October 2025 "The Guardians" Playlist - Heavy/Power Metal Hellfire

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3w8wz5HBOoks78mYzldAMq

Tracklisting:

1. Sabaton - "Primo Victoria" from Primo Victoria (2005)

2. Galneryus - "My Hope is Gone" from Into the Purgatory (2019) [Suggested by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

3. Powerwolf - "Fire & Forgive" from The Sacrament of Sin (2018) [Suggested by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

4. Black Sabbath - "Supernaut" from Vol. 4 (1972)

5. Ozzy Osbourne - "Mama, I'm Coming Home" from No More Tears (1991)

6. Budgie - "Whisky River" from Squawk (1972)

7. Judas Priest - "Metal Gods" from British Steel (1980)

8. Sir Lord Baltimore - "Kingdom Come" from Kingdom Come (1970)

9. Twisted Sister - "I Wanna Rock" from Stay Hungry (1984)

10. Edguy - "Rock Me Amadeus" from Space Police: Defenders of the Crown (2014)

11. Bruce Dickinson - "Afterglow of Ragnarok" from The Mandrake Project (2024)

12. Metallica - "Nothing Else Matters" from Metallica (1991)

13. Iron Fire - "Legend of the Magic Sword" from Blade of Triumph (2007)

14. Primal Fear - "The Hunter" from The Hunter (2025)

15. Alestorm - "Sea Shanty 2" from Voyage of the Dead Marauder (2024)

16. Visions of Atlantis - "Lemuria" from Cast Away (2004) [Suggested by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

17. The Dark Element - "Not Your Monster" from Songs the Night Sings (2019)

18. Xandria - "Scars" from The Wonders Still Awaiting (2023)

19. Lord of the Lost - "Moonstruck" from Opvs Noir Vol. 1 (2025)

20. Edenbridge - "Alight a New Tomorrow" from The Bonding (2013)

21. Warmen - "Somebody's Watching Me" from Accept the Fact (2005)

22. Norifumi Shira, Concerto Moon - "Tears of the Prayers" from Gate of Triumph (2001)

23. Volbeat - "Healing Subconsciously" from The Strength / The Sound / The Songs (2005)

24. Warkings - "Armata Strigoi" from Morgana (2022) [Suggested by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

25. Masterplan - "Music" from PumpKings (2017) [Suggested by Shadowdoom9 (Andi)]

26. Avantasia - "Lost in Space" from The Scarecrow (2008)

Here are my thoughts on all the selected tracks:

Sabaton - "Primo Victoria" from Primo Victoria (2005)

4.5/5. "Through the gates of hell, as we make our way to heaven, through the nazi lines... PRIMO VICTORIA!" A powerful lyrics to begin with, as the song details the Normandy landings that occured on June 6 1944. The first of many historical war-themed songs the band would make.

Galneryus - "My Hope is Gone" from Into the Purgatory (2019)

5/5. My hope for power metal was once gone, but now it's restored! Those J-pop idols may get all the fame, but songs from metal bands like this have greater strength and it's not something you can often witness in your lifetime.

Powerwolf - "Fire & Forgive" from The Sacrament of Sin (2018)

5/5. A fantastic song to love for Halloween month! Look out for another Powerwolf song, or at least a cover, later on in this playlist...

Black Sabbath - "Supernaut" from Vol. 4 (1972)

4.5/5. RIP Ozzy Osbourne... The tributes continue with another powerful track, this one from their classic early 70s era. Even when the guitar sounds fuzzy, it's quite metal! Their classic heavy metal era with Ozzy would end after Sabotage, following it up with two hard rock albums before Ozzy was dismissed. The length is at the right amount, an extended version would be sleep-inducing, not that it actually would ever be. And I would never take drugs unlike those guys. Drugs are bad, mkay?

Ozzy Osbourne - "Mama, I'm Coming Home" from No More Tears (1991)

4/5. Sadly, Ozzy really has come home to the heavens above a couple weeks after performing this song and many others one last time in that Black Sabbath reunion show. Farewell once again, Prince of Darkness...

Budgie - "Whisky River" from Squawk (1972)

3.5/5. Budgie is another band that has split up long ago and lost their frontman. RIP Burke Shelley... The riffing is quite good, and while it's more metallic than the majority of 70s rock music, it has more in common with Led Zeppelin than any of the metal bands we know now. Still kinda enjoyable though.

Judas Priest - "Metal Gods" from British Steel (1980)

3/5. An OK song, but Rob Halford's vocal power can't be denied.

Sir Lord Baltimore - "Kingdom Come" from Kingdom Come (1970)

2.5/5. I'm now just realizing that this may not be the best choice for a Guardians playlist. It really sounds closer to the hard rock of Deep Purple. Black Sabbath would better establish the heavy metal genre that year. Still I respect this band's attempt at trying.

Twisted Sister - "I Wanna Rock" from Stay Hungry (1984)

3/5. Let's face it, anyone as young as me is more familiar with this classic when played in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City or that "Goofy Goober Rock" parody in the 2004 Spongebob Squarepants Movie. It's a solid banger, but I think it would rule if there was an extended version with the lengthy epic solo from that Spongebob parody.

Edguy - "Rock Me Amadeus" from Space Police: Defenders of the Crown (2014)

3.5/5. I have an outside-world friend who likes both heavy/power metal and pop classics like that Falco song. This is my gift for my friend. The chorus really does justice to that of the original. The one big issue here is the sound having some poor balance, but that's just me. ROCK ME AMADEUS!!!

Bruce Dickinson - "Afterglow of Ragnarok" from The Mandrake Project (2024)

4/5. Bruce Dickinson is one of metal's great vocal heroes, there's no denying that. He's probably tied with Roy Khan (Conception, ex-Kamelot) as one of the best vocalists of heavy/power metal in my opinion. And this particular track has a bit of progressiveness not too far off from Dream Theater.

Metallica - "Nothing Else Matters" from Metallica (1991)

4.5/5. I think I'm starting to appreciate ballads a lot more now, even the earlier popular ones, and even when I'm only in my late 20s. If I enjoy something that no one expects me to enjoy, I still like it, and nothing else matters.

Iron Fire - "Legend of the Magic Sword" from Blade of Triumph (2007)

5/5. Further sealing my growing appreciation for ballads, this one I really love! It sounds similar to that Metallica ballad but better and more underrated, maybe even similar to one of Rhapsody of Fire's ballads. With that and the lyrics covering the legend of King Arthur, it's probably one of the most wonderful ballads I've heard.

Primal Fear - "The Hunter" from The Hunter (2025)

5/5. Absolutely superb guitars and vocals, perfect for an action fantasy movie!

Alestorm - "Sea Shanty 2" from Voyage of the Dead Marauder (2024)

4.5/5. You all know how much I enjoy playing the MMORPG RuneScape, so Alestorm covering a song from the game was a dream come true for me. What's next, a cover of the more epic RuneScape tracks by DragonForce or Gloryhammer? I sure hope so!

Visions of Atlantis - "Lemuria" from Cast Away (2004)

4.5/5. Visions of Atlantis would later hop aboard the pirate metal ship, though I also love their earlier era with Nicole Bogner. RIP

The Dark Element - "Not Your Monster" from Songs the Night Sings (2019)

5/5. I'm glad we still have the godly singing of Anette Olzon after she left Nightwish following their album Imaginaerum.

Xandria - "Scars" from The Wonders Still Awaiting (2023)

5/5. After a massive change of lineup, Xandria can still unleashed a symphonic metal explosion of colors!

Lord of the Lost - "Moonstruck" from Opvs Noir Vol. 1 (2025)

4.5/5. Breaking boundaries further, Chris Harms sings and screams alongside the Stimmgewalt choir, sounding similar to Moonspell's more symphonic works.

Edenbridge - "Alight a New Tomorrow" from The Bonding (2013)

4.5/5. Edenbridge is quite underrated compared to bands like Nightwish and Within Temptation. The guitars and vocals are some of the best I've heard in the genre.

Warmen - "Somebody's Watching Me" from Accept the Fact (2005)

5/5. Ooh, another spooky song for Halloween month! RIP Alexi Laiho...

Norifumi Shira, Concerto Moon - "Tears of the Prayers" from Gate of Triumph (2001)

4.5/5. Truly a melancholic neo-classical metal instrumental of epic beauty. We need more of those really!

Volbeat - "Healing Subconsciously" from The Strength / The Sound / The Songs (2005)

4.5/5. This one ends the original album with one of the most climatic closing tracks in standard heavy metal.

Warkings - "Armata Strigoi" from Morgana (2022)

5/5. The perfect song for a battle against vampires! Warkings made this cover of a Powerwolf song as a result of going on tour with that band and DragonForce. Needless to say, when they covered a DragonForce song, that was a total failure. But again, their Powerwolf cover is a powerful banger.

Masterplan - "Music" from PumpKings (2017)

5/5. Helloween's music is given quite an enchantment by Masterplan in their cover album, as proven by this magical highlight!

Avantasia - "Lost in Space" from The Scarecrow (2008)

4.5/5. OK, this one is more of a pop/hard rock track, but one of the best ways out for this playlist. I especially recommend the extended version featuring Michael Kiske.

Pretty good playlist I've made, huh? I recommend this to any heavy/power/symphonic/neoclassical metal fan and anyone who isn't into those genres but is up to getting into a great start for the genre. Thanks to anyone who have contributed with their own submissions, and I hope the rest of you enjoy it like I've had!