The Guardians

My thoughts on some tracks:

Venom Inc. – “Ave Satanas” (from “Avé”, 2017)

4/5. Interesting start to this playlist. Venom Inc., the new direct spin-off to the band that directly introduced Satanism to heavy metal and inspired the creation of black metal. Look, I'm still not into the antichristian lyrical theme, so this band isn't for me or anyone in the outside world worth sharing to. Still a killer song though!

Stratovarius – “Speed Of Light” (from “Episode”, 1996)

5/5. This is better and more acceptable for me! The neo-classical power metal sound I used to really enjoy can definitely fit well as a theme for shows like Power Rangers and ONE PUUUNCH MAN, and be a good song to play in Clone/Guitar Hero. Stratovarius are heroes of this style!

Wintersun – “Time” (from “Time I”, 2012)

5.5/5 (not exaggerating). One of the best songs from my earlier epic metal taste! Back then, I was still into power metal and the melodic progressive metal of Dream Theater, but Wintersun would be the entryway to the melodic death metal that I would abandon recently. No, scratch that, this is epic operatic melodeath! No wonder this band alone would start my journey into melodeath. This should've been the soundtrack to the last 12 minutes of Avengers Infinity War before the credits; the war and the destructive aftermath. Of course, Wintersun would have to create a more epic equivalent to the climax of Endgame if that's the case when making Time II. There's a f***ing beautiful solo alongside the pure perfection of everything else. Time is still waiting for Time II that should follow up the epicness of the first Time album. Then after this epic climatic ride is a Chinese-sounding atmospheric outro, as if to say "To be continued..."

After Forever – “Ephemeral” (from “Prison Of Desire”, 2000)

4.5/5. Check it out, we're still following the soft 10th track of an album being the 4th track of the playlist, as seen in the Fallen and Gateway playlists for this month. I love this beautiful song. And I know, it's more of an ambient gothic metal lament of grief, but it focuses on Hans Zimmer-like symphonics (and right in his classic period in the turn of the millennium), unlike when the album goes darker and heavier as gothic metal should be. And I wanna take a glimpse of gothic metal without directing the submission to The Fallen (remember my self-promise to stop my Fallen playlist requests), so there...

The Lord Weird Slough Feg – “Sky Chariots” (from “Down Among The Deadmen”, 2000)

5/5. I'm glad to finally get interested in this band named after that Slaine character. This US power metal band really needs more exposure to the world, especially with their mix of influences from the early 80s eras of Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, probably also early Sanctuary. This album is indeed underrated along with the other albums released under the original name with the "Lord Weird" prefix. This is worth singing/screaming along to on your car radio. Ride your chariot!

Grand Magus – “Varangian” (from “Sword Songs”, 2016)

4.5/5. This one continues the new experiments Grand Magus has in their recent era with a waltzing riff similar to folk metal but without folk, rushing through the energy of the chorus with easy momentum.

Elvenking – “Reader Of The Runes – Book I” (from “Reader Of The Runes – Divination”, 2019)

5/5. Wait a sec... This was already in last December's playlist! Xephyr, you must've not seen this one in the "Past The Guardians playlist tracklistings" thread. That's OK, because you can't let an epic song like this down. I shall say my opinion again about their most ambitious song since the ending of the Wyrd album. This is a fantastic great monolithic end to the band's folk-power metal return album trilogy started in Pagan Manifesto, but it might hint at a different saga beginning with a possible "Reader of the Runes - Book II". This is a grand flashback to my earlier folk/power metal taste, along with new elements suited for my current heavier era including a killer black-ish soloing section in the middle. I'm grateful for this powerful masterpiece of f***ing impressive epic metal sorcery, greater than the epics made by Helloween. Love it!

Dragonland – “Storming Across Heaven” (from “The Battle of the Ivory Plains: The Dragonland Chronicles Part I”, 2001)

5.5/5 (not exaggerating). "Look at the sky as the dragon flies by, storming across heaven like fire pierce through ice..." That lyric is forever engraved in my mind in one of the absolute best songs in my earlier power metal taste. There were many classic songs from Dragonland that I loved 8 years ago including "Majesty of the Mithril Mountains", "The Battle of the Ivory Plains", "Holy War", etc. And just like Helloween, this band made two albums that following a story, then a third one years later. So d*mn excellent!

Epica – “Victims Of Contingency” (from “The Quantum Enigma”, 2014)

5/5. I've also enjoyed Epica at the time of this album's release, another early epic metal favorite of mine! I think of this song as Call of Duty's "115" with Gods of War-like lyrics and atmosphere, especially in the death growl verses. This and that Dragonland submission make the perfect ending for this playlist. Thanks for accepting them, Daniel!

Here's my updated list after revisiting Kamelot's "The Black Halo" album over the last couple of days:

01. Iron Maiden – “Somewhere In Time” (1986)

02. Iron Maiden – “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son” (1988)

03. Iron Maiden – “Powerslave” (1984)

04. Judas Priest – “Painkiller” (1990)

05. Ozzy Osbourne – “Speak Of The Devil” (1982)

06. Black Sabbath – “Paranoid” (1970)

07. W.A.S.P. – “The Crimson Idol” (1992)

08. Iron Maiden – “Live After Death” (1985)

09. Crimson Glory – “Crimson Glory” (1986)

10. Kamelot - "The Black Halo" (2005)

11. Black Sabbath – “Live Evil” (1982)

12. Iron Maiden - "Rock In Rio" (2002)

13. Black Sabbath - "Sabotage" (1975)

14. Iron Maiden - "The Number Of The Beast" (1982)

15. Queensryche - "Operation: Mindcrime" (1988)

16. Iced Earth - "Alive In Athens" (1999)

17. Manowar - "Into Glory Ride" (1983)

18. Iron Maiden - "Piece Of Mind" (1983)

19. Medieval Steel - "Medieval Steel" E.P. (1984)

20. Unleash The Archers - "Apex" (2017)

21. Motorhead - "No Sleep Till Hammersmith" (1981)

22. Dio - "Holy Diver" (1983)

23. Black Sabbath - "The End: 4 February 2017 Birmingham" (2017)

24. Queensryche - "Operation:LIVEcrime" (2001)

25. Judas Priest - "Defenders Of The Faith" (1984)

The main things about this album are the consistency of the energy levels and quality of the tracks on offer. Riffs race across the record as the rhythm section maintains a pace of bash and rumble that allows for a bit of flair from the strings; the lead work being of particular note here. Quinn and Scarratt are on fire here and Glockler sounds equally imperious on the drum kit. Biff's trademark nasal vocals are distinct and almost haughty on the symphonic majesty of Nosferatu (my album highlight) and yet still have that down-to-earth twang and inflection to certain words that sound like a northerner trying to sound more eloquent than their accent permits.

I will not pretend to love all of the album, They Played Rock And Roll does not work for me as a tribute. Not that I expect lyrical genius in all honesty but the lyrics here sound naive and clumsy with the Lemmy excerpt not really ringing as authentic and nostalgic as perhaps intended. But you cannot deny the rampant battering of Predator even though the vocal effects get a little OTT for my liking, but where the majority of the quibbles arise on this record there usually is something of a much better quality not too far away.

All agreed!

Actually Andi, I've just listened to the Dark Version & have quickly reverted to the original. It's pretty obvious that neither belong on a The Guardians playlist though.

It's true that a song from a death metal band like Septicflesh wouldn't fit in a Guardians playlist, but with that song's more Therion-like symphonic metal sound than death metal, I thought it was a good one to submit.

I'll attempt it, even though I have to agree that it seems weird that most of Running Wild's discography rivals that of much more established Heavy/proto-Power Metal bands in terms of scoring. 

I think it has to do with the fact that Running Wild are very much the middle of the road in terms of bridging the gap between classic, traditional Priest era Heavy Metal and a proto-Power Metal sound. So middle of the road, in fact, that they fall into the inoffensive category that allows them to, apparently, appeal to a hardcore but wide range of Power/Heavy Metal listeners. I can agree that Death or Glory and Black Hand Inn are great albums, but the fact that Under Jolly Roger, Port Royal, and to a lesser extent Pile of Skulls are almost just as celebrated is kind of a joke. 

As someone who likes a lot of Power Metal, especially European Power Metal, Running Wild give traditional Heavy Metal that little kick of energy that it needs for me to really enjoy it. I have nothing distinctly bad to say about what they do, even though after revisiting Death or Glory compared to Black Hand Inn I decided to bump down my score to a 4 rather than a 4.5 because I can a agree that a bit more than half the album is just slightly catchy, mid-tempo Heavy Metal songs that don't necessarily push the envelope but are still great songs nonetheless. I think that Black Hand Inn has a better album flow, more memorable riffs and sections with tracks like "Mr. Deadhead", "The Privateer", and "Freewind Rider" to name a few. Plus you get the 15 minute closer that lets Running Wild stretch their songwriting abilities a bit more. 

I think to answer about what you're missing, and I know you won't like this so much Daniel, but for me, Running Wild are the epitome of a solid, no bells and whistles Heavy Metal band that manages to be incredibly consistent enough to be "just good enough" to a lot of folks. The vocals aren't the greatest in Heavy Metal, but they're far from unserviceable. The songwriting may not be as good as peak Iron Maiden, but I still really enjoy the riffs and very slight Speed Metal influence on some songs. Plus the band as a whole just sounds bigger, grander, and a bit more epic in style compared to your other classic Heavy Metal bands, giving them their own niche. Plus, I listen to a lot of bad, bland Power Metal. I know what it's like to be utterly bored out of my mind when listening to a Power Metal album, and I never got that from any Running Wild album save for Under Jolly Roger. It might just be a perspective thing at the end of the day. 

OK so it's taken me some time to get around to it but I've finally given "Black Hand Inn" a few spins to see how it differs from Running Wild's 80's material which left me feeling so underwhelmed. The first thing I'll say is that I find "Black Hand Inn" to be the strongest Running Wild release I've heard to date. The vocals are more professionally executed, the production is cleaner & more vibrant & there's a strong Maiden/Priest/WASP influence that I really enjoy. Unfortunately though, a good half of the album is made up of that cheesy Helloween/Gamma Ray style German power metal sound that I struggle with so much. I find the guitar harmonies in particular to be a real turn-off at times actually & this undoes a lot of the good work that's been done in catchy heavy metal numbers like "Fight The Fire Of Hate" & "Freewind Rider" which I find genuine enjoyment in. When I look at the tracklisting holistically I just find it to be a real mixed bag of wins & losses with the power metal component only successfully winning me over on the epic "Genesis (The Making & Fall Of Man)". The kick drum sound also annoys me a bit but it's nothing major. I guess Running Wild simply isn't for me.

Running Wild - "Black Hand Inn" (1994)

For fans of Grave Digger, Blazon Stone & Rage.

3/5

To be honest I've always regarded the US power metal movement as more of a scene than a sound. I mean the term was originally penned to draw together bands that had removed the hard rock edge from the NWOBHM brand of heavy metal & taken a more chunky & aggressive approach to heavy metal (more often than not incorporating the influence of the new & exciting speed metal & thrash metal genres) but in reality it ended up encompassing a whole range of sounds with many of them amounting to nothing more than heavy/progressive metal instrumentation with an operatic/theatrical style of vocal delivery. A large percentage of these bands would have sat very comfortably under the already established heavy metal, progressive metal or speed metal tags if they weren't American, particularly those that resided on the white collar side of the US power metal equation (i.e. the more melodic & progressive side as opposed to the more thrashy & testosterone fueled blue collar variety). There were loads of bands that were simply ripping off Iron Maiden & Judas Priest but still seemed to get lumped in with the US power metal crowd when no one ever considered their idols for inclusion under the power metal banner, despite having the same sound & even the same vocal style. I'd be much more comfortable with releases simply being labelled as heavy metal, speed metal, power metal, thrash metal or progressive metal or a combination of the five as those terms genuinely mean something whereas the US power metal tag doesn't have much meat on its bones in my opinion, at least it didn't until more modern times. And what of releases that have the US power metal sound but don't come from the US? Why shouldn't they receive the same tag if they have the same sound? It's never made sense to me. In fact, I don't regard a good half of my top ten as US power metal but have chosen them simply because they're generally regarded as being a part of it.

Ok, so if I said I loved this album you would all know I was lying and if I said I hated it I would know I was lying. It's got a few tracks I quite enjoyed in a cheesy, Helloween kind of way, but there were definitely some I disliked and in particular the Pet Shop Boys cover of a song I've always hated. There were some decent solos that were OTT, but managed to stop short of Dragonforce levels of ridiculousness. I felt the band were at their best the more they stuck to the Judas Priest / Iron Maiden template and worst when the old euro-power beast is allowed full head. 2.5/5 - half and half.

Really impressed with the Iron Savior track, I definitely need to branch out into more of their stuff.  I found a Grand Magus track that I like that isn't on Hammer of the North, although the song itself is really rescued by the solo.  

Found I could sit through the Helloween track which is unusual for me but have literally no time for Angra and I still cannot stand King Diamond.  Herzel intrigue me though.  Normally I don't work to well with vocals in a foreign language but there's so much other goodness going on at the same time that it is hard not to be enamoured really.  I still haven't checked them out beyond playlists though but need to get some time with the album at some point.

Judicator showed promise but I can't really get on with that vocal delivery, heard it too many times before for it to be done this blatantly without any variation or particularly outstanding elements elsewhere on the song to distract me/make things interesting.  Similarly with Orden Ogan; has enough bite to begin with but gets watered down far too easily to hold the interest.  

I realised today that I own that Children of Bodom album but have hardly ever played it.  Nothing wrong with it really just a bit pedestrian and synth heavy but the guitar does really shine still throughout although feels more melodic death than straight up traditional metal.  I do need more Bloodbound in my life though.

Daniel, if you are enamoured with IE's Alive in Athens I would strongly recommend the double disc set, Days of Purgatory (my particular favourite Iced Earth release). It features re-recorded versions of previous IE tracks with vocalist Matt Barlow who sings on Alive in Athens and it's songs  makes up most of the playlist of AiE.

I'm very well versed with Iced Earth's 90's material Sonny but have to admit that I've somehow managed to overlook "Days Of Purgatory" despite enjoying the majority of their other albums from the period. I'll add it to the list so as to complete the set.

I have posted my review. Grand Magus are absolutely one of my favourite bands, I have physical copies of all nine of their albums and I will probably buy their next before I've even heard it I'm that confident it'll be great. Their run of albums from 2008-12 - Iron Will, Hammer of the North and The Hunt - stack up against any three album run for my money. I'm stoked that everyone else seems to have enjoyed Hammer of the North and a metal website is finally acknowleding their brilliance - well done Metal Academy, once more proving to be ahead of the curve! If any of you haven't, I honestly think you would also enjoy the aforementioned Iron Will and The Hunt and should probably give them a spin too. Thanks for nominating this Vinny.

Had a very enjoyable morning blasting this playlist whilst working (which I normally avoid doing as I can't focus on the music enough as a result).  I am finding that my resistance to Power Metal and the more Symphonic bands is slowly being broken down overtime as I listen to more of these lists.  I am not saying that I am actively seeking out these bands discographies but I am not hitting skip as much on the likes of Epica etc.

That Týr peaked my interest too and like Andi, I have had a few failed attempts over recent years to get into them so maybe they will be one act I do explore more.  I will be seeking more Cauldron and Ram as I picked up on them during my research for this playlist but didn't get much chance to explore much of their discogs. 

Here, here Vinny, "detachment of the art from the individual is key in metal I find" is dead right. Metal artists have no end of unpalatable beliefs and have done no end of unpalatable acts, so if you can't separate art from artist then metal is probably not for you. The obsession with so-called celebrity lives (including metal musicians) and subsequent cancel culture is bordering on some kind of mass mania. Personally I couldn't give a damn what these people do or believe, as you say, within limits (no Lostprophets played here either) but why should we care what goes on in these people's lives just because they have some kind of minor celebrity? Let's focus on the music and ignore the bullshit.

By the way, I wasn't defending Schaffer in any way, but I feel he and his cohorts have been horribly manipulated by those with vested interests. The real culprits for the situation at the Capitol building will never find themselves anywhere near a courtroom and will continue to sow hatred and division unchecked. Just saying, as a bemused onlooker from the UK.

Buckle up, it's gonna be a long one here. Since Inhuman Rampage is somewhat of a "classic" now, considering how notorious "Through the Fire and Flames" is, I might as well do some kind of review for it. I'd rather write some unfiltered thoughts here before trimming it down for a real review.

Considering the rest of the Academy leans towards the negative side here, I'll open with this: Dragonforce aren't a terrible band. Incredible take, I know, but Reaching Into Infinity, Maximum Overload, and Extreme Power Metal aren't bad albums by any stretch. I may be reaching on Extreme Power Metal, but I like how they finally and fully embraced their cheesiness in a love it or hate it kind of way. "Defenders" and "Symphony of the Night" off of Maximum Overload are good Power Metal songs that actually don't sound too much like "Through the Fire and Flames", believe it or not. “Seasons” is pretty good too! However, I concede that it's really easy to dislike DragonForce, so they've probably gotten a lot more hate than they deserve considering how many other over-the-top but boring Power Metal acts are out there making music.

The funny thing for me is that discussing DragonForce as an overall band or concept is way more interesting than their actual music. Most people only know DragonForce because of "Through the Fire and Flames", which by itself is a pretty good song. It's technically impressive, high-octane, and instantly recognizable even when compared to other Power Metal bands. However, DragonForce kind of had criticism coming to them when they decided that they were going to base their entire career around just playing that one song in different forms over, and over, and over for an entire album. Obviously Inhuman Rampage was released before the gigantic "Through the Fire and Flames" boom, so they chose this path before they knew that song was going to be their claim to fame. So, when people heard "Through the Fire and Flames" and wanted more DragonForce, they were greeted with 7 other tracks (plus a ballad) that sounded eerily similar to it. Alright, but most Bolt Thrower songs sound kind of the same, so only saying that doesn't necessarily make the album a dud, right?

Well, there's similar, and then there's DragonForce similar. As I was listening to the album I figured out a rough analogy to how I feel about everything that goes on in Inhuman Rampage. DragonForce has 5 or 6 interchangeable building blocks, or generic pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that all fit together but can be rearranged into whatever order to create the nonspecific structure of a song. Nothing necessarily fits perfectly, but it fits well enough. It feels like DragonForce has a guitar solo piece, a furious picking of the same note and calling it a "riff" piece, a random electronic transition or break piece, a power chord chorus piece, an outro that sounds suspiciously like the TTFAF outro piece, plus a few others that I can't be bothered to name. These same pieces are used in each and every song and are completely interchangeable. I guarantee that you can throw the guitar solo of "Revolution Deathsquad" into "Operation Ground and Pound" and it'd sound perfectly fine. You can replace the verse of "Storming the Burning Fields" with a verse of "Body Breakdown" and it'd probably work. I think the reason this works is because DragonForce's song structure is so incredibly segmented that I felt like I was listening to a Dream Theater song during certain parts with how random certain transitions, or lack thereof, are. There are so many parts where everything just stops for half a beat as if there was a blip in the system and the whole band goes "Ok another guitar solo? Yeah? Ok 3, 2, 1, GO". Everything just feels so pieced together in the most extreme way I've heard out of pretty much any album.

Even though these guys are talented players, they really needed to expand the amount of things they can play back then. Their drummer only knows one groove of galloping double bass and one or two fills, all three guitarists can only redo the solo structure of TTFAF for the entire album, the bassist is basically nonexistent until that one part in "Body Breakdown", and the vocalist is only serviceable in my opinion. There are also zero, absolutely no riffs in this album, which is why I think it's such a slog. The only "riff" DragonForce plays is either furious 16th note picking on the same note or drawn out power chords, meaning there's nothing memorable or interesting. There's also quite a few bad decisions made with the harsh vocals and with most of the electronic elements. The harsh vocals sound absolutely awful and are pushed back so far in the mix that I'm wondering why they even decided to include them at all. The electronic elements are incredibly cheesy and random, not necessarily going along with anything and only sounding at home in "Cry For Eternity" thanks to the schlocky (but good) chorus that pulls it all together.

The only thing left is the solos and man do DragonForce really, really try to create some impressive sounding solos. So much, in fact, that almost half of the album is solos. I counted. The album is around 55 minutes long, and there’s about 21 minutes of solo sections, give or take. That’s a LOT by any metric, and they don’t really do anything interesting with all that time.

Again, I don’t think that DragonForce is a bad band, and they’ve gotten a lot more hate than they deserve. But I need to rate this in line with everything else, so the score didn’t turn out so great. I listen to a lot of dull Power Metal that I feel like I never have to listen to again, and Inhuman Rampage on the whole falls into that category. Still though, DragonForce is an interesting topic in general considering how they got thrust into the spotlight in the way that they did.

2/5

I normally don't listen to too many of our playlists but I'm slowly coming around to checking them out every now and again, and yeah this was an extremely good one. Sadly I had to listen to it on shuffle so it lost a bit of its charm but looking at the listing here I can see that Daniel did a fantastic job structuring it. 

I wouldn't get your hopes up for Accept or Todd La Torre Vinny, "Zombie Apocalypse" is good and is a decent showcase of how modern Accept sounds, but I personally found the rest of the album to be an awkward slog. There's still a few killer tracks in there though. Same with Todd La Torre, "Hellbound and Down" is an obvious highlight along with 2 or 3 other tracks but then it gets a bit monotonous. 

The only thing I'll say on my end is that I was really surprised by "Symptom of the Universe", couldn't believe I was listening to Sabbath when it came on, and apparently I rated Sabatoge a 3.5 when I went on my short Sabbath kick? That just doesn't seem right, gonna have to go back and fix that sometime this month. 

I sense a few good songs for you to share in the new "Great Tracks On Poor Albums" thread, Xephyr... https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/750

So I've only just gotten around to revisiting Manilla Road's  "Mystification" album a good six months after I allocated this feature release with that very intention but it was definitely worth another look. Manilla Road & I have had a hit-&-miss relationship over the years. I quite liked their progressive rock-driven 1980 debut album "Invasion" but found the follow-up "Metal" to be disappointing. Strangely, their third album "Crystal Logic" (which is generally regarded as their best work & an unmitigated classic) did even less for me but 1985's "Open The Gates" saw my interest being restored with several incredible pieces appearing across a generally inconsistent tracklisting. So I guess it's fair to say that I approached "Mystification" fairly tentatively which may be why I didn't get to it until now. 

"Mystification" may still sound very much like a Manilla Road album but it's also a very different beast to the other material I've heard from the band to date. For starters, this is the first time that I've had absolutely no question about a Manilla Road album's US power metal status. It's a noticeably thrashier affair than their early 80's records were with only a couple of tunes that fit comfortably under the heavy metal banner. The rest offer significantly more velocity & aggression than you'd usually expect from a classic metal band however Mark Shelton's higher register vocal performance generally keeps Manilla Road from completely crossing over into speed/thrash metal territory as he possesses a theatricality that definitely ties them to power metal. The short & high energy "Up From the Crypt" is probably the only exception with its slightly more grunty delivery & it's clear that bands like Slayer have had a significant impact on Mark & his band by this stage. Just check out that start of "Masque of the Red Death" if you don't believe me.

The performances are really quite brilliant, particularly Mark's lead guitar work & the exciting drumming of Randy Foxe who plays like a man possessed for the most part with his drum-rolls being a clear highlight. Unsurprisingly, I do struggle to connect with Mark's "epic" vocal delivery a little though & that's always been a bit of a stumbling block for me to tell you the truth. I'm always left wishing that he'd spend more time shredding away on his axe with that unpolished yet infectious technique of his rather than posing some dark & mystical question to me vocally. Some of his earlier works included more lower register grunt work than "Mystification" does & I think that's a shame as I do like that style a little better. Mark's guitar solos always sound like he's improvised the whole thing on the spot &, despite his clear command of his instrument, they're more to do with atmosphere than they are to do with chops which is something I have a lot of appreciation for. In fact, you could say similar things of the production job which gives Manilla Road that mid-80's underground authenticity that a lot of modern bands lack & that's always been a strength for the band.

Overall, this is clearly the most consistent Manilla Road record I've heard to date as there are no weak tracks included. But in saying that, I don't think we get the enormous highlights that a record like "Open The Gates" offered. I think perhaps the additional thrashiness of "Mystification" has seen Manilla Road losing a little bit of the psychedelia that I loved so much about their better earlier works. For that reason, "Open The Gates" still maintains the title of my favourite Manilla Road release however "Mystification" is another interesting album from a band that I generally maintain an appreciation for but are unlikely to ever quite connect with on the same level as the rest of the underground seem to.

For fans of Brocas Helm, Omen & Eternal Champion.

3.5/5

.. or maybe 2.5/5

Good month on the playlists so far with me finding more new bands to pick up on this Guardians list than any of the others I have gone through.  That Blind Guardian track is my favourite one of theirs so glad to see it up there.  My first time ever listening to Therion and I am suitably intrigued to discover more as I get chance.  Nice to see the Maidens and Priests of this world get on the list also.

Decidedly entertaining album if not at risk of death by repetition in the main.  Sterling lead work and a solid, driving percussion section.  Tony's vocals I find a bit hit and miss overall but decent enough.

3/5

https://metal.academy/reviews/16837/2188

My thoughts on some of the tracks (including my suggested songs):

Avantasia – “Another Angel Down” (from “The Scarecrow”, 2008)

5/5. Avantasia is known for their conceptual metal operas, and I'm guessing this song is about a part of The Scarecrow story with Lucifer speaking to his army of demons to fight against humans and God. It's quite a picture to paint in this very awesome song I enjoy, especially the catchy chorus. Tobias Sammet is as talented as famous classical composers such as Beethoven and Vivaldi. I hear some influences from Iron Maiden, Iron Savior, and other "Iron" bands. Very great song!

Primal Fear – “Halo” (from “Metal Commando”, 2020)

5/5. Holy sh*t, what a masterpiece!! Ralf Scheepers still has his vocal power from the Gamma Ray albums he was in, maybe also influenced by Gamma Ray's Land of the Free. I gotta make my slight return to my earlier power metal taste to star listening to this band that I never did back then!

Blind Guardian – “Lost In The Twilight Hall” (from “Tales From The Twilight World”, 1990)

4.5/5. This song continues Blind Guardian's epic mastery. While Hansi Kursch is an amazing vocalist, the guest vocals by Kai Hansen really rule in the parts of the song where he sings. That's cool foreshadowing the later Gamma Ray albums with Kai Hansen as the lead vocalist.

Unleash The Archers – “Faster Than Light” (from “Abyss”, 2020)

5/5. Hello again, Unleash the Archers! You really unleashed another f***ing killer masterpiece!! This song can really goes faster than light with the fast pace of Stratovarius over Battle Beast-like vocals of a female warrior. FANTASTIC!!!

Lord – “United (Welcome Back)” (from “Fallen Idols”, 2019)

4.5/5. The moment I started listening to this song, it's like I am being welcomed back into my earlier power metal taste. The first thing I thought was: Australian DragonForce! And it seems like a reasonable thought to have, because of the fast speedy tempo, killer guitar shredding, and fantasy lyrics. Lord still has their original power metal sound, and I'm glad that band marks my return to a genre I left long ago but was convinced to return. Good to be back!!

I did my review, here's its summary:

I was once a champion of power metal, but that never went on eternally. Would I return with a potential classic of epic metal (US power/heavy metal)? Would this album live to my epic metal expectations, despite the nudity in the artwork (two barbarian babes near a throne of skulls each wearing nothing but a metal loincloth)? Well, this album is slightly better than probably the only other 2020 Guardians album I've listened to, Nightwish's Human Nature, in every aspect, including the sound, riffs, vocals, and confidence. Sadly, no symphonic orchestra, but thankfully, no orchestra-only tracks! Vocalist Jason Tarpey really lets loose a lot of vocal diversity, which is a boost of benefit for the band and other Guardians bands. His lyrics and concept could build worlds at strong points, such as bad-a** verses in a few songs. Those songs bring forward great influences from bands like Manilla Road and Sanctuary, all in passion and love to continue US power metal reign all over Earth. In a year lacking good power metal in the time of a dreaded virus, Eternal Champion has made an album that might surely hit many "best of metal" lists and most likely be the best US power metal album of 2020. But I don't quite feel up listening to more of that band because I've been trying to move out of power metal for a long time. Or am I? We'll see after I cross the Edenbridge (hint at a later review)....

4.5/5

My thoughts on some of the tracks (including my suggested songs):

Nightwish – “Noise” (from “Hvman. :||: Natvre.”, 2020)

10/10. One of the heavier metal songs in an otherwise highly symphonic album. This one represents a bit of the Tarja-era Nightwish sound at its best. Make some noise for the true Nightwish!

Kamelot – “III Ways To Epica” (from “Epica”, 2003)

10/10. This song marks the epic emotional end of the first album of one of the best two-part sagas of metal. 7 years ago, after being introduced to the world of metal via power metal bands such as DragonForce, Dragonland, and Power Quest, I felt the need to expand it with more than just speed. That was when this band Kamelot came in with epic songs like this one, opening a symphonic dimension for my power metal, leading to more terrific bands of that style like Within Temptation, Epica, After Forever, and of course, Nightwish. Symphonic power metal had been such a beautiful inspiration genre. I loved it, loved this band, and still love this song!

Dragonland – “Holy War” (from “Holy War”, 2002)

11/10 (not exaggerating). The most bad-a** power metal song I've listened to over 7 years ago besides DragonForce! This band and song has pretty much kickstarted my path to become a power metal. I think I played this song while playing Skyrim during a few of the in-game battles. The epic organ intro might remind some of Castlevania. Some parts have reminded me how much I used to love power metal, including when the soloing starts at the two and a half minute mark. I especially love the voice of singer Jonas Heidgert. This band would lead to more awesome bands like Avantasia, Dragonland, and Stratovarius. The whole reason this was my first song from this band, at the time probably when I was in late middle school (age, not actually in school), was because the band was mislabeled as DragonForce (the band that got me into power metal), a hilarious misunderstand led to a glorious discovery! Seriously, this is real music, not that mundane radio pop sh*t. It wasn't until late high school-ish years when I forgot about this song when I started making my move out of the earlier epic metal taste, but now a bit of my power metal past is back! I heard that this song was used in the Counter-Strike frag video Pubmasters 2. Also, a more recent DragonForce song "Symphony of the Night" kinda reminded me of this one, which is why I love them both. Those two Dragon-bands have changed my life and swept away my earlier days of listening to nothing but Breaking Benjamin and Disturbed when following my brother's music footsteps. Not only do I love Jonas' voice, but I also enjoy his catchy drums performed in the first two albums. The keyboard/guitar soloing are some of the best I've heard! Some people think power metal is cheesy, but I found that genre brilliant. Dragonland has made some of the most awesome power metal songs including their own Helloween song cover. This band does very d*mn epic power metal with great soloing of creative dimensions! It has been years since my last full listen of this song, and it still sounds epic as f***, and I felt proud of the power metal journey I had. All hail Dragonland!! Along with DragonForce! This song does sound a bit like DragonForce and Stratovarius, along with other progressive power metal bands all around. I think it was my recent interest in Sanctuary that brought back some power metal memories. The Dragonland concept is a bit similar to Game of Thrones, and should be part of its soundtrack. Maybe the Dragonland Chronicles should have its own movie series! Both Dragon-bands have their own unique sound while staying in the same genre. Dragonland has probably also been known for covering a Mozart piece. I'm still enjoying the pure melodic power metal epicness! I also enjoy the speed, and other bands that followed. Now I'm over 21 and have already moved on from my gateway metal genre for a more mature and heavier taste instead of just Bach-inspired metal epic cheesiness. Still can't believe I got attracted to this band for the most unlikely reason, because some jacka** confused the band with DragonForce, but worth it! And that was long before the screaming heavier metal that I like now. I shall ignore any complainers and enjoy the music! Thank you, Daniel, for including this small historical monument of a track....

Finally did my review! Here's its summary:

This compilation is never ordinary. The first disc has songs from the era of their first vocalist Ralf Scheepers, while the second disc has songs from the vocal era of no other than Kai Hansen! All selected songs from the Ralf Scheepers era and Land of the Free were re-recorded (possibly to fit with E-flat tuning, though some songs have to stuck to the original E tuning). Are ya curious? Look no further and find many of the greatest hits, along with a few sh*ts including the weak ballad "The Silence". Despite a few flawed tracks, everything else is some of the best songs in the first decade of Gamma Ray's career. Personally, if I were to pick two songs, each for one of the discs, to be added in, they would be the cover of the "Gamma Ray" song the band was named after, and the "It's a Sin" cover. Both great covers! Blast From the Past is a greatest hits album the way it was meant to be done; an awesome overview of mostly their best songs, with the older songs re-recorded to please both newer and older fans. Highly recommended for power metal fans as big as I used to be. Indeed a blast from my power metal past!

4.5/5

My thoughts on some of the tracks (including my suggested songs):

Dee Snider – “Tomorrow’s no Concern” (from “For The Love Of Metal”, 2018)

8/10. Look, it's cool that this playlist has started with classic heavy metal performed by a metal veteran, but that's not really my thing. Though this is actually d*mn better than the Twisted Sister classics I've stumbled upon, and it sounds like Dee still has what it takes. H*ll yeah!!

Edguy – “Mysteria” (from “Hellfire Club”, 2004)

9/10. Here's a tight heavy song that would make a slightly better playlist starter than that Dee Snider track. Vocalist Tobias Sammet yells like a circus ringmaster, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the freak show!!" Then the power metal action begins, having some influences from thrash/speed metal. In fact there's even an alternate version with Mille Petrozza of Euro-thrash legends Kreator on guest vocals as a bonus track in the limited edition.

Hammerfall – “Blood Bound” (from “Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken”, 2005)

9/10. I've listened to this song for the first time in a few years after listening to the live version as part of their new live album Live! Against the World. This killer song is from an album that helped bridge the earlier and middle era, and it has a big chorus you just gotta sing along to.

Elvenking – “Reader Of The Runes – Book I” (from “Reader Of The Runes - Divination”, 2019)

10/10. From the runes of Spotify comes a song available for this playlist. This is a fantastic great monolithic end to the band's folk-power metal return album trilogy that started in Pagan Manifesto, but it might hint at a different saga starting with a possible "Reader Of The Runes – Book II". I was an Elvenking fan a few years ago in my earlier epic metal taste, and now I wish I could have the chance to return to the band for the album that has this song that's probably their best since Heathenreel, especially since it has a killer black-ish soloing section in the middle. I'm grateful for this exhausting yet powerful masterpiece of f***ing impressive epic metal sorcery, greater than the epics made by Helloween. I love it! I might review this album soon. Thanks Xephyr for submitting it and Daniel for accepting it!

Lord – “Chaos Raining” (from “Fallen Idols”, 2019)

9/10. This is from an album that I was asked to do a special review for, but didn't get fully interested in the band until I switched from The Horde to The Guardians. The song shows Lord getting a little more chaotic while staying in a mid-tempo pace, getting up to the level of Trivium's Silence in the Snow.

I took the opportunity to use the new Leaves' Eyes record to talk about what I outlined in this thread, and sadly they fall into the same expected traps.

Review below:

Leaves' Eyes - The Last Viking

Having gone back and re-listened to Black Sabbath's first six studio albums have made me realize how much their sound changed over the first five years. Given that this band was taking rock and roll to places it had never been before and were ridiculed by the mainstream for it, but Ozzy and company were not simply contempt with their sound from Paranoid and Master of Reality. And this record proves it.

I never truly realized how remarkable until just recently. For the longest time, I felt as if the debut self-titled album was the pinnacle of Black Sabbath's career. But It was clear with Sabbath Bloody Sabbath that they were going to take the more alien tones of what we now know as doom metal from the self titled debut, and the more rock leaning "accessibility" of the Paranoid and Master of Reality LP's. The title track is excellent, "Sabbra Cadabra" is slightly more uptempo, but the grooves are heavy, Ozzy's vocal performance is stunning, and the guitar leads/solos are among some of the best in Black Sabbath's entire discography. The album ends with a really cheesy strings outro on "Spiral Architect" that is reminiscent to "The End" of Abbey Road, but it fits the environment so incredibly well that it is almost impossible to hate. I even really enjoy the acoustic interlude, "Fluff" as a show of restraint and anticipation.

The self titled debut may have been the record that invented heavy metal, but Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is the album that nearly perfected it. Almost every song on this record (with the exception of "Looking for Today") has purpose. Sabbath must have known about the shockwaves they were making in the underground, even as the mainstream had to reluctantly acknowledge their existence. But Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is the magnum opus and has forced to reconsider my favourite Sabbath album.

9/10

My thoughts on some of the tracks (including my suggested songs):

Avantasia – “Runaway Train” (from “The Wicked Symphony”, 2010)

10/10. Beautiful song from symphonic power metal-opera project Avantasia! This makes a great soundtrack for when I move out alone probably a few years from now and I have to decide which train that I can't control takes me to the airport and hope for the best to start a new life, whether it's a great long healthy life or one that is cut short if the path leads to being trapped in a drug alley. Man, I almost cried thinking of this whole scenario. It's so emotional and epic, a bit like one of the earlier Sonata Arctica ballads. A beautiful song as a farewell while you start a journey for a new life, hopefully not a drug-laden one.

Savatage – “Hall Of The Mountain King” (from “Hall of The Mountain King”, 1987)

9/10. This is an underrated 80s heavy metal classic. It works awesomely for an epic D&D session. Unbelievable! If you thought this track resembles Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King", nope! That's its intro "Prelude to Madness". The band's guitar king Criss Oliva does a great job there. RIP Criss. F*** that drunk driver! Great lyrics, good music, still a little too old for my taste range, unless my taste changes in the future...

Edenbridge – “Shine” (from “Shine”, 2004)

10/10. Edenbridge has served as another milestone in the bridge of symphonic fantasy after Nightwish, after Epica, after Two Steps From Hell (the latter being an epic trailer music company I used to listen to before my metal interest blasted off). This is one of my favorite Edenbridge songs with the enchanting voice of Sabine Edelsbacher in a shining direction especially in the epic crescendo chorus. I guess you can think of Edenbridge as Epica without the growling vocals. Wonderful song with a beautiful unique voice, and I still have that opinion since I first got hooked to listening to this band when I was around age 16 or 17. I think this song is about the circle of life throughout the universe and God's creations. Shine is one of my favorite Edenbridge albums and this song is an awesome progressive highlight with the best guitar talent from Lanvall and Sabine's expanding vocal range and passion. Around that time, Sabine guest-appeared in a couple songs on Angra's Temple of Shadows and Power Quest's Neverworld, two more excellent power metal albums! When I first listened to this song, album, and band, I've realized how well this band can make awesome masterpieces. One of the best bands in my earlier epic metal taste besides Symphony X, Avantasia, and of course, Nightwish and Epica! Her beautiful voice brightens up this marvelous composition. The lyrics are weird, but a good pretty type of weird. Pop artists like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber already had their fame, Edenbridge should have their turn! I say this band has an excellent combo of Sonata Arctica power metal, Within Temptation orchestration, and Lacuna Coil female vocals. Of course, my epic metal taste wasn't all just symphonic metal back then, there's of course the power metal of Sabaton, DragonForce, Stratovarius, and in my current arsenal, Lord. With all this talk about other bands, I'd like to make it clear that Edenbridge is unique symphonic power metal with female vocals, symphonic strings, and harmonic guitar solos. Thanks for including this glorious piece, Daniel!

Dream Evil – “Dream Evil” (from “Six”, 2017)

10/10. Dream Evil's glorious comeback after a 7-year gap between albums, and their potential new theme/anthem. Enough said!

Space Odyssey – “Embrace The Galaxy” (from “Embrace The Galaxy”, 2003)

9/10. First there was 2001: A Space Odyssey, and then there's 2003: Richard Andersson's Space Odyssey! Personally, I think this sounds a bit like another Yngwie/Dio collaboration with Rush. Beautiful song with nice vocals and spacey keys, and I probably would've perfectly loved it back in my earlier epic metal era, but now not too much.

Machinae Supremacy – “Laser Speed Force” (from “Rise Of A Digital Nation”, 2012)

10/10. Ah yes, Machinae Supremacy, a band that mixes power metal with 8-bit/trance synths. This song is a fantastic reason why they should've been more famous than they are currently, one of my favorite songs from them! When I first heard of this band 5 years ago, I decided to download a demo of Jets'n'Guns, the computer game with their own soundtrack. I gave up interest in that game after a few days but never that band, at least for a few years. If I ever have a smartphone instead of a Nokia, I would make this awesome song my ringtone. If this band ever comes to my country, you bet I will spend my money to see them live. I just love this fantastic tune with awesome lyrics! This would make great music for PVP on MMORPGs. Seriously, this is another great reason to consider metal "real" music. Still getting pumped with this song for gaming battles. It's really clear that Machinae Supremacy are the true masters of epic 8-bit metal. A solid jam for video game soundtrack fans and metalheads to love!

Gloryhammer – “Beneath Cowdenbeath” (from “Tales From The Kingdom Of Fife”, 2013)

8/10. That's interesting, Xephyr, choosing an instrumental song from an awesome epic concept album. That's perfectly fine because even though it would've been better with the sung narrations of Angus McFife, they leveled up the symphonic power metal instrumentation. If I was to choose a song from that album, I would probably picked one of their great hits like "Angus McFife", "Quest for the Hammer of Glory", or the 10-minute "Epic Rage of Furious Thunder". Either way, good song suggestions all!

My thoughts on some of the tracks (including my suggested songs):

Freedom Call – “The Darkness” (from “Legend Of The Shadowking”, 2010)

9/10. This is one of the darkest power metal songs I've heard in my earlier epic metal taste. I suppose anyone can say Powerwolf is darker than this but for some reason I've never really listened to that band back then, so we'll go with this Freedom Call track that I was more familiar with. This one starts with a doomy intro before switching to a typical power metal song with a dark vibe. I chose that one because it seems so Halloween-ish enough for the October playlist.

DragonForce – “Cry Thunder” (from “The Power Within”, 2012)

11/10 (not exaggerated). Another one of my favorite DragonForce songs, and my favorite with their new vocalist Marc Hudson! An amazing song worth playing air-guitar until your fingers break and headbanging until you sprain your neck. Its mid-tempo pace (unlike their usual faster songs) reminds me of Irish folk and especially the Skyrim theme. This would fit well for when Thor has his own army to lead him into war and fight. Seriously, it's that awesome!! You can't miss this! It fits well not just for Skyrim or Final Fantasy but also for any MMORPG that has ever existed. I agree with anyone who says this is nice and beautiful. It's really good for when medieval dragons face off against space aliens. An epic hit that has established DragonForce as one of the greatest modern power metal bands besides Alestorm. Well done, DF!

Blind Guardian – “Majesty” (from “Battalions Of Fear”, 1988)

10/10. The one song that opened Blind Guardian's career in their own big bang, a speed metal classic chosen for this playlist because it foreshadows their more majestic power metal sound. But what's with the odd circus organ intro though!? This is the ultimate opener for a speed/power metal band's discography, as grand as how Black Sabbath made their grand opening of heavy metal with the first track of their first album back in 1970. The mix of Lord of the Rings lyrics with speed metal is known as a prototype for their power metal sound, and is tied with "Valhalla" as their best song from their earlier speed metal era, both caught in a 3-way tie with "Mirror Mirror" for the ultimate Blind Guardian song. The last two minutes are absolutely killer with amazing majesty and speedy force, especially the drums. It's enough to even make Metallica surprised by how superb this band is. A majestic beginning of a band's glorious journey!

I have to admit, I've never really cared for Helloween in the same way that I have for the bands that would have taken influence from Helloween, particularly during the early part of the 1990s. For me, Blind Guardian and Nightwish have always been my go to groups. Whether or not that is the byproduct of my age and not growing up with Helloween is a very likely possibility, but I have always viewed Helloween as the birthplace of the style, not as its de-facto form.

As a result, my experience with Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II was not at all surprising. Good stuff, solid hooks, Michael Kiske's strong vocal timbre to play out the heightened fantastical storytelling, but carried by less than stellar production that keeps much of the low end muted. I would have liked to hear more developed song structures, rather than rapid transitions between ideas, an idea that was carried in a greater capacity in the same year by Queensrÿche on Operation: Mindcrime. And yes, that album does share a lot of similarities with Helloween's album.

I generally enjoy 1990s (and beyond) power metal, so it was nice to go back and hear the genre in its earliest form. And I did enjoy parts of what I heard, even if I personally believe that Helloween were surpassed in nearly every way by artists/bands taking influence from them in the future.

7/10

It fittingly shares an anniversary with Faith No More's Midlife Crisis compilation. 

Probably my favourite playlist so far right here.  Never heard anything off Technical Ecstasy before but adding the whole record to my library later based on that track alone.  I was predictably unimpressed with Vinnie Moore (guitar only albums aren’t my thing) and won’t be going back to More, Arion, Dragonland or Tytan anytime soon but loved more or less everything else.  That Twilight Force track just happens to be my favourite and I have a lot of time for that Dragonforce track also.  New bands added to my radar are Unleash The Archers and Atlantean Kodex.  Thanks for sharing Daniel.

While I'm no Sabbath expert... Tymell, based on the other lists in this thread, yours actually makes sense in the "top 10" order starting with the #1 song. Even an unordered list can come out as ordered!

Ha, you're right. I may have gone through the albums picking the 10 :p You can also see my album prefs pretty clearly there: I never really cared so much for Vol. 4 or Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (and I've never bothered listening to Never Say Die or Technical Ecstasy).

One of Sabbath's flawless releases for me, full of the well-known "hits" like War Pigs and Iron Man as well other less obvious gems such as Hand of Doom.  Never anything less than 5 stars for me.

This list confirmed my dislike for the guitar wankery of Malmsteen, Becker and Friedman as well as Michael Angelo.  Some interesting stuff but a lot of it was already very familiar to me.  Will probably explore Jaguar more and the list underlined my need to pick up more Tygers of Pan Tang stuff.  Thanks for sharing.

I gave "Perpetual Burn" a few revisits today & found that I still quite enjoy it. I actually bought it on CD way back in the very early 1990's & was blown away by Becker's technique at the time, especially for someone so young. I do have to admit that I've never been particularly comfortable with his neoclassicisms though as they often sound like exercises more than actual music & even delve into Xmas carol schmaltz at times (see the disappointing "Air" for example). Thankfully a good half of "Perpetual Burn" takes a more traditional progressive metal approach & it's this material that really interests me. The album highlights are certainly when Jason goes for melody over technique & the crunchier metal sections are also among the more exciting moments so fans of Marty Friedman, Cacophony & Yngwie Malmsteen should be all over this record. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I slightly prefer it to Yngwie's highly celebrated "Rising Force" debut.

3.5/5

I love shred albums, and this one was no exception. This one struck me a bit differently though, since many of these neoclassical jam sessions are more or less the same once you get down to the nitty-gritty of what they really are. Maximum Security felt like it had a bit more meaning and substance to it apart from the shred, more movement and feeling. It's most likely because the shredding is used more sparingly, but there's also some great choices of melody and extra bits and pieces like the piano interlude that make this feel like a fleshed out album rather than just notes crammed onto a late 80's disk. I found this collection of instrumentals to be immediately more recognizable and memorable than the likes of Malmsteen, but maybe not as much as someone like Joe Satriani. The piano interlude is great as it really plays into the neo-classical style that these 80's shredders worshiped, and the synth aspects are smoothly incorporated, not sounding too forced whatsoever. 

I found Maximum Security a pleasure just to have on in the background, which is a huge testament to Tony Macalpine's smooth and more subdued songwriting. While not the most adventurous record, I definitely prefer the likes of this over the 1,000 notes per second scales that have been played one too many times before. Maximum Security also succeeds in keeping the song length lower, with only a few tracks reaching the 4 and a half minute mark, which I think is fair for guitar noodling like this. Just a classy instrumental shred album through and through. 

4/5

After writing out my review and listening to both Theli and Secret of the Runes many, many times as well as checking out Vovin (What happened there guys, god that was boring), I have to say I prefer Secret of the Runes even though it's very close. Theli is the classic Symphonic Metal experience with galloping riffs and bombastic strings, but Secret of the Runes really brings a progressive thematic element to Therion that I really enjoy. I love the premise behind this album of being about the nine realms of Norse Mythology and even though it can get repetitive I think the tracks are meant to share some similarities to really sell the theme. It's a totally unique Symphonic Metal album that, in my opinion, goes hand in hand with Theli to show how classical music influences can work extremely well with darker and more mysterious themes. 

Inspired by Chris Van Ettan splitting hairs over which genre an album from a different clan has (thrash or speed metal, death metal or grindcore, power metal or trad metal and sludge vs. stoner vs. doom), I decided to continue the DIS vs DAT activity with an interesting twist; instead of voting on which album has the greater edge, we do it with genres from one of the clans instead. Single-genre clans (like The Gateway and The Sphere) would be divided into hidden subgenres that some of us have heard of but are never listed in the site (for example, alternative metal vs nu metal, industrial metal vs neue Deutsche härte). This should be a nice interesting challenge for Chris and other members of the site. Got two or three albums from a different genre in the same clan and same release year but can't decide which one has the greater edge? Share them here!

Let's starts off with two Guardians albums released in 2000, one of which I've already listened to myself. If you have been following my journey through my unofficial Metal Evolution band challenge, you probably know which one I like better, but I won't tell you until I get at least one or a few responses.  Which one of these albums with a different genre has the greater edge? Choose one and explain the reason!

Symphonic metal:

Power metal:

Challenge done! It was really fun to try and write 3 extended reviews and being able to dust off the old normal writing skills for the fantasy intros. I tried to make the intro stories as closely connected to the albums as possible, so there's a lot of parallels and metaphors in there, or at least I tried to put them in there. I'm glad I did this since going back to 90's Blind Guardian really reminded me of how good their big three albums were. (Not counting Tales From the Twilight World) So there are now three pretty lengthy reviews for Somewhere Far Beyond, Imaginations From The Other Side, and Nightfall In Middle-Earth from me!

I should also do a review of this classic at some point as well, but I'm in agreement that Number of the Beast, on the whole, is vastly overrated. At the end of the day, it's an album of singles, with "Children of the Damned", "Number of the Beast", "Run to the Hills", and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" being the only tracks that really matter on this one. The other songs are good, but not what you would expect from a so-called 5 star Maiden release. Since those other songs are a full half of the album, it's hard to say that this album is a true classic compared to the other Maiden albums that normally vie for that top spot. While none of the other 4 songs that make up Number of the Beast left any sort of impression on me, the rest of the album is a true classic so I can't give it any less than a 4/5.

Everyone seems to have a different favorite Maiden album though, and in the end Powerslave wins out for me personally. 

Inspired by the new DIS vs DAT thing on Metal Academy, in turn inspired by that weekly feature on Utopia Records' Facebook page, I decided to turn this conversation-starting activity into a full thread instead of separate threads. Got a couple albums with the same genre and release year that you can't decide which has the greater edge? Share them here!

Let's start off with two power metal classics released in 1997. Which one has the greater edge? Choose one and explain the reason!

Both great albums but still an easy call for me.

Sad Wings... all day here and this largely because I find it a more dynamic release that sweeps through various tempos and yet still retains the spirit of the band brilliantly.  As I said in my review I think it is perhaps the greatest sophomore album ever released because Rocka Rolla was average at best and to flip that into this was sterling work.  Rainbow feel like a tight unit on Rising most definitely but when compared with Priest there's too much of an air of predictability about it for my ears that diminishes it in comparison.

Rising 2 Sad Wings 2

P.s. Fuck Blackmore 

I distinctly remember finding Therion years ago when I first started to really expand the genres of Metal I was listening to, excitedly grabbing their discography, and really disliking it for whatever reason. That made me never really want to go back to check out Therion again, until now of course, and couldn't have been more wrong in my initial assessment. 

Theli has that classic and theatrical Symphonic Metal touch that is obviously over the top but doesn't feel dull and boring like a lot of modern Symphonic Metal releases. Therion still has driving, heavy riffs plus better song structure and is just much more Metal than what we hear today. The transitions from guitar riffs to choral or orchestral parts are very on point with each one feeling organic and exciting, although a little messy sometimes. Since it's still early in the genre's life cycle there definitely are some awkward parts here and there, with the beginning of "To Mega Therion" sounding slightly off-time occasionally and some transitions not exactly hitting the way they should have. 

As a Symphonic Metal fan I'll be the first to admit that I think the genre, apart from one or two releases here or there each year, is very stagnant and it doesn't seem like it's going to improve. These classics have such a dark theatrical quality to them that makes them super unique, rather than the albums nowadays that seem to just use symphonic elements for the sake of using them. It leads to boring songwriting and extremely samey sounding products that just throw everything at a wall and hope it sticks. While a little rough around the edges Theli is a great example of how an over-the-top and bombastic record can still have great Metal riffs that work together with the orchestration rather than just adding all the bells and whistles as an afterthought. 

Thanks Daniel!

Thanks, Xephyr. That Elvenking album ain't too bad. I particularly like the folk influence and the vocals are nowhere near as OTT as most power metal I've heard - a real sticking point for me usually. I'm interested enough to check out some of their previous albums anyway. Cheers!

Have you all seen the Metal Academy Lists page? It's the place that I'll be putting my top ten lists for years, decades, subgenres, etc. Here are a few that might interest you members of The Guardians:

Top 10 Releases Of The 1970's: https://metal.academy/lists/single/3

Top 10 Releases Of 1980: https://metal.academy/lists/single/4

Top 10 Releases Of 1981: https://metal.academy/lists/single/5

Top 10 Releases Of 1982: https://metal.academy/lists/single/6

Top 10 Releases Of 1983: https://metal.academy/lists/single/7

Top 10 Releases Of 1984: https://metal.academy/lists/single/8

Top 10 Releases Of The NWOBHM (1979-1983): https://metal.academy/lists/single/9

I'll continue to post these progressively & will update them if I find any amazing underground releases that I might have missed. Please feel free to post your own lists here if you'd like to share as we'd love to hear what you think.

I read over Daniel's review after giving this a listen and I'm inclined to agree, this is some high quality, straight up and to the point early 80's heavy metal with a fantastic vocalist. I have a soft spot for that powerful but high pitched wailing that legends like Dio and Halford were and are so adept at. It's a shame that Avigal was only around for one album and never really caught a big break. Seems like he has released a solo venture, but not much else past his 80's Dutch heavy metal days. 

This album just has that heavy metal attitude about it that a lot of other bands like them fail to capture. I don't think there are many standout tracks, but there aren't any lackluster ones either, the album is great through and through. "Diamond Dreamer" and "Message From Hell" sound exactly like premier 80's heavy metal songs that could still be rocking out on classic rock radio stations, but for some reason got completely skipped over. 

While Picture doesn't reinvent anything or create anything particularly fantastic on Diamond Dreamer, the quality of the entire album definitely rivals some of the greats of that time, which is no easy feat. 

I should re-listen to Firepower apparently, because everyone except me seems to really like that album. I listened to it quite a few times last year and at the time just didn't get much out of it, but since then I've gone through pretty much all of their discography over again so maybe I'll get something different out of it.

It's always great to see that a legendary band is still making music, but I'd rather see a band like Preist go out on a "swan song" album like Firepower that fans really enjoyed rather than another attempt to capture what they had before. It sounds like they're really enthusiastic still so I'll slide over into the "high hopes" side of this. 

Heavy metal was just 'old metal' my parents, uncles, and whoever older folk had playing. Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Scorpions and the like. It was always kinda around, I couldn't even try to tell you the first album I really listened to. Maybe Iron Maiden's The Number Of The Beast? 

Neoclassical Metal: Um... can't say I've really listened too much of this. I've listened to some of Yngwie Malmsteen but um, nothing here keeps my interest. Maybe i'll find something more here. 

Power metal: Oh man, I'm going with Kamelot Black Halo. I heard this in high school and was hooked. Brought me down the path of Iced Earth, Helloween, Hammerfall, and so many others. 

Symphonic Metal: Same with Xephyr honestly, The Poet and the Pendelum, was the first symphonic album I personally owned. However, I knew of the band and Tarja before due to their Phantom Of The Opera (cover?) they did as it went around the internet, limewire, back in the day and I fell in love. I've always been a kinda sucker for good musicals and when you add loud guitars and banging drum work over that I needed more. Still remember The Poet and the Album was the first metal album I had that my mom was like ooh that's pretty you should bring that in the car on trips. Good times.