Latest Reviews

At the time of its release and for a good while after I thought of Mob Rules as the younger sibling of the transformative Heaven and Hell, forever living in the shadow of its older brother. For me though, the years have been kinder to it and it is now my preferred post-Ozzy release. I think at the time Heaven and Hell was so much better than the last couple of Ozzy albums that it was revered as having pulled Sabbath back from the brink, with RJD breathing new life into the band, like a diminutive emergency paramedic. But I actually feel that Mob Rules is a bit more subtle than HnH and has more depth with a song like "Sign of the Southern Cross" possessing more emotional resonance. I don't think Mob Rules experiences the quality dips that HnH does either. In all honesty, "Lady Evil", "Wishing Well" and "Walk Away" aren't exactly classic Sabbath are they, except when compared to what had come during the previous three or four years, whereas even the weaker tracks on Mob Rules are still pretty damn good to me. Throw in a couple of uptempo crackers like Turn Up the Night and the title track, which give off Symptom of the Universe vibes, alongside the best non-Ozzy Sabbath track the forlornly epic, "Falling Off the Edge of the World", and we have an album approaching the quality of the first six.

There's really not much I can say about this one you haven't heard before. Half the tracks are such that if you've heard Black Sabbath, you've probably already heard them. Sweet Leaf, for instance, is one of the three tracks you are guaranteed to have heard if you have ever spent any time listening to classic rock radio.
Compared to the past two releases, Master of Reality is a lot more typical. Outside of two short interludes, every song is more mundanely done in comparison to the non-traditional structures of the first two albums. It's more poppy, in the sense of being more easily digestable even if every song is solidly doom metal outside of Solitude.
There's a weird sort of love ethos going on in this album. Every song has something to do with it, but not always in a good way. Sweet Leaf talks about how much they love marijuana; After Forever talks about, in a way that nobody is quite sure is serious or not, about how Jesus is the only way to love; Then the rest talks about the disasters that will befall us without love. Considering the way the genre developed, it's amusing that arguably the metal album could be read as an antithesis to the whole genre.
Most of the material on this album is iconic, outside of the aforementioned Solitude and Lord of This World. There's basically nothing new to say about it. How many others have praised the subtle creepiness of After Forever, using hippie-sounding melodies as the chorus to counteract the dark, pro-Christianity lyrics. Even when the album is not being outright dark, it is still being dark under the surface.
Master of Reality strikes me as the perfect metal album. Oh, there are ones I personally like better, even in Sabbath's career, but Master of Reality states all that is good about the genre, and states in a period of time that does not linger for too long or too short. Master of Reality may be the third album, but it is not their third best album.

I have a deep connection to this record, going back to the early Eighties when it was gifted to me out of the blue. I had never heard Witchfynde before, but was enthralled by it from the very first playthrough and it still gets regular spins to this very day. At least as many as the very best albums from those NWOBHM years, such as Killers, Lightning to the Nations and Bomber, records alongside which this stands proudly in my collection.

Witchfynde actually show a couple of sides to themselves on Give 'Em Hell, one a fairly straight-up hard rocking version of late-70's / early -80's heavy metal as exemplified by the title cut. The other side to the band is a progressive version of heavy metal that is more adventurous and places as much emphasis on atmospherics as much as on ripping out killer riffs, with the almost nine-minutes of "Unto the Ages of the Ages" being the albums marginal highlight for me. This side of the band is the one that I find most interesting and it is the three tracks written in this vein, "The Divine Victim", "Leaving Nadir" and the previously mentioned "Unto the Ages of the Ages" that made the band stand out for me all those many years ago and which keep dragging me back. I guess with all the water under the bridge that has seen so much experimentation and progressiveness seep into modern metal, someone listening to Give 'Em Hell today for the first time would undoubtedly be little impressed, but this was an album that stood out to me at the time for it's adventurousness.

The tracks that exhibit the more conventional and rockier side of the band here are somewhat variable in quality with "Ready to Roll" and the title track being much superior to the somewhat lacklustre "Gettin' Heavy" and "Pay Now - Love Later", a track whose fate is sealed even more so by following the epic "Unto the Ages of the Ages". which should have closed out the album in my book and which makes the actual closer sound a bit puerile in comparison. That said the two earlier-mentioned tracks are very good examples of early NWOBHM headbangers with nice catchy riffs and fairly simplistic lyrics, great for a good old drunken singalong, something I was always up for back in the day!

The production on Give 'Em Hell is actually slightly muddy which gives it a sort of doom metal feeling that serves it quite well I feel, particularly on the slower sections, the opening riff of "The Divine Victim", for example, coming off like a riff from an early Trouble or Saint Vitus album and the track as a whole being every bit as doom metal as anything on Witchfinder General's lauded debut. Guitarist Trevor Taylor (aka Montalo) dishes out a string of nice solos that display a reasonable amount of variation but aren't showy or over-extravagant. The bass sits fairly prominently in the mix and underpins the guitar work nicely. Band founder Graham Scoresby's drumming is very good, check out Leaving Nadir for some really nice fills along with his timekeeping. Unfortunately whilst doing my due diligence for this review I found out that Graham was killed in a road accident back in February of this year - RIP.

This is undeniably not a typical NWOBHM album, with the band already having been together for seven years by the time of its release, it doesn't possess the youthful vitality and dynamism of, say, the Maiden or Angel Witch debuts from the same year, but it does have a maturity to the songwriting that sees them producing a more expansive and atmospheric record.

That cover is of course going to attract certain expectations from a modern listener, but at the time such openly satanic imagery was pretty much unheard of, this was the time of Thatcher and Reagan's neo-puritanism and here in the UK Mary Whitehouse and her gang of self-serving evangelists was down on anything which may potentially corrupt the nation's Youth, so the cover was in itself a two-fingered gesture to the "powers that be". Ironically, my second-hand vinyl copy, bought for me by my first wife around '82, has a map hand-drawn, presumably, by the album's previous owner, of an ambush plan by Stoke City fans for some poor unsuspecting sods visiting Stoke for a football match at a time when football violence was endemic here in England. That to me is far more disturbing than any picture of a goat's head and pentagram could ever be.

All-in-all I would have to claim Give 'Em Hell to be one of the most important albums ever in my journey of metal discovery. It is still one of my all-time favourites and I am having a genuine blast listening to it over and over whilst I write out this diatribe. One of the most underappreciated albums from those early NWOBHM years with a darkness of atmosphere and an ambition beyond any of their contemporaries.

Engine are an alternative metal supergroup, consisting of Ray Alder from Fates Warning, Joey Vera from Armored Saint (and also Fates Warning), as well as Bernie Versailles from Agent Steel, and Pete Parada, at the time in a band called Face to Face, but would eventually go on to drum for bands such as Halford and even The Offspring.

Released in 1999, ‘Engine’ is their self-titled debut album. Considering the progressive metal background of some of the musicians involved, it’s surprising that this is a very stripped down, laid back affair, focusing on a more groove metal sound that fits in with the nu metal-influenced scene at the turn of the century. I guess sometimes these guys just want something nice and easy to rock out to.

And rock out, they do! ‘Engine’ is brimming with plenty of heavy and grooving guitar riffs, Ray Alder’s fantastic vocals work great with this style of music, and the writing here is very polished. The band plays together very well, almost feeling like a “proper band” and not a “side project”.

Standout tracks from the record include ‘Tree of Life’, ‘Falling Star’, ‘Monster’, ‘Alone’ and ‘I Don’t Need’, but in all honesty, at barely 44 minutes in duration, this is a solid listen from start to finish. Engine might be a pretty obscure band for the casual metal listener, but if you’re a fan of any of the musicians involved, or like your metal simple, without endless noodling and complex melodies, then you can’t go wrong by giving this a go.

Twenty years after the first ‘S&M’ concerts, and Metallica team up once more with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for a musical extravaganza, as metal meets classical in the ultimate musical collaboration.

Containing two CD’s and a DVD of the concert, ‘S&M2’ lives up to its predecessor, but is as different as it is similar. Besides advancements in technology allowing for much, much better sound and picture (on the DVD), the band have this time, taken the performance from a concert hall to a huge arena, and with thousands of Metallica fans in attendance, the audience participation really enhances the experience, especially on the ending of ‘The Memory Remains’.

The differences don’t stop there. What’s noticeable on the DVD, is that, unlike the first ‘S&M’, where Metallica were in their late 30’s, battling shifting musical trends, addictions, and personal strife, and “taking a risk” with the whole endeavour, this time the band are now all in their late 50’s. They’re sober, a cohesive unit, and they’ve done this before, and you can see how they seem so much more relaxed this time around. Conductor Edwin Outwater’s visual energy is infectious, and the orchestra musicians are no doubt, absolute professionals, but I can’t help but feel like the pep talk backstage was something like “hey, don’t worry, just have fun”.

If any risks are taken this time around, it’s the middle segment which sees the orchestra given time to shine. With classical pieces, a double bass tribute to Cliff Burton, as well as an orchestral version of ‘The Unforgiven III’, which sees James Hetfield go guitar-less. I don’t think this has happened since he burnt his arm in the early 90’s?

While sentimentality and nostalgia will always make me prefer the first ‘S&M’ over this one, the reality is that ‘S&M2’ is every part it’s equal. Featuring classics such as ‘One’, ‘Enter Sandman’ ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ and ‘Master of Puppets’, as well as newer songs, ‘The Day That Never Comes’, ‘Moth Into Flame’, and ‘Halo On Fire’ (which sounds incredible with the orchestra), the CD’s and DVD make for a fantastic audio and visual experience, and this is as essential a part of any Metallica collection as the first. Will the band still be around in their 70’s for part three? Let the waiting begin!

Formed in 2015 by rhythm guitarist Brandon Corsair (Drawn and Quartered, Draghkar, Azath) Serpent Rider have been in existence for a decade now and following a couple of split releases, a 2021 split with Ezra Brooks and a four-way split in 2022 which featured the two tracks from a 2019 demo, the band's debut full-length album, The Ichor of Chimaera, is finally here. The five-piece play a traditional style of heavy metal that has its roots in the 1980s and USPM bands like Manilla Road and Cirith Ungol, but with the modern sheen and vitality of latter-day acts such as Smoulder and Eternal Champion. I mention those latter two in particular, because, like them, Serpent Rider feature a female vocalist, the splendid R. Villar, and also like to tip their hat to epic doom masters like Candlemass, Solstice and Solitude Aeternus.

The Ichor of Chimaera is an album that is steeped in the traditions of metal and is clearly the product of a band that is well-versed in that world. The riffs are great, from the rip-roaring, nitro-charged gallops of opener "Steel Is the Answer" and "Tyrant's March" to slower, more hulking and ominous doomy slabs such as "The Hero's Spirit". The guitar sound is thick and powerful and the lead breaks often provide some real highlights for me, as lead guitarist Paul Gelbach unleashes some full-blooded, white-hot solos that give the tracks a real keen edge. The five-piece don't shy away from inserting the odd catchy hook here and there either, with the choruses of "Radiant" and "Tyrant's March" refusing to stop bouncing around inside your brain long after the album stops spinning.

Lyrically Serpent Rider stick to the tried and tested formula of epic metal which inhabits the fantasy worlds created by the likes of Moorcock and Robert E. Howard and there is nothing wrong with that, but it is a very safe option to be honest. The vocals, provided by R. Villar are very much suited to the material and are exceedingly well-enunciated with barely a single word being missed, even by my tinnitus-ravaged hearing. She has a very classic-sounding delivery and has a really nice tone, often reminding me in a weird way of Morris Ingram on Solstice's New Dark Age, particularly on "Tyrant's March", a track which does display hallmarks of Rich Walker's phrasing. If I had one misgiving then it would be that sometimes the vocals sound a little bit reedy when pushed up against the thickness and depth of the guitars in full flow, but this is truly a minor niggle.

Kudos must also go to the rhythm section for the sheer depth and power of the band's sound with Brian Verderber basswork and Brandon's riffing combining to devastating effect. Drummer Drake Graves provides a bit more than just time-keeping with some interesting fills and more complex beats than you may expect - the title track for example has a really interesting drum track and is worth paying particular attention to.

I would heartily recommend The Ichor of Chimaera to anyone who has any love for heavy metal in general or epic metal specifically. Well-written and consummately executed this should tick all the boxes for fans of good, old-fashioned, fist-pumping metal. Sure, it doesn't address real-world horrors or the psychological pressures of modern life, but sometimes it is OK to just have a good time and forget about all that shit and at this minute I can't think of many better ways to do it.

I wonder if Tank knew something that the rest of us didn't in 1983. One doesn't expect the band who was introduced to the world playing nasty metal one step away from Venom to start with ambient electronic music. Imagine picking this up in '83, expecting something raw and getting something that sounds like Tangerine Dream. It of course goes into something metal, but it still seems at odds with their most popular image.
The strange synths starting the album also come with a production that's quite clean and modern for 1983. Take out the odd intro/outro synth and this album has a sound that comes off as if you're listening to how these instruments really sounded in the studio. If I had to change something, I would make the guitar more bombastic. They're already going for that sort of sound, but they're underselling it a bit for whatever reason. It's something that would fit a poppier group better than the dirtier sound of Tank.
Otherwise this album has a lot of "feels unique to me, probably isn't, still very nice." It's like the culmination of the NWOBHM sound, the rawness of it before the sound was tempered by commercialism, and when it still had something to prove over other, more aggressive and rawer scenes. The best example of this is in Algy Ward's vocals, more influenced by regular punk rock than anything else. Here he comes off like a regular guy doing his best, injecting what emotion he can. There are many better vocalists, but only Ward can make these songs work as well as they do.
This Means War strikes me as an album that spiritually ends an era, the NWOBHM. While Tank would never strike it as big as other bands, it is an album that represents the endgoal many had, taking the spirit of a band who grew up in an era where metal was a rare and unusual thing, and bringing it to the big labels with a mainstream sound.

In over a decade of me listening to metal, I had not heard a single song or album by Brainstorm. Not even my first few years of metal, when heavy/power metal was my main target. That's rather surprising, isn't it? After all, they've released 14 albums in 3 decades and are part of the German power metal league alongside Masterplan and Blind Guardian. The lyrical themes seem to center around Native Americans, and a couple tracks each guest star one of the two vocalists of Leaves' Eyes. Sounds cool in theory...

However, I'm not getting much greatness from this offering. The vocals by Andy B. Franck sound a bit strained, the riffing is generic, and the drums sound like they just wrapped paper over some opened food cans and called it a day. Maybe I would've loved this a lot more 10 years ago when I was a not-so-firm power metal-loving teen.

The "Intro" (embedded to the next track in some editions) has some nice synths and a western vibe, which sounds like a promising start. Then the generic action begins in the first full song "Beyond Enemy Lines" (actually its second single), becoming instantly forgettable. It just doesn't have the memorability of other power metal bands I still enjoy and remember. The soloing doesn't pack that much of a punch, but it's one thing I can remember until the end. Having better rhythm is the next track and first single "Garuda (Eater of Snakes)", sounding quite exotic in the hooks. Despite some slight monotony, it still stands out as well! Unlike a few tracks we'll skip here. More of those native elements appear in "The Shepherd Girl (Gitavoginda)", although the bland commercial writing ruins the beauty of the music.

The song that features Leaves' Eyes clean vocalist Elina Siirala, "Your Soul That Lingers in Me", is actually a great improvement. Her impressive vocals blow away most of those tough issues. Awesome! But on the other hand, Leaves' Eyes keyboardist/harsh vocalist Alex Krull's guest spot in "From Hell" has made me cringe. His vocal contrast with Franck is far too much of a stretch. And the guitar solo is barely memorable. All of that make an epic f***ing fail. An unnecessary throwback to 15 years ago when I was still into radio pop sh*t is in the riffing melody of "Crawling". Franck's vocals don't help much there either. I'm just relieved the album is about to end.

If you're more experienced and appreciative of power metal than I've ever been, you might enjoy Plague of Rats way more than I do. I only consider this an impressive achievement based on the fact that it's their 14th album. Only two of the 10 tracks (11 including the intro) are memorable standouts, while the rest are either bland or bad. And I'm not even gonna check out that Rick Springfield cover in the Digipak edition. I prefer to get my English-sung German metal elsewhere. Good day, sirs....

Favorites (only true standouts): "Garuda (Eater of Snakes)", "Your Soul That Lingers in Me"

‘Still the Orchestra Plays’ is a 2010 compilation album by legendary cult metal band Savatage. After years of inactivity, this CD package just randomly popped up from nowhere and probably left most fans wondering if it was a sign that anything new was coming. Sadly, that was not the case, as it would be another three years until the band would once more pop up out of the blue with a re-released narrated version of their rock opera, ‘Streets’.

But back to this one, and yeah, as you’d expect, this is a fantastic compilation! Two discs full of absolutely top quality music. Sure, there’s a few omissions that I feel should have been included, but overall, it’s a nice career retrospective, perfect for newcomers to the band, or long-time fans who need a reminder of how brilliant these guys are.

From ‘Power of the Night’, ‘Hall of the Mountain King’, ‘Gutter Ballet’ and ‘Edge of Thorns’, to the likes of ‘Morphine Child’, ‘The Wake of Magellan’, ‘Chance’ and ‘One Child’, there’s no shortage of Savatage classics here. And three newly-recorded acoustic versions of previous hits are a welcome sign that the band were still trying to somewhat maintain active.

This CD package comes with a bonus DVD, which has the classic ‘Japan Live ‘94’ concert on it. Originally released on VHS, it was nice to finally be able to own a copy of this. Granted, the sound and picture are quite dated, but the performances are excellent, and it’s just great to be able to see a full concert video of the band.

Overall, this is, quite simply, a fantastic compilation. It’s definitely a great starting point for newcomers, but also has plenty of value for fans too. A worthy addition to any rock or metal collection!

Hail to the Queen! Her Majesty Doro Pesch! If anybody else was singing for this album it would be another mediocre throwaway, but Ms. Pesch puts the team on her back and drags them kicking and screaming to the top of the mountain. The music isn't terrible by any means, it's straight forward classic metal like what you would find on a Dio or Scorpions album, it's just that Doro's voice carries so much power and charisma that's it the clear star of the show. Good timing, fist pumping, classic heavy metal with an absolute dyno on the mic. Doro is just a pure joy to listen to and by all accounts a fantastic human being off the stage as well. 

When you think of a progressive concept album you probably don't think of the guy who wrote "Fuck Like A Beast" as a primary candidate for making a good one, but in 1992 he did, and it is good, real fucking good. I'm not in the camp that would call this the best WASP album, that honor goes to the Last Command, but I generally enjoy all of the WASP catalogue. They were just a nastier take on the Motely Crue formula that really worked for me. Blackie considers this his best work. Chainsaw Charlie kicks all kinds of ass. As with most concept albums you kind of need to listen to it from beginning to end and judge it by the complete product rather than by single tracks. Luckily, unlike so many concept albums, doing that is a joy rather than a chore. Fun Trivia Fact: this album doesn't have the WASP line up on it, Blackie wanted to release it as his solo debut, but the record company wouldn't go for it.

I absolutely love Slough Feg "Traveler" album. I also love Manilla Road, and that whole early 80s classic metal sound. This is more of that so it's fine, but it's mixed a bit murkier than Traveler and lacks the same excitement. There is more folky stuff in here than I remember being on Traveler too, and that's a negative for me. I don't really care for folk metal. You probably see where this is going, but long story short, just listen to Traveler instead, it's a more focused and better sounding album than this. 

The title track is great, and the rest of the album is just disappointing. It's fine power metal but I don't really like power metal and nothing else on the album remotely approaches the quality of the title track. I tried to think of something else to say, but it really is that much of an open and shut case for me. 

I was a surprised by how much I enjoyed this album. I listened to a Riot album for a different clan list, and while I applauded the bands enthusiasm it failed to land for me. Here they got it just right. This album plays out like a NWOBHM album like Judas Priest, except that it's an American band. Many bands of course, have taken a stab at the Judas Priest Formula, and I think Riot got pretty close to doing it justice here. Priest is still the better band, but I enjoyed every track on this album quite a bit, and I think I will come back to it time and time again in the future, I can't wait to have my wife weigh in on it later today! Well done RIOT!

Look man, I just hate Queensryche. I'm here to complete the clan challenges on the website, and I did listen to it, but I hated it as much as everything else they do. Given how beloved they are, and how much I despise them, I would have rather not written a review, but the site calls for it. I am not the man to get your Queensryche review from. I find them bland, boring, and up their own backside as far as social commentary and concepts. Something about them just irks me to no end. 

This is some utterly forgettable music that sounds like any given late 80s to early 90s mainstream rock. Think of the Scorpions, then take away anything interesting and you'll be in the ballpark of this. It's not offensive to the ears, but it's utterly unremarkable. As I was listening to the album on spotify it ended and went into a different but similar band, and I probably heard 3 of that bands songs before I realized it wasn't this album anymore. 

Well, it's Motorhead so I like it. If you listen to Motorhead at all they are pretty consistent in what they offer up: old school rock and roll sped up to punk/thrash levels and vocals delivered by the whiskey and tobacco soaked pipes of the great Lemmy Kilmister. For me it's a 4 start formula on average and then it comes up to 5 on some albums. This is a 4. I would recommend the title track,  and "Doctor Rock" be thrown into your permanent mix, then visit the other songs for flavor.  

Well, it is quite possibly the biggest mainstream metal release of all time, so that alone earns high marks for me. Yes all of the thrashy goodness from the earlier albums is gone. It has been exchanged for straightforward metal that verges on rock and roll, but the guitar tones and some of the subject mater are still aggressive enough for me to call it a metal album. It's incredibly catchy, full of memorable riffs and vocal passages. The production on it is top notch-it objectively sounds incredible and huge. As far as writing a review it's another case of "what can I say that hasn't been said?" Even if you are not a metalhead you probably already know about half of these songs as they are staples of rock radio. It's a great entry point for the genre, it's good music with great mass-appeal.

I'm being generous with the 2 stars. If you must listen to Metal Church stick to the self titled album. This is not the worst music I've ever heard or anything, but it is a lighter and more power metal influenced endeavor than the other album, and even that album isn't a favorite for me. I just have no reason to visit this and you probably don't either.

Released in 1996, ‘Black Moon Pyramid’ is the fifth studio album by German hard rock guitarist/band Axel Rudi Pell. It follows on from the incredibly strong ‘Between the Walls’, which marked a creative shift in the band, as the quality of writing, production and overall performances took a huge step up.

However, in all honesty, perhaps they took a slight step back with this one. It’s a solid album, don’t get me wrong, and continues in exactly the same vein as its predecessor, but there’s just nothing overly remarkable I can think of to comment on.

‘Fool Fool’, ‘Getting’ Dangerous’, ‘Hole in the Sky’, ‘Touch the Rainbow’, ‘Aquarius Dance’ and the title track itself are all good songs, displaying furious guitar virtuosity and Jeff Scott Soto’s powerful vocals that demand attention. But that’s about all I can think of worth mentioning. ‘Black Moon Pyramid’ has been on my playlist for quite a white now, and I just couldn’t figure out what to say about it. It’s a solid, hard rock record, simple as that.

Pretty good.... just there though, not an album that stands out like other Mercyful Fate works such as their breakthrough album Melissa. nor as interesting as some Kind Diamond pieces, but it is a pretty good, just kind of there, I wasn't mad about listening too it just its not  one I would probably seek out again and again. If the songs from this album came up in a random playlist I would probably let them play but I wouldn't seek them out as they didn't stand out enough on their own for the most part.

Flawless Album.  Dave is an excellent writer at times and this is some of his best work all put together on one album.  Even the ' sillier' tracks such as Psychotron are a lot fun, and get stuck in your head. Whether you are playing this album start to finish or just picking individual singles you can't go wrong with the pieces from this album to listen to as you will have a lot of fun with it. Even with some of the more bleak subjects such as in countdown to extinction and sweating bullets. Put this on an enjoy the metal! this album is always worth a listen.

I found this album to be a little better than average. As someone who enjoys Manilla road, its not their finest work ( that of course goes to Crystal Logic) but it was a serviceable work.   Nothing on it particularly stood out. I put the album on an sat back and listened while playing a game and no tracks on it made me stop and go OH WHATS THIS SONG they all kind of blended together, in a nice way, but not in a way that any of them were special. Its an album to throw on and play in the background that's enjoyable but there are no particular hits in my opinion on this one and that's fine enjoy it for what it is,  a deluge of sound.

This is an album where is is difficult for me to find words that have not already been said by countless reviewers I have already seen before as this is an iconic album,  by an iconic band, this is perfect heavy metal. Only an absolute maniac would deny its awesomeness. Turn it on, turn it up loud, as albums like this don't come around very often and enjoy yourself. Aside from the Title track being many persons favorite Judas Priest song ( its definitely one of mine )  you will also  get to enjoy Hell Patrol,  A  Touch of Evil, and  Metal Meltdown, to name a few of the highlights.

Albums like this are why we love heavy metal. Every part of the music; The tones, the vocals, the lyricism, the production, are top notch here. I feel this is an album of music that can appeal to anyone, not just heavy metal fans specifically because it is that good of an album. Every song is not just good, but excellent, there is no wasted space, no "filler' tracks in my opinion.  I would proudly recommend this to anyone as an example of how good the genre can be at its best, needless to say, if you have not heard it I would put it on right now.

When an iconic singer departs from an iconic band such as Bruce Dickenson from Iron Maiden, or Robert Halford from Judas Priest, there is an expectation that the music they release as a solo artist will at least be on par with what they release with that band. This is WAAAAAY below Judas Priest standards. Therefore there is no reason to listen to this when Judas Priest albums exist. Every song on this felt like an inferior version of a Judas Priest song that already existed, either sonically, ( see the perpetual high tones of the first track making me think about how annoying they were compared to how I enjoy them in Painkiller) or lyrically, Locked and Loaded being a much worse Turbo Lover ... skip this album.

Listen to the track Mr. Scary. So that you can appreciate the choice of guitar tones and technical ability of the guitar players in this band really are. The trouble is that the singer, while good in literal sense,  lacks any distinguishing or characterizing features in his voice.  So, He's good, but he could be any singer, in any band, and the lyricism is unfortunately awful. That being said, I have heard Dokken songs that I really like and I  think there are more to be found, just...not on this album. Its fine, but nothing special.

Excellent stuff, this isn't a 5 for me, but it does have a  few great songs, such as All the Fools Sailed Away ( maybe his best )  the title track, Dream Evil, and  Sunset Superman among them. Once again my wife includes Dio among her top artists and so this album has seen very  heavy rotation in my home over the years and I can highly recommend it to others. While not every track is a star, it has enough heavy hitters on it to make it a definite listen.

I would say that my wife is a very big fan of Glen Danzig's solo albums and of all eras of the Misfits, and therefore all of  these albums have seen very heavy rotations in my home. I would say any Danzig album, and this is no exception, are going to be very solid, evil music, that rides the hard rock/heavy metal line. i would also add that despite a gruff reputation I saw him live on one of his solo tours a few years back, he gave an excellent performance, there was no drama from the night ( except the middle aged women trying to throw themselves over the barricade at him onto the stage) and it was a great time. The formula for this album ( and any other Danzig solo album if you're looking for a comparison) is equal parts Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and the Doors

Following on from two fairly lacklustre albums, 1994’s ‘Dreamspace’, the third studio album by Finnish power metal band Stratovarius, starts to show some early signs of the Stratovarius we’d all go on to know and love.

As before, the music is a fairly upbeat, energetic power metal, but the band are starting to incorporate some progressive elements in their song-writing, with keyboards in particular, becoming more prominent. Band leader Timo Tollki is a fantastic guitarist, and his neoclassical style of shredding is brilliant. However, while I give him credit for handling vocal duties whilst playing guitar, his singing can be a bit boring and uninspired at times.

Unlike the previous two releases, this one actually has a number of memorable songs, including ‘Abyss’, ‘Reign of Terror’, ‘Hold On to Your Dream’, ‘Chasing Shadows’, ‘Wings of Tomorrow’ and the title track itself.

Sure, some of the slower songs tend to drag, and particular mention must go to ‘Thin Ice’, which is absolutely awful, but the aforementioned tracks are all fantastic, and while ‘Dreamspace’ isn’t likely to be anyone’s favourite Stratovarius album, it’s a very confident release, and a sure-fire sign that the band are constantly improving.

Even at first glance, Gloomy Reflections seems odd for a band attached to the NWOTHM movement. One half is from longtime The Wizar'd guitarist and the other is an apparent mainstay of the Tasmania punk scene and dungeon synth artist. Why are these two people getting together to make...heavy metal/progressive rock?
As could be expected, these guys have an odd sound. While the music is clearly using modern production techniques and things you can only do with modern amps, it's still trying to involve a sense of a '70s heavy metal that could have existed, but didn't. The guitar tone is akin to a '70s borderline metal band than the more familiar sound of Black Sabbath or Judas Priest.
The keyboards/synths are more odd, and on the surface steal the show. It sounds like it's supposed to be old-fashioned even if any time spent around synths will reveal that they're pretty modern. They're just doing some sort of effect over what are probably more mundane sounds to make them fit more in the mystical old metal sound they're going for. But it's effective, it feels far more fitting as the soundtrack to a fantasy adventure than a lot of its contemporaries.
Of special note are the vocals and the lyrics. I'm really not sure what to compare him to. It's not that he's unique, just that he isn't very typically metal. A very generic rock voice trying something serious and grand. But he's not that special in of himself, what's special is the way his singing makes the lyrics feel more than the meaningless low fantasy fluff a lot of bands have. Take The Clock Tower, taken in isolation, the lyrics aren't that impressive. Taken with the vocals, they work; They aren't just meaninglessly sung, they have weight to them.
In short, this is an off-the-wall album from a pair of very clever musicians who really know how to layer instruments and vocals together to make something special. I hope to see more from them.

I first encountered Angel Witch over 45 years ago, supporting Motörhead on one of their '78 or '79 tours, if I remember rightly. In those early days they were a trio consisting of mainman Kevin Heybourne alongside bassist Kevin Riddles and drummer Dave Hogg, playing what would become one of the most recognizable sounds of the NWOBHM. After providing the best track on the legendary Metal for Muthas comp, they released their 1980 eponymous debut, one of my absolute favourite albums from the NWOBHM era. Unfortunately the rest of the 80s weren't kind to AW, constant personnel upheavals and a couple of lacklustre albums resulted in the band disappearing from view. Fast forward to 2012 and The 'Witch were back, releasing a new album, their first new material in quarter of a century, "As Above, So Below" which was somewhat of a return to form and a shot in the arm for any long-standing fan of the band, such as yours truly, desperate to see them succeed.

So, 2019 came around and AW finally turned in their best and heaviest album since that seminal debut. It was more focussed than "As Above, So Below" and with a production job that would have absolutely killed forty years ago. This was hi-octane heavy metal and any band of young bucks flying the flag of the traditional heavy metal sound would have been proud to have put out an album as exhilharating as this, never mind a band now well into their fifth decade. Kicking of with an anthemic fist-pumper in "Don't Turn Your Back", you can just feel the years roll away, both from the band and from the listener with a track that would have felt well at home in the band's set of almost forty years ago. The tracks on Angel of Light are generally longer than their previous material, clocking in at between five and seven minutes which allows them more space to grow than their earlier material, whilst still delivering with catchy melodies and an inate understanding of how to make traditional heavy metal sound just as heavy as some of its more extreme offspring. Angel of Light harks back to those early days of the NWOBHM for sure, yet it has a modern sound and sensibility that makes it more than just a band trading on lost glories or trying to recapture their wasted youth, lending it a relevance and vitality than many of the band's peers are incapable of summoning these many years on. There is a greater fullness to the sound of this four-piece than the original trio that recorded the debut could muster with tracks like "The Night Is Calling" or "Condemned" drawing on a marked Sabbath influence soundwise. This is also aided by a deepening of Kev's voice as the years have passed and distinctive though it still is, it is only on the more strained sections where it sounds as thin and reedy as it used to. He also shows a greater propensity for soloing than he did in the earlier days and delivers some nicely controlled and mature-sounding leads.

Overall I have to acclaim "Angel of Light" as a real success and easily the best Angel Witch have laid down since the debut, striking right to the heart of what makes traditional heavy metal so great and awakening a love in me for that sound that I had believed to be long crushed by the intensity of extreme metal. This can easily stand alongside releases from the much-lauded new bucks of traditional metal such as Smoulder or Traveler and outshines most of them in my book. The band's debut will always hold a special place for me as it was a big release within my earliest metal experiences, but the additional power this latest iteration summon when coupled with KH's knack for writing hook-filled heavy metal melodies and the more expansive songwriting finally makes this an album worthy of the band that knocked out that classic of the NWOBHM oh so very long ago.

On paper at least, I would have normally avoided Lord Agheros. That album cover screamed gothic metal at me, and so when I discovered no gothic metal on the record, I was immediately caught off-guard. Indeed, opening track, ‘Lament of the Lost’ had me thinking of Wardruna, which was a completely unexpected reference point. Whilst The Fallen is most certainly the correct clan for Anhedonia, there is a lot of different elements musically to digest. Whether it is symphonic, choral, melodic black metal or outright atmospherics, Anhedonia provides lots of angles for the listener to run at it from. It should be noted that some parts of the album sound truly beautiful, being rich in depth.

When they get the arrangement correct, Lord Agheros are quite the accomplished songwriters. However, there are some occasions whereby contrast the compositional aspects of some tracks are clumsy and cumbersome. In the early part of the album, transitions seem to struggle to land all that well. As a result, songs sound like they jerk and jolt around. As the record progresses, this problem does seem to fade in frequency and the second half of the album suffers a lot less from this.

Overall, though, as much as I cannot deny the unexpected allure of this record, it is still dogged by the impression that some sections of the record are a triumph of design over content. I suspect there is some conceptual narrative to proceedings, and this may go some of the way to explaining the sense of some parts being forced to fit together. Credit where credit is due on the ethereal beauty that is inherent behind these issues, they are truly an unexpected bonus. However, they are too few and far between for me when taken into consideration with the whole album offering.

‘Time Requiem’ is the 2002 self-titled debut album by Swedish progressive power metal band, Time Requiem. Formed by keyboard player Richard Andersson, the band plays a style very typical of progressive metal, with a strong neoclassical influence, and an emphasis on powerful vocals and fantasy-themed lyrics.

The most prominent aspect of Time Requiem’s music is shredding, and it comes in boatloads! Andersson and guitarist Magnus Nordh are absolute beasts on their instruments, furiously ripping up the chromatic scale at every opportunity. It makes for some lavishly flavoured riffs and colourful solos, but sadly it does get a little repetitive after a while.

Most of the songs are very strong and well-written, but also rely on similar tropes. At times, they sound very reminiscent of other bands, such as Symphony X, Dream Theater and Stratovarius. But if you can accept a group wearing its influences on its sleeves, then you might just enjoy tracks such as ‘Watching the Tower of Skies’, ‘Time Requiem’, ‘Milagros Charm’, ‘Visions of New Dawn’, ‘The Aphorism’ and the absolutely psychotic instrumental, ‘Brutal Mentor’.

‘Time Requiem’ can be challenging to sit through in one go, especially if you’re not keen on the sheer technicality of the music, but perseverance and repeated listens can be rewarding. Over time, the album grew on me, and while the band offers nothing new or unique, this is a very solid debut, and I’m excited to hear where things will go with future releases.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mechina has broken the monotone with new and returning changes! Their new album Bellum Interruptum has not reached the glory of the second half of the 2010s, but it's coming close to that peak...

First of all, we finally have more of the growls than just one or two tracks, and they come from the fierce Dave Lowmiller of A Dark Halo. He ended up replacing longtime clean/harsh vocalist David Holch who left the band after 20 years, following his few-year fadeout. Lowmiller has his own fantastic vocals going on. And we have other guests returning including harsh vocalist Anna Hel, clean vocalist "Treasur'" Necole Wright, and guitar soloist Dean Paul Arnold, plus one special guest in the finale.

"Cruelty is the Point" throws back to the Venator era nicely with the serene vocals of Mel Rose. Also I didn't notice this initially but I realized the first minute of its opening track sounds practically similar to that of the RichaadEB/Cristina Vee cover of "Bad Apple!!" When that first verse hits, I almost feel like singing "Ever on and on, I continue circling, with nothing but my hate and the carousel of agony..." "The Plague Pit" is my favorite track of the first third of the album, a powerful djenty banger reminiscent of a futuristic Arch Enemy with the crushing growls of Anna Hel. A true sci-fi war anthem! "The Wasteful Energy of Words" is a duet between Mel Rose and Dave Lowmiller, having h*ll of a lot of momentum.

The title track is my favorite track of this entire album, one of the best Mechina tracks I've heard in ages, a 10-minute epic that includes a spine-chillingly beautiful two-minute bridge in the middle. The incredible "On the Wings of Vecterra" comes close to surpassing the previous track, and the female vocals here are mostly from "Treasur'" Necole Wright who previously guest appeared in Venator's "Totemic", plus some wild shredding soloing by Dean Paul Arnold. "Invictus Thales" makes me think of Xenon's "Thales" along with "Invictus" by Neurotech in the title, but the song itself is different from those two, adding in some more of Dave Lowmiller's growls in duet with Mel Rose's cleans.

I'm glad they kept in the awesome pre-release single "When Honor Meant Something", and they remastered it too, making it much clearer than the single version and even adding in some narration at the end. "The Collapse Promised to All" is the shortest track of the album and actually the best one of the final third, with more of those cleans and growls. "The Overwhelming Harmony of Collective Suffering" is an earth-shattering finale, and the special final guest is Ricky Lewis with his higher-range growls.

The story of Mechina continues, both in the concept and the band's journey. I would put Bellum Interruptum at the top of the 4-star tier, with an 84% percentage rating. It has lots of changes, and there's more to hope for in the next album if Joe Tiberi and co. can keep it all up. This might just be a new era for Mechina and epic cyber metal....

Favorites: "The Plague Pit", "Bellum Interruptum", "On the Wings of Vecterra", "When Honor Meant Something", "The Collapse Promised to All"

Sweden's Mercy are best known for being fronted by a pre-Candlemass Messiah Marcolin, especially as they struggled after he left, eventually splitting up in 1988. This, however, is a bit unfair on the rest of the guys because Witchburner is actually a very cool early doom metal record. It still retained a significant amount of heavy metal DNA, much like most mid-80's doom acts, except maybe Saint Vitus. It kicks off very strongly with the head-turningly-titled "I'm Your Pervert Priest" which possesses a crawling and portentously doomy riff which is topped off by Messiah's instantly recognisable vocals and marks the first time that a genuinely gifted and expressive vocalist was featured on a doom metal track, providing ample proof why Leif Edling wanted Messiah to join Candlemass after Johan Langquist refused to commit beyond the recording of "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus". What may surprise Candlemass fans is that Messiah was only seventeen at the time of recording and also played drums on "Witchburner"putting in a decent shift behind the kit, being basic, but effective. Lyrically, the track is obviously mocking of established religion, a theme that became well-established within metal circles, here given a sardonic and humorous slant rather than the out-and-out vitriolic attacks that became de rigeur within metal lyricist circles.

At this time Mercy had been reduced to a trio with three of the five that recorded the S/T debut having departed before the recording of "Witchburner" and remaining members Messiah and guitarist Andrija Veljaca being joined by second guitarist Jörgen Horst who also handled bass duties on the new record. The guitar sound on Witchburner is based on the "Tony Iommi" sound, but has a bit more of the grittiness of Saint Vitus' filthier intonation than heard on albums like Trouble's S/T or any of Sabbath's material. Where it does have more in common with these is in the songwriting, the slow, doomy material still being countered by a fair bit of traditional metal riffing, although that filthier, distortion-heavy guitar sound makes the faster riffs sound great. This was actually Mercy's sophomore full-length and I find it inconceivable that they hadn't received any exposure to the more doomy acts emerging, particularly from the US, between the recording of their 1984 debut and this because the two are worlds apart. The S/T takes its cues from the NWOBHM with the band coming off like a swedish version of Saxon for the most part, but "Witchburner" was much darker-sounding and had shed all the hard rock influences of the earlier record, becoming a much heavier album as a result.

The riffs are pretty memorable and Messiah's enunciation is excellent as usual, making "Witchburner" one of those albums that sticks around in the old grey matter and that people may find you singing along with later. The two guitarists are also impressive with some terrific soloing, the incendiary and blistering fretwork of the solo at the midpoint of Pain of Golgata, is just one example of a solo that would be salivated over had it come from KK Downing or his like and here provides a searing contrast to the plodding dirge of the main riff.

Whilst the three tracks of side one are undoubtedly the doomier and for me personally the better, the second side also has it's moments and is interesting for different reasons. The opener on side two, "Welcome to My Graveyard" is virtually speed metal and with that filthy guitar sound it actually sounds really good, so if you have always wondered what Messiah would sound like singing in a speed metal crew then here is your chance to find out. After that, "Judgement Day" has a bouncy "Children of the Grave" riff and may be the "catchiest" track on the album - all together now, "No one gets away... on Judgement Day". The penultimate track "Voodoo Kills" is for my money the weakest here being a little all over the place and not terribly well put together, but it is still listenable enough all the same. Closing out with the eight-minute title track, the ponderous ominousness of side one makes a welcome return and we are thrust into the doom-laden world of seventeenth century religious zealotry and witch huntings which was destined to become pretty standard doom metal lyrical fare.

All-in-all I think this is actually a very good example of early traditional doom metal which deserves far more attention than it has received. I would take this over Trouble's "Psalm 9", for example, which may or may not be a hot take, but is my heartfelt opinion as I think this sits much nearer to the Saint Vitus debut than to Trouble's and I would hold SV's self-titled up as the flagbearer for early trad doom. Sure this does step into trad metal and even speed metal territory occasionally, but the doominess of the three tracks on side one and the closing title track are ample proof that these Swedes were committed to playing and exploring doom metal further. It is a shame that we never really heard much more from Mercy, but as I said they struggled after Messiah left and their later output doesn't live up to this earlier promise with 1989's King Doom being a major disappointment. So, as it stands, "Witchburner" is an interesting development in the european take on doom metal and allows us to glimpse the early career of one of doom metal's iconic vocalists, making it a worthwhile listen which should be of interest to any serious student of doom metal and its history.

Witchfinder General were formed at the onset of the NWOBHM in Stourbridge on the outskirts of England's "Second City", Birmingham. What set them apart from most of the new movement was that they took inspiration, unsurprisingly given where they hailed from, of Black Sabbath rather than the Judas Priests, Motorheads and Budgies of their contemporaries. They released a 7" single in 1981 that saw "Burning a Sinner" backed by "Satan's Children" which failed to make much of a splash and which is now incredibly rare. The following year saw the release of the three-track "Soviet Invasion" EP, which did see the band finally gaining a little traction. It contained a faux live version of "R.I.P.", recorded in the studio with crowd noise added later, at the behest of the label's head honcho, Paul Birch. This would be the track which also closed out "Death Penalty", albeit in a re-recorded and superior form.

Finally, in the autumn of 1982, Witchfinder General released their debut full-length to a mostly positive response from the UK's metalheads and the rest, as they say, is history. Grabbing the attention of every male teenage metal fan in record stores by featuring a famous Page 3 model in a churchyard and in a decided state of undress on the cover, the band then had to deliver within said album's grooves to match the hype thus generated. Fortunately, they did so and their brand of simplistic and youthful Sabbath worship saw them gain a dedicated following within the wider UK metal movement. It is actually a very slight album, its seven tracks barely managing to scrape past a thirty-minute runtime, but each minute is well spent and such is the quality that it is impossible to feel short-changed. The short runtime actually gives the material an immediacy and vitality that some later, more bloated releases just couldn't replicate.

As an aside, the band that recorded "Death Penalty" is actually a three-piece, with bassist Kevin "Toss" McCready having left after the "Soviet Invasion" recording sessions, to apparently be replaced by a guy called Woolfy Trope. In fact, the band hadn't replaced McCready by the time they went into the studio to record the album so the bass parts were supplied by guitarist Phil Cope, and the wholly fictitious Woolfy Trope was credited, with a roadie standing in as "Woolfy" for publicity photos.

I think it is actually a stretch to tag "Death Penalty" as a genuine doom metal album, it was very much a product of its time, with Sabbathian riffs run through a NWOBHM filter resulting in a version of doomy, downtuned heavy metal which does nevertheless provide something of a bridge between Sabbath's 70s psych influences and the grittier 80s UK metal scene with a DIY sensibility resulting from the influence of late 70s punk rock on the UK metal community. To this end I think it is fair to say that "Death Penalty" isn't exactly a lesson in complex songwriting or technical adroitness, but it is chock full of cool and memorable riffs and has a singular personality with a street-level perspective that sets it apart from the crowd. Most of the tracks are mid-paced affairs, with only the title track and, to a lesser extent, "Burning A Sinner" slowing to doom metal pacing, but the downtuned riffs pioneered by Tony Iommi are most definitely present and it is a truth that the earliest traditional doom metal bands very often switched it up to classic heavy metal velocity. Phil's soloing is also a product of intense study of Tony Iommi's technique, sometimes piling note upon note in a fretboard firestorm, as per the opening of "No Stayer" or soaring sky high like the solo at the end of the title track. Drummer Graham Ditchfield channels Bill Ward's blunt style, but I think it is also evident that he doesn't have the technical skill level that the often under-estimated Sabbath drummer possessed, although it still works very well in the context of this album. Then there is Stourbridge's answer to Ozzy in Zeeb Parkes who, like Ozzy, isn't technically a great singer, but who imbues his vocals with such personality that it is easy to forgive him his shortcomings and just go along for the ride. The production is a bit muzzy with a fair degree of echo, as opposed to Sabbath's much more professionally produced efforts where, presumably, much more money was thrown at them, but I think this actually works in Witchfinder General's favour, giving them more of an underground vibe.

Despite the band name and the imagery of the album cover, they aren't so much a horror / satanically-themed band, often with much more prosaic and down-to-earth lyrical themes such as drug-taking, drinking and fucking taking their place alongside the witch hunting of "Witchfinder General" or "Burning A Sinner". As a very young man from a strong working class background at the time of this album's release, these lyrics espousing a love of hokey horror movies, getting hammered and trying to get off at weekends absolutely captured the essence of life for me at the time. I know I may have a severe case of rose-tinted spectacles when it comes to "Death Penalty" and others may well scratch their heads in bemusement at my fanatical advocacy for it, but simple fact is that this is an album I still spin regularly to this day, forty-plus years later and every time I enjoy it immensely, so what more could I possibly want from a record?

Over the years Astral Doors has seemingly managed to obtain a small fanbase of people who find their style of power metal tinged heavy metal appealing. I mean, I assume so. I've never seen much praise for them. For my two cents, I've only ever listened to Jerusalem, and that felt like enough for me for a while.
Requiem of Time fits neatly into a modernized style of '80s heavy metal/hard rock. Modern recording techniques, but still classic songwriting. Dio is the most obvious comparison; Vocalist Nils Patrik Johansson is imitating him hard but is just a bit off in a way I can tell, but can't put down in words. The comparison doesn't just end there though, as the songwriting often borders a cover version of a song Dio played at some point in his career.
It's a shame because I think that this album at least shows some good energy. Sadly, this just isn't enough for how meh the album is otherwise.

Of all their albums "Master of Reality" is the Black Sabbath album that has grown most in stature over the years in my mind. I got into the band around 1976 via "Paranoid" and that was my go-to Sabbath album for many years, alongside "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", "Sabotage" and the debut, with "Master of Reality" and "Volume 4" taking up supporting roles. The track which kept drawing me back to "MoR" over the years, though, was the masterful closer "Into the Void" which still stands as my favourite Sabbath track of all and is one of their more doomy offerings, it signposting me down the road of future doom metal appreciation. As time has passed and I have become more and more of a doomhead, I have acquired greater appreciation of the doomier material of "Master of Reality" and it now stands as my ultimate Sabs release, despite stiff competition.

Tony Iommi's guitar tone on this third album is perfect, its deep and resonant fuzziness pitches perfectly what would become the signature sound of future acts like Saint Vitus, Pentagram and Electric Wizard, bolstered and boosted by the brilliant and often busy basswork of Geezer Butler, an aspect of Sabbath's sound that is not always given the credit it deserves. Bill Ward's jazz-influenced drumming style takes a more blunt and bludgeoning approach here than maybe it does on some Sabbath albums, although the way his runs switch from side to side on "Children of the Grave" (best experienced through headphones) is a brilliant bit of production work and adds a little something extra to an already brilliant track. Then, of course, there is the irrepressible Ozzy Osbourne whose influence on doom metal vocalists mustn't be underestimated as he showed that you don't need to be an especially technically gifted singer to be effective, as long as you are committed and have a degree of charisma. With rock music being newly dominated at the time by the Robert Plants and Ian Gillans of the world and their ridiculous vocal range, Ozzy stood tall and proclaimed himself their equal, on sheer strength of personality alone.

Then there are the riffs. I have said it before and I will say it again, Tony Iommi can write better riffs in his sleep than all but a select few metal songwriters can ever hope to come up with, having penned some of the most iconic riffs in the history of metal. From the crawling, weed smoke-drenched, oozing of Sweet Leaf, via the choppy, romping "Children of the Grave" and the plodding grooviness of "Lord of this World", to the ponderous lumbering of the opening to Into the Void, where Geezer follows Tony's riff for added gravitas, this is metal riff heaven, with these riffs sowing the seeds of inspiration for so many aspiring doom metal riff writers of years to come. Sure, the stoner element may be fairly prevalent here, but it is difficult to imagine a "Born Too Late", "Dopethrone" or "Forest of Equilibrium" existing as we know them without this album.

"Master of Reality" isn't all just about thundering, fuzz-drenched riffing however, with the album including several moments of quieter reflection, whether it be the soothing acoustic guitar of "Orchid" or the gentle reflectiveness and soul-searching of the psychedelic-sounding and melancholic "Solitude", which thematically, if not musically, also unwittingly helps set the aesthetic for doom metal's future melancholy side. Then there is the track which always baffled me after the dark lyricism and hints at satanic influence of the band's earlier material, the pro-religious "After Forever", which is a bit of a curveball lyrically and stylistically, having a much more upbeat riff and feeling than the rest of the album. The track has grown on me somewhat over the years, but if the album had to lose one, then this would be my choice.

So there we have it, for my money "Master of Reality" is one of the great metal albums, being an influence for both stoner and doom metal and perfecting a guitar sound that still stands tall to this day, over fifty years later, as a signature sound in the metal world.

Released in 1980, ‘On Through the Night’ is the debut album by legendary British metal band, Def Leppard. It thrust the Sheffield rockers into the upper echelon of what was known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and along with bands such as Iron Maiden and Saxon, helped revitalise the stagnating metal genre and carry it into the 80’s, where it would reach all new heights of success and popularity.

This however, is a very different band to the one that would become worldwide megastars just a few years later. Switching stadium anthems for a more traditional heavy metal sound, the writing here is raw, but the energy and passion amongst the members is very palpable. From one intense hard rocker to the next, this album doesn’t let up with its blistering, nonstop guitar riffs and early precursors to what will become the bands trademark sing-along choruses.

Highlights include some early Def Lep classics, such as ‘Rock Brigade’, ‘Rocks Off’, ‘Hello America’, ‘It Could Be You’, ‘Sorrow is a Woman’ and ‘Answer to the Master’, each one giving us a taste of what this band is truly capable of. With a great production and its iconic cover art, there’s no doubting this is a solid debut album, and while it may not be the bands best or most famous work, it’s still a worthy addition to any rock or metal collection.

From 2013 to 2016, Neurotech decided to do it like Mechina and make an epic symphonic cyber metal journey to be released on a special holiday, except each "journey" is a symphony on Christmas day. Blending classical with cyber/industrial metal is what those two bands have done before, and Neurotech packs it all for something stunning.

What can you expect from these Symphonies? Generally what classical symphonies from a couple centuries ago would sound like in the modern future. These compositions are all the 4 longest tracks Wulf has done to date, ranging from over 13 to nearly 19 minutes. And in each one, you get to move through this emotional whirlwind of different styles and sections, in a cinematic adventure of adventures!

The first symphony "The Elysian Symphony" is so beautiful, you just gotta hear it to believe it. "The Halcyon Symphony" can take your soul through a galactic adventure. Wulf knows how to master the art of symphonies as greatly as Hans Zimmer, and possibly also Mozart and Bach, while blending the orchestral arrangements with his usual cyber metal. It's impressive how well your creativity can take you when composing such a piece. This should really be more popular, seriously! The speaker frequency would be greatly enhanced with its intricacy and drama. F***ing outstanding!

"The Ophidian Symphony" is the longest of them all, at nearly 19 minutes, with many different acts woven together for one of the best epics done by Neurotech or any other artist. The final and brand-new symphony "The Veneration Symphony" fits quite well for a sci-fi film soundtrack of when you're playing a video game. Multitaskers can have all the glory by listening and watching/playing.

Symphonies is for any symphonic/cyber metal fan and those who want a cooler, more epic soundtrack to films. With not many people finding the skillful talent within Wulf, the world's not ready for that much greatness, but they should be!

Favorites: "The Halcyon Symphony", "The Ophidian Symphony"

Released in 2006, ‘One Cold Winter’s Night’ is a live album by progressive power metal band Kamelot, recorded earlier in the year whilst touring in support of their absolute masterpiece, ‘The Black Halo’.

Coming off of the success of their most highly revered and ambitious release, it should come as no surprise that everyone in the band is in peak form here. The playing is absolutely fantastic by everyone, and you can really sense how energised and passionate the band members are. Praise in particular to vocalist Roy Khan, who is just blasting each song as heard on their studio counterpart note-for-note.

The set list, as you’d expect, is stellar, featuring pretty much every major fan favourite, with plenty of focus given to material from ‘The Black Halo’, ‘Karma’ and ‘Epica’. Oh, and speaking of Epica, there’s a guest appearance by Simone Simons, giving us a spine-tingling duet with Khan for ‘The Haunting’.

With a crystal-clear sound, excellent set-list and unforgettable performances, this really is a remarkable live album, which truly belongs in every Kamelot fans collection.

After a slow and steady upwards trajectory over the course of three releases, it seems that with 2002’s ‘Century Child’, their fourth studio album, Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish have refined their sound, and taken a huge step up in both critical and commercial success.

Treading the thin line between power metal and symphonic metal, the band have really hit their stride with this album, sounding more inspired and more confident than ever. With a strong emphasis on the symphonic and operatic elements, as well as additional male vocals to compliment Tarja Turunen’s voice, ‘Century Child’ has a much more well-rounded sound than its predecessors.

With great instrumental performances and an excellent production that really gives the music a rich, vibrant sound, there really aren’t many faults with this release, other than a couple of filler tracks, it’s all pretty stellar.

And with some absolute bangers such as ‘Dead to the World’, ‘End of All Hope’, ‘Bless the Child’, ‘Slaying the Dreamer’, the underrated ‘Feel For You’ and the obligatory symphonic metal band cover of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Century Child’ displays a band who have really established themselves as one of the top bands of their genre, and is an album that belongs in every metal fans collection.

Vendel answers the question nobody ever asked before, what if Judas Priest was a doom metal band? A simplification, but close enough to understand what these guys are about. Another simplification would be to call them another one of these epic heavy/doom metal bands that take epic metal and it with doom metal that seem to be a thing now.
If this sounds odd, it's because it is. I understand there's probably a virtue to this, but Priest generally works when they have energy to them, something that is unusual for a doom metal album. So this is sliding between two different styles and never quite working out right for them. They try, but fail through no fault except combining two styles that are exceedingly difficult to blend together.
Their attempts at the two styles are not created equal, however. While not setting the world on fire, the more traditional side of the album has a stronger idea of what does and does not make that genre work. In particular, they are quite skilled at galloping guitar sections. The doom sections tend to feel like they're just rehashes of other, better works, and as stated. Which unfortunately, combined with other issues tend to drag the album down.
One odd thing I noticed is that a lot of the guitar solos seem to be trying to invoke the guitar solos in the soundtracks to The Incredible Machine games. Even outside of me feeling it has similarities, it's a lot more showy than what the album is going for and seems out of place even discounting that.
While I don't dislike the album, I can't say there's really a reason to listen to it even if there is dearth of great bands doing whatever it is these guys are trying to do. It's not objectionable, but unless the idea appeals, it's just not that interesting.

Released in 1999, ‘Demons & Wizards’ is a power metal collaboration between Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth, and Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian. Any band featuring two such prominent names within the power metal community could be amazing, and this SHOULD be amazing, but sadly, it fails to live up to its full potential, leaving us with something that sounds exactly as you’d expect; Iced Earth music with Blind Guardian vocals.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the problem is that this is just so damn average. There’s plenty of high-energy metal thrashing, galloping guitar riffs, epic orchestrations and Gregorian chants (like, who asked for these?), but amongst all of that, there’s only a number of truly memorable songs.

There’s no doubting that tracks like ‘Heaven Denies’, ‘Poor Man’s Crusade’, ‘My Last Sunrise’, and ‘Fiddler On the Green’ have all the makings of power metal classics. But the rest, well, they’re all pretty forgettable. And it’s a huge shame, because this had the potential to be an absolutely classic album, but sadly, for whatever reason, it’s not.

Blast from the Past is a compilation of re-recordings and remasterings the band put together, taking from all of their previous releases. I’m only going to review the re-recordings, as a remaster really doesn’t warrant its own release.

First off, almost every song here is Power Metal majesty, and none are less than great. Gamma Ray have some really great choruses that have been amplified by the slight changes in the re-imagined tracks. The improvements in production do nothing but favors, and there are slightly denser elements to many of the tracks, like sprinklings of extra keys. There was only one track I didn’t feel benefited here, that being “Last Before the Storm” – probably my favorite Gamma Ray song, and the original was simply so good that the slight changes they made felt… I guess, just different rather than better. The original is just too good (it’s still my favorite song here though).

On its own, it’s a collection of fantastic Power Metal. On principal though, I will say most of these songs didn’t really need re-recordings, especially since the band had only been releasing music for 10 years and had not changed AT ALL in their general sound and delivery. To its credit, yeah, I’ll reach for these songs instead of the originals; the better production if nothing else dictates that. But… far from necessary.

I’m not the biggest fan of Groove Metal, so Nevermore trading most of their Thrash energy for more rhythmic and mid-temo riffing was a move that shouldn’t sit right with me. Well, I still don’t think it’s as good as the previous albums, but this is monumental for a Groove album. The band’s ability to combine hybrid riffs that combine Groove, Thrash, and classic Heavy/US Power Metal with a more modern atmosphere and dark mood make them super unique, and this album definitely has that identity in spades far stronger than anything preceding it.

Most people probably point to Narcosynthesis, the enigmatic opening track, as the highlight of the album (or the band’s whole career, even), but it was the second track, We Disintegrate, that really gripped me. Of course we get the fantastic core musicianship Nevermore always delivers, but there’s also an AMAZING chorus?? I had never heard Warrel use his voice like that, and it got totally stuck in my head. That was kind of a recurring theme here; I think Warrel learned how to better craft hooks, and use his voice melodically on this album. I’ve always liked him as a vocalist, but catchy choruses were absolutely not his main draw. Here, he hones that tool and utilizes it well, another favorite of mine being the monolithic pre-chorus “And I still Believe in Nothing…”

The guitar solos are another highlight, and along with the melodic guitar leads, add a fantastic touch of spice to the more basic musical foundation. Rhythmic chugs aren’t nearly as bad if you’ve got a stunning guitar lead shimmering over them. My only criticism there is sometimes they’re pushed way too low in the mix – I want to hear the melodies, not the 0-0-0-1-2-0! Gimme the good stuff!

As I’ve hinted at, the slower, more rhythmic musicianship and songwriting style here isn’t as much to my taste as their Thrashier material, but the band is so skilled that they pull it off better than most bands who revolve their entire career around Groove. Nevermore is simply too talented to play off of the weaker tropes of Groove Metal, and therefore deliver one of the best albums in the genre.

Like so many Metal bands that faced immense success in the 80’s, Iron Maiden fell victim to turmoil, stumbling and inconsistency in the 90’s. Lineup changes mixed with stylistic experimentation and lack of direction lead to one of the most legendary and beloved Metal bands falling to their knees, failing to keep up with trends while also failing to appease their own fanbase. It’s a story shared by many of the best bands from their era.

At the turn of the century, something changed in Metal. It seemed like older bands realized they don’t need to pretend anymore; they don’t need to chase trends or change styles to appease new crowds. They just need to be themselves and do what they do best. And Maiden were one of the very first bands to realize this, wasting no time in getting Bruce back, returning to their classic 80’s style, and dropping one of the very finest Heavy Metal albums in the first year of the new century.

Brave New World is an exceedingly epic affair with 3 tracks well over the 8-minute mark. And yet, it never overstays its welcome, never feels overlong. How do they manage this? Quite plainly, every minute of every song here is full of carefully crated instrumentation, with wonderful guitar lines weaving between rich and interesting rhythm lines, the only breaks in dense instrumentation being when Bruce’s voice is given center stage to belt out fantastic choruses. Most of the songs here have multiple passages, taking elements from their more Progressive era, but the instrumentation itself is not overly complex or technical; rather, the songs are progressive in that they take you on journeys through different scenes and landscapes, again maintaining a constant interest factor despite the long track lengths.

I have to give some credit to the previous effort, Virtual XI. Of course I have already claimed I find it to be quite an underrated piece on its own, but I think this album puts it into even greater context. Virtual XI was the band’s return to their pure Prog-tinged Heavy Metal after the inconsistency of the other 90’s records. For some reason, Iron Maiden seemed like they forgot how to properly write long songs or something on Virtual XI, but it was very clearly the first step in getting back to who they really were. Brave New World here was them re-finding themselves fully, in all their glory. And of course, a part of that success is the return of Bruce, who is just an absolute powerhouse of a vocalist, both in ability and in his skill of crafting fantastic vocal melodies. A magnificent return to form for the band.