The Chasm - Eternal Cycle of Delusion
the melodic parts in the middle of this are some of the most instantly gratifying of the chasm's careers, but the more chuggy or atmospheric moments aren't among their best and overall it's a little riff salady like a lot of later chasm. it's also kind of a lazy pick given it's hard to pinpoint how it's thematic beyond the title and we've had half a dozen chasm submissions at this point. 7/10
Eulogy - Consecration of Fools
whoa, really like this. the dark unstable vibe and a few of those leads remind me of THE RED IN THE SKY IS OURS. i don't really get anything out of that overly convoluted slow bridge part they do every so often, that's the only nitpick. 9/10
The Krixhjälters - Mulling Over Anaesthesia
reminds me of a whole bunch of bands i'm a fan of: voivod and anacrusis and shah and even wipers. amazing. 10/10
Deceased - Morbid Shape in Black
i increasingly consider this one of the best thrash albums ever. it's definitely messy but the more i listen to it the more it makes an unhinged kind of sense, and it's just so fucking weird, psychological and vivid. 9/10
Addictive - Echoes Of The Mind
5/10
Fates Warning - The Arena
8/10
Exmortus - Metal Is King
give it up guys, baroque won't rest until we pretend to like this band. 10/10
Aborym - III
was expecting this to be more theatrical, but the use of synths here is actually pretty cool. 6/10
Thin Lizzy - Waiting For An Alibi
one of the better lizzy songs to be submitted, but it's not metal and i don't even get how it's thematic either lol 3/10
Despair - Delusion
hbb alert 7/10
Atrox - Mental Nomads
i like the uptempo riffy parts here, but the vocals seem more attention-seeking than organic and the softer/slower parts are largely lame. and god, it meanders on forever. 4/10
Eucharist - A Velvet Creation
how a bunch of dudes in their mid-teens came up with one of the most unique metal albums ever off the bat i don't know, but the genre is richer for it. inb4 TB (validly) calls it 'artyfarty' lol 9/10
Crimson Glory - Lost Reflection
i think it's a perfect conclusion to an album that contains tinges of desperation and insanity throughout. midnight is just about the only metal vocalist who could sell this shit though. the climax could be better and longer is all. 9/10
any playlist where the chasm is in the bottom half of my ratings has to be awesome.