Metal Reviews

Have Vader really made a bad album? De Profundis and Litany must be close to classic status if not there yet, but Impressions in Blood and Welcome to the Morbid Reich are standouts of their later work.

And I've heard of Full of Hell, although I think I get them mixed up a bit with The Body; dig both pieces here, though. What would you describe it as, experimental noise/grindcore? Following that vein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dTmEPk3kNY

I doubt it. Always solid, sometimes spectacular, I'll try to seek out those for their later standouts.

I get all these bands mixed up, The Body was the one I had them confused with too. Any band leaning on a core side of things initially I lack background knowledge of. The first Full of Hell track I linked definitely reminded me of a grind Portal and the second had a FFTTF Morbid Angel riff groove.

This Antigama is excellent, more of what I've been digging lately. Guitars stand out here, and leave it to me to note shades of Opeth's Demon of the Fall towards the end of the track.

Continuing my theme, a track where a hardcore/grindcore band goes sludge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh9T0YsTgpU

The Body is more experimental noise, while Full of Hell leans a bit more into grind. Some Body tracks are very out there.

As for the Antigama link, I really haven't listened to them since Warning was reviewed on here over a decade ago. Their guitar sound just doesn't really do it for me anymore.

Edit: I fucking love Nails and I totally forgot they had an eight minute long track. I love how their chugging sound works well slowed down.

Anybody remember this Pig Destroyer track? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc7QgF2nE-g

I like Nails and Pig Destroyer's slower works, PD especially works since they're more of an experimental group overall. What did you guys think of Head Cage?

There's something about American grind bands that means they have to experiment a little with sludge/doom - these guys were at it too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBngZL0gfec

Huge Scott Hull fan, but I hated Head Cage. Think it was a production thing, it wasn't as stripped down as their older stuff. Sounded more like death metal.

As for the link, Arc is easily my favorite Agoraphobic Nosebleed album, but I'm also a huge fan of Salome, which is the band that Kat Katz did vocals for before she ended up in ANb. The lyrics become way more intense knowing what she was dealing with in terms of her dying mother with schizophrenia. It being one of the best sludge/doom albums of that year just shows how much of a genius Hull is with riffs. In my giant list of best albums of the last decade, it was in the top 20.

A little different than the sludge-y grindcore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYrIKhDYRqg

The more I got into shoegaze the more skeptical I became of blackgaze, but I came around recently on Oathbreaker's Rheia and still remember being impressed the first time I heard Alcest. This track has a very good main riff and keeps the singsongy wanderlust stuff I don't care for much in the genre to a minimum. Pleasantly surprised, will have to check out more of this album, thanks for sharing.

I wanted to post (more) Julia Holter but will stay with the hate56 youtube live channel grouping of bands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2ouEpV-8HE

Year of the Knife are pretty good, nice thick tones and suitably angry vocalist. Reminded me a little of these guys, who I miss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TyNjhbZfnE

While I don't think the idea of blackmetalcore sound good, I really like the use of tremelo picking in metalcore bands. So naturally I liked this track.

I now go back through your reviews and doublecheck that what I post at least isn't from a reviewed album (you've clearly listened to much more heavy music made over your reviewing years than I have). You reviewed this band, but not this album https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciZMuxPZw5w

Please don't let that stop you, it's always good to revisit stuff I may have forgotten about! But I do like this Artificial Brain, they made two great albums and then pretty much vanished? Shame.

Don't think I've seen your take on these guys? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq_8hrj_5GQ

Unfamiliar with them before, but sounds a lot like Gorgots, which isn't a bad thing of course! The lead break was not exactly what I was expected, appreciated the surprise.

I like how these guys manage to sound fresh while rooted in tradition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS_vxc9PP9I

Had heard Tomb Mold before, but hadn't really taken them in. That final section is killer, relentless almost death-thrashing power, great stuff. Reminds me of these guys a little: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4AKCbs_ycM

I don't love the Ares Kingdom riffs. If you like Tomb Mold, I would recommend Acephalix.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4AKCbs_ycM

Ooh, Acephalix is a good one. Decreation was a solid release, but 2012's Deathless Master is a modern day masterpiece. Heavy as fuck, groovy death riffs married with gloriously crusty production give that record a raw, kinetic energy that's missing from much modern day DM.

These two are particular standouts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKaOSJGnPlQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKaOSJGnPlQ

Along with trapt's Acephalix recommendation, I'll add D.C.'s Genocide Pact to the list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HzDDOKkuTE

Honestly, all of Order of Torment is great so you can't go wrong with anything on it.

On Wings was such a killer Acephalix track you listed it twice! Which is fine: lead was perfectly placed and the sound is crushing which reminded me of Asphyx, but perhaps the resemblance in the band name sent my mind in that direction. The Genocide Pact track was fine but didn't grab me as much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvaadYW-4xk

Whoops, meant to link this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFQYV08RshY


I see that you are a man of taste! For a time, I had filed these fellas away with the mallcore trash that was pervasive during the early to mid 2000's. But I was a very foolish young man.

This was a good selection. The money riff kicks in right off the bat driving hard and fast until that widdily lead around 4:30 morphs into the main riff totally changing the dynamic of the track. But I think the odd little moments on Colors feel a bit shoehorned in compared to some of their more recent outings, such as this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Q58TZvEIU

I was worried you were going to link their completely prog material which I don't find very interesting but this album came out right before that thankfully. Still could do without the clean vocal breaks except at the end of the track where I think it really works. The lead breaks after 3:00 and the blastbeat/lead sections falling into the organ part from 5:00 to 6:00 are my other highlights. The additional Acephalix Track was great too, thanks for sharing.

The Parallax records are (so far) the pinnacle of Buried's output for me. The expansive Dream Theater tendencies perfectly tempered by the band's speedier 'core roots. I would have linked Astral Body but I felt that Lay your Ghosts better captured their frenetic yet-still-precise segues in and out of the slow and harsh modes. Coma Ecliptic was the beginning of the group's Opeth-like descent towards pure prog which, I agree, was/is disappointing.

Since we're in the 'core realm and Sir Goat recently reviewed it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNyFYvCyhdc

Ok, I will give the Parallax EP a listen. Coma Ecliptic bored the shit out of me.
Hah and I just listened to Sin and the Sentence for the goat review. It's fine, not one of my favorites songs on the album but I really liked the instrumental section in the middle: really inspired drumming and melodic leadwork there.

I'm currently tapped out on heavy music suggestions but if you want to put another one down go for it.

Never got into earlier BTBAM but I have been meaning to check out their descent into pure prog, and this is a good reminder to do so! And obviously I greatly enjoyed that Trivium cut, let's move sideways through 'coredom and check out another band that has been covered here before if memory serves, but I did enjoy this more than the previous mention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H2JaF4KGGo

No offense, Zad, but this sounds like pure Hot Topic fodder to me. Wannabe-hardcore kids playing bland background riffs while angsty heart-throb frontman screams about whiny, existential high school BS. I'll take Trivium any day of the week compared these guys.

Keeping it 'core with a new track from one of the old guard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w55YCDzZjvA

The tremolo riffing over the double kicks is so damn groovy!