Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

I came back to this old thread to share two thrash metal albums released in 1988. I'll tell you what I think of them once I get some feedback. Which one of these albums has the greater edge? Choose one and explain the reason!

Nicely brutal!! Cool guitarwork, Daniel! Seriously.

I came back to this old thread to say that I've just made a Spotify playlist compiling the complete Danny Ultrawiz discography. Enjoy and support my YouTube friend! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5UHP3rHkRPdINojvlJhwG4

I did my review, here's its summary:

This is a mighty achievement by the band and of 90s heavy/power metal. Hansen and co. have made quite a difference since their previous two albums, like for example, no interludes! While one or two tracks may suffer from a slight flaw, all the other songs are perfect classics with lots of solo shredding, octave singing, and drum filling. With brilliant metal anthems and speedy rollercoaster rides, Power Plant is a classic to respect and appreciate the band's legacy that shall stay immortal!

5/5

Recommended songs: "Anywhere in the Galaxy", "Send Me a Sign", "Gardens of the Sinner", "It's a Sin", "Heavy Metal Universe", "Armageddon"

For fans of: Helloween, Stratovarius, Judas Priest

My thoughts on some tracks (including my one request):

Linkin Park – “Guilty All The Same” (from “The Hunting Party”, 2014)

5/5. This was pretty much the last ever song I've heard from Linkin Park in my brother's alt-rock/metal footsteps before fading out into my "real" metal interest, and I still love it to this day because of how metal it is! There's a minute-and-a-half intro of dramatic guitar buildup, and in the second half of that intro is a power metal-ish melody similar to Avenged Sevenfold, before Bennington's verses roll in where he really unleashes his rage. There's a rapping bridge, but this is the 3rd track in a row to have rapping, and it could get a bit boring for the heavier metalheads to hear Shinoda rapping in so many songs. How did they prevent that problem? Enter hip-hop legend Rakim who shines with his attack on the industry ("The media, the game, to me you're all the same, you're guilty!").

Bring Me The Horizon – “1x1” (from “Post Human: Survival Horror” E.P., 2020)

4/5. A good song to love, featuring the Nova Twins! Though several other songs, like especially "Can You Feel My Heart", still reign in both the level of mainstream popularity and my BMTH favorite list.

In Flames – “Deliver Us” (from “Sounds Of A Playground Fading”, 2011)

4.5/5. One more song from a band I've turned away from due to my death metal departure. The style widely covers steady beat, lyrical rhyme and catchy soloing. This was one of my favorite In Flames tracks from their current alt-metal era. Some listeners might be brought here by the Saint Row IV soundtrack. A great experience, yet a recently distant memory that I've moved from.

My thoughts on some tracks (including my suggested ones):

Structures – “Departure” (from “All Of The Above” E.P., 2010)

5/5. The ultimate sick intro to this song's EP, the band's discography, and this playlist! With a killer beginning like that, I should really listen to more of this band Structures and hear more of what they have in metalcore store.

August Burns Red – “The Frost” (from “Phantom Anthem”, 2017)

4.5/5. Heavy bass-lines in this song impressively soar all around while having an uplifting vibe.

Bullet For My Valentine – “Begging For Mercy” (from “Fever”, 2010)

4/5. Good choice, Vinny! This one is the heaviest beast in the BFMV album Fever. There are massive riffs and a clever chorus, though similar to the slightly less heavy songs' chorus while still monstrously heavy.

Fear, & Loathing In Las Vegas – “Return To Zero” (from “New Sunrise”, 2017)

4.5/5. Man, what a good song with incredible lyrics, as encouraging as the previous album's "Let Me Hear". It's a little hard for me to dance because I haven't done a proper dance since I was younger, but I feel up for dancing to this trancecore tune. I love it! RIP Kei...

The Dillinger Escape Plan with Mike Patton – “Pig Latin” (from “Irony Is A Dead Scene” E.P., 2002)

5/5. This amazing shocker starts calm. First a slow haunting guitar riff plays, then keyboard joins in, followed by Patton's soft singing. It sounds accessible at first but you know it's gonna build up to more chaos. The heavier chorus as guitars explode into heaviness. Patton starts singing deep vocals that sound almost gibberish surrounded by squeals of "Chinga". The guitars get really chaotic as the chords get forcefully wrung out. That and Patton's chaotic squealing causes the guitar to sound like you're bending a pipe around its neck to strangle it. The intensity returns as Patton yells "Speaking Pig Latin, kiss me goodnight" as the band blows the roof off this dump. After a few beeps, the song then sounds like a lounge band with the lead vocalist being a psychotic murderer. Those deep lounge vocals work well there! Then it's back to the beginning with the first verse and chorus, except in the chorus, only "Chinga" remains, then ends with one more incomprehensible gibberish line. One of the best TDEP songs!

Winds Of Plague – “Never Alone” (from “Blood Of My Enemy”, 2017)

5/5. Awesome, awesome, AWESOME!!! This is the coolest song I've heard in symphonic deathcore, a bit like a mix of the heavier Trivium, earlier Veil of Maya, and Wintersun all in one song! EPIC!!

Eighteen Visions – “She’s A Movie Produced Masterpiece” (from “Until The Ink Runs Out”, 2000)

5/5. Another one of the best songs in this playlist, making me wish I had listened to more metalcore in my high school-age years. In the second half, there's an unreal groove along with the most epic pick-up line possible, "BLONDE BOMBSHELL BLUE-EYED BEAUTY, YOU ROCK MY F***ING WORLD!!!!!" The heaviness of this f***ing masterpiece of a song would have you laughing maniacally. Their late bassist Mick Deth didn't join the band yet at that time, but still, RIP... The co-vocals by Brandan Schieppati are also great too, but what response do you expect from a Bleeding Through fan? Even Throwdown would be thrown down by this. Here comes another entry in my top 25 metalcore list...

Demon Hunter – “Artificial Light” (from “Extremist”, 2014)

4.5/5. The first song Demon Hunter fans would hear from Extremist when it was the album's lead single. Another heavy song!

Between The Buried & Me – “Alaska” (from “Alaska”, 2005)

4.5/5. I've remembered enjoying this fun brutal prog-death/metalcore song before recently dumping my interest for BTBAM during my death metal departure. I might make a one-off return a couple months later for their upcoming sequel album to the one after Alaska, Colors.

Unearth – “Survivalist” (from “Extinction(s)”, 2018)

4.5/5. This song continues the 7-string fury with screams that can boil the blood of listeners who survived the rest of this playlist. Then there's a brutal bone-crushing breakdown more intense than in other bands like Thy Art is Murder. Drummer Nick Pierce‘s work with Adam D. (Killswitch Engage) really paid off for more relentless chaos. The master trained his apprentice well!

Bleeding Through – “Anti-Hero” (from “Bleeding Through”, 2010)

4/5. Brandan's other band Bleeding Through the band time-travels back to 1995 Sweden for death metal bands At the Gates and Therion in that year to borrow their sound and add some punk lyrics ("I’ve heard enough of you, f***ing go away!”). The tremolo riffs are sprinkled in there. You've probably heard enough from me, so see ya next time!

My thoughts on some tracks (including my suggested ones):

Meshuggah – “Future Breed Machine (Quant’s Quantastical Quantasm” (from “The True Human Design” E.P., 1997)

3.5/5. The chaos begins with a bit of an apocalyptic atmosphere that sounds like robotic machines taking over the world; industrial noises, then... Well, not quite the version I wanted to hear, I don't need to say more. I guess that's kind of payback for when I included a Meshuggah interlude in a playlist a few months ago. Touché...

Pain Of Salvation – “Restless Boy” (from “Panther”, 2020)

4/5. This one is a computerized melancholic ballad with electronic vocoder effects that spark up melodies of Cynic, maybe even Daft Punk. More surprises come in as the second half becomes suddenly heavier with frantic vocals and more of those djenty guitars. Man, more of the djenty guitars appear to the point where we can consider this album a less extreme djent!

Haken – “The Good Doctor” (from “Vector”, 2018)

4.5/5. I've remembered enjoying this fun prog-metal song before recently dumping my interest for Haken during my death metal departure despite them not being death metal at all. This has reminded me of that medical drama The Good Doctor!

Ayreon – “Daniel’s Descent Into Transitus” (from “Transitus”, 2020)

4.5/5. A whole new dimension awaits in one of the first parts of a new Ayreon story...

Lucid Planet – “On The Way” (from “Lucid Planet II”, 2020)

4/5. This very strange yet beautiful song shows the vocals by Jade Alice having more harmonic impact before slowing building up to almost a black/folk metal sound that almost makes the song suitable for the North clan, something Lucid Planet had never dared to go before. This aural effect adds to an epic journey with changing textures and sounds. This could very well be suitable for long mountain treks like in the Lord of the Rings movies, and I can feel the tiring side effects even when I'm just sitting down and writing this comment, thanks to the strong feeling of movement.

Enslaved – “Return To Yggdrasill” (from “Isa”, 2004)

4.5/5. Returning to the extreme side of progressive metal, this one starts heavy before primarily becoming acoustic. Herbrand Larsen's melancholic singing makes that song one of the saddest by the band.

Cult Of Luna – “What I Leave Behind” (from “The raging River” E.P., 2021)

4.5/5. This one fills your heart with pain and despair in sludgy destruction. Enough said...

Vektor – “Accelerating Universe” (from “Black Future”, 2009)

5/5. Now this is a more climatic playlist ending than that of the Guardians playlist, the 13 minute true diverse crowning highlight of both its album and this playlist, initially starting with Metallica hammering thrash, it gets more epic and heavier throughout, even developing an amazing psychedelic atmosphere in the halfway point, before building back up into a heavy speedy ending.

My thoughts on some tracks (including my suggested ones):

Epica – “The Second Stone” (from “The Quantum Enigma”, 2014)

5/5. Interesting how this is my second clan playlist review in a row to have the word "Stone" in the title. This is an outstanding song from this talented band, creating epic metal music since the 2000s. I love the beautiful lyrics written by female vocalist Simone Simons that are some of the best by the band. They can blend beauty and brutality together in an awesome organic symphonic metal sound. Its album The Quantum Enigma is a better follow-up to Requiem for the Indifferent. However, Design Your Universe has been my #1 from them. I haven't listened to Epica for so long, and maybe one day I can listen to more of them again. The classical choir fits nicely for the best originality. Amazing guitar, great drums, audible bass, and natural vocals, all in great epic symphonic power metal! You might think of this band as Evanescence gone Rhapsody of maybe even Nightwish gone Behemoth, but the f***ing amazing original purity of their sound rolls on...

Yngwie Malmsteen – “Fire & Ice” (from “Fire & Ice”, 1992)

5/5. Great song with Malmsteen's riffs and leads, and the underrated vocals of Göran Edman. Simply a f***ing awesome song with fast arpeggios! Yngwie Malmsteen should be hailed as a pure metal legend.

Accept – “Lady Lou” (from “Accept”, 1979)

4.5/5. Here's a great song from one of the earliest albums by a band that started in the 70s and can still kick a** in the present. They are masters of high energy in music! If you're wondering who "Lady Lou" is, she's the hot chainsaw lady in the front cover. Not too bad for a song from a hard rock/heavy metal debut album, though later albums like Metal Heart and Russian Roulette have been remarkable ones for me. The background harmonies are some of the best. This is one of Accept's greatest hits and likely the best 70s metal song for me...

Witchfynde – “Ready To Roll” (from “Give ‘Em Hell”, 1980)

4/5. A year later, Witchfynde released an early example of Hell-themed lyrics in metal, which is great, but not enough appeal.

Grand Magus – “Steel Versus Steel” (from “Triumph & Power”, 2014)

3.5/5. This song is a bit cheesy in the chorus. The solo is good but could've been longer. So why the h*ll did I submit this? Well it is a great introductory song for newcomers in Grand Magus' fanbase, so here you go.

Angra – “Carry On” (from “Angels Cry”, 1993)

5/5. An awesome song for the Brazilian power metal scene to be filled with pride, thanks to the great vocals by the late Andre Matos. RIP... The "Unfinished Allegro" intro is also fantastic, but we're not talking about that right now.

Children Of Bodom – “Everytime I Die” (from “Follow The Reaper”, 2000)

4.5/5. Despite Children of Bodom being more of a melodeath band, I submitted this one in the Guardians playlist as a tribute to another recently fallen metal band frontman, lead vocalist/guitarist Alexi Laiho. It is also because Vinny's submission of Amorphis' "Black Winter Day" made me remember the "cover exchange" the two bands had with those two songs, so it seemed like an interesting parallel. Anyway, with this submission accepted thankfully and realizing how power metal-ish this song sounds, I decided to hold off my ideal judgement submission for its album Follow the Reaper for now. And yeah, I love this song! RIP Alexi and Bodom...

Bloodbound – “Eyes Come Alive” (from “Creatures Of The Dark Realm”, 2021)

4/5. Excellent song, though I probably would've been more interested in this band about 5 years ago...

Dragonland – “Shadow of the Mithril Mountains” (from “Under The Grey Banner”, 2011)

5/5. After beginning with a fantasy movie-like one-minute intro, the amazing symphonic power metal action rolls in with excellent lyrics. This was one of my favorite power metal songs 8 years ago, and it sounds nearly similar to Kamelot's "Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)", which is why I wanted to submit that Kamelot song as well. Sadly, the only version of that Kamelot song available on Spotify is its recent live version which couldn't be accepted. Oh well. Let's just find out how the last song of the playlist sounds...

Cloven Hoof – “Bathory” (from “Age Of Steel”, 2020)

3.5/5. Of course, another good song from a band that I would've enjoyed more 5 years ago, yet not really the way I wanted the playlist to conclude. I still enjoyed the h*ll out of the other songs I've commented nonetheless...

My thoughts on some tracks (including my suggested ones):

Charon – “The Stone” (from “Tearstained”, 2000)

4/5. Beginning my thoughts with the closer of a great gothic metal album, this song continues the band's raw atmospheric aesthetic in an almost 6-minute epic that's great but still can't beat their debut's "Morrow".

Beyond Dawn – “When Beauty Dies”, (from “Pity Love”, 1995)

4.5/5. I f***ing love this one, but the depression holds the score back a bit. What a pity...

The Gathering – “In Sickness & Health” (from “Always…”, 1992)

4.5/5. This song is a fantastic reminder of the great gothic/death-doom band The Gathering once were before they made their switch to lame alt-prog rock. This is great for when we have to face the virus in sickness and health!

Isis – “Carry” (from “Oceanic”, 2002)

5/5. Here's a song to let the tears of your emotion flood into an ocean. The sound builds up immensely then explodes into mind-blowing greatness. The guitars at over the 3-minute mark help contribute to the buildup. The band's music has inspired their listeners to buy their records and go to their concerts until their split-up. There are gorgeous background vocals by Maria Christopher of 27, who sings in a couple more songs from that masterpiece album Oceanic. This is also their first album with the Ipecac label owned by Mike Patton, whom the band were signed to until the end. Not a lot of bands could ever surpass this d*mn good band. I especially love the last minute of the song. Just please stop relating this band to the Islamic terrorist group, OK?

Saturnus – “Christ Goodbye” (from “Paradise Belongs To You”, 1997)

5/5. Oh my dude, I love this! This wonderful song has stirred up a new doom metal favorite of mine!

My Dying Bride – “Bring Me Victory” (from “For Lies I Sire”, 2009)

4.5/5. Skipping straight to another brilliant doom metal band, another fantastic song by doom masters My Dying Bride can definitely make up for many past weaknesses with upbeat violin and riffs.

I did a review for this album as part of a DIS vs DAT debate, which I sure look forward to doing these again, and needless to say, I prefer the other band's album slightly over this one, and that other band later became one of my true entryways into industrial metal. Anyway, here's my summary:

The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste has left a different impression in my young mind compared to Godflesh's Streetcleaner. Back then, electronic madness and guitar aggression were an innovative combo. Both albums are known as as the spawn of industrial metal, though Godflesh's debut gets more credit. Anyway, you'll find a lot of standard industrial metal motives such as hyper guitar riffing, distorted screams, programmed beats, and synthesized samples. This album would have, JUST would have, started my industrial metal interest if it wasn't for two sh*tters near the end that brought the score down a bit. Fortunately, it's only down to 4.5 stars because of how great those other 7 tracks are. The Mind is a...revolution starter for a different metal genre that is industrial metal, alongside Godflesh's Streetcleaner, to inspire bands like Fear Factory and Rammstein. I suppose I could one day listen to its developing predecessor, but for this album, this is for industrial metal fans who want their head tossed around. Otherwise, look out!

4.5/5

Thank you Daniel for accepting my Revolution feature release submission! Here's my summary:

Some think of You Fail Me as a superb success while other think it's a failing letdown. I can see that the band has really evolved since the beginning and it's a matter of good and bad opinions about the change. In my opinion, Converge still has their immense sound in this album. Here you'll find many short savage metalcore/mathcore songs with screaming vocal attack, brutally technical drumming, and heavy intense guitarwork, along with two longer experimental sludge tracks. You Fail Me is no ordinary album. It takes a while for your brain to fully grasp it, and it would help by listening to the previous albums. The short album length (35 minutes without bonus track) is the right length for this album and other hardcore/metalcore albums like this. This album is 99% perfect without any major flaws! The songwriting and production is so intense and brilliant. Sure there are some songs that are weaker than others, but this album works best when listened to entirely. Call it the band's low point if you want, but this shows Converge unleashing their evolving genius. Any fan of heavy intensity should listen to this band and this album. Converge will never fail you!

5/5

Recommended tracks: Last Light, Black Cloud, Drop Out, You Fail Me, Eagles Become Vultures, In Her Blood

For fans of: Botch, Gaza, The Dillinger Escape Plan

I enjoyed Megadeth's third album slightly more than most other listeners, but still not enough to get me interested in that band full-time. What didn't level up my mood were 3 filler failures, starting with this cover of a classic punk hit. I have no idea how that cr*p-track became one of their most popular songs. A metal cover doesn't do well when it sounds too much like the original!

Then this one has some of the worst chorus, samples, and drums I've heard in metal, and I do not need to describe the awful lyrics, just listen for yourselves:

And this one has a "talk sh*t about a former bandmate" attitude that's just so d*mn hard to understand:

Despite all that disappointing sh*t, I've enjoyed a great amount of their third album nonetheless, and you've probably known that by the 4-star rating I've given that album, with almost all the remaining 5 tracks being some of the best by one of the Big 4 of American thrash metal. Only a true die-hard Megadeth fan would fully enjoy that album...

The cringe-worthy video for Breaking the Law didn't help either.

Yeah, they just had to put the best classic of the album in one of the most ridiculously awful metal music videos. That's why I purposely put up a different video when sharing that song in the Track of the Day thread.

particularly "Metal Gods" & "The Rage" which sit amongst my favourite heavy metal tunes ever

Two great songs from the album! Though "The Rage" sits at a passable level for me...

Despite over half the amount of songs in British Steel being brilliant classics, the album suffers a couple horrid mainstream sh*t-wipes. Listen and weep from the stench:

A heavy metal classic from a classic album from a classic band:

When you mentioned The Sphere, I realized that you were also talking about my Celldweller submission. I thought the "Into the Void" track would be accepted because it has the Industrial Metal tag in RYM, I didn't realize that the release actually has be in the site, but it isn't because it's a single. I'll keep that rule in mind along with a couple others (studio material only, must already be in this site, no album-less singles (LOL a "single" rule to replace another "single" rule!)). Once again, until I find more industrial metal bands that appeal to me, I'm gonna take a break from submitting one track per month submissions to Sphere playlists and listening to Sphere playlists.

Did I actually say something about more than one song per band? I don't think so, but I know that rule already.

OK, Daniel, I'll just focus on making the judgement submission for the Children of Bodom release, then wait until everyone else comments on the post-sludge situation before getting to the Isis one. The other bands' releases I mentioned I will leave alone. And I'm still up to following these two new rules (studio material only and single-clan only).

For the post-sludge situation, we've discussed this before, but the debate keeps spiraling off course and we're torn between the situation the genre should settle on. Like I said, 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. We've put that discussion on hold because I kinda tried to force the decision by making multiple judgement submissions at once (I know how to do that better now by making separate submissions, one per day, and keeping the connection subtle), but now based on a couple submissions I made ever since, for Solstafir's Svartir Sandar and Rosetta's The Galilean Satellites (the latter you gave me the idea for, Daniel), I now see that I believe atmospheric sludge is solely a post metal subgenre, with the only sludge element being the vocals. Not only that, I don't think I've ever been interested in a sludge metal band that's NOT in the Infinite. Even Mastodon is considered regular sludge metal in their first few albums, but progressive metal all the way. So yeah, I think atmospheric sludge metal is a post-metal subgenre that should stay in only The Infinite. Though we might have to change the name so it doesn't still seem like part of sludge metal. "Sludgy Ambient", anyone?

I enjoyed Anthrax's State of Euphoria slightly more than most other listeners, but still not enough to get me interested in that band full-time. What didn't help was this anti-climatic piece of sh*t song. Besides the awful lyrical quality, just saying "sc-sc-sc-schism" in half of the chorus does not make that chorus real!

Here's a list of bands I can find that are in my home-country Malaysia...

3 hard rock/heavy metal bands: Candy, Masterpiece, Search

And 3 thrash metal bands: Brain Dead, Cromok, FTG

However, I've barely heard of any of those bands, except for a few songs by Search that my mom likes (she likes classic metal ballads, but not the heavier modern stuff). I know someone who is from my country who's a metal artist. Remember my YouTube buddy Danny Ultrawiz? Well even though his music is in Spotify, he's not in RYM so it might be difficult to add him into this site or one of the clan playlists if we don't know his exact style. But I say his music has potential in The Guardians and The Pit as primarily heavy metal and thrash metal with secondary genres groove metal and melodeath. And it's still hard for me to communicate with him since he started his hiatus from YouTube, but never say never! I plan on making a Spotify playlist compiling his full available discography, so stay tuned for that...

That's very cool, Daniel! As some of you already know, I never really go to any metal concerts. I wish I could attend metal shows but *sniff* I'm broke... I mean my family has money, but our budget is a little tight. However, in the rare not-yet-happened chance I win a free ticket to a metal concert, I would definitely take that opportunity. When my father and I were doing a bit of Christmas shopping in 2019, we went to this stall that was selling metal T-shirts and bought a shirt there that I would save for Christmas day (And yes, that's my Trivium shirt). The shirt came with this little flier advertising... (drumroll please....)

An Anthrax concert in my home-country! That's really sweet and a bit unexpected, considering how my country banned Megadeth from performing here because the government thought that band's mascot Vic Rattlehead was too edgy. However, what I've received was just a flier. I would still have to buy my own ticket. RM338 for a concert ticket?!? That's about as much as a speeding ticket! No thanks!! I also wasn't feeling too much of the thrash zone, though I started leaning near that direction with Vektor. So I never went to that Anthrax concert, and it was postponed anyway because of the virus that started hitting my country a few weeks before when that concert would've been on. A couple of those rules though: "Admission for 13 to 18 years old MUST be accompanied by an adult at all times. NO AUDIO OR VIDEO RECORDING ALLOWED." Clearly, times have changed... Anyway, I may not have that chance of seeing Anthrax live, but I'm plan to write a review for one of their albums, so stay tuned....

Despite not being a fan of Metallica (not right now anyway), I've known a bit of their biography by reading that section about them from the thrash metal chapter of Andrew O'Neill's History of Heavy Metal, and can understand what went right and wrong throughout their journey. Their debut Kill 'Em All was a rough yet acceptable start (as are many bands' debuts), but their next 3 albums formed the band's ultimate thrash trilogy, with Master of Puppets ruling the thrash community (well, ALMOST all of it... The blood still reigns for Slayer!). The band kept going after the tragic loss of their fallen bassist Cliff Burton to maintain the legacy of the band he wished would live on. However, their self-titled 5th album (also known as The Black Album) was a twist into the mainstream for the band when they discarded most of their thrash for a slower heavy metal style. This caused their reputation in the heavier metal community to plummet, while winning way more new fans than the earlier ones they lost. But their next 3 albums were a sad but true turn of events... Load took things in a more bluesy direction, while its counterpart Reload had more of a classic hard rock-inspired sound. Then the album that would make 6 years later was much worse... St. Anger showed the band falling victim to the nu metal movement and was considered by many to be one of the worst metal albums of all time. All in all, those 3 albums were so unlike what they've done in the past, and most of their fanbase has deserted them, despite the band staying in the global charts. Their two most recent albums Death Magnetic and Hardwired...to Self-Destruct resulted in the fanbase building back up, but just not the same as their first 5 albums.

Now here's something I've realized: After writing my review for Voivod's Angel Rat the other day, I noticed that they've taken a similar stylistic direction to Metallica. You can say that about a few other thrash bands, but this is especially true for Voivod! Their first two albums were a rough yet acceptable start, but their next 3 albums formed the band's ultimate thrash trilogy, though far more progressive than Metallica. However, Angel Rat was a twist into the mainstream for the band when they discarded all of their earlier thrash for a classic-ish progressive rock/metal sound. But their next 3 albums were an experimental turn of events that didn't fit right for the band, especially when a different vocalist took over in the second and third parts of that experimental trilogy. Their next hard rock-ish heavy metal trilogy showed a promising return to what they had before that experimentation, and after the passing of their guitarist Piggy, they finished off the second and third parts of that trilogy with his leftover demo guitar work. Of course, now we know that Voivod's thrashy progressive metal sound is back in business, but who knows what's in store for Metallica in the future? Maybe Metallica would fully return to their thrash metal sound for their next two or three albums, but I won't expect too much. Whichever sound a band decides on would be their next album's fate.

Anyway, it appears a couple other well-known albums like Anthrax's State of Euphoria and Judas Priest's British Steel are near the bottom of the 10+ chart list, even though there's nothing totally wrong with those albums from what I've known. Perhaps I can give those two albums each a review to hear for myself. More reviews coming, all!

Update due to Xephyr's vote:

Metalcore: 4

Non-metal: 1

Yeah, I'd suggest that the Fear, & Loathing In Las Vegas track is metal too Andi & it's definitely Melodic Metalcore-based so I feel like we've got it right to have Trancecore as a subgenre of Melodic Metalcore if these four tracks are a true reflection of the Trancecore sound.

I agree, Daniel! That track is symphonic trance-metalcore at its best with the metal-synth mix as well-balanced as those other 3...

Daniel, Xephyr, and Saxy, perhaps you guys would also dig Voivod's 1991 twist into the mainstream that is Angel Rat. It's not as bad as some people think! You might find a lot of beautiful guitar and broad vocal hooks to expect in prog-rock/metal that fans of Pain of Salvation, Riverside, and the softer material of Devin Townsend should hear...

I don't know any issues with release cover arts, but here are a couple involving release years:

I suggested this change before, and since nothing has happened there, I'll suggest it again. Symphony X's self-titled debut was released in 1994, not 1996. This error was because the release on their official label Inside Out Music was not until 1996, but it was actually first released in 1994 via Japanese label Zero Corporation. The second album The Damnation Game was released in 1995, so this looks like The Damnation Game is the first and this album is the second, but it isn't!! Ben, please change this album's release year to 1994.

I've never been too sure about the release year for Riot's Rock City being 1977, despite popular belief. Barely anyone has heard of them until at least 1978, which was the year they started selling a decently prominent amount of copies and performed with AC/DC and Molly Hatchet, and then later right when they were about to lose momentum, DJ Neal Kay of the Bandwagon Soundhouse helped spread the word about them in the UK, earning the band a higher fanbase and encouraging them to continue. And even though the original vinyl label says 1977, that's not highly reliable because some CD/vinyl publishing years might be slightly false (like for example, Symphony X's The Divine Wings of Tragedy has the release year label 1996 even though its official release year is 1997 (what is up with Symphony X album release years being 1996!?)). With that, I'd like the release year for Riot's Rock City to be changed to 1978.

Metalcore: 3

Non-metal: 1

So far, trancecore is getting a good amount of votes on the metal side. With those 3 tracks representing the subgenre very well, the fate of trancecore in this site is in good metal hands. If anyone's up for something slightly challenging, here's another song to listen to alongside the other 3, I'll tell you my opinion about it once I get some feedback:

Update due to Daniel's vote:

Metalcore: 2

Non-metal: 1

Update due to Vinny's vote:

Metalcore: 1

Non-metal: 1

I remember listening to all 3 of those songs! Here's what I think of them: "Sorry, You're Not a Winner" is a perfect fusion of metalcore and synths that can cause a mosh-pit in a nightclub. I count that song as metalcore for its heavier riffing and occasional breakdowns. "The Final Episode (Let's Change The Channel)" I remember because I kept bumping into Friends memes based on the yell of "OH. MY. GOD!!!" That song is pure heavy metalcore with the trance synths not appearing prominently until around the last minute. "Stick Stickly" is known for starting the "Crabcore" meme because of the members squatting like crabs in the music video. And oh man, the synth-infused metalcore heaviness from those other two songs continues there! Can you f***ing feel it, Mr. Krabs?! Anyway, that's 3 trancecore tracks that, to my ears, all count as metal. So there might still be some potential for trancecore to stay in this site, maybe as a trance metal subgenre...

Metalcore: 1

Non-metal: 0

I think I'd learn more about Prog Metal on the whole if I did the 1st Decade one, but how can I pass up having a reason to finally write reviews for From Mars to Sirius, Biomech, Metropolis Part 2, Evergrey's arguably best album, Bath, Catch Thirtythree, Light of Day, Day of Darkness, plus like 5 others that I'm excited about? 

Most of those are great albums! The 2nd Decade seems like a great era for progressive metal, and I probably should've done that challenge instead of The Modern Era one.

I forgot about the clan challenges sometime after I finished the one for my 4th clan The Fallen, and after Ben stopped creating new challenges. I'm glad to see the revival of clan challenge appeal, but I don't intend on returning to them now, unless we see the unlikely ability to lock in a 5th clan, in that case, I would take on a challenge for The Pit...

I did not post my monthly playlist and feature release outcomes until now because I was a little busy with other things this month and only reviewed 3 releases so far, but they are mostly perfect, so here are my scores:

THE FALLEN: The Gathering - "Mandylion" (1995) - 5/5

THE GATEWAY: Dir En Grey - "Uroboros" (2008) - 5/5

THE INFINITE: Lucid Planet - "Lucid Planet II" (2020) - 4/5

The Fallen and Gateway releases each deserve a perfect 5 stars, the former I've first listened to 5 years ago, and the latter I've first listened to this month! The Infinite release is great but could've been slightly better. I'm just at the lower edge of people who enjoy that album. Thanks for these amazing feature releases, everyone! Looking forward to more of this cool activity, along with feature release submissions for next month coming in via private message...

PS: NecroDevil, if you're still active after your big round of ratings, I highly recommend those releases I've mentioned above, please give them each a rating and maybe a review.

Here are my overall ratings for the playlists I've reviewed this month (May):

1. Fallen playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 8)

2. Guardians playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 9)

3. Infinite playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 12)

4. Pit playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commended: 5)

5. Revolution playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 14)

Another rewarding playlist month for me, this time my playlist ratings for all my 4 clans plus one are each an average total of 4.5 stars. And yes, I enjoy my Gateway suggestion.

My small talk about "Darkness and Hope" reminded me of that Moonspell album and song:

My "Darkness and Hope" quote above reminded me of another Pearls Before Swine comic, which I've also just made a parody of:

Here’s another band that might have a link between the trad styles of heavy metal and doom, Grand Magus! They’re 21st Century classic heavy metal with epic Viking lyrical themes you might find in power metal, and they frequently have slower doom, especially in their first couple albums.