‘Fear of the Dark’ is the ninth studio album by British metal legends, Iron Maiden. Released in 1992, it comes at a time when tensions were running high in the band, in particular, between vocalist Bruce Dickinson and bassist Steve Harris. If you include shifting musical trends and Maiden’s name value dropping more and more, it’s surprising that, while things were starting to look bleak, the band still manage to pull this trick out of a hat, with one of their strongest releases, and an album that features some of my favourite Maiden tracks.

Stylistically, this isn’t much different than any previous release. Okay, it’s not quite as progressive as albums like ‘Seventh Son of a Seventh Son’, and isn’t as consistent as ‘Powerslave’, but overall, this is still unmistakeably Iron Maiden. Guitarists Dave Murray and Janick Gers continue to work well together, with the traditional metal “twin guitar assault” in full effect here, and Bruce Dickinson’s vocals are as incredible as always.

With the music world changing around them, the British quintet stuck to their guns and continue with their own distinctive style, and while it might have been unpopular at that point in time, it would serve to keep the band alive and thriving long after the grunge scene of the 90’s took over.

What makes ‘Fear…’ stand out for me though, is that it features three of my favourite Maiden tracks. ‘Be Quick or Be Dead’, ‘Afraid to Shoot Strangers’ and the title track itself, are all bloody brilliant, and showcase the band at their absolute best. With some of their most intense riffs, interesting melodies and catchiest vocals, these three songs alone make this album well worth listening to. And with other notable tracks that include ‘Childhood’s End’, ‘From Here to Eternity’, ‘Chains of Misery’, ‘Judas Be My Guide’ and ‘Fear is the Key’, there’s no doubt that ‘Fear of the Dark’ belongs in the collection of every metal fan.

While I really dug 1992's "Onward to Golgotha" debut album, it was New Jersey death metallers Incantation's 1994 sophomore full-length "Mortal Throne of Nazarene" that really made me into a full-blown worshipper, so much so that I bought 1995's "Upon the Throne of Apocalypse" CD blind upon release without realising that it was in fact a different mix of the same album. The band apparently hated the previously released mix of "Mortal Throne of Nazarene", preferring an earlier rough mix to the one that eventually saw the light of day. "Upon the Throne of Apocalypse" shows why & in no uncertain terms too because it's an absolute beast of a record, highlighted by one of the most punishing & cavernous bass-heavy sounds the metal world had heard to the time. The slower material is taken to another level here while the faster sections sometimes lack the intelligibility of its predecessor so I'd suggest that it's really just a matter of taste as to which version of the album you prefer. Personally, I've always preferred this one but both are genuine classics as far as I'm concerned with songs like "The Ibex Moon", "Iconoclasm of Catholicism", "Demonic Incarnate" & incredible opener & clear album highlight "Abolishment of Immaculate Serenity" sitting amongst Incantation's finest work.

The incredibly deep death growls of guitarist Craig Pillard (Disma/Methadrone/Evoken/Goreaphobia) are an absolute masterclass in monstrous atmosphere while Jim Roe's (Disciples of Mockery/Goreaphobia) battering yet precise drumming is also worth mentioning. Bassist Dan Kamp (Crucifier) & guitarist John McEntee (Funerus/Goreaphobia/Mortician/Revenant) chime in beautifully throughout too with some of the best down-tuned tremolo riffing you could ever wish for. If only it was possible to make out those more blasting sections where the percussion becomes a little over-powering... Oh well... you can still take solace in the fact that the doomier parts of the album are utterly mind-blowing. 1998's "Diabolical Conquest" may always be my favourite Incantation record but this one is a pretty close second & should be essential listening for all members of The Horde.

For fans of Immolation, Dead Congregation & Disma.

Four albums into their career and I finally discover Misotheist. Hailing from the traditional black metal heartland of Norway (Trondheim in fact), their sound reminds me a lot more of Icelandic bm stalwarts Sinmara or Svartidauði with dissonant elements of DSO thrown in there also for good measure. This is the kind of chaotic, deranged black metal that grabs my interest nowadays. Quickly finding a foundation in the netherworld, this album stays in that territory for its full duration. The combination of solid riffs and suffocating atmospheres are a killer combo here. Make no mistake about it, Misotheist are here to do damage, and it is a lasting damage designed to inflict maximum suffering. After a year of keeping up with black metal releases last year, and toning that effort down somewhat this year, my attention is intended to be devoted only to exceptional black metal albums this year. De Pinte (“The Tormented”), absolutely qualifies.

Crawling and claustrophobic melodies do little to temper the threat of blasting fury that the artist can unleash forth at any moment. A feeling of unease permeates the slower tempos on display whilst the more aggressive sections soon activate the overwhelming flight mechanism as nobody in the right mind would want to fight against this sound. Tormented is a perfect description of how those vocals sound. With agonising cries against a constant sense of threat and menace, this is not intended to be a comfortable listen. Yet the dissonant aspect to the sound does help provide some stark comfort to me. On the title track it acts like some cold and dense fog enveloping my being, wrapping in me in the track itself as it scores a multitude of etchings upon my skin.

This is probably the darkest thing I have heard so far this year. It is not dramatic or theatrical as you might expect. Instead, there is just a real confidence behind the performance that exhibits a clear belief in their own ability and an absolute steadfastness in their devotion to their chosen artform. The title track that closes the album goes on for over twenty-one-minutes, but I love every one of those minutes. It builds so well and maintains such a presence when it does establish itself as fully formed; this is clearly written by a master of the genre. Misotheist have absolutely no hairs and graces about them, they are simply dedicated beyond belief and are able to produce one of the most organic, natural sounding black metal albums of the year so far.

It has got to be said - I have been far too hard on "Another Perfect Day" for far too many years. Motörhead were one of my absolute favourites in the late 70's, probably even more so than Sabbath, so when the 'classic' lineup split and Fast Eddie moved on, I wasn't really prepared for what came next. Sure, I quite liked "Robbo" when he was with Thin Lizzy, but Motörhead were a whole different kettle of fish. Consequently, the release of "Another Perfect Day" saw me turning away from Lemmy and the guys for the very first time. The situation was exacerbated by my discovery of thrash metal shortly after and for a very long time I didn't really give The 'Head much thought. Time has seen my attitude change and I have really dug on a few of the later albums, yet I stubbornly refused to give much eartime to "Another Perfect Day". So now, over the last few days whilst I have been compiling my favourites of '83 list, I have spent a fair bit of time with this misfit of a record and, you know what, I have really enjoyed the experience and I keep coming back to it for just one more spin. It is almost like I am hearing it for the first time. Brian Robertson's more expansive guitar style actually complements Lemmy's thundering basslines and gruff vocal delivery beautifully and his soaring soloing is a whole lot better and more expressive than I ever gave it credit for.

On the downside, I am not so sure that there are any real standouts like "Overkill", "Stone Dead Forever", "(We Are) the Roadcrew" or "(Don't Need) Religion", but there are some solid tracks here and the soloing on a track like "One Track Mind" give the band a fresh dimension and dynamic. I guess it is better late than never but I was a pig-headed little fucker when I was younger (what do you mean I still am?) and I guess I have missed out on some good stuff over the years because of it. Remember, though, that I couldn't just bang this on a streaming platform to allow me time to get into it, I would have had to shell out hard-earned cash for an LP and from what I had heard of it at the time I wasn't prepared to do so. I am glad I got there in the end though.

I've checked out both releases by Excessive Force before when they were a German industrial band. But did you know that they relocated to California and switched to early straight edge metalcore? It's hard to imagine a band changing from industrial to metalcore in the 90s. Probably because I'M KIDDING!!! That's not really what happened! This is an entirely different band with a similar name. There are already a few bands out there named Excessive Force, one other being a white supremacist band.

The 90s straight edge metalcore band Excessive Force made one of the heaviest albums of the scene at that time. It's all within the vocal fury, riffing punches, and drumming assault. And that drumming style would plant the seed for later bands of that genre and maybe even, dare I say it, nu metal.

"Those Who Were" already shows the drumming wrath by Justin McMahon, with the groove and the guitar riffing going well together. The instrumentation is definitely worth moshing to, including the audible yet dirty bass and abrasive vocals. Now for "Distress"... As of writing this review, I've watched Zootopia 2 yesterday and an outside-world friend of mine told me about how dark and violent it is for a Disney movie. Sorry but he's wrong. There's far more darkness and violence in this track, in both the music and lyrics ("I'm breaking the chain and I can hear the bones breaking"). An anthemic mosher! Next, "From Within" is a shorter track that adds some deathly riffing to the metalcore. Proto-deathcore!? Then we have the more hardcore "Backtrack" that ends with a crushing breakdown.

We're already approaching the second half of the album as "Vengeance" makes its mysterious entrance, leading into solid riffing. Vocalist Dan Gump repeatedly declares "Never will I follow blindly!", and some Sabbath-like sections are in great balance with the faster parts. Well done! Then "Misfortune" is one of, if not THE best track here. It's quite strong in the lyrical message of self-reflection and the kick-A riffing. The heavy drumming is also irresistible. Heading deeper in the lyrics is "Judgement Day". Here the music is more melodic while still dark and heavy.

The title track is interestingly the shortest one in the album and placed towards the end while not being the final track. The music and lyrics are absolutely earth-shattering and make another brutal highlight. "No Excuses" actually doesn't sound too far off from Underoath's earlier more extreme material, though don't expect any of the more blackened aspects. "Forwarned" is an unlisted hidden track which has some of the melodic yet brutal riffing later used by As I Lay Dying and For the Fallen Dreams.

I think I would appreciate it more if that hidden track was listed and placed before that 5-minute epic. That would really make In Your Blood the awesome offering that is has potential to be. It's sad that both this band and the German industrial band Excessive Force are no longer active beyond a couple releases, but let's enjoy them while we can!

Favorites: "Those Who Were", "Distress", "Vengeance", "Misfortune", "In Your Blood"