MartinDavey87's Reviews
It's hard to believe how much Metallica's music had matured within a year of their debut album ‘Kill 'Em All’. With plenty of clean guitars and intricate harmonies, this is a band that has grown tighter and stronger as time went by. James Hetfield seems to be more confident as a singer here, and the band all-round seem a lot more comfortable with where they are headed musically. The lyrics are better thought out and the songwriting as a whole is a lot more complex and established than what we heard on their previous record.
Though some of these songs are instant classics, such as 'For Whom the Bell Tolls', 'Fade to Black', ‘Creeping Death’ and ‘The Call of Ktulu’, there are still a couple of tracks lingering around to fill up space, in particular, 'Trapped Under Ice' and 'Escape'. A fact shown true by the band themselves, who never play these songs live. And let's be honest here, is there anyone who can actually claim that their favourite Metallica song is ‘Trapped Under Ice’? Didn't think so.
With that said, the odd filler or two do not take away any momentum from the album, which flows smoothly all the way to the end. One of the biggest heavy metal albums of all time, there’s enough diversity here that non-metal fans may even like what they hear.
We all have those bands that we're huge fans of, yet no one else has ever heard of them. Or perhaps they have, but they're just not as passionate about them as you are. Maybe they like the odd song, or mildly enjoy their discography, but wouldn't go as far as to consider them a favourite of theirs.
Allow me to introduce you to "that band" of mine.
Stumbling across Andromeda online, I purchased this almost immediately after hearing and falling in love with the title track, 'Extension of the Wish'. I couldn't believe how stellar this, their debut album, was. Being a huge fan of progressive metal, theirs was the perfect sound. Atmospheric with a spacey vibe, and full of the usual over-the-top virtuoso performances that you'd expect of the genre. How are this band not more well-known?!
Written by guitarist Johann Reinholdz (who was only 21 at the time... jeez...), 'Extension of the Wish' is full of guitar and keyboard acrobatics that put most other bands to shame. The drumming is absolutely insane, yet Thomas Lejon never misses a beat, and singer David Fremberg's powerful voice is full of passion and raw energy.
Opening track 'The Words Unspoken' is one of the best prog metal songs I've ever heard, and instrumental 'Chameleon Carnival' is an absolute joy to listen to, showing off Reinholdz's vast knowledge of guitar scales and fret-board mastery. Then there's songs like 'Crescendo of Thoughts', 'Star Shooter Supreme', 'Arch Angel', bonus track 'Journey of Polyspheric Experience' and of course, the title piece itself, 'Extension of the Wish'. There is not a dull moment on this incredible album and it's an absolute travesty that not many people know this band exists.
Without a doubt Andromeda are one of my all-time favourite bands, and this, their debut release, is exactly why. It may seem ludicrous to think a band can get a five-star rating with their first outing, but damn, 'Extension of the Wish' really is that good! If you're into prog metal, do yourself a favour and get this album now.
Full of energy and pulse-pounding riffs, this is Metallica's debut album with which they changed the heavy metal world back in 1983. Although the songs are a lot more immature than Metallica's later material, in both lyrical and musical content, the songs are still great if you're after a straight forward headbanging album from start to finish, with many of these songs still being a major spotlight of any Metallica live set today.
Although some tracks are weaker than others, the album as a whole runs smoothly without giving the listener a chance to catch their breath. Metallica classics such as ‘Seek and Destroy’, ‘The Four Horsemen’, ‘Hit the Lights’ and ‘Whiplash’ make this essential for all metal fans.
It won’t be your favourite Metallica album, but your metal collection won’t be complete without it.
It was back in 2003 that I was looking in a Virgin Megastore (remember those?) with the noble intention of investing my money in a band I'd never heard before. These were before the days when YouTube and streaming were so easily accessible. When we had to take risks with our money to try out new artists. I had stumbled across an album by a band I'd only heard of in name, but that risk was about to pay off; Dream Theater.
Being a 16-year-old heavy metal fan at the time, raised on a healthy diet of groups such as Megadeth, Metallica, Kiss and Rammstein, my initial thoughts were, quite simply; “this album sucks”. However, one thing piqued my interest, and it should come as no surprise that it was the amazingly heavy intro to the opening track, ‘Pull Me Under’.
As I heard more and more, the album grew on me. All these random traits of progressive music were becoming clearer. Odd time signatures, long, complex arrangements, the eclectic mixture of styles, keyboards (a heavy metal no-no), the creative lyrics and massive instrumental sections... It all started to make sense. To this day, 'Images and Words' not only introduced me to a new style of music, but a whole new way of looking at music.
So what makes it so great?
'Images and Words' is an album that defined a genre. Without Dream Theater, progressive metal might never have become what it did. Coming at a time when the genre was in its infancy, Dream Theater had that intangible X-factor that bands like Fates Warning, Queensryche, and even a group like Rush, were all missing at that point.
There's a perfect combination of everything on this album. There's metal songs, there's ballads, there's funky songs and there's jazzy songs too. The musicianship came at a time when there weren't many bands displaying such incredible technical prowess, at least in the mainstream anyway. Every song is perfectly crafted, with interesting musical passages and mind-boggling lyrics. 'Pull Me Under', 'Take the Time', 'Learning to Live' and the monstrous epic 'Metropolis Pt. 1; The Miracle and the Sleeper' are all staples in prog metal history.
This is the record that put Dream Theater on the map, and defined all progressive metal bands/albums for years to come. Every fan of the genre needs this in their collection, immediately. And I'm sure most old-school progressive rock fans will at least appreciate the importance this album had on prog music as a whole. Undeniably my favourite album of all time, 'Images and Words' is better than perfect.
Iced Earth’s quest to become one of the most popular bands in the power metal genre began back in 1990 with the release of their self-titled debut album, which combined elements of the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) and thrash metal to produce songs which are crammed with intense, galloping riffs, interesting harmonies, and epic vocals.
Power metal has long been the ginger-haired stepchild of metal, but anyone expecting a complete cheese-fest is solely mistaken. Are the lyrics a bit daft at times? Absolutely! But the music here is top-notch. The songwriting, most of which is handled by guitarist and band leader Jon Schaffer, is very well-structured and mature, and although the band would go on to release much better records in the future, their debut still contains some of their best work, such as ‘Iced Earth’, ‘Written on the Walls’, ‘Colors’, ‘Funeral’ and the awesome ‘When the Night Falls’.
The production is far from perfect, but that actually benefits the record greatly, as it gives the music the exact sound these riffs need. If anything, the only real detriment to the album is vocalist Gene Adam. At times his voice powerfully suits the music, at other times, it comes across as quite forced, annoying, and almost embarrassing.
Other than that, this is a pretty stellar release, and a key moment in power metal history. Worth checking out for fans of all subgenres.
Rising from the ashes of power metal band 'Twilight', Danish prog metallers Beyond Twilight's first release 'The Devil's Hall of Fame' is a very twisted journey into the depths of the human mind, and certainly not a record for the weak-hearted.
Having a concept album for a debut can be a big risk for any band, but Beyond Twilight pull it off here, with incredible compositions and production that sound as though they are coming from a band with years and years of experience together. It's exciting to listen to this and imagine what else this group can come up with.
Keyboardist Finn Zierler's layer-upon-layer of dark and gloomy melodies fits perfectly with Anders Kragh's haunting and exciting guitar riffs, all perfectly played in minor keys to bring the best depressions out of anyone. And this chilling and epic tale is told wonderfully by a man who has one of the most "metal voices" out there, Jorn Lande. Highlights of this incredible first- time outing include the dark 'Godless and Wicked', the psychotic and twisted 'The Devil's Waltz' and 'Crying', a song as beautiful as it is chilling.
An interesting and very exciting debut, this certainly isn't the album you'd choose to help lift your spirits, but for some incredibly dark and gothic prog metal, this is a fantastic debut from a band who shows limitless potential.
With this debut album, the world is introduced to Stuck Mojo, one of the most beloved and influential cult metal bands from the 90's. They weren't the first band to mix metal and hip-hop, but they were the band that really took it to the next level. They showed how, when done properly, it didn't need to be referred to as a mixture of styles, but a whole new musical force in its own right.
The main core of the band is centred around guitarist Rich Ward and vocalist Bonz, both with their own unique styles that helped Stuck Mojo stand out amongst the mid-90's metal scene. Ward's guitar work focuses mainly on power and groove, with an unmatched tone and riffs-galore, the music on this album will suit any fan of bands such as Pantera and Disturbed, and sets Mojo apart from later "rap metal" acts such as Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock.
Bonz has an amazing style of rapping that takes influence from hip-hop, punk and hardcore music, which fits perfectly with the metal riffs contributed by Ward. His ferocity and lyrics are unique in their aggression, with shouting and rapping blending perfectly without having to resort to growling and unintelligible metal grunts.
With some killer tracks such as 'Not Promised Tomorrow', '2 Minutes of Death', 'F.O.D.' and 'Uncle Sam Sham', this album is a relentless assault of metal and hip-hop done effectively. Full of Mojo classics that remain staples in live sets, 'Snappin' Necks' is an album that rarely gets recognized or remembered these days, which makes it an absolute underrated classic.
Quietly unleashed upon the world in 1989 to approximately no fanfare, radio airplay or any kind of recognition, 'When Dream and Day Unite', the debut album of progressive metal band Dream Theater, was the birth of a legend that approximately nobody saw coming.
It's a debut that has garnered mixed reactions since its release, despite the bands later successes. Personally, I think this is an incredible effort with some fantastic compositions, especially for such a young band. The band clearly know who their influences are, and hold no gripes against showing it, as there are definitely similarities here to bands such as Iron Maiden, Queensryche and most notably, Rush.
Vocalist Charlie Dominici, making his only appearance on a studio album, has always been a common complaint of fans. His pop-inspired singing grating to some, I think his voice has a very majestic tone to it that perfectly fits the raw sound of this album, especially when accompanied by Kevin Moore's 80's sounding keyboards. As for the others, guitarist John Petrucci, drummer Mike Portnoy and John Myung are all serious musicians (having met at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston), who are only just starting their incredible journeys to becoming some of the most revered and respected musicians in the world.
Another strong point of this album of "young" musicians is the lyrics, which contain some of the most random and yet, well thought-out passages I've ever heard. Especially on the track 'Only a Matter of Time'. Other gems worth checking out are 'A Fortune in Lies', 'The Killing Hand' and 'Light Fuse and Get Away'.
An incredible debut. Not as polished as ‘Images and Words’ and lacking the production values of ‘Scenes from a Memory’, but strip away any faults and there are some truly great songs here.
"Duh duh duh-duh-duh... Duh duh duh-duh... Oh wah-ah-ah-ah!!!"
Released in 2000, Disturbed's debut album came at just the right time as nu metal was creeping into the mainstream and making itself one of the biggest genres in the world (albeit, only briefly). With countless bands coming out of the woodwork and jumping on the bandwagon, only a few of them were able to transcend the sub-genre from which they came and become credible bands.
Disturbed are one of those bands.
You probably wouldn't have thought it back in the day, mind you. Musically this album fits right in with the nu metal fad. Heavy, groove-laden tracks, angst-ridden lyrics, de-tuned guitars with no solos in sight... So what set Disturbed apart from the rest?
With their hit single, 'Down With the Sickness' and it's legendary opening of "oh-wah-ah-ah-ah" that would go on to spawn countless internet memes, puns and pop-culture references, it was vocalist David Draiman's unique style that instantly gave the band their own identity. And it's stood the test of time, because Disturbed would go on to "oh-wah-ah-ah" their way to being one of metals most beloved bands.
Unfortunately, none of that was really all too evident in their debut release, as 'The Sickness', despite a few standout tracks, really suffers from the same mediocrity that a lot of groups suffered from back then. Sure, there's a few hits in here, 'Voices' is an absolute classic, and 'The Game', 'Fear', 'Meaning of Life' and the aforementioned 'Down With the Sickness' are all valid reasons for owning this record and really highlight the significance of Draiman's vocals. But then sadly, a lot of the other tracks just seem to be there to fill time, with special mention going to 'Conflict'... a song in which the word "enemy" (pronounced "en-na-may") is sung a staggering 52 times! Please, no more!
Overall 'The Sickness' is not a terrible record, it's just not really all that memorable either. Well produced and accompanied by a couple of hit singles, it did what it was meant to do and helped put Disturbed on the map.
"Oh wah-ah-ah-ah".