Metal Reviews

Inspired by Goat's comment on listening CoF these days I was struck by how relatively unimpressed I was with a relisten of Amorphis. Never the biggest fan, but I own Tales and Elegy and remembered the first 5 albums being at least decent listens. Tales has to be one of the most overrated metal albums of all-time. Maybe I was fooled by the cover art. Slow but not doomy, goofy clean vocals, just unfocused. Why in particular was Black Winter Day considered one of the best metal tracks of the 90s? Elegy I feel similarly about but at least Better Unborn and the title track still work somewhat. Karelian Isthmus has a cool sound but could have done with more dynamics, Tunolea and Am Universum have no appeal to me anymore whatsoever either. I remember the Skyforger era being great, hope it holds up better than their earlier stuff.

Alright, do you have any bands that would fall under this category?

Some Power Metal I used to like when I was younger I just don't enjoy as much anymore. Not to say I've completely abandoned the genre but I can't say I want to sit around and listen to Kamelot or Sonata Arctica that much ever again.

Completely understood, I'm the same way. I have 5 Blind Guardian CDs and can't be bothered to listen to them--last time I tried was a total failure. Still stunned that I have a couple Stratovarius records

I still dig Blind Guardian at times but yes, I'm way more into extreme metal generally.

Will think further on this, but the new material from Metallica being so fucking boring made me revisit some of the earlier, classic material, and maybe it's just overplayed with me but I couldn't sit through it.

Agreed generally on Stratovarius, never saw the fuss. Blind Guardian, Hammerfall and the like remain fun - the new Kamelot is pretty solid if not quite as good as their peak era.

Metallica is rough. The new stuff is horribly boring and about a year ago I was done with their classic material too. I came around again on AJFA with the And Justice for Jason remix so I could actually hear the bass, and their live material is very good from that period. I even got through a full listen to Load recently. But yes, their albums are too long, their songs are too long, Hammett eventually ran out of ideas etc, the criticisms remain.

80's Metallica is still good to me. I hear it a lot on the radio when I'm driving and was listening to some of it again at home recently.

I dont really listen to any black metal anymore. I think I might've two newer bands and that was Spectral Wound and Batushka in like the last 5 years lol

Like the best stuff has been done. I can put on Graveland, Behexen, Absu, Gorgoroth, Destroyer 666, Blut Aus Nord, Inquisition, Summoning, DSO, Darkthrone and thats literally all I need from the genre anymore tbh.

Yeah, I get your point to an extent. I liked the 2020 Akhlys album Melinoe, even though it is one man band USBM, usually a death sentence, but that's the exception that proves the rule. There is so MUCH black metal out there thanks to the one man band aspect, and so much of it is entirely competent but also at least 95% something we've heard before. Life is short, who wants to sift through all this new stuff?

Yes tons of black metal coming out that sounds "A-OK" but really offers nothing new.

Agreed with you guys. Recently heard the new Spirit Possession and Tilintetgjort albums, and they're fine, but the former is basically Negative Plane + Funerary Presence style stuff, and the latter is post DHG "avant-garde" black metal with members of Urarv and Den Saakaldte. All decently played (esp the former, man plays guitar without a pick!) but not very exciting or new since it's basically BM we've all heard before. So even the underground isn't making me eager to delve any more, let alone spend my time writing them up for an ever-dwindling audience...

On the other hand, I appreciate Darkthrone, especially the first 5 albums, much more now than 10 or 20 years ago. Same for Gorgoroth's first three.


I liked the parts of Hate Forest--Hour of the Centaur where Saenko was playing without a pick, so I checked out Spirit Possession. It's fine but unexciting (riffs on Inhaling the Keys are admittedly cool), the guy is naturally from San Francisco area and lives in Portland, has 17 projects and probably never worked a day in his life. The record is mastered by Colin Marston, Anthony Fantano likes it, it's all too predictable.

Just listened to some Spirit Possession. Didn't get into it. Not horrible. Just heard better BM. That goes for most American black metal.

Yep. There is just too much of it for one thing. Cobalt, Leviathan, Xasthur, Wolves in throne Room, and Panopticon certainly have their moments but Krieg and Judas Iscariot I never cared much for, and Nachtmystium sucks as does Blake Judd. Weakling is a band I never understood, still think Dead as Dreams is one of the most overrated metal albums of all time, and most American black metal considers that album the lodestone of USBM, so that might be the disconnect for me.

Anyone remember Velvet Cacoon?

Yes I remember Velvet Cacoon, ha!

Leviathan to me is an exception the USBM rule, I really dig wrest's stuff. Krieg is alright on some albums others are mediocre. Judas Iscariot is okay when I'm in the mood even though the vocals aren't the best. Weakling Dead as Dreams I've listened to multiple times and it never left a lasting impression in my mind.

The European guys definitely do black metal better.

Daniel taking the dieselharp bullshit seriously back in the day

I like a lot of the 'classic' USBM much more than you guys (esp Judas I and Krieg, agreed with Husker on Leviathan) and honestly it's been so long since I listened to Weakling I can barely remember it. Probably doesn't help that it's out of print I think?

It does seem like the genre has painted itself into a corner and nothing really new or innovative is springing to the fore that isn't just weirdness for it's own sake. But, I've found that a good live performance will reinvigorate my interest in a band that I had previously written off. Of course, this can have the opposite effect as well.

As far as specific bands, I'm glad that Slayer retired when they did. It was time. Jeff was gone. Lombardo left over money and Tom wanted to stay at home and be a pappa. If the version of Relentless I purchased didn't have a full live DVD with it, I would have gotten rid of it a long time ago. I may be in the minority, but I thought 72 Seasons sounded the most inspired Metallica has been in years. Hetfield's vocals are fantastic, the riffs are groovy as hell and Lars' drums don't sound like tin cans anymore. Hammett is out of ideas for sure and many of the tracks should have been trimmed down, but it's definitely not a dud either.

I recall liking Miasma and To Embrace the Corpses bleeding somewhat. Maybe those are due for a revisit: surely Judas I and Krieg were better than some of the third rate USBM bands like Azrael and Kult of Azazel I inexplicably have CDs from. I'm glad we are building consensus on Weakling as a snoozefest.

Slayer needed to go agreed. And now you and Husker have said they liked the new Metallica--am I actually gonna have to listen to this beast?