aggressive trio; two heavy chaotic songs with the darkest of them all in between to test the wild side. That kitchen is open for those who can stand the heat! On top of that, those three songs sound quite similar to one another; same tempo, same tuning (6-string drop D-flat), and tons of progressive aggression. They can be connected together to make a 3-part 16-and-a-half-minute suite! Anyway, "The Ones We Leave Behind" is the epic final song that recaps the whole journey and congratulates you for passing that test.

I would try the same thing with other albums in a different thread called "The Perfect Metal Album Storm II: The Shuffling", but it would take too long and it might bore some members, so this is what I got. If you have any specific order for an album that is differently arranged from its original order, please discuss!

A monstrous modern groove metal epic for metalheads like me who wanted something better than The Blackening:

My Ultimate Metal Family Tree band challenge is completely finished! For my stat check this time, I've included ratings of discographies of all the bands I've enjoyed before, past and present, and the one album I've reviewed from each band that I've only listened to just for this challenge and other clan challenges. BUT they all have to be within the genres they're assigned to. For example, for the Goth Metal bands, I made sure to only include albums that are actually in The Fallen, and for the Power Metal bands, I made sure to only include albums that are actually in the Guardians. No non-metal releases, no releases from an entirely different clan, just albums in the actual clans that have those respective genres. Then I've divided all the ratings into the average ratings for each genre. So here's my Ultimate Metal Family Tree challenge average stat rating:

First wave:

Power metal:

Helloween (one album) - 4.5, Blind Guardian (all albums except Legacy of the Dark Lands) - 4.6, Stratovarius - 4.5, Iced Earth (two albums) - 4, Gamma Ray - 4.5, Kamelot (all albums except Poetry for the Poisoned) - 4.5, HammerFall - 4.7, Rhapsody of Fire - 4.7, Edguy - 4.4, Nightwish (all albums except Imaginaerum the Score) - 4.5, Sonata Arctica - 4.5, Avantasia - 4.6, DragonForce - 4.7, Sabaton - 4.6, Powerwolf (one album) - 4

Total rating: 4.5

Progressive thrash metal:

Voivod (one album) - 4.5, Mekong Delta (one album) - 4.5, Coroner (two albums) - 4, Nevermore - 4.6, Vektor - 4.8

Total rating: 4.5

Doom metal:

My Dying Bride (all albums except Evinta) - 4.5, Katatonia (up to 1998) - 4.7, Electric Wizard (one album) - 4, Swallow the Sun (one album) - 4.5, Draconian (all albums) - 4.7

Total rating: 4.5 

First wave total rating: 4.5

Second wave:

Metalcore:

Converge (all albums except Halo in a Haystack) - 4.5, The Dillinger Escape Plan (all albums except Plagiarism) - 4.6, Killswitch Engage (one album) - 4, Unearth - 4.1, As I Lay Dying (two albums) - 4, All That Remains - 4.5, Trivium (all albums except Silence in the Snow) - 4.4, August Burns Red - 4.4, Protest the Hero (up to 2009) - 4.5, Bullet for My Valentine (all albums except Temper Temper and Gravity) - 4.4, Parkway Drive (all albums except Reverence) - 4.5, Bring Me the Horizon (one album) - 4.5, The Devil Wears Prada (one album) - 4.5, Architects (one album) - 4, Asking Alexandria (two albums) - 4

Total rating: 4.3

Progressive metal:

Fates Warning (one album) - 4, Queensrÿche (one album) - 4.5, Dream Theater - 4.6, Meshuggah (all albums except self-titled EP and Contradictions Collapse) - 4.6, Tool (one album) - 4, Symphony X - 4.7, Opeth (two albums) - 4.5, Gojira (all albums except Terra Incognita, The Link, and The Link Alive) - 4.6, Between the Buried and Me (all albums except self-titled debut, The Silent Circus, and The Anatomy Of) - 4.5, Mastodon (all albums except Lifesblood) - 4.5

Total rating: 4.5

Folk metal:

Windir (one album) - 4.5, Finntroll (one album) - 4.5, Ensiferum (one album) - 4.5, Tyr (one album) - 4.5, Korpiklaani (one album) - 4, Wintersun - 4.8, Turisas (one album) - 4, Equilibrium (one album) - 4.5, Eluveitie - 4.6, Alestorm - 4.4

Total rating: 4.4

Melodic death metal:

Edge of Sanity - 4.5, At the Gates - 4.5, Dark Tranquillity - 4.6, In Flames (up to 2006) - 4.2, Arch Enemy - 4.6, Children of Bodom - 4.4, Amon Amarth - 4.5, Kalmah (one album) - 4.5, Insomnium (one album) - 4.5, Be'lakor (one album) - 4

Total rating: 4.4

Melodic death-doom:

Paradise Lost (all albums except Host) - 4.2, Amorphis (two albums) - 4.3, Anathema (up to 1996 plus Resonance 2) - 4.5, Saturnus (one album) - 4.5, Officium Triste (one album) - 5

Total rating: 4.5

Second wave total rating: 4.4

Third wave:

Symphonic metal:

Therion (one album) - 4, Emperor (one album) - 4.5, Septicflesh (The Eldest Cosmonaut, A Fallen Temple and since 2008) - 4.4, Within Temptation (from 2000 to 2014, except An Acoustic Night at the Theatre and The Q-music Sessions) - 4.4, After Forever (all albums) - 4.5, Sirenia (two albums) - 4.5, Epica (all albums except The Score: An Epic Journey) - 4.6, Leaves' Eyes (one album) - 4.5, Delain (one album) - 4.5, Fleshgod Apocalypse (one album) - 4

Total rating: 4.4

Gothic metal:

Tiamat (all albums except Sumerian Cry, The Astral Sleep, and A Deeper Kind of Slumber) - 4, Type O Negative - 4.5, Sentenced (three albums) - 4, The Gathering (up to 1997 plus Downfall: The Early Years) - 4.4, Cradle of Filth (one album) - 4, Lake of Tears (two albums) - 4.5, Theatre of Tragedy (all albums except Musique and Assembly) - 4.3, Moonspell (all albums except Under the Moonspell EP) - 4.3, Lacuna Coil (up to 2002) - 4.4, Charon - 4.3

Total rating: 4.3

Modern groove metal:

Machine Head (two albums) - 4, Lamb of God (all albums) - 4.5, Chimaira (one album) - 4, DevilDriver (one album) - 4, Alien Weaponry (one album) - 4

Total rating: 4.1

Melodic/technical deathcore:

The Black Dahlia Murder (one album) - 4.5, The Crimson Armada - 4, Born of Osiris - 4.5, Wretched (one album) - 4.5, Make Them Suffer - 4.5

Total rating: 4.4

Third wave total rating: 4.3

Grand total rating (because why not): 4.4

So apparently in the genre wave "Olympic podium", the first wave is in the highest, the second wave in the middle, and the third wave in the lowest, with modern groove metal genres being lower rated than all the other genres. So I guess modern groove metal is not really the ideal genre for me. Anyway, if there isn't anything for you to object in this final stat check, then the Ultimate Metal Family Tree band challenge is completely over, and...yeah, I think I've had it with massive reviewing challenges for the rest of the year. 2020 so far was an epic 6 months (not including June) of reviewing challenges, official and unofficial, and it was a lot of hard work. I can still do single-album/band reviews, so standalone recommendations are welcome any time. But other than that, I'm done with review challenges. A reviewer needs rest after a long quest! What a grand journey that was....

A killer single from Asking Alexandria's last metalcore album The Black, which I think is a great album to end the metal part of their career, better than From Death to Destiny.

Masterful metalcore from the finest hardcore band you're ever likely to find.

Great song from another awesome album from metallic hardcore masters Converge! I like its modern Katatonia-esque doom-gaze intro before their usual abstract sound.

A totally ripped headbanger from modern groove metallers Lamb of God's new self-titled album, with a guest appearance from the guy from the metallic hardcore Hatebreed:

A 3-track 12-minute technical death metal instrumental suite with influences from different parts of the world. It's the worldwide tech-death Crusade!

Too much of a rock-ish tune that doesn't help the weakest link in Charon's discography, Sorrowburn:

"Dirge For November" and "Bleak" are some of my personal album favorites too, and I especially love the 12-minute title epic!

Here's the album version of "The Drapery Falls" that's as fantastic as that live version. These guys are indeed good! I gotta listen to more of that band soon...

Continuing the theme of covers of melodeath hits, this is when At the Gates gets brutalized. I say "F*** YEAH" to this chaotic cover!

Once again following the theme of covers of songs from albums in my Ultimate Metal Family Tree band challenge, here's Children of Bodom covering a classic hit from fellow Finnish melodeath band Amorphis:

An epic single from Bring Me the Horizon's last metalcore album Sempiternal that I've reviewed in my Ultimate Metal Family Tree band challenge:

Get those black metal influences out of the Pagan/folk metal zone, this is melodeath's time to shine!

I'm probably not gonna be super into Equilibrium because of their German lyrics and black metal-ish part of their epic viking metal sound, but I'm sure some of you would agree that this is one of the finest, most epic moments in viking metal:

OK, how about this; in order for anyone to lock in a clan via the subgenre challenges, they have to go through at least half of the amount of subgenres in a main genre, plus the main genre itself. How does that sound?

Alternative Metal + 2 of its subgenres

Black Metal + 4 of its subgenres

Death Metal + 3 of its subgenres

Doom Metal + 2 of its subgenres

Folk Metal + 1 of its subgenres

Grindcore + 2 of its subgenres

Heavy Metal + NWOBHM

Industrial Metal + 1 of its subgenres

Melodic Metalcore + 1 of its subgenres

Metalcore + 1 of its subgenres

Progressive Metal + Djent

Thrash Metal + 1 of its subgenres

Ben & I discussed the new features that are slated for this round of developments today & I've gotta say that I think we might be putting some space between Metal Academy & the competition shortly. We'll be heading into entirely new territory in some areas & will be filling the last remaining gaps we have with competitors in others. The clan concept is going to give us a clear edge in some ways & you'll see some things you've been asking for finally coming to fruition too. I'm very excited to say the least!

(First time using emojis here!)