Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

I still enjoy this track from this month's Revolution playlist. I look forward to checking out the October playlists once they premiere on Friday morning!

An essential metal ballad mandatory for all metalheads...NOT!!! This one is highly overrated! I don't care if it's the only Queensryche song they play on radio, if this is the only Queensryche song or metal song you enjoy, then you're not a fan of the band or the genre:

An essential metal ballad mandatory for all metalheads:

You just gotta get close to this dark-ish metal combo of the heavy metal of Judas Priest/Iron Maiden and the progressive art of Rush/Pink Floyd:

Seems like September is a special month of metal anniversary Saturdays! Here are two classic heavy metal "greatest hits" albums celebrating their 20th anniversaries today that I look forward to reviewing (along with Queensryche's Rage for Order):

Update on my list:

Beginning oldies (1978-1992):

1978: Riot - Rock City (yes I know, everyone says the year is 1977, but I don't quite suspect that as its true release year, more info about that in this separate thread reply: https://metal.academy/forum/28/thread/362#topic_6048)

1979: Riot - Narita

1980: Accept - I'm a Rebel

1981: Accept - Breaker

1982: Virgin Steele - Virgin Steele

1983: Savatage - Sirens

1984: Queensryche - The Warning

1985: Fates Warning - The Spectre Within

1986: Crimson Glory - Crimson Glory

1987: Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King

1988: Riot - Thundersteel

1989: Running Wild - Death or Glory

1990: Sanctuary - Into the Mirror Black

1991: Dark Angel - Time Does Not Heal

1992: Sadus - A Vision of Misery

The golden classics (1993-2002):

1993: X Japan - Art of Life

1994: Savatage - Handful of Rain

1995: Savatage - Dead Winter Dead

1996: Samael - Passage

1997: Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth

1998: Meshuggah - Chaosphere

1999: Botch - We are the Romans

2000: Skycamefalling - 10.21

2001: Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness

2002: Isis - Oceanic

The silver guiding lights (2003-2012):

2003: The Lord Weird Slough Feg - Traveller

2004: Disillusion - Back to Times of Splendor

2005: Rosetta - The Galilean Satellites

2006: Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime II

2007: Annihilator - Metal

2008: Dir En Grey - Uroboros

2009: Animals as Leaders - Animals as Leaders

2010: Virgin Steele - The Black Light Bacchanalia

2011: Trivium - In Waves

2012: Devin Townsend - Epicloud

The bronze yet still great new (2013-2019):

2013: Bring Me the Horizon - Sempiternal

2014: Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel

2015: Bullet for My Valentine - Venom

2016: Vektor - Terminal Redux

2017: Trivium - The Sin and the Sentence

2018: Voivod - The Wake

2019: Devin Townsend - Empath

The newest to make up for the worst of the world (2020-present):

2020: Trivium - What the Dead Men Say

2021 (so far): Between the Buried and Me - Colors II

Albums I'm looking forward to getting:

Rivers of Nihil - The Work (slight return to listening to that band for this album)

Enslaved - Caravans to the Outer Worlds (EP)

Katatonia - Mnemosynean (compilation album)

Devin Townsend - The Puzzle/Snuggles

Trivium - In the Court of the Dragon

Ice Nine Kills - The Silver Scream: Welcome to Horrorwood

Dream Theater - A View From the Top of the World (slight return to listening to that band for this album)

Bad Wolves - Dear Monsters (slight return to listening to that band for this album)

Mastodon - Hushed and Grim

Running Wild - Blood on Blood

Bullet for My Valentine - Bullet for My Valentine

Update on my list (still alphabetized and still at Bruno Terrosa's 55):

1. Accept - Metal Heart (1985)

2. All That Remains - Overcome (2008)

3. Animals as Leaders - Animals as Leaders (2009)

4. Annihilator - Alice in Hell (1989)

5. August Burns Red - Constellations (2009)

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

7. Born of Osiris - The Discovery (2011)

8. Botch - We are the Romans (1999)

9. Bring Me the Horizon - Sempiternal (2013)

10. Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth (1997)

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

12. Coroner - Mental Vortex (1991)

13. Crimson Glory - Transcendence (1988)

14. Cult of Luna - Somewhere Along the Highway (2006)

15. Dark Angel - Time Does Not Heal (1991)

16. Devin Townsend - Empath (2019)

17. Dir En Grey - Uroboros (2008)

18. Disillusion - Back to Times of Splendor (2004)

19. Fates Warning - The Spectre Within (1985)

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

21. Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness (2001)

22. Hopesfall - No Wings to Speak of (2001)

23. Horse the Band - Desperate Living (2009)

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

25. Isis - Panopticon (2004)

26. Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome (2009)

27. Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment 3 (2021)

28. Lord - Fallen Idols (2019)

29. Lost Horizon - A Flame to the Ground Beneath (2003)

30. Make Them Suffer - Neverbloom (2012)

31. Mastodon - Leviathan (2004)

32. Maudlin of the Well - Bath (2001)

33. Meshuggah - Catch Thirty-Three (2005)

34. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I (2012)

35. Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood (1996)

36. Opeth - Blackwater Park (2001)

37. Parkway Drive - Horizons (2007)

38. Prayer for Cleansing - Rain in Endless Fall (1999)

39. Protest the Hero - Kezia (2005)

40. Queensryche - The Warning (1984)

41. Riot - Thundersteel (1988)

42. Running Wild - Death or Glory (1989)

43. Samael - Passage (1996)

44. Savatage - Dead Winter Dead (1995)

45. Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls (2008)

46. Skycamefalling - 10.21 (2000)

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

48. The Lord Weird Slough Feg - Traveller (2003)

49. Trivium - In Waves (2011)

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

51. Vektor - Black Future (2009)

52. Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II (1995)

53. Voivod - Dimension Hatross (1988)

54. Within the Ruins - Elite (2013)

55. X Japan - Art of Life (1993)

An epic single from a former favorite power metal band of mine. Perhaps this could be a sneak peek to their next album, The War to End All Wars:

Here's the link to a story I've made based on both the Metal Academy clan map and my metal journey so far (along with hinting at the reasons for me to completely leave most of The Fallen genres next month) (press CLICK TO PLAY): https://starwarsintrocreator.kassellabs.io/#!/DMk4q6nTu7rfvl4xOyk-

There are 3 other hard rock/alt-metal/post-grunge bands "not metal enough" to be included in this site that my brother and I used to listen to before I started my "real" metal path. Here they are:

Yep, I've admitted that I used to listen to Nickelback, a rock band that can be considered the metal community's "pineapple pizza".

And one more that I listened to a couple of songs from them (from the radio) (this definitely NOT being one of those):

A wonderful hour-long single-track album from these Norwegian progressive metallers. For fans of In The Woods..., Novembre & Wolverine.

I don't need to comment on this monumental track when I've already written a sweet review for it: https://metal.academy/reviews/22391/3814

Cheers for the rec, Daniel! Here's my review summary:

Progressive metal is one of the most characteristically difficult genres of all time, when it comes to playing, composing, and sometimes listening. If you're an expert at composing excellent progressive music, you'll create wonderful results, otherwise everything would be incorrect. If you're new creating progressive metal, surely a 10-minute epic would be difficult to start with, but it's still easy to keep interesting. It would definitely be more difficult to attempt a 20-minute track with half of it is long instrumental sections and the other half is filled with ambitious vocals, all with no coherent pace. You can even challenge yourself further with 30 minutes. Now 60 minutes, an exact hour, THAT's the ultimate challenge! You have to be the master of getting used to prog to enjoy this hour-long epic, Green Carnation's Light of Day, Day of Darkness! Green Carnation's music for this album can be described as progressive metal with slight doom. Dark sorrow in the atmosphere fits well with the high-quality composition. Probably a third (20 minutes) of the track is instrumental while not straying away from the concept, with a continuous pattern throughout the progressive complexity. Unlike Dream Theater or Rush, the album is more doom-inspired than upbeat, including the mid-range vocals and the riffs that contain slow dark heaviness to fit nicely with the sorrowful leads. The album also includes saxophone, sitar, strings, synthesizers, and other instruments starting with "S", greatly enhancing the guitar and atmosphere. Everything flows without being too loose or out of place (for the most part). This is a must-have for all progressive metal fans, and while I didn't start my prog journey here, for anyone wanting to start on this genre for the first time....welcome!

5/5

There are 3 other hard rock/alt-metal/post-grunge bands "not metal enough" to be included in this site that my brother and I used to listen to before I started my "real" metal path. Here they are:

Yep, I've admitted that I used to listen to Nickelback, a rock band that can be considered the metal community's "pineapple pizza".

My own semi-official logo for my username:

High quality post-hardcore with smatterings of metalcore from Charlotte, USA. For fans of Skycamefalling, Poison The Well & Underøath.

A 7-minute post-hardcore/metalcore epic of beauty and fury, reaching its climax with a soft gentle instrumental passage, and if you have that part seamlessly repeat without any of the heavier ones, that would be excellent meditation music.

Cheers for the rec, Daniel! Here's my review summary:

Hopesfall is an alt-hardcore band that had a more metalcore sound 20 years before this review. They were signed to Trustkill Records, an infamous record label that took their own name seriously. This EP, No Wings to Speak of acts as a bridge in the 3-year gap between their debut The Frailty of Words and The Satellite Years. The band's Christian-themed debut is an under-recorded under-promoted album that failed to spread through a greater audience. The EP No Wings to Speak of is a greater display of their earlier work with underground spirit dug into the surface. And when I finally got the chance to listen, it was indeed a jaw-dropping experience! Hopesfall were, besides Skycamefalling and Underoath, one of the earliest metalcore hybrid bands, mixing the genre with emo and post-hardcore, and slight hints at the indie rock that would dominate their sound in the mid-2000s and beyond, all in dense sound layers. Despite this hybrid, their main focus isn't on metalcore's moshing chaos, but rather on smooth beauty in their sound. These 4 songs are harmoniously written compositions while still using heavy grooves and breakdowns in the song structures. Heavy but mellow compared to what their previous record label Takehold Records had then. The band stays strong with emotional chords and beautiful riffs overlapped with harsh vocals in spiritual purity. The emotion in this album is especially proven in "The End of an Era", a 7-minute epic of beauty and fury, reaching its climax with a soft gentle instrumental passage, and if you have that part seamlessly repeat without any of the heavier ones, that would be excellent meditation music. No Wings to Speak of is more suitable for a night drive with yourself or friends than just a live show. With music filled with brilliance, beauty and a breakdown or a few, metalcore youngsters like myself would absolutely love it!

5/5

Thanks Daniel, I look forward to giving this release a listen and a review. My Revolution expansion shall continue yet again...

Another doom metal list video I've found with albums that many of you doom metal lovers with might already be familiar with (and one of my last major Fallen-related posts):

The chorus from this Swedish power metal anthem simply kills. For fans of Nocturnal Rites, Hibria & Sonata Arctica.

I love that killer chorus also!

I took a trip down alt-rock/metal memory lane with one of Breaking Benjamin's albums and ended up liking this one better than I had nearly a decade ago, with this song being one of the best from the band despite sounding softer:

I myself was once of the opinion that it wasn't really big/distinct enough to warrant its own genre tag, but I've come around since (mostly through listening to a lot of Bathory and some others). Personally, I tend to label it "epic metal", just for my own purposes. I get that that also isn't a perfectly clear term by any means, I just feel it sums up the core of the sound, for me anyway.

I thought of the "epic metal" label when trying to think of an alternate name for US power metal, but Viking metal is a good genre to nickname that too with its Nordic fantasy conceptual themes and grand atmosphere.

If we don't want an overly thematic or descriptive genre title, we have to come up with something that feels right without drawing unsuspecting metal listeners into choosing it incorrectly. My first thought is Dream Metal. I know it sounds too fluffy for a metal genre, but it really draws attention to the link to Dream Theater. Plus many musicians could only "dream" of being able to perform some of the stuff these bands play.

Anyone got another idea? I'm trying to come up with a word that relates to technical proficiency, or virtuosity or something like that.

"Dream metal", though it would make some sense for Dream Theater, seems like a more appropriate label for non-sludgy post-rock/metal bands like Solstafir.

I came up with 15 different types of progressive metal, one per song and band, that can be found here: https://metal.academy/forum/11/thread/943

Viking metal is one of those sub-genres that has so few genuine adherents that it feels almost irrelevant to me. I honestly wonder sometimes whether life is too short to contemplate for any length of time whether an album fits snugly into a micro-genre or not. If the purpose of genre tagging is to guide people to other releases similar to ones they like, do these really niche genres serve much of a purpose at all as they feel way too specific.

As a more general Academy question, which I guess needs to be directed to Ben or Daniel, does downvoting a genre in the genre tags on a release serve any purpose on the site or can the genre tags only be changed via The Hall? I have downvoted Viking Metal on Vredens Tid so it has zero positive and one negative vote, but it still shows folk and viking metal as it's genre tags.

We don't want the Clans for a Release to change without going through the Hall of Judgement. For that reason, we didn't want Genres to automatically be affected by people downvoting a Subgenre. Think of the Subgenres as just a helpful additional filtering tool. Then again, if a release is having a particular subgenre downvoted significantly, that could be grounds for adding it to the Hall for proper judgement, or as Andi suggested, treating it as judgement itself.

As for Viking Metal, it's the same issue raised many a time. Genres shouldn't have names that relate to a location (NWOBHM, US Power Metal), nor should they have purely thematic names (Viking Metal) or vaguely descriptive names (Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal). Just go and look how many people have tried to give Amon Amarth albums the Viking Metal genre to see why Viking Metal is a problem. Sure, they've been correctly downvoted, but many listeners were obviously convinced to select it by the name.

Thrash Metal is a perfect name for that genre. People know what Thrash Metal is based on the style of music they're listening to, because the name itself isn't suggestive enough to lead them astray. Death, Black  and Power Metal are also great genre names.

I agree about all of this, Ben, except...I think the vaguely descriptive names are necessary because it shows that progressive metal and symphonic metal are different from the rest of the metal pack with the wild experimentation of the former and the epic orchestration of the latter. Without being described as their respective names, what would they be then, heavy metal with progressive elements or heavy metal with symphonics? Man, the thought of the possibility of The Infinite not having progressive metal due to switching to just a subgenre of classic heavy metal is enough to give me chills. While a few genre names are objective, I'm just happy the way a couple of them are...

As a more general Academy question, which I guess needs to be directed to Ben or Daniel, does downvoting a genre in the genre tags on a release serve any purpose on the site or can the genre tags only be changed via The Hall? I have downvoted Viking Metal on Vredens Tid so it has zero positive and one negative vote, but it still shows folk and viking metal as it's genre tags.

I've noticed that too when downvoting a subgenre on an album that I don't think is part of that subgenre, but it's just as well in case some members say otherwise. I have an idea; perhaps we can do the subgenre upvoting and downvoting a bit like the Hall. If a subgenre for an album has 8 "for" votes, then voting for that subgenre is closed and it stays there permanently. If a subgenre for an album has 8 "against" votes, then voting for that subgenre is closed and it's removed from there permanently. How about that?

Today, as we all know, is the 20th anniversary of the most disastrously tragic day in America. So let's have a minute of silence for those we have lost in the attacks....

OK, back to the main topic. Two albums celebrating their 20th anniversary today suffered a bit of controversy when released on that day:

The cover art for the Dream Theater live album was meant to be similar to the "heart on fire" from the cover art of the first live album Live at the Marquee. It was just like that, but with a New York skyline including the two towers, on top of a big apple (parodying the city's nickname "Big Apple"), instead of the heart. When the attacks occurred, all copies of the album were taken down and replaced with new ones in which the cover art has the band's "Majesty" symbol instead, which can be found right here, if you want to mention the album in a thread without appearing insensitive:

The other album, Slayer's God Hates Us All, had already caused controversy with its release date being one of several reasons. At least the cover art used in this site is the alternative clean one to replace the original cover art that "looked like a seventh grader defaced the Bible."

And while the Within the Ruins EP was released exactly 5 years later and had nothing to do with the topic of this post, I included it anyway because it's a great metalcore EP.

RIP fallen ones.....

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

1. Fallen playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 7)

2. Gateway playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commended: 8)

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

4. Infinite playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 8)

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

6. Sphere playlist - 4.5/5 (number of songs commented: 5)

Another rewarding playlist month for me, this time my playlist ratings for all the clans I've commented on are each an average total of 4.5 stars, except The Guardians playlist which has, by average, a perfect 5 stars, though that's probably my earlier epic metal taste talking. Yep, good month! While my time in The Fallen is over, I might still comment on a few tracks in future Fallen playlists for the sake of memories. Also it might be a while before I'm ready to post my feature release outcomes, because so far I only reviewed two September feature releases, but maybe I would be up to checking out more of them this month...

Ben, please add the Breaking Benjamin album We Are Not Alone. Its Alternative Metal tag now fits the RYM 2:1 ratio (for: 43 - against: 21).

First Revolution stinker in over a year! This is basically A7X's "My Immortal" that is a waste of space and time in this usually metalcore album:

Back when Avenged Sevenfold were metalcore with slight emo, before the modern heavy metal they would be known for:

Wife angry at you for hitting her in the face with that idea and wanted to slap your face without committing an assault offence:

(First GIF here! ...I think)

Anyway, I seem to be the only one agreeing with your idea, Daniel, but sometimes a potentially good idea might not be one people are OK with. Oh well...

Happy 20th anniversary to one of In Flames' live albums, and one of Converge's grand masterpieces:

I haven't listened to In Flames for a few months, because they were one of the death metal bands I've departed from listening to. I might give that live album a listen and a review as a nice throwback. Do you think I might try the death metal band Matriden? NO F***ING CHANCE!!! Sorry but my death metal departure is still on!

Here's my one submission for October's Gateway playlist:

Katatonia - "Behind the Blood" (from City Burials, 2020)

Here are my suggestions for October's Revolution playlist (I'll make sure any multi-clan suggestions fit well with the playlist I'm submitting to):

After the Burial - "Pendulum" (4:47) from In Dreams (2010)

Bullet for My Valentine - "The Last Fight" (4:19) from Fever (2010)

Converge - "No Heroes" (3:43) from No Heroes (2006)

Misery Signals - "Five Years" (5:55) from Of Malice and the Magnum Heart (2004)

Shadows Fall - "Destroyer of Senses" (2:54) from The Art of Balance (2002)

Threat Signal - "One Last Breath" (3:48) from Under Reprisal (2006)

Unearth - "Incinerate" (3:59) from Extinction(s) (2018)

Total length: 29:25

Here are my suggestions for October's Infinite playlist (I'll make sure any multi-clan suggestions fit well with the playlist I'm submitting to):

Dir En Grey - "冷血なりせば (Reiketsu Nariseba)" (3:34) from Uroboros (2008)

Evergrey - "Broken Wings" (4:42) from Torn (2008)

Fates Warning - "Fata Morgana" (5:25) from Awaken the Guardian (1986)

Leprous - "White" (11:31) from Tall Poppy Syndrome (2009)

Symphony X - "The Damnation Game" (4:32) from The Damnation Game (1995)

Total length: 29:44

Here are my suggestions for October's Guardians playlist (I'll make sure any multi-clan suggestions fit well with the playlist I'm submitting to):

Dark Moor - "Halloween" (13:24) from The Fall of Melnibone (2001) (a special submission to celebrate Halloween month)

Grand Magus - "Holmgång" (3:38) from Triumph and Power (2014)

HammerFall - "Any Means Necessary" (3:37) from No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009)

Queensrÿche - "Walk in the Shadows" (3:32) from Empire (1986)

Savatage - "Sarajevo" (2:31) from Dead Winter Dead (1995) (as a sneak peek before a special submission I have in mind for the December playlist)

The Lord Weird Slough Feg - "Asteroid Belts" (2:22) from Traveller (2003)

Total length: 29:04

A Swiss mix of the industrial metal of Godflesh and the experimental/symphonic black metal of Arcturus and Limbonic Art:

My thoughts on some tracks:

Godflesh – “Shut Me Down” (from “A World Lit Only By Fire”, 2014)

4.5/5. A killer djent-tuned industrial track with a heavy crushing groove. There's still hope in Godflesh after their decade-long hiatus!

Samael – “Exodus” (from “Exodus” E.P., 1998)

5/5. Another special delivery of industrial black metal greatness! This one is probably my favorite album in my Samael journey so far. The band probably deserves some radio play after moving away from the pure black metal last heard in 1994. A bit old yet still good! In fact, the long-time generation might feel fabulous nostalgia. What a pleasant surprise for me that opened the gates of industrial metal interest even further. My strong mind power will never make me look back...

Dagoba – “Maniak” (from “Dagoba”, 2003)

4/5. This isn't really the best industrial metal for me to expect, but these guys have quite the guts to go so heavy. The last screaming part would definitely cause a mosh pit that would tear down the venue.

Ministry – “Burning Inside” (from “The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste”, 1989)

4.5/5. This one, from July's feature release that later played a part in my Sphere DIS vs DAT thread, kicks in a propulsive beat and repetitive guitar to keep you awake. This pounding tune is helped out by the vocals. When I wrote the original review after waking up in the morning, this song fired me up way more than coffee!

Strapping Young Lad – “Skeksis” (from “Alien”, 2005)

5/5. This brutal highlight is where you can hear Gene Hoglan's amazing drumming that might've inspired the more metal side of Protest the Hero. The drumming is filled with punishment, no remorse. Finally, the vocals kick in that are amazing as always, along with fast riffs and neat keyboards all over.

I did my review, here's its summary:

Black metal and industrial metal were both not my thing, but the latter I look forward to expanding, now in higher chance with one of my new all-time favorite metal albums in Samael's Passage, containing the power of unique beauty! Before this, Samael was initially in the 2nd wave of black metal. I haven't heard their earlier black metal material yet, but I'm glad to start with the album where electronic keyboards overpower most of the heavy Satanism of black metal until it's practically no more... Keyboards nicely blend over the heaviness in beautiful melody, making Samael the bridge of difference between industrial metal and black metal. Those melodic keyboard passages would continue shining on in this fantastic album that I would recommend to fans of either the industrial metal of Godflesh or the symphonic black metal of Limbonic Art, or both. Again, this might just be for me one of the best industrial metal albums of space and time!

5/5

My thoughts on some tracks:

Shadows Fall – “Of One Blood” (from “Of One Blood”, 2000)

4.5/5. Let's kick off my playlist journey with one of my favorite songs of this album. It has a long, complicated solo that would've fit well in a DragonForce song.

Demon Hunter – “Sixteen” (from “Storming The Gates Of Hell”, 2007)

4/5. This one sounds more original, starting with a long experimental chamber cello/guitar one and a half minute intro before vocals come in, including edgy guest vocals by Bruce Fitzhugh of Living Sacrifice in the pre-chorus, in contrast to the clean chorus. The breakdown has interesting lyrics.

Underøath – “Paper Lung” (from “Ø (Disambiguation)”, 2010)

5/5. Like "Writing on the Walls" and "In Division", this song's music video is what ignited a slight spark of interest in Underoath 5 years ago that didn't fully began until halfway through that period of time when a different song from the band was used in a TheOdd1sOut video. This is closer to a sludgy metalcore mix a bit like the first 3 He Is Legend albums combined, especially in the intense last minute. I ain't sorry when I say this is much better than their recent pop rock sh*t.

Converge – “You Fail Me” (from “You Fail Me”, 2004)

5/5. For the title track one of the greatest metalcore/mathcore albums, any fan of shorter-length hardcore might find the length and mood boring, but it fits perfectly here. The song is a wall of sludge metal sound. Bass, guitars, and drums combine into a pounding mix while Bannon unleashes his shrieking vocal assault. Now this is a sludgy metalcore epic! Thanks for submitting this, Vinny!

Pupil Slicer – “Mirrors Are More Fun Than Television” (from “Mirrors”, 2021)

3.5/5. This is fun and all, but I'm not that into the brutal experimental kind of metalcore, OK?!

Born Of Osiris – “Recreate” (from “The Discovery”, 2011)

4.5/5. The guitar bit around the 30-second mark of this wicked song really shows what guitarist Lee McKinney can do.

Darkest Hour – “Beneath The Blackening Sky” (from “Darkest Hour”, 2014)

4.5/5. I was once a fan of Darkest Hour, but there were also one of the melodic death metal bands that I moved away from during my death metal departure. But I still enjoy a few songs from their more metalcore albums, like this one which was one of my favorite songs from their self-titled album. A killer kick-A thrashy metalcore instant classic despite its short but average 4-minute length. Their self-titled album marked a swift change out of the earlier melodeath sound the band had up to The Human Romance. In the iTunes deluxe edition, this song is surrounded by two bonus tracks while still before the last two regular tracks. Some might think of the self-titled album as a piece of unholy sh*t, but I say it's by far underrated!

Veil Of Maya – “Namaste” (from “[id]”, 2010)

5/5. This one apparently has a 20-second intro that didn't make the final cut, which is a shame because that intro sounds so awesome and it would've made the song closer to the 4-minute mark. But that song itself is still a sweet highlight!

The Dillinger Escape Plan – “The Running Board” (from “Calculating Infinity”, 1999)

4.5/5. Here's a song that probably works better in the Under the Running Board EP. After a chaotic minute, the song switches to a western noir theme that escalates into some more jazz fusion. Still there's no denying that the song is a hardcore anthem for metalheads.

My thoughts on some tracks:

Mastodon – “Curl of the Burl” (from “The Hunter”, 2011)

5/5. Now this here's the perfect choice to start this playlist. This single has a strange music video, which is yet another contributing factor to how I became in this band, when I watched that video like 5 years ago. That song is a radio/TV-friendly stoner tune with great vocal harmony emphasis.

Ayreon – “Beneath The Waves” (from “01011001”, 2008)

5/5. And this marks another playlist with a soft 4th track, wow! Though this one is more influenced by Pink Floydian prog-rock while staying metal. Ayreon is a band that deserves to be more popular. ONE MAN, Arjen Lucassen, has spent over two and a half decades of hard work making this multi-singer project possible, and he already has above 100 singers and musicians involved in 10 albums! He should really have more fame and recognition. This is one of my favorite Ayreon songs with emotional impact in the vocals and melodies. It seems like one song, but it's actually split into 5 parts, with the outro being one of the coolest things ever, even at first listen 7 years ago. Sweet memories touching my heart! If I end up in an 8-hour overnight cross-country road trip, I would use the time to listen to 4 Ayreon albums in a row. They've already done live performances for The Human Equation and Into the Electric Castle. Once the virus lifts up, 01011001 shall be next! This song is so f***ing unique with a d*mn amazing solo plus an insane final chorus (the 4th part). You can pretty much imagine yourself travelling through oceans and astral planes. The slowness I can stand much more than Crowbar. Steve Lee (Gotthard) was alive to do vocals for the album, but sadly nearly 3 years later, he was killed in the most metal yet still tragic way possible (by a flying motorcycle). RIP... Anyway, this composition is still beautiful during these almost 14 years since its release, with me still remembering it since first listen at the midpoint of that amount of time. And I believe some songs from this album and other albums were referenced in Transitus. Face the facts, our metal opera savior is back!

Fates Warning – “Still Remains” (from “Disconnected”, 2000)

4.5/5. That couple in the cover art seem to be prepared for the virus, even though that was 20 years before the virus. With every lyric and note hitting my heart with pride and joy, I have no other words to describe this 16-minute epic! This is almost, just almost, one of my favorite songs from Fates Warning.

Dream Theater – “Pull Me Under” (from “Images & Words”, 1992)

5/5. Many of you know this as the ultimate hit for Dream Theater, with technical power shining through the song. The lyrics do what the title says and PULL YOU UNDER. The guitar solo from John Petrucci is one of the best he's ever done. It's lyrical theme seems to be heavily inspired by Kansas' "Dust in the Wind", yet it is based on Shakespeare's Hamlet in the prince's point of view. The song ends abruptly during the outro but I don't care. Still an excellent track!

Symphony X – “Absinthe & Rue” (from “Symphony X”, 1994)

4/5. This one is a solid example of the progressive/power/neo-classical metal fury the band is known for, though in not of their best albums, but they just starting, so I won't go too harsh on this.

Teramaze – “A Deep State Of Awake” (from “I Wonder”, 2020)

4.5/5. Now this is an amazing song to listen to during the lockdown! Yet a maze I'm not up to totally be trapped in...

Between The Buried & Me – “Astral Body” (from “The Parallax II: Future Sequence”, 2012)

4.5/5. Times have changed back and forth through my death metal departure that somehow included a few other bands like BTBAM, along with an epic listening of their new album Colors II. Now with this submission in, I can take another glimpse at the creativity of the music and story that I regret breaking away from.

Gojira – “Another World” (from “Fortitude”, 2021)

4/5. So beautiful, including the vibe. Yet I've already moved away from this band due to their death metal past...

My thoughts on some tracks:

Venom Inc. – “Ave Satanas” (from “Avé”, 2017)

4/5. Interesting start to this playlist. Venom Inc., the new direct spin-off to the band that directly introduced Satanism to heavy metal and inspired the creation of black metal. Look, I'm still not into the antichristian lyrical theme, so this band isn't for me or anyone in the outside world worth sharing to. Still a killer song though!

Stratovarius – “Speed Of Light” (from “Episode”, 1996)

5/5. This is better and more acceptable for me! The neo-classical power metal sound I used to really enjoy can definitely fit well as a theme for shows like Power Rangers and ONE PUUUNCH MAN, and be a good song to play in Clone/Guitar Hero. Stratovarius are heroes of this style!

Wintersun – “Time” (from “Time I”, 2012)

5.5/5 (not exaggerating). One of the best songs from my earlier epic metal taste! Back then, I was still into power metal and the melodic progressive metal of Dream Theater, but Wintersun would be the entryway to the melodic death metal that I would abandon recently. No, scratch that, this is epic operatic melodeath! No wonder this band alone would start my journey into melodeath. This should've been the soundtrack to the last 12 minutes of Avengers Infinity War before the credits; the war and the destructive aftermath. Of course, Wintersun would have to create a more epic equivalent to the climax of Endgame if that's the case when making Time II. There's a f***ing beautiful solo alongside the pure perfection of everything else. Time is still waiting for Time II that should follow up the epicness of the first Time album. Then after this epic climatic ride is a Chinese-sounding atmospheric outro, as if to say "To be continued..."

After Forever – “Ephemeral” (from “Prison Of Desire”, 2000)

4.5/5. Check it out, we're still following the soft 10th track of an album being the 4th track of the playlist, as seen in the Fallen and Gateway playlists for this month. I love this beautiful song. And I know, it's more of an ambient gothic metal lament of grief, but it focuses on Hans Zimmer-like symphonics (and right in his classic period in the turn of the millennium), unlike when the album goes darker and heavier as gothic metal should be. And I wanna take a glimpse of gothic metal without directing the submission to The Fallen (remember my self-promise to stop my Fallen playlist requests), so there...

The Lord Weird Slough Feg – “Sky Chariots” (from “Down Among The Deadmen”, 2000)

5/5. I'm glad to finally get interested in this band named after that Slaine character. This US power metal band really needs more exposure to the world, especially with their mix of influences from the early 80s eras of Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, probably also early Sanctuary. This album is indeed underrated along with the other albums released under the original name with the "Lord Weird" prefix. This is worth singing/screaming along to on your car radio. Ride your chariot!

Grand Magus – “Varangian” (from “Sword Songs”, 2016)

4.5/5. This one continues the new experiments Grand Magus has in their recent era with a waltzing riff similar to folk metal but without folk, rushing through the energy of the chorus with easy momentum.

Elvenking – “Reader Of The Runes – Book I” (from “Reader Of The Runes – Divination”, 2019)

5/5. Wait a sec... This was already in last December's playlist! Xephyr, you must've not seen this one in the "Past The Guardians playlist tracklistings" thread. That's OK, because you can't let an epic song like this down. I shall say my opinion again about their most ambitious song since the ending of the Wyrd album. This is a fantastic great monolithic end to the band's folk-power metal return album trilogy started in Pagan Manifesto, but it might hint at a different saga beginning with a possible "Reader of the Runes - Book II". This is a grand flashback to my earlier folk/power metal taste, along with new elements suited for my current heavier era including a killer black-ish soloing section in the middle. I'm grateful for this powerful masterpiece of f***ing impressive epic metal sorcery, greater than the epics made by Helloween. Love it!

Dragonland – “Storming Across Heaven” (from “The Battle of the Ivory Plains: The Dragonland Chronicles Part I”, 2001)

5.5/5 (not exaggerating). "Look at the sky as the dragon flies by, storming across heaven like fire pierce through ice..." That lyric is forever engraved in my mind in one of the absolute best songs in my earlier power metal taste. There were many classic songs from Dragonland that I loved 8 years ago including "Majesty of the Mithril Mountains", "The Battle of the Ivory Plains", "Holy War", etc. And just like Helloween, this band made two albums that following a story, then a third one years later. So d*mn excellent!

Epica – “Victims Of Contingency” (from “The Quantum Enigma”, 2014)

5/5. I've also enjoyed Epica at the time of this album's release, another early epic metal favorite of mine! I think of this song as Call of Duty's "115" with Gods of War-like lyrics and atmosphere, especially in the death growl verses. This and that Dragonland submission make the perfect ending for this playlist. Thanks for accepting them, Daniel!