Ironic, since on his website he claims his mission is to save metal from condescension.

LOL yeah I actually read that before writing that. I nearly put it as 'enormous condescension of antecedent' as a direct refutation of that but I dunno if he comes across as old-headed generally, just more 'tfw intelligent'

I’d still like to know where all the alleged money in metal trends is supposed to be.

That's also weird because all the last four Horrendous albums are clearly the same sound right down to the similar production/guitar tones, just with some variances on what's accentuated each time in the songwriting.

Aidane's textbook review for JP's Unleashed In The East makes me forget I feel like Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver and totally agree "Tyrant" is a killer song, one for which I practised the main riff when I still noodled around on the guitar. As well, thanks to twist(ed) for steering me back to Fire Down Below - their latest and indelibly named Low Desert Surf Club evokes the early 2000s when stoner metal was becoming all the rage.

I'm back...with an honest question for my fellow \m/ heads: Does anyone else sometimes not bother to read a review just because they're initially offended by the score given? I'm eager to know!

I’m more inclined to read it if I am a touch offended honestly, if only for the prospect of getting a more unique take on something. I’m most likely to gloss over something that I suspect is just going to tell me what I already know about it.

I usually try to give these types of reviews the benefit of the doubt, even if I disagree with the percentage. However, in a lot of these type of cases, I simply don't agree with their take.

I think that the review for Horrendous is the best I've ever seen. - coming from a review newbie called: myself.

Thanks for the feedback, friends. I guess all that's left to do now is take the deep dive and plunge into Nat-Skog's B rated Meutrieres spiel. (Ho-hum!)

Part of me wants to give it a rewrite but I actually left out most of the songs descripts as further fodder for future Ronde De Nuit aspirants. In other words, I didn't want the hog to show...If anything, it warrants at least a hard 95% so I feel justified in feeling like our pal is simply playing a bit of the ole advocate devil. Also, his enthused review projects a higher rating than 80%. In this case, I just cashed in my token yet rare wanton perfect score chip. (Fellow scribes and aspirants, heed my call - although maybe I should be careful for what I wish for!)

For the record, my illustrious successor puts it succinctly, despite his equally discouraging score.

https://thenwothm.com/2023/08/05/review ... e-de-nuit/

Couple more listens, and I'll give the Ronde De Nuit review a go. This one's definitely a top pick of album of the year for me, at any rate. Definitely agreed that Nattskog's review sounds a bit too positive to simply be an 8/10. That includes him saying the "sloppy" moments are to build character. But I think it speaks highly of the actual content of the review when the score stands out like the elephant in the room.

D. Fang, thanks for coming to the rescue. Can you hear my joyous exultation, even miles away? You make a great point about the score sticking out like a closeted pachyderm. If anything, I think that Nattskog's style or brand consists of wanting to avoid sounding too gleeful or excited with the score whilst his words betray him in a good way.

Loved Vecxio's review of Coroner's Mental Vortex.

https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/ ... io/1396043

The way he defends the album is admirable, succinct, and logical. I agree with his point about how the songwriting of the album uses technicality as a means to an end. I've always liked this album a lot and don't think it deserves to be hated.

My submitted review was rejected because "Your review was identified as being written, at least partly, through an AI." It was entirely written by myself without the use of AI whatsoever. What exactly flags it as being written by AI so that I know what to modify?

Is there any quicker way to ruin a review than not knowing what triplets are?

Are you referring to the review of that new Dragonforce single? https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/ ... att/426891 If so, it looks like the reviewer edited it to clarify what he meant there (hertas, rather than triplets).
The thing I like least about that song is how overproduced it is, the guitars in the song only really exist for Sam and Herman to throw in their usual wankery in between choruses. They also do that thing Beast in Black does with the electronic tom fills before every chorus. Their new bassist got a surprising amount of room to show off though.

My personal "dear god please learn something before talking" take that kills a lot of reviews for me is the misconception that "triggered drums" are synonymous with "programmed drums". I think it's much less common now but holy god back in the aughts when really clicky drums were super prevalent I swear there wasn't a single death metal album that didn't have some at least one bozo complaining about the drums being obviously fake just because the triggers sucked. I get it, some of those tech death guys played incredibly precisely at unbelievably fast speeds but holy shit just because the production trends at the time were mega polished doesn't mean the whole damn thing was done sitting at a desk.

I'm certain I made the same complaint a few times back in the day and I think my disdain for it probably comes from my own personal "oh no I've been confidently wrong a bunch of times in public" reaction when I learned the difference.

Sent you a PM.

What are they (explanation by example is also cool)?

It's not a rhetorical question.

Taking advantage of the topic to indirectly learn that the one and only time I mentioned triplets in a review, I did it wrong indeed. The more you know

Here you go (skip to 0:34). A 'straight' song has 4 subdivisions per beat, while this has 3, which is why they're called triplets. You can hear them accented at the tail of the first riff.

Yes! Fanged Demon answered the call and penned the review for Meutrieres' latest which I struggled to write or put in words as I was just too blown away (simp style, so to speak). What's funny is that I didn't even notice at first that there was a new singer on board, since both their names are similar and it'd been a while since the Covid commanded killer EP - a rare bright spot within otherwise dystopian times.

Here I am again, to point out that only now have I made the amazing connection between Blood Python's lone content creator and the fellow Norwegian act I so dig, Templeheks...While I'm at it, stay on the lookout for killer releases by certain Idahoan and German acts long pined for, slated for exalted and exultant release tomorrow.

Also, great job by Vecxio on Megadeth's often overlooked but textbook-great Youthanasia, which I remember fondly wigging out to back in high school, particularly "La Route Tuante". (During a live show at the Verdun auditorium, Dave and the crowd sang away "To Everybody" in its native tongue - magical!)

I agree, both that Vecxio is a quite promising new reviewer and that Youthanasia is awesome

Mister Duke knocks one out of the park this morning with his textbook review of Kerrigan's incredible Bloodmoon, the German version which excludes figure skating and police batons...

I kind of want to write it up as well but I'm worried I'll simply drone on and on on how much it reminds me of joyously discovering Enforcer's Diamonds in the early 2010s (that and glibly blurt out how "Bloodmoon" is a satisfying reminder I finally completed a classic playthrough of Zelda's Soupir Sauvage, which took the entire Summer and knowing tutelage of an expert amateur amigo.)

Also worth perusing is J-Dog's here at NWOTHM:

https://thenwothm.com/2023/08/10/review ... bloodmoon/

I always find it interesting when a 'significant' band gets added to the site after many years of absence (suddenly bringing their back catalogue with them). It is great to see Hexvessel added today, and great to see that they already have their first review.
Going to have to write one for "Dawnbearer" at some point, excellent record.

Yeah, there can't be too many of those left lurking in the wilderness...

By the way, here's a further angry metal dude spiel, this time for one of 2019's most promising and intriguing acts. (Another rare 100%er despite his standard lukewarm scoring system.)

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/by-fire-a ... ry-review/

If I hadn't remembered the news of Fleur no longer being in Meutrieres, I'd be in about the same boat - maybe noticing some differences but then attributing that to it having been three years since that masterful EP came out. But yeah, couldn't resist this one. Nothing like some Sortilege meets Satan's Hallow/Tower style metal!

I forget what the EP sounds like, so maybe I'll go check it out again. Yes, if the amalgam of Satan's Hallow and Sortilege doesn't draw one in, I don't know what will!

Also, do check out the new (non Nancy) Kerrigan's Bloodmoon and By Fire And Sword's Glory for further exultation.

https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/ ... und/456193

I disagree only on production,I think is perfect…

My intention was to say that despite the production being crappy and poor quality, it works in the album's favour, if that wasn't clear it's my fault.

Also I liked GuardAwakening's review of 7 H.Target, I listened to the album earlier this year but his review has made me want to listen to his previous albums and go back to Yantra Creating with a new perspective.

Ah ok perfect,maybe was my fault…

“ and I think that once you get past the production (the other big "flaw" of the album)”are your last statement when in other paragraph you said that production works in favor of the album..

But is a minor complaint

Okay, I'm going to have to ask for some feedback here. The point in the review is that the production of Reek of Putrefaction is bad and poor but that it works in favour of the music, that's why I put that it's a "flaw" in quotes because I don't really consider it as such but I understand that it's still challenging for some people. For me it's very clear but it's because I wrote it, I would appreciate if more people can tell me if it's understood or not to see if I have to rewrite this point.

If production works in favor of album isn’t a flaw..

Just my opinion….

Like Transilvania Hunger just to make an example

I understood what you were saying. You were conceding that the production is bad, but even though you know it's bad, you don't think it detracts from the material.

you said:

Pretty hard to misconstrue what you said imo

Really? I can't hear a damn thing in that album.

Fuck I've been off for over a month, uni really did take its toll on me, I'll probably hop back and submit a review or two in the meantime



I think that's the point of goregrind tbh

Don't review goregrind.

I feel you. This month's been busy for me uni-wise as well, and I wasn't able to get any reviews done for this month besides Imperial Crystalline Entombment's latest record. Here's to hoping October will be more productive.

Not even hearing the riffs?