Warning - Footprints
there are times when i consider this my favourite album - the most intense, earnest, intimate, enveloping expression of romantic and existential anguish possible. this might be its best tune, a song about the romantic compulsion to lower your elaborate defences and let someone in despite the accompanying vulnerability, fear and pain. i think of this album as a litmus test for whether someone's tastes are compatible with mine, it's concentrated ncfow-core. i could live inside this song's textures and emotions always. 10/10
Fueled by Fire - Forsaken Deity
seriously warning is so great 5/10
Rigor Mortis - Speedwhore
i thought this album was supposed to be meh but this is rather excellent. absolutely lovely discord in the opening leads, a badass destruction riff and then propulsive speed metal through to the concluding flurry. 8/10
Dark Angel - Pain's Invention, Madness
you are not wrong about that ending pompey. i freely admit i don't quite get this still, but i also sense that it could grow on me if i try to force it, so maybe i will. 6/10
Cannibal Corpse - Addicted to Vaginal Skin
disgusting music for degenerates like arg. 6/10
Dødheimsgard - The Snuff Dreams Are Made Of
people have been trying to get me to listen to this ever since it got released so yeah i should probably do that this fucking rules. oppressive and otherworldly and eccentric. 8/10
Impaled Nazarene - The Horny and the Horned
underrated album but not really getting how it's thematic. willing to be persuaded. 6/10
Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger
there was this uber-posh left wing vegetarian in my school who randomly loved this album and used to play this song on piano in music class and growl along to it, and my music teacher, an old-fashioned classical aficionado who hated vivaldi for being too "simplistic", absolutely hated him for it. 8/10
Johnny Touch - Black Company
was about to give up on finding a working vid of this 'til i noticed it's on bandcamp. that sparse yet complex NWOBHM riff is immediately worth the effort, absolutely fucking beautiful, and that riff develops into an equally lovely mid-song climax. the acoustic parts stand out less but remain nice and atmospheric, and then it thrashes out in that mid-paced mercyful fate style for a bit in the second half to cool effect. as always, i love the unexpectedly chilling anti-climactic fadeout as well. re: hbb's criticism of theme, i think it's implied that this is an ongoing ritual. 9/10
Grave - Obsessed
grave are reliably solid. not particularly impressed with these kinds of songs for this theme but eh. 6/10
Loudness - Clockwork Toy
the surprisingly emotive conclusion to the opening riff is all that stops the verses being a bit dull, and the willingness to maintain the tension for longer than usual is all that stops the chorus being a bit dull. i enjoy these kinds of subtle touches. then the mid-section of the song (+final minute) is cool in a less subtle way and the soloing is really lovely. not really on theme again though. 6/10
Kreator - Mental Slavery
this might be the most famous thrash album i haven't heard. actually a bit less watered down and polished than i was expecting and has a cool riff or two, but it's lacking in economy or urgency. 6/10
Acid Bath - Tranquilized
don't get the appeal of like 95% of this genre sry. 4/10
Saint Vitus - Dependence
ok so it's vitus again and the song title is the same as the round title, so thx for your submission captain obvious, BUT this is their least heard album and the ratings have been pretty harsh so w/e. i could do without the section of feedback but the verses are as gorgeously suffocating as they are simple, and they continue their tradition of being one of the best produced bands ever. 8/10