Jump to content

What Are You Listening To?


khaos

Recommended Posts

Panopticon "Social Disservices"

This is a haunting and horrifying album. Some of the most disturbing sounding BM I've ever listened to in my life & the subject matter is about the shitty conditions of mental health treatment/"Social services" in the US, so it cuts close to home because I've been institutionalized before multiple times and I've experienced all of this shit firsthand (and not on the employee end of the spectrum like Austin did).

Glad I ordered it, going to look into getting more Panopticon stuff in the future; particularly "roads to the north" & "Autumn Eternal" because I like how he's doing the Nokturnal Mortum folk thing but with Appalachian music instead of Slavonic music.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, NokturnalBoredom said:

Drudkh "A Furrow Cut Short"

My first real outing with Drudkh. I know that there are probably better places to start like "Autumn Aurora" or "Microcosmos", but this was what Hell's Headbangers had to offer, so I picked it up. I like it thusfar. I am currently on the second disc, side C.

This is one of a few that didn't blow me away. Not to say that it isn't good, I just really like their earlier stuff and have trouble getting past my own expectations when they put out new albums. Autumn Aurora is great, The Swan Road is my favorite, and Blood In Our Wells is the other one that really connected with me. All look to be available on wax in the USA at the moment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Autumn Aurora is great, The Swan Road is my favorite, and Blood In Our Wells is the other one that really connected with me. All look to be available on wax in the USA at the moment.

I'll have to look into finding those. I would definitely buy more Drudkh because in my opinion, this was a pretty good album but since it's a later one, I could understand how it might not be seen as being as good as earlier work (earlier work is usually always the best, as the artist is fresh and not yet burnt out from a recording career).

At the moment, now that Drudkh is over with, I am listening to Graveland "Hour of Ragnarok". Out of the three Graveland albums I own, this is probably the best one because Darken put together an actual band to record it instead of doing it all by himself. It's definitely later era Bathory-worship though but that doesn't bother me at all because I don't own any Bathory material currently so I don't really have anything to compare it to. It's bombastic yes, but without being cornpone. They did a good job on this album and compared to Thousand Swords, the production is cleaner and the instrumentation a lot tighter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • Join Metal Forum

    joinus-home.jpg

  • Our picks

    • Whichever tier of thrash metal you consigned Sacred Reich back in the 80's/90's they still had their moments.  "Ignorance" & "Surf Nicaragura" did a great job of establishing the band, whereas "The American Way" just got a little to comfortable and accessible (the title track grates nowadays) for my ears.  A couple more records better left forgotten about and then nothing for twenty three years.  2019 alone has now seen three releases from Phil Rind and co.  A live EP, a split EP with Iron Reagan and now a full length.

      Notable addition to the ranks for the current throng of releases is former Machine Head sticksman, Dave McClean.  Love or hate Machine Head, McClean is a more than capable drummer and his presence here is felt from the off with the opening and title track kicking things off with some real gusto.  'Divide & Conquer' and 'Salvation' muddle along nicely, never quite reaching any quality that would make my balls tingle but comfortable enough.  The looming build to 'Manifest Reality' delivers a real punch when the song starts proper.  Frenzied riffs and drums with shots of lead work to hold the interest.


      There's a problem already though (I know, I am such a fucking mood hoover).  I don't like Phil's vocals.  I never had if I am being honest.  The aggression to them seems a little forced even when they are at their best on tracks like 'Manifest Reality'.  When he tries to sing it just feels weak though ('Salvation') and tracks lose real punch.  Give him a riffy number such as 'Killing Machine' and he is fine with the Reich engine (probably a poor choice of phrase) up in sixth gear.  For every thrashy riff there's a fair share of rock edged, local bar act rhythm aplenty too.

      Let's not poo-poo proceedings though, because overall I actually enjoy "Awakening".  It is stacked full of catchy riffs that are sticky on the old ears.  Whilst not as raw as perhaps the - brilliant - artwork suggests with its black and white, tattoo flash sheet style design it is enjoyable enough.  Yes, 'Death Valley' & 'Something to Believe' have no place here, saved only by Arnett and Radziwill's lead work but 'Revolution' is a fucking 80's thrash heyday throwback to the extent that if you turn the TV on during it you might catch a new episode of Cheers!

      3/5
      • Reputation Points

      • 10 replies
    • I
      • Reputation Points

      • 2 replies
    • https://www.metalforum.com/blogs/entry/52-vltimas-something-wicked-marches-in/
      • Reputation Points

      • 3 replies

    • https://www.metalforum.com/blogs/entry/48-candlemass-the-door-to-doom/
      • Reputation Points

      • 2 replies
    • Full length number 19 from overkill certainly makes a splash in the energy stakes, I mean there's some modern thrash bands that are a good two decades younger than Overkill who can only hope to achieve the levels of spunk that New Jersey's finest produce here.  That in itself is an achievement, for a band of Overkill's stature and reputation to be able to still sound relevant four decades into their career is no mean feat.  Even in the albums weaker moments it never gets redundant and the energy levels remain high.  There's a real sense of a band in a state of some renewed vigour, helped in no small part by the addition of Jason Bittner on drums.  The former Flotsam & Jetsam skinsman is nothing short of superb throughout "The Wings of War" and seems to have squeezed a little extra out of the rest of his peers.

      The album kicks of with a great build to opening track "Last Man Standing" and for the first 4 tracks of the album the Overkill crew stomp, bash and groove their way to a solid level of consistency.  The lead work is of particular note and Blitz sounds as sneery and scathing as ever.  The album is well produced and mixed too with all parts of the thrash machine audible as the five piece hammer away at your skull with the usual blend of chugging riffs and infectious anthems.  


      There are weak moments as mentioned but they are more a victim of how good the strong tracks are.  In it's own right "Distortion" is a solid enough - if not slightly varied a journey from the last offering - but it just doesn't stand up well against a "Bat Shit Crazy" or a "Head of a Pin".  As the album draws to a close you get the increasing impression that the last few tracks are rescued really by some great solos and stomping skin work which is a shame because trimming of a couple of tracks may have made this less obvious. 

      4/5
      • Reputation Points

      • 4 replies
×
×
  • Create New...