Metal Reviews

Let our minds be ravaged by the hammer of hell and riffage from inner circle of hell.

While their peers flirted with 90's alt rock and / or industrial experimentation, the boys in Tankard were content to stay true to form with Stone Cold Sober. Never understood why so many reviewers placed it in the back of their discography. Incredibly underrated record, especially for the period.

It is my personal belief that Satyr's early skillfulness with song-writing peaked with this recording. I'm sure North will disagree with me as he has a greater affection for Dark Medieval Times. I will say that as great as that debut is, I think, it is with this particular album that Satyr's innate talents flourished and blossomed which is evidentiary with his marvelous articulation and melody and his distinctiveness of rhythm and the excellence of synths usage.

I am re-visiting this recording after a very long period of time, perhaps just about a decade after its release. It is remarkable what masterful musicianship is in their grips. They are truly in full possession of their instruments, and pridefully so. Deficient in no singular way, and a consummate recording in a multitude of ways. Their conceptual inspirations are admirable. And from a country I know nothing about! Perhaps, a new purchase is in order!

I thought this recording would be complimentary to the last brilliant recording I was playing. Many times I wonder, how these extraordinary musicians conceive of these remarkable musical ideas. Truly breath-taking. A so, the streak of uncanny musicianship continues. A rather pleasant evening in comparison to yesterday's. I hope everyone's doing well.

Continuing the pursuit of some of the most colourful minds in metal.

Nothing more naturally-named than the title of this recording could describe the status of this album. Oozing with precision and musical prowess, this recording is testament to the powerhouse that is Åkerfeldt's far-reaching imagination. Highly ambitious and successful at that.

In loving memory of brilliant guitarist and an ex-friend whom I hope is alive and well. He loved Townsend and I like Mr. Townsend quite a lot, too, perhaps not as much as him, but Mr. Townsend still receives playing time from me. Many fond memories with this recording. And it is not just because of my beloved memories, but because Townsend is remarkable in quite a number of ways, none of which really need reminding.

Isis at their bluntest and heaviest. A red ocean upon your head, indeed.

Must listen to more early Darkthrone.


A work of ignited inspiration.

I've found groupthink emerges in any music reviewing community: canons, sacred cows, and red flags develop. Eventually the group does not realize how much its own biases color their perceptions of music. MA definitely has its inherent biases, just looking at how inconsistent they are on blacklisted bands versus whitelisted bands is revealing. I've cataloged my albums on rateyourmusic.com the past couple years and have discovered how intrinsically biased that userbase is as well.



My opinion has evolved some on this one. I'd put Nemesis in a tie with Dark Medieval now, both just ahead of Shadowthrone. The cleaner production doesn't bother me anymore on ND, and the riffs/melodies are fantastic, even though I'll always love the sinister guitar tone on DMT.

North, you have my fullest sympathies on all accounts of your outstanding analyses on groupthink. I am also very pleased to hear about Satyricon. I think Nemesis Divina is brilliant in so many different ways, showing Satyr's multidimension skills on synths, piano, guitar, and all the varying rich arrangements. I would also add that Shadowthrone holds a very high place in my all-time favourites, too. Thanks a lot, buddy, for all your thoughtfulness. I always enjoy hearing from you.