Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

Isn't it a little odd how my two favorite Enslaved tracks from their Viking/black metal era are both their longest epic and their shortest non-interlude song? "Urtical Gods" has extreme atmosphere for the Vikings to wipe out their enemies...

A 16-minute epic of Viking/black metal, hinting at the progressive direction that made me like this band more than I would have about 5 years ago (though I'm not into the vocal reverb):

For my track thoughts here, I originally commented on all of the 17 tracks here because there are so many bands I like and songs from bands that I might like. However, I realized that my comments on some of the songs from bands that I used to and still listen to were outdated, most of which were copied from my own reviews and my opinions on those songs have changed since then. I might give them up and sacrifice their discographies to make room for newer bands eventually if I feel like it, God forbid (NOT one of those bands). So I cut my amount of reviewed tracks to just 11 and rearranged the order of songs here to sound more complete. Here they are:

Meshuggah – “Shed” (from “Catch Thirtythree”, 2005)

4/5. This is the only song from Catch Thirtythree that fits well as a single and a good introductory song for new Meshuggah fans. They unleash their djent action but get more eerie and melodic over the brutal groove.

Angel Vivaldi – “A Martian Winter” (from “Universal Language” E.P., 2011)

4.5/5. Interesting attempt at a djent version of Antonio Vivaldi's 4 Seasons. I kinda love this phenomenal blend of djent and neoclassical shredding. So extraordinary intense, but I'm just not into the whole neoclassical metal motive anymore...

Devin Townsend – “Christeen” (from “Christeen (Plus Four Demos)” E.P., 1998)

3.5/5. Keeping up the "classical-poppy second track" trademark from Ocean Machine, the chorus sounds a little cheesy where the only other repeated lyric is "That's all I ask of you", a little too much like that Phantom of the Opera song. Fortunately, the nice intense bridge is a good lead-in to the final chorus.

Armia – “Wyludniacz” (from “Triodante”, 1994)

3/5. Umm... OK. This is kind of just Voivod-like punky progressive metal with small horn sections, and the lyrics are all in Polish. This song is decent, but with these odd horn sections and Polish lyrics, Armia might not be the band I'm looking for.

The Reticent – “Stage 2: The Captive” (from “The Oubliette”, 2020)

4.5/5. This one's much better, like holy cr*p, listen to those fantastic blended dynamics! I found another powerful underrated band sounding influenced from the older Opeth with a bit of Riverside. Outstanding legends! It's a good bite of powerful prog metal, but I kinda wish it would last longer. The Rivers of Nihil-like heaviness is amazing, but at the two-minute mark, the saxophone is unnecessary and there should've been a guitar solo there instead. Maybe those are the flaws there. Oh well...

Sólstafir – “Ótta” (from “Ótta”, 2014)

4.5/5. For this song's scenario, like the old man in the cover art, you wander around the beach at the dark dawn with just a sliver of sunlight from the horizon beyond the sea. This song is quite amazing, a sad yet serene song that you kinda consider an ambient doomy bluegrass metal ballad. The theme riff being reprised at under the 4 minute-mark and close to the 8-minute mark at h*lla incredible!

Oranssi Pazuzu – “Uusi teknokratia” (from “Mestarin kynsi”, 2020)

4/5. A killer epic of psychedelic black metal to end the playlist, but...NAH. It is killer, but this sounds closer to black metal if most of the metal heaviness was replaced with psychedelic jazz. Great song, but a poor mix of genres.

Lör – “Ruin” (from “Edge Of Eternity”, 2020)

4/5. Sounds amazing as f***, but this unorthodox mix of extreme progressive metal with folk tendencies doesn't quite level up so much enjoyment. It kinda ruins the good memories of my earlier epic metal taste and makes me glad I moved out of there.

Shadow Gallery – “Crystalline Dream” (from “Carved In Stone”, 1995)

5/5. Having tried listening to this band a few times about 5 years ago in my high-school-age years, I decided right now's a great time to try again, and it paid off! Mike Baker sounds like one of the best singers of progressive metal with fantastic clean-singing magic, but sadly he's gone. RIP... Who knows how many years until their next album after this last one that was released over a decade ago? I don't know, hopefully not too long. I just love this great piece of old-school prog metal, no question about it. They're another great band utilizing Dream Theater influences. The world needs more of their music that has dropped jaws, especially that mind-blowing keyboard solo. This is so good, I just hope to get more of this band soon...

Enslaved – “Jettegryta” (from “Utgard”, 2020)

4.5/5. A gigantic-sounding progressive black metal song! More about that in a review I might make for its album Utgard.

Ainsoph – “The Long & Self-Destructive Road” (from “Ω – V”, 2020)

4/5. Amazing, but I'm not into the avant-garde blackgaze sh*t. Let's wrap this up...

Despite the massive cutdown, this is still an amazing playlist, and I'm glad to comment on a great number of tracks. Thanks again for these great playlists, Daniel, and let's hope for more submission participation from the other members for many more to come...

I have not listened to that Deftones album or any of their albums entirely, but I remember a song and music video that I watched on TV 5 years ago that are both pretty cool:

Two killer bands I now enjoy, from the industrial sludge of Godflesh...

...to the Russian-sung Finnish sludgy doom of KYPCK:

Coming later this month: Wordmachinivium II - The Lights of Chronicle Creation

(already complete but I'm saving it as a birthday present for my Audiomachine-loving friend whose new track titles I've just written lyrics for)

Realizing how much I talked about some of my favorite DragonForce songs in my Killer Elite, I decided to rank the top 5 bands here and their top 10 best songs from weakest to strongest. Please feel free to rank any bands and their albums (they do NOT have to be formed in 1999 or your birth year, just any band you like.) Enjoy!

5. Mastodon

j. "Seabeast", i. "Curl of the Burl", h. "Aqua Dementia", g. "Crack the Skye", f. "Trainwreck", e. "Island", d. "Mother Puncher", c. "The Czar", b. "Blood and Thunder", a. "March of the Fire Ants"

4. Lamb of God (NOT including the albums released as Burn the Priest)

j. "In Your Words", i. "Memento Mori", h. "Ghost Walking", g. "Ruin", f. "Descending", e. "Embers", d. "Walk With Me in Hell", c. "512", b. "Laid to Rest", a. "Redneck"

3. Dragonland

j. "Direction Perfection", i. "The Battle of the Ivory Plains", h. "Majesty of the Mithril Mountains", g. "To the End of the World", f. "Fire and Brimstone", e. "The Shores of Our Land", d. "Beethoven's Nightmare", c. "Storming Across Heaven", b. "Under the Grey Banner", a. "Holy War"

2. DragonForce

j. "Ashes of the Dawn", i. "Highway to Oblivion", h. "Fury of the Storm", g. "Operation Ground and Pound", f. "The Game", e. "Holding On", d. "Heroes of Our Time", c. "Black Fire", b. "Cry Thunder", a. "Through the Fire and Flames"

Honorable mention I've never really listened to often but played a small essential part in my metal history and based on what I've listened to so far:

Avenged Sevenfold

e. "Hail to the King", d. "Shepherd of Fire", c. "Nightmare", b. "Chapter Four", a. "Unholy Confessions"

And finally #1:

Trivium

j. "Betrayer", i. "Throes of Perdition", h. "The Wretchedness Inside", g. "Amongst the Shadows & the Stones", f. "Inception of the End", e. "Like Light to the Flies", d. "The Sin and the Sentence", c. "Kirisute Gomen", b. "Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr", a. "In Waves"

I did my review, here's its summary:

It's a little cliché for the very first release of a project to be self-titled, but that doesn't matter. The Godflesh EP was groundbreaking at that time for setting up a new genre that's slower and gloomier than even doom metal. Godflesh focuses on the heavy groove dissonance of industrial/noise masters at its bleakest. No electronic-dance sh*t, just the heaviness of dissonant bass and downtuned guitar. Besides industrial metal, some songs have this f***ing heavy groove that has practically invented groove metal, inspiring Pantera to drop their glam act, Sepultura to add more groove to their thrash, and the alt-noise-metal band Helmet to be formed. In fact, many of these songs focus on heaviness and groove, instead of speed and melody that's completely absent here. I have a feeling two of their best songs in the EP "Godhead" and "Weak Flesh" is how they got their name, to mix sludgy doom and hardcore in an industrial sound. Glad they aren't named "Weakhead", lol. The 1990 reissue extends the EP into kind of a full album with two long remixes from the Streetcleaner album, "Wounds" and "Streetcleaner 2", showing some of Justin Broadrick's hip-hop roots that caused scorn from metalheads at that time, along with his influences from Swans in a different perspective of devastated reality. Godflesh, both the band and their self-titled EP, was a new beginning for metal. Initially, it wasn't strongly received and still in the underground, but it marked a revolutionary path setting to Streetcleaner that would change metal history forever. This masterpiece of an EP and his former side-project Head of David back then were a taste of the industrial metal future!

5/5

My thoughts on some of the tracks (including my suggested songs):

Amaranthe – “Fearless” (from “Manifest”, 2020)

4.5/5. Not the Amaranthe song I suggested, but I'll take it! This is one of the most killer songs by Amaranthe I've heard since Massive Addictive, where the band fearlessly slays through their trance-metalcore sound like a sci-fi dystopian battle.

August Burns Red – “Spirit Breaker” (from “Rescue & Restore”, 2013)

4/5. Another nice metalcore song! This one starts with an intro similar to some Darkest Hour song intros but with rising and falling strings before starting the standard August Burns Red attack. That song also has a soft break with emotive spoken reading.

Converge – “Aimless Arrow” (from “All We Love We Leave Behind”, 2012)

4.5/5. I used to think those two bands mentioned above (Amaranthe and August Burns Red) were some of the best Revolution bands around, but when Converge entered my playlist, now I realize that sometimes it's more about aggression than melody. This track drops the extreme bomb into an explosion of math-metalcore backed up by vocalist Jacob Bannon sounding more semi-melodic than his earlier atonal screaming.

Trivium – “Kirisute Gomen” (from “Shogun”, 2008)

5/5. The track title is a Japanese saying meaning "authorization to cut and leave". The song itself is pretty effective. It begins with an acoustic Japanese guitar intro that is the same melody as the chorus for the epic title track. Then a gong is hit, followed by taiko drums kicking in, and I was amazed by the guitar build-up leading to the song itself drilling in some killer thrashy verses with vocals alternating between clean and growling, and a memorable chorus. Now that its album Shogun is finally in The Pit despite not concluding its hall voting, I might have to ask Ben in another thread to cancel the Hall submissions for that one and Vengeance Falls (the latter because I just realized it's not that thrashy) if possible.

Norma Jean – “Landslide Defeater” (from “All Hail”, 2019)

5/5. Now this is fantastic! I may have changed my mind about enjoying that Architects song from last month's playlist, but this song makes up for that by improving on those Architects influences to a new level. This brutal heavy song has one of the most chaotic breakdowns I've heard recently. Between the heaviness and catchiness, the vocals release mind-blowing energy from the infinite. The chaotic energy is mixed with fragments of melody. Some might think of old The Devil Wears Prada, but I say it has super-mega chaos far beyond that level. Forget what I said about August Burns Red being one of my favorite Revolution bands, Norma Jean takes the reign!

Unearth – “Endless” (from “The Oncoming Storm”, 2004)

4.5/5. A killer song with a bit of a Hatebreed vibe, re-recorded from the Endless EP. The lyrics are notable for being inspired and inspiring; the first verse lyrics inspired the name of symphonic deathcore band Winds of Plague, and the "ENDLESS FIGHT!!" breakdown, was inspired by Endless Fight Records, the label that released Unearth's demo EP Above the Fall of Man.

Cursed – “God & Country (Some Folks Inherit Star-Spangled Eyes)” (from “One”, 2003)

5/5. Remember yesterday when Daniel and I established that I wasn't really into the doomy hardcore sludge metal? I just changed my mind with this song! This is probably the best song to mix metallic hardcore with sludge, and those screams would be tough to imitate. "Final frontier falls to decay, last of hope rotting away... ROTTING AWAY!!!"

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

5/5. The chaos starts right at the press of the play button, with legendary session vocalist Mike Patton screaming "GAME OVER! I WIN!! GAME OVER! YOU WIN!!!" Intensity never stops and instead keeps twisting and turning through all this variety. As the fast pace speeds on, Patton shows off his astonishing vocals ranging from blood-curdling yelling and creepy whispering. What a great maniac! Things get quieter in the second half where Patton sounds closer to his more accessible time in Faith No More. There's still some more amazing creative talent! The furious extreme noisecore rages on once more as Patton snarls "We're Hollywood squares, going nowhere".

Botch – “John Woo” (from “American Nervoso”, 1998)

4.5/5. This one has prime usage of the heavy-mild technique. The song starts with maximized mathcore noise that would fit well in a demolition derby, but eventually starts weaving back and forth between an easy guitar groove and a technical riff. Then there's a simple breakdown before a chaotic ending. That song pretty much proves the unrestrained hysteria of its album in intelligent progress and unique contrast.

Underøath – “And I Dreamt Of You” (from “Cries From The Past”, 2000)

5.5/5 (not exaggerated). Probably the longest song to ever reach one of the Revolution playlists! When this song came to my mind, I thought it was a great one to choose because I've been thinking about submitting a real 10+ minute metalcore epic, the ones I was thinking of, like the title tracks of Trivium's Shogun and Converge's Jane Doe were far longer than the other songs of their respective albums, and it doesn't quite make sense to choose a song that's far longer anything else in album. However, the first two Underoath albums are progressive black/death-influenced metalcore songs that are longer at 7-8 minutes on average, so I finally got the chance to include this 11-minute epic! And I gotta say, this is my favorite Underoath song from that era. The melodic guitar playing far near the 4 and a half minute mark is so sick and cool with leads playing over breakdowns that would otherwise be too fast for a breakdown. Some of the lyrics can be very poetic. Now that's a black/death-ish metalcore epic like no other!

Parkway Drive – “Smoke ‘Em If Ya Got ‘Em” (from “Killing With A Smile”, 2005)

4.5/5. This Parkway Drive fan-favorite was re-recorded from the Don't Close Your Eyes EP, now with better production and more intense sound. Once again, it sums up everything the band has; crushing riffs, heavy breakdowns, melodic leads, technical drums, and emotional intensity, the latter especially in the ending lead and riff.

After The Burial – “A Vicious Reforming Of Features” (from “Rareform”, 2009)

5/5. A great djent-core ending to its original album, it might sound like a copy of Meshuggah, but there are a few unique variations. The high-hat can really stand out in the incredible precise drumming which, by the way, is programmed, even in the remastered version. Also, the sound might be a bit scratchy, but it gives a cold feeling, like a more audibly distorted Necrophagist. A viciously awesome closer! There's another song from this album in this month's Infinite playlist, which I'll talk about later...

My thoughts on some of the tracks (including my suggested songs):

Theatre Of Tragedy – “Cassandra” (from “Aégis”, 1998)

4.5/5. Hey, that's my friend's name! I'll give you a hint about which one based on the acronym of a certain company: A.M. Anyway, in this song, you would enter a grand modified soundscape of gothic melancholy with bumpy rhythms in the presence of male clean lead vocals. You're probably wondering when Liv Kristine is gonna show up in this song, and that's her extraordinary appearance in the bridge after the second chorus.

The Ocean – “She Was The Universe” (from “Anthropocentric”, 2010)

4/5. I actually submitted this song in The Infinite, but this is fine here, another good example of atmospheric sludge! I definitely enjoy the small screaming verse slightly over the 4-minute mark. The Ocean is the atmospheric sludge universe!

My Dying Bride – “Sear Me III” (from “The Light At The End Of The World”, 1999)

5/5. This one should ring bells of many MDB fans as the third and last part of the band's "Sear Me" trilogy that continued from the band's first two albums. It is one of my favorite songs in this album that has beauty in the sorrow and hope in the desolation, and this version is much better than the other two songs of the trilogy with strong emotional instrumentation. Well done, guys!

Saturnus – “A Poem (Written In Moonlight)” (from “Martyre”, 2000)

5/5. What a perfect transition out of that My Dying Bride song! This Saturnus song is a perfect example of death-doom at its greatest. Love that guitar! I should try to find more of this band as soon as possible...

Draconian – “The Last Hour Of Ancient Sunlight” (from “A Rose For The Apocalypse”, 2011)

4.5/5. This one has a message and image of the album that is now sent to the listener in a music video for that song (Draconian's first music video!). Interesting way of promotion, and interesting song also!

KYPCK – “Чёрная дыра (The Black Hole)” (from “Черно”, 2008)

5/5. A heavy doomy highlight never sounding forced, unlike the guy having to play Russian roulette in the ending sound sample. I never even realized the existence of the concept of Russian-sung Finnish doom until I was recommended that album to review. Thanks Daniel!

Rosetta – “Au Pays Natal” (from “The Galilean Satellites”, 2005)

5.5/5 (not exaggerating). A 13 and a half minute epic of the best isolated post-sludge madness ever heard! I also enjoy its ambient counterpart, and both versions combined for a complete multidimensional experience. Yet another recommendation that has already paid off. Thanks again Daniel! You've chosen the right person to send those Fallen recommendations and these playlists have reminded me of their awesomeness, with the very best saved for last.

My thoughts on some of the tracks (including my suggested songs):

Avantasia – “Another Angel Down” (from “The Scarecrow”, 2008)

5/5. Avantasia is known for their conceptual metal operas, and I'm guessing this song is about a part of The Scarecrow story with Lucifer speaking to his army of demons to fight against humans and God. It's quite a picture to paint in this very awesome song I enjoy, especially the catchy chorus. Tobias Sammet is as talented as famous classical composers such as Beethoven and Vivaldi. I hear some influences from Iron Maiden, Iron Savior, and other "Iron" bands. Very great song!

Primal Fear – “Halo” (from “Metal Commando”, 2020)

5/5. Holy sh*t, what a masterpiece!! Ralf Scheepers still has his vocal power from the Gamma Ray albums he was in, maybe also influenced by Gamma Ray's Land of the Free. I gotta make my slight return to my earlier power metal taste to star listening to this band that I never did back then!

Blind Guardian – “Lost In The Twilight Hall” (from “Tales From The Twilight World”, 1990)

4.5/5. This song continues Blind Guardian's epic mastery. While Hansi Kursch is an amazing vocalist, the guest vocals by Kai Hansen really rule in the parts of the song where he sings. That's cool foreshadowing the later Gamma Ray albums with Kai Hansen as the lead vocalist.

Unleash The Archers – “Faster Than Light” (from “Abyss”, 2020)

5/5. Hello again, Unleash the Archers! You really unleashed another f***ing killer masterpiece!! This song can really goes faster than light with the fast pace of Stratovarius over Battle Beast-like vocals of a female warrior. FANTASTIC!!!

Lord – “United (Welcome Back)” (from “Fallen Idols”, 2019)

4.5/5. The moment I started listening to this song, it's like I am being welcomed back into my earlier power metal taste. The first thing I thought was: Australian DragonForce! And it seems like a reasonable thought to have, because of the fast speedy tempo, killer guitar shredding, and fantasy lyrics. Lord still has their original power metal sound, and I'm glad that band marks my return to a genre I left long ago but was convinced to return. Good to be back!!

I did my review, here's its summary:

Remedy Lane is a breath-taking continuation of this band's chain of concept albums (all of their albums except the acoustic Falling Home). Pain of Salvation, along with Ayreon, are the masters of concept albums! A lot of Pain of Salvation fans were sad that they didn't get The Perfect Element Part 2 (not until Scarsick, 5 years later), but not as sad as Daniel Gildenlow in the events that inspired this album. The music and concept is original and refreshing with amazing atmosphere. Throughout the album you'll find a great amount of progressive metal/rock hits and epics with the most personal lyrical themes to ever be found. There are a few songs with more lighthearted lyrics such as the Winnie the Pooh references throughout "Rope Ends". I think my Winnie the Pooh-loving girl friend (NOT girlfriend as in a romantic relationship, just a FRIEND friend who is a girl, get it??) would enjoy that song. Every song in this awesome album has its own way while flowing perfectly. This may not be The Perfect Element Part 2 (not until Scarsick), but it's something any prog fan must own. Enjoy your trip down Remedy Lane!

5/5

While the KYPCK album does indeed sound influenced from Type O Negative, the song title "Christmas in Murmansk" reminded me of a lyric from this song I submitted as a special Halloween song for the October Fallen playlist but didn't make it in because its album Dead Again wasn't on Spotify ("Halloween in Heaven... Christmas in Hell!"):

KYPCK - "Черно" (2008)

Andi, I think you might dig this Finnish doom metal debut as there's a significant amount of gothic metal influence here without ever leaving doom metal territory.

This is gonna be interesting, listening to Finnish gothic doom sung in their neighboring country's language Russian. I shall give that album a listen! And although I've already rated all the Isis releases, I might give that Mosquito Control EP (and their other albums) a review as well...

Cheers for the recs, Daniel! The KYPCK album is the practically perfect example of doom metal from one country with a lyrical concept from another, and it makes me up to getting some more of their superb Soviet doom. 5/5

For the Isis EP... Well I can kinda see why that recommendation wasn't directed towards me (besides the fact that I've already rated this EP and all their other releases). The Mosquito Control is not like the post-sludge of their later albums that I usually like, it's more of the heavier doomy sludge that doesn't appeal to me that much. It's great, but just not the best. Sorry, Daniel... I still might review their other albums though. 4/5

The perfect death-doom anthem for fans of bands like early Anathema, My Dying Bride, and the doomier Draconian:

Here's the second-longest In Mourning epic, "The Grinning Mist":

Great song, though not as brilliant as this one:

I understand, Ben. Still a great new feature!

You haven't listened to that Exodus debut Bonded by Blood!? I haven't because I'm currently not into the classic thrash as much as the technical kind, but that album is what many thrash listeners and metal sites consider one of greatest thrash albums NOT released by those other 3 bands (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth). The Exodus album is so g****mn essential! Please, give it a listen!

Interesting how after ending the Monolith album with their longest song, they begin this album, The Weight of Oceans, with their second-longest (now third-longest, I'll show you the new second-longest after my next In Mourning review). "Colossus" is another one of their best! (D*mn, I should've suggested that song for next month's Infinite playlist except the one after that, "A Vow to Conquer the Ocean", which is still a brilliant starter for new In Mourning fans)

A 13-minute epic In Mourning's monolithic second album, to please fans of Septicflesh, Opeth, and Disillusion:

A 13-minute epic in Disillusion's incredible comeback album, to be remembered by fans of Wintersun, In Mourning, and the 4 heavier parts of the Devin Townsend Project (see my DTP post above):

Hey there, Sonny! Glad you love Isis' "The Mosquito Control" EP. I still didn't get the chance to start reviewing that EP and their other albums, but I will along with that KYPCK album once that band gets added to the site (please add them soon, Ben). Anyway Sonny, have you ever tried listening to Isis' Panopticon? It's the pinnacle of their career, and even though it has the post-metal that you don't think is metal, it's mixed together with the sludge of that EP that would metalize the non-metal parts of post-metal for an ambient yet heavy experience. I think you might dig this!

Would someone who likes the aforementioned gothic-influenced death doom bands necessarily be into conventional death doom like Autopsy, Winter, Sempiternal Deathreign etc? Personally I think not. For me this is far more obviously an issue than the doom/trad doom/epic doom debate (although I am beginning to change my stance on the whole doom/trad doom debate somewhat).

As for NWOBHM, this is absolutely a scene and not a genre. Out of interest, how does Metal Academy view NWOBHM bands that are obviously not metal - Demon spring to mind - would you allow them or not because RYM classes them under a metal sub-genre?

You are absolutely right on those two points, Sonny. I haven't listened to the conventional death-doom bands you mentioned but they're probably closer to death than doom, as opposed to the death-doom bands I listen that are closer to gothic and doom like My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, and Officium Triste. I agree that NWOBHM is just a scene. But it falls into the heavy metal category, so I think bands with only the NWOBHM label can be accepted as "Heavy Metal".

Now that I've listened to that Eternal Champion album, I can hear quite a difference. To quote from my review summary: This album is slightly better than probably the only other 2020 Guardians album I've listened to, Nightwish's Human Nature, in every aspect, including the sound, riffs, vocals, and confidence. Sadly, no symphonic orchestra, but thankfully, no orchestra-only tracks! Vocalist Jason Tarpey really lets loose a lot of vocal diversity, which is a boost of benefit for the band and other Guardians bands. His lyrics and concept could build worlds at strong points, such as bad-a** verses in a few songs. Those songs bring forward great influences from bands like Manilla Road and Sanctuary, all in passion and love to continue US power metal reign all over Earth. Basically, this is Sanctuary-like US power metal with fantasy lyrics you might find in Manowar and European power metal bands like DragonForce and Rhapsody of Fire, all formed into US power metal's ideal new name, "Epic Metal"!

So what makes this release US power metal when it doesn't fit your previously mentioned criteria Andi? Are you saying that all US power metal is epic & that's the common link for these bands? Do you think that's a strong enough characteristic to command its own subgenre over?

I just shared an Edguy track in The Guardians Track of the Day thread, and that shows an example of how much European power metal is inspired by US power metal, expanding the speed and epic feel to a new level. That kinda proves that European power metal wouldn't be what it is today without its American counterpart, so there is a link between those scenes/subgenres. This doesn't really help strengthen the "epic" characteristic, but it does help any kind of power metal fan appreciate their favorite genre's origins.

One of the greatest albums from my earlier power metal taste, Edguy's Theater of Salvation has turned 22...and so have I! Here's a little birthday song-share from me, an awesome track from this album:

I've managed to review the January feature releases for all my clans plus The Gateway. Here are my ratings and a quick summary:

The Fallen: Rosetta - The Galilean Satellites (2005) - 5/5

The Infinite: Devin Townsend - Terria (2001) - 5/5

The Revolution: Botch - An Anthology of Dead Ends (2002) - 4.5/5

The Guardians: Eternal Champion - Ravening Iron (2020) - 4.5/5

The Gateway: Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance (2006) - 3/5

Katatonia's album was kind of an alt-metal disappointment, having moved far away from their death-doom roots. Eternal Champion's album was better than any other album from The Guardians to appear in 2020, but not perfect to listen to full-time. The Botch EP is also a great release, their ultimate swansong recording. The Devin Townsend and Rosetta albums were two of the best albums I've listened to and I started enjoying their discographies. You have chosen those feature releases well, Daniel!

And a feature release from November for me to talk about here:

The Sphere: Strapping Young Lad - Alien (2005) - 5/5

I became interested in Strapping Young Lad, immediately together with Devin Townsend's solo material. My true entryway to industrial metal, with more bands of that genre to come to my taste later!

I did my review, here's its summary:

I was once a champion of power metal, but that never went on eternally. Would I return with a potential classic of epic metal (US power/heavy metal)? Would this album live to my epic metal expectations, despite the nudity in the artwork (two barbarian babes near a throne of skulls each wearing nothing but a metal loincloth)? Well, this album is slightly better than probably the only other 2020 Guardians album I've listened to, Nightwish's Human Nature, in every aspect, including the sound, riffs, vocals, and confidence. Sadly, no symphonic orchestra, but thankfully, no orchestra-only tracks! Vocalist Jason Tarpey really lets loose a lot of vocal diversity, which is a boost of benefit for the band and other Guardians bands. His lyrics and concept could build worlds at strong points, such as bad-a** verses in a few songs. Those songs bring forward great influences from bands like Manilla Road and Sanctuary, all in passion and love to continue US power metal reign all over Earth. In a year lacking good power metal in the time of a dreaded virus, Eternal Champion has made an album that might surely hit many "best of metal" lists and most likely be the best US power metal album of 2020. But I don't quite feel up listening to more of that band because I've been trying to move out of power metal for a long time. Or am I? We'll see after I cross the Edenbridge (hint at a later review)....

4.5/5

Devin Townsend's ultimate 23-minute 6-part epic in his solo comeback album:

Also I'm unable to vote for or against melodic metalcore even though it's a Revolution primary genre (possibly later secondary to metalcore). Can you please fix that? Thanks!

This has been fixed. Let me know if you still have any issue.

Thanks Ben! It's all good.

I know you directed that question to SilentScream, Daniel, but I know some unique characteristics of US power metal. The scene/subgenre has inspired speed metal, not been inspired by, drawing more influence from traditional heavy metal. Compared to European power metal, it's faster and more energetic with more riffs and less keyboards. It can be considered a more melodic thrash metal with greater guitar leads. And the Americans have started the usage of high operatic vocals that would carry over to the Europeans and even Australians. A couple examples that I enjoy are Sanctuary and the first two Nevermore albums. I guess because of the more epic musical/lyrical themes from bands like Manowar, Cirith Ungol, and Iced Earth that would inspire bands of other Guardians (sub)genres, we can change the name US power metal to... "Epic Metal", like "epic doom metal" without the doom!

Quoted shadowdoom9

See this is where it gets confusing for me because in my experience a good portion of European power metal utilizes speed metal as its basis (the last few tracks on the monthly The Guardian playlists are often made up of this stuff) & a good portion of US power metal is at more moderate tempos too. Let's take our current The Guardians feature release for example as it was the most highly regarded US power metal release of last year as far as I can tell. It never comes close to speed metal, let alone thrash. It's much more in line with the original intention of the US power metal scene term. It doesn't use operatic vocals either. It is however heavily slanted towards the epic atmospheres (particularly in the vocals, themes & imagery) & would fit comfortably under the "epic metal" tag if it was available. It's definitely closer to heavy metal than it is European power metal but has a couple of tracks that push into power metal territory. Have you heard it? How does it compare with your understanding of US power metal?

I haven't heard that album yet, but I shall give it a listen and review to answer your question and settle the US power metal debate.

Maybe clan members should decide what subgenres are worth adding to their own clans as they've (presumably) the most knowledge, experience, and passion for those genres.

Great idea, SilentScream!

I'm not by any means an expert on modern US power metal SilentScream213 so I'm very open to learning. Out of interest, what are the unique characteristics of modern US power metal that differentiate it from your garden varieties of heavy metal, power metal or speed metal? Do you have an example you could show us? Even if there are some unique identifying characteristics in modern US power metal, I still have a problem with labelling a subgenre with a location. If we have our genre tags right then they should be linking bands that sound the same together & if we were to go with US power metal as a subgenre of heavy metal then a Japanese band that had the US power metal sound would presumably be excluded from the same subgenre as the US bands. That doesn't make any sense to me. Perhaps if this is a unique sound then a new subgenre label is a better way to go?

I know you directed that question to SilentScream, Daniel, but I know some unique characteristics of US power metal. The scene/subgenre has inspired speed metal, not been inspired by, drawing more influence from traditional heavy metal. Compared to European power metal, it's faster and more energetic with more riffs and less keyboards. It can be considered a more melodic thrash metal with greater guitar leads. And the Americans have started the usage of high operatic vocals that would carry over to the Europeans and even Australians. A couple examples that I enjoy are Sanctuary and the first two Nevermore albums. I guess because of the more epic musical/lyrical themes from bands like Manowar, Cirith Ungol, and Iced Earth that would inspire bands of other Guardians (sub)genres, we can change the name US power metal to... "Epic Metal", like "epic doom metal" without the doom!

I don't know as much about epic doom as some of you likely do but I have a few questions:

1. Are there enough bands that champion the epic doom sound to warrant it's own subgenre?

2. Are the unique characteristics of epic doom strong enough to command that it's kept separate from conventional doom metal?

3. Are there epic doom fans that don't like conventional doom & vice versa?

I don't know a lot about epic doom either, but here's what I think. Sure there are some bands of that subgenre like Candlemass, Doomsword, Solitude Aeturnus, Solstice, and While Heaven Wept, and the classical influences and fantasy lyrics give the genre an "epic" feel. Those characteristics are unique, but they don't change a lot about standard doom metal. Plus, there are other metal genres that have that "epic" feel like all the Guardians genres, and the word "epic" has been done to death when describing genres that already have suitable names, which is a reason why the one subgenre with that feel that could use the name "Epic Metal" is the one with the questionable name, US power metal. And I'm sure most epic doom fans like the standard doom that inspired this "epic" subgenre.

I just checked the list of primary metal genres on RYM. Not only is southern metal a newly added genre, but they also demoted melodic metalcore to a secondary subgenre of metalcore. Here's what would happen if the clans and genre list were edited to continue following the RYM list; Melodic metalcore wouldn't be a primary subgenre anymore, it would just be secondary subgenre of metalcore, but The Revolution Melodic Metalcore Clan Challenge can still be around as one of two secondary subgenre clan challenges (the other being The Infinite Atmospheric Sludge Clan Challenge). If the southern metal genre gets added here as a primary genre, I don't think it can fit in The Fallen because that clan already has so many genres (currently 5), so it might end up having its own clan, and sludge metal and stoner metal can move out of The Fallen into that new clan as well, since they're related. So while doom metal, gothic metal, and drone metal stay in The Fallen, southern metal, stoner metal, and sludge metal would have their own clan which we can name... The South! Do you think all that's possible, Ben? I both want and don't want it to happen (I love my melodic metalcore).

Also I'm unable to vote for or against melodic metalcore even though it's a Revolution primary genre (possibly later secondary to metalcore). Can you please fix that? Thanks!

Some subgenres are probably subject to debate like Trad Doom, as we've discussed in this thread: https://metal.academy/forum/17/thread/468. For example, Sonny thinks the "traditional" tag is pointless because it's not much different from plain Doom Metal. On the other hand, I think the "traditional" tag helps separate the old-school doom from the doom subgenres I like such as death-doom, gothic doom, and sludge doom. So unless we can all agree on the point and notability of a subgenre, it's probably best to let them be until Ben implements them, if he ever decides to do so...

Deconstruction is what I think is the true start of the 4-part metal saga of the Devin Townsend Project (the other 3 parts being Epicloud, Z², and Transcendence), spawning brilliant (often humorous) masterpieces like this 16-minute epic with a strange title:

And this song reminding us of the pandemic we're all currently stuck in:

This is amazing! Not only do we get to see an album's subgenres in Metal Academy, we can also submit new ones for the album's clan that you are in. Thanks Ben!