What are you listening to now? : The Guardians Edition

Blind Guardian - "Live" (2003)

A double live album from these German power metal heavy-weights.

3.5/5

Blind Guardian - "Live" (2003)

A double live album from these German power metal heavy-weights.

3.5/5

A double album where Hansi maybe has to do a single album's worth of singing? 

Revisiting this old friend.

Blind Guardian - "Live" (2003)

A double live album from these German power metal heavy-weights.

3.5/5

A double album where Hansi maybe has to do a single album's worth of singing? 

Quoted Chinese Whispers

He puts in an absolutely monumental performance here to be honest. In fact, I don't think I've heard a more polished live release in my entire life & (despite the fact that it was put together from various different concerts) I find myself questioning its authenticity. The production & performances are absolute perfection which makes "Live" an absolute must for any European power metal fan. I mean even the crowd sing perfectly in tune. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining as I love a well produced & performed metal live album. The only reason I haven't scored it higher is because I still have problems with the cheesier medieval stuff. Blind Guardian are about the only European power metal band I can stomach but that doesn't mean I love everything they do. The first half of the second disk is truly fucking awe-inspiring though.

Feeling a bit epic tonight. I’d love to visit the alternate universe where the production on this is a touch more even.

Interestingly I never connected with Manilla Road's previous couple of albums but "Open The Gates" is a different story. I think they were at their best when they fully embraced their psychedelic side. Have you heard their debut "Invasion"? It's not a metal release per se. It's more of a Rush-like prog rock excursion but I quite like it.

I don't think I've heard anything pre-Crystal Logic apart from what you probably played on the podcast. It's really only those four mid-80s albums that I have any familiarity with, and only Open The Gates that I have a physical copy of. The production is a bit washy, which I guess makes it a bit more psychedelic, but you really need to focus to hear what's going on.

Savatage - "Ghost In The Ruins - A Tribute To Criss Oliva" (1995)

I thought that perhaps if you put all of Savatage's best work together & presented it in a format that highlighted the awesome skills of their late guitarist Criss Oliva it might offer me more appeal than their hugely popular studio albums & in fairness this may well be my preferred Savatage release but it still doesn't do much for me. I've just always struggled with this band but fans of Metal Church, Virgin Steele & Queensryche should check it out & make up their own mind.

3/5

Pretty Maids - Future World (1987)

More hard rock than metal but has its moments of hi-octane delivery but rarely strays away from the core melodic elements.  Still entertaining enough.

3/5

Ambush - Firestorm (2014)

Another superb MA discovery.  Anthemic heavy/speed metal full of energy and driving rhythms.

4/5

Manilla Road - Open The Gates (1984)

On a Manilla Road kick following my review earlier so took a couple of steps back in their discography to revisit their fourth offering.  The guitars feel a little too far back in the mix here but this allows for them to feel matched with the percussion and rhythm and gives things a more doomy vibe on tracks like the title track.  Lets Shelton's vocals really shine also.

King Diamond - "Conspiracy" (1987)

I know Mercyful Fate generally receive more accolades for their significant influence on the subsequent direction of metal music & I certainly have a preference for the atmosphere they created on their first couple of releases, however if I'm completely honest with myself I slightly favour some of King Diamond's solo records over anything that Fate were responsible for. I think the fact that I was bred on late 80's metal certainly contributes to that but I just really dig the razor-sharp yet finely polished production, the memorable & anthemic choruses & Andy LaRocque's spectacular lead guitar performance on a record like the King's fourth album "Conspiracy". Sure, "Don't Break The Oath" took a fairly similar approach if you look at it closely, however the progressive & neoclassical components are integrated more smoothly here & never really touch on the pomposity of that record. As a result, we don't see "Conspiracy" ever really flirting with cheesiness which is something I can't say about "Don't Break The Oath" at times. "Abigail" is still my favourite King Diamond related release however "Conspiracy" gives it a real run for the money & only just falls short of matching its more readily celebrated older sibling. There's a class & consistency about it that's very hard to deny, even by those that struggle with the King's overthetop vocal stylings. I actually couldn't give a bugger about the concept/storyline. It's all about the high quality metal & fans of Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest & Ozzy Osbourne should get a lot of enjoyment out of this record. 

4/5

The Lightbringer Of Sweden - Rise Of The Beast (2020)

This new project from Herbie Langhans has satiated my occasional need for some powerful, straight up Heavy Metal this year with some great vocal work and pretty catchy songwriting. I knew his voice sounded familiar because I've heard him on Avantasia's Ghostlights and Moonglow as a session vocalist, but the man has been around the block in the EU Metal scene it seems. Most notably for me is his work with Beyond the Bridge, a Progressive Metal project that's been dormant since 2012 since I've been waiting all this time to see if they had another release in store. Seems unlikely since all of the members are obviously off doing their own projects, so it's nice to hear Langhans show up on some new material at the very least. 

Nothing really incredible about this release, just some well-written, mid-tempo Heavy Metal anthems. 

3.5/5

Nothing Sacred - "Let Us Prey" (1988)

The debut full-length from a very influential band from the early Australian metal scene. These guys had a bit of a legendary status within the local scene when I first got into underground metal in the 1980's. Strangely they seemed to be linked to thrash metal more often than not but I've never been onboard with that sentiment. Sure, there are a few genuine thrash tunes here (including a cover version of S.O.D.'s "Freddy Kruger") but the majority of this material draws its influence from your more traditional heavy metal bands like Judas Priest, Motorhead & particularly Paul Dianno era Iron Maiden which was clearly the major source of inspiration. In fact, you could be forgiven for mistaking "Let Us Prey" for a long lost NWOBHM record from a second tier British band if you didn't know any better. The song-writing quality is generally very consistent with only closer "Damaged" failing to deliver but unfortunately the rough & ready production job is the big reason that Nothing Sacred didn't take off in a big way in my opinion (at least locally). The vocals are really loud which highlights their inadequacies while the guitars are thin & soft & there's a layer of hiss over everything. It's a real shame because you can easily hear the competence in the band's composition & arrangements. Who knows what they could have been with a big name producer? Nonetheless, I find "Let Us Prey" to offer me a reasonable level of nostalgic value & it's unlikely to disappoint fans of your more underground NWOBHM acts.

3.5/5

Bruce Dickinson - "The Chemical Wedding" (1998)

I was feeling like a singalong anthem or two today so I gave this oldie a few spins today & found that it's grown on me considerably since my last visit. "The Chemical Wedding" (Bruce's fifth solo album) nicely balances the hard rock-inspired NWOBHM sound of Bruce's early days with a more modern metal chug & sees him achieving some his most memorable chorus hooks. It's not consistently strong enough to be challenging for genuine classic status in my opinion though as it tends to fade pretty noticeably over the last few track however highlights like "Gates of Urizen", "The Tower" & "Killing Floor" are easily impressive enough to command the attention of any self-respecting Iron Maiden, Halford or Dio fan.

4/5

Epica - Omega

I've been absolutely loving Epica's new 2021 release and just put up a pretty lengthy review about it. As someone who thinks that Symphonic Metal is a slightly dying genre, Omega has been reinvigorating. So many great riffs and tracks that are still overly bombastic and slightly silly sometimes, but more down to earth thanks to the more aggressive guitar tone and harsh vocals that Epica has. I haven't gotten tired of this one over the past 2 weeks, so hopefully it'll stand the test of time through 2021. 

Running Wild - "Wild Animal" E.P. (1990)

Further evidence that I just don't connect with Running Wild's brand of German heavy metal. The inclusion of these four tracks as a bonus on the CD version of their 1989 album "Death Or Glory" only further weakens its chances of ever meeting with my affection. For fans of Grave Digger, Judas Priest & Accept.

2.5/5

W.A.S.P. - "The Headless Children" (1989)

These days everyone seems to talk about WASP's self-titled debut but I come from an alternate direction as I feel that they got better after that with their peak being 1992's classic concept album "The Crimson Idol" (I know, I know.. a real shock that I don't favour their glammier stuff). Their 1989 fourth album "The Headless Children" sees Blackie & co. finally dropping most of the glam metal schmaltz in favour of more mature subject matter but I wouldn't say they reinvented themselves musically. This is still a WASP record from start to finish with a couple of hard rock focused numbers mixed in with their now signature anthemic heavy metal sound & Blackie's powerful pipes & well-defined hooks dominating proceedings. Admittedly those rockier tracks represent the weaker moments on the album but there's really only the ballad "Forever Free" that I don't find much appeal in. The rest of the tracklisting is very consistent with closer "Rebel in the F.D.G." & "Thunderhead" representing the album highlights & some of the best material of WASP's career. All heavy metal fans should find value in this record. It's not a game-changer by any means but it's got all the balls & excitement that you'd expect from a WASP record & I place it a comfortable second for their back catalogue overall.

For fans of Twisted Sister, 80's Judas Priest & "Shout At The Devil"-era Motley Crue.

4/5

Crimson Glory - "Transcendence" (1988)

I've always favoured Crimson Glory's debut over this sophomore effort however there's not much in it as they're both really high quality metal records. "Transcendence" sits somewhere between the classic Iron Maiden/Judas Priest heavy metal sound & the more progressive Queensrÿche/Fates Warning one. There's some great vocal hooks & guitar solos & the song-writing quality is very consistent throughout with no weak tracks included however there's probably not enough genuine classics to have me reaching for the higher scores. Vocalist Midnight is pretty amazing though & is the obvious focal point with his operatic style being heavily influenced by Queensrÿche's Geoff Tate. "In Dark Places" is the clear highlight for me & is a perfect example of this style of heavy metal. It stays with me for days after each listen. For fans of Queensrÿche, Fates Warning & Savatage.

4/5

Cirith Ungol have released a four-track EP of re-recorded old tracks that have never really seen a proper release.
This isn't a shoddy cash-in however, but is a really solid release, although it won't change your view of the band either way.

Epic heavy metal from time-served veteran metal craftsmen:

Black Sabbath - Sabotage (1975)

Venom - Black Metal (1982)

You chose the correct clan to post about “Black Metal” in my opinion Vinny. Well done!

P.S. “Sabotage” is my second favourite Sabbath studio album from “Paranoid”.

You chose the correct clan to post about “Black Metal” in my opinion Vinny. Well done!

P.S. “Sabotage” is my second favourite Sabbath studio album from “Paranoid”.

I really like the experimental side of Paranoid, it is such a challenging record in places which puts it just behind the superb Master Of Reality for me which is the all-time great of the Sabbath discography.

This clan was the only place for that Venom record to my ears as well.  I realised that I had never played the second LP (my copy is a reissue gatefold) and there's a heap of BBC sessions and singles on sides C & D so been an interesting listen this morning.

Helloween - Helloween (2021)

So, the new Helloween reunion album is actually pretty damn good. Never would have called that one. It's way more symphonic than some people might like but I'm digging it so far, and Helloween is far from my favorite Power Metal act historically.