I hate to back-post about older reviews, but seriously, can Mailman not stop talking about brutal death metal even when he's reviewing a different genre? Just saw the first paragraph of his I Live Inside a Burning House review.

People who criticise Motorhead for being too samey aren't actually listening very well. Likewise each of Cannibal's Barnes era albums are all quite varied. If you don't like 'em, fine, just don't pretend it's all the same because it's Not For You (TM) and therefore you haven't been listening closely. I really don't think that with Motorhead it's one song the same as the other, it's similar ingredients taking you in wildly different places - just as certain dishes might use a similar base of ingredients and then you end up with very different flavours just because of subtle variations. I mean, there isn't a massive difference between 'Ace of Spades' and 'Sacrifice'. They're both morbid songs in E flat that are very fast and have just a few parts to them. And yet, one sounds like a car chase through the desert and the other sounds like a journey through the worst atrocities of the 20th century. Samey? Bah.

That's not to say that they don't return to certain themes etc but, really, show me a long running band who don't do that and I'll be surprised.

People just say Motorhead songs sound alike because every album has some of those traditional songs they do that have similar riffing patterns and vocal lines. But every band does that to some degree, really.

A lot of stuff is really bad.

See with CC I definitely think the Barnes albums, and even Vile all have a different feel to them. But from Gallery Of Suicide up until Red Before Black, it really doesn't change at all. Just my observations. You can disagree and throw "not listening close enough" ammo at me all you want. *shrugs*



Almost everything this dude writes is trash.

Even though I don't accept the "every song sounds the same" argument, my usual response is "Ace of Spades/Blitzkrieg Bop/Hammer-Smashed Face/etc is a great song. Why not keep remaking it?" I might be weird for admiring ambitious failures like Illud Divinum Insanus and also being fine with bands who refuse to fix what's not broken. I think it comes down to whether it seems like they keep to a style out of laziness or because that's the music they're passionate about making. In Cannibal Corpse's case, I also respect how they stuck to their sound, despite being the DM band best poised to sell out.


A good philosophy to have. That's why I'll likely never review anything with pig squeals. Doesn't hurt to occasionally venture outside familiar musical territory, like when a favorite band switches to playing a genre you hate.

Although you guys have already had the whole conversation about Cannibal Corpse "sounding samey", that wasn't actually my point. I said that a fan would be satisfied by most songs from most of their albums and that Red Before Black was no exception. I don't mean that the songs have no individual features, but that there are very few outliers on CC records. You can rely on the band not to spring sudden surprises on you.

In terms of Motorhead, I feel like that's a different matter. They had a unique sound and whatever they wrote ended up sounding familiar because of that, regardless of the direction the actual songs went in.

I think anybody who read your review knew what you meant (I would hope), it was more Sweetie's comment I was going off of. Anybody who has been around here for any amount of time knows that calling Cannibal a samey band is a Loony Button for me, lol.

I actually didn't, but I do now, haha.

Yeah I read your review afterwards and it was fine. So I guess I was just talking about the ideas SweetLeaf was expressing in general.

Personally, I'm really not a fan of applying the "it all sounds the same" philosophy for any band. Bands like AC/DC and Motorhead may have a basic established template but there's always evolution taking place, even if it's very subtle. Production values change with the times and even songwriting methods get altered after a while. I feel like those bands only got samey toward the end of their careers because they either got old and tired or they started buying into their reputations. One of these days I need to go through Cannibal Corpse's discography chronically to see what differences came and went over the years.

That said, I do feel like Crowbar is something of an exception. Production quirks change and an album or two may have some outliers, but just about every album has the same tones and band dynamics regardless despite the massive member turnover. It's honestly kind of impressive in a way.

Rank And File, or it didn't happen

Also props to Larry6990 on that World Peace writeup, I'm fully convinced and am adding that to my "listen to" pile.

Thank you both for your reviews! Unfortunately the band is finished since I moved to Pennsylvania. If anyone wants to change our status to "split-up" here that would be fine. I could still run the band by remote I guess, but I just have too much going on. The band has experienced steep ups and downs over our short time, but we were able to get the record done (though I wasn't there for the final mixes grrrrrr), and a couple good gigs including Keep It True. I'll never say that there will never be more Satan's Hallow music but it's not in the cards at the moment.

To Tanuki: the riff for the title track I think I kinda copied that from the verse riff of "A Corpse Without Soul", but slowed down by half. The similarity to Starstruck is pretty close. But fuck, I think I ripped off like tons a bands, so who's counting? Ha

Funny, I think I did change SH's status to split up sometime last year but it must've been disputed or something. Either way, I still love the album and am keeping my eye out for new projects by everyone involved. I'd be playing it even more often if it was on Spotify though .

Welcome to my home. I hope you like trees. Lots and lots of trees!

Aw man, that's unfortunate. Well, "the candle that burns twice as bright", etc. Really glad you managed to get the album out and enjoy some gigs. And thank you for entertaining my Starstruck point - I totally didn't notice the 'Corpse Without Soul' similarity, so looking back on it, I think that part of the review was unnecessarily harsh. It is just a similarity and not an outright ripoff. I just let my passion for Rising get in the way of objectivity. (Happens to everyone, I'm sure)

At any rate, cheers for the dozens of hours I've spent listening to that record!

Anyone else noticed how the review counter has magically slipped back below 100,000? It seems like someone has bulk deleted all of their reviews just to make things awkward...

Which is quite fucked, to say the least, yet now the elusive slot is again up for grabz!

Oh, I ceremoniously dug NausikaDalazBlindaz's (can we just abridge her chill, quirky moniker to NBD from now on? It's great, but a little awkward to type with both hands slashed to ribbons from gripping the wrong end of the machete of the crazy cow who attacked me earlier today because I picked up a (weed) roach in front of her sprawled out, shitty wares she was displaying for dope! - *true story, not just AirChair[ware]) two latest, for

-The Planet of Doom - First Contact
Slomatics / Vokonis / Messa / Mos Generator (four way split for the new Disney movie...eeeeeeh?!?)

and especially the one before,

Eden Seed's Rising Up;

This line made my day, (and what a day, all told!):

Inshallah, the world at large will soon be judging this Brazilian band's guitarist Gisele Marie Rocha by her headbanging and shredding talent than her choice of stage clothes which are a little unconventional to say the least.

I love it!!!

Abridge, rather, to "NDB", or is that cryptically bureaucratic, and not cool enough sounding? ($%$#@ cut, ungainly fyngrrrs!)

Apparently a user with 160 reviews as of last week, who hasn't been around in ages, decided to terminate their account today (and with it all of their reviews).

...lol

100,000th review up for grabs again!

Are we permitted to know who that was? I can remember lots of names on the top 100 reviewers, but I don't think I'll find out who it was by looking for their absence.

The former user ravenhearted.
Don't think I've seen any of their reviews before, or even come across that name.

Sounds like that would be a lot of goth metal reviews. I don't recall reading more than a couple.

Shit. Just when I was planning to take it easy...

But seriously, who deletes his steadfastly built account just like that, out of the blue? Did this guy just get married, and his wife ordered him to sever all his ties to his restless metal past?

Who cares anyway...

Either the wife, or the guy simply decided to become an all-out minimalist, precluding digital fare as well! A real whitewash of all accounts on-line, hmm?

I just read the latest Angel Sword review...I dug it tremendously, as I related to every thing the fellow said about joyfully discovering what he'd thought was long dead and buried, namely kick-ass, no frills HM for a new (and old) generation! Me, it was Night Demon's Curse of the Damned which re-kindled, around Xmas 2015, a waning, flickering flame I'd originally re-lit with Cauldron in 2009...Good stuff! I love hearing about solid such folk exhibiting this kind of inherently awesome self-renewal!

(btw "NWOTHM" at jujubetube started his channel, as I, reviewing altogether, with Night Demon's debut as well! Ineluctable!

Solid Trauma review as ever from gasmask but that opening sentence made me chuckle a little.



It's not like Cliff was a member of a much, much more popular and culturally significant band or anything Not to diss DDP or Testament or suggest Cliff was better at what he did as opposed to what they do but it's pretty easy to see why they're more likely to be remembered for Cliff being on a demo; he had a hand in some of metal's/music's most iconic and famed albums.

I just - you know - Cliff didn't exactly shape Trauma's music that much (he was with them for about a year, way before the first album) and...er...he died more than 30 years ago, so I don't see what he has to do with the current album. But they even mention that on the promotional material for it.

Sure he had nothing to do with the album, but it's their main claim to fame by virtue of Cliff being so revered in the metal community. I'd wager that a lot of Trauma's listeners from today or 30+ years ago checked out the band because of the association with Cliff, so it'd make sense to play it up if they can potentially draw in new listeners from Metallica's fanbase.

But yeah, this is just speculation at this point. I'm merely nitpicking to the extreme here, it's cool. Good review, as I said.

It's really too bad about Satan's Hallow being no more (for the time being anyhow, hopefully!) but ultra-cool one of the band's ax-men, Brian, proffered some much needed clarity and elucidation in its regards...
All the best in PA then!

Congrats, twisted_psych, on hitting big-ass, walloping #500! It's quite a milestone, plus that's some serious run since your 400th...(which wasn't that long ago if not mistaken).

Dude, I think you're correct about the reason, I guess I'm just complaining that it has to be that way, for Cliff's sake as well as the band's. I'll stop whining and accept your compliment

Oh geez, I didn't notice it got to that point but thank you! My productivity has certainly gone up since I joined Indy Metal Vault (Ironic since I joined them warning them that I couldn't guarantee much) and the number is pretty high with all the other websites I've written for in the last decade. It's been a good time though and by virtue of the voices in my head never stopping, I'll be keeping to it for a long time.

I'll also say that it's humbling to have others review my own projects on here. Not gonna lie, it was always something I'd hoped for when I was younger.

You're welcome, humble sir...

oh, still in regards to Icarus Witch's latest, Goodbye Cruel World, I readily dug and agreed with mjollnir when he states, in his review:

"The first three songs on this album, the holy trinity if you will, is worth getting this album in and of themselves. I already went into the opening title track and it being melodic yet powerful but it’s the follow up,”Misfortune Teller,” that takes that power and runs with it."

I feel the same way - as solid as the album is, the first three definitely rock the mantle.

Thanks bro....great album and the addition of Andrew D'Cagna on vocals was a genius move on their part. I did not mention it in the review but one song completely made impossible to score it any higher.... "Possessed By You." Not sure what they were going for but it just turned me off. Other than that it's a really good melodic metal album. I'd like to see where they go from here.

Twisted Psychology, congrats on 100K round two, haha

Damn, that was fast. Those 160 reviews getting deleted lit a fire under me to start the oil drills back up.

inb4 autothrall deletes all his reviews

The guy passed 4,500 reviews a few days ago, damn. Congrats!