And just to make myself clear: While Absolute Dissent (the album) let me down with its overall lack of focus and consistency, I do believe that Absolute Dissent (the song) is one of the greatest tracks they've ever written.

Oops, I addressed this above… But to reiterate, Absolute Dissent, in my opinion, was a letdown. And I love Killing Joke, respect them, and think they deserve every bit of credit they've never received over the years. (They're also one of the best live bands I've ever seen.) But to call Amebix strictly a ripoff, or…

Monolith rules. Arise rules. They just plain fucking rule.

In a weird way, Sonic Mass is the album I wish Killing Joke would make circa 2011. I don't know about you guys, but I was bummed by Absolute Dissent. Such a great opening song, and then it degenerates into way too much of their dubby/electronica stuff.

I debated covering it — it is one of the higher profile metal releases of the past few weeks — but I only have so many review slots in the column, and I wanted to make sure I got to cover some of the smaller releases that aren't getting as much exposure. Nature of the beast.

Thanks, and yeah, can't wait for the U.S. release of New Album. It's… interesting. But I'll wait to review it proper before I levy my final judgment. (Not sure if the review will run in Loud or our regular music section.) The other big Sargent House release coming up: the new Russian Circles. Very stoked for that.…

Nothington is just one of those solid, dependable bands you can totally take for granted. But they do what they do so well. 

I'm seeing that bill soon, and I have to admit: I love Katatonia. But I haven't seen them live. Cheesy? (I think I already know the answer.)

Awesome, good to hear. I'm trying to make sure Loud doesn't wind up sticking to just metal and hardcore (although those two genres will always be the heart of it).

The new Absu is killer. I'll be covering it next month.

I love epic proggy stuff, and it bums me out that so many people I know are so short-sighted when it comes to bands like Dream Theater. As prog goes, it's about as accessible as it gets. But I get no amount of shit (or just indifference) about liking that kind of stuff. Sometimes it's from same people who praise the…

Also: Can't wait to see how these new songs stack up live. Seeing them here in Denver on the 25th. With Katatonia. Fuck yeah.

I think this new album is such an exercise in Yes/Camel/King Crimson worship, the soul gets a little lost in the mimicry. But that cerebral distance, for lack of a better term, is something I've always loved about certain kinds of prog. The more I listen to Heritage, the more it's drawing me in.

My pleasure! I haven't scrolled down farther in the comments, so I'm not sure yet if there's an Amebix discussion going on, but that new album is proving to be really divisive. People were maybe expecting Arise Part 2 — although we all knew that was never gonna happen (see: Monolith). And there's no denying how…

Woah, really? Awesome. You know, it was years before I found out Cirith Ungol and Angry Samoans had a member in common. Which just makes both bands even cooler.

Yeah, it's bad. I was willing to cut them a little slack… until I saw the current lineup play (hey, they were opening for Motorhead) a couple years ago. My god. It was beyond embarrassing.

Sorry for any tech difficulties with the song streams (Skeletonwitch, Beneath Oblivion, Defeatist). It's getting looked at.

In case you're wondering: I skipped the new Misfits album on purpose. But if you'd like to discuss it, please use the space provided below.

I will, but I couldn't get an assignment for it here in the regular section. It'll be in the 10/5 installment of Loud.

There were two drummers before Benante.