Neurosis - Times of Grace

The standalone album is really good, but pairing it with the Tribes of Neurot companion album takes this shit to the stratosphere. Immense, trembling wonders. These really arresting soundscapes and heavy as fuck moments trading off - wild, vivid textures. I haven't heard a few of the later albums yet, but this could be their masterpiece when heard like intended.

Behemoth - The Satanist

maybe an unpopular opinion, but to me this is modern metal classic

Vulture - Realm Of The Impaler

They did it again.I had no doubts to be honest,but this is up there and a perfect follow up to Dealin' Death,which for me was their best album so far.
Had to go through Earache for my order and i swear i picked the plain black version but lo and behold they sent me the red/white splatter that was limited but not selling.This has happened to me before with them.
So there it sits on the turntable..like a strawberry sundae.

Cannibal Corpse - Devoured by Vermin

Excellent stuff from Cannibal Corpse!

Down - Never Try

Not played this in way too long and reminded how great it is.Even after what went before it,they somehow delivered another seemingly effortless follow-up to II to complete the trilogy.If it was ever meant to be,but there it is.
So many good songs on here it's hard to pick a favourite.The ending with Nothing In Return (Walk Away),if it has to be the end then let it be the last album we get because they could never top this.

Nokturnal Mortum - The Taste Of Victory

Picked up the ep for the 'As The Steel Eagle Into Golden Svarga' track but it's good to hear this one again.This time without the gunfire intro from the Myrovozzrenhe album but even without it,it remains one of their most depressing and dark guitar works with an overwhelming sense of loss and sorrow woven into the fabric.

Bruce Dickinson - Resurrection Men

Maybe my favorite song of the year so far - tremendous, love the numerous sections it goes through, the way these guys just nail it all and deliver this really confident, ominous, atmospheric piece of music. Just arresting.

The Weltanschauung period has the most prolific and emotive guitar playing Varggoth has ever displayed with the band

NP: Melechesh - Enki
It's been a long time since I've consumed a discography so fast, with the exception of the debut, I've really liked all their albums, maybe with this last one the formula was starting to get a bit repetitive but that's more my fault because I've listened one after another without a break, each of their works is an outstanding sonical piece, I'm very happy with this little trip through their discography.

Agreed.The change in sound and composition after NeChrist was huge.

np

Motstand - Fortapt

Norwegian black metal with an early Darkthrone vibe (Panzerfaust/Transylvanian Hunger era).Really strong vocals on it which i'm digging alot,apparently recorded long after the music was.
I'de never heard of this project before but it had the 'Kolbotn Thrashers Union' stamp of honour on the back,so i went for it.

Soilent Green - Sewn Mouth Secrets

I got this originally when it came out in '98 but I just could not fully get into it, I really wanted to but there was sooo much going on and nothing could really sink in.
This time I'm approaching it differently, I'm listening to them in the moment, just enjoying each individual moment as it happens. Absorption be damned.
Not sure if that makes sense but it's working.

Hammers of Misfortune - The August Engine

Never stops stunning me... riffs and songs so complex they twist into pretzels, but there's a real emotional catharsis, a longing and a dark atmosphere, that makes it all so visceral. Nothing else like it.

Octavarium (the song) by Dream Theater.

I know "masterpiece" gets thrown around way too often and it has lost its meaning, but man, Octavarium is a masterpiece of a song, imo.

My Dying Bride - A Mortal Binding
Symphony X - V: A New Mythology
Scald - Will of the Gods is Great Power

V is a pretty tough nut to crack - it's catchy but really ornate with a lot going on. No standout "pop" track or anything - it's all just really seamless and exquisitely put together. A genuine full album experience.

Scald I come back to every now and then. Finally bought it - $3 on their bandcamp, really good deal. Sweeping, beautiful doom. What a voice that singer had.

Sacred Warrior - Rebellion

Great stuff, should appeal to people who like Queensryche, or at least Lethal.

Slayer - Seasons In The Abyss album from start to finish, max volume

Nothing beats Slayer, not even scissors! That early 90's production is sooooo appalling to me, like some mythological remedy for inborn soul ache.

Holy Moses – Redefined Mayhem ('14)
Holy Moses – Invisible Queen ('23)

I think the slightly technical and slightly psychotic "Redefined Mayhem" is like a companion to "The New Machine of Liechtenstein" and one of the most satisfying newer albums by a veteran thrash act far and wide. Of course, everything's a bit one-dimensional, but Holy Moses have always been like that and still don't sound like anybody else. Also, the songs complement each other so well that the flow is near-perfect, at least until the last fourth when it gets a bit bumpy and rocky. Am I "Triggered"? Yes I am. 8.5-9/10

"Invisible Queen" strikes me as much weaker and more rough around the edges, compositionally and performance-wise. If "Redefined Mayhem" is a well-oiled machine, this one's not even a rusty machine but, well, something very different, like… e.g. an old pig trough or something. 6.5-7/10 However, when you listen to both albums in a row, they support each other quite well, with "In-, er, whisible Queen" adding a dimension of disorganisation and dishevelment to the experience. Just goes to show that both machines and troughs are useful on a farm.

I used to hate V, for some reason. In my revisiting of the pre-Paradise Lost albums, I was surprised by how much it kicked ass, this time around.

I think my brain was conflating it with being a lot like "A Winter's Dream Part 1" (which was lame and boring), and I'm not sure how that happened. But nope, it turns out nearly every track smokes.

It's been a while since I listened to a lot of their stuff, so I've been going back little by little. V and a lot of their stuff is really not easy listening, you have to be able to concentrate on it to get the full effect.

Coffins - The Other Side of Blasphemy

Spinning some Coffins again, really good death/doom!

Cavalera – Bestial Devastation
Cavalera – Morbid Visions

I don't know the originals by heart, so I don't know to what extent the re-recordings differ in detail. They're obviously much more polished but thankfully not sterile. Many current bands should take a page from their book in terms of reverb. Very enjoyable. I don't get why the instrumental layer is much drier than the vocals though. The result of this deliberate imbalance is that the instruments and the vocals do not form a unified whole. You constantly get reminded of the fact that this is a studio production and not a field recording in a dank grotto outside the gates of hell. Anyway, good stuff.

Cannibal Corpse - Encased in Concrete

''Torture'' is an awesome album!
Crushing songs.

Cryptic Slaughter – Convicted
Cryptic Slaughter – Money Talks

Short thrash/hardcore eruptions similar to early D.R.I. but with Mave Dustaine on vocals.

Tarot - Glimpse of the Dawn

Never tried them before, but always meant to... it's pretty pleasant, an easy-on-the-ears sense of melody. I kind of figured I'd like it more than this. It's a little too "look at how 70s" we are for me, like it's trying extra hard to lean into this mellow 70s thing as if it's cosplay, rather than something genuine. Could use some more fire or something unexpected here or there. I dunno.

Seems like every song has pretty narrow, similar ideas with the riffs and keys, not a lot of differing moods or ideas. It's nice to listen to but almost entirely without spark - sorta just background music.

Kanonenfieber - Dicken Bertha

Love this track, the main riff in the first part of the track is crushing. The rest of the album is good stuff too, I can’t wait for album 2.

The Sisters of Mercy - More

The chorus to this gets stuck in my head all the fucking time, even when I'm not actively listening to it. I will be just like... taking a shower or something and it pops into my mind. Truly one of the catchiest rock songs in existence.

Bathory - The Return...
Bathory - Under the Sign

The Return is a solid album, though sort of weak in the riff department. There are a few standouts like "Born for Burning," "The Wind of Mayhem," and "The Return of Darkness and Evil," but it's really the vocals and overall vibe holding it together. Things jumped to such a higher level on Under the Sign..., the epic quality of later Bathory is already there and the songwriting is so much stronger. Awesome stuff.

I really dig that album and the U-Bootsman EP.


NP - Astra Telepathica - The Emperor Protects
40k themed dungeon synth (apparently, since it's instrumental). Great for finishing up my LAST master's class.

Yesterday morning at work I had bloody Brad Pit from Inglorious Basterds saying "arrivederci". Over and over in my head and out loud. Later a coworker was playing the "Imperial March" so that took over.
But anything is game even "I see you baby, shakin that ass".

Necropole - Yoga
Whatever you think of the guy's political/social views, he's got an undeniable talent for riffs and stirring, passionate metal composition. If he keeps plowing this same particular stylistic field, though, he'll be going in circles. Some cool new mystical vista stuff happening on "Thousand-Petaled," however... feels a little Norman Shores-inspired.

Trees Of Eternity - "Hour Of the Nightengale"
Beautiful, elegant melancholic doom.

Rainbow - Gates of Babylon

Best solo ever* from Blackmore. Pretty insane stuff when you really listen to it, doesn't even seem human at all. He had a habit of writing some truly divine compositions.

*there are quite a few of these

Dio - I Could Have Been a Dreamer

That AOR synth in the chorus really crowns this song. Dreamers never die!

Wolf - Ravenous album

Well fuck, this was great ride from start to finish, really great band!

Hideous Divinity - Adveniens

Crushing album from a great band.

How did you hear it like this? I'd forgotten they did that. Back when it came out I remember reading you could do this but you had to have 2 players hooked up and push play simultaneously, so I never did that. Times Of Grace is a wicked album as is but your description is making me want to hear it with TON.

NP: Scald - Will Of Gods Is A Great Power

Great debut album. Looking forward to the rather lazily named new album with the awesome Felipe Plaza Kutzbach on vocals from the mighty Procession.

I have iTunes and the media player on my computer playing it in sync. I also found a few uploads to Youtube that have them in the same video... also I have an audio/video editor I might splice them together in when I get time. It's really cool to hear it that way.

Been obsessed with Scald... I don't know Procession, heard the name though.

Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us

Been going back and forth on how I feel about this... it's a wonderfully done album that just really takes some time to get into, you need to give it a serious listen. Layered, strange and full of twists and turns. Lyrics are insane and labyrinthine, but fascinating to read.

Just spun that I Am The Intimidator album. Not bad, may pick up.

Cardiac Arrest - Into the Woodchipper

Love this band, and ''Morgue Mutilations'' is awesome!
Just my type of Death Metal.

Rendered Helpless - From Nothing Comes All

Fantastic new album.

Entrails - Eaten by the Dead

More awesome death metal.
Killer melodic riffs here.