Turn Loose The Swans amazes me still. The way those riffs manage to sound shocking, rousing and dangerous AND also melancholic, supremely heavy and damning is genius. The title track collects everything and spews it over the world. A feast of esotericisms and woes, for sure!

...and of course I'm listening to A Mortal Binding.

"A Starving Heart" is a gentler one but couched in the middle of dark epics "The Apocalyptist" and "Crushed Embers", it is still gloomy by association. Lena Abé's bass grounds this in the mounds of burial earth. Ugh.

My comments about them on here were based on some idea that I'd heard Turn Loose the Swans sometime last year. I thought I had. I was not really in a very good place back then - maybe it was that one or it might've been some other album. But yeah now in my right mind it does sound fucking tremendous.

Fountains of Wayne - s/t

I really appreciate this band too.

Atavism has some good stuff but quite a few of the songs there seem half finished or are snippets of a few minutes. Very odd.

Nocte Obducta - Hexer (Verflucht)

Brilliant band, brilliant!

They'd just come off of a streak of really polished works, so I think they were just sort of fucking around and having fun on that one.

Yeah, I honestly don't enjoy this album all that much and you nailed it, sounds like its half baked at times.

Century - The Conquest of Time

On the liner notes of It Beckons Us All, Fenriz told to listen to Century from Sweden. No wonder, this is killer heavy metal.

So yesterday marked 35 years since the US Heavy/Power masterpiece by Leatherwolf, Street Ready. My 2nd favorite Leatherwolf album.

Spinning right now and despite the hundreds upon hundreds of listening sessions, it still feels like the first time.

Thunder is a PERFECT epic metal song. Perfect on every single aspect; vocals, guitars (solos included), drums, sound production.

Black Knightis such a riff-fest, up there with any instrumental.

Chapel of Disease - Symbolic Realms

Just found out about this band last week and I can’t get enough. The perfect amount of riffing and speed combined with a whole lot of groove. Anyone have something similar to what these guys do?

Immolation - Kingdom of Conspiracy

Good!
Planning to see them live in Autumn!

Abhorration - Desecrate the Exploits of God

Great thrashing death metal, been wearing this demo out.

Fantastic record! Never understood the fact that many fans consider it to be their worst. It’s top 5 of theirs for me! That production is just filthy punishing!!!

Nice! Had no idea they had a new one on the way - loved the debut!

Nice! Had no idea they had a new one on the way - loved the debut!

Yep, and I think the guitar melodies on the new one are excellent.

Some of the albums released today:

Accept – Humanoid: Cookie-cutter metal with a few highs. "Blood of the Nations" and the first half of "Stalingrad" were in a different league. 6.5/10

Morgul Blade – Heavy Metal Wraiths: Blackened heavy metal. Entertaining and captivating. The first three tracks and the ninth track are very strong, and the memorable guitar motifs warrant an 8 out of 10. Unfortunately, the album loses steam halfway through. Still, what's great is great. 7.5/10

Darkthrone – It Beckons us All: A riffy mid-tempo crawler that continues the journey down metal lane that started in 2013. Another good album but I'm not blown away, probably because I've heard some of those mysterious and spacy vibes better elsewhere, e.g. on Voivod albums. I can't help thinking: "Some of the tracks could be even better if the band consisted of three, four or five members." A two piece can only do so much… 7.5/10

Darkness – Blood on Canvas: Second tier Teutonic thrash. I can't remember their 80s albums, so I don't know how the new one compares but I think I don't need it. It's neither particularly gritty nor fast or technical or heavy or precise or loose… it just exists. Right now I'd say 5/10.

Deicide – Banished by Sin: It's after you and wants to rip your jugular and doesn't let up, no matter how fast you try to run. Melodic, relentless and energising, albeit too clean. I'm not a death metal fan though, the only other Deicide album I know is the debut, and Benton's double vocals (what's the technical term for this doubling?) should be flushed down the toilet. I hate this stuff in all its guises, in Onslaught, in KK's Priest, everywhere. Great vocalists (Araya, Halford, Åkerfeldt) can do without this shite. (No rating.)

Arð – Untouched by Fire: Monkish choir music with pianos, church organs and a melancholic doom metal backing. A fitting soundtrack for the days when you feel, er, cloistered. Due to my limited experience with this kind of music, it puts me in the frame of mind I already know e.g. from listening to the backing vocals on Clannad's "Magical Ring" and "Macalla". A different genre but a similar impact. So if you like esoteric moods and, maybe, the doomier aspects of early While Heaven Wept, this might be worth a listen. (No Rating.)

Currently playing: Amerikan Kaos – Armageddon Boogie: Jeff Waters' rock / hard rock project. Massive Van Halen vibes in "The Pasadena Four", obviously a tribute to / pastiche of a certain Dutch band that is no more. It's as silly as you expect a Waters song to be. Fun stuff. No rating yet because I'm only two and a half songs in. UPDATE: Some tracks could easily fit on "Set the World on Fire" and "King of the Kill" as they're not really any different from Annihilator in that period, some others are pure rock and hard rock tracks with groovy hooks that work as they should but you still can tell it's Jeff Waters. That's because everything is steeped in Waters' overblown silliness that renders everything ironic. Some of the hooks and grooves are fantastic but there's this nagging question: If you really love hard rock, would you turn it into a jokey freakshow? Are albums like this tributes to or mockeries of rock? I'm undecided, so… still no rating.

Seasons of the Wolf - Orna Verum

Very surprised if this one doesn't end up in my top 3 or so for the end of the year...

Accept - Humanoid

Man if these first two songs were what they considered a good way to open, it's not looking good...

I can't wait to get it.

Wolf - Devil Seed

I've been in no rush to revisit Devil Seed. It gets off to a swimmingly good start with Shark Attack but after that it sinks into bloody mediocrity.
There's just no bite to any of it, even when things finally pick up for Back From The Grave and River Everlost, good tracks but by now I just don't really care, too little too late.
Again it's too fuckin long, especially if you have the version with the 2 lackluster covers on it.
Devil Seed sounds good, looks good but it's an uninspiring dud of an album full of half baked ideas and survives in my collection because of a couple of good tracks and the fact I'm a completist.

The Seasons of the Wolf is really interesting. I played it twice but there was a bunch of Youtube ads. Not sure when I'm getting the CD yet so I bit the bullet and just signed up for a free month of YT Premium just to play it until then. It seems like their least metal - more classic rock in places. But absolutely spellbinding melodies at times and some really fucking crushing riffs. It's expansive like their old stuff again, with a lot of moody atmospheres. Gonna play it again later after work.

Wings Of Steel - Wings Of Steel

Super cool debut 5 song EP. Class, classy stuff from one of the most promising bands in the scene right now. These guy's are shooting for the star's and I'm cheering em on to get there.

Reverend Bizarre - In The Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend

Treated myself to the 2LP reissue of this a while back and giving it a proper spin now... just fantastic. This is how you pay tribute to the past properly without being derivative. A classic for sure.

Indeed. Killer album packed with no-frills tunes.

Np:
Messa - “Feast For Water”
Recent discovery for me — it’s a very refreshing take on doomish metal. Definitely unique things going on here.

An incredible album, and one of the classics of the 2010s for me. Their other albums are very good as well.

Pentagram - Makina Elektrika

I keep coming back to this band at odd intervals, but this from a few years back is some top quality melodic metal. Heavy, pounding, engaging.

Death - The Sound of Perserverance

I love this album! I know the not quite death, not quite clean, metal/death hybrid voice is not well liked but it works on this album.

Ozzy Osbourne - The Ultimate Sin

What an amazing album, the first song is one of the best of 80s heavy metal.

Suffocation - Current setlist

Heading up to Auckland to see them tonight. Only 11 tracks in the setlist but they're all bangers. Jungle Rot are supporting so should be a fun evening.

Because compared to other works of them it is less complex, technical and dissonant…

practically any other band could do it and this made people turn up their noses…
A good album but far from the masterpieces of the past..

Now listening Grifteskymfning Malignant Morningstar

The duration maybe is the only flaw

Elder - Halcyon

Digging this band, especially when the warmth and sun is here!

Draconian - “Sovran”
Very well-executed doom. But, damn, the opening song “Heavy Lies the Crown” blatantly ripped off My Dying Bride’s “My Wine In Silence”.

Fimbulwinter - Roaring Hellfire

Picked up the Servants of Sorcery lp from Peaceville and i got an interesting take on Shagrath's early recordings before Dimmu Borgir.Ok i guess and i'm all for rescuing early demo material but a couple of these tracks not on the rehearsal demo were clearly unsalvageable bordering on unlistenable.Things clear up towards the end thankfully for the Darkthrone (The Watchtower) and Celtic Frost (Morbid Tales) covers but only just.

~edit The Darkthrone cover starts to get chewed up at the end also.

Bruce Dickinson - Many Doors to Hell

Still love it... I've found a lot of amazing newer, more obscure acts, but everything about this just has my number. Musically, lyrically, the atmosphere, just exactly what I wanted somehow. A really direct work in some ways, but also becomes more mystical and mysterious as it goes on, and there's just something in the songwriting that holds together everything so well. It does a lot of things for just the right amount of time and comes off really well-rounded.

Attacker - Forgotten

I need to stop listening to the Heavy Metal Pact podcast,it's too hard on my wallet.Could do with a beefier production but still a good time and had to get it soon as i heard Tortured Existence.Catchy chorus and a very decent guitar player.

Fates Warning - Guardian

I'm tuned in to the drummer this time around (Steve Zimmerman),what a player. Never too flashy with overfills,just pure class all round,very skillful.I was checking the archives and he hung around for the No Exit album so will get that next.

Dødheimsgard - Aphelion Void

Giving ''A Umbra Omega'' a sping again, really good.
Might still like the newest better though.

Judas Priest - Invincible Shield

A consistent effort. I'm still to find moments like Rising from Ruins or No Surrender from this one though. Crown of Horns and As God Is My Witness are mostly stuck in my head right now.

High on Fire - Hunting Shadows

Another strong ode to Lemmy,especially in the chorus but the song never gives you a break,it just takes you along for the ride.Never quits.
Also reminded of Kalas with a subtle note or two of melody so this one is turning out to be another highlight in the latter stages of the new one.
Coady Willis is also kicking ass all over this record.

Deathhammer - Witchfukker

Awesome and sleazy black/speed thrash metal.
Love this band.

Classic. Megadeth's finest album.

Candlemass - Ancient Dreams

This was always my favorite from them - it's funny since it is a bit of a lopsided album, with a few weird covers at the end and "Incarnate of Evil" seemingly being the one everyone agrees isn't as good - though even that's a pretty good tune. But the highlights are just their best tunes ever, between the first three crushing songs, "Bells of Acheron," the incredibly atmospheric title track, all great.

Tyranonaut - Erskine Hollow

Another must buy from the Heavy Metal Pact,and this time a nod towards Sleep 'The Sciences'.There's more than one riff i recognise here but still they give it their own take and more often than not pull it off with style.This is a seven part last track that takes up the whole of side B and it's a journey and a half.Very satisfying.
Hit it Shandy.

Although everyone may agree, I can afford to disagree as I'm not everyone. "Incarnation of Evil" is my secret favourite from that (their best) album (tied with "Epistle No. 81" and the title track). That track... seemingly nothing happens for months but then, suddenly, ... "Into the niiight we will gooooo..." ... the chords change, the abyss is below you, you lose your foothold, black winds.

That one and "Epistle" are probably their most elegiac songs, and Messiah's vocal lines and tonal choices are sublime.

NP: "Incarnation of Evil"