The Guardians

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. 

I forgot Turilli-Lione Rhapsody, fixed!

I don't think that Helloween's debut self-titled EP should reside in The Guardians. There's not enough power metal to warrant inclusion. It's primarily a speed metal record & belongs exclusively in The Pit in my opinion. Who agrees with me?

"You have to accept it since you can't turn back the tide. I've always had my fingers on the pulse of the music industry, in particular, in the metal world. CD and vinyl are still very important. Metalheads want to stream everything, so you have to cover all the bases and make sure everybody's needs are taken care of. Spotify & Apple Music need to make the payment system better for the artists since it's not fair right now. Eventually, that will be sorted, I believe. A band needs to have cash flow." 

 "If you look at the breakdown of streaming, if you take what the artist gets once the breakdown happens, it really is just pennies out of the pie. It's like a piece; you slice it up. The bands get the tiniest bit. And then we have to divvy that up between how many members there are in the band. So it's a bit of a battle that's going on. But I really hope that fairness will prevail."

"Vinyl is beautiful, isn't it? It is a totally different feel. Incrementally, vinyl is like your favorite sports team's jersey. It's one thing to see the team but to have their jersey on is another feeling. You feel more connected to the band since vinyl is tangible."

Ozzy Osbourne has announced the postponement of all his 2019 tour dates, inclusive of shows in North America and Europe, as he recovers from an injury sustained while dealing with his recent bout of pneumonia. The BLACK SABBATH singer fell at his Los Angeles home, aggravating years-old injuries (from his 2003 ATV accident) that required surgery last month. Osbourne will remain under doctor's care in Los Angeles as he recovers.  

Says Ozzy: "I can't believe I have to reschedule more tour dates. Words cannot express how frustrated, angry and depressed I am not to be able to tour right now. I'm grateful for the love and support I'm getting from my family, my band, friends and fans, it's really what's keeping me going. Just know that I am getting better every day...I will fully recover...I will finish my tour...I will be back!"  

The shows will be rescheduled beginning in February 2020 and concert-goers are being asked to hold onto their original tickets, as they will be honored for the rescheduled dates. Because some of the 2019 dates were festival appearances, not all will be rescheduled. Below are the new North American dates; the Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl show will be rescheduled in July 2020 (exact date to be announced). The 2020 European dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

Daniel: I wasn't very happy about Ozzy cancelling his Australian Download Festival appearances last month due to illness as despite having seen him performance with Black Sabbath I've never had the opportunity to see him play solo. Especially not with Zakk Wylde. But it's really sad to think that such a huge personality & character in the metal scene & one of the subgenres originators might not have all that much time left in this world. I wish him & his family all the best for his fast recovery.

Here's what current Priest lead guitarist Richie Faulkner has to say about Downing:

"I've never spoken to Ken. And I don't really know. I honestly don't know. I don't think anyone's spoken to him. I don't think he's spoken to them. I think he speaks to the management. But I've never spoken to him. Most of the stuff now is online. It seems that there's a lot online and not enough talking with each other. But who knows? But we're just forging forward and doing what we can — new record, new tour, and forging forward with that, really."

It is disappointing, but as you say, not at all surprising. There are a lot of similarities between the Ozzy and Dio stories, with dominating women making decisions for them with no consideration beyond money. Both Ozzy Osbourne and Dio released two great "band albums" before the problems came to a head.

So Body Count guitarist & 'Forbidden' producer Ernie C has responded on a recent episode of 'The Official Danko Jones Podcast':

"On Ice's first record, he sampled Sabbath's 'War Pigs'. And Tony Iommi got a whiff of it and he started listening to it and he said he liked it. And then he heard that I produced those first Body Count records that we did and he just gave us a call. And also, Miles Copeland helped out. Stewart Copeland's brother ran I.R.S Records. Miles helped get it together. Tony listened to the sample on there and then he started listening to our records and said 'I like that.' Miles came and said, 'I can get him to produce your next album].'… So we were in England and Tony came to our hotel. He said, 'I would like you to do our new record.' 

 Producing Sabbath was cool. It was a rock and roll experience that you can just say, 'Well, I did a Black Sabbath record, and I'm done. And it also made me say, 'Yeah, I really don't wanna produce bands that are already established'. It's good to produce young people that are listening. But when you're so set in your ways… I didn't feel any pressure trying to make a Sabbath album that would stand alongside the band's classic efforts. I really didn't pay that much attention to it. I was more of a Led Zeppelin fan. I loved Sabbath and this and that, but I wasn't a 'die-hard die-hard.' I wasn't intimidated… And the thing about that was that was the time when the vinyl was out, and I told them, 'I'm gonna dry the sound up a little bit.' Those records from the '80s were big sounding records. They sound like you're playing in a tunnel. So I told them, 'We're gonna dry it up a little bit.' 'Cause the vinyl was dry — that's what made the vinyl sound. It was so dry and in your face. It's not a big tunnel. That was the Van Halen stuff — the one guitar in the one ear. It's big and large, but if it had been dried up, I don't think it would have been that popular. There's something to that era that lends to you almost seeing 'em on a stage and you're back in the seats. And then when Nirvana came along, it made it more personal, like you're sitting down with someone… Nirvana made it more dried up and in your face, like we're gonna sit down and come to my garage and listen to my band." 

I'm not sure I've heard anything since Risk, so can't really comment. I will say that Risk is as bad as everyone says it is though, which is probably why I haven't bothered with Megadeth since.