Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Reviews

My interest in Coalesce began with their first two albums, both of which contained the chaotic sound of their intense music and screamed vocals. Though this 3-song EP 002 is quite decent, this was before they fully matured to the full-on mathcore machinery of those albums. After that era, which came with changes in lineup and style, they've decided to re-record those songs along with another two-song EP for a small compilation, 002: A Safe Place. I'm sure it's for more than just money...

The vocals in the original EP sounds as furious as they usual do, but back then it sounds high and strained as opposed to, as well as the songs sounding too tight. "Simulcast" is the only incredible song here, with some changes into an occasional sludgy sound that would hint at the band's incoming technical experimentation and emotion.

002 is slightly good, but is it worth the price you pay? They would later improve....

Favorites (only one highlight): "Simulcast"

Hardcore took on a new different form in the 1990s, embracing a bit of the mainstream while trying something different from what many expected to hear. More different was the metal influences in a few of those bands that lead to metalcore's creation. There are slow heavy riffs that go well with the speedy intensity. The ideal attitude was rebellious while caring for the world's environment, which lead to the straight edge scene. From the southwestern corner of the US, Unbroken became an important band for this decade with the amazing album Life Love Regret! Lasting throughout the first half of the 90s, the name Unbroken fit well for their straight-edge dedication and the rarity of passion. Guitars and shouting vocals chug through, the latter reciting struggles for hope in society. This actually fits well for the hard times of the pandemic when we all have to work together to make things better for the world. We need this band back together to motivate us with their hardcore attitude.

It's so amazing how vastly influential this album can be! They fulfilled a hardcore/metalcore legacy to be remembered by the bands they influenced, even after their split. Unbroken would have hardcore fans head over heels in love, and they would probably be like "Minor Threat who?" The passion and dedication comes from all the members, especially Dave Claibourn who shouts his lyrics with meaning. After their split in 1995, the band refused to reunite for anymore shows or albums. That is, until guitarist Eric Allen committed suicide and the band performed a charity show for his family. Over a decade later, they would spend the early 2010s playing multiple shows and donating to charities. Their final show was a 20th anniversary concert for this album. RIP Unbroken and Eric Allen...

Beginning "D4" is crushing sinister riffing, then it makes a slow transition to really grow on you. "End of a Life Time" is also so good, and the more hardcore fans might keep coming back more. "In the Name of Progression" is slightly more speedy and progressive, and it really hints at the metallic hardcore progression the band was shooting for. There's more hardcore madness to come...

"Razor" has sharp guitar work that can cut like a f***ing razor. "Final Expression" could've had some lyrics expressed better, but they still work well. Another favorite of mine is "Blanket", an intense unforgiving highlight!

But then it leads to an even better ending trio of songs, starting with "Recluse". Then "Setup" has the best setup for some of the most explosive music in this album. And soon comes the very best saved for last... The album ends with the 9-minute epic "Curtain" to shape up top-notch progressive hardcore/metalcore for a different metallic future. Everything is wrapped up with long feedback outro to pleasantly end the short yet wholesome journey this band has made. I know the more hardcore fans would certainly look forward to give this album a spin again.

Even though Unbroken is now just...broken, they remained a hardcore legend. This should be enjoyed by fans of hardcore and 90s metalcore. This band spawned a spark of hope for the hardcore rebellion!

Favorites: "End of a Life Time", "In the Name of Progression", "Blanket", "Setup", "Curtain"

This compilation is basically an extended version of Integrity's debut Those Who Fear Tomorrow, with the additional tracks being the In Contrast of Sin EP (an extension of the 1989 Harder They Fall demo), the tracks recorded in 1992 but released 20 years later as The Araca Sessions in memory of their late drummer David Araca (RIP), one sneak peek at their next album System Overload, and a bonus Negative Approach cover. The extra tracks aren't as crushing as the debut, but still good metallic hardcore.

So getting into the songs from the In Contrast of Sin EP right away, "Live It Down" can be considered the earliest metalcore song if we exclude Rorschach's material. I like that! "In Contrast of Sin" is another very early example of what would remind you of more hardcore bands like Nails. It's tough, fast, and the vicious vocals have a lot worth shouting along to. The rhythm pounds like a hammer through your head. "Bringing It Back" brings back some of the hardcore while mixing it with metal. For "Dead Wrong", anyone who thought Integrity wouldn't succeed at this awesome mix they helped create would be DEAD WRONG! "Harder They Fall" punches the floor like a motherf***er.

The debut begins with a short ambient intro, "Den of Iniquity", a hint at Dwid's later ambient noise part of his career. Despite that intro, you already what's coming for you in hardcore... Dwid makes an unforgettable shout of "MICHA!!!" that kick-starts the title track. This was an important part of 90s hardcore, already signifying the metalcore vision of Earth Crisis and Hatebreed, even Killswitch Engage. "Die Hard" sounds more desperate. This would fit well in the one of the first couple Die Hard movies. However, the scenario the vocal cries creates for me is a crazy caveman fight against feral wolves. The lyrics ring through psychotic guilt. "Lundgren/Crucifixion" is another fast hitter. Lyrically, "Judgement Day" would carry their attitude torch to modern bands to Terror. That song would've had potential in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, from the same year.

"Descent Into" nicely sets things up before something perfectly righteous... The immediate "Darkness" is probably my favorite track here, blowing your mind with despair for a solid 3 minutes! This is the right theme for those with thoughts of the world's insanity. This would've probably helped me during a sh*tty time back in my teen years, but back then I was into power metal, and that was good enough for me. "Tempest" is a song worth listening to appreciate what bands like Misery Signals wouldn't exist without. Later on, the album would have apocalyptic themes of love and evil, and that's apparent in "Dawn of a New Apocalypse".

"Wings Tear" would continue the metallic hardcore sound Skycamefalling would have 10 years later. "Candra Nama Vijayasya Stri Pums' Calayasti" is a short interlude with a strange name. "Apollyon's Whisper" follows as another short hardcore track. "March of the Damned" ends the album with some final twists of desperation. I don't know if it would end upwards and downwards, but I guess any direction they go.

"Kingdom of Heaven" begins The Araca Sessions by showing how slightly different their sound is while still in the early 90s. "Rebirth" has their classic thrashy metallic hardcore going on, pushing their 80s metal influences further yet again, with dissonant distortion in hardcore progression. "Eighteen" is out of place compared to the rest, sounding softer like Alice in Chains at that time. It's the Meshuggah "Ritual" of Integrity! The first of two bonus tracks, "Jimson Isolation" is a sneak peek to their next album System Overload, and has a nice Danzig/Sabbath influence in the pace. Finally, the bonus Negative Approach cover "Evacuate" closes the compilation smoothly.

Hookedlung isn't the best metalcore compilation I've heard, but it's pretty great. I would recommend this only to die-hard Integrity fans. And if you early 90s metalcore is your game, this could get you hooked....

Favorites: "Live It Down", "Dead Wrong", "Harder They Fall", "Micha: Those Who Fear Tomorrow", "Die Hard", "Judgement Day", "Darkness", "Dawn of a New Apocalypse", "March of the Damned", "Kingdom of Heaven", "Rebirth", "Jimson Isolation"

This EP was another band's attempt at crossing over hardcore with death metal. However, unlike Damaged, the quality has taken a plunge downward. It's clear how much they were trying to change the hardcore scene, but when they making their bridge between catchy metalcore and Deicide-like death metal, they seem stuck in the middle. The ties still weren't connected as they should've been. I was expecting something more exciting to begin this otherwise interesting deathcore era...

The record shows them trying to force their hardcore aspects into a death metal sound. The songs are short, mostly under 3 minutes, and contain no solos. While those are not usually an issue in metalcore/deathcore, when much of it is death metal-oriented, near the Cannibal Corpse level, it's quite an important key they ended up wasting. They also seemed to pay no attention to the riffs they've written, which could tilt the urgent hardcore-death metal balance they would've had. I would care for this a lot more if they added some soloing to go with the complex groove.

The vocals sound great in the high screams and low growls, and they actually have more aggressive intensity than the riffs, but the one song where the riffs work the best and most memorable is the 4-minute "177252: God Defined", actually adopting fast breakdowns and catchy vocal sections, despite lyrics of Alien-like extraterrestrial murder.

I have doubts for Misanthrope being considered a good start to deathcore. It can help me bang my head, but it just doesn't reach its potential strength. There are much better bands that could carry the deathcore torch, even the modern bands that metal purists hate. H*ll, even the ultimate slam death metal band sounds awesome to me compared to this sh*t. The production also detracts any case of intensity. I can find less stripped-down deathcore albums from the late 90s, and I'll be back with one of them....

Favorites (only one I like): "177252: God Defined"

Well, here I am again, making another attempt at finding out the deathcore status of this Australian deathgrind band I've discovered last week. Deathcore was practically unheard of when this album was released 25 years ago. Back then, very few extreme bands from Australia were known outside their homeland, even Damaged. Anyone who thought groove metal bands like Pantera and White Zombie were the heaviest would have their minds blown away, if they've ever stumbled upon this then-rare token.

The album has good loud production, suitable for this deathgrind/proto-deathcore band. Here we have earth-quaking drums, sonic guitar distortion, and incomprehensible screaming vocals. The songs can range from slow boring distortion to fast interesting aggression! It sounds as if the latter was one of Slipknot's heavier influences, with some similar riffing to be found in that band's debut album two years later. However, the speed and heaviness varies in more than what would've sounded like nu metal sh*t, though the vocals some threaten to reach that level in their weaker songs, particularly in the first half, which really lessens the fun mood.

The solo-less opening title track is never really close to the best. "Change" is a total stinker, sounding too much like they've attempted to change their style in different directions. Too many styles spoil the song! "Eternal Dismemberment Complex" sounds slightly better.

However, track #4 "The Mirror Perils" is the best of this album! It turns things around from the sh*tty first half by mixing their deathgrind/deathcore sound with more extreme yet melodic influence than just nu metal. However, "Cold Blood Eraser" is back to the album's OK status. "Soul Vaxation Accidental" is at a decent good level, though the intro would remind some of Marduk at that time.

Then the rest of the album has that amazing extreme-infused deathgrind/deathcore sound, the awesome foursome of "Swine Eyed Sheep", "Ingrained", "Glass Spines and Hearts like Junkies", and "Dust". Though that last track would have 15 minutes of silence before a weak hidden track.

There are probably better extreme metal bands out there, for me anyway, but Damaged is as much as I'm up to going into the deathgrind genre, though there's a decent amount of proto-deathcore as well. I can only recommend this to fans of this kind of sound with lots of noise and variety. I probably don't plan to explore the death side of deathcore any time soon, other than one more album from a different band. But at least half of this album is a grand blast....

Favorites: "The Mirror Perils", "Swine Eyed Sheep", "Ingrained", "Glass Spines and Hearts like Junkies", "Dust" (not including hidden track)

Do you ever wonder if you think there should be something altered in its history without lowering too much of its value? That is a frequent thought, isn't it? When you don't know if what you think would be more suitable for a band that would've caused them to rise higher or fall lower. You can't change the past, but you can live with what's available. That feeling I can have listening to Cable's debut Variable Speed Drive, which is still marked an enjoyable mathy metalcore escapade!

Cable evolved throughout the over 25 years since they've released their debut, and they've made 7 full-length albums and a couple EPs, splits, and compilations. Before their switch to sludge in subsequent albums, Variable Speed Drive bashes through 90s noise-metalcore at as much tremendous ease as Deadguy.

Blasting off is "Needles Vs. Nails", completely discordant except for pleasant melody exploding into a triumphant climax before the verse drags you back down. My favorite track here is "Steel Cage Match", a highlight in which the anger and passion makes up for the slight unpolished mistakes. "Sick Little Ritual" is absolutely sick and wacky, to have fun jamming along to out of your hardcore mind.

"Water.Down.Rock" is paced slightly close to doom while having that hardcore "fight-anthem" vibe. Whereas "Carolina Eyes" takes that brooding side on in a more hypnotic way. There's still more fast metalcore madness to come...

"Lie Detector", I'm not gonna lie, is a very killer track worth headbanging. "The Sinking Vessel" continues the dissonant guitar that would be more prominent in metalcore from the 2000s onwards, especially in the breakdowns. "PaperPlaneCrash" is one more standout that reminds me of Converge at that time, with more abrasive delivery yet having a good amount of melody.

Variable Speed Drive has intrigued hardcore/metalcore fans by adding elements that barely co-existed before. The thing I would change would be the production to sound more polished, but I know the rawness should be left as is for the "noisecore" trend. Plus, it's balanced out by the then-rare-in-metalcore melody, so it's all good either way....

Favorites: "Steel Cage Match", "Sick Little Ritual", "Lie Detector", "PaperPlaneCrash"

Here's another band that has reached the top in the late 90s, Shai Hulud! Metallic hardcore has started taking higher ground, with this band paving the way for bands from a few years later like Poison the Well and Skycamefalling. Shai Hulud's debut Hearts Once Nourished with Hope and Compassion is an important late 90s metalcore record, and many metal/hardcore bands would be taking the aspect of emotional anger from the music and lyrics of Shai Hulud for their own sound. This band certainly isn't emo, but they have emotional passion in their lyrics and music. Hearts Once Nourished with Hope and Compassion consists of 9 amazing songs with the most intensity heard in the genre. Shai Hulud have been a highly significant part of the metalcore league despite the long 5+ year gap between albums and as many lineup changes as Annihilator. Their debut shows how beautiful hardcore can be. The band's strongest lineup has made their ultimate essential album!

Now would it surprise you found out that the vocalist at that time is Chad Gilbert, founding guitarist of pop-punkers New Found Glory? Chad has done amazing vocals in this album. He has screamed out messages of despair, with thoughts better communicated here than elsewhere. Though if you wanna hear melodic sung choruses with guitars performed by Chad, New Found Glory would be the better deal, but not for me though.

The opener "Solely Concentrating on the Negative Aspects of Life" makes a perfect point about those screams ("By defending those I love with my life"). One of my favorites here, "My Heart Bleeds the Darkest Blood" continues the unbeatable intelligence of those lyrics ("My heart is cold is stone, I laugh at the pain"). Then "Outside The Boundaries of a Friend" has excellent guitar intricacy that would make me say the Owen Wilson "WOW." The perfect devastation comes during the breakdowns in contrast to lightning fast rhythms that sear through.

"Beliefs and Obsessions" continues the band's top-notch metalcore zone, with devastation that sounds sensible. "A Profound Hatred of Man" sounds more emotional as Chad asks "Why should I strive for acceptance and piece of mind!?" Then they go far beyond where they've gone so far in "Beyond Man".

"This Wake I Myself Have Stirred" stands out with the guitar duo's exchange. The music is as amazing as the lyrics! "Eating Bullets of Acceptance" keeps up the earlier theme of striving for acceptance. Then we have one more slow-to-fast track "For the World". Then after 3 minutes of silence comes a bonus hidden track, an electro-industrial remix of "If Born From This Soil" from the Profound Hatred of Man EP, "Treatments for the Infected Foetus". Wow, they made industrial metalcore before it even caught on! Then finally, after a bit of studio jamming, they sign off with Sigourney Weaver's audio sample from Alien, "This is Lieutenant Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo...signing off."

All in all, Hearts Once Nourished with Hope and Compassion amazes me as much as hardcore fans when it was originally released 25 years ago. This is probably the best Shai Hulud offering for me, though I would still give their other albums a try. No other full album would have their original lineup with only their guitarist Matt Fox continuing the band along with bassist Matt Fletcher starting with their second album. Shai Hulud is no longer as active as they originally were, but Hearts Once Nourished with Hope and Compassion would be a major influence to the hardcore/metalcore world. Shal Hulud is still as influential as they've ever been these past 25 years. Hardcore/metalcore fans would surely be inspired by one of the most original bands of the genre. This is hardcore perfection!

Favorites: "My Heart Bleeds the Darkest Blood", "Outside The Boundaries of a Friend", "Beliefs and Obsessions", "A Profound Hatred of Man", "This Wake I Myself Have Stirred"

We're now heading towards a transitional era where the old-school hardcore roots of metalcore are drifting away slightly more to begin a new heavier wave of metal. A glimpse of promise for the mid-90s before the next decade!

The 90s might seem like p*ssed off Hell for the world, with sieges and wars on the rise in different parts of the planet. Where do some of the witnesses put their rage? In music! Many 90s extreme bands aggressively tackle the world's problems in their sound, whether it's rap metal like Rage Against the Machine, or metalcore like this band Vision of Disorder. This band from Long Island has shaken the world as much as their peers, with the extreme metallic hardcore of their 1996 self-titled debut!

Just listen and learn with the opener "Element" for angry heaviness. "Watering Disease" shows the band really testing the metalcore waters. "Through My Eyes" has violent lyrics of aggression, as Tim Williams threatens to "pull the f***in' trigger, watch your head combust". Then things get more melodic in "Viola" with creative Deftones influence.

"Liberation" is another prime mix of metal and real hardcore punk, as opposed to Devin Townsend's "fake punk" phase at that time. "Divide" has some more of their early metalcore than bands like All That Remains and While She Sleeps probably wouldn't exist without. "Ways to Destroy One's Ambition" has some ambitious motives while sticking to the metalcore guns. "Suffer" originally appeared in a compilation album a year earlier, and it has the best drumming in this album, with lyrics fitting well for this hardcore sound, "Our generation slapped with a f***in' ‘X’".

"Zone Zero" is an amazing combination of melody and heaviness. "D.T.O." is another heavy highlight, recently covered by Eighteen Visions in their own cover album named after the year the Vision of Disorder album was released, 1996. "Excess" continues the excessive amount of metal and hardcore combined, put in great usage to appeal to fans of both territories. "Gloom" has some Filter influence going on, a cool way to end the album.

In conclusion, Vision of Disorder's self-titled debut is another highly essential album of 90s metalcore. The golden age of metal has been considered to be the 80s, but the 90s was in fact the golden age for the earliest metalcore, and this offering is one gem from that era!

Favorites: "Element", "Watering Disease", "Liberation", "Divide", "Suffer", "D.T.O."

If you ask most Earth Crisis fans what their favorite release from that band is, they'll probably say Firestorm and/or Destroy the Machines. I haven't even discovered this band before today and already I'm one of those fans, now knowing this band's historical importance! Their next album that would come behind the throne of those two releases is Gomorrah's Season Ends, which continues the band's unique hardcore metal sound, but with some slight cliches from their attempts to recreate their success.

Metalcore is indeed aggressive, but the whole idea of what's the "heaviest sh*t" has been done to death. People could use that term to describe bands like Metallica, Pantera, and Sepultura, and Fear Factory. However, this album starts with the real deal...

This significantly being "Broken Foundation", an awesome opener that got my attention rolling from the beginning "PAIN!!!!" scream. "Cease to Exist" swirls through with hi-hat strikes. There's even some bass fitting well with the doubled drums in the title track. Nothing's totally perfect in the album, but they've made progress in their greatness, keeping things d*mn interesting in the production.

"Constrict" has helped the American early metalcore scene rise amongst other metal scenes from the rest of that country and Europe. Steadily drumming in the 7-minute epic "Names Carved into Granite", you can hear some of the most alternating meter patterns on Earth! "Situation Degenerates" continues leveling up the hardcore generation.

"Morality Dictates" has the vocalist roar about the horrors of animals being slaughtered for meat industries, and the consequences of obesity that would occur in society. Vegans might be up to screaming along to the vocals to warn people about those dangers, but I'm still a meat eater. Sorry, guys... "Cling to the Edge" adds more to their hardcore edge. "Forgiveness Denied" is a brilliant highlight, with lyrics telling the story of a woman tracking down her sexual abuser for revenge.

Earth Crisis has finally appealed to me, though this album was released over 25 years ago. Normally, people don't find these kinds of bands until their teen years, but I found them today as a young adult. Gomorrah's Season Ends has a great amount of impressive music, continuing this band's status as an important one in metalcore history!

Favorites: "Broken Foundation", "Gomorrah's Season Ends", "Constrict", "Names Carved into Granite", "Forgiveness Denied"

Throughout the past nearly 30 years of metalcore, one of the most influential bands is Earth Crisis. This band is fighting against animal rights issues and drug abuse in their lyrics. While the Firestorm EP solidified their signature metalcore sound in the same level as Integrity, their debut album is where they continue that journey!

Metal and hardcore have been two of the heaviest rock styles out there, but early 90s bands like Earth Crisis helped break the divisive walls between the two. If pure fans of each genre thought one shouldn't co-exist with the other, Earth Crisis proved them wrong by doing their part in bringing together those two scenes. While the Firestorm EP stabilized their foundation of raging riffs and substance-free lyrics, Destroy The Machines brought them higher underground fame, influencing many metal/hardcore bands.

For a brilliant metalcore opener, listen to "Forced March", showing you what the album is gonna be about. It was later covered by Between the Buried and Me in their own cover album. Up next is the introspective blast of "Born From Pain" with heavy weight in the music and lyrics. It was also recently covered by Eighteen Visions in their own cover album. The title track calls out with more rage than Rage Against the Machine. The mid-paced "New Ethic" stomps right through like the fiercest plant-eating dinosaur. A prime example of groove metalcore in that song!

The one track I would consider weak is "The Discipline". It just can't match the power of their EP's title track! Luckily it doesn't detract any perfection from the album. The groove track "Deliverance" is one of those songs that, no matter how bands try to rip it off, always stays original. "Inherit the Wasteland" keeps you in attention with solid drum bounce. The bass is placed perfectly on top of the guitars for some great groove.

"Asphyxiate" has a mid-paced sludge-ish sound that would make you think of Asphyx gone metalcore. "The Wrath of Sanity" touches my metal heart the most of all hardcore-oriented tracks with probably the best breakdown of that genre. Switching around the tempo is "Fortress", one last building-shaking metallic hardcore track.

Earth Crisis is, in my opinion, more underrated than Integrity when it comes to the metalcore pioneering game, with Destroy the Machines bringing hope to the future of the metalcore realms. Even rarer back then was the ability to mix the genre with a groove metal attack. Their record label Victory would become one of the best-known record labels in metal/hardcore, helping out the band in the earliest years for both. Destroy the Machines is essential listening for all metalcore fans, past, present, and future!

Favorites: "Forced March", "Born From Pain", "New Ethic", "Inherit the Wasteland", "The Wrath of Sanity"

Another addition to my "most essential metalcore albums from the 90s" is the 1993 EP from Earth Crisis, Firestorm! This war cry of an EP was a twist in underground hardcore. This band, along with Vision of Disorder and Snapcase, would metallize hardcore away from the outdated Youth Crew scene. Firestorm would build the metal bridge into a new 90s wave of hardcore/post-hardcore, updated into a different genre, metalcore!

Firestorm has the kind of objective Earth Crisis have in much of their material; sending a message via music. The EP unleashes underground anger, and they don't do it without reason. They rage out on different topics that have tainted the world, all while remaining rock-stars (or metalcore stars).

Karl Buechner indirectly screams out that kind of message in the popular title track, "A chemically tainted welfare generation, absolute complete moral degeneration". The track is indexed together with "Forged in the Flames", an incredible anthem for The Revolution. "Unseen Holocaust" has a catatonic breakdown, but the rest of the song drives on through the sonic assault of Karl's vocals as he addresses indigenous people and their risk of genocide and relocation. "Eden's Demise" tries to teach us that veganism might be the way to save the environment. Is that Straight Edge or what!?

In the end, Earth Crisis is never a band to sell out to expand their audience. Firestorm pleases the fanbase they have and would expand with pure simple 90s metallic hardcore. The band would later experiment with other different territories in music, but no 90s metal/hardcore discovery journey would be complete without Earth Crisis, and this 15-minute EP is their very definition. Firestorm is a brave essential release that can be used as a less deadly but equally good-feeling alternate to weapons!

Favorites: "Firestorm", "Forged in the Flames"

Metalcore is, by definition, a mix of metal and hardcore, and the earliest albums of the genre were simply that. They didn't follow any of the trends that would spawn in the new millennium. Starkweather was formed in Philadelphia, in the year the two other creators of metalcore were formed, 1989, and like those bands, they were determined to make a sharp rudimental sound of metallic hardcore. Their debut Crossbearer would be ahead of their time!

I said that because, it was the year 1992, and they were already introducing new sonic elements into the genre they were helping pioneer. You can hear some alt-metal to remind you of Biohazard, Helmet, and Life of Agony, with a similar approach in the production.

In saying that though, you'll definitely hear p*ssed-off metalcore starting shortly after the intro verse of "Tumult". Then in "Mean Streets", there's a section where the vocalist performs almost a monastery-like ritual somewhere in the 30-second outro. "Rest the Soul" is not a song for rest and relaxation. Neither is "Lazarus Runs" which runs at a slow sludgy pace before leveling it up towards the end.

Beginning "Murder in Technicolor" is some Slayer-like riffing that's slowed down. Stretching beyond the limits again is "Shards". Then it segues into "Unto Me". Those two songs are indexed as one in later re-releases. "Picture It Obsidian" has more of a rock vibe and imagery.

The re-release comes with a few bonus tracks worth noting, starting with "The Rift", once again showcasing deranged vocals performed by Rennie Resmini; not hardcore, not metal, but in between. "Above the Rafters" puts you in a sleepy spell of slow energy like if you're in a bar that's also a hot stripper club (not saying that's anywhere I would go). "Desolate" has almost the same death-doomy pace as Paradise Lost at that time. Finally the riff-oriented "Shroud" is a hint at their later material.

With all that said, there's so much to digest, especially for those who have had a hard time finding this album before the reissue. Starkweather is still active, but their album release pace is very slow, having only released 3 more albums in the 30 years after their debut. Their material is very good, so hope they speed up that pace....

Favorites: "Tumult", "Lazarus Runs", "Shards", "Unto Me", "The Rift", "Above the Rafters"

So the original metalcore album was Rorschach's Remain Sedate. But what if you can fully establish metalcore as a genre without being highly dependent on hardcore roots, to influence heavier subgenres, a bit like Black Sabbath's way of heavy metal in Masters of Reality? Add that and lyrics of the confusing insanity of life, and you have the violent intensity of Integrity's Those Who Fear Tomorrow! This hardcore juggernaut is the start of the band's over 3-decade legacy. It is one of the first ever metalcore albums, from 1991, though only the second after Rorschach album from a year earlier. It's no secret that Cro-Mags and Corrosion of Conformity where experimenting with crossing metal over into their hardcore, but Integrity helped bring life to a brand new world. Hardcore verses and metallic breakdowns are led by the original metalcore Dwid Hellion!

For this album's violent soundscape to work, Dwid was born for this world to unleash his psychotic vocals. This unique approach was for many a complete anomaly. This bizarre delivery was unusual at that time, and somehow it still works greatly, with lyrics tackling every trick in the hardcore book. What needed to be kept in mind was, this album was made by strapping young lads in the hardcore scene. Effective messages of "us vs. them" are delivered in gang-like introspection. This music was for suburban Americans preparing for battle, with tattoos and punky uniforms on, ready to tear down more walls than Mr. Gorbachev and descend into dark chaos...

The album begins with a short ambient intro, "Den of Iniquity", a hint at Dwid's later ambient noise part of his career. Despite that intro, you already what's coming for you in hardcore... Dwid makes an unforgettable shout of "MICHA!!!" that kick-starts the title track. This was an important part of 90s hardcore, already signifying the metalcore vision of Earth Crisis and Hatebreed, even Killswitch Engage. "Die Hard" sounds more desperate. This would fit well in the one of the first couple Die Hard movies. However, the scenario the vocal cries creates for me is a crazy caveman fight against feral wolves. The lyrics ring through psychotic guilt. "Lundgren/Crucifixion" is another fast hitter. Lyrically, "Judgement Day" would carry their attitude torch to modern bands to Terror. That song would've had potential in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, from the same year.

"Descent Into" nicely sets things up before something perfectly righteous... The immediate "Darkness" is probably my favorite track here, blowing your mind with despair for a solid 3 minutes! This is the right theme for those with thoughts of the world's insanity. This would've probably helped me during a sh*tty time back in my teen years, but back then I was into power metal, and that was good enough for me. "Tempest" is a song worth listening to appreciate what bands like Misery Signals wouldn't exist without. "In Contrast of Sin" is another very early example of what would remind you of more hardcore bands like Nails. It's tough, fast, and the vicious vocals have a lot worth shouting along to. The rhythm pounds like a hammer through your head. Later on, the album would have apocalyptic themes of love and evil, and that's apparent in "Dawn of a New Apocalypse". With that said, they also add a bit of metaphors related to an abusive mother-son relationship, and that would be some vile disturbing imagery.

"Wings Tear" would continue the metallic hardcore sound Skycamefalling would have 10 years later. "Harder They Fall" punches the floor like a motherf***er. "Candra Nama Vijayasya Stri Pums' Calayasti" is a short interlude with a strange name. "Apollyon's Whisper" follows as another short hardcore track. "March of the Damned" ends the album with some final twists of desperation. I don't know if it would end upwards and downwards, but I guess any direction they go.

So what was next for Integrity? They would make two more EPs and three more albums before guitarist Aaron Melnick left after touring. Dwid would continue the band with more experimental tendencies. Yet he would stay true to the band's legacy and violent touring. Dwid is pretty much an underground legend that helped spawn a massive genre for the worldwide masses. More live albums and compilations would be on the way maintain the band's cult following, and Dwid would even experiment on a more gothic-sounding solo album. Still, Those Who Fear Tomorrow is responsible for a metalcore tomorrow....today!

Favorites: "Micha: Those Who Fear Tomorrow", "Die Hard", "Judgement Day", "Darkness", "Dawn of a New Apocalypse", "Harder They Fall", "March of the Damned"

The revolutionary history of metalcore all began with this hardcore quintet from New Jersey. If you enjoy the sound developed and popularized by Converge or the recent noise-grind of Nails, Rorschach is the band to thank! Such a miracle wouldn't come without a misfortune. Shortly after their debut, vocalist Charles Maggio came down with Hodgkin's disease. After a 3-day cripple, he was able to continue shows to work up some smoke, sweat, and spit, though his vocal style would change for their next album.

Rorschach's debut Remain Sedate would bring a rebellious future to mankind. After the decadent 80s when metal and hardcore were two separate sides, the despondent 90s was when both genres have been united. Maggio had to fight his own battles when keeping together 3 jobs; his time in the band, being an accountant, and a father of twins, and all that energy would be put into making a real scene-changer. Rorschach has made the perfect stylistic formula for the most brutal hardcore at that time, transcending into a new style they wanted to invent. This is a relentless D-beat-inspired assault of crushing riffs and tormented screams like nothing before!

There wouldn't be much justice done if I describe in words the songs from the very first metalcore album, but I'll do my best, starting with "Pavlov's Dogs", blasting out into metalcore fury right from its very creation. "In the Year of Our Lord" can easily refer to this year being the year of the creators of metalcore. There's more of their impressive invention to come in the next 4 tracks; "Someone", "Impressions", "Clenching", and "So It Goes".

So that was the end of their first side, but they would strike again with their second side starting with "Lightning Strikes Twice". And their sound would never be alone thanks to "No One Dies Alone". Then we have the fast hardcore trio of "My Mind's in a Vice", "Checkmate", and "Exist". Finally, the chaotic dissonance fades out after "Oppress".

A new sound was unleashed like the end of the world but really a new beginning. Everything's a highlight with no tracks competing against each other, and no sh*tty filler. The slithering bass and jackhammering drums share the stage with the guitars and vocals. This raw formation of a new sound while channeling their own horrors is kind of what Black Sabbath had done when inventing heavy metal. Like Sabbath, Rorschach was a will-testing pioneer of something new. With this perfect offering, metalcore was born!

Favorites: "Pavlov's Dogs", "In the Year of Our Lord", "Impressions", "Lightning Strikes Twice", "No One Dies Alone", "Oppress"

One last band for me to check out in my early essential expedition is Knut. Sadly I came here after the passing of vocalist Didier Séverin, but with such a perfect album as Challenger, this positive review would be a nice blessing for his legacy. And better late than never, right? RIP...

Lots of cool stuff you can find from Switzerland including metal bands Coroner, Samael, and Eluveitie, along with Tolberlone's triangular chocolates and Swiss Army Knives. Initially, the band only gained attention in Europe, but they would then be heard of in America thanks to Hydra Head Records releasing their first two releases. Challenger is an album that would challenge the Northern lands with unexpected expectations from their sludgy mathcore sound!

Straight on into pummeling madness, the wacky "Whacked Out" opens the album with discordant guitar and thick bass before a Botch-like math-metalcore groove. The chaotic guitar flows through frantic drumming and heavy rhythm. "Repressed" has guitars alternating from high to low, even going far into grindcore. "El Niño" has some Coalesce-powered groove as well. The guitars and drums fight for the main control, impressive building up to more of that chaotic frenzy. There's more of that fury to come later on, if you're up for more of this challenge...

"Bite the Bullet" bites down on the usual mathcore antics, leading up to an incredible ending breakdown. Next track "Neon Guide" slows things down close to black-doom. Don't take it the wrong way though, this ain't Woods of Ypres (another band with a fallen frontman, RIP). It sounds more towards the style of Neurosis and Cult of Luna at that time, reminding me of the latter's self-titled debut. "H/Armless" continues the slow intensity with tearing vocals.

"58.788" is cleaner with melodic yet distorted guitar and voice samples. "Ice Will" brings back the earlier pounding chaos. The closing track "March" is a 20-minute math-metalcore epic (almost as long as the entire Coalesce's Functioning on Impatience), filled with tempo changes, complex drums, and elevating intensity. Incredible!

All in all, it is expected to be unexpected. The intense music has evolved into one of the best albums I've heard of sludgy mathcore. This excellent music will catch your ears with this pummeling record. It should really be picked up by fans of that sound, especially Neurosis, Keelhaul, and Cult of Luna. Add some sludge spice into your metallic hardcore with the perfect challenge that is Challenger!

Favorites: "Whacked Out", "El Niño", "Neon Guide", "Ice Will", "March"

You know how hardcore a band's gonna get with this sarcastic "fight me, b****rds" attitude, and Drowningman is no exception! Rock and Roll Killing Machine allows them to bite their way through social commentary in statements delivered to the metalcore masses.

From the shadows of Rock and Roll Killing Machine, Drowningman brought the right tools for the sound of this second album of theirs in a noisy mix of elements from hardcore punk and crossover thrash that formed metalcore. It is shocking to find the lack of appreciation this band gets for their strength. They even had the audacity to write a few long song titles, which I'll shorten so I don't get exhausted just from writing them all.

"When People Become Numbers" has strength in numbers, and by that, I mean numbers of aspects to expect in metal/mathcore. The hardly recognizable "Last Week's Minutes from the Meeting..." deserves more attention with its sharp relentless riffing attack, eventually turning into some of the most melody this band has ever had to blow through your head. "The Truly Dangerous Nature of a Man..." is probably the heaviest song here, but it won't go out without a soft ending with clean vocals. There are a few more songs coming up, and they have shorter song titles...

The title track has excellent melody in the chorus. "Code Breaking Hearts" is a classic highlight, starting with speedy aggression before some more melodic sections, all great when you're along for the ride. "My First Restraining Order" is definitely not the first mathcore song I've listened to, but it's a great start for newcomers.

"This Year’s Most Fashionable Signs of Weakness" is a slightly longer song title than the previous 3, but they're clever enough to eliminate the emo class for the greater scene of bands like Cable (still waiting for that band to be added to this site) and Today is the Day. You'll never be bored in the frantic "If God Loves a Winner..." And finally, "Angles And Defenses" is the band's last line of metal/mathcore defense before their long break until one more album.

Rock and Roll Killing Machine reaches near-perfection with its caustic blend of melody and dissonance in the vocals and guitars, creating crazy monstrous hooks for noisy hardcore punk songs to morph with math metal into their own subgenre. Drowningman has proven that it's hard to replicate the Killing Machine that they are!

Favorites: "When People Become Numbers", "Last Week's Minutes from the Meeting...", "The Truly Dangerous Nature of a Man...", "Code Breaking Hearts", "This Year’s Most Fashionable Signs of Weakness"

Mathcore's development has been helped out by a few bands that are far more metalcore. Cave In took on a more progressive-ish side of metalcore that might make you think of mathcore though it has only reached elements of that subgenre, and the end result sounds massive!

Their debut Until Your Heart Stops shows what a boundary-breaking band they can be and would make you up for many listens. Instead of going as melodic as Killswitch Engage, expected is the violence of changing rhythms you might also hear in The Dillinger Escape Plan, Coalesce, and Converge, the latter's members Kurt Ballou and Jacob Bannon appearing a few times in the album. Many different elements form the uniqueness in Cave In's mighty sound, for a new underground attitude.

The two-minute opening punch of "Moral Eclipse" pounds through with killer energy, complete with distorted guitar breakdowns, driving percussion, and screaming vocal alternation. "Terminal Deity" has repetitive riffing but it's OK because of its evolution into madness that you can understand more in later listens. "Juggernaut" sounds more progressive but in a beginner's level, with a storming riff onslaught unleashing energetic hardcore, though there are twists back and forth into strange melody, jazzing up things while making the song worth headbanging to.

A longer definition of the album is the 8-minute epic "The End of Our Rope is a Noose". There's an ambient soundscape Isis would have later, before a mid-paced blend of progressive metal and metalcore, sounding slow before a ricochet into chaos. Then we have a psychedelic stoner bridge before the nastily great heaviness rises once more. Normally I don't like bringing interludes into detailed light, but "Segue 1" stands out as a cool interlude to breathe in for a minute. You can consider that one instrumental experimental emocore! Then there's a sudden jump into the title track, with the most Slayer-ish riff-fight you'll ever witness, before some last melodic twists and concluding with the noise-ridden interlude "Segue 2". Following this is "Halo of Flies" with stomping guitar and percussion effects, and vocals ranging from harsh to soft.

"Bottom Feeder" is an under-3-minute mid-tempo clean-sung track that reminds some of Helmet in the semi-relaxing verse, before some more ugly yet beautiful noise. It's forgotten yet so unforgettable! Then "Segue 3" is another brief weird noise interlude. "Ebola" has the most frantic intro, yet it continues as the most melodic song here. The 14-minute "Controlled Mayhem Then Erupts" travels the mathy metalcore lands one more time before sailing the ambient noise seas into the unknown...

Until Your Heart Stops is not an album to simply summarize, but it's known as an interesting diverse addition to the metalcore revolution. It's the perfect way to start this band's career that would end up taking a less heavy turn. Don't let their legacy stop!

RIP bassist Caleb Scofield

Favorites: "Moral Eclipse", "Terminal Deity", "The End of Our Rope is a Noose", "Until Your Heart Stops", "Bottom Feeder", "Controlled Mayhem Then Erupts"

Coalesce's debut Give Them Rope can be considered an early mathcore masterpiece, highly technical with underground production in a decent album length. However, their shorter second album Functioning on Impatience might be good for the impatient but not for those who want a full album. This is pretty much the Daughter's Canada Songs of Coalesce in terms of length and quality.

With its 20-minute 7-track length, Functioning on Impatience doesn't reach the brilliance of Give Them Rope. The album is not the most metal-looking, but it doesn't hurt. Neither does this short test of patience...

The subtle build into chaos that begins "You Can't Kill Us All" consists of the caustic pained shouts of Sean Ingram with simple drumming. After he proclaims the title line, the drumming tightens and in come the guitar rhythm and bass rumble, all while the thick growls lead the way. After that is the filler interlude "Recurring Ache of Monotony Still Running". Then the heavy cadence is steadied in "A New Language".

Speaking of language, they better watch themselves in "On Being a B****rd". After that "My Love for Extremes" is heavily suitable for my love for extreme mathcore. Will they continue the extremeness that I love?

"Measured in Gray" keeps going on and off with their guitar work and time changes. They really start and stop a lot in a pleasant way, thanks to guitarist Jes Steineger. The most furious way to finish the album is "A Disgust for Details". To be honest, I don't think there's a lot fiercer than that track from much of this band's material or mathcore. That's the heaviness to remind me of us where they started in their debut!

Functioning on Impatience has quite some tight groove throughout the album. You won't be able to dance to this music without turning the dancefloor into a moshpit. The insane amount of time-changes was the right spark for a metalcore future. Now despite the album's short length, you would be welcome into metal-mathcore progression....

Favorites: "You Can't Kill Us All", "A New Language", "My Love for Extremes", "A Disgust for Details"

Coalesce has disbanded and reformed on and off, and currently they're no longer active after a couple reunion shows. I've only just discovered the steady supreme material they've made. During their first long split throughout the first half of the 2000s, in order to tame fans of the band hungry for a new EP and album, a crushing masterpiece was remastered and re-released, their debut Give Them Rope! This perfect album delivers mathcore in every way possible.

The lyrics can be quite hard to understand and can p*ss off some listeners, though the frustration is important for Coalesce's power. However, when you already know the lyrics and pay close attention, you know the darkness of the themes within the screams.

The impressive assault "Have Patience" blasts off and has made quite an impact for my first time with this album, delivering heaviness beyond 11. If anyone thought Spinal Tap made heavy history, that track would prove them wrong. "One on the Ground" begins in a screaming barrage that's totally worth it. I can personally hear those notes and beats strike my heart. Blasting through again in "Cut to Length". And again in the crushing "For All You Are".

"Still It Sells" has panning rhythms, while the screams of Sean Ingram rocket through the ears in an interesting light. "Chain Smoking" continues the heavy math-metalcore chain once again. "Did It Pay the Rent?" pays off well with its tormenting greatness.

This band can pummel and there's "Every Reason To", from every instrumentation aspect, including the heavy groove bass of Stacey Hilt, the smashing drums of James Dewees and the technical destruction in the guitar riffs by Jes Steineger. Altogether with Sean Ingram's mighty roars. "I Am Not the First" is an interlude with not much to say. "This is the Last" isn't the last song, but has the ultimate part of their sound. "I Took a Year" makes sense the amount of time they took to release the album since recording.

It's no secret that Coalesce knew how to take on the audible aspects of their sound. While people might prefer more precise production that the band would have in later albums, the muddy sound is what sets Give Them Rope apart, letting the technical grooves beak through the Earth's crust. Just think about the massive moshing whirlpool the smashing guitars and decimating drums would create when performed live, all guided by Ingram's deep monstrous vocal power. This metallic hardcore can be both brutal and catchy, the way it's meant to be. The crazy destruction is what helped Coalesce stand their ground, and an album this important deserves the most attention!

Favorites: "Have Patience", "One on the Ground", "Still It Sells", "Did It Pay the Rent?", "Every Reason To", "This is the Last"

One band to really put the metal in metalcore and the math in mathcore is Deadguy (not to be confused with German power metallers Edguy). There are more popular bands of those genres, but a few of the less active bands would have you keep keep listening. Though I've already experienced Botch and Converge, Deadguy is what's missing for me! For their debut and only album, Fixation on a Coworker, we have the most real metallic hardcore you'll ever witness, with such beauty and chaos to inspire new bands.

The production is quite grand yet sharp, as sharp as a razorblade! The angular riffs shred like buzzsaws alongside heavy tom hits. And there's never the need for any recycled emotion, it's just rage all the way through.

"Doom Patrol" starts with a direct punch in the face as speedy riffs sear through riff harmonic dissonance. The intense vocals by Tim Singer (who shouts, not sings) is just what metallic hardcore really needs, working especially well in the slow breakdown. "Pins and Needles" has more intricate syncopation as you hear in your mind all that's happening to you. The lyrics focus on the horrors of reality instead of the gory film horror that death metal bands fixate on, inspiring a dark yet modern future. The mid-paced "Die With Your Mask On" keeps up the standard-tuned riff wrath as you hear a ranting frenzy in the vocals ("so quick to deny and patronize"). That's a much better way to start mathcore than the overly experimental Candiria!

"Baby Arm" once again makes sure the band is armed for another metal-mathcore war. The more dissonant "Makeshift Atomsmasher" has more unpredictable brutality that would level up a moshpit. They can sound so technical in such a short song length. "The Extremist" once again takes things to the extreme.

"Nine Stitches" has the kind of bridge you wish to have in music class, with as many time changes as The Dillinger Escape Plan can have, enough to induce f***ing confused headbanging. "Riot Stairs" starts clean and gloomy. Then the drums speed up to fast hardcore with thundering growls ("therapy and love"). There's rapid metal complexity all over "Apparatus". Finally, the 6-minute "Crazy Eddie" starts with a riff that's like Slayer but slower, then after a pause, some kick-A rhythm before a final hard chord strike.

Who needs solos and breakdowns when you can have nothing but f***ing technical heaviness!? Fixation on a Coworker is the right album for metalcore fans, and it's disappointing that this band ended too soon. Essential metal/mathcore that you can't skip in your life!

Favorites: "Doom Patrol", "Die With Your Mask On", "Makeshift Atomsmasher", "Nine Stitches", "Apparatus"

For far too long, old forgotten albums have been in the unknown void. If only I could have a time machine that could allow to teleport back in time to when they were still remembered. The debut album from Candiria isn't easy to absorb, it sounds quite weird with some superb points! Straight outta Brooklyn, Candiria want to make any d*mn music they wanted, with no fear of being criticized. Since their 1992 formation, they've crossed through a diverse sonic mix of styles and experienced several lineup changes and hiatuses, plus a tour van crash in 2002 that severely injured all the members at that time, but fortunately they recovered. Their most recent album came out in 2016. But now we're gonna experience the first part of their diverse journey, their debut Surrealistic Madness!

I had not known much of this band before this encounter, and it's quite incredibly strange having come across this album for the first time, as if the cover art and title wasn't enough of a tip-off. Many fans have praised this band, but little did they know the existence of this offering! Some things are quite notable when you catch up with the context of the sonic music. It's quite a bizarre combination that works sometimes. There's also lots of death metal groove here, but is this really enough to create deathcore? Well the style I would say is progressive mathcore, and this album is the first of that style, but is more of a mix with that and technical death metal, along with jazz interludes. The album is also known as their only one without longtime guitarist John LaMacchia. Instead they had the late Chris Puma (RIP) who also wrote some guitar parts for their second album that were performed by LaMacchia. Puma's guitar work was quite impressive though...

You can hear it in the first of two songs that were re-recorded for later, "Temple of Sickness". At over the 4-minute mark is a brutal slam-core breakdown, then a minute later, the vocals reach death-growling while having the mid-paced metalcore of Cold as Life. The one-minute interlude "Wind" seems like a bit of a waste. I mean it's OK, but it sounds too much like a futile attempt at a different experiment of tribal drumming. "Elevate in Madness" is the second of two tracks re-recorded for The Process of Self-Development, trying again their mosh-core bridge between jazz and tech-death. The fantastic "Infected Wisdom" is for some reason only available in the original version. That's too bad because the awesome jazz-infused progressive death/mathcore is still around.

"Toying with the Insanities" is another useless one-minute interlude. The only thing amusing is the possibility that they made this using only bathroom appliances. "Mental Crossover" definitely sounds like a crossover between mathy hardcore and deathgrind, especially in the vocals. "Observing Highways" is another amazing track that was only in the original. But what's different here is, this is basically just progressive jazz, sounding like Herbie Hancock contributed to the SimCity soundtrack. "Pages" is a return to some great deathly hardcore insanity. They unleash furious fire in a brief breakdown in the last 20 seconds.

For the next track "Weep", it starts off like something from a horror movie soundtrack before going full-on jazz in the last minute. "Red Eye Flight" is a f***ing treat. The first minute is deathly hardcore but after that is a 10-minute string/synth jazz interlude. Holy sh*t, some of the jazzy parts actually work pretty well on and off. Not something I would listen to if I'm in a pure metal mood, but it has decent potential. There are two bonus tracks in the 1999 re-issue, starting with the dissonant yet jazzed-up "Chaos in the Middle of Perfectly Illogical Sense". The other bonus track "Purity Condemned" is from an earlier demo and, one minute and 20 seconds in, has a killer breakdown.

This band's experimental journey began in Surrealistic Madness. I'm sure longtime fans of the band would love it to bits and probably finally give it the credit and praise that has been missing all these years. But for someone who has just discovered this today, it would have to take a very long time to get used to it before I like it more. There's more than meets the ears, and you would find a lot more of it if you're a professional listener of experimental jazz/death metal/mathcore....

Favorites: "Temple of Sickness", "Infected Wisdom", "Observing Highways", "Pages", "Red Eye Flight" (parts of it), "Purity Condemned" (bonus track)

In the second year of the COVID lockdowns, live performances were still put on hold. Music fans had more time to spend listening to music and writing about it in reviews. Some bands split up or went on hiatus, while others continued to record. Eighteen Visions used the time to record some more material after last year's Inferno EP, and this time it's one song and 9 covers, in a surprise-release looking back at different bands from the 90s, the cover album 1996!

From June to July 2021, the band released 3 singles. The first one was an Alice in Chains cover, the second one was a Vision of Disorder, and the third was their own song. Then on the 4th week, all 7 other tracks came out in this album together with those 3 singles. Personally, I think when they switch into Alice in Chains-style hard rock/alt-metal, it doesn't always work as much as their metalcore glory. Still they can blend beauty and chaos together well. With crushing drums, pummeling bass, searing guitars, and in-your-face vocals ranging from clean singing to bloodcurdling screams, there's barely any other cover album to hit you as hard as this.

The title track is the sole new song here. It pays tribute to a few things; this era of old-school metalcore/hardcore, the year the band was formed, and also the year vocalist James Hart stood up against a racist Nazi bully in high school, a true story that became the lyrical inspiration for that song. This is heavy old-school-sounding metalcore that would have you party like it's that year! Now it's on to the covers, starting with the aforementioned Vision of Disorder cover, "D.T.O.", a heavy highlight made f***ing heavier. Brilliant! "The Hangedman" is a cover of that Damnation A.D. track, in which the original was dragged down by the painful vocals and lyrics. I dig 18V's cover a lot more than the sh*tty original, but the fact it's still that song prevents this from becoming a highlight.

"Born From Pain", originally by Earth Crisis, comes up next, and just like the original, there's heavy weight in the music and lyrics. The Unbroken cover "Blanket" is another intense unforgiving highlight, and my favorite track in the metalcore/hardcore side of the album, almost like an outtake from their previous album XVIII. Oh yeah, the album has two sides, and the second has covers of songs from hard rock/alt-metal bands, starting with that first single, the Alice in Chains cover, "Them Bones". I don't really listen to a lot of Alice in Chains, but I'm familiar with that song, and they've really nailed it from the iconic intro. As if the original didn't sound filthy enough, this is a much more crushing tribute. With that, I can forgive 18V for their earlier attempts at grunge-metal. "Scentless Apprentice" is a song by Nirvana, known as the most popular grunge band. As always, it manages to outshine the original, in this case with the sick bass and vocals, nicely done!

"Sad but True" is a song from Metallica's Black Album. As heavy as the original song was, 18V has turned it into f***ing heavier sh*t. I mean, d*mn, this is truly solid! And then, Nine Inch Nails' "Terrible Lie"... Holy sh*t, what a cover! Far better than the original and even Static-X's cover. 18V has covered a NIN song before, "March of the Pigs", shortly after reforming, and the one also rules more than the original and Horse the Band's take on it. "Terrible Lie" is so f***Ing perfect, and my favorite in the rock/metal side. "Down" by Stone Temple Pilots is the last song covered here, and it's another cover heavier than the heavy original.

This may sound a little biased, but 1996 is one of the best cover albums in metalcore. It would've reached a perfect 5 stars if they had replaced that Damnation A.D. cover with a different one from a metalcore/hardcore band. Still I really dig the other 9 songs, and if there's anything to bring the band back to their early 2000s glory, this is that!

Favorites: "1996", "D.T.O.", "Blanket", "Them Bones", "Terrible Lie"

There's a reason why deathgrind is not one of the death metal subgenres I chose to rediscover. It's a mix of two of the deadliest metal genres; standard death metal and grindcore, and bands like Brutal Truth (whose vocalist Kevin Sharp would perform in their final album 5 years after this one) are beyond my leeway. So why am I here? To explore the earliest deathcore releases and, SPOILER, this ain't!

With the lack of impact outside their homeland, Damaged was signed to Rotten Records to have this EP and their debut reissued as one album. Damaged is in their game of deathgrind fury, sounding good in a couple tracks, but when they rarely ease up, it's as intense as the world's spiciest ghost pepper and not how I would handle spiciness.

One track I truly enjoy is the title track, which has unholy guitar-vocal assault that might be an early hint of deathcore, but again that subgenre is not what this EP is for the most part. The only other enjoyable track for me is the neat little cover of Bathory's "Equimanthorn". Still nowhere near deathcore, but it's quite interesting hearing this band transform an early black metal song into deathgrind.

If you enjoy Celtic Frost's earlier death metal-influencing material mixed with the noise-grind that Nails would later have, you might like and handle the intensity of Passive Backseat Demon Engines way more than I do. All you need to know is, they're deathgrind, very little deathcore is present, end of review....

Favorites (only songs I like here): "Passive Backseat Demon Engines", "Equimanthorn"

Winter is one of the 4 seasons, the most notorious one due to the coldness, darkness, and freezing snow. Having lived in a hot near-equator country for so long, I do wish to experience that season again someday. One band would put their energy from the freezing bleakness into what was the most doom-ridden album back then. This is Winter's debut Into Darkness! The theme of winter may work best with black metal and power metal, but a doom metal band like Winter can convey something more somber about the season, infused with bits of death metal for hallowing magic. There's beautiful contrast between the grounded guitar and the spacey keyboards.

I have a feeling the recording happened when the members were in a college dorm, but I guess you can say that about any lo-fi black metal recording. What makes this doomy album sound so clean yet highly gritty in production is how the instruments sound like switch from multiple to one, as the vocals stand out above them all. The drums sounds the best in the mix, never overwhelming while a prominent massive weight to hold everything together.

Starting the album is the dark gloomy 6-minute intro "Oppression Freedom". If this album was a movie, this would fit well for the beginning scene that shows the aftermath of a battle that happened shortly before the events of the film; the moon shining over a battlefield with nothing in it except burning fire and slain bodies, a bit like the cover art. "Servants of The Warsmen" has a Celtic Frost-inspired sound similar to that Delirium album. Within the gloom, there's keyboard atmosphere to guide us through after-war depression. One of my personal favorite tracks here is "Goden". The death growls that I like are in fantastic contrast with the doomy guitars, bass, and drums.

Then we have the shorter interlude "Power and Might" with a slow yet irresistible drum beat. Then it levels up for another favorite "Destiny", for a groove-like speed. There's still the occasional doom atmosphere to keep things wonderful and interesting.

The best of it all is "Eternal Frost". Words can not describe what a frosty cold doom track it is. The title track is an awesome 9-minute epic, one last heavy listen in the dark forgotten underground. The grim malevolence of this album is still around. The slowness dominates for another perfectly executed track. And it works greatly in the raw fuzz that is a main part of the production.

Winter made only one album in their tenure, and that album, Into Darkness is a better death-doom release than the other two I've reviewed. But don't expect me to return to any other bands from The Fallen like My Dying Bride, at least for now. A stellar underrated release to bring life to a dark depressive sound!

Favorites: "Goden", "Destiny", "Eternal Frost", "Into Darkness"

I'd like you to think about how many death-doom bands are inspired by Celtic Frost and be amazed by how much that band inspired many bands in death and/or doom even though they have their own different sound that mixes those elements. This kind of death-doom would never die out, despite a bumpy start. Bands like Winter and Delirium would each try their own take of the doomy parts of their first couple Celtic Frost albums, but sadly split up afterwards...

For the sole album from Delirium, Zzooouhh (wow, that wacky title sounds like some kind of snore), we have the smashing guitar, growls, and groove of death metal that then collapses into the slow monstrous doom metal, a captivating mix also done by Winter the same year. It's strange how this style barely caught on as much as other genres like thrash metal. With that said, Delirium's Zzooouhh sounds so fresh and inspiring, with the harsh guitar, riff variation, and tempo changes pleasing heavier metalheads who want more. It's obvious how much the fast-doom ratio has been influenced from Celtic Frost, though it's not just that kind of influence.

The album starts weird with the intro "The Ninth Dimension". Then the 6-minute "The Warrior" rolls on, though the speed isn't all that delivered well. What works well here is the catchy riffing in the first minute. The odd-titled "B***h" doesn't level up the fun factor, and even with the influences from Celtic Frost and Death, sounds a bit lame. "Amputation" doesn't have the addictive riffing that would level up the length. However the crawling doom is much more promising.

We finally have a death-doom anthem here in "Voices from Zzooouhh". This is standard early death-doom to lighten my mood with barely any disadvantages, again taking those Celtic Frost influences and making a style that Asphyx would later popularize. "Flood of Intricate" also sounds more fresh and compelling. It starts off sounding like something from a horror movie before kicking off the doom riffing Cathedral would later have, while continuing the Celtic Frost-inspired rhythm. Delirium can really be in the middle of this connective exchange in a good way.

"Menace Unseen" doesn't start as a banger right away but soon quickly grows into one. Right off the death metal bat, the vocalist screams in a way that rises from his usual growling to a full-on Death-esque shriek. The tremolos are on fire and there are unexpected times when even the guitars shriek! "The Sign of Urth" has riffing fury that sounds more towards hardcore/deathgrind but the rhythm action of Celtic Frost is still there, right? Also a notable highlight! "Beyond the Gates of the Afterdead" is the final surprise, a 9-minute epic that almost works as two parts. The first half in a constant mood-changer, crawling through until another Celtic Frost-powered drive in the verse, with the riffing soon morphing to thrash. Then the second half is a grand turn into driving death metal before ending on a creepy note. Far better than those first few tracks!

Zzooouhh is not really the absolute best of death-doom because of those beginning tracks, thereby having a little less points than that Spooky Gloom album, but the rest is essential death-doom for fans of the subgenre and Celtic Frost. Pretty neat if you just start at track 5 and not think too much of the strange album title....

Favorites: "Voices from Zzooouhh", "Flood of Intricate", "The Sign of Urth", "Beyond the Gates of the Afterdead"

The underground is barely known to the mainstream public, and one band from those illusive caverns would invent atmospheric death-doom. In Sempiternal Deathreign's only album The Spooky Gloom, you can hear slow doomy epics ranging up to 10 minutes and shorter death metal attacks. It's more varied than just a standard mix...

F***ing raw production right here! You can hear the guitar crunch with the equalizing bass fitting right in and sounding audible. So, nothing too special about that bass then... The excellent drumming varies from grind beats to slow doomy power, the latter leveling up the monolithic riffing. There's wild growling vocals all around, and fortunately, the lyrics can be read online in case you don't understand them just from listening. All in all, a great dark instrumentation setup.

"Creep-O-Rama" opens the album with atmospheric riffing before it turns fast and crushing with destructive drumming, and eventually spooky growling. Lots of good riffing lead up to before a chilling guitar lead ending climax. "Resurrection Cemetery" is so brutal and fast, with occasional slowness before ending with Slayer-like soloing.

"Devastating Empire Towards Humanity" starts with a soft ominous intro, before a riff that I guarantee will make you scream "SABBATH!!!" Well it does make sense because can you think of a doom metal band that's is NOT influenced by Black Sabbath? You probably won't. Though for the more elite old-school doom fans, the meaty rhythms can remind them of Pentagram and Witchfinder General. With those death metal elements still out and about, I haven't heard such a varying death-doom epic since My Dying Bride's "The Return of the Beautiful". However, "Dying Day" is where the quality dies down a bit, but I'm still in attention.

"Unperceptive Life" is a brutal track I would like more if it was more doomy and not so f***ing short at 2 minutes. The title track sounds so spooky and gloomy, fitting well with the title. This is probably the greatest early example of death-doom, sounding much doomier than the previous songs. They could've really pushed that sound into prominence, but they split up after this release.

The Spooky Gloom is very great, but a couple songs are a bit tiring and lose a bit of interest. Still this was a very unique album when it came out, practically giving birth to death-doom while different from what you'd expect in the subgenre. Slight flaws aside, this is what your ears crave in the deathly side of death-doom....

Favorites: "Creep-O-Rama", "Devastating Empire Towards Humanity", "The Spooky Gloom"

Why haven't I fully discovered this masterpiece yet!? This is masterful wizardry made by early prog-thrashers Watchtower! Control and Resistance is where they add jazzy elements to their sound, something absolute original at that time. I've been in a marathon of reviewing albums from technical death metal bands like Atheist, Death, and Pestilence, and this is the album that inspired those bands and many more to mix tech-death with pieces of progressive jazz. I think we can thank two talented masterminds here for that brilliant idea, starting with the amazing guitarist Ron Jarzombek. He can handle time signatures and tempos in an impressive way that barely anyone else can with technical riffs and jazzy solos. The audible bass playing of Doug Keyser is PERFECT!!! Standing by with the guitar like a 3-legged race. What a duo of geniuses!

Of course we can't ignore the other two band members, including vocalist Alan Tecchio. His high vocals are a usual part of progressive thrash, performed so d*mn well. It's impressive how high he can go while following the music. It sounds like he can do it normally with no struggle. Excellent! And finally, there's Rick Colaluca, whose style is very much the same as you would hear in jazz fusion. Imagine have an octopus drummer who's a fan of jazz and Megadeth, that's Rick right there! He has to make all those intricate time signature patterns, and yet it's all performed flawlessly.

Keyser wrote and co-wrote all of the songs in this album, starting with "Instruments Of Random Murder", where the instrumentation is killer and can be deadly for those who can't perform the complexity. Luckily, Keyser performs his bass perfectly and survives. He would later encounter "The Eldritch", so strange and otherworldly for most people to catch up, and yet he can! If he ever needs help in "Mayday in Kiev", Jarzombek has helped with the writing assisting him with the jazzy guitar progression as usual.

The shining highlight of this album is the epic "The Fall of Reason", with insane jazzy soloing from Jarzombek as Keyser continues his amazing bass journey. The title track is where Keyser really needs to control his pace in order to play the higher-level complexity smoothly.

For "Hidden Instincts", Jarzombek joins the writing journey once again, and this time, he's assisting Keyser throughout the remainder of this album, as they both conquer hidden surprises. That cycle continues in "Life Cycles". And finally, "Dangerous Toy" is the most dangerous ending for anyone who has made it that far. With the amazing bass and the strong guitar of Jarzombek, BOOM!!!! They've vanquished the terror with their impressive skills. They reign victorious in this excellent adventure, no fails at all!

So yeah, Control and Resistance deserves a perfect 5 stars for being able to add jazz into prog-thrash without messing anything up, with all that inspiring technicality and masterful writing. I might just dig further into more of the prog/tech-thrash of bands like Sieges Even and Toxik, but maybe another time. This is a jazzy metal treat to love!

Favorites: "Instruments Of Random Murder", "The Eldritch", "The Fall of Reason", "Hidden Instincts", "Dangerous Toy"

Two thrashy death metal albums into their career, Dutch band Pestilence decided to test out conjuring a more melodic-ish technical spell in their sound with their 3rd album Testimony of the Ancients. The aggravated atonality of hatred in the genre is expanded by some experimentation. Besides the more technical guitars and bass, the drums are close to Slayer's style, fast while far from blast beats, and there are extreme vocals, slightly surpassing Obituary and Death.

Notably, the album has an interesting structure of full songs that are each followed by a short instrumental, something Cynic would similarly do 3 decades later in Ascension Codes. Both track categories have a horror element, probably more of that than most of the other early 90s tech-death albums I've reviewed. Obscure riffs play amongst atmospheric power chords and dramatic synths, with some experimental groove to remind some of Morbid Angel. The eerie interludes have the most of the horror feeling, whether it's the Psycho-ish strings, screams over dissonant keyboards, or church ambiance. I won't talk about the interludes, though they don't detract the album's perfection.

You can hear the horror right away in the aptly titled "The Secrecies of Horror". The high-level melodic soloing are what highlight "Twisted Truth" with a dreamy solo that would hint their stylistic follow-up Spheres. The atmospheric flow in the interludes would continue on after that shining aggression. "Lost Souls" clearly shows vocalist Patrick Mameli having the bravery to growl through a straight fast deadly-for-your-neck headbanger.

"Land of Tears" is the best example of explosive metal soloing genius as a complementary contrast between melody and death metal. The Morbid Angel-like grooves appear most notably in "Prophetic Revelations".

"Testimony" adds a different good shade of sound. "Presence of the Dead" explores more explicit horror lyrical themes than before in the album. The most progressive leads, as progressive as Dream Theater, come in "Stigmatized". There's even Maiden-inspired guitar melody appearing twice. Then after one more melodic interlude that sounds a little uplifting and would fit better in a melodic progressive metal album, Dream Theater or otherwise, the horror is over.

All in all, Pestilence had made a tech-death work of art in Testimony of the Ancients. Just the album cover and title alone is enough to intimidate and convince you. There's a perfect balance between ritual-sounding and ravaging, alternating between full songs and interludes. Any fan of the genre can identify any of these tracks in a blink of an eye!

Favorites: "Twisted Truth", "Lost Souls", "Land of Tears", "Stigmatized"

Atheist is a special band to appear in the early 90s. Together with Cynic, they shook the harsh death metal world by jazzing it up with jazz elements. And what an amazing perfect product this band has created!

Atheist had their own unique writing going on. Bassist Roger Patterson wrote the bass lines for the guitars to be structured upon for a different unconventional interplay. Sadly, he's gone, after a vehicular accident. RIP... Helping out the band is the massive delivery of Tony Choy. We also have the mighty guitar skills of Rand Burkey and Kelly Shaefer, the latter providing clean yet aggressive vocals reminiscent of the later Death albums. And who would forget Steve Flynn's perfectly pattern-less drumming variety?

"Mother Man" is an impressive starting point to hear all that drumming talent. Aside from the percussion, jazzy bass kicks off the action before loading up a lot of metal riffing fury in their arsenal. The title track is the best here, that's how awesome this album is! The rhythmic twists will blow your mind.

"Your Life's Retribution" has the technicality that Death would have in Human, in a more memorable light. The intro to "Enthralled in Essence" might throw some listeners off-guard, but what matters is the epic melody and desperate speed to immediately put you back on track. Another amazing highlight is "An Incarnation's Dream", starting with a serene acoustic intro before more complex heaviness.

"The Formative Years" unleashes more of the technicality without being too excessive, rather just naturally playing out their elements naturally, for the catchiness this album needs. More occasions for the sound to shine occur in "Brains". Kelly Shaefer is the brains behind the melody, shredding fierce leads and performing comprehensible growls, sounding the most excellent there. The closing "And the Psychic Saw" is the heaviest way to end the record. After all that jazz from earlier on in the album, it was time to end with the thrashy tech-death from their debut.

This band has clearly established the jazzy progressive tech-death that was first hinted in Piece of Time and fully formed in Unquestionable Presence. One of the most influential classics in the progressive/death metal realms!

Favorites: "Mother Man", "Unquestionable Presence", "Enthralled in Essence", "An Incarnation's Dream", "Brains"

Continuing my death metal rediscovery review journey, I've come to the remaining band of the tech-death trio, a band in the same level of grand technicality as the later Death and the early Cynic. Let's leap back in time to Atheist's Piece of Time, probably THE first tech-death album, recorded two years before the other two 1990 albums.

I remember checking out a few songs from this band a few years ago but dismissed it because I wasn't into the more thrashy-sounding tech-death at that time. This has happened before, all those countless times I've tried to grasp a band's magic that was beyond my reach of comfort. Now that I'm rediscovering tech-death when I can surely handle it, I knew I can't turn back, though I would still avoid the more brutal bands like Suffocation and Cannibal Corpse. Atheist have made quite the unique difference!

The title opener starts ominous before blasting into godly thrash chaos, showing all the album's got to offer including random turns through awesome guitars, along with grand bass by Roger Patterson (who died in a crash while touring with the band, RIP). "Unholy War" is very much a hint at what to expect from death metal in the 90s, including fast chaos and the shrieking growls of Kelly Shaefer. "Room With a View" is a great favorite of mine. There are lyrics of political corruption that was once uncommon in death metal but would be used by bands of the genre more frequently.

Also standing out is "On They Slay", with a fitting title because of the Slayer-like tendencies. "Beyond" is quite killer, but Shaefer's unique growls end up sounding a bit weak in his attempt for a technical-sounding mix of Megadeth and Obituary. More of the dazzling guitar technicality comes in "I Deny".

Another highlight "Why Bother?" is a great headbanger, with a nice amount of vocals hissing through with scientific vocabulary. There's a little more of the cheesy death metal gore in the ironically titled "Life" which brings the lyrics a small step down in enjoyment, but the music is still miles beyond conventionality. Finally, "No Truth" is the best representation of the band's sound, summarizing all they've had throughout the album.

Piece of Time is so great, with barely anything going wrong. It is very well the tech-death catalyst, though the albums Death would make after this release would be the more common "go-to" location for reference. Bands like Arsis and Martyr would make technical material that wouldn't be possible without this album. Highly recommended!

Favorites: "Piece of Time", "Room With a View", "On They Slay", "Why Bother?", "No Truth"

Atrocity is known as one of the most chameleon-esque German metal bands, going through different genres such as folky gothic metal, industrial, and even a bit of hardcore groove. They originally started with a tech-death sound, with their debut Hallucinations being one of the most unique albums of the genre, mature with astonishing talent!

Like I said before, 1990 was an early year of experimentation in death metal. Atheist hinted at the progressive direction they would take while standing by their pure thrashy death metal sound in Piece of Time, released earlier that year. Then a year later, Death added slightly more melodic and progressive elements to their sound in Human. And of course, we have the jazzy prog-death of Cynic's 1993 album Focus. Atrocity's Hallucinations deserves attention for their underrated part in the early tech-death league.

"Deep in Your Subconscious" kicks off the album with the usual death metal to expect, but what's unexpected is the lyrical concept. It's a big difference from the sci-fi-twisted Satanism and gore of Nocturnus' The Key. Here we explore the story of a girl who suffered from abuse in childhood and would later descend into drug addiction. In the next song, "Life is a Long and Silent River", you can hear that they're a band with unexpected traits, more than that of Atheist, Death, or Cynic. They're not combining genres the way those other bands would, but rather they make interesting ideas out of standard tech-death. It's just metal riffing all around in different songs, such as "Fatal Step".

The title track continues that deathly sense. The intro to "Defeated Intellect" is one of those interesting moments fun as f*** when you can handle the fire. "Abyss of Addiction" has more of the weird riff ideas that work well throughout these 3 and a half minutes. Weird while having memorable strength!

The amazing chorus of "Hold Out (to the End)" is what make that song one of the strongest highlights here. The lyrics would absolutely make you growl along, "HOLD OUT...TO THE END! RESIST...AND LIVE!!!" If you think keyboards should've been here like in The Key, they appear in the closing "Last Temptation". While the atmospheric organ tone only comes on in a storm of changing rhythms and virtuoso leads, they fit well for (SPOILER ALERT) the funeral of the girl who died from a suicidal drug overdose.

My first time hearing Atrocity, and while different from their sound now, with their tech-death sound only carrying on for one more album, Todessehnsucht, Hallucinations is an essential album for all death metal listeners. I barely have any complaints, and the album is great enough for 4.5 stars. The heavier metalheads should love this!

Favorites: "Deep in Your Subconscious", "Life is a Long and Silent River", "Hallucinations", "Hold Out (to the End)"

1990 was another special early year for death metal when 3 bands expanded the boundaries of death metal to include more technical experimentation, sometimes reaching a progressive level, thus creating the subgenre technical death metal! Nocturnus is one of those bands.

I'm never really a super-fan of old-school death metal, given the Satanism and violent gore that occurs in the lyrics. Nocturnus added a bit of those lyrical themes mixed with a sci-fi concept, and even more surprising to the death metal community is the addition of keyboard atmosphere unusual at that time. They've also added more technicality to the sound as a bridge between Morbid Angel and what Death would have next. Nocturnus made a progressive twist in death metal, and d*mn it, there'll be more!

Starting the album perfectly is "Lake of Fire", with a nice beautiful keyboard intro that reminds of the intro of Edge of Sanity's debut, before unleashing furious tech-death chaos. The background keys in "Standing In Blood" are a nice touch there too. "Visions From Beyond The Grave" is another violent assault from the guitar, bass, and drums.

One shining highlight is "Neolithic", particularly the keyboard passage 3 minutes in that sounds almost like the X-Files theme. Seriously, that might've really inspired the theme of that sci-fi mystery show that came out 3 years after this album! More of that bass and drum assault appears in "Undead Journey". Next track "B.C./A.D. (Before Christ, After Death)" once again starts with a nice keyboard into before breaking the peace with massive thrashy deathly riffing. Let me say right here that "Andromeda Strain" is pure proto-melodeath B.C. (Before Carcass). The intro has one of the greatest evil yet melodic riffs in death metal.

"Droid Sector" has excellent riffs and sick soloing. Blasting through yet again is "Destroying The Manger" which highlights the controversial concept of a cyborg tasked with traveling back in time to kill Jesus Christ and create his own evil empire, like some blasphemous Terminator sh*t. "Empire of the Sands" is the perfect closing track, with f***ing beautiful keyboard atmosphere before the dark fury of awesome death metal riff wrath.

The Key is an amazing KEY to the tech-death sound these legends would help create. If it's out of print, it's probably because of that sci-fi-meets-anti-Christian concept that would not go over well with the public nowadays, and that's why it's a few points short of perfection. Still it's an easy album to look up for listening, and the music is worth it!

Favorites: "Lake of Fire", "Neolithic", "B.C./A.D. (Before Christ, After Death)", "Andromeda Strain", "Empire of the Sands"

After making two timeless additions to traditional Swedish death metal, Entombed was ready to try a new approach while keeping their roots. Their 3rd album marked the beginning of a new inspiring era, an era that would later be unappealing when two more albums take the band farther away from their death metal roots. Wolverine Blues, together with Carcass' Heartwork, marked a big historical turn for their label Earache in 1993, attracting new fans with a somewhat more melodic sound. While Carcass invented the melodic death metal genre with barely any prior experimentation, Entombed added pieces of hard rock, hardcore, and Pantera-like groove metal for something more groovy with slight hints of melody, death 'n' roll. Desultory also experimented with that subgenre, but Entombed succeeded in making that potential new hybrid.

With a title like Wolverine Blues, was there any relation with the wise invincible Wolverine from Marvel Comics? Yes there was! Even though the band were against anything to do with Wolverine, Earache went behind their backs to make a deal with Marvel for mainstream promotion. That's part of how this album became a successful leap for this band, label, and much of extreme metal. I can understand other aspects of their success. Lars Göran Petrov (RIP), who was absent for their second album Clandestine, returned and stayed with the band until their first breakup. The tone maintains their earlier dark atmosphere while slamming through rock-infused compositions.

Feedback rising and a sample from Hellraiser, "I am the way" (one of a few audio samples removed for later editions due to copyright issues), begin the opener "Eyemaster". A searing groove chugs along to show you what to expect in the subgenre before an unforgettable riffing force. It's stunning how no one had this idea before Entombed did and that's what makes them a prominent part of death metal history. Another good track, "Rotten Soil" pummels with thundering fists of fury, taking a minute to switch from the groove in the verses to amazing riffing before a breakdown of war. Phenomenal punk rhythms appear while not forgetting their usual death metal. The title track was originally in an earlier EP with audio samples in the place of vocals. The one-minute mark turns the opposite way, from riffing to a bluesy groove.

My favorite track here is the super-groove-crusher "Demon". The vocals are some of Petrov's most memorable, as if he's a preaching town crier announcing incoming evil. I was almost convinced enough to find something to fight off that evil. The thrashy rhythms and lead are brilliant there. Death 'n' roll has not gotten a better establishing point than that! "Contempt" weaves through solid melody and breaks down into hard rock, moving in the same tempo as the previous two tracks, sounding evil in the melody intervals. "Full of Hell" has the most rock in this album, with memorable hooks grunge bands wish they could've had earlier.

More of the grunge madness can be heard in "Blood Song". I'm genuinely surprised this song has never appeared in at least one episode of True Blood, particularly in a hillbilly vampire scene. Plus, the lyrics can range from funny to frightening, so it definitely would've worked well for that show. Punk thunders through again, with leads that guide you through a killing trail. "Hollowman" is not bad, but it's weaker than the rest and definitely not a favorite. This is more like Hillbilly Blues at this point, especially the bridge harmony midway through. The verse riff in "Heavens Die" is a soul-burner, but the punk rhythm sounds too basic and doesn't level up the psychotic lead that follows. Absent in the Marvel edition, "Out of Hand" is far less memorable. And don't ask me about their poor cover of "State of Emergency" by Stiff Little Fingers.

Wolverine Blues is a turning point in Swedish death metal history. It is the bridge between their sense of creativity from their first two standard death metal albums and the switch to deathless mediocrity in the two albums after this one. Slightly flawed especially towards the end, but a better offering of death metal. It was time for the small influences the band hinted earlier to fully see the light of day and the core of their writing, one part of death metal refreshing into different subgenres in 1993. Entombed continue their innovation that would build up a higher following. Unfortunately, they were so motivated that they would later fall into the deathless rock 'n' roll Hellhole....

Favorites: "Eyemaster", "Rotten Soil", "Demon", "Full of Hell", "Blood Song"

A band's swansong album is not the easiest to grasp when you're thinking about which direction they would have gone. Chuck Schuldiner had the idea of going progressive in both his main band Death and the side project he would've focused on, Control Denied. As a result, Death's last album was the most progressive that band has been, and the sole release from Control Denied was Schuldiner's only attempt at a full-on progressive metal album. Tragically, a brain tumor would end his life and both projects. RIP...

A good amount of Death's fanbase were appalled about the band going more progressive than before, condemning it as a talentless dump of heavy flaws. I'm certainly not part of that fanbase, but I know that this band continued their impressive evolution of technical writing as a helping force of progressive death metal, despite having already reached their memorable height in Symbolic. The Sound of Perseverance is where they really persevered at making their most ambitious work yet, aware of how divisive of a reaction they would cause. As a progressive metal fan myself, it's great hearing those twists and turns. There's no denying what Schuldiner achieved in Death's finale.

"Scavenger of Human Sorrow" is the right place to start with temporary drummer Richard Christy peaking at every minute from the beginning onwards with his massive drum skills. I say temporary because he only appeared in this album along with the rest of the lineup besides Schuldiner. The other two members are Scott Clendenin, who plays cold deep bass, thick to the core and as different as possible from the riffing, with thoughtful effort on his performance; and Shannon Hamm, playing great guitar rhythm, essential for a tight contrast with Schuldiner's leads. "Bite the Pain" is the heaviest song here. The verse riff chugs through alongside catchy yet disjointed vocals, along with the most sections I've heard in a single chorus (4). "Spirit Crusher" is a notable highlight with riffing mixing brutality and melody, the latter appearing more in the chorus.

My favorite here is "Story to Tell", in perfect inspired flow, especially in the powerful guitar tone. Bite that pain, complainers! Another one of the best is "Flesh and the Power it Holds", a legendary 8-minute epic filled with mesmerizing instrumentation, unforgettable soloing and brilliant lyrics. The soft electric interlude "Voice of the Soul" is also neat.

Also special is "To Forgive is to Suffer" with some of the most brilliant technical drumming. More riffing comes in "A Moment of Clarity" for catchy intricacy. If there's one thing that sets me off, it's their cover of "Painkiller" by Judas Priest. We all know Judas Priest and Angra are better at performing that song. Schuldiner's attempt at playing at Priest's live tuning of E-flat and singing as high and clean as Rob Halford is something to laugh at. Nonetheless, the rest of the band performed it greatly.

Yeah, the vocals here have received the most criticism out of this album, sounding more whiny than growling in a few of the more melodic songs especially that Priest cover. They do sound unfitting, but the rest of the time, they're enjoyable. Remember, some of the people complaining are fans of Death's earlier 80s death metal era. Vocal speed-bumps aside, the songs are all chilling in the riffing and insane drumming. A killer way to go out in a bang before the band is put to sleep, and so is Schuldiner eternally. He knew an encore was called for after a break following Symbolic. Whether you enjoy the death metal era or this progressive era, this is for you to witness the final Death.....

Favorites: "Scavenger of Human Sorrow", "Spirit Crusher", "Story to Tell", "Flesh and the Power it Holds", "To Forgive is to Suffer"

Heartwork is probably the album where Carcass was the most dedicated. They began demoing this album as early as during their tour for the less melodic Necroticism, even playing their new songs on tour. Much of the recording time was wasted finding the right guitar tone and the right ideas from their producer Colin Richardson. Things were going down to Hell for the people working on the album. With all that trouble going on, Carcass was still determined to get things right in order to reach higher lengths. In the end, they've made an offering that the world would recognize as a game-changing classic to this day!

I would never disagree with this album's melodic death metal legend status, but to be honest, it's not the most melodic melodeath album I've heard. The Maiden-like melodic harmonies that really make the genre, but that's a small step Carcass was missing here. The melodic harmonies in this album is mostly in just passages and solos, the latter not sounding as perfect as in Gothenburg bands. Mike Amott performed them slightly better in Arch Enemy that would've crystallized Bill Steer's standard riffing and groove.

The album's bleak emotion appears from the start with "Buried Dreams". Then things speed up with "Carnal Forge", beginning with harmony-powered intro riffing. Probably the closest this album has been to their earlier violent gore lyrics that would've traumatized people who aren't ready (like I would've been if I checked it out like 5 years ago). Swedish melodeath band Carnal Forge would get their name from that track. "No Love Lost" is certainly not easy-listening for most people, but it perfectly fits the more precise and mature direction the band has taken. The fast title track has really shaped up the melodeath genre as what we now know.

"Embodiment" has a mid-tempo groove and other aspects that would inspire a newer generation of deathcore created by Embodyment (I wonder if that track is where that band got their name). "This Mortal Coil" is straight on melodeath to kick things up high. "Arbeit Macht Fleisch" (Work Makes Meat) takes on a greater amount of harmonies that would inspire the last two Death albums.

There's a baffling breakdown in "Blind Bleeding the Blind" that would confuse people into thinking this is Coroner's Grin. The somewhat disappointing "Doctrinal Expletives" doesn't taint the album's greatness when some slight redemption is on the way. "Death Certificate" touches on dehumanization of life in a melodic yet blazing ending bang.

Heartwork is the album that gave later death metal bands the idea to add more melody than brutality, and it's quite an impressive achievement of a lifetime for this band. Where there any other bands before Carcass and the Gothenburg crew that started adding melody to an extreme genre with extreme lyrics? I think not! However, At the Gates who would make an album two years later that would inspire melodic metalcore bands to rise. In the meantime, enjoy the original melodeath work!

Favorites: "No Love Lost", "Heartwork", "This Mortal Coil", "Arbeit Macht Fleisch", "Death Certificate"

Eighteen Visions split up in 2007 then reformed 10 years later for their 7th album titled XVIII, the roman numeral for 18. Founding vocalist James Hart managed to reunite with guitarist Keith Barney and drummer Trevor Friedrich for the album. Then they toured with guitarist/bassist Josh James as a replacement for Ken Floyd and Mick Morris, the latter who whom passed away in 2013. The band actually used bass tracks recorded by Morris when performing live, to respect his memory. They didn't have another full-time bassist until just a year before this review, when Dan Smith joined in along with drummer Matt Horwitz replacing Friedrich.

Anyway, before the band's split, they were at the top of their metalcore game in the early 2000s. Then in the mid-2000s, they made a dreaded less heavy turn into mainstream hard rock. But now we're heading into the band's comeback album that's more extreme than anything they've done before. In saying that, some things about XVIII prevent the album from reaching the greatness of their early 2000s material...

Opening the album is the two-minute "Crucified", which does what the opening track of Obsession has done, setting the tone for the album. This time we have colossal metal riffing and the vocals of James Hart that are more vicious than in the earlier days of the band. There's more consistency to come in the album, but keep that in mind before they sneak in a bit of their mid-2000s hard rock. We have more of the heavy pattern in "The Disease, The Decline, and Wasted Time" with total rage in the verses, calling the lyrical target a "f***ing leech" with a "f***ing disease" and a life that's a "f***ing waste of time". He sounds so p*ssed off in metalcore disharmony, as the riffs and chords rise in the chorus and breakdown stomping through. The structure in "Underneath the Gun" goes from rock-out verses to a metallic breakdown. Its music video was inspired by the John Carpenter film They Live, even having an audio sample from the movie in the song's intro. The heaviness and usage of film samples definitely throws back to the destructive Until the Ink Runs Out, albeit with more melody. "Live Again" seems to tribute to Morris, though the song is a bit harrowing.

The furious "Laid to Waste in the Sh*t of Man" has their earlier Throwdown-ish hardcore, as the stellar riffing and drum kicks continue to rage on. "Oath" is a two-minute lookback at straight edge hardcore, made heavier thanks to the production work of Mick Kenney (Anaal Nathrakh, Make Them Die Slowly). "Spit" is longer but not interesting.

"Picture Perfect" is a total fail, with the Marilyn Manson-infused music and lyrics making me cringe. "Fake Leather Jacket" turns things around as another highlight, and the strongest one here too. There are more of the vengeful screams by Hart, "LIAR!!!! SADIST!!! CORPORATE!!! RAPIST!!!" The heavy verses and anthemic choruses are the best of what the album has in store. "For This I Sacrifice" has more dynamic diversity, as the crushing screams alternate with melodic singing.

See, this is what Eighteen Visions needs to sound like in the heavier tracks, like Vision of Disorder on steroids. They would then pay tribute to that band and other rock/metal bands in their cover album 1996. Luckily they didn't cover a song by Velvet Revolver, because when 18V goes that stylistic route in a few songs in XVIII, it didn't go so well....

Favorites: "Crucified", "The Disease, The Decline, and Wasted Time", "Underneath the Gun", "Laid to Waste in the Sh*t of Man", "Fake Leather Jacket"

Anytime you hear a different song with basically the same formula with not much variation, it is often quite problematic, though a few bands like DragonForce do it quite well. For the 2006 self-titled album Eighteen Visions, it's pretty bad. The album's not as bad what most longtime fans think of it, but it's definitely worse than Obsession and even Yesterday is Time Killed. The dark emo-core fashion the band has taken on aesthetically is quite cool, though as cliche as the music...

The goal for this album seems to be to make fist-pumping anthems, and that's out of the question when their sound is soften to just hard/alt-rock. This drop from heaviness seems to mirror what Rise Against did with their own album that year, and probably a much deeper drop too.

"Our Darkest Days" already kinda proves that as a slow soft march. Interestingly, it's a perfect anthemic start with ambient leads making way for layered gang vocals, "We must escape our darkest days". And when the verse marches through, it's much different from the poor formula later on in the album. That definitely sets my mood well! "Victim" is the fist-pumping anthem the album was supposed to be going for. It's a strong heavy banger with hardcore energy to surpass AFI. Truly the strongest piece here!

Unfortunately, after those two highlights, that's where the quality drops, and the remaining songs are so awful that I'm not up to mentioning here. Except for "Coma" with its heavy riffing. That and the catchy gang vocals save it from becoming another weak sh*tter.

Eighteen Visions' early 2000s albums are so amazing and heavy. The sudden turn-away from all that killer glory has surprised many fans, some in a good way, some in a bad way. For me, it's the latter. The song structures don't have much original variation, with only the gang vocals and small increase of heaviness in the songs mentioned above getting their money's worth. If they weren't so focused on 80s rock, despite the cool aesthetic image, they would've had a less lame end of their initial career....

Favorites (only songs I like): "Our Darkest Days", "Victim", "Coma"

Obsession is one of those "love it or hate it" kind of albums. You love it if you started your Eighteen Visions journey with this album, you hate it if you're a fan of the band's more metalcore material. As someone who aware of both the alt-metal of this album and the metalcore of their previous albums, I consider Obsession a fairly decent album. Not so strong, but better than Yesterday is Time Killed by some slight points.

The songs in Obsession are quite short, going for the radio-friendly track lengths of under 4 minutes. Also radio-friendly is the song structures that can sound repetitive. So do those tracks work out well? Let's give them a spin...

We have the strong title opener, as James Hart yells "obsession, desire, depression" repeatedly, leading into a crushing breakdown. Killer start, though I wish it was longer. Unlike "I Let Go" which has some unwanted Stone Temple Pilots-like clean singing. "Crushed" is a crushing standout. "This Time" is pretty great, though again I want to get that STP-ish singing out of my head. No disrespect to Scott Weiland, RIP...

Then we have "Tower of Snakes" with everything any 18V fan can ask for. Halfway through is one of the best headbanging breakdowns you can find from this band. After that is the happy-sappy "I Should Tell You" that would fit much better on the radio than a metal album. "Waiting for the Heavens" is another standout with effective vocals.

"Lost in a Dream" is more mellow with lots of clean singing, but it's still nicely heavy. "Bleed by Yourself" rocks out hard. "A Long Way Home" attempts to blend the band's earlier hardcore with more of those d*mn STP-infused vocals, with actually greater results than earlier tracks. Closing the album is the soft melodic piano ballad "Said and Done", which is fine but don't expect me to listen to that sh*t a lot.

Regardless of this less heavy sound and mundane verse-chorus structure, Obsession has some good moments. The album would, just like Vanity, be re-recorded for its 20th anniversary (excluding "Said and Done", whew!). Here's to hoping and not hoping for a re-recording of their 2006 self-titled album. Review for that one coming up shortly....

Favorites: "Obsession", "Crushed", "Tower of Snakes", "Waiting for the Heavens", "A Long Way Home"

The heavy greatness of Eighteen Visions was shining the most in the albums Until the Ink Runs Out and The Best of Eighteen Visions. Their debut Yesterday is Time Killed is heavy too, but dragged down by its poor production. However, Vanity is where things really start to change...

This Orange County band have a lot of the brutal chaos of metalcore in the riffs, screams, and breakdowns, to get the hardcore crowd moshing. While all that is still around, there are some interesting twists. The riffing is more melodic than before and clean singing has become more prominent. And those new aspects happen every 30 seconds or so. It's not as awesome as the previous two albums, yet greatly unique. Guitarist Brandan Schieppati left the band after this and is fully committed to Bleeding Through.

The great title opener pretty much lets you know all that's going on in the album. The metallic riffing drives through as James Hart performs not just screaming but also singing. Despite opening a new dimension in the band's sound, the latter vocal style is not as strong as the former. Neither are the lyrics. That's OK because the heavier sections like the great breakdown makes that track the powerful standout it is. "Fashion Show" has lyrics detailing a break-up and shows some resilience instead of just going all-out emo. "She thought that she could break my heart, I'm not the one that's been held down, because you're the one that's letting me go." Great drumming and riffing, and don't forget another killer breakdown! "One Hell of a Prize Fighter" is one h*ll of a brutal track. It's quite battle-ready, as you can hear from the lyrics of a fight. "Well, here's your misery, bite down and grind your teeth away." The backing growls are performed by Howard Jones, shortly before he joined Killswitch Engage. After all that heaviness is some of the best clean singing here. For "I Don't Mind", I DO mind the Godsmack-like clean verses and lyrics The breakdown really makes up for that though.

"The Notes of My Reflection" is an acoustic instrumental with a drum loop before seguing into the next track. "A Short Walk Down a Long Hallway" is the best track here for me. The singing, soloing, riffing, and lyrics all reach their very peak. "Disgust, disgrace, you'll slap that look right off of my face, I'll play God, I'll play dead, You'll be the one to shoot me in the head." I also love the screaming by Corey Darst from The Pretty Weapons who was a live vocalist for Zao at the time. "The Critic" is the heaviest of the bunch. There's more of the crushing guitar and lyrics criticizing critics. "Cuz what you see is what you think is loud, so start eating the sh*t we're gonna feed you now." And we have another great breakdown too. "Gorgeous" is not gorgeous at all. It's a f***ing cheesy love ballad, and I hate the lyrics and singing there. "You Broke Like Glass" has lyrics tackling the straight edge scene, which doesn't make sense when there's the g****mn Godsmack-like singing and riffing.

"In the Closet" has some great riffing. The lyrics of religion are the absolute best on the album. "God gave you wings to fly, so fly the f*** away." And here's yet another sick breakdown. I still can't believe that is as short as that d*mn "Gorgeous" ballad. "Sonic Death Monkey" lyrically takes on the sins of porn. Some more of the best riffing and drumming comes in. The soft singing section drifts smoothly into a hard screaming breakdown. Another interlude, "There is Always" is just the Manchurian Candidate theme song sampled in its original form. They didn't even credit the composer David Amram! I'm surprised they got away with that. "Love in Autumn" is just a clean rock ballad with solely clean singing, then the electric guitar comes in for the solo. Good, but not how I wanna end things. Neither is the subsequent 7-minute silence and hidden phone call.

Before I conclude this review, I actually wanna talk about something I didn't know until around the time I started my Eighteen Visions reviewing marathon. Two years before this review, the band re-recorded Vanity for its 20th anniversary. Apparently it's much heavier, with the tuning lowered from drop B to drop A, and the ballads weren't included (thank goodness!). I should check it out sometime. They also re-recorded Obsession recently for its 20th anniversary. Will they re-record their 6th self-titled album in 2026? I both hope so and hope not! Either way, Vanity is certainly not Obsession. This is the usual heavy metalcore of 18V with nice touches of melody. Sweet and enjoyable....

Favorites: "Vanity", "One Hell of a Prize Fighter", "A Short Walk Down a Long Hallway", "The Critic", "In the Closet", "Sonic Death Monkey"

Having made a massive leap from the poor Yesterday is Time Killed to the mighty Until the Ink Runs Out, Eighteen Visions decided to revamp the material before their breakthrough album. Their initial plan was first conceived after their debut was released to re-release that album and the EP Lifeless in a single disc. Ultimately, they re-recorded what they thought are the best songs from those out-of-print releases and the entire No Time to Love EP.

Whew, I'm glad I made that above description so anyone unfamiliar with the band wouldn't think this is either a compilation of songs or an original album. The re-recordings actually give the songs more strength than the originals, helped out by much better production. Only one new song appears, and that's the first track of the album. The reason the band gave it the album title The Best of was in case they don't make it big, but that's where they are now, probably big enough to make an actual compilation. This amazing album shall be worth getting in touch with the band's roots from their first 5 years of activity.

"Motionless and White" is the one new song to begin the album. It's so interesting how one of my favorite metalcore bands Motionless in White is named after this song from another one of my favorite bands. Not just any band, but one versatile enough to inspired a new legion of the genre! This song is not really the best from this band though, and that's a shame because it sit rights between the crushing heaviness of Until the Ink Runs Out and the serene melody of Vanity. Now it's time to revisit those metalcore memories in "Russian Roulette with a Trigger Happy Manic Depressive" (often shortened to just "Russian Roulette"), packing some powerful punches. You would've expected the melodic clean singing of that new song, though SPOILER: there's none. Nothing but screamed vocals and the occasion spoken passage, something to remind some of Poison the Well. "The Psychotic Thought" sounds a lot more psychotic in the re-recording than the original, having a bit of the heavy side of Miss May I. "An Old Wyoming Song" leans more into a bit of the mathy metalcore Vein.fm would have a couple decades later.

"Slipping Through the Hands of God" serves as a kick-A intersection between the hardcore of Strife, a bit of the melody of The Ghost Inside, and some slight experimentation of Code Orange. "Diana Gone Wrong" strikes hard with technical breakdowns. As does the brutal "Raping, Laughing, Tasting, Temptation".

"Five 'O Six A.M. Three/Fifteen" has the ravaging devastation of Zao and guitarist Brandan Schieppati's other band Bleeding Through, maybe even Bring Me the Horizon's debut Count Your Blessings in the more deathly moments. "Life's Blood" almost stirs up the deathly technicality of Atheist. One of the best songs to showcase James Hart's screamed vocals in "Isola in the Rain". Finally, "Dead Rose" is the band's heaviest way out and my favorite here. Even those most unfamiliar with the band would love it.

The original releases are no longer in print, but thanks to the internet, you can track them down in the blink of an eye. On the other hand, The Best of Eighteen Visions has beaten those releases by far with these re-recorded tracks. This is my second-favorite 18V album behind Until the Ink Runs Out, and it would've been perfect if not for that first song which, while still heavy as f***, leans too much into the Vanity/Obsession era. Where would fans of the band and genre be without this "Best of" offering? Still it's not for the most casual listener, so anyone new might wanna start small with a few songs. Then if you're up for more, enjoy the ride!

Favorites: "Russian Roulette with a Trigger Happy Manic Depressive", "Slipping Through the Hands of God", "Five 'O Six A.M. Three/Fifteen", "Isola in the Rain", "Dead Rose"