|
User
Reviews 2
Approval 100%
Soundoffs 1
Album Ratings 14
Last Active 01-01-21 11:55 am
Joined 07-30-16
Review Comments 5,738
| Metal: Cult Classics Pt. VI
Part 6. | | 1 |  | Aura Noir
Hades Rise
Most will probably be surprised at this pick, but personally I feel this is the album where Aura Noir truly found its own voice. Where their older stuff was heavily based in the Teutonic school of blackish thrash, here they add a certain degree of "art rock" in their riffing, creating a style that can be truly called "Aura Noir". The perfected dual vocal formula is the icing on the cake. | | 2 |  | Deceased
As the Weird Travel On
With their own brand of thrash-meets-death-meets-NWOBM-meets-scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark-lyricism, Deceased has an incredibly consistent discography to look back on. This right here is the one they've been working towards for their entire career in my book. If you gonna buy one Deceased album, make it this one. | | 3 |  | Molested
Blod Draum
Borknagar's Oystein Brun's first band left us with this album that to date can still be called somewhat of an anomaly in the death metal world. While the murky almost slurry-like death metal foreshadows what bands like Portal or Mitochondrion would begin to produce almost 10 years later and is unique enough already, it's the completely left-field turns they sometimes take into ethnic instrumental parts (for example the folk middle part in "Following in the Growls" or even the fucking didgeridoo features at times) that messes with your head. | | 4 |  | God Dethroned
The Grand Grimoire
With The Grand Grimoire, these Dutchmen produced one of the finest blackened death albums of all time. Integrating slightly melancholic melodies in an otherwise dark and snarly death sound, this is a showcase of high level songwriting all the way through. | | 5 |  | Asphyx
Embrace the Death
While the Van Drunen classics The Rack and Last One on Earth are indeed well deserved classics, Asphyx never sounded as grueling as they did on the collection of songs featured on Embrace the Death. Theo Loomans, just like Van Drunen, was a vocalist with a tone to his growls that can very well be called his own: you can almost hear the blood and bile flying around while he barks out the blasphemous lyrics. Underrated, but essential death metal listening. | | 6 |  | Anathema
Pentecost III
Better known for their later atmospheric rock stuff, Anathema's early death/doom era remains one of the most underrated short runs in all of metal. The way the almost Floydian guitar melodies are draped across thundering walls of crushing doom is exciting enough in itself, but its Darren White's clean to guttural recitative style of vocal delivery which conveys a genuine vibe of agony and despair. As excellent as some of their later softish rock is, the Serenades & Pentecost III stuff with Darren White remains my favorite Anathema work. | | 7 |  | Electrocution
Inside the Unreal
Italy's very own death metal classic. The almost Beneath the Remains-like vibe (especially notable in the thrash-like riffs and underlying moments of dark ambience) coupled with the ghostly-yet-bleeding guttural vocals evokes a certain feeling of creeping terror. | | 8 |  | Summoning
Nightshade Forests
Most would probably cite either Dol Guldur or Stronghold as THE Summoning classic, but this EP is equal in quality. As far as I'm concerned this is one of their most atmospheric works and one of their most successful attempts at scene-setting. | | 9 |  | Inquisition
Invoking the Majestic Throne of Satan
Few bands in metal have ever been as successful at combining the groove with the cerebral as Inquisition. After the masterpiece debut, this in my opinion is strike two for the Colombians/Washingtonians unique brand of black metal. | | 10 |  | Trouble
The Skull
After the unfuckwithable Psalm 9 introduced the metal world to Trouble's very own style of "white metal" (in essence, old school Sabbathian doom metal flavored with a melodic sense of proto-thrash and biblical themes, while keeping true to a genuine sense of ethereal darkness), the band hit hard again with the equally dark "The Skull". | |
Thalassic
07.23.17 | Part 6. | Astral Abortis
07.23.17 | Good list | Thalassic
07.23.17 | Cheers! | bgillesp
07.23.17 | Sweet, thought these were done. Keep em coming so I have some stuff to jam after this summer | TheSpirit
07.23.17 | Nice to see 2 included on a list, they are criminally underrated. King Fowley actually lives near me, and used to come into my work all the time. Electrocution rules, and that's one of my top Summoning albums so sweet. | Thalassic
07.23.17 | @bgillesp
Cool! I could make another few lists like this with albums I have in mind, but I fear I'm gonna be repeating bands then. Though there's probably at least one more list like this to follow. Maybe more.
Right now I'm thinking about another theme though.
@TheSpirit
Cool! What's King Fowley like in real life? | Deez
07.23.17 | Word on 6. Dont care at all for their later sound but loved that early Anathema saw them tons of times around then as theyre from the same city. | Thalassic
07.23.17 | I've grown to appreciate their stuff up until Judgement. At least on Alternative 4 and Judgement they still had a little bit of that doom influence. Don't care for everything after when the metal completely disappeared from their sound.
I just happen to think the Darren White stuff is equally as morose and hard hitting as their later albums; and in tone it's probably even more depressing and mournful. Darren White actually had a very unique vocal style and it creates a strange, but haunting atmosphere on that early Anathema stuff.
So you from Liverpool then? | Deez
07.23.17 | Nah Im a plastic scouser. All my family are from Liverpool and I used to hang round there alot and go to most shows there back in the day. I see my blood as Liverpool, But any one from liverpool would say im a fraud. Hahaha Used to see Duncan from Anathema all the time in Liverpool. | Thalassic
07.23.17 | Hahaha. Liverpool's rad tho. Always see many scousers when I'm over in one of the bigger Dutch cities (be it Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Maastricht...) and they're always cool. There's many among them that are nothing to mess with tho | Nazzadan
07.23.17 | I fucking love Aura Noir, my tanktop of theirs is probably my favorite band merch | Thalassic
07.23.17 | Yeah great band. Hades Rise is a bit of a divisive album really: one side of the crowd says it's their peak and one of the best thrash albums of the 2000's, while the other side of the crowd just doesn't care for it |
|
