Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Forum Replies

Here are my suggestions for February's playlist. Daniel, please choose these songs:

Draconian - "The Last Hour of Ancient Sunlight" (from A Rose for the Apocalypse, 2011)

The Ocean - "Devonian: Nascent" (from Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic, 2018)

Theatre of Tragedy - "Cassandra" (from Aegis, 1998)

Realizing how much I talked about my top and bottom favorite Trivium albums in the Unpopular Metal Opinions thread, I decided to rank all the bands here and their albums 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!

10. Dream Evil

f. Evilized, e. United, d. In the Night, c. Six, b. Dragonslayer, a. The Book of Heavy Metal

9. Battlelore

f. Where the Shadows Lie, e. Evernight, d. The Last Alliance, c. Third Age of the Sun, b. Sword's Song, a. Doombound

8. Bleeding Through

h. Bleeding Through, g. Dust to Ashes, f. Portrait of the Goddess, e. The Great Fire, d. The Truth, c. Declaration, b. This is Love This is Murderous, a. Love Will Kill All

7. Protest the Hero

f. Pacific Myth (EP), e. Volition, d. Scurrilous, c. Fortress, b. Palimpsest, a. Kezia

6. Sabaton

i. The Great War, h. Coat of Arms, g. Attero Dominatus, f. Metalizer, e. Heroes, d. The Last Stand, c. Primo Victoria, b. The Art of War, a. Carolus Rex

5. Mastodon

g. Once More Round the Sun, f. Emperor of Sand, e. Blood Mountain, d. The Hunter, c. Remission, b. Crack the Skye, a. Leviathan

4. Lamb of God (including the albums released as Burn the Priest)

j. Legion: XX, i. Burn the Priest, h. New American Gospel, g. Lamb of God, f. Wrath, e. Resolution, d. As the Palaces Burn, c. VII: Sturm und Drang, b. Sacrament, a. Ashes of the Wake

3. Dragonland

e. The Battle of the Ivory Plains, d. Holy War, c. Starfall, b. Astronomy, a. Under the Grey Banner

2. DragonForce

h. Maximum Overload, g. Ultra Beatdown, f. The Power Within, e. Sonic Firestorm, d. Reaching Into Infinity, c. Extreme Power Metal, b. Valley of the Damned, a. Inhuman Rampage

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

d. "Hail to the King", c. "Shepherd of Fire", b. "Nightmare", a. the entire Waking the Fallen album

And finally #1:

Trivium

i. Silence in the Snow, h. The Crusade, g. Ember to Inferno, f. Vengeance Falls, e. Shogun, d. The Sin and the Sentence, c. What the Dead Men Say, b. Ascendancy, a. In Waves

3. Voivod have never released a good album and are none of my business.

4. Amon Amarth have been releasing the same album for the last 29 years and it is still boring.

5. The internet has too many fucking lists on it.

6. Iron Maiden were at their best when Paul Di'Anno was on vocals.

7. Meshuggah sacrifice power and passion in their music in favour of unnecessary complexity.

Quoted MacabreEternal

Voivod's albums are really good, especially their earlier albums. I love Prog Voivod (the late 80s transitional trilogy), just slightly greater than Thrash Voivod (the first two albums) and far greater than the rest.

I agree that throughout Amon Amarth's almost 3-decade career, they've released so many albums with the same Viking themes. But they're still really killer, and I think of all their albums (plus their EP) as an ongoing Viking saga.

"Too many f***ing lists"!? This is kind of a thread where we create many lists, and you've fallen into that trap!

This opinion harkens back to the first two to ever appear in this thread, written by Sonny:

1. Number of the Beast was a serious let down after the immense Killers.

2. Piece of Mind is the best Maiden album with Bruce Dickinson. Seventh Son.. is pretentious shite.

Even though he has enjoyed one of the Bruce Dickinson albums, I can see how immense both of you think of the albums with Paul Di'Anno. Of course, nothing wrong with that, both singers are probably some of the best in metal!

I believe complexity is part of Meshuggah's passion and power, and Veil of Maya has that too in songs like "With Passion and Power".

I think as far as 'The Big Four" goes and arguments about who should or shouldn't be considered as members of this exclusive club: This was a term that was in use very early on in the development of thrash metal and at the time those four bands were literally the biggest four thrash bands around. Testament were quite late to the party, The Legacy coming out after Reign in Blood, Master of Puppets, Peace Sells and Among the Living so were never in with a shout of being considered in The Big Four. Time has dictated otherwise and revealed their consistent back catalogue to merit inclusion, but The Big Four is like the Mount Rushmore of thrash and will remain as those four for time immemorial.

Despite all these differences of opinion, which I was hoping for when beginning this thread, please remember that what unites us is more important than what divides us. Go to RYM and read their board's, there you will find people who think every single album on this site is shit and we are all idiots for enjoying them.

Finally, I must 'fess up that one of my original points is not actually my opinion and I included it in the hope of getting a reaction. Can you guess which it was?

Lol! Now I'm imagining a Big 4 + Testament split compilation where the cover art is a parody of the Deep Purple in Rock cover with the faces of all the bands' lead singers.

Let me guess...when you called Death "f***ing average"?

1. All In Flames albums are great, and their dive into Alternative Metal still makes them one of the most innovative bands ever. One day people will realize these guys basically perfected Pop Metal and once the stigma for that dies I believe they will get the credit they deserve.

2. Since I see the name being thrown around... Thrash Voivod > Prog Voivod

3. 70's metal, in general, is not that great. It's only revered because it came first. Basically one riff and a guitar solo away from Hard Rock. There was almost no innovation for the first decade, whereas the 80's saw a massive explosion in subgenres, technique, delivery, etc. There is not a single 70's metal album I consider a masterpiece, with Judas Priest's Sin After Sin being my favorite, but nowhere near my top.

4. Atmosphere, mood, emotion, delivery > technical skill, prowess, wankery, complexity 

5. Doom Metal is one of my favorite genres, but 80's Doom is really bland. Even Cadlemass is not among my favorite Doom artists. I feel 80's Doom had not yet captured the - as I mention above - atmosphere and mood that it gained in the 90's that made it a truly melancholic genre rather than just a lethargic and boring one.

The earlier In Flames melodeath albums are great, with The Jester Race being second place in the melodeath classic reign (first being that At the Gates album). But as innovative as their later alternative/pop metal albums are, they really distanced themselves far away from their original sound and sound way too different from their heavier glory, similar to Katatonia.

Prog Voivod (the late 80s transitional trilogy) just slightly greater than Thrash Voivod (the first two albums) and far greater than the rest.

I'm also not really into 70s metal bands (Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Motorhead), when heavy metal was mostly just a singular genre, often closer to hard rock. The 80s will probably forever be the minimum decade for me to go for all the innovation and subgenres. I'm sure the only people who consider 70s metal albums true masterpieces are people who are either oldie fans or 70s metal fans or super-fans that like every single decade of metal.

I like both atmosphere and technicality, which is why I like both the post- and progressive ends of the Infinite.

Doom metal is also a favorite genre of mine, but I prefer just death-doom, gothic doom, and sludge doom, which are slightly faster in some cases while keeping the dark melancholy. Traditional and funeral doom are so slow and bland that if I was given the entire Candlemass discography, I would speed it all up to be 2x faster. I used to do that for bands like My Dying Bride, but not so much anymore, since I can tolerate the slowness more now. No more blaspheming the whole reason for doom! ...At least for now.

Of course the 80s albums by Voivod have been either speed metal or progressive metal, but I say there's a great significant amount of thrash in their first 4 albums. In fact, they're part of the Canadian Big 4 of thrash, together with Sacrifice, Razor, and Annihilator, so why dethrone such an honor? However, there is one album that I object to one other genre label-slapped on, and that is Phobos with the Sphere clan and industrial metal tag! See my submission here: https://metal.academy/forum/28/thread/589

• Opeth's progressive rock pivot of the 2010s is not as bad as you initially thought.

True but it's not the best either. The 1998-2007 era (except Damnation) is the pinnacle of their career!

I'd go so far as to say that I've never heard a melodeath release that I regard as a legitimate classic.

Voivod never have & never will be a thrash metal band.

Not even At the Gates' Slaughter of the Soul? That's THE melodeath classic!

I've never heard a lot of people besides you say Voivod isn't thrash metal at all. #6 on your list, Daniel!

1. Opeth's Morningrise is the worst of their first 6 albums.

Orchid is my least favorite of their initial metal era. Morningrise is a more improved beast!

Here are some of my own:

1. The Crusade was a thrashy letdown after Trivium's killer metalcore breakthrough Ascendancy.

2. In Waves is the best Trivium album, Silence in the Snow is just scream-less classic metal sh*t.

3. The Sin and the Sentence is my 4th favorite Trivium album and What the Dead Men Say is #3.

4. Grindcore is just eardrum-piercing noise, and you can't claim you can survive listening to that noise for 24 hours without me thinking that's bullsh*t.

5. The standard gory death metal is overrated, melodic death metal deserves more attention.

6. DragonForce's Ultra Beatdown is good, but not as much as the incredible Inhuman Rampage.

7. Extreme Power Metal is DragonForce's epic comeback after the rest of the Marc Hudson era.

8. Who on earth agreed with Kawaii metal being a thing? It's just girly anime music metalized. But I can't p*ss on Babymetal's "Road of Resistance", DragonForce is in there!

9. Why are trance metal and trancecore not equated to each other?! They connect like a puzzle!

10. Voivod's 80s era is as awesome as what people think of other thrash bands from that decade.

11. Lamb of God is better than Machine Head, by far.

12. If Woods of Ypres founder David Gold wasn't killed and the band kept going, I'm pretty sure by now they would discard all of their black metal for just pure gothic/doom.

I don't know if many of you would agree with most of my opinions, but I would like to hear what you think!

I really get a lot of enjoyment reading the rym unpopular musical opinions board, especially when posters get ever so indignant as if they have been personally insulted. So I thought it might be fun to start one for The Academy. I'll kick off then:

1. Number of the Beast was a serious let down after the immense Killers.

2. Piece of Mind is the best Maiden album with Bruce Dickinson. Seventh Son.. is pretentious shite.

3. Defenders of the Faith is only the fourth best Priest album.

4. Avant-garde metal is inherently bollocks and is played by artists who wish they weren't playing metal at all!

5. Devin Townsend is the single most overrated metal musician of all time.

6. Ace of Spades is not as good an album as Bomber.

7. Diabolus in Musica is a decent album and is certainly better than Divine Intervention and the 2000s stuff.

8. Post-metal is not metal.

9. Gothic Metal does not equate to doom metal.

10. Anthrax made two of the best thrash albums of the eighties.

11. Machine Head are better than Pantera.

And if none of those get you going - Death were fucking average!!

I stand by every one of these!

For my responses, a few of them are what I actually think and the others are based on whether you're "right or wrong".

1. Oh really?? Number of the Beast was the first album with Bruce Dickinson and helped propel the band into success, despite some speed-bumps of controversy.

2. Piece of Mind continues the successful Bruce Dickinson era, but Seventh Son is more progressive. You seem to be quite selective in Iron Maiden's classic 80s era, Sonny.

3. Ok then... It would be interesting to hear what your top 3 are.

4. I don't think so. Maudlin of the Well sound like they were having fun with their metal, though their last one had no metal at all.

5. Are you serious?! Devin Townsend is one of the most talented progressive metal musicians of all time! And I just got interested in his music after listening to Terria.

6. Ace of Spades is kind of the Number of the Beast of Motorhead, propelling the band into success. With that, I'm interested to hear what you think of Iron Fist.

7. Divine Intervention is no Reign of Blood, but it's another popular album. But their next album (besides that cover album) Diabolus in Musica began their dreaded nu metal.

8. What!? Yes it is! Bands like Rosetta have heavily intense music, though that band wasn't accepted into the Metal Archives. You really don't like the Infinite genres, do you?

9. For most of those bands maybe, but some bands equate the two genres like Ava Inferi, Draconian, and Type O Negative.

10. Well that depends, are you gonna say Among the Living isn't as good as the two surrounding albums? Please correct me if I'm wrong...

11. I've listened to a few Machine Head albums. Though Pantera is more famous, Machine Head is probably better for me since I like my groove modern (except Catharsis).

12. Death? What do you know about Death? All I know is, they're more than just "f***ing average", inspiring many bands like Children of Bodom (see the reference there?).

So it looks like you're quite selective when it comes to classic albums from bands like Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Slayer, and possibly Judas Priest and Anthrax. You also seem to think Devin Townsend, Pantera, and Death are overrated despite being masters of their respective genres. And you dislike genres like avant-garde metal, post-metal, and gothic metal. Your opinions might not be similar to what others tend to believe (which is kind of the point of this thread), and we might not see eye-to-eye on many things, but like I said in one of my threads, respecting what people think is key!

A glorious 22 and a half minute epic from one of the bands that inspired the indirect Devin Townsend recommendation to me:

I did my review! Here's it's summary:

Normally I never plan on listening to any metal solo artists because I seem to have more appeal to full-group bands, and solo artists are usually mostly found in other genres besides metal, like...radio pop!! The other Devin Townsend album I've reviewed, Ziltoid the Omniscient, was good but other than that "solo artist" issue, it was far too comedic. Now we're at Terria...which is another one of the best albums created! It's perfectly heavy while being so soothingly atmospheric. Great for a relaxing drive! This is an album every listener must get, both progressive and open-minded audiences! You can't go your entire lifetime without listening to at least one song from this masterpiece. The main album has incredible songs ranging from heavy to uplifting, and I might share a few songs to my friend whom she likes this uplifting classic kind of rock! I agree that the hidden track "Humble" is a boring pointless track, but why should we include it as part of the album?! It's a hidden outro that you shouldn't let affect the album, like the outro at the end of Between the Buried and Me's Alaska! Just remove it, and the album would be perfect. So yeah, not including that pointless outro, Terria is a wonderful album and has now been made one of my favorite albums ever. If you wanna start your journey with Devin Townsend's music, this is where you gotta start. Highly recommended!

5/5 (without that outro, 5.5/5, if I could)

Also my last review before my 8-day break from reviewing, see here: https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/650

If that "Vicarious Redemption" epic is one of the most incredible ones from Cult of Luna, it can't beat the epic that they've done with Julie Christmas. You gotta hear it to believe it!

The most pointless track by this usually awesome band:

I actually didn't enjoy "Terria" much on my first encounter with it back in 2009 & have subsequently given it the cold shoulder ever since. After giving it a few spins over the last couple of days I can easily see why I struggled with it initially too as it takes me well outside of my musical comfort zone into some fairly uplifting, joyous & at times quite quirky spaces. Those terms are generally the polar opposite of where my taste bracket lies but I'm glad that I've given the album another chance this week because I feel like I've started to discover its charms. The glistening production, high quality performances & expansive prog rock inspired sound are no doubt impressive & any fanatical music fan is likely to give in to them eventually. In saying that though, I don't think that I can say honestly that I regard any of the tracklisting as a genuine classic which was certainly not the case with an album like Devin's "Ocean Machine: Biomech" debut which is a personal favourite of mine. I just don't think the hooks are strong enough (with the possible exception of "Stagnant" which is still a touch too cheesy to claim classic status). On the other hand, the tracklisting is generally very consistent with only the closing hidden track "Humble" representing any sort of failure. And a significant failure it is too because I ended up dropping my score a half mark due to the fact that I couldn't get my five & a half minutes of wasted time back after having to endure that artistic travesty. Overall, I can't say I'm likely to be returning to "Terria" all that often but it's definitely proven a point to me & I've enjoyed the experience much more than I thought I would.

For fans of Porcupine Tree, Leprous & Haken.

3.5/5 

Though it looks like you didn't enjoy a few parts of that album especially that "Humble" hidden track, Daniel, Terria seems fun enough a progressive metal album for me to try, and I do like Leprous and Haken. Another album to put in my review to-do list!

The song that inspired the name of the newest and final band formed by Alexi Laiho. RIP

19 minutes of some of the most experimentally incredible music Cult of Luna has ever done:

I have say that "The Galilean Satellites" is yet another example of just how unnecessary the "atmospheric sludge metal" tag is. As with the vast majority of releases that receive that tag, there's really not much sludge metal on this release other than the vocal delivery. Sludge metal is essentially a brand of doom metal that's infused with hardcore punk & there's nothing hardcore or doom about this release. It's a true post-metal release in every sense of the term in my opinion. In fact, "The Galilean Satellites" sits far more comfortably in The Infinite than it does in The Fallen in my opinion.

NO!! Children of Bodom was one of the first melodeath bands I've enjoyed where the vocals are almost entirely growls. I admired his growls and guitar shredding so much. Now I feel bad for leaving my interest in this band during my escape from my earlier epic metal taste. Children of Bodom had already ended over a year ago and Alexi Laiho started a new project Bodom After Midnight. Now it's uncertain whether or not that project will go on. This is awful. Party on in metal heaven, Alexi... RIP );

They are indeed sludge classics, but Mastodon has been within my knowledge the longest, not just in my playlist, but also when I heard a song from the Leviathan album, "Island" in a quick scene from the Pixar movie Monsters University that I watched when it first came out. Besides that, Leviathan is what I believe to be one of the most innovative albums in both progressive and sludge metal. So yeah, Mastodon for me! I'll add my vote along with yours, Daniel:

Leviathan - 1

Panopticon - 1

That Rosetta album does remind me of Isis and Cult of Luna, especially a reminder for me to continue my album reviews for Cult of Luna and other bands. The song I'm gonna share is the epic finale of the last album I've reviewed before 18-day break from reviewing (more info about that here: https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/620?page=1#topic_5230):

This Philadelphia outfit has possibly delivered the best post-metal track I've ever heard in my life. For fans of Isis, Cult Of Luna & Pelican.

It sure is!! "Au Pays Natal", "Sol", both tracks combined, they're all the best I've heard in post-sludge!

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

1. After the Burial - Rareform (2008)

2. All That Remains - Overcome (2008)

3. Annihilator - Alice in Hell (1989)

4. At the Gates - Slaughter of the Soul (1995)

5. August Burns Red - Constellations (2009)

6. Ava Inferi - Onyx (2011)

7. Before the Dawn - Rise of the Phoenix (2012)

8. Between the Buried and Me - Colors (2007)

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

10. Botch - We are the Romans (1999)

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

12. Charon - Songs for the Sinners (2005)

13. Coroner - Mental Vortex (1991)

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

15. Darkest Hour - Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation (2003)

16. Demon Hunter - The World is a Thorn (2010)

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

18. Gaza - I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die (2006)

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

20. Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage (2012)

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

22. In Flames - The Jester Race (2006)

23. In Mourning - Shrouded Divine (2008)

24. Isis - Panopticon (2004)

25. Katatonia - Brave Murder Day (1996)

26. Lamb of God - Ashes of the Wake (2004)

27. Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome (2009)

28. Lord - Fallen Idols (2019)

29. Mastodon - Leviathan (2004)

30. Maudlin of the Well - Bath (2001)

31. Meshuggah - Catch Thirty-Three (2005)

32. Moonspell - Irreligious (1996)

33. My Dying Bride - Turn Loose the Swans (1993)

34. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I (2012)

35. Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood (1996)

36. Opeth - Blackwater Park (2001)

37. Paradise Lost - Draconian Times (1995)

38. Persefone - Spiritual Migration (2013)

39. Protest the Hero - Kezia (2005)

40. Revocation - Existence is Futile (2009)

41. Rosetta - The Galilean Satellites (2005)

42. Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls (2008)

43. Shadows Fall - The War Within (2004)

44. Sólstafir - Köld (2009)

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

46. The Ocean - Pelagial (2013)

47. Threat Signal - Under Reprisal (2006)

48. Tiamat - Wildhoney (1994)

49. Trivium - In Waves (2011)

50. Type O Negative - October Rust (1996)

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

52. Vektor - Black Future (2009)

53. Voivod - Killing Technology (1987)

54. Within the Ruins - Elite (2013)

55. Woods of Ypres - Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light (2012)

I did my review, here's its summary:

If you wanna know what this album, The Galilean Satellites is about, the nearly blank booklet explains it all in one sentence... "These songs are about a space man." If you wanna know more than just a simple sentence, just press play and you'll find yourself as an astronaut eternally stranded in space with no other surrounding lifeforce. The Galilean Satellites contains two discs; one filled with monolithic dirges of spacey post-sludge not for the faint-hearted, and the other filled with desperate ambient tracks of strange beauty. And when you time both discs to play at the same time, they fit like a glove! A bit like Neurosis' Times of Grace and its ambient counterpart. Although I totally enjoyed the heavy first disc It's interesting how I, a heavier metalheads who's not usually into ambient music, feel more immersed by the second disc. It's an aural adventure well-crafted! Whether one of the two discs or both at the same time, the listener has to be absolutely determined. Clearly, it wasn't made easy with all tracks going over 8 minutes, but it sure looks like it was. The Galilean Satellites is no easy task. If you're driving while listening to the album on your radio, it's not for a small errand trip, it's for a cross-state road trip made epic. But it's better to listen to the album at home on your computer or MP3 player if you really want a perfect post-sludge trip out of reality!

5/5

Yeah, those other 7 songs are some of the best industrial metal tracks I've listened to, but the album's perfection was ruined by those two stinkers and that caused me to vote for Godflesh's Streetcleaner (also 4.5 stars and I respect it as the starting album of the industrial metal genre) in the DIS vs DAT Sphere Thread: https://metal.academy/forum/15/thread/354?page=1#topic_5375

Leave it to two terrible sh*t-wipes of songs to ruin what would've been my entryway album to industrial metal:

I've just listened to and reviewed both of those 1989 Sphere albums, and I consider them both great 4.5-star releases that help pioneer industrial metal. But the one I prefer is... Godflesh's Streetcleaner! Yeah, I definitely agree about Godflesh's debut having premiered the entire genre and being their finest hour. That Ministry album is a great classic too; most of the songs in that album are perfect and would've made my real entryway into industrial metal...if it weren't for two meddling stinkers towards the end that made the rating plummet slightly lower than that Godflesh album. With that, Godflesh makes my vote!

Godflesh - 2

Ministry - 0

My thoughts on some of the tracks:

Hexen – “Gas Chamber” (from “State Of Insurgency”, 2008)

9/10. Ooh, listen to that, a brutal thrash song to start the playlist! Well even though I'm not usually into thrash this brutal, this is still an excellent killer song with blazing blast beats and searing soloing. A nice extreme start!

Lamb Of God – “Ruin” (from “As The Palaces Burn”, 2003)

10/10. This song starts with heavy guitar and bass, then Randy Blythe lets rips one of the best screams ever in metal, lasting 15 seconds! That might be his third-longest scream behind the ones in the next album's "Laid to Rest" and Burn the Priest's "Departure Hymn". Some people think of his raspy growls as scratchy, but it sounds really cool to me. Soon the guitars sound more brutal sounding like in Meshuggah in Drop-D, followed by a more brutal slow ending part. One of the best songs in As the Palaces Burn!

Voivod – “Live For Violence” (from “War & Pain”, 1984)

8/10. For this one, it crawls into one ear, violently bursts out the other, and vice versa, back and forth. The main riff of the song is powerful, along with some parts displaying the band's future experimentation. A great heavy song!

Revocation – “No Funeral” (from “Chaos Of Forms”, 2011)

10/10. From start to finish, this song speeds through your a** and out your mouth with epic vocals in the chorus along the way. If I was in the US at the time that I'm writing my comments on this song, I would be snowboarding to this killer piece. Both the instrumentation and vocals seem to be inspired by Voivod, with the instrumentation also having some influences by both Poison and The Cure, and the vocals having the aggression of Randy Blythe. One of the best songs in their first 3 or 4 albums!

Slayer – “Chemical Warfare” (from “Haunting The Chapel” E.P., 1984)

9/10. Listen, I'm not that devoted to the classic heavier thrash stuff like Slayer (at least not right now). If you were to quiz me on some lesser-known things about Slayer, I would be useless as Gene Hoglan on roadie duty (no offense, Hoglan). This is still a killer song though!

Sadus – “The Wake” (from “Swallowed In Black”, 1990)

10/10. The kind of thrash I like is the technical thrash that sounds influenced from other thrash/death metal bands but with a technical twist. This sounds like when Obituary and Sepultura at that time unite and add some technicality that's better than death. A great underrated tune! Seriously, you read that!? This is the technical thrash I like that's underrated compared to the more popular classic heavier thrash!!

Merciless – “Pure Hate” (from “The Awakening”, 1990)

7/10. Ending this playlist is probably the heaviest thrash song I've ever heard, heavier than that Hexen track! I kinda like it, but it's too much on the aggressive deathrash side of Massacra and Agressor. Death metal mixed with thrash is just not the right style for me unless it's technical.

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

Coroner – “Internal Conflicts” (from “Grin”, 1993)

8/10. Interesting song to start this playlist, though this is from Coroner's most experimental album. The usual energetic thrash enters the groove arena with lively proposition and pounding atmosphere without ruining too much.

Sólstafir – “Fjara” (from “Svartir Sandar”, 2011)

7/10. A beautiful song, though it sounds more like an Icelandic Pink Floyd gone grunge. Done talking about this one!

Dream Theater – “Lie” (from “Awake”, 1994)

9/10. One of the best Dream Theater songs ever, besides the ones from their other 90s albums! The riffs by John Petrucci sound massive and dark, inducing great amounts of headbanging. Killer song from a great album and band, including that solo and ending! Though the singer sounds a bit like Ian Astbury from The Cult (band). The solo near the 4-minute mark has one of the great balances of melody and technicality, showing Petrucci's impressive virtuosity. Then after another chorus with clear bass, at over the 5-minute mark is a small metalcore-ish breakdown before those were a thing. Also there's a bit of an early Tool influence. Love this song!

The Ocean Collective – “Jurassic / Cretaceous” (from “Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic / Cenozoic”, 2020)

10/10. Not The Ocean song I've submitted, but I won't bite. This is The Ocean's epic comeback to continue their Phanerozoic saga with guest vocals by Katatonia's Jonas Renkse. This is almost like Dream Theater's "Lie" on steroids, enough to put that Dream Theater song to shame! I got no other words to describe this supermassive epic. Please, just listen to that piece!

Nevermore – “Optimist or Pessimist” (from “In Memory” E.P., 1996)

9/10. A short but killer progressive piece, with killer guitar playing by Jeff Loomis and amazing vocals by Warrel Dane. The lineup for this EP had already recently fallen apart with the passing of Warrel Dane (RIP), and temporary guitarist Pat O'Brien's arrest for breaking into a woman's house and attacking her.

Meshuggah – New Millennium Cyanide Christ” (from “Chaosphere”, 1998)

10/10. The best song of Chaosphere, with drummer Tomas Haake's shining lyric writing. Those lyrics aren't as complicated as they are clever. That's my second favorite Meshuggah song behind "Future Breed Machine"!

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

Nightwish – “Noise” (from “Hvman. :||: Natvre.”, 2020)

10/10. One of the heavier metal songs in an otherwise highly symphonic album. This one represents a bit of the Tarja-era Nightwish sound at its best. Make some noise for the true Nightwish!

Kamelot – “III Ways To Epica” (from “Epica”, 2003)

10/10. This song marks the epic emotional end of the first album of one of the best two-part sagas of metal. 7 years ago, after being introduced to the world of metal via power metal bands such as DragonForce, Dragonland, and Power Quest, I felt the need to expand it with more than just speed. That was when this band Kamelot came in with epic songs like this one, opening a symphonic dimension for my power metal, leading to more terrific bands of that style like Within Temptation, Epica, After Forever, and of course, Nightwish. Symphonic power metal had been such a beautiful inspiration genre. I loved it, loved this band, and still love this song!

Dragonland – “Holy War” (from “Holy War”, 2002)

11/10 (not exaggerating). The most bad-a** power metal song I've listened to over 7 years ago besides DragonForce! This band and song has pretty much kickstarted my path to become a power metal. I think I played this song while playing Skyrim during a few of the in-game battles. The epic organ intro might remind some of Castlevania. Some parts have reminded me how much I used to love power metal, including when the soloing starts at the two and a half minute mark. I especially love the voice of singer Jonas Heidgert. This band would lead to more awesome bands like Avantasia, Dragonland, and Stratovarius. The whole reason this was my first song from this band, at the time probably when I was in late middle school (age, not actually in school), was because the band was mislabeled as DragonForce (the band that got me into power metal), a hilarious misunderstand led to a glorious discovery! Seriously, this is real music, not that mundane radio pop sh*t. It wasn't until late high school-ish years when I forgot about this song when I started making my move out of the earlier epic metal taste, but now a bit of my power metal past is back! I heard that this song was used in the Counter-Strike frag video Pubmasters 2. Also, a more recent DragonForce song "Symphony of the Night" kinda reminded me of this one, which is why I love them both. Those two Dragon-bands have changed my life and swept away my earlier days of listening to nothing but Breaking Benjamin and Disturbed when following my brother's music footsteps. Not only do I love Jonas' voice, but I also enjoy his catchy drums performed in the first two albums. The keyboard/guitar soloing are some of the best I've heard! Some people think power metal is cheesy, but I found that genre brilliant. Dragonland has made some of the most awesome power metal songs including their own Helloween song cover. This band does very d*mn epic power metal with great soloing of creative dimensions! It has been years since my last full listen of this song, and it still sounds epic as f***, and I felt proud of the power metal journey I had. All hail Dragonland!! Along with DragonForce! This song does sound a bit like DragonForce and Stratovarius, along with other progressive power metal bands all around. I think it was my recent interest in Sanctuary that brought back some power metal memories. The Dragonland concept is a bit similar to Game of Thrones, and should be part of its soundtrack. Maybe the Dragonland Chronicles should have its own movie series! Both Dragon-bands have their own unique sound while staying in the same genre. Dragonland has probably also been known for covering a Mozart piece. I'm still enjoying the pure melodic power metal epicness! I also enjoy the speed, and other bands that followed. Now I'm over 21 and have already moved on from my gateway metal genre for a more mature and heavier taste instead of just Bach-inspired metal epic cheesiness. Still can't believe I got attracted to this band for the most unlikely reason, because some jacka** confused the band with DragonForce, but worth it! And that was long before the screaming heavier metal that I like now. I shall ignore any complainers and enjoy the music! Thank you, Daniel, for including this small historical monument of a track....

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

Officium Triste – “Your Eyes” (from “Giving Yourself Away”, 2007)

10/10. Perfect start to this playlist and the album this song was in! Officium Triste is one of a few death-doom bands I really love, and this song is a great awesome one of that genre. I don't have to find the meaning of the lyrics, the band tells it all! Some stories you don't have to see but hear, almost like a depressive demonic fairytale. This is the kind of death-doom, Anathema and My Dying Bride had in the early 90s but altered it in different directions. Well done, Officium Triste!

The Ocean – “Rhyacian / Untimely Meditations” (from “Precambrian”, 2007)

11/10 (not exaggerating). Another one of the greatest Fallen tracks ever! The vocals never detract and are instead dark and subversive enough to immerse you in. The bells, piano, and clean guitars stay comfy in the softer parts. Then the heavier parts with riffs and screams help organize the heavier side of progressive sludge. Shortly after the 6-minute mark, most of the atmosphere is decimated by what might be the f***ing heaviest moment in progressive metal, more chaotic than early BTBAM, who also released an amazing masterpiece album that same year. By the grace of The Ocean!!

Anathema – “Far Away” (from “Eternity”, 1996)

8/10. From Anathema's last metal album. Apparently, this stunning song is about letting go of fallen loved ones. Anathema was one of the earliest bands I've enjoyed to have at least a couple death-doom albums. I still can't believe they're now in a mix of prog/indie/electronic/classic rock. The heavier memories are now far away...

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

9/10. Two of the most beautiful female symphonic metal vocalists unite early on in their careers! Sharon Den Adel's nice voice adds dark gloom. The beautiful melody tries to avert the darkness but falls into glorious defeat.

Moonspell – “Nocturna” (from “Darkness & Hope”, 2001)

7/10. Just a poppy song with good drive. OK, but not enough to discuss more.

My Dying Bride – “The Return To The Beautiful” (from “The Dreadful Hours”, 2001)

10/10. Another perfect song to end this playlist and the album this song was in! Re-recorded from As the Flower Withers, the epic is extended to over 14 minutes, but you know how the parts go. First part "The Silence" has the usual death-doom. In the second part "The Sadness", it soon descends into a sad funeral doom-ish dirge. Third part "The Lust" switches to a quick groove before slowing down back to the death-doom. Then in the fourth part "The Battle", the instrumentation collapses into the screaming sounds of war before starting a death metal battle. Fifth part "The Return" returns to that dirge and groove with Aaron narrating his last lines.

I do not object to the playlist order in any way, but if I could make a small change to the order, I would probably make the Witchfinder General and Saint Vitus tracks 5 and 6 and the Anathema and After Forever tracks 8 and 9 to fit in The Perfect Metal Album Storm (https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/442).

I did my review, here's it's summary:

Botch was a chaotic metallic hardcore band like no other. Their chaos is more controllable and never annoying, it's systematic chaos! This EP has concluded the band's career in a mind-blowing ending. There's a chill of mathcore magnitude in An Anthology of Dead Ends! A lot of anger could be found in the 4 songs that are 3 to 4 minutes long, and a bit of mellowness especially in the 7-minute epic "Afghamistam". All of the song titles are each named after a different country, but all the N's are replaced with M's. Not quite creative naming, but it works. If you're a hardcore fan like I am, you should totally get this EP. I was prepared for that sonic assault, yet still surprised more than any other band. It might sound mellow and restrained, but it sounds great with all that maturity and inspiring emotion mixed with the usual chaos. A great mathcore swansong! Botch is gone but shall remain #1.....

4.5/5

I did my review, here's its summary:

The Great Cold Distance is another step into Katatonia's mainstream alt-metal nature that started with Viva Emptiness, an album that has downhearted lyrics, somber vocals, and occasional fast changes. The Great Cold Distance continues those easily accessible elements in a way that's still not great, lacking some things just like the previous album. While some songs have good consistency, the same cannot be said for the fairly weak atmospheres explored. Remember at the end of Dream Theater's Octavarium where it's mentioned that "everything ends where it began"? The Great Cold Distance is an album that begins where it ends. The album is more aggressive in a few parts, yet most of the time, it spirals back and forth from the atmospheric undertow to the soundscape surface. While there are a few great gems in The Great Cold Distance, a little more than in the previous album, here showing that Katatonia still has their deep dark side even at a slightly lighter alt-metal sound, the experimentation still didn't win back a lot of their earlier fanbase. The pace is kept steady by those song's fantastic rhythms, strong sounds, and solid songwriting. It still stays in the same poor level as their previous 3 albums. Either way, those gems are the backbone of higher quality in this album caught in the mainstream slipstream....

3/5

Update due to Daniel's vote:

Godflesh - 1

Ministry - 0

I plan on reviewing both albums to see which one I would vote for, but not right now, since I'm still on my break from listening to full albums, so I'll review them on New Year's Day. Another interesting reviewing challenge coming up for me...

Inspired by seeing only two Sphere releases have 10 ratings, I decided to continue this DIS vs DAT tournament with one of those two Sphere releases and another Ministry album. Ministry already won the previous round, so if that band wins this one, then they win the tournament. If the other band wins, then the tournament would continue with that band. So here they are, two industrial metal classics released in 1989! Which one has the greater edge? Choose one and explain the reason!

I've rated that album when I was listening to it as part of DIS vs DAT related challenge, and it looks OK. When I was checking the chart for The Sphere, I'm still quite amazed by how unpopular that clan is. 155 releases with at least one rating, 20 releases with at least 5 ratings, and only two releases with 10 ratings (Ministry's Psalm 69 and Godflesh's Streetcleaner)! However, one release in the chart bothers me for being in that clan, and that is Voivod's Phobos! More info about that in this thread: https://metal.academy/forum/28/thread/589