How could I not check it out with a description like that?

Yup it's weird. I dig it.

I really don't even know how much I like it - the albums before and after it are pretty great slabs of bizarre epic metal, but Food... is a little much for casual listening. But it's impressive and you can basically find it for free. It's its own island.

Hammers of Misfortune - Orbweaver

Manic and colorful.

Yeah it's not something I'll come back to often, but I'm enjoying it for what it is.

Reminder I need to check out the newer Hammers stuff too, I sorta lost interest after Scalzi left and that's probably not fair.

Asphyx - Last one on Earth
This got mentioned earlier, realized I hadn't really checked it out yet. The guitar tone on this is extremely intense, totally feasts on your head. One or two slightly awkward riffs toward the beginning, but this kicks a lot of ass. Still probably prefer Embrace the Death (better vocals, gloomier atmosphere) and maybe On the Wings of Inferno a bit better, but it's been a long time since I've heard either of 'em. No time like the present...

Therion - To Mega Therion

The most anthemic of all their tracks, bar maybe the finale of the record. Great stuff, this record was my gateway to the band and the wider symphonic metal genre. It’s very dear to me.

Asphyx - Embrace the Death
Oof. For my money, this absolutely slaughters the others. Perfect rotten ghoul-demon vocals, involving riffs, and pretty much every song has some tarry, agonized doom woven into its crumbling structure. Beckoning-from-across-the-Styx solos glare up here and there, affording the only light in the relentless darkness. There's so much damn texture on this one. The chorus riff on "Thoughts of an Atheist" and then how it ascends after under the solo. Ugh...awesome shit.

Neurosis - Enemy of the Sun

Digesting this... the way they string the riffs together and sustain momentum and power, just fuck, so good... this one is so ugly and cantankerous that it's almost like it's getting in the way of itself, choking on its own bile in a way. It isn't as focused as the one before or right after it. But it's powerful in its own way. A really mean, malignant tumor of an album.



Overtaker is so fuckin good. I can't quit talking about it when I listen to it again. Might be my favorite of 2022 in retrospect. Scalzi is on a few songs too.

I'm sold, will give it a spin tomorrow.

Yeah - you'll love it.

Black Sabbath - NIB

This is so great - the riff, Ozzy's charisma, just a classic. Ahead of their time.

Virgin Steele - By the Gods

The full tracks on the House of Atreus albums are great. Hold up impressively well and just excellent all around. The, erm, interludes with the hammy acting are less engaging to be honest.

Yep but I prefer the version on Asphyx..

Great song

Dekapitator - The Call to Combat

This album has lots of moments that remind me of the golden era of Metallica, specially the leads and solos.

Scorpions - Virgin Killer (album)

God, I forgot how awesome this is. Their best album for my money. An example of all killer, no filler.

Vader - Forwards to Die!!!

I'm not sure the three exclamation marks are necessary, but the song is good.


"Theli" is a masterpiece. It's also a prime example of not judging a book by its cover because that album art... youch, lol.

Begravement - Horrific Illusions Beckon

Badass death/thrash metal. Listened to this when it first came out a couple months ago, and someone on another forum posted it and that got me to listen again. Great album, great band.

Sinister Syncretism

That album is unbelievable good..

Hammers of Misfortune coming up soon, but right now:
Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy. Doesn't seem to get a lot of love here, but I always dig their prog/power stuff. I always come back to their classic albums.

Edit-
Okay Hammers of Misfortune now, it's wild and all over the place in a good way. Tough to let it sink it at work, going to have to listen again when my focus isn't split.

Artillery - By Inheritance

I listened to this one casually a few years ago and didn't quite grasp it. Coming back to it now I understand why it is so celebrated, technical and fast yet still able to be melodic and catchy, a real gem.

Yeah, great album.

Today's playlist in the office:

Omnivortex - Circulate. Stumbled upon this band very randomly and took a while to realize they are Finnish. They sure don't sound Finnish, and I mean that in the best way possible. Great technical death!
Stoned Statues - Guardian. Fantastic metal and prog influenced alternative rock, also Finnish.
Immortal - Damned in Black. Demonaz said in an interview that he doesn't like this album. Well, I do!
Absu - The Third Storm of Cythrául. "But is our king still sitting at his... TAAABLEEEEEEEEE?" Can't help but love it.

Life is good.

I always liked other SX albums better than Divine Wings but it's still good.

Hammers, well yeah, may take some sinking in for sure. The quality of those riffs really holds it together.

Deep Purple - Maybe I'm a Leo

Great tune - jaunty sort of riff. This album is pretty perfect. Well-rounded, full of great timeless tunes.

Pathology - Awaken to the Suffering

Some groove and melodic parts and great production too.

Kraanium - Post Mortal Coital Fixation

Twisted, fascinating, abnormal and devastating brutal death metal/grindcore.

Great slam.

Kraanium - Slamchosis

Some great groove on this album.

Pathology - The Time of Great Purification

Blast beats and chunky guitar work and inhuman vocals.

Brodequin - Of Pillars and Trees

Very melodious to be Brodequin

Moonspell - Vampiria

Kinda makes me wanna put in some plastic vampire fangs and buy a cape from Party City. 10/10

Helstar - Remnants of War

Their best work... they got more mature on Nosferatu but they never sounded as fun or free as on this one.

Fireaxe - Lovecraftian Nightmares

This is fucking great. A band which has been somewhat inaccessible for easy listening for me, but man this one delivers...

The future and present of death metal is here.

GWAR - Violence Has Arrived

Shedding the pure goofiness and genre-hopping of their 90's material for a heavier sound more rooted in thrash/crossover, honestly one of my favorite releases by them outside of the classic Scumdogs of the Universe.

Graveyard - "Six"
Yet another masterpiece by the kings of 'modern retro'. So happy these guys reformed a few years back.

Running Wild - Port Royal

If I gotta pick a favorite Running Wild album, it's definitely this one. Every song rules.

That and Battle Maximus are probably my two favorite GWAR albums.


For me the live album thread got me into a Live Album Wed.

Death - Live in LA

Great performance, though I wish the set was a bit longer with more earlier material.

Dio - Holy Diver Live

A nice mix of eras, Sabbath, Rainbow, Solo.

It's extremely hard to pick. Their '89-'94 run is as legendary as Blind Guardian's '88-'95 run.

Just a glut of some of the best albums ever recorded.

Sarmat - Determined to Strike

These guys might be fucking geniuses.

Nithing - Agonial Hymns

Complete alien noise and shit flinging on the surface, but as it goes on there's really something kind of cool about it.

Eternal Champion - The Armor of Ire
This is pretty good, the guitars and production are a lot sharper than I expected. Vocals are solid and mixed well into the melée. There's enough going on compositionally and detail-wise to keep it engaging. "Sing a Last Song of Valdese" has some cool twists and turns, I could've used more of that spread out over the rest of the album. Good work overall, though, this is the first time finally checking this out.

Also amused and gratified to hear this Terminus Est EP. You don't see Book of the New Sun-themed synth stuff around, and this is actually pretty well done. Should've done this under a different moniker, though.

Hulder - Verses in Oath
They're playing here soon so wanted to see if they're worth catching...so far pleasantly surprised. Nice atmosphere, good riffs.

That Nithing album is one of the best brutal death albums i've heard in a minute, fucking insane in the best way possible.

Spectral Voice - Sparagmos

No surprise here, this is fucking amazing death/doom.

Since we are talking about Nithing I recently came across this video. Pretty cool to see how he plays the songs.