VIXEN : EP – Made in hawaii (1983)
This early Marty Friedman´s work and all one remembers from listenning this record is actually his guitar. It´s everywhere. The rest is just plain general heavy metal as usually played by teenagers in early 80´s , nothing spectacular or memorable. One just feels that guitarist is really the talent. The vocalist Kim LaChance sounds average and without any emotions, hardly any screams or more aggressivity as one would expect from heavy metal singerin.

DARXON : LP – Killing in action (1984)
First release of this German metallers, but quite unmemorable. Very poor production and vocalist is just unrecognizable, very standard or less than standard and for sure worse than his those days counterpartners. This is second class German metal and no wonder this band did not really spark anything. If you are collectionist than you already have this one, otherwise look somewhere else.

MAX HAVOC : LP . Max Havoc (1983)
Midpace US metal, on the edge being either heavy or glammy. Tries to be tough and melodic at the same time but going nowhere at the end. Good music for car driving. Guitar tone sounds to me kinda strange and generally very plain production. Guests on this record were Carlos Cavazo of Quiet Riot and Tony Richards, first W.A.S.P. drummer. Nevertheless this band did not make any impact and after this record they call it quit. For collector of US melody metal only.

MANOWAR : LP – Gods of war live (2009)
Quite inconsistent, however very good sound and vocals of Eric Adams are still going clear and strong. I like they chose „Each dawn I die“, „Holy war“ and „Black wind, fire and steel“ into the set. Also „Gloves of metal“ is done very well. Still I think this record is rather for orthodox fans than being marked as „essential“.

Communic - Conspiracy In Mind

Released in 2005, Communic's first album is a power/prog effort featuring only one combined guitarist/vocalist, one bassist, a drummer, and songs averaging eight or nine minutes. This minimalism heavily emphasizes the skill of each band member and composition of each song; it is a testament to their consistent excellence that they succeed marvelously. The production is clear enough to hear every note, combining with their chosen tones to produce a solid, heavy feel for every instrument - one later lost with the the addition of a second guitarist on their third album. Songs transition back and forth between simplicity and melody, carried by the bassline before launching an onslaught of aggressive guitar riffs and then reverting back again. I don't feel in the mood for this album every day, but it is a delight all of you should experience.

Funny that you should mention the one-man band thing when talking about Spiritual Healing which was the album with most influence from other members besides Chuck and the only time he kept the same rhythm section. Only the first track and the title track are completely by him.

[/quote]Funny that you should mention the one-man band thing when talking about Spiritual Healing which was the album with most influence from other members besides Chuck and the only time he kept the same rhythm section. Only the first track and the title track are completely by him.[/quote]

Not all about Spiritual Healing alone but the reason why Death is a one-man band is because Chuck is the only consistent member, the lineup changes on every record. Chuck is also the songwriter, lyrics, guitar of the band, and the others members just follows throughout. You can pretty much say that he is the mastermind behind Death.

Horrific - Your Worst Nightmare (2009)

This was a very unexpected discovery and I got hold of their album last week. I haven't really heard anything like this before so maybe a little tricky to describe. The music is primarily death metal but the riffs are very catchy and upbeat, in a punkish manner that makes me think of the Misfits. Lyrics and imagery seem to be quite focused on b rated horror movies. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes this kind of stuff.

during all the week I've listened to Peste Noire, especially their album La sanie des siecle...

well I'm just addicted to it now...
the first time I heard some song by them was long ago and still I couldn't appreciate their music...
but now I am absolutally down with them...
in the album I've listened to there is something magical in the two poems by Baudelaire...
I think that in the all album, as well as in all their production, the voice is not a simple screaming, or a simple growl...
there is not a technique to sing like that except for mental illness...
such a vooice is not in La Sale's throat but in his sick head...
also the music is really magic, be it acoustic or heavy... it has the power of making my stomach crawl up to my mouth and give me the sensation to vomit it, not as the music sucks, but because is so wonderful...

I really like the leads and drumming on that album, too.

Upwards of Endtime, From Genesis to Apocalypse and Beyond]

Got this at MDF. I previously had received a rip of this album from someone on here, but lost the hard drive I'd placed it on so barely got to listen to it. Anyway, it's fantastic stuff...sometiems fairly uptempo doomish metal, with some pretty creative drumming and awesome vocals which sound like ozzy with a bit of a southern accent and more gruffness to his voice (it's Phil Swanson, who now sings in Briton Rites, of course). The guitar has this really cool grimy sort of distortion that makes it sound as though he's sliding slothfully between chords instead of picking the way most would. At first it seemed as though the songs were too short, but they seem to expand as the album progresses, or else i really got used to it, and since it seems like some kind of concept album they all seem to fit together to tell some sort of story. I sort of miss the creepy organ tracks from the previous album, but there is a bit of neat experimental stuff on here done with guitars, bass and drums, or at least one track, as far as I remember. Oh yes, the over-all production is really great and ancient sounding, too.

Have been re-investigating Finnish death metal recently:

Adramelech - Psychostasia: I had once discarded this band as something of Incantation worship and dull at that, but with recent re-listens it's really nothing like that. There's that clearly Finnish, doomy sound that is somewhat reminiscent of Incantation, but there's a lot more of technicality here. The riffs are sufficiently twisted and off-sounding to be just right for this kind of occult-sounding death metal. And while the drums often accompany these riffs excellently, sometimes these twisted and meandering riffs combine with blastbeats and these parts always end up sounding dull and directionless. At other times, the band is just completely on fire.

Convulse - World without God: If possible, the atmosphere here is even more morbid than on Psychostasia. I had previously discarded this band as too Swedish sounding (not a big fan of the style), but the atmosphere here is too Finnish for that and the d-beat influence isn't as prominent. The songwriting is just stellar.

[quote="MacMoney"]Have been re-investigating Finnish death metal recently:

Adramelech - Psychostasia: I had once discarded this band as something of Incantation worship and dull at that, but with recent re-listens it's really nothing like that. There's that clearly Finnish, doomy sound that is somewhat reminiscent of Incantation, but there's a lot more of technicality here. The riffs are sufficiently twisted and off-sounding to be just right for this kind of occult-sounding death metal. And while the drums often accompany these riffs excellently, sometimes these twisted and meandering riffs combine with blastbeats and these parts always end up sounding dull and directionless. At other times, the band is just completely on fire.
[/quote[

This album is beautiful, and a lot of it is down to those awesome, groovy rhythms that are very little like anything else I've heard from most other death metal bands. Of course, the riffs themselves are models of an alluring kind of symmetry, and the placement of solos near perfect. I just listened to this again and I swear, it never gets old.

[/quote]I really like the leads and drumming on that album, too.

Upwards of Endtime, From Genesis to Apocalypse and Beyond]

Got this at MDF. I previously had received a rip of this album from someone on here, but lost the hard drive I'd placed it on so barely got to listen to it. Anyway, it's fantastic stuff...sometiems fairly uptempo doomish metal, with some pretty creative drumming and awesome vocals which sound like ozzy with a bit of a southern accent and more gruffness to his voice (it's Phil Swanson, who now sings in Briton Rites, of course). The guitar has this really cool grimy sort of distortion that makes it sound as though he's sliding slothfully between chords instead of picking the way most would. At first it seemed as though the songs were too short, but they seem to expand as the album progresses, or else i really got used to it, and since it seems like some kind of concept album they all seem to fit together to tell some sort of story. I sort of miss the creepy organ tracks from the previous album, but there is a bit of neat experimental stuff on here done with guitars, bass and drums, or at least one track, as far as I remember. Oh yes, the over-all production is really great and ancient sounding, too.[/quote]


I will def. be checking this one out. sounds right up my alley, thanks.

The album just flies by whenever you put it on. I might be mad or demented, but I swear, these riffs are some of the catchiest in death metal. There's something about Finnish death metal riffing that just strikes a chord with me. The main riff that starts Heroes in Godly Blaze is probably the best riff ever.

It's definitely catchy, but still rather odd sounding..the production helps with this. I have Pure Blood Doom, and while it's maybe about as good in its own way (the riffs are certainly incredible and it sounds a lot heavier), the more standard production and vocals seem to make it all a bit more "normal" sounding. Psychostasia is downright addictive. You're right about the first track..."Thoth, Lord of HOly Words" is an absolute highlight for me, as is the rather rockish "Book of the Worm".

Stîmy Plamenu: Mrtvá Komora

Well, they've finally done it. Stîmy Plamenu has been stepping up their game with each successive album, in my view, starting out as one guy on guitar and a drum machine playing rather childish riffs (not without a certain endearing quality, however), culminating in 2007's Odpadní galerie, which found me suddenly taking the band 100% more seriously as they became a truly twisted and wild metallic entity. Now, Mrtvá Komora is here and the band sounds huge. It really is a full band now, too, with the drum machine of past albums replaced by some truly heavy live percussion, though some strange mechanical sounds are still employed from time to time. The two reviews here don't completely do the album justice, in my view....while there are certainly some speedy sections redolent with blastbeats, most of this is thrashy but also with more than a tinge of what I would call psychedelia, because of the truly strange melodies used in some of these songs and wild lead guitars flying all over the place. The band used to get compared with Master's Hammer a lot, and finally I think this is justified, though they don't sound like a ripoff at all, but rather like what Master's Hammer might have been had they gone in a slightly different direction. I just can hardly believe how "big" heavy this record sounds compared with the old amateurish efforts...if ever a band can be described to have "grown up" and done it in style, it's this one. Really, really cool album, with many captivating, alien melodies and plenty of riffs to get the head banging. Vocals have a bit of that Czech BM weirdness to them, as well, and he doesn't stick to the same tone or style, even doing some odd cleans from time to time. I'll be listening to this a lot more.

Fates Warning: A Pleasant Shade of Grey

An album that seems to divide many fans of the band. Many see it as a masterpiece and others a monotonous bore. I honestly fall somewhere in bewteen. It's good when its moving and flowing, but dreadful during the more ambient pieces. Technically sound and Alder sounding wonderful here, Matheos', the sole songwriter, interest in metal was obviously waning. Compared to riff monsters (that he was mainly responsible for too) like the Apparition or Prelude to Ruin, the album/song sounds rather flaccid. I'd reckon Epitaph has more riffs in its 11 minute duration that APSOG has in 55 minutes. As a metal album, it fails. As a progressive rock/ambiance hybrid, it's much better. Matheos attempted this type of songwriting except spread out in songs rather than a singular piece on Disconnected and failed miserably.

Mr. Bungle - Mr. Bungle (1991)

Easily the most celebrated of Mike Patton's groups, Mr. Bungle started off as a funky and highly unconventional metal band in the mid to late 80s, combining a number of unlikely styles with crass humor and Patton's trademark nasal singing. By the time their self-titled debut was released, they had warped into an avant garde collection of styles ranging from circus themes and funk to swing and ska, all the while having a definite metal edge.

While not nearly was experimental as Disco Volante or as mature as California, this highly eccentric debut is all at once intensely catchy, extremely diverse, highly memorable and full of strange samples, one of which includes an elderly man struggling to audition for a KFC commercial. This is one of the earlier examples of avant garde metal, and its influence can be seen in more mainstream groups like Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Slipknot and System of a Down.

Enforcer - Diamonds

I never got a chance to hear their first album but this one is really good. I'm not sure that I would classify it as traditional heavy metal, because it seems much more like a speed metal record, but nonetheless, it is fantastic. The music is really energetic, with some Maiden like leads (the intro to Midnight Vice, for example), and great soloing. This album also has a lot of really fun choruses. The first four songs are the best example, especially the epic Katana. The title track is a nice change of pace as well. I would definitely recommend this album.

It's not a bad album but Katana is flawed. It has an extremely uninspiring middle section, and of the first four tracks, only Midnight Vice is really worth any mention. I feel that the second half is much better than the first half. "Live For The Night" and "Nightmares" are my two favorite tracks though. Take Me To Hell is decent as well.

The Angelic Process - Weighing Souls with Sand

Someone from another forum recommended this to me and this album has blown me away. I never imagined that I would ever get into music like this before. It just sounds massive. It sure isn't doom but it gives the feeling of impending doom better than any doom band I've ever heard. Not many words can describe music like this. It's just incredibly powerful and beautiful. While the excessive amounts of distortion may drown out some of the music and make certain parts unclear it suits the music quite well. Heard one of the members killed himself after an accident that prevented him from playing music. That's dedication right there.

Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines

I'd been in a nile tizzy for a couple weeks now, but all i had playing was Those Whom the Gods Detest and Annihilation. So, seeing as i hadn't spun ItDS for a good 3 months, i decided to back. All the same things i remember loving from the past, and then some. The drumming back on this release isn't fighting for the attention of Sanders or Dallas, the bellowed sections of the more operatic and slower sections of the song send chills down your spine. The guitars are crushing, but they know when to speed up, and when to veer off and let the atmosphere close in. All songs are unique in their own way, adding sections that catch you off guard, propelling you into a chanted chorus ,or a rampaging jolt, led by the mighty voices of Dallas and Karl. Nile in their prime IMO.

Vuvr - Pilgrimage (2001)

I happened upon this incredible album rather recently and man, is it amazing! It's very Atheist/Cynic - like progressive death metal with high amounts of jazz influence. The closest thing I've heard to this is Atheist's Elements, from 1993. Unfortunately, this amazing band only released one album and apparently, they turned into a hardcore band. The album itself is mostly instrumental but the few times we hear lyrics, they are very deep, intellectual, philosophical lyrics. I can't stress enough how much i recommend this to any fan of progressive music!

Abomination - Abomination (1990)

I checked this out after happening upon them from the "random band" link. I downloaded their debut album and I was pretty pleased. Decent, early 90's thrash with hints of death in the style of Venom. Paul Speckmann (vocalist/bassist), of Master-fame, bears a striking resemblance to Cronos. I would recommend for any fan of pure 90's thrash.

MacMoney said "Convulse - World without God: ... The songwriting is just stellar."

I should give it a listen, 'cause only had the '94 LP (... wth is "bd-influences", possibly what I think ...)

Carpathian Forest- Black Shining Leather

I've had this album for a while, but only decided to listen to it earlier this week out of curiosity, and holy hell is it ever awesome. Why? Because unlike the legions of Darkthrone clones out there that sacrifice almost every other element of their music in favor of the evil atmosphere that is usually a staple in black metal, Carpathian Forest still manages to "rock". While they still have that aforementioned evil atmosphere about them, there's this faint, underlying tone of good ol' heavy fucking metal all the while. The synth is a nice touch too, used at just the right times and not used in excess. Great stuff, will definitely be looking at more of their material after this.

I honestly love this album. Their so called "Dream Theater" styled album. I think its their best at that era of Fates Warning: the modern mature Prog era. For the first time, Ray Alder is singing in his own voice and distinct vocal character. Theres a lot of synths and keyboards texturizing the music and all. It can be a bit boring at times I admit, but its one of those flow records where you really need to listen to it from start to finish in order for it to leave you with a lasting impression. The only other downside that I can think of is the lack of solos, but at that point Jim Matheos was trying to follow the whole "less is more" approach and focus more on the songwriting I guess. Definitely an underrated release among both the old-school Fates and non-Fates crowds.

Overkill-Necroshine

This is a real underrated album. Its in my top 5 Overkill releases. I think people dont give it enough credit, because its kind oD a different style than their normal thrash.
This is album you can groove on rather than headbang. Songs like My December, Stone Cold Jesus, and the title track plus all the others make this a solid release.
Blitz sounds great, D.D. is still dishing out great bass licks, and the new band sounds good too.

This week i'll listen to Kreator-Cause For Conflict

Ares kingdom - Incendiary

Let me first star by saying, I consider myself a casual death metal fan, aside from Bolt Thrower, Amon Amarth, and some occasional Death or opeth (up for debate i know) I don't necessarily follow many death metal acts nor would any pure DM albums make it into my top 10 or 20 albums of all time. until now; this album is brilliant and i don't know how they haven't made a bigger splash than they have. brilliant brutal, thrashy, dirty, Death metal. With a polished and LOUD production job they still mange to sound raw, and like i said before dirty as hell. The one thing that stands out the most are the solos, thrown in, very tactfully, never sounding random or forced, but they are all over the goddamn place and they are excellent. The one that stood out the most for some reason was from the last song, which was an excellent album closer, blistering speed to start then slowly breaks down into an epic trudging atmospheric piece, with a solo sounding like Trey Azagthoth on downers to round it out. Definitely gonna make the top 10 at the end of this year for me.

Sorry for the long winded explanation guys...this one took me by surprise.

Guys don't let this thread die. A short one:

Trouble - Psalm 9

Excellent early doom. All the kiddies, If you think The gates of slumber or Apostle of solitude are doing something ground breaking or original, listen to this, it will blow your mind. Great vocals, great lyrics. Great music. Deserves recognition. 'nuff said.

Like I said, this is a good thread, don't let it die, it may take a little more effort than the other threads but it's a fun read, and a good way to find new music.

I like it alright. Good mix of death metal and 80s heavy metal. with a little bit of punk thrash added in.

Ex Dementia - The Red Mass

I think these guys have matured alot since their first album. They were around 17 or 18 when Thou Shall Repulse came out, which is a fun death thrash which was total Autopsy worship if you ask me, but now that this has come out a couple years later, Ex Dementia is definitely working on finding their own sound. They've gotten much tighter, and incorporated alot more heaviness to the mix, but still maintain that bouncy sound they had before. The vocal style has improved too, it's more thick and goes better with the tunes. Definitely check this one out if you liked their first one. The musical improvements are vast, and they've always been great at song structuring.

8 out of 10

Written On a cold, August rainy day.

I know that I'm not alone in this "Immaculate Misconception" and I'm guessing that Cathedral's "Guessing Game" (2010) was never meant to be the Forest of Equilibrium II. I might be one of those "One Dimensional People" that Lee Dorian doesn't make records for. In that case, this record is a loss for me because my acute sensibility sees a song title like "Funeral of Dreams", which should sound devestatingly heavy yet, the song plays like Sid Barrett's early Pink Floyd mashed with Suicidal Tendencies. It's hard to get through this 2cd set without hitting some kind of the meds. Speaking of meds...

The new Nachtmystium is a completely different kind of head trip and spinning it will scare you to pieces or send you running back to Dorian's childlike psychadelic, psuedophilosophical portait paintings. "Addicts: Black Meddle PT 2" is a bloodied mirror of broken introspections. If you are suffering with an addiction right now- listening to this record will not cure you of it. You'd rather listen to "Every Last Drop" of this apocalyptic record that fits so strangely (and easily) into your vein... A modern sounding, re-imagination of black metal with some interesting track marks that lead directly to other tragically-inspired artists who developed heroin as a habitual substance abuse. Blake Judd spells it out for you at the very beginning :

n o t h i n g h u r t s m o r e t h a n b e i n g b o r n

Holy hell, do I ever agree with this. Psalm 9 manages to be one of the only speed-doom albums ever written.

On the topic of Doom...

Pentagram - Reckless

I always listen to a track here and there from this album, but today I decided to listen to the entire thing from start to finish. Everything from the 10-ton guitars, to Liebling's vocals projects an atmosphere of pure despair that sounds like taking Sabbath to the next level and beyond, and makes it very clear why these guys are among the gods of Doom.

Songs such as Death Row, The Ghoul, Relentless and Dying World do such an amazing job of projecting respective imageries that it's impossible not to love this album. The riffs are simple and rockish, but this only adds to the aura of authenticity that the group pours into each opus. If you haven't heard it recently, go do yourself a favour right now.

Rambled over to the record shop to pick up the new Cephalic Carnage... and... they didn't have it.

So needing a quick fix of tech-death and grind I grabbed up the 2008's PSYCROPTIC / OB(SERVANT) that I've been wanting to get at for awhile. I've read quite a lot of good recommendations here on M-A and this CD+DVD set did not disappoint. Twisting technicality into a fleshy pile of gutterals and some occasionally groovey guitar work. Songs are pretty good, drums are slick and I have this cd on heavy rotation after a few spins. (haven't got to the dvd yet... there used to be a cool thread here of cd+dvd issues... too lazy to look for it now.) Dudes vocals are verging into Fear Factory-land and might be the only reason to be grading this album down, like anything, the vocals are totally subjective.

Snagged DECREPIT BIRTH's / POLARITY (2010) because they are "one of my bands" that I like a lot owing to the fact that I've seen them live and they have interesting song compositions, which belong in the tech-death style but are not "moar faster sweeps with clinical antiseptic drumming".
What I like about DB is that they love the Schuldiner and you can absolutely hear it in their guitar work. This record will be well liked by fans of Death. Another thing I liked is the overall sound production and the growling is consistently good. I just found out this is a different line up from the DB's last record ... not that it matters really.

I rate them both SOLID with a notation - listen often and LISTEN LOUD!

edit to add:

I did a little research on the line up changes with Decrepit Birth it seems I found this video "Samus Paulicelli jamming along to "Symbiosis" by Decrepit Birth." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkPYJo5KO1M

Looks like he is the new drummer, for touring at least.

I'll hop on the doom bandwagon since I've been listening to a lot of it lately.

Electric Wizard - Witchcult Today
The first time I heard this I wasn't impressed. I found it pretty boring but after a few more listens I can't stop listening to it! Sure, it may not be as heavy as Dopethrone but there's a plentiful supply of catchy riffs, cool grooves, and awesome lyrics. The lyrics really help the motif of the occult and drugs that EW has always had, but on this album they seem stronger than ever. While I'm on the subject of the vocals, I never realized that Jus Oborn had such a good voice (and according to interviews neither did he) they remind me a little bit of Ozzy's vocals on the first few Sabbath albums, yet it doesn't sound like he's trying to.

I said it wasn't as heavy as Dopethrone but then again what is? Not much. No need to worry there's still plenty of heaviness here (see "The Chosen Few" and "Torquemada 71") surrounded by hazy production. And with songs like "Raptus" and "Black Magic Rituals & Perversions" it makes a very good listen from start to finish.

Sleep's Holy Mountain
The album widely regarded as their magnum opus, and for good reason too. This more or less is Sabbath worship with the bass turned up but what can I say? Its fucking good! Its got awesome riffs, catchy hooks, and its fucking heavy; all of the elements necessary for a good stoner doom band. The non-pot themed lyrics are nice too, one can only listen to so many songs about the devil's lettuce until he's driven insane.

Hmmm, I've heard Return to Dust and I like that quite a bit. These guys are good at writing aggressive tracks that don't let up, but remain interesting. While Return to Dust is good, it has never grabbed me in the way that it seems to have some people. Have you heard Return to Dust? And if so, how does it compare to Incendiary.

I've only heard one track from Return to dust, that being 'Fear itself' So I can't really say. But I will say this much, Since I posted that little review two months ago and I've had more of a chance to really let Incendiary sink in, It's still a a very good album, but I could have done without some of the ass kissery. Basically, it's just a very solid album, not necessarily worthy of the use of the word brilliant twice in the same paragraph when describing it.

Been listening to Sacramentary Abolishment's two full-lengths, River of Corticone and The Distracting Stone a lot during the past week and it is rather astounding, the difference between the two and then the successor bands' (Axis of Advance and Rites of Thy Degringoblade) debut full-lengths. Both SA albums feature rough production jobs and while so does Strike (AoA) as well, especially with the fuzzy and jarring guitar sound, the biggest difference is in the vocals. Wör and Vermin had Paulus doing vocals in SA as well, but still on the two albums it sounds often like the guys are just screaming into the mic with no thoughts as to how it sounds and no post-production at all. It often sounds quite over the top and like they were just doing it for shits and giggles. That doesn't make it bad though at times, a more serious approach would've suited the very serious music and lyrics better. Often on the two SA albums, the vocals are just bellowing with no regards to lyrics. But the music is just destructive. Very much different from AoA, which is much more thought out, mature and meticulously constructed, SA is always pouring it full on, charging at anything resembling opposition. Well, except for the doom songs that sometimes show up.



I found Return to Dust a lot catchier than Incendiary with a lot of memorable leads, riffs and vocal lines. But Incendiary on the whole is better. The songs aren't as catchy and tend to be more intricate in comparison. The production isn't as cinderblocked either which makes it much easier on the ears. They're still very aggressive and riff-centered.

Right. Certainly sounds appealing and I'd like to hear a more intricate Ares Kingdom, so I'll probably pick it up next time I'm in Sydney. Know a store that has it in stock.

And cheers to PhantomGreen for getting back to me, as well.

What I've been playing this week so far...

DRI- Dealing With It (+bonus tracks, just got a hard copy =D), Dirty Rotten LP, Crossover

Bad Brains- self titled, Rock For Light

Dead Kennedys- In God We Trust, Inc. EP

Limp Wrist- Discography

Nausea- Extinction

Municipal Waste- Waste 'Em All, Hazardous Mutation

Discharge- Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing (+ bonus tracks, same story as Dealing With It)

Infest- Slave and No Mans Slave

and more....as you can see, I have a lot of time on my hands, and am an extreme punk fanatic.

What do you like about some of those albums?

Autopsy-Mental Funeral

Well, I'm glad I got into the whole album after listening only to Dead over a thousand times. The melodies/riffs are amazing and addictive, and most importantly, you just get such a doomy, disgusting, visceral feel. If you are feeling like a pile of shit, try this out, just do it. And the album's artwork is pretty cool too.

Melechesh-Emissaries

Only been into a couple of the songs so far, but only because they have had me on a hook for about one year now. This album looks pretty phenomenal judging by what I have heard so far. The songs never get old, for me at least.

System of a down-debut album

No it is not metal, but I insist this album is still amazing, and overlooked. I hate how 500 million people love chop suey but haven't even heard of this album. I encourage anybody with an open mind to try it. Very metal influenced, full of memorable songs; Spiders and Mind are just brilliant.

Anomalous - Cognitive Dissonance (EP, 2006):

Gotta say I was shocked to discover these guys on Brutal Bands. Yes they play Brutal Technical DM, but definitely a unique entity on such a label. These guys remind of some Cannibal Corpse, Meshuggah, Brain Drill and even the jazzy tech elements of Atheist and Cynic kicked into hyperdrive. Vocals are also not extremely guttural, but more on the abrasive shouting side - very Meshuggah-esque, along with the polyrhythms thrown in. But unlike Meshuggah, these guys shift gears on tempo and rhythmic patterns like crazy, making for quite the unpredictable beast. There are some keyboards present as well, but used sparingly to enhance the atmosphere on certain tracks (the last minute or so of "Metastasize" has a cool ambience attached for good measure, sorta like Pink Floyd gone through a meat grinder). Overall, this is one behemoth of an EP, and I recommend for fans of Brutal Death Metal with a bit of diversity.

Atrophy - Socialized Hate (Full-length, 1988):

It has been a long, loooong time since breaking out this absolute gem of 80's Thrash. For 1988, I can see how this album is overlooked considering the other Thrash titans to compete with that year, but god damn it definitely deserves notice for how catchy it is. Song like "Chemical Dependency", "Preacher, Preacher" and the title track are razor sharp in the riff department, and you've got the fun mosh anthems such as "Beer Bong" (if you like Tankard, you'll have a blast with this one). The cover art is one of my favorites with the jester clutching the pillars of nuclear warheads, and actually reflects the band's musical approach - It's fun, and while campy and humorous, it is quite a devastating blaze of Thrash carnage. Highly recommended!

Apparently the admin of this site does not think the band Between the Buried and Me are metal enough to be added to their site.

Colors (2007) - Between the Buried and Me
The Great Misdirect (2009)- Between the Buried and me

This is their 6th studio album since 2002. The Great Misdirect is a concept album where a multitude of different styles of music are fused to create a sound that is an influence of bands like Opeth and Dream Theater as well as other progressive metal bands with the balance of different styles of music meshed into 6 well constructed tracks that should please the pickiest of progressive metal heads out there. Noting that most of these guys are in their mid-to-late twenties and are performing just as good or better as some heavy metal veterans.

I would like for the admins to listen to their two latest albums and reconsider their addition into Encyclopedia Metallum archives.

This band has toured with great progressive metal bands such as Cynic, Dream Theater, Opeth, and 3 and are adored by these bands.

List and explain the objections/rejection of calling this band heavy metal, b/c I would really like to prove you guys wrong why this band is by all accounts heavy metal. Metal fans should be accepting and not be as snot nosed b/c those are traits of mainstream pop, country, rock, and hip-hop conformists I am sick of and why I listen to heavy metal in the first place. Add this band to the heavy metal family where they belong instead of tossing them out.

I would like to recommend to any power metal fans and any other fans the new album by Firewind, Days of Defiance. I am a firewind fan, but when I heard this album I was even surprised by its great sound. The 2 singles, World on Fire, and the Ark of Lies are great songs, World on Fire being extremely catchy with great guitar and vocals. The Ark of Lies is a heavy thrash sounding song, and I think it sends a good message. Other great songs are Chariot and Heading for the Dawn. In addition, being a huge fan of instrumentals, I loved the song titled SKG. It showcases Gus G's skill as a guitarist and never gets old no matter how many times you listen to it. I am not too much of a power metal fan but I do think this is a great album. There is a mixture between heavy and thrashy songs, and slower melodic ones, and I think this shows the versatility of the band and their ability to create great music. Check it out.