Acid Bath- Bleed Me An Ocean.

Basically what we have here is gnarly, low-fi, almost blackened sludgy doom metal. The riffs are grinding, groovy and heavy as fuck. The vocals go back and forth between that stoner crooning and raspier moments. Not exactly my cup of tea, but a really interesting song all the same, and definitely not bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBLJs_ZRZmc

Tad Morose - Anubis

Isn't this interesting? Another band name that has been known to me for a long time, and I always found the name to be a strange one... I'm digressing because what's going on in this heavy track is quite cool, even right down to the superbly anime styled film clip. It's firmly in the more modern heavy metal genre, with thick, chunky chord work forming the essential rhythmic backbone, and it's wonderfully produced, giving plenty of power. The riffs are not exactly earth shattering though, being fairly stolid in the way the palm muted structure controls the flow of the track, but it can be forgiven mostly due to the sheer weight they carry. I actually really like the vocals here, as they are not overtly showy, but have enough to them to not totally lose your attention. Having said all that, there really isn't much more to tell about this, as it does it's thing and then it's over - I mean it is rather cool, but doesn't really have any other tricks up it's sleeve to completely wow you.

Going with a old and unshakable favourite of mine...

Bathory - Dies Irae

Definitely not my favourite of this fantastic album (that would either ''A Fine Day to Die'' or the titled track) but this one does't disappoint, either - despite being far more simple and straightforward in its delivery. The song could be divided into two sections I suppose: the first one is the most intense, where Quorthon's harsh spittin is really evident, the riffs hit hard and the shredded solos are all over the place - giving the music a chaotic and untaned vibe and really showing its thrash metal-alike sound of the album. The latter around 2:20 is slightly calmer...where the song changes its pace slightly from time to time and mood turns darker. I felt like I lost some interest once this happend and would have prefered the entire song to be one mess of speedy riffs but unfortunately that's not the case. One of the weaker songs on the album for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzHc_Puv4cY

Sentenced: "Desert by night"

Definitely a forgotten song, this, very much in the style of the North from Here album. That means dizzying death metal with lots of challenging and unusual riffs that change just when you start to really get a handle on them. It really worked out well for them, though, and it's the only phase of the band that I think is really special (although the debut is great in its own right). Hearing this now, I'm reminded of Atrocity and their Todesensucht album, although here Sentenced plays with a bit more restraint and the songwriting isn't quite as engenious. The vocals are a lot better, too, though I still think I would prefer a deeper sound to them. Some of the riffing here is based around higher notes and not the usual chords and bottom metal register, which gives the song an unusual and enchanting feeling, but also calls to mind some of the less typical speed/thrash bands from the 80s. You can hear their love of heavy metal showing through in the solo, which isn't quite as shredtastic as the stuff you'd hear on NFH but has all the poise and class of Maiden or early Queensryche. The piano/keys conclusion seems a bit tacked on but it does fit with the atmosphere of the song so I won't complain much. Nice one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pRDDYuIBcM

Zemial- Under Scythian Command.

Everything about this track is just perfect. First of all, how fucking cool is that title? Secondly, the song in of itself just comes off cool; a gnarly slice of blackened speed metal, with ragged though not overtly kvlt production. I dug it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl0z5-QJ95E

New Accept, eh? Obviously, I love the old classics and this album is worthy, but it just doesn't excite me all that much. The new singer's definitely good, but he's too Brian Johnson for me (nothing against Brian Johnson but I always preferred Bon). I like that they've kept some of the classic Accept touches in there (like when the band drop a beat in the riff, I'm not sure what the musical term is but it's something that I've always loved - 2:44 in the chorus if anyone can tell me). Overall, it's pleasant enough, maybe a little too familiar and tellingly the production is crap compared to the old Accept sound. I dunno, for me it's kinda hard to buy into Accept without a German singer. They are the archetypal Deutsch metal band and they did work a lot better with Udo.

Another band with more than a few grey hairs

Motörhead - Coup de Grace

Motorhead still can't shake who they are after all these awesome years of rocking hard and meaning it. This has both the potential of being a standard or remaining another perfect song to which not a lot of attention might be paid. It is rapid but with an elderly grace that knows when to fire and when to let it loose. The vocals are prime and the lyrics are the usual pearls of wisdom from Lemmy's infinite head of....I gotta stop, I'm chocking on something...

Here's something I liked very much;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9r64qJvxJk

Acerus: "The Order shall be Reestablished"

The Order? Uh-oh! Anyway, the coolest thing about this thread for sure is discovering bands you've never heard before or even checking out things you wouldn't normally be tempted to investigate. With the spooky distorted voice at the outset and the production, I was given to expect some kind of modern melodic black metal, but no, in fact this is rather vintage heavy stuff with a guitar and drum sound that still place it firmly in a post-1990s context. Only a couple of riffs really drive this thing forward, and they're pretty solid, if not great. The chorus even reminded me a bit of Jag panzer's "License to Kill", but the vocals are very firmly calling Tom Warrior to mind, even with a few "oah!"s and "Ow!" noises to make sure we know where they are coming from. I have to say that while this was somewhat enjoyable I do wish there was a bit more going on. THe riff that plays slowly at the start sounds rather positive, hopeful, which I like, and then he just starts picking in eighths and keeps it going until that chorus part comes in...it's a little tired sounding by the end and I kind of wish this were crazier somehow. A rougher production might have helped, too. The only surprise appears with that little harmony part before the solo, which is nice and I wish that had been more developed, or shown up earlier to keep things interesting. The solo is well played, and it seems like things are going on, but then there's a quick fadeout, leaving the song sounding a bit unfinished. Whenever that happens I always wonder how it's supposed to come across live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qswech_Kx9w

Acerus is the dudes from The Chasm, if ya didn't know

yeah, I'd just as soon have another Chazoom album instead. There's enough bands scratching the trad metal itch for me these days.

@Chaosmonger and Abom:

Battleroar - Egyptian Doom

I generally hate European power metal with every fibre of my being, but honestly, that was pretty good. I think the fact that it lets its classic metal influences (via Maiden) shine through helps a lot. This doesn't go too far over the top. It's not even that cheesy, really. The melodic guitars here are really good. They're not too sugary and hit all the right places. There's something strange about this guys voice I can't put my finger on, but it's still way better than a lot of the more over the top power metal vocals. The chorus here is really catchy. Good solos, too. It's very rare that I like something in this style, but this was cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiJvsxMV-yU

Cursed: III - Friends In The Music Business

Well, this was just horrible! The riffing is incredibly loud and grating and terribly toned, produced and delivered. It is something along the lines of Grief/Eyehategod except with less clarity and purpose. The song is driven into the ground further by the vocalist who sounds like a sulky teenager especially when he yells don't call me and I won't call you ad nauseam. The lyrics are pitiful and awkward but whatshisname with the scabby pipes sounds like he means every word. There's really no point to this at all. Better bands have done worse, I suppose and yet this still sounds far worse. Go ahead, try it, if you like the taste of tasteless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekpl6wp8UZU

Witchfinder General - The Funeral / Beyond the Grave

I seem to only review doomy songs lately...oh well. I enjoy the opening riffs, but I wouldn't say its anything groundbreaking...some spoken word enters (which i usually find is abit cheezy...this is no different). At 1:55 some varietion int he riff hits and its quite good and seems like the song building towards something, but then..boom, back to the intro riff and spoken word again... can't say i'm a fan so far. Finally at 3:45 there is again a change in riffs and actual singing kicks in. Now this is enjoyable and what i was expecting a lot sooner in the song. I also enjoy the section at about 5:30 which is almost like a bass solo bridge section. Overall, i enjoyed the second half of the song , but that first half just dragged on and not sure i could take listening to that part again.

5.5/10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frXOSk27DD0

Rattenfänger: "Clausae Patent"

Sloooow....heavy....crushing! Not too far off from an Asphyx sort of approach, even with the vocals, although they aren't quite as expressive as Van Drunen or any of the other Asphyx vocalists. No lead guitar or anything unnecessary like that, just simple, menacing riffs that do change a bit and become almost more triumphant and threatening as the song goes on. The drummer starts with some steady double bass pounding and just as I was thinking "hmm, that's cool but I normally prefer drumming with a bit more groove in it", he changes it up to do exactly that, and it was like he was thinking the same thing...fucking excellent. in fact, this guy varies up his approach quite a lot with the feet and knows where to hit in between those heavy chords to make everything better. And again, as those big chords ring out, I'm thinking "well something a little faster wouldn't be amiss now", and after some sustained fading guitar noise, we get "OOAH!", and exactly that. We're not talking about blasting here or anything that would be out of place in such a massively trudging piece of music, but a quick near-thrash approach, again, reminiscent of Asphyx's approach to varying up tempos, and this is the climax of the piece. It was very fitting and I certainly enjoyed that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V96FxUz2tXI

Manilla Road - Triumvirate

Mellow Manilla Road tracks are always welcome!
'The Sea Witch' and 'Court of Avalon' are some of my favorites and this one from the Mark of the Beast album I'd overlooked but I'm glad I've been led to rediscover. It is actually a very subtle, very creeping and ultimately moving piece. Mark Shelton's vocals manage to sound both somber and triumphant and the pacing has an anthemic feel to it. It wallows and wades moodily and softly through the verses and then builds up tremendously. The solos are as expected, BRILLIANT and the drumming and rhythm is subtle but precise.
Now that I think about it, this is a damn perfect song and I'm going to be hearing more of it.

Let's keep things epic and traditional;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXTchpzJnCw

Virgin Steele - A Shadow of Fear

I feel very embarrassed to admit this, but this is my first time hearing Virgin Steele. I guess I can chalk that up to my trepidation regarding checking out anything power metal tinged. But yeah, this is pretty awesome. This is just as much trad as it is power, which is probably why I like it so much - it doesn't go completely over the top (especially on the vocal front). Some great melodies here that aren't drowned in thick layers of sugar. The vocals are awesome, melodic and triumphant yet still a bit gruff for this style. Bitching solo, too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bjk0jmqVSPU

flourishing - watching sparrows

i'll have to admit this is outside my sphere of listening, but is this progressive technical death metal? or progressive technical grindcore? do either of those things exist? i heard a lot of time changes and percussive things, lots of fancy drumwork. riffs seemed to be a mix of pantera and carcass, if that makes any sense. maybe a bit nevermore-ish, i dunno. most riffs only once, many per song. vocals generic guttural. i can't really rate it as i just simply don't listen to this kind of thing, but it seems competent. they seem to know what they're doing. i assume if you liked this genre you'd find this a good example of it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bmEGzElwWM

This is pretty fucking awesome, I don't mind telling you. First off, the guitar tone is superb. Perfect blend of heaviness, clarity and wonderful decay, and I'm fairly certain these guys have already made it into this thread before. This is some damn fine song craft here, brooding and bruising it's way along with an effortless purpose (did I mention the guitar tone?). The opening riff is somewhat misleading to my ears though, as it sounded like it was going to be a stock doom/heavy metal kind of thing, but there is some magic at work here, which only starts to rear it's head with those vocals, which, if I'm honest remind me slightly of Jerry Cantrell at his whiskey and cigarette soaked best. These vocals are laid out in a timely, spartan nature, and that is welcome as it allows the mood of this track to unfold instrumentally, gaining weight and pulling you in further with killer hook laden guitar lines behind the burly distortion. Almost smack bang in the middle does a change appear in the form of some solid chord work heralding a sweet lead, that flows with ease. The closing section is as good as the opening, wrapping it all up in a palm-muted, solo-laden climax, with those vocals still soaring away over it all. Excellent, excellent stuff really.

Time to revive this thread.

Ok, now I'll keep it going...

Nocturnal Graves: "Slave Annihilation"

This is my first exposure to this band despite a couple of friends insisting that they're basically the best thing going. I'm certainly pleased to have finally heard them. This is furious, militaristic metal with a jagged approach to guitar riffing that suits the marching snare patterns really well, and also manages to be very memorable. It helps that the guitar sound is so sharp and clear. I like the dull thud of the drums, too....not particularly well defined yet perfectly fitting for this music, and not sounding sterile or produced in an inappropriate way. When the piece slows down we get some wailing, knify lead guitar that's extremely menacing and helps draw me deeper into the darkness of the music, along with some heavier palm muted chords. The brief blast-beat section is absolutely raging. Vocals are dry and snarly and do their narrative task well without particularly standing out...in this case, a good thing.

Let's keep it vicious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OctyD9OT7DA

Abom

DAI - Squir Akyz

Some nice old school Death Metal we have here, straight and to the point with riffs aplenty, that riff that comes in at the 40 second mark is awesome as well as the main solo of the song which just rules. At under 3 minutes the song kind of ends kind of abruptly and it probably could have been a little bit longer, however this doesn't really detract from the song. Vocals are fairly standard fare early 90's Death metal but still very good.

Overall cool song, will need to check the album out 7.5/10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj5_R4beO6Q

"Eye Flys" by Melvins. It's really somber, spooky, tense drone metal. Not much else I can really say about it. From what I understand these guys are pioneers of that particular niche, so if you dig drone, you outta like this.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K8JsRURx6A

@Metal_Jaw

@ I_am_Vengeance

@Abominatrix


@Cthulhu_Fhtagn

Sorry about the weird mess-up. The real song is "Danger Zone" by Black Sabbath. I really like this song, one of my favorites off the album. Catchy rhythm riff, great vocals, and a nifty mood to it.

[url] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bhUvscmWNM


[/url]

Cancer - Into The Acid

Solid death metal with an oldschool sound (not surprising as this was released in 1990. With a prominent thrash bent (again not surprising due to when it was released), this has a simple yet viable sound. In fact this is that type of death metal that sounds like thrash pumped up with enough steroids to cross into the realm of death metal. Catchy songwriting (especially the chorus), catchy riffs. Not much more to say, an enjoyable tune for sure..

One of my favourite examples of a band covering a great song and totally bringing it into their own:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTtJ8MqMlbA

Cobalt - 'Extinction'

Evocative intro, kinda sounds like... Metallica playing Alice in Chains or something, if you get me. Has a bit of a 'Fade to Black'/'One' vibe about it. The drum sound seems a little too punchy for the style, but the playing is good. Obviously, this doesn't sound much like the other stuff I've heard from this band (which I didn't like)... but the verse riff is kinda thrashy and the choruses are kinda... shit. Oh well. The vocalist ain't up to much, either, can't say that he's really selling me the song, he's certainly there in the mix but there's nothing really exciting happening. Fuck, that chorus is boring, I hope the original isn't all this dull. When it does break out from the verses and choruses, it's better... but still not exciting. I feel as if I'm waiting for this to finish so I can listen to something better. At least the drummer appears to be having fun, I know I'm not. After hearing this I don't want to check out Nausea, either. I could have bought a Cobalt album in a record shop I used to frequent for £1.99, I'm glad I didn't. Dull guitars, boring vocals... decent drumming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFXf1yXqRp8

witchfynde - ready to roll

fairly messy NWOBHM. not much standing out - it's basically an amateur version of diamond head, if this song is any indication. the music is sloppy, and the singer sounds far too much like sean harris. there's no real power to his voice, and this is definitely the entirety of his range on display here. he'd probably be terrible live. the guitarist goes to town on the pentatonic scale; in a way i almost miss that, cause you can't get away with it these days. and not that this has anything to do with the music, but the cover (based on this youtube clip) is excessively goofy. really rounds out the whole DIY feel. i'm not really into NWOBHM to start with, but i doubt anyone considers this the peak of the genre.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUVJuzv-mP4

Hehe, seen these guys quite a few times live, and used to own the debut, but it bored me rather quickly though (I Am Death is pretty cool however...). The intro fucking rules, due to the fact that old Lord Tim is really an excellent guitarist, before plunging into the verse riff with some chunky palm muted guitar, which is nice and heavy. His vocals are also a great highlight, with plenty of clarity, power and awesome, perfect harmonisation. Perfectly produced and played this is, with plenty of skill on display (that main lead rocks), and influences are certainly apparent in spades - if you like some pretty classy power metal, these guys will suffice that's for sure, as they are a slick unit indeed. The lyrical subject is clearly worn on their sleeves, and plainly apparent what it's all about, but they fail to really capture any real emotion here for me, and especially within the power metal genre, as it's so damn... uplifting! I know strength can be gained from loss and turmoil, but there should be at least some residual anger, which this lacks. This is however only a minor quibble as the song is still okay, but not something I need to have and hold.

My turn.

Alchemyst - Rites of the Holy Hills

Well that wasn't bad at all. Combines a wide range of metal into one atmospheric yet ripping piece. This is very doomy and gives off a very haunting sense of creeping decay. I suppose this would qualify as black/death. Has more the aesthetic/vibe of black metal but a lot of the riffs seem to be closer to death metal. Anyway, I liked it a lot. Gotta love when bands pull it off so that they have a viable atmosphere and still slay at the same time. I'll put the albums on my list of ones to check out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeiq7YF50Pc

stomach earth - watchers

first impressions: yes! nice doomy, well-produced thumping, intro. verse isn't great, and the vocals are leaving a bit to be desired, but now it's just kicked back in and this riff is SWEET. (this is a stream-of-consciousness review, obvs.) i think these quieter bits where it goes into just feedback and vocals break the dooming up too much - this is a seriously great collection of riffs and would flow really well without being segmented like it is. also, i really like the band name for some reason. fits well with the overall sound. good tune!

here's some good ol' fashioned slop:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKjlq9UwxBU

Necromancer - Dark Church.

First off, that's a ripping guitar tone; somewhere between Kreator and Pestilence's first album. Nice drum sound, too, I'd be surprised if this wasn't from the 1980s (although the 1990s is certainly possible). There's definitely a strong Destruction influence were - those riffs just twist and turn in that Deutsch way. Although, the vocalist makes me think that they're not European. He's probably the weak link here, although far from bad, kinda like a cut-rate Max Cavalera, he's certainly not bad, though. Although I would prefer someone with a more cutting tone for this style (think the dude from Morbid Saint or Martin Missy from Protector). There's a hefty death metal influence here, so at times we get stuff that's verging on brutal thrash and I can definitely hear a fair dose of Darkness Descends. Very cool stuff.

Edit: It's from Brazil from the mid-1990s! Impressively thrashy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq9ddkA87lA

The Obsessed - Streamlined

I love the simple but utterly effective groove structures of this thing. It just draws you in with a Zeppelin-esque magic and rolls along comfortably until the end never losing the driving force of its rhythm. The solos are as expected hugely placed and wild and the vocals are handled by Wino - sounding absolutely nothing like he does in Saint Vitus - and it is all over in two minutes! A little thrill but one worth having.

enter if you dare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU69uARcRT0

Whoa, burly. First off that guitar tone/sound is fucking massive! Like a boulder of granite taking life and bulldozing anything in it's path, but it has an almost vintage fuzz to it as well. This some doooomy, deathlty stuff, opening with some Hammer Horror styled quotes (which are sort of cliched), before that granite riff comes rolling in. The vocals are what I would consider straight up death metal vocals - hoarse and shouty, preaching of rituals and esoteric offerings. The main riff itself is rather repetitive and every so often you can hear a slight wah-pedal lead sneaking it's way into the stonework, with those heavy cymbal chiming and thudding toms/snare guiding this dirge. The bass itself is a subterranean worm underneath all this guitar soup, happily being deeply embedded in the noise. The solo wasn't too bad I guess, but nothing too flashy, or memorable. I feel that this was a tad too long and could have lost a couple of minutes, due to the fact that it really doesn't offer much else once the initial motifs are established, as it seemed to drag it knuckles. Not bad, for what it is, but not really my thing.

Keeping it heavy...

Binah - The Emissary

well, its definitely got that filthy tone to kick things off with slow heavy riffs....there also seems to be some keys or something in the background that gives off a coldish atmosphere. The song suddenly kicks into another gear. the riffs here are fairly simple but i do like the subtle leads that start right around the 2:10 mark. I'm finding the main riffs and drums abit mechanical though until we finally get some variation riffs around the 3:30. Luckily the leads are at the forefront and really do add the melody needed in the song. Just after a flurry of blast beats hit at 5:00, the riffs really get going and this section of solid riffs is the star of the song. really like that....in fact the last two minutes of the song were filled with heavy riffs and variation and peeked my interest to look into more of this band!

...and continuing the heavy theme

Bolzer- C.M.E. (Coronal Mass Ejaculation).

Definitely heavy as fuck, with bizarre vocals that go back and forth between your typical death/guttural stuff, and then some louder, more nasally Danzig-type howling. The music itself progresses fairly slowly, but keeps mercilessly heavy and really evil. I'd call it blackened sludge-death. Cool stuff.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jin5CKM3eRU