The Scrolls of Akhenaten: April 12th, 2024

April 13, 2024 / Akhenaten / Leave a comment

This one is coming to you a day late because life got in the way this past week and I didn’t get as much time to hammer out which albums I wanted to recommend to you all on Friday. I was also busy hosting a show at The Traxide in Montreal featuring some rather excellent bands from the Maritimes, namely the blackened death metal stylings of Paratomb and progressive metal wizardry of Omnivide, along with local thrashers Grimhold and death-sludge riffologists Obelisk. Now that I’ve got a few moments of free time to myself this Saturday (between recovery) I’m going to make up for it. Read on for some of your (somewhat) regularly scheduled riff recommendations!

Black

The first time I heard this record I was absolutely floored and to this day it continues to shock me. I’d like to thank Devon Milley for this recommendation as it was through him that I discovered this band. I’ve never heard a band so perfectly emulate the sound of Darkthrone’s early material. Everything on this record from the guitar tone to the drum approach to the production to the vocal approach is the closest I’ve ever heard a band mimic that style, and they do it wonderfully. The riffage is so pure and kvlt and trve and devoid of any bells and whistles. Even the vocals sound eerily similar to the range and tone of Nocturno Culto on those classic black metal albums as well as the post-Panzerfaust era of the band. All you have to do is listen to the first track here, “Three Desecrated Hosts”, and you’ll see what I mean. If you’re at all a fan of that style of Norwegian black metal, then Germany’s Pakkt is a must-listen, especially for Darkthrone die-hards like myself.

Death

I first discovered this band through a video made by the YouTuber known as The Punk Rock MBA. I think that guy sucks but I’d be lying if I said he hadn’t put me on to some cool music over the years. Human Remains is definitely one of those bands. The first time I put this record on I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing. “A deathgrind diamond” as one Bandcamp reviewer named Brett put it, this thing is fucking weird. There are sounds on here that I didn’t even know a guitar could make before I listened to this thing. It’s exceptionally brutal, uncompromising, relentless, and unapologetically experimental. There’s plenty of moments where the music remains firmly rooted in brutalizing the listener with blast beats and atonal guitar riffs before launching into interludes that feel like they’re drawing upon bands like Mr. Bungle and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Of course Dillinger was probably influenced by this band considering that Human Remains predates them.

Doom

Wardehns – *Now Cometh the Foul*
**December 21st, 2018**
**Stoner Metal / Sludge Metal / Crust Punk**
**Independently Released**
**Wausau, Wisconsin, USA**
**Standout Song:** “Denim Dogs”

I was put onto this band through a friend of mine who just happened to be playing them out loud on a Bluetooth speaker while I was hanging with some pals at their house. I was pretty much immediately hooked by the quality of the riffage, the production value, and just how similar it felt to the kind of sludge metal that I am really drawn to: bands like Mastodon, Kylesa, and Black Tusk. The ones who are a little artsy but aren’t afraid to get deep, down, and dirty with their music. Wardehns certainly scratches that itch for me and I’ve had this record on repeat ever since that initial encounter. It’s monolithic in size, with every song imparting the image of a group of intrepid travelers and warriors climbing their way to the top of a frostbitten mountain, surviving blizzards and avalanches, and fighting horrible beasts all along the way. The album cover is indeed a perfect representation of what kind of music you’ll hear on this thing. It comes highly recommended.

Prog

I brought up Omnivide in the intro to this article not just to tell you about the show I was at last night, but also as a genuine recommendation for a band that kicks fucking ass that doesn’t live all that far from Newfoundland. This New Brunswick progressive metal outfit just released their debut album, A Tale of Fire, last month, and are currently embarking on a tour across Canada in support of it. Having seen them live a couple of times now as well as having listened to this thing all the way through time and time again I can attest to this band absolutely ruling. If you want your brain to be disassembled and then put back together wrong then this is the record for you. Their music certainly draws heavy influence from big-name prog bands like Between the Buried and Me, but there are also shades of groups like Cynic, Obscura, and Beyond Creation to be found within. If you like any of those bands you’ll almost certainly like this.

Punk

I was lucky enough to catch Flower at Varning Fest last year, an annual underground crust punk and metal festival that occurs in Montreal. They came up from New York City to play here and absolutely tore the place apart. I thought their live performance was already great but it was checking out their recordings after the fact on my own that really sold me on them. This right here is the kind of punk I like the most. It’s loud, aggressive, angry, and dirty as fuck. All the best crust punk is only a few steps removed from speed metal and black metal and Flower really embrace that vibe on this LP. The album opens with an atmospheric blackened guitar riff that reminds me extensively of Gallhammer and Darkthrone, before the unruly punk ripping starts at full force. It’s so gross and nasty, from the raw guitar tone to the punchy drums to the pissed off vocals. Flower are fantastic, and this LP absolutely slays.

Thrash

Mexico’s Phantom are pretty much everything I want from modern thrash. Their sound is supremely old school, drawing clearly upon the bands of the 80’s, with the Teutonic sound in particular being a primary influence. If you like Sodom, Kreator, or Destruction, or at least the way those bands used to sound back in the day, then Phantom may be for you. That’s not to discount the American influence in their sound either, because notes of Slayer and Metallica definitely crop up from time to time, but ultimately they keep things rooted in that more aggressive sound that veers on the edge of black metal without ever stepping forth into the blizzard. What makes this album even more impressive is that the dudes in this band are really young, most of them being around the ages of 18 to 20. For being as young as they are they’ve got a fantastic grasp of their instruments and their songwriting capability is excellent. I’m stoked to hear what they put out next.

Trad

I never thought I would unironically enjoy a NASCAR-themed metal band but then I am the Intimidator came out of nowhere and showed me the errors of my hubris. This is the new solo project of former Poison Idea guitarist Andrew Stromstad and the entire thing is lyrically and aesthetically based around the final day of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt’s life. If that wasn’t already enough to sell you on the concept, then I’m happy to report that the music contained within is just as fucking awesome. It’s old school speed metal that draws as much influence from Metallica, Motorhead, and King Diamond as it does from a blackened speed metal act like Venom and an epic doom metal band like Candlemass. While the record may be all over the map in terms of influence it is surprisingly consistent all the way through, featuring fabulous riff after fabulous riff and vocals that’ll put hair on your chest.

Non-Metal

Shpongle – *Tales of the Inexpressible*
**March 29th, 2001**
**Chillout / Psychedelic Trance**
**Twisted Records**
**Chobham, England, UK**
**Standout Song:** “Star-Shpongled Banner”

I discovered Shpongle years ago when I was still in high school. While sick and staying home from school one day I went down an enormously long musical rabbit hole on YouTube (this was back in the day before algorithms ruined everything) which eventually led me to a fan-made animated music video for the song “Star-Shpongled Banner”. I was so enamored by the combination of the music with the visuals I was experiencing made that song stick with me for years to come, and to this day I still revisit this record from time to time. While I don’t often find myself listening to electronic music, when I do I prefer the kind of stuff that’s outside the realm of the typical club fare. I don’t go to clubs often, mind you, but I have a hard time imagining that this is the kind of thing played anywhere outside of a hippie drug den. It’s not for everyone, but if you like weird electronica you should definitely check this one out.

~ Akhenaten

Metal Maniacs: John N. Roach

May 30, 2022May 29, 2022 / Akhenaten / 1 Comment

For this installment of Metal Maniacs, Sons of an Eastern Moon guitarist John N. Roach takes us on his own musical journey that led to him becoming the musician and music fan that he is today.

Alrighty, my turn to contribute to this amazing website. Hello! My name is John Roach and I’m a founding member and guitarist for Sons of an Eastern Moon and Animus Volatilis (disbanded). Following Andrew Marsh’s (WinterheartH) lead, I too will refrain from adding local metal to my list, while also not allowing any repeat bands. My music influences span far beyond metal, but I’m sticking to metal for the sake of this list. While I’m borrowing ideas from Andrew, I’m also gonna tack on some honorable mentions at the end. Lets do this.

3 Inches of Blood – Fire Up the Blades

One of, if not THE greatest metal bands to come from the Great White North. 3 Inches of Blood helped me through a lot of angst in high school. I would be walking the halls blasting this album on my walkman or Zune player on a regular basis. It was around this time I had recently picked up the guitar. While others learned “Smoke on the Water” or “Stairway to Heaven”, I was trying to learn “The Goatriders Hoard” and “Black Spire” by ear.

I tend to save the intro tracks for when I have an exam or some test to get me mentally prepped for the challenge ahead. I would end up doing the same for job interviews, and for tests when I attended OIART. Whenever I face adversity, I will fire up the blades.

Amon Amarth – With Oden on Our Side

High school. I was just getting into metal at the time, after being shown DragonForce, Sonata Arctica, Kamelot, Nightwish, etc. I was stuck on the notion that “screaming is not singing” and was strongly against it. That is, until a span of maybe 2-3 months where I was introduced to In Flames, Arch Enemy, and Amon Amarth. The song “Cry of the Blackbirds” was my greeting from this massive album. A friend of mine gave me a burned CD with some select bands on it. No matter how much I would continue to say I was against gutterals… I would come back to this song. It became common for me to have Amon Amarth at the ready for when I’d go for walks in the hall to make me feel stronger and more confident. It’s a big reason why I have the album art tattooed on me now (thanks to Jessica Smith Tattoos).

Blind Guardian – A Twist in the Myth

First job. I had my first taste of disposable income. Whenever I could get the bus or hitch a ride with my parents, I would go to the HMV in the Georgian Mall in Barrie, Ontario and buy random CDs purely based on name recognition or if they had a cool album cover. Absolutely no prior research.

Blind Guardian’s A Twist in the Myth was one of these treasures I brought home. I wore out the CD I played it that much.

The melodies, the soaring vocals of Hansi, the intensity… I was hooked in a way I hadn’t been with a full album before. Masterpiece of an album, and an underrepresented album in Blind Guardian discography discussions. BUY IT!

Sonata Arctica – Ecliptica

Let’s rewind the tape here a little bit. Before Amon Amarth and liking gutterals, I was predominantly a power metal kid. While looking up other bands that sounded like DragonForce, I found Sonata Arctica.

Ecliptica is the debut album from Sonata Arctica, and to this day one of their strongest releases with most of the band’s greatest hits. Jani Liimatainen quickly became one of my favorite guitarists, and I binged every one of his Young Guitar videos. I was ecstatic when my parents got me my first electric guitar for Christmas, partly because it looked like Jani’s. Now, Jani played an expensive Ibanez at the time, but my Costco-bought Yamaha guitar had the exact same red burst that his did. The first metal song I tried to learn was “8th Commandment”… which I still can’t play, but at least I have a cool guitar! Hahah!

Devin Townsend – Ziltoid the Omniscient

Teenager after a heartbreak. What else is there to do but sulk and listen to metal music? At this point I had been exposed to a lot of metal and was downloading music like mad. I’d hear a single song, and then torrent their discography. I didn’t wanna miss anything lol!

I had my bloated collection on random one day, and a song called “Terminal” from the album Ki by Devin Townsend Project came on. I was mindlessly listening up until then… and I was grabbed. I had thought to myself “wow…I need more of this”. Little did I know, this was the tip of the Devin Townsend iceberg and in no way could I have expected to go from the album Ki to something like Ziltoid.

Yeeeeesss. Indeeeeed, Ziltoid the Omniscient is a concept album that explores war, hatred, revenge, genocide, depression, and the worlds best coffee beans. Once I learned that all the music was written by Hevy Devy himself, it added to my intrigue. I’ve been a huge fan of all his works since then, but Ki into Ziltoid was the sonic whiplash that my soul needed at the time to help me grow up and move on.

“They hide their finest bean…PREPARE THE ATTACK!”

Arch Enemy – Doomsday Machine

Surprise, surprise! We’re back in high school again. This time in Mr. Ness’ music class, and we were all assigned to bring in one song for us all to hear an analyze. He stressed that it could be anything, and that he wanted us to share our real music.

I don’t remember what I brought in, it was some DragonForce song I think. This other kid, however, broght “My Apocalypse” by Arch Enemy.

We’re still at the “no screaming” phase for me, so I was turned off immediately. Silently and internally bitching to myself about how bad it was sounding… until the bridge. The ambient chirps and clean guitars, with a super melodic lead. I remember the goosebumps. Fuck, I’m listening to the albums while I write and it still does it to me. I raised my hand right after it ended, and asked the kid who that was again… I was on board now lol. I left that class thinking “wow…this music can be melodic too?”.

Since then, Arch Enemy might have changed, but this album left its mark on me. The first time I preformed metal in front of an audience was a cover of “Nemesis” with my old band Animus Volatilis at a school assembly…. 13-14 years ago. Holy fuck.

In Flames – The Jester Race / Black-Ash Inheritance

Alrighty, so we’re in that 2-3 month metal transition time… thing. I’m on the verge of liking heavier vocals in my music. Arch Enemy and Amon Amarth are starting to sway my my opinions. In Flames swung me the rest of the way.

Songs like “The Quiet Place”, “Cloud Connected”, and “My Sweet Shadow” were what initially started it all… but then I did some digging. I found out about the monolithic melodic powerhouse that In Flames really was, with Whoracle and The Jester Race. It’s almost ethereal how these Swedes juxtapose beauty with brutality. The songwriting, the riffs, the lyrics, all accumulate into one happy metalhead.

As a diehard fan, it was difficult to narrow down one single album, but The Jester Race altogether encapsulates the band in my eyes. It’s the album I spent the most time with trying to learn guitar.

In Flames We Trust.

Dark Tranquility – Fiction

These next 3 albums are invaluable for my music identity, but there’s no bombastic high school sob stories or significant tales of random finds. On my quest to find more melodic death metal, I heard some friends talk about “The Three Gothenburg Kings” of Swedish Metal. I had already started my fandom with In Flames… why not the other two?

Fiction was where I began with Dark Tranquility. It was a similar flavor to what I had heard before, but with a difference in orchestration and instrumentation. We have clean vocals mixed in, we have more emphasis on synths and keys, and we have a more earthy scream from Mikael Staane. Hooked. Instantly hooked. NEXT!

At the Gates – Slaughter of the Soul

Continuing onto the thrid king… whoa. I was not prepared for this immaculate pillar of the melodic death metal legacy. Everything that needs to be said about this album has been in past interviews, reviews, documentaries, etc.

There is no way I could not include At the Gates’ magnum opus. NEXT!

Insomnium – Above the Weeping World

I grew up associating melodic death with Sweden, and power/folk with Finland… that was until I stumbled upon Insomnium. MDM like I hadn’t heard it before. More “modern” in the guitar tones and production. Beginning this album with rain and piano sets the mood for what Insomnium means, and its a unique sonic footprint that has inspired me and my songwriting. Instead of the cold, harsh, and crisp nature of early 90’s MDM, this was warm, full bodied, and still brutal.

Welp, that’s my list… and potentially too much info. I hope you enjoyed my hike down memory lane, and I appreciate being aloud to add my two cents to this album article run 🙂

Here are my honorable mentions, as promised!

Twelve Foot Ninja – Silent Machine
Kamelot – The Black Halo
Angra – Shadow Hunter
Noumena – Anatomy of Life
Kalmah – Seventh Swamphony
Soen – Lotus
Unleash the Archers – Abyss
Omnium Gatherum – Grey Havens
Equilibrium – Sagas
DragonForce – Sonic Firestorm

~ Written by John N. Roach
~ Edited by Akhenaten

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The Scrolls of Akhenaten: April 12th, 2024