Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies
The ultimate metalcore epic! Say no more and listen more:
I did my review! Here's its summary:
Jane Doe is considered to be Converge's greatest achievement, and that sounds just about right! Everything is in a seamless flow as each band member pours out all their emotion to be able to fuse together this math-metalcore classic album. They have their signature intense screaming vocals, crushing guitar riffs, insane drumming, beautiful undecipherable lyrics, and strongly present killer bass, all put in this perfect cauldron of hardcore metal madness! What's brilliant about Jane Doe is not only the great tracks but also how they flow into a superb concept album. Is this a concept album? Probably... The lyrics focus on heartbreak and separation, whereas the music is powerful enough to pin you to the wall and start punching you in the head and kicking you in the b*lls until you're bleeding and begging for mercy. Proceed with caution! Everything to show you what extreme hardcore is all about can be found from its one-minute "intro" to its glorious 11 and a half minute title epic. I would recommend this ultimate metalcore masterpiece to fans of music that is intelligent, emotional, and brutal. You have to make a full listening experience to put it in the best part of your metalcore collection. Jane Doe ain't anonymous no more!
5/5
Continuing the tournament from the original DIS vs DAT Thread - The Sphere Edition, here are two Sphere albums released in 2004. I haven't listened to any of these albums myself, so this is up to listeners of these albums to decide. Which one of these albums with a different subgenre has the greater edge? Choose one and explain the reason!
Industrial metal:
Neue Deutsche Härte:
Yeah great track. The highlight of "Petitioning the Empty Sky" in my opinion along with closer "Color Me Blood Red".
"Color Me Blood Red" is another great highlight that ends the album (not including the live tracks). Some of the albums I like the best are the ones in which the two best songs are the first track (including intro) and the last track (including outro) because then I can hear its perfection for a promising start and, at the same time, I want the last song to end the album in a satisfying bang with no disappointing flaws at all. Start with the best, end with another best! I call that technique "The Perfect Metal Album Storm". More info about that in a different later thread...
Incubus' Serpent Temptation (1988)
Given I'd never given this band a go previously, I have to say that I'm stunned at how great this is. Ripping thrash metal with lots of great riffs and blast beats. I can understand why it's often listed as death metal due to its intensity, but the vast majority of the riffs are pure thrash. If it wasn't for the somewhat lacking vocals, this could rate even higher than the 4 stars I'm giving it. If you're into the more intense side of thrash (think Morbid Saint and early Kreator and Sadus), then you owe it to yourself to check this album out.
4 out of 5 stars!
Fun fact: When Incubus reformed after an 8-year split, it had to be under the new name Opprobrium because of the alt-funk rock/metal band Incubus. I don't listen to any of those two Incubus bands, but about the alt-funk rock/metal band Incubus, I absolutely agree that their first two albums (Fungus Amongus and S.C.I.E.N.C.E.) are what metal fans really want from that band. Scr*w "Drive"!!
You might not wanna inhale the toxic hardcore punk debut album Halo in a Haystack by the band who would later pioneer metalcore Converge, especially this song to avoid:
Update due to Sonny's vote:
Skeptics Apocalypse - 1
To Mega Therion - 2
I've just listened to and reviewed both of those 1985 Pit albums, and I consider them both great strong 4.5/5 classics that were important turning points in the development of their respective genres back then. But the one I prefer is... Skeptics Apocalypse! Yeah, I prefer Agent Steel's debut which pleasantly brings back a few flashbacks to the late 80s speedy power metal I used to listen to. Celtic Frost's To Mega Therion may fit in as thrash metal but is known for influencing extreme genres like death metal and black metal and that doesn't suit my anti-blasphemous interests. So yeah, Skeptics Apocalypse it is for me!
Skeptics Apocalypse - 1
To Mega Therion - 1
Time for a few more songs in a different one of my clans, past and present!
A band from The Fallen Modern Era clan challenge that I started listening to, celebrating gaining The Fallen as my 4th clan:
A band I've recently submitted to the site that I've became interested in, which has a bit of The Horde while mostly in The Revolution):
And a song from a new album from one of my favorite Revolution bands (can you believe I got the digital edition while the physical version was delayed releasing?):
I finished my May 22 extra credit album challenge!! Here's my stat check:
My Dying Bride (the two extra credit albums) - 4.5
Mystic Prophecy - Fireangel - 3.5
Neaera - Omnicide: Creation Unleashed - 4
So yeah, that's it with my unofficial Metal Evolution band challenge, 3 months after I created it! Amazing, right?! But in July, I actually have one more bigger band challenge to more properly test my interests in all metal genres I've enjoyed, past and present. I'll make and post that challenge for anyone to try, but I won't start doing it myself until July because of my break throughout the rest of June. Coming tomorrow....
And the winner of part 2 is... Spheres, three to one!! Pestilence wins the tournament!
I did my review already, here's a summary:
Type O Negative was a band known for creating some of the most romantic dramatic gothic metal you would ever hear, first getting some impact in Bloody Kisses then later gaining lots of praise in this album, the impeccable October Rust, which is a major improvement in terms of direction, music, and a few Easter eggs. This album can relieve stress with a more gothic rock atmosphere and keyboards while the doom metal elements grow. Despite the suspicious drum machine, I still enjoy the drumming and don't care if its programmed. Josh Silver did a good job implementing pretty keyboards layers and samples, while Peter Steele and Kenny Hickey added choral distortion effect to their bass and guitars, making them more powerful. Peter also sings with more melody. Oh how I'm gonna miss his deep vocals... Many of the songs range from mainly catchy gothic singles to a few long doom monsters, plus a few pointless interludes. Fortunately, this album's perfect 5-star rating is never deducted. It's all about the unique creativity of the band and the album. The majority of October Rust is more gothic metal than doom metal, unlike the band's earlier albums, and has a greater diverse balance of darkness and humor. Type O Negative had never disappointed their fans. Enjoy this gothic metal masterpiece, and until next time, take it easy!
RIP Peter Steele
5/5
Update due to Macabre Eternal's vote:
Spheres - 3
Skydancer - 1
Wow, you guys really like some of Pestilence's albums! That was another easy round! I'll give it 24 hours since the last vote in case someone else here wants a chance to vote, then I might announce the winner of round 2 and then start a new round with two different bands. Stay tuned for tomorrow...
Update due to Chinese Whispers' vote:
Spheres - 2
Skydancer - 1
For me, definitely Skydancer. It is one of the very first melodic death metal albums, though The Gallery would receive more credit. I agree about the noticeable differences in the melodeath sound they started to develop at the time that might put off later Dark Tranquillity fans, but I like it, just not in the same "classic" kind of level as some of their later albums. And of course, you know me as that guy whose favorite death metal genre is melodeath and wouldn't listen to technical death unless it's more technical than death (Cynic (1993), Anata, River of Nihil), not the other way around (Dying Fetus, Nile, Pestilence). I’ll add in my vote along with yours, Daniel:
Spheres - 1
Skydancer - 1
And the winner of part 1 is... Consuming Impulse, three to zero! So for part 2, let's take Pestilence further into the tournament and pair it up with a different album from a subgenre I'm more familiar with. That's right, we're gonna do unlisted death metal subgenres for this round! So here are two Horde albums released in 1993. Which one of these albums with a different death metal subgenre has the greater edge? Choose one and explain the reason!
Technical death metal:
Melodic death metal:
OMG I DID IT YAY!!! I finished The Fallen Gothic Metal Modern Era Clan Challenge, and completed my Clan Challenge quest for the 4th clan! It was quite a lot of hard work throughout these first 5 months of 2020, but it was a real pleasure. Of course I'm still in the "review challenge" zone with another short unofficial band challenge that I'm gonna do starting tomorrow (https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/318?page=1#topic_3054). Afterwards, I'll take a well-deserved break from the review challenging action during the remainder of June. Then in July, I actually have one more bigger band challenge to more properly test my interests in all metal genres I've enjoyed, past and present. I'll make and post that challenge about a week from now for anyone to try, but I won't starting doing it myself until July because of my break throughout the rest of June. Anyway, I'll take the moment to write a little list of acknowledgements for my metal journey so far:
Thanks to Daniel and Ben, the founding brothers of Metal Academy whom I really appreciate all this hard work and dedication in making this site for the metal community.
Thanks to all fellow members of this site for their improving contributions and, along with Ben and Daniel, supporting my metal taste and bringing back pieces of my past.
Thanks to my YouTube mate Danny Ultrawiz (https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/402) for helping me expand my metal horizons to add more heaviness to my melody.
Thanks to my brother who started my entire metal interest. Seriously, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have been interested in metal, nor would I know this site, and instead I would probably be trapped in the radio-pop hole by now. Thank greatness my brother came to get me into metal, the place in the music world where I really am today.
Once again I'm glad and grateful for my metal interest to take me this far and lead me to a website where I can do stuff like share my metal tastes, do metal-related ice-breaking forum activities, rate releases from my favorite metal bands, discover different bands I might like, and push myself to the limit to do reviewing challenges with the founders and other site members supporting me from the sides. This is so f***ing amazing!! So yeah, recapping what I'm gonna do next: short unofficial challenge, break throughout most of June, ultimate unofficial band challenge in July. Thanks again all my fellow metalheads! Peace - shadowdoom9/Andi
PS: Daniel, if you're reading this, please alert Ben about it when he's back from his few-day family holiday so he can confirm my lock-in and reward me that 4th clan. Thanks!
Update due to Daniel's vote:
Consuming Impulse - 3
Horrified - 0
WOW, 3 points already!!! That was fast and easy! I guess I won't have to listen to those two albums for my own vote after all (Whew!!). I'll give it another 24 hours in case someone else here wants a chance to vote, then I might announce the winner of round 1 and then start round 2. Stay tuned for tomorrow...
Update due to Macabre Eternal's vote:
Consuming Impulse - 2
Horrified - 0
Update due to Chinese Whispers' vote:
Consuming Impulse - 1
Horrified - 0
I might give both releases a listen myself to vote which one I think is greater to carry on with the game, but not right now because I'm still doing The Fallen Gothic Metal Modern Era challenge and plan on doing another one of my own extra credit review challenges afterwards. I'll be able to listen to and review those two Horde releases in a week or so.
*shudders at the obscene blasphemy I might soon face*
The French spoken part in this song from one of The Fallen Modern Era albums is so awful that I don't even... Y'know, maybe I'm just not into spoken narrations in gothic metal, yeah that must be it.
For this round, we'll try a couple releases I've listened to myself, one of which I've done only for a Clan Challenge. If you have been following my journey through some of the Revolution Clan Challenges, you probably know which one I like better, but I won't tell you until I get at least one or a few responses. So here are two Revolution albums released in 2007. Which one of these albums with a different genre has the greater edge? Choose one and explain the reason!
Metalcore:
Melodic metalcore:
For this round, we'll try a couple more well-known releases which, even though I haven't listened to them myself, I guarantee some of you Infinite members have listened to them before. So here are two Infinite albums released in 2001. Which one of these albums with a different genre has the greater edge? Choose one and explain the reason!
Avant-garde metal:
Progressive metal:
Update due to Daniel's vote:
Skeptics Apocalypse - 0
To Mega Therion - 1
I might give both releases a listen myself to vote which one I think is greater, but not right now because I'm still doing The Fallen Gothic Metal Modern Era challenge and plan on doing another one of my own extra credit review challenges afterwards. I'll be able to listen to and review those two Pit releases in...two weeks, maybe?
One of only a few great songs from a gothic melodeath album I was reviewing as part of The Fallen Gothic Metal Modern Era Challenge. Not really an album or band I would recommend for myself, but this one's for fans of Dark Tranquillity, Charon, and a bit of Ava Inferi:
I'm considering working with my developer in the next few months, so if anyone has anything they think could improve Metal Academy, please speak up. I'm not sure that there has been anything that anyone has requested so far that I haven't implemented or at least considered very carefully.
Ben, can you see if there's a way that we can better inform people that they have the option to select three clans when registering on the site? It's obviously not intuitive as we get so many people selecting just the one.
I agree with you, Daniel. Exhibit A:
Eh, unless the single-clan members explain a valid reason, like if death metal, progressive metal, or black metal is their sole favorite and that may be why they only chose The Horde, Infinite, or North as their one clan.
Update - May 22 extra credit album challenge (based on Ben's Metal Academy May 22 album list):
Yeah, I decided to give myself one more extra credit album review challenge that I'm gonna do after I finish The Fallen Modern Era Metal Challenge and earn my 4th clan. I'll especially review the My Dying Bride albums because ever since I declared My Dying Bride the winner of the DIS vs DAT tournament - The Fallen Edition, I've realized how important it would feel for me to show my opinions about My Dying Bride when I enter The Fallen. I mean, how can a Fallen member who likes even the slightest bit of doom metal/death-doom not even try something from the kings of death-doom!? So at the start of June, I'm gonna review all the My Dying Bride albums, including the two "extra-credit" albums, plus the two "22 May 2009" albums also listed, for both some extra credit reviewing and gaining some Fallen points. The Fallen quest is still going....
Kamelot's Epica and The Black Halo are an epic pair of albums from my earlier metal days of just power metal, though they would've had some points taken off if if weren't for the otherwise useless interludes being part of the story, like this Italian cabaret interlude:
Here are some sci-fi themed extreme metal albums I would recommend, with a few of them being prog-death/melodeath:
Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax I + II (2011/2012)
Born of Osiris - The Discovery (2011)
The Contortionist - Exoplanet (2010)
Rings of Saturn - Lugai Ki En (2014)
Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe (2008)
Shadow of Intent - Primordial (2016)
Vektor - Terminal Redux (2016)
Hey Ben, how about Damad? Pre-Kylesa, and I think “Rise and Fall” would be a good choice if the Sludge challenge happens.
Upon looking up that band in Rate Your Music, I think "Burning Cold" might be a better album for the possible Sludge challenge.
Still haven't forgotten about my recent Horde past:
The question is...what do I do with Atmospheric Sludge?! I'm thinking that it will lock in The Infinite rather than The Fallen as both Daniel and I agree that Atmospheric Sludge is more Post-Metal than it is Sludge Metal. Anyone have an opinion on that?
Sludge Metal and Post-Metal are exactly what I had in mind as the starting genres for when you continue making clan challenges, Ben. With over thousands of releases in those genres primarily voted by a great amount of RYM users, there should be no trouble for you making clan challenges for those two genres. As for the other genres; Viking Metal, Neoclassical Metal, and Trance Metal, yeah it can be pretty hard finding releases that qualify in any of those genres in RYM, but there are still hundreds of releases in those genres (the lowest one, Trance Metal has 369 primarily voted releases). I might be able to help try to find enough release to qualify for at least one challenge per genre, so I say, never say nevermore!
Good question about Atmospheric Sludge. While it makes sense for Sludge Metal to be a Fallen genre because it's basically a more hardcore doom metal, Atmospheric Sludge is quite different as it focuses more on the experimental atmosphere of Post-Metal. It's a bit like our Symphonic Metal issue where Horde bands like Fleshgod Apocalypse and Septicflesh are placed in The Guardians even though Symphonic Death Metal is emphasized more on Death than Symphonic. With that, I'm gonna submit one or a few The Ocean albums into the Hall of Judgement with the proposal of removing them from The Fallen while keeping them in The Infinite, and see if there are enough Metal Academy members who agree with the idea for you to push all the Atmospheric Sludge releases through.
Seems like now I got a couple big Metal Academy plans going on throughout the rest of my week-long break from reviewing. You agree with them?
Both amazing death-doom albums, but I also think Dance of December Souls is overrated, only by a slight notch though. I think the black metal elements in that album are a little too much, at least for me. Turn Loose the Swans is definitely a slightly greater death-doom classic, despite sounding a bit too slow sometimes. Even though it looks My Dying Bride is about to win, I'll give it another couple weeks for other site members to have a chance. I'll add my vote along with yours, Daniel.
Turn Loose the Swans - 2
Dance of December Souls - 0
Since this did not get updated for about 3 weeks, I declare The Light at the End of the World the winner, two to one! So for this initial final third part, let's take My Dying Bride further into the tournament, along with Katatonia, and make things a little more challenging. Welcome to the initial final part 3; same genre, different year, 1993! Which of the following death-doom albums has the greater edge? Choose one and explain the reason! If My Dying Bride wins, then it's the total winner of the tournament. If Katatonia wins, the tournament continues with another Fallen band. Albums are below, so please, vote away!
PS: If any of you wanna continue the DIS vs DAT tournament - The Horde Edition, here's the link: https://metal.academy/forum/10/thread/349
I've just finished the Easy part of my strategy in The Fallen gothic metal challenge! But starting tomorrow (as of writing this thread), I'm gonna take a small week-long break from working hard on those reviews and use that opportunity to chill out and look for new bands to listen to. Then I will review a couple Lacuna Coil albums (as the only part of the Medium part of my Fallen strategy) and the new Paradise Lost album Obsidian, then spend the last week of May working on the hard part of the Modern Era Fallen gothic metal challenge. I'll soon enter the very last section of my journey to lock in and earn my 4th clan! However, my review challenging won't end there. I actually have one more bigger band challenge to more properly test my interests in all metal genres I've enjoyed, past and present. I'll make and post that challenge in June for anyone to try, but I won't start doing it myself until July because I've worked so hard throughout 2020 so far doing all these official and unofficial challenges and I feel like taking a break through June from reviewing groups of albums. Single-album reviewing recommendations would still be welcome. A new part of my Metal Academy era shall begin when this month ends....
While reviewing albums from Type O Negative as part of my Gothic Metal Clan Challenge strategy, I'm also listening to a bit of Nevermore, another band with a longtime vocalist who passed away. Y'know, Daniel, I'm a little surprised about you not liking their last album. I personally think The Obsidian Conspiracy is a great valuable swansong for the band, including their title finale with its killer melodeath-ish riffing and shredding. But I can never hear those ending lyrics the same way ever again, "The drowning sage can't feed the silence, the firestorm can never be heard, these are my last....WORDS."
Absolutely supreme US progressive metal from the masters of the subgenre. Spectacular stuff for fans of Rush, Fates Warning & Haken.
A killer epic from one of the best albums in the history of melodic progressive metal! Or as the top comment on its YouTube video says, "Indian progressive dubstep metal".
Metal Academy clan map (https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/271) presents....
The Fallen Rock Virus 1998 (ROVID98) (year based on the worst year, not the first year)
Note: This is absolutely not meant to make fun of anything or offend anyone in any way. I'm just writing a brief history of how gothic rock started taking over gothic metal in the late 90s and beyond, and even though it might seem like HIM is responsible for bringing rock into the gothic metal scene, I don't totally blame them. And I'm using similar terms to the current coronavirus in a way that I hope wouldn't offend a lot, so please understand and enjoy my gothic rock/metal brief history.
Gothic metal bands involved:
HIM - Formed in 1991 in the gothic rock lands beyond the Fallen Sea, broke up in 1993, then in 1995 reformed and sailed to the Metal Academy Graveyard of the Fallen, inspired by Type O Negative. Released their first gothic rock/metal EP 666 Ways to Love: Prologue in 1996, the main cause of the Rock Virus. Released their first gothic rock/metal album Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 in 1997. Shortly after, the virus gained the named ROVID666. In 1998, due to the virus worsening it was renamed ROVID98, and HIM was banished back to the gothic rock lands. Briefly allowed to return to the Metal Academy Graveyard of the Fallen in 2007 to make a gothic metal album Venus Doom, then sailed back to the gothic rock lands. Completely disbanded in 2017.
Type O Negative - Main inspiration for HIM moving to the Metal Academy Graveyard of the Fallen, though Type O Negative did not take full responsibility. Took extensive measure to protect themselves from the rock virus and stay gothic metal throughout their tenure (while briefly visiting The Gateway in 2003's Life is Killing Me) until their disbandment following the death of Peter Steele in 2010.
Tiamat - Both Tiamat and Paradise Lost are the first bands affected by the rock virus in 1997. Tiamat was infected with a more gothic rock sound starting with A Deeper Kind of Slumber. Since then, they brought back some metal while still being infected by the rock virus. Haven't been heard from since after 2012.
Paradise Lost - Both Tiamat and Paradise Lost are the first bands affected by the rock virus in 1997. Paradise Lost was infected with a more gothic rock sound starting with One Second, worsening into synthpop in Host. Since then, they brought back some metal while still being infected by the rock virus. Fully recovered back to gothic/doom metal in 2007 and kept that sound ever since.
The Gathering - Infected with an alt-prog rock sound in 1998, starting with How to Measure a Planet. Kept that sound ever since and never recovered enough to make any return to metal. Went on hiatus in 2014.
Anathema - Infected with an alt-prog rock sound in 1998, starting with Alternative 4, discarding all metal elements in 1999's Judgement. Kept that sound ever since and never recovered enough to make any return to metal.
Katatonia - Last album with their original gothic/doom metal sound was 1998's Discouraged Ones. Infected with a more dark alt-rock sound in 1999 starting with Tonight's Decision. Fully recovered in 2003 but moved to The Gateway and kept that sound ever since.
Theatre of Tragedy - Last album with their original gothic/doom metal sound was 1998's Aegis. Infected with a synthpop sound in 2000 starting with Musique. Fully recovered back to gothic metal in 2006 but disbanded in 2010.
Moonspell - Last band to be even slightly infected by the virus. Started going experimental with 1998's Sin/Pecado and 1999's The Butterfly Effect. Slight gothic rock infection in 2001 with Darkness and Hope. Began their recovery back to gothic metal in 2003, completed it in 2006, and kept that sound ever since.
Within Temptation - Avoiding the virus, moved to a symphonic metal sound in The Guardians with 2000's Mother Earth and kept that sound until visiting The Gateway in 2019's Resist.
Lacuna Coil - Last album with their original gothic metal sound was 2002's Comalies. Avoiding the virus, moved to an alternative metal sound in The Gateway with 2006's Karmacode and kept that sound ever since.
Aftermath: Some of the still active gothic metal bands are still partly infected, some are fully infected and never returned to metal, some are fully recovered back to metal, and some have moved to a different clan. Either way, gothic metal remains a great part in metal history to be enjoyed by Fallen members, along with soon-to-be Fallen member, yours truly!
The end?
Ben, please add these bands:
Asking Alexandria
Attila
The Crimson Armada