Malice - Against the Empire
One of the better songs on the album, I’m actually enjoying this outside of that context, but the blatant Priest-derivation is still a little too much. 6/10.
Bloodbath - Like Fire
A lot more boring than the previous Bloodbath song, uber basic chugfest. Doesn’t seem ambitious when this is apparently about a guy already quite successful with killing things; “I am on a quest to see the heavens die” is the only line that hints at ambition, otherwise this is more about boasting. 3/10.
D.B.C. - Rise of Man
A song about the gain of human sentience on a concept album chronicling the evolution of all life written with the most twisty and busy arrangements I’m aware of from an 80s metal song. 10/10.
Drewcifer - Game of Thrones Theme
MyYoungerBrotherThatListensTo14YearOldsPlayStarWarsSongsOnMidiKeyboards-tier. More evidence that prefixed black metal is not metal. 2/10.
Visigoth - The Revenant King
This was alright until I was getting a little bored and realized I was halfway through. Negligible riffs, but decent atmosphere admittedly. 3/10.
Rage - Death in the Afternoon
Unexpected pick, even though some Rage has grown on me a lot recently, this would be one of the lesser songs on the album for me. But it fits the theme well and it’s still got some neat parts. 7/10.
Dawnbringer - II (Silence in Waves)
Has Dawnbringer been posted before, or was that Ares Kingdom? I always confuse the two for some reason, prolly cuz both are contemporary in-crowd stuffs. Regardless I’m actually liking this a lot, definitely some Motorhead vibes but the atmosphere is totally different, like they distilled that attitude without the dirty street sound and setting, like what I'd expect Motorhead to sound like in a some kind of noir underworld or something. I’ll probably check this album out at some point. 7/10.
Sacriphyx - Wells of Beersheba
These lyrics are fucking awesome, and definitely some strong riffing in here. Need to check this album out. 8/10.
Coroner - Semtex Revolution
One thing that I think really stands out about this song is how cool and smug it sounds. Like, not the lyrics alone even, but all those cool head-nodding grooves that somehow paint the story. Coroner on this album and No More Color is the only band that creates such vivid riffs. Lyrically more fit for a revenge theme though imo. 9/10.
High Spirits - Going Up
Initial impulse was to hate but it grew a little. Riffs are generic but whatevs, the performance is alright. Probably the purest ambition song in the playlist. 5/10.
The Gates of Slumber - To Kill and Be King
Literally yawned twice during this. Sometimes I wonder if doom metal is one of those things that I only enjoy when it has a strong emotional attachment formed during my introduction to the genre with Candlemass and Trouble and therefore I’ll never be able to fairly judge later artists, but then after thinking about it a bit I realize most bands in this style are lazy as fuck. Still had a couple decent moments, but it was more the transition from one part to the next that offended most. If this song was submitted in the songs-with-bells contest, I’d have rated it the worst bell section of the bunch. King Arthur is boring too. 2/10.
Crimson Glory - War of the Worlds
I thought people said that was supposed to be nothing like their 80s material? On first impression yeah the quality doesn’t seem up to that par, but hardly bad. Eh, that marching bit or whatever in the middle was kinda lame. And actually the main drum pattern is definitely just copied from something from Transcendence. Eh. Not quite feeling the ambition versus mere love for destruction. 5/10.
At the Gates - The Break of Autumn
My second favorite on the album behind Primal Breath, amazing riffage and melodies all the way through. And damn, these are the floweriest lyrics I think I’ve enjoyed from a metal band, excellent fit to the theme. Another album where I need to actually try reading them. 9/10.
