Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies
Some very solid US power metal from Pennsylvania, USA. For fans of Brocas Helm, Manilla Road & Eternal Champion.
I kinda think of the "Vargr" duo of songs to be slightly better than Blind Guardian's "Bard's Songs", in almost the same pace but heavier and faster at times, and less acoustic. The second part (after this one), "Vargr Theme/Confrontation" makes a fantastic transition from the previous "Vargr", though not as superior but still great.
One of the finest US power metal concept albums! Cheers for the rec, Daniel! 5/5
The main things about this album are the consistency of the energy levels and quality of the tracks on offer. Riffs race across the record as the rhythm section maintains a pace of bash and rumble that allows for a bit of flair from the strings; the lead work being of particular note here. Quinn and Scarratt are on fire here and Glockler sounds equally imperious on the drum kit. Biff's trademark nasal vocals are distinct and almost haughty on the symphonic majesty of Nosferatu (my album highlight) and yet still have that down-to-earth twang and inflection to certain words that sound like a northerner trying to sound more eloquent than their accent permits.
I will not pretend to love all of the album, They Played Rock And Roll does not work for me as a tribute. Not that I expect lyrical genius in all honesty but the lyrics here sound naive and clumsy with the Lemmy excerpt not really ringing as authentic and nostalgic as perhaps intended. But you cannot deny the rampant battering of Predator even though the vocal effects get a little OTT for my liking, but where the majority of the quibbles arise on this record there usually is something of a much better quality not too far away.
All agreed!
With a short one and a half year gap since the previous album, seems like having more time to write and record music during quarantine can cause great results. Here's a sneak peek single from Trivium's upcoming album In the Court of the Dragon that will be released in October:
Update on my list, to include a few more albums from my earlier epic metal taste that I might revisit someday or already had revisited:
25. Edguy - Theater of Salvation (1999)
24. Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica (1999)
23. Children of Bodom - Follow the Reaper (2000)
22. Dark Moor - The Gates of Oblivion (2002)
21. Rhapsody of Fire - Symphony of Enchanted Lands (1998)
20. HammerFall - Glory to the Brave (1997)
19. Accept - Metal Heart (1985)
18. Alestorm - Back Through Time (2011)
17. Angra - Holy Land (1996)
16. Gamma Ray - Power Plant (1999)
15. After Forever - Decipher (2001)
14. Kamelot - Epica (2003)
13. Persuader - When Eden Burns (2006)
12. Epica - Design Your Universe (2009)
11. Nightwish - Once (2004)
10. Blind Guardian - Imaginations From the Other Side (1995)
9. Twilight Force - Heroes of Mighty Magic (2016)
8. Crimson Glory - Transcendence (1988)
7. Lost Horizon - A Flame to the Ground Beneath (2003)
6. Lord - Fallen Idols (2019)
5. Running Wild - Death or Glory (1989)
4. Riot - Thundersteel (1988)
3. Stratovarius - Visions (1997)
2. Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II (1995)
1. DragonForce - Inhuman Rampage (2006) (forever my #1!)
Update on my list (still alphabetized and still at Bruno Terrosa's 55):
1. Accept - Metal Heart (1985)
2. All That Remains - Overcome (2008)
3. Animals as Leaders - Animals as Leaders (2009)
4. Annihilator - Alice in Hell (1989)
5. August Burns Red - Constellations (2009)
6. Bleeding Through - Love Will Kill All (2018)
7. Born of Osiris - The Discovery (2011)
8. Botch - We are the Romans (1999)
9. Bring Me the Horizon - Sempiternal (2013)
10. Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth (1997)
11. Bullet for My Valentine - The Poison (2005)
12. Coroner - Mental Vortex (1991)
13. Crimson Glory - Transcendence (1988)
14. Cult of Luna - Somewhere Along the Highway (2006)
15. Dark Angel - Time Does Not Heal (1991)
16. Devin Townsend - Empath (2019)
17. Dir En Grey - Uroboros (2008)
18. Disillusion - Back to Times of Splendor (2004)
19. Fates Warning - The Spectre Within (1985)
20. God Forbid - IV: Constitution of Treason (2005)
21. Horse the Band - Desperate Living (2009)
22. Ice Nine Kills - The Silver Scream (2018)
23. Isis - Panopticon (2004)
24. Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome (2009)
25. Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment 3 (2021)
26. Lord - Fallen Idols (2019)
27. Lost Horizon - A Flame to the Ground Beneath (2003)
28. Make Them Suffer - Neverbloom (2012)
29. Mastodon - Leviathan (2004)
30. Maudlin of the Well - Bath (2001)
31. Meshuggah - Catch Thirty-Three (2005)
32. Misery Signals - Ultraviolet (2020)
33. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I (2012)
34. Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood (1996)
35. Opeth - Blackwater Park (2001)
36. Parkway Drive - Horizons (2007)
37. Prayer for Cleansing - Rain in Endless Fall (1999)
38. Protest the Hero - Kezia (2005)
39. Queensryche - The Warning (1984)
40. Riot - Thundersteel (1988)
41. Running Wild - Death or Glory (1989)
42. Sadus - A Vision of Misery (1992)
43. Savatage - Edge of Thorns (1993)
44. Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls (2008)
45. Skycamefalling - 10.21 (2000)
46. Sólstafir - Köld (2009)
47. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity (1999)
48. The Ocean - Pelagial (2013)
49. Trivium - In Waves (2011)
50. Veil of Maya - [id] (2010)
51. Vektor - Black Future (2009)
52. Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II (1995)
53. Voivod - Dimension Hatross (1988)
54. Within the Ruins - Elite (2013)
55. X Japan - Art of Life (1993)
Update on my list:
Beginning oldies (1978-1992):
1978: Riot - Rock City (yes I know, everyone says the year is 1977, but I don't quite suspect that as its true release year, more info about that in this separate thread reply: https://metal.academy/forum/28/thread/362#topic_6048)
1979: Riot - Narita
1980: Accept - I'm a Rebel
1981: Accept - Breaker
1982: Virgin Steele - Virgin Steele
1983: Savatage - Sirens
1984: Queensryche - The Warning
1985: Fates Warning - The Spectre Within
1986: Crimson Glory - Crimson Glory
1987: Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King
1988: Riot - Thundersteel
1989: Running Wild - Death or Glory
1990: Sanctuary - Into the Mirror Black
1991: Dark Angel - Time Does Not Heal
1992: Sadus - A Vision of Misery
The golden classics (1993-2002):
1993: X Japan - Art of Life
1994: Savatage - Handful of Rain
1995: Savatage - Dead Winter Dead
1996: X Japan - Dahlia
1997: Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth
1998: Meshuggah - Chaosphere
1999: Botch - We are the Romans
2000: Skycamefalling - 10.21
2001: Devin Townsend - Terria
2002: Isis - Oceanic
The silver guiding lights (2003-2012):
2003: Lost Horizon - A Flame to the Ground Beneath
2004: Disillusion - Back to Times of Splendor
2005: Rosetta - The Galilean Satellites
2006: Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime II
2007: Annihilator - Metal
2008: Dir En Grey - Uroboros
2009: Animals as Leaders - Animals as Leaders
2010: Virgin Steele - The Black Light Bacchanalia
2011: Trivium - In Waves
2012: Devin Townsend - Epicloud
The bronze yet still great new (2013-2019):
2013: Bring Me the Horizon - Sempiternal
2014: Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel
2015: Bullet for My Valentine - Venom
2016: Vektor - Terminal Redux
2017: Trivium - The Sin and the Sentence
2018: Voivod - The Wake
2019: Devin Townsend - Empath
The newest to make up for the worst of the world (2020-present):
2020: Trivium - What the Dead Men Say
2021 (so far): Born of Osiris - Angel or Alien
Albums I'm looking forward to getting:
Between the Buried and Me - Colors II (slight return to listening to that band for this album)
Leprous - Aphelion
Rivers of Nihil - The Work (slight return to listening to that band for this album)
Enslaved - Caravans to the Outer Worlds (EP)
Katatonia - Mnemosynean (compilation album)
Devin Townsend - The Puzzle/Snuggles
Trivium - In the Court of the Dragon
Ice Nine Kills - The Silver Scream: Welcome to Horrorwood
Bullet for My Valentine - Bullet for My Valentine
Dream Theater - A View From the Top of the World (slight return to listening to that band for this album)
Running Wild - Blood on Blood
I forgot one more important metal milestone in 1993; X Japan's Art of Life! This was one of the first ever half-hour epics in metal, long enough to fit an entire EP/album, and one of the first ever full-on symphonic metal releases. This huge mix of orchestration, heaviness, speed, verses, soloing, and extensive piano is so d*mn impressive, that if Criss Oliva from Savatage listened to that album in the couple months between its release and his fatal car crash, he would be impressed, but sadly we may never know. RIP Criss and X Japan's guitarist Hide... A must-have for anyone looking for a Japanese mix of Virgin Steele, Savatage, and Fates Warning:
By the way, is anyone else here stunned by the amount of people out there who think X Japan is just a rock band, not metal? This is pure symphonic power/progressive metal (other than that lengthy piano section)! The only way you can possibly consider a metal band like X Japan "rock" is if it's used as an umbrella term, and even that I'm not too fond of. This is the opposite of Motörhead's dilemma; they want to be called "rock 'n' roll", we call them metal. X Japan are closer to metal and don't mind be called metal, yet those people call them rock. I swear if I'm ever in a band driving our touring van, and we end up in a debate over whether X Japan is a rock or metal band, I would pretty much make a Bad News-like ultimatum, "I'm not gonna drive any further until all of you say X Japan is metal!"
Glad you enjoy my Infinite feature release submission for this month, Daniel! It's great to find an often overlooked album that turns out to be a stunning masterpiece, but now it's time go deeper into Leprous' discography roots with Aeolia, which is a demo, but with the big amount of original material making this album longer than most Leprous albums, it really should be considered an actual studio album. A prologue in their discography! Though it's not as perfect as Tall Poppy Syndrome, Aeolia would delight you with more of Leprous' jazz-ish progressive metal. Xephyr and Saxy, I highly recommend Aeolia to you two as well, but please feel free to tell us what you think of Tall Poppy Syndrome in the August Infinite feature release thread.
A wonderful Norwegian progressive metal excursion for fans of Opeth, Haken & Ihsahn.
The piano is so haunting effective in this song, dueling with the guitar in mesmerizing ambiance.
Here's my one submission for September's Gateway playlist:
Dir En Grey - "The Final" (from Withering to Death, 2005)
Here are my overall ratings for the playlists I've reviewed this month (August):
1. Fallen playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 10)
2. Gateway playlist - 4/5 (number of songs commended: 19)
3. Guardians playlist - 5/5 (number of songs commented: 7)
4. Infinite playlist - 4/5 (number of songs commented: 10)
5. Revolution playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 11)
Another rewarding playlist month for me, this time my playlist ratings for The Fallen and The Revolution are each an average total of 4.5 stars, The Gateway and The Infinite are each an average 4 stars, and The Guardians playlist has, by average, a perfect 5 stars, though that's probably my earlier epic metal taste talking. Yep, good month! My submission for next month's Gateway playlist coming soon...
Here are my ratings for this month's feature releases for all my clans, and a quick summary:
The Fallen: Katatonia - Brave Murder Day (1996) - 5/5
The Guardians: Saxon - Thunderbolt (2018) - 4/5
The Infinite: Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome (2009) - 5/5
The Revolution: Skycamefalling - 10.21 (2000) - 5/5
Another great month for feature releases, again probably because of the releases submitted by us Metal Academy members (including myself). The one for The Guardians is great but could've been slightly better. My feature release submission for The Fallen and The Infinite deserve a perfect 5 stars and are great classics for their respective genres, and I would recommend it to any fan of death-doom or progressive metal. The Revolution release is also perfect and I look forward to listening to that band more. Thanks for these amazing feature releases, guys!
RIP Motorhead and their fallen members. Though Saxon's poor tribute to that band shall rest in pieces:
Dark ambitious British heavy metal. Fans of Judas Priest, Manowar, and Motorhead might dig this:
I did my review, here's its summary:
Could be my age here, but I honestly don't get much of the appeal to NWOBHM. We have bands like Iron Maiden, Motorhead, and of course, Saxon dominating the popularity of metal in the 80s, yet the less overrated American power metal scene is hidden under our noses. Still this is a great try to check out what the Brits have made... British metal legends Saxon created a pretty great piece of work to show they're not d*cks f***ing around for commercial success, which I've heard can pay off sometimes and other times don't. They can go as slow as Danzig and as speedy as thrash while staying in their classic heavy metal reign. The variable tempo and balance of melody and slight aggression continues in the less travelled roads of Thunderbolt! Most of these songs are cool anthems with astounding vocals of Biff Byford and memorable guitar leads. However, there are a couple stinkers that might make you wanna call that part of the album "Thunderfart" (lol). I might not feel up to checking out more NWOBHM for now, but the stylistic Thunderbolt is worth a good ton. This band can stay consistent and awake in their 22nd album, and I believe many Saxon fans would like it more than I do and stay faithful....
4/5
A lengthy post-rock excursion from this talented New York metalcore outfit whose debut album "10.21" should appeal to fans of Converge, Norma Jean & Cave In.
Ah yeah, the 9-minute instrumental title epic... A soft break from the metalcore action while you breathe in the flames of creativity!
Cheers for the rec, Daniel! Here's its summary:
This is one of those albums that essential for the hardcore/metalcore scene in the new millennium. The sole Skycamefalling album 10.21 and Converge's Jane Doe are two of the first metalcore albums with more poetic lyrics than just uniting a brotherhood of rebellion. 10.21 is also filled with driving guitar intensity, scream-along choruses, and even beautiful piano is some sections, the latter especially in the instrumental title epic. I still can't believe this talented group of musicians split up after one album, but hopefully there would be more after a few recent reunion shows in the 2010s. As much as I enjoy other metalcore bands, I already miss these guys and hope they'll come back again. A metalcore classic of sheer poetry!
5/5
Helloween - "Skyfall" - Helloween
Didn't notice this one is already in this month's Guardians playlist, did you, Xephyr?
Here are my suggestions for September's Revolution playlist (I'll make sure any multi-clan suggestions fit well with the playlist I'm submitting to):
Born of Osiris - "Recreate" (4:01) from The Discovery (2011)
Darkest Hour - "Beneath the Blackening Sky" (3:53) from Darkest Hour (2014)
Demon Hunter - "Sixteen" (5:18) from Storm the Gates of Hell (2007)
The Dillinger Escape Plan - "The Running Board" (3:21) from Calculating Infinity (1999)
Shadows Fall - "Of One Blood" (4:45) from Of One Blood (2000)
Underoath - "Paper Lung" (4:11) from Ø (Disambiguation) (2010)
Veil of Maya - "Namaste" (3:30) from [id] (2010)
Total length: 28:59
Here are my suggestions for September's Infinite playlist (I'll make sure any multi-clan suggestions fit well with the playlist I'm submitting to):
Ayreon - "Beneath the Waves" (8:26) from 01011001 (2008)
Between the Buried and Me - "Astral Body" (5:01) from The Parallax II: Future Sequence (2012)
Gojira - "Another World" (4:25) from Fortitude (2021)
Mastodon - "Curl of the Burl" (3:40) from The Hunter (2011)
Symphony X - "Absinthe and Rue" (7:16) from Symphony X (1994)
Total length: 28:48
Here are my suggestions for September's Guardians playlist (I'll make sure any multi-clan suggestions fit well with the playlist I'm submitting to):
After Forever - "Ephemeral" (3:05) from Prison of Desire (2000)
Dragonland - "Storming Across Heaven" (4:30) from The Battle of the Ivory Plains (2001)
Epica - "Victims of Contingency" (3:31) from The Quantum Enigma (2014)
Grand Magus - "Varangian" (3:40) from Sword Songs (2016)
Stratovarius - "Speed of Light" (3:03) from Episode (1996)
Wintersun - "Time" (11:45) from Time I (2012)
Total length: 29:34
Here are my suggestions for September's Fallen playlist (I'll make sure any multi-clan suggestions fit well with the playlist I'm submitting to):
Cult of Luna - "ORO" (7:20) from Vertikal II (2013)
My Dying Bride - "A Kiss to Remember" (7:31) from Like Gods of the Sun (1996)
Paradise Lost - "The Last Time" (3:27) from Draconian Times (1995)
Theatre of Tragedy - "Forever is the World" (4:40) from Forever is the World (2009)
Total length: 22:58
This might be my last time submitting suggestions for The Fallen playlists. I'm cutting down on some Fallen-related activities due to running low on ideas and other personal reasons I will explain later.
My thoughts on some tracks (reviewing the majority of this playlist to test my strength in The Gateway):
Bring Me The Horizon – “One Day the Only Butterflies Left Will Be in Your Chest as You March Towards Your Death” (from “Post Human: Survival Horror” E.P., 2020)
4/5. Starting my playlist journey with probably the longest song title since that Underoath song used in a TheOdd1sOut video, Bring Me the Horizon continues their brand new surprises. After a thrashy screamo ride with the kawaii Babymetal and a good collaboration with the Nova Twins, we arrive in a beautiful soft duet with Evanescence's Amy Lee. I still miss the heavier darkness of Count Your Blessings though, maybe they can have more of that in the next installment of Post Human...
Thought Industry – “Fairy” (from “Outer Space Is Just a Martini Away”, 1996)
3.5/5. This one is pretty good, having some vibes from a similar band Failure. However, the music doesn't quite reach the height of greatness and is probably staying buried in the deep archives of eternity.
Acid Drinkers – “Acidofilia” (from “Acidofilia”, 2002)
3/5. This is fine, but I prefer to stay out of this acid and chill in my pleasant reality.
Alice In Chains – “So Far Under” (from “Rainier Fog”, 2018)
3.5/5. Props to this one having f***ing killer lyrics such as in the chorus, "So much under hell, fought hard where I fell". However, from the two and a half minute mark onward, the music gets a bit repetitive, but still good nonetheless.
The Bread Scientists – “Cosmonaut” (from “Troposphere”, 2021)
4/5. Still can't accept the instrumental shoegazing alt-rock/metal sound either despite how good it is. Next!
Snot – “Absent” (from “Strait Up”, 2000)
4.5/5. This is one of only two tracks in Strait Up to have the vocals of Lynn Strait. He was killed in a car crash in late 1998, along with the group's mascot, his dog Dobbs ("I told him not to bring his dog in his car. I told him!"). RIP Lynn and Dobbs... ); I'm proud of what he has done. Probably one of the best tracks from this band...
Project 86 – “Your Heroes Are Dead” (from “Truthless Heroes”, 2002)
4/5. This one I also like. Good work! They really have good amounts of P.O.D. influences here, especially the Christian direction the band was intending, which means that they have to cut down the swearing that's common in most other nu metal bands. I still prefer Demon Hunter...
The Union Underground – “Turn Me On “Mr. Deadman”” (from “…An Education In Rebellion”, 2000)
4.5/5. I seem to like the underground bands more, and that's good because it helps keep my rep. While I like experimenting with song editing, censoring the swearing in the clean version kinda disrupts the flow, which is why the explicit version is better for anyone who can handle swearing.
Dead By April – “When You Wake Up” (from “Incomparable”, 2011)
5/5. Now this is an underrated song compared to everything else in this playlist! It really has waken me up more than coffee after waking up early in the morning to do all this commenting. An awesome song to listen to during COVID lockdowns. Probably favorite song in this playlist! At over the two and a half minute mark, there's a different hit in the instrumentation with trance-filled synths. This is incredible, and that's no lie!
Primer 55 – “Loose” (from “Introduction To Mayhem”, 2000)
4.5/5. Holy sh*t, that's great energetic beat for a rap metal song! Good for if you wanna throw and break stuff in Doom Eternal or any other violent video game. They could really f***ing axe-kill MTV for not letting them in. RIP J-Sin...
Coldrain – “Revolution” (from “The Side Effects”, 2019)
5/5. What follows is the best standout here that's beyond d*mn right good, and what got me interested in Coldrain when a friend from the outside world showed me that song and mentioned that it was used as the theme song for Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs 2. What an anthem! As always, there are strong screams and clean vocals that marks Coldrain's signature vocal department from Masato. There's even a short rapping verse that works better than even Linkin Park.
Architects – “Giving Blood” (from “For Those That Wish To Exist”, 2021)
5/5. This is another contender for my favorite song in this playlist! Especially in almost the entire second half, like holy sh*t!! Amazing energy and good vibes this song has. The music from this band and Dead By April shall meet me...
Serj Tankian – “Elasticity” (from “Elasticity” E.P., 2021)
4.5/5. I love this fun song, and I would recommend to any fan of Tankian and System of a Down, but it's too hard for me to take it seriously with all this scatting in the verses, that's what detracts the score away from perfection.
Clutch – “Far Country” (from “Pitchfork” E.P., 1991)
4/5. I enjoy the p*ssed-off vibe here, but that's about it really.
Galactic Cowboys – “If I Were A Killer” (from “Space In Your Face”, 1993)
4.5/5. This one is quite an amazing one from 28 years ago, a powerful monster! The guitar really picks it up. If I were a killer, I would kill anyone who hates this song, but I won't, because I'm not a killer and will never be one. One of the rare great 90s alt-metal songs!
Sevendust – “Against The World” (from “Blood & Stone”, 2020)
4.5/5. Another month, another song from Sevendust's latest album! This one has a powerful chorus and really reflects upon their 2000s albums. I like it, and it makes me wonder why Sevendust should've been more popular. There are awesome tempo changes as well to bring the fire. The golden lyrics keep it real. As I've said before, my brother enjoys this band along with other alt-rock/metal bands, and with unreal creativity going on, this would be another good song for my bro to listen to. He likes this genre more than I do. Light it up!
Chevelle – “Pistol Star (Gravity Heals)” (from “Niratias”, 2021)
4/5. Chevelle is another band my brother finds amazing, and he has played one or two of their songs on his guitar. This is a great song for him to listen to, despite the lyrics not being too strong or understandable.
Angela Martyr – “On The Edge Of Next Time” (from “The November Harvest”, 2016)
2.5/5. Um...no. Sorry, Sonny. Maybe next time....
Dir en Grey – “Ugly” (from “Six Ugly” E.P., 2002)
5/5. Hammering riff in goth-ish nu metal. F***ing love this! For a song titled "Ugly", it's way more beautiful and trippy. You just gotta love the music these experimental alt-metal masters from Japan have unleashed!
Actually Andi, I've just listened to the Dark Version & have quickly reverted to the original. It's pretty obvious that neither belong on a The Guardians playlist though.
It's true that a song from a death metal band like Septicflesh wouldn't fit in a Guardians playlist, but with that song's more Therion-like symphonic metal sound than death metal, I thought it was a good one to submit.
My thoughts on some tracks:
Ice Kills Nine – “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (from “Safe Is Just A Shadow”, 2010)
5/5. Do you like Ice Nine Kills? I sure do! Do you look forward to their second Silver Scream album coming this October?! For me, H*LL YEAH!! The album this song is in also very cool, and was the only one with bassist/vocalist Shane Bisnett who passed away on New Years Day 2019. RIP... This song indeed tells one of the greatest stories ever told, really in need of millions of YouTube views. Love a bit of vocal reverb! I should really use this song as my ringtone for when I ever get a smartphone. The remake of Safe is Just a Shadow is cleaner, but I enjoy the rawness of the original (this version). Those golden leads they really should've done more of in recent albums. If you include the first version ever in The Burning EP, there would actually be 3 official versions of this amazing song!!! HOLY SH*T!! I just love this awesome song, having a mix of vibes from the mid-2000s eras of Escape the Fate and Panic at the Disco, with a bit of Disney-like storytelling.
Protest The Hero – “Bloodmeat” (from “Fortress”, 2008)
4.5/5. This one crashes in with its Dillinger Escape Plan-like modern math-metalcore. The main riff appears surrounded by many of its chaotic moments to make me jump in joy. The inventive riffs go along with the catchy hooks that sing/scream about worshiping mythology in violent metaphors ("HEADS WILL ROLL!!!"). The fast pace often slows down for little epic moments of greatness. Too bad the bass is a little too turned down, I was looking forward to more awesome bass tapping.
All That Remains – “Down Through The Ages” (from “A War You Cannot Win”, 2012)
4/5. A great heavy thrash-driving metalcore opener! Not much more to say...
Shadows Fall – “Stepping Outside The Circle” (from “The Art Of Balance”, 2002)
5/5. One of the best songs of the playlist and its album, with lots of amazing thrash. Riffs, time changes, gang vocals, all nothing but pure 100% thrash, with a capital TH. But at least there's a nice clean part and nice soloing.
August Burns Red – “The Truth Of A Liar” (from Messengers”, 2007)
4.5/5. Happy August! This song opens with a small throwback to the past; a Black Sabbath-style riff with a vintage metal scream. After that, the band stays with their present-day sound for the rest of that song and its album.
The Devil Wears Prada – “Contagion” (from “ZII” E.P., 2021)
5/5. Ah yeah, one of the best songs of metalcore to be released this year! A comeback to the band's heaviness after their recent electronic-infused experiment. I'm absolutely up for more of this band!
Betraying The Martyrs – “The Sound Of Letting You Go” (from “Rapture”, 2019)
4.5/5. Though Betraying the Martyrs is memorable for their symphonic deathcore style, this song is an example of how melodic their recent album is. 2019 is one of the greatest years in the 2010s for metal, and this song almost seals that deal. One of the best songs from Rapture! The elderly should stay away so they wouldn't get heart-attacked. Nothing lasts forever, and this track teaches not to take it all for granted. The direction is h*lla different yet still has the band's signature heaviness. If this wasn't too heavy and filled with a bit of swearing, this song would fit well for the Frozen 2 soundtrack, especially since they covered "Let It Go" earlier. Awesomeness under my skin!
Starkweather – “Epiphany” (from “This Sheltering Night”, 2010)
3.5/5. A bit too long and experimental for metalcore standards, but has a bit of great potential.
Attila – “You Looked A Lot Better Last Night” (from “Soundtrack To A Party”, 2008)
4/5. Before Attila became a rap-metalcore monster, they had a party-themed death/metalcore sound, and even the lyrics sound more brutal than what they have now: "WHEN THE FIRE RAISES FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL!!!"
Coalesce – “A Safe Place” (from “In Tongues We Speak” split E.P. with Napalm Death, 1996)
5/5. The day of finding more metal to start enjoying continues with this early mathcore band with slower jams. Perfect! But that EP cover art though, is that supposed to be a tongue!? H*ll if I know...
Winds Of Plague – “Sewer Mouth” (from “Resistance”, 2013)
4.5/5. I just don't understand the lack of attention for this band. I mean it sounds sick and brutal with guest vocals by Vincent Bennett of The Acacia Strain, but this band, along with the metalcore/hardcore punk bands I've commented on need more attention in MTV or the radio, like WT*?! But you know what, I'm just asking for too much. After all, we have this playlist and this website now, do we?
My thoughts on some tracks:
Theatre Of Tragedy – “…A Distance There Is…” (from “Theatre Of Tragedy”, 1995)
4.5/5. Interesting how I felt like submitting a song that's more orchestral, but it still has the despair that can be found in gothic doom albums like this one. So beautiful yet depressive, with poetic lyrics from medieval English. Theatre of Tragedy was one of my favorite gothic metal bands from my earlier epic metal taste 5 years ago (and one of only few back then), and the lovely vocals of Liv Kristine are never to be dismissed. Her singing stirs up a scenario of a fairy held captive in a cage, hopelessly begging to be set free. Simply excellent, and could be a good song for when I'm dying in my bed. This is actual awesome gothic beauty, unlike the less serious emo sh*t. Her amazing voice can lead a wonderful choir! A beautiful soft song of enchantment...
Katatonia – “Relention” (from “Discouraged Ones”, 1998)
5/5. An incredible track with simple lyrics of emphasized despair ("I’m returning from something, to something"), as part of the lyrical theme of a lost search for hope. Worth listening to after checking out this month's Fallen featured release (the album before this one).
Saturnus – “Lost My Way” (from “Martyre”, 2000)
5/5. An awesome song of atmospheric death-doom! Enough said...
Sentenced – “Crumbling Down (Give Up Hope)” (from “Down”, 1996)
4.5/5. I've already given up on this band recently because of their earlier death metal sound, but I still revisit their gothic metal material. This is one of my favorite songs from its album Down, more nicely depressive than their previous transition album Amok. The vocals fit greatly for this band when moving to a more melodic sound. This is a d*mn amazing tune, and sadly, any possible chance of hearing more from this band is lost with the passing of founding guitarist Miika Tenkula. RIP... I'm still thankful for this song to love, probably more than Metallica.
Darkthrone – “Lost Arcane City of Uppakra” (from “Eternal Hails......”, 2021)
4/5. Oh it's that band, Darkthrone, part of black metal's second wave in Norway... The riff in the intro sounds so bad-a** like its from an alt-rock/metal band. It's good, but they seem to focus on raw brutality in the music and cover art more than actual production. A very nice banger, but anyone having listening to their previous album Old Star would be wondering what the f*** just happened. Very good, but some parts are a bit cr*ppy, and I'm still not into black metal, OK?!
Isis – “Hand Of Doom” (from “Sawblade” E.P., 1999)
4.5/5. This is from back when Isis had a more doomy sludge sound than their later post-sludge. This cover of a Black Sabbath classic is quite a doomy headbanger to please both fans of Isis and Sabbath. Horns up!
Bethlehem – “Allegoria” (from “Mein Weg”, 2004)
3.5/5. Not really one of the best songs in the playlist, but it's pretty great, I guess...
Septic Flesh – “Έσοπτρον” (from Έσοπτρον”, 1995)
4/5. Again with Septicflesh! Esoptron is one of the band's more doomy albums, while still having the usual symphonic death metal sound I've moved away from, along with programmed drums. Still a great song!
My Dying Bride – “The Forever People” (from “As The Flower Withers”, 1992)
4.5/5. This is more of an example of fast death metal with no gothic elements with fast tempo and wicked growls for a sinister mood. Good song but there they emphasize the death in death-doom. It's all just destructive death metal territory with nothing delicate. And yet it still fits well with this playlist's death-doom section....
My thoughts on some tracks:
Dordeduh – “De neam vergur” (from “Har”, 2021)
4/5. Dordeduh? Har? Not quite names to take seriously, but the opening epic of this playlist can be... You can make a magnificent trip to the edge of the world with this long track that has a bit of a magical classical-ish Killing Joke-like vibe. Interesting black-ish post-Viking metal right here!
Haken – “Celestial Elixir” (from “Aquarius”, 2010)
4.5/5. Haken is a band I used to listen to, and if you ever listen to this album while washing the dishes or doing anything water-related, it's gonna be an epic watery journey. There's an epic Dream Theater-like prog overture going on for 3 minutes with a bit of polka in the middle, and the rest is progressive history...
Pain Of Salvation – “Her Voices” (from “The Perfect Element I”, 2000)
4/5. Not the best song in this album, but a great introductory song for anyone new to Pain of Salvation. It begins with soft melodic pattern before a slow heavy chorus that's great in all the instruments including the bass, keyboards, and guitar. Again, the song reaches the climax at over the 4-minute mark as the instrumentation gets more creative and even extreme with a fast long solo. Then there's an epic violin bridge before ending smoothly back where it began.
Mastodon – “Oblivion” (from “Cracke The Sky”, 2009)
4.5/5. Also a great introductory song for Mastodon newcomers, especially if you wanna get used to a noticeable change in vocals. Bassist Troy Sanders' vocals are still there but different and less like a shouting caveman, and drummer Brann Dailor sings lead vocals for the first time.
Enslaved – “The Watcher” (from “Vertebrae”, 2008)
4/5. The keyboards being used on its own in the 15-second "ambient" intro was useless! What the f*** was that?!? I almost expected a PJ Harvey song right there!! So confusing! The rest of this song is really awesome though, and again for anyone finding this band for the first time...
Rivers Of Nihil – “Where Owls Know My Name” (from “Where Owls Know My Name”, 2018)
4.5/5. Similar to my Septicflesh submission for this month's Guardians playlist, I still like this song from this band that's now gone from me since my death metal departure because it sounds closer to another clan that album is in. So bleak yet brilliant! The lyrics are some of the best in this beautiful headbanging song, with a couple jazzy saxophone solos, such as the one in the two-minute mark. A d*mn great song of saxy tech-death/progressive metal!
Voivod – “D.N.A. (Don’t Know Anything)” (from “Negatron”, 1995)
3.5/5. This one is pretty good, one of my favorite songs in a more experimental Voivod album...without Snake! The vocals in this album and Phobos are performed by Eric Forrest, though in this song, the vocals are handled by JG Thirlwell. It's hard to get use to their temporary stay in a more industrial-like sound than the band's usual prog-thrash sound, but eventually you will. This song is one of the more industrial songs in the album, but it's still progressive enough to fit in this playlist. Though some of you might disagree. HAVE A NICE DAY....
Thy Catafalque – “Móló” (from “Vadak”, 2021)
3/5. There's slightly more experimentation here, too much for me to stand. Though it still has a few killer heavy parts...
Meshuggah – “I” (from “I” E.P., 2004)
5/5. Felt sneaky enough to bend the length rules by adding a 21-minute track, eh, Daniel? That's OK, because "I" is a tremendous metal achievement for Meshuggah. It's a really long song that helped popularize djent. I begins with low guitar that has almost the same tuning as the typical standard bass guitar, playing one note in constant drum marching. Not repetitive at all! The strange time-changing rhythm would get you pumped up and hanging onto your seat for the oncoming storm. Then after one and a half minutes, Jens Kidman unleashes a 20-second tortured scream. Then the song continues with heavy riffs and percussion, and vicious growls. Fredrik Thordendal does his first solo in the EP that's nicely dramatic. After those hypnotizing 3 and a half minutes, there's a crushing breakdown with guitars and drums over shattered time signatures, followed by more of those vicious growls. At the 5:40 mark, Thordendal unleashes a chaotic solo assault with incessant notes flying everywhere alongside the inhuman rampage of accuracy from drummer Tomas Haake. There's some disturbing reverb of odd notes that abruptly transition from the chaos to a massive soft soundscape the back to the chaos again. The riffing that comes shortly after the 10 and a half minute mark is so f***ing heavy which is probably the only moment where you can properly headbang without getting lost in confusion. Then there's a strange section at the 12-minute point where Kidman starts whispering diabolically, followed by a guitar solo that sounds like a beehive orchestra. Eventually after another soft break of dark arpeggios, at the 17-minute point, we head into the twisted guitars and drums of Nothing, all in standard djent rhythm before closing with lengthy stretched feedback. Holy mammoth, this track is an unstoppable monolith!
My thoughts on some tracks:
Battle Beast – “Neuromancer” (from “Battle Beast”, 2013)
5/5. For the first song of this playlist, what do you get when you heavy metal with cyberpunk (the novel genre, NOT cyber metal gone punk)? A fantastic combo! This song is what I like to hear; 80s Judas Priest/WASP-like vibes without actually heading to those bands, especially in the bad-a** solo. This would definitely make MTV more colorful (and more metal). And since one of this band's songs is covered by Sabaton (NOT this one), an actual Battle Beast/Sabaton collaboration would be a match made in metal heaven! This song is one of my favorites in Battle Beast's kick-A self-titled album. Noora's soft singing works greatly as well. Amazing songs from one of the best bands of the 2010s heavy/power metal period! It's kinda sad that this one of the last power metal bands in my high-school-age earlier epic metal taste before my big taste reset, but it's still a great memory, and it warms my Guardian heart. The guitar even reminds me a bit of Michael Jackson's "Beat It". Not a lot of people in my home country has heard of these bands, but this one has great possible potential of catching on. I also like the band's debut Steel though that album has a different female singer. Either way, that band really spiced up the blandness metal has nowadays. Thanks for accepting this song submission, Daniel!
Lovebites – “Dystopia Symphony” (from “Glory, Glory, To The World”, 2021)
5/5. Now this is another heavy metal masterpiece! Japanese anime symphonic power metal, but it's not just the singer who's female... It's the entire band!! Looking forward to more music to listen to from these metal girls...
Septic Flesh – “The Eldest Cosmonaut (Dark Version)” (from “A Fallen Temple”, 1998)
4.5/5. The song in the Spotify playlist is actually the original version, but that's fine. I used to enjoy Septicflesh a lot before my death metal departure, and this is one of the few earlier songs from the band to actually be more Therion-like symphonic metal than just death metal all the way. Fabulous memories from one or two years ago! The melody is kinda like what Egyptians use to summon ancient aliens. Excellent symphonic metal classic!
Angra – “Make Believe” (from “Holy Land”, 1996)
4.5/5. Too beautiful to describe in words! RIP Angra/Viper vocalist Andre Matos...
Freedom Call – “Farewell” (from “Crystal Empire”, 2001)
5/5. I haven't heard this one in 5 years, and it's great to hear some more f***ing pure power metal again! The song sounds so happy, as opposed to the anger of other bands and metal genres. Let the bells toll for this Helloween-inspired band! That's what I expect for this new generation of metal, to be happier and less depressing (not the doom kind of depressing). Hail to a happy power metal farewell! This band sits nicely somewhere in my list of old favorites of power metal; DragonForce, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, Freedom Call, HammerFall, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire, and Sabaton. Far better than Babymetal's kawaii sh*t taking over the scene today...
Machinae Supremacy – “Hero” (from “Origin”, 2001)
5/5. One of Machinae Supremacy's first songs! I actually like this original version slightly better than the newer version from 10 years later in Rise of a Digital Nation, the original has raw intensity. A couple of DragonForce's songs from their own debut were about Starfire and her evil sister Blackfire; This Machinae song is about video game heroes in general. How pleasantly fantastic! Back then, they were an underground band making music for a website before assembling their first official album. This would be awesome for a sci-fi remake of RuneScape! This is good heavenly sh*t to please the 8-bit metal community. This should have far more YouTube views than the dreaded Frozen's "Let It Go". This Machinae song has an awesome upbeat feeling, and would actually work well for Guitar Hero. Machinae Supremacy has also made the soundtrack for the Jets'n'Guns game, and this song should've been part of it as well. Nothing bad at all, just 8-bit-synth-powered metal in the face. Well done!
Epica – “Kingdom of Heaven Prt. 3 - The Antediluvian Universe” (from “Omega”, 2021)
5.5/5 (not exaggerating). Now it's time to put your video games aside and watch a real epic battle up close, with the closure of one of the greatest achieved trilogies of the millennium! The godly intro and chorus is so brilliant in this masterpiece. The vocals by Simone Simons are so hauntingly good, especially in the 9 and a half minute mark. So incredibly beautiful! With a few epic songs I found in this album, probably more than Avantasia's Moonglow, I really gotta check out the entire Omega album someday. A grand use of time during COVID lockdown! The orchestral intro and breaks in the middle remind me of their second album Consign to Oblivion. And g****mn, those choruses are so serene! Just like the Star Wars Skywalker Saga, a 3x3 multitude of tales have reached an epic conclusion, and so is my time in this month's Guardians playlist....
Thanks Daniel for accepting my feature release submission! Here's my review summary:
I had no idea what the phrase "Tall Poppy Syndrome" means until some pre-review research. Apparently it's a social phenomenon where people are criticized because of their genuine talents elevating them above and from their peers. That's what Leprous was doing with this album but guess what? Very few progressive peers despise that and they succeeded in the elevation! Resembling a combo of influences such as Opeth, Winds, and Porcupine Tree, the appeal of Leprous is undeniable. You can never place the band in a specific genre other than progressive metal. The band's progressive metal material is a well-crafted mix of odd structures, clean vocals, time changes, complex rhythms, and contrasting heaviness, all in dexterous writing. The band's most appealing moments are the heavier ones, but those are only employed sparingly while helped out by the cleaner sections. Sure it would be awesome if the music was more crushing, but that would make the material less memorable and more likely to suffer negative effects. One moment they briefly unleash early Dimmu Borgir-style melodic black metal with frantic screaming vocals and speedy tremolo, and the next there's melancholic jazzy progressive rock/metal. With that ebb and flow of those two styles, it sure gives Leprous the originality it has, all leading up to a glorious 11 and a half minute closing epic. It's pretty clear that I'm one of the very few people who love Tall Poppy Syndrome more than the other Leprous albums, or even most other progressive metal albums. This is quite a polarizing album but it immediately shows me the best forms of art. If you want to be more open-minded and look for something unique and less mundane, this is the album for you!
5/5
Recommended songs: "Passing", "He Will Kill Again", "Not Even a Name", "White"
For fans of: Haken, Opeth, late Porcupine Tree
Thanks Daniel for accepting my feature release submission! Here's my review summary:
I've tried listening to a few Katatonia songs in my happy melodic past a few years ago, but it was too dark and extreme for me at the time. Their early material is black-doom and their later albums are just depressing gothic rock/metal. I'm glad Brave Murder Day got recommended to me last year because this was in their in-between era of death-doom, which was common in the mid-90s for the Peaceville Three; Anathema, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost. Yeah, since I already enjoy those 3 bands, how am I not interested in Katatonia? However, something different about Katatonia at that time is, while the Peaceville Three played a romantic kind of atmospheric doom metal, this band has a raw hard-to-classify soundscape. And what makes it hard to classify is their change of style in each of their few albums. Like I said, Dance of December Souls is depressive black-doom, Brave Murder Day (this album) is death-doom, Discouraged Ones is gothic doom, and since Tonight's Decision, they play dark rock/alt-metal. Normally, genre labels aren't totally necessary but I was making a point there. However, Brave Murder Day is so diverse than anyone can interpret the sound to be anything else, not just death-doom. The diverse music is distorted and dark, sometimes mellow, sometimes aggressive. Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt does most of the lead vocals, growling in abrasive despair to tone down some melody. Jonas Renkse could no longer do any growls because of vocal issues, but he can still do clean singing, which occurs in only one soft song. Yes, there are acoustic passages instead of symphonic gothic metal keyboards and violins. Another uncommon element is the varying rhythms, some a little faster, some slow. All in all, Katatonia had stirred up a death-doom classic!
5/5
Recommended songs: "Brave", "Murder", "12" (you didn't think I would say "Day", would you?)
For fans of: October Tide, early 90s Paradise Lost, Swallow the Sun
Very rare demo from Japanese trancecore masters Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. While not in the best quality (obviously for demo releases), this trance-ified melodeath-ish metalcore demo is great for the heavier metalcore fans who are tired of hearing the autotuned cleans of So (who didn't join the band yet at the time), especially if they're fans of Amaranthe, As I Lay Dying, and Crossfaith:
Thanks Ben!
Thanks Ben!
I can probably check on RYM to see if there are any underground pre-Queensryche/Fates Warning progressive metal releases that aren't in this site, but the RYM server has been acting odd lately, so maybe later. Anyway, I also checked out that Fates Warning album, and it's another brilliant early example of 80s heavy/progressive metal. A very solid start, thanks Daniel! I think its closing track has pushed that of Queensryche's debut off the reign for the mightiest epic of that style and era:
Inspired by Daniel's top 10 favorite US power metal albums, I decided to check out one of them, the first Queensryche album The Warning! While mostly in the US power metal style, the album almost marks the birth of progressive metal in a few songs that drop prominent hints of the style. As a fan of progressive metal, no matter how extreme or melodic the style of the genre I prefer, this album is worth thanking, recommended for listeners of Black Sabbath, Sanctuary, and Dream Theater:
Nicely done, Vinny!
Well done Vinny. I've just started hitting one if the Heavy Metal challenges myself. I've decided to go at the First Age challenge and see if I can lock The Guardians in as a fourth clan. I've found during initial spins of albums on the challenge that it has re-ignited my love of classic heavy metal and I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into this one.
Excellent choice, Sonny! The Guardians are waiting for you...
Here's my top 10 that I remember were my favorites of the genre before my departure from death metal:
10. Burn the Priest - Burn the Priest (1999)
9. Threat Signal - Under Reprisal (2006)
8. Revocation - The Outer Ones (2018)
7. Rivers of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name (2018)
6. Nightrage - A New Disease is Born (2007)
5. Cynic - Focus (1993)
4. In Mourning - The Weight of Oceans (2012)
3. Avatar - Hail the Apocalypse (2014)
2. In Flames - The Jester Race (1996)
1. At the Gates - Slaughter of the Soul (1995)
Chaotic experimental alt-metal from Japan:
I enjoy Bruce Dickinson's solo material, along with Savatage who also took classic heavy metal to a new epic level.
Ben, please add the new Attila album Closure.
Thanks Ben!