Arch Matheos – Sympathetic Resonance

This is far and away the best album of the year; really it’s the best thing I’ve heard in years. It’s neat to have John Arch back together with Jim Matheos, but for them to produce an album this fantastic is a gift from the metal gods! After a few spins of this mighty disc it’s obvious John Arch has lost none of his creative genius and Jim Matheos proves himself to be one of the most enduring and brilliant songwriters in metal. These songs are stunning in their complexity yet never self-indulgent, always emotive, always propelling and engaging the listener. The performances all around are superb. Matheos’ guitar tone is fabulous, as is Joey Vera’s bass. There’s a nice distinction between guitar and bass. Ex-Fates Warning guitarist Frank Aresti contributes ripping, human sounding leads that only serve to heighten each song’s effectiveness. And Bobby Jarzombek, wow! His drumming is endlessly inventive while driving and pushing the whole album forward. His drums sound clean yet natural, the bass drum rattles your rib cage like it’s supposed to. And of course there’s Mr. Arch who delivers his complex, variable melodies with such emotion and humanity. What a joy! His lyrics are something you really have to sink your brain into and digest because as always they are full of metaphor and subtlety. Often I’m not fully comprehending the meaning behind each line but I’m always feeling it. It’s OK though because this record has so much to discover musically upon each listen that the meaning of the words reveals itself more and more as well.

Sympathetic Resonance is an absolute must for fans of arch era Fates Warning; and deserving of the ears of metal heads worldwide.

Blood Ceremony – Living with the Ancients

Satanic themed retro metal is riding a wave of popularity right now and I say yay!! Sweden’s Ghost is at the top of the heap as far as popularity, but my favorite is Blood Ceremony. Take some Black Sabbath, a pinch of Jethro Tull, add a female singer and a lash from a black cat’s eye and you have an idea of Blood Ceremony’s sound. This Canadian four piece must have uttered the right incantation because they ooze talent: from chief songwriter/guitarist Sean Kennedy who’s riffs are filled with retro-y goodness, to the pure and organic drums of Andrew Haust who’s playing is filled with subtlety and cleverness, to the wonderfully melodic and rich tone of Lucas Gadke’s bass to the multiple talents of singer/flutist/keyboardist Alia O’Brien with her eerie vocals and top notch musicianship. Blood Ceremony’s material has a lot of familiar elements, but it’s so well written and delivered with such passion and expertise you can’t help but enjoy it. And I just love the sinister vibe to their whole presentation, like the wicked atmosphere of Morning of the Magicians:

If you’re at all interested in this style of metal, do yourself the service of checking out Living with the Ancients.

Graveyard – Hisingen Blues

I heard these Swedes for the first time this year and I’m sure glad I did. These guys are straight out of the seventies with a strong Zeppelin vibe and a bit of extra evil thrown in. Genuine, raw and true hard rock done well is a sure winner and Hisingen Blues is a winner. Great musicianship, pure sounding drums, fuzzed out dual axes, and above all great songs. And what a singer! Joakim Nilsson shrieks and tears it up with such passion, damn! And he plays guitar too. He belts it out on the opening rocker ‘Ain’t Fit to Live Here’ then displays a different crooning side on the following tune ‘No Good, Mr. Holden’. The album continues with great song after great song, each one having a distinct personality and texture making this album a real gem.

Mr. Big – What If…

Mr. Big has consistently made great hard rock since they first got together in the late eighties; it’s hard to believe they can make an album this great over 20 years later. This may even be their best album. Paul Gilbert’s leads are better than ever, Eric Martin sounds great, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey’s rhythm section rocks. Most importantly, nearly every song is a hook-filled, rock and roll heavy weight. Read the full Mr. Big review.

Mitochondrion – Parasignosis

I became a big fan of Portal upon the release of their 2009 album Swarth. Like Portal, Mitochondrion plays a chaotic, atmospheric, repulsive form of death metal. Some will just call this a noisy mess, others revel in its twisted, violent riffs and ominous atmosphere. Whereas Portal’s music makes feel like you are travelling through some sick and alternate dimension, Mitochondrion makes you feel like you are being dragged into hell. It’s horrible but in a good way. These lyrics to the title track tell the story.

This isn’t the kind of album you will want to listen to very often, you’re not just gonna put this on and rock out. When you hear this thing you feel like fiery insects are burrowing into your flesh while the gasoline in your veins begins to boil and the whole mess is about to explode. You’ve got to appreciate the artistry of a record that can do something like that.

The Flight of Sleipnir – Essence of Nine

TFOS have made yet another quality album. This is their third full length which makes for a trifecta of excellent records. The band continues in their dynamic style with black metal shrieking vocals coupled with ethereal melodic vocals and fuzzy wuzzy guitars in tandem with acoustic and slide guitar. The organic production remains in tact and Viking themed lyrics dominate as before as well. Here’s sample from the tune A Thousand Stones:

TFOS are taking familiar metal tropes and creating something original, not an easy feat 40 years into metal’s history. Their strong sense of melody and use of atmosphere and dynamics bring powerful emotion to their music. Each song is expertly arranged keeping the listener engaged and taking them on a journey through mystical Viking worlds and violent battlefields. Hail the glory of The Flight of Sleipnir!

Hammers of Misfortune – 17th Street

Here’s another band that is consistently releasing quality material. Once again line-up changes can’t diminish Hammers of Misfortune’s output due largely to band leader John Cobbett’s songwriting expertise. New vocalist Joe Hutton ably fills the departed Patrick Goodwin’s shoes, although I perhaps prefer Goodwin slightly. Hutton’s male vocals dominate this Hammers record, Sigrid Sheie’s female vocals lend mainly a supporting role; and he successfully delivers the type of affecting performance these songs deserve. Another notable change is Cobbett’s lead guitar; his leads are catchier and better constructed. Things that haven’t changed are the warm production, fantastic drumming, and juicy retro keyboards. The lyrics are mainly about Cobbett’s observations of what he sees going on around him, like the changes in his home town in ‘The Day the City Died’ or corporate greed in ‘Staring’. The first half of this album is especially good, with standout songs like The Grain and 17th Street.

If you know Hammers, I’m sure you’ll dig this record. If you don’t know Hammers I think you ought to remedy that right away.

Motorhead – The World is Yours

Fuckin’ Motorhead! Are they capable of making a bad album? No. I really like this new album. It doesn’t jump out at you and scream “I’m a masterpiece!” but the more you listen, the more you like it and you quickly realize, there’s not a bad song on here. And damn if “Brotherhood of Man” is not a classic in the in waiting, what is? Lemmy sounds as gritty as ever. The production is clean and loud as most modern metal but it maintains that signature Motorhead edge. Of course Lemmy’s lyrics are fucking brilliant. And the musicianship is fantastic, Micky Dee and Phil Campbell, nuff said.

There’s nothing really unexpected on this album. Motorhead is doing what they do best. The World is Yours is another great Motorhead record. That’s all you need to know.

Vektor – Outer Isolation

It’s so cool to hear a band stay so true to the spirit of metal and be so original and unique at the same time. Vektor are clearly at the top of the new thrash movement. They have all the pieces coming together and clicking right into place to form something greater than just the sum of the parts. The crazy technical riffs with a heavy Voivod influence, whip snap drumming, speedy bass lines, deadly shredly leads, the sci-fi lyrics, and the inhuman vocals. It all comes together to create a violent other worldly vibe that brings you on a cosmic journey through dying planets and alien societies. Like good sci-fi though, there is subtle social commentary within.

This record is on par with their first album, I can’t really decide which is better at this point. It’s nice to hear some different sounds and vibes on this album like the variation in shrieker/singer David DiSanto’s vocal textures. That said, I think Vektor could streamline things a bit more and be an even better band. Some of the riffs overstay their welcome and some of them are a bit unnecessary and out of place. Overall though, this album deserves attention. It’s a dark journey to a chaotic thrashing sci-fi world of metal joy!

And that concludes my Best Heavy Metal Albums of 2011 List. What do you have to say. Bring on the amplified internet hatred and rudeness :-) There are certainly some of your favorite albums I missed right?

Here’s a brief excerpt:

Human is a groundbreaking record, since it was one of the very first progressive death metal albums, featuring many complex time changes, Reinert’s complex and jazz-influenced drumming, and the insane dexterity and virtuosity of bassist Steve DiGiorgio making Human one of the first death metal albums to feature many bass lines that were independent of the guitar riffs. The lyrics got a lot more personal and deep, a medium for Schuldiner to pour out the pain in his consciousness from the massive fallout of his band members in 1989, such as in the song “Secret Face”, “Vulnerable through trust/Life is a twisted maze of obstacles/Presented by people with a secret face.” The music is also a lot more melodic, giving the music a lot more substance and stronger songwriting qualities, but still maintained much of the visceral heaviness and speed, but in a tasteful, organic manner, as was typical for Chuck, since he always wrote from the heart, and never just for the sake of doing something a certain way to get “cred” in the death metal scene. His famous quote was “support music, not rumors,” regarding all the vicious rumors that had been spreading around since ‘89 when the band almost fell apart. The album title is very suiting for that point in Chuck’s life, describing the very fragile art of existence and the ability to persevere in the face of much dishonesty he experienced from people he dealt with. He was taken from us too soon, but his legacy lives on.

Many of the issues with the original Human mix were fixed. The bass guitar being virtually inaudible was the main thing people would say about Human. On the remix, the bass is at the perfect level where you can hear Steve DiGiorgio’s ripping lines quite clearly and easily, but it doesn’t overpower the guitars. The muddy guitar tones were fixed also, though the guitars still retain the low-end that makes the signature heaviness of the album. The drums are a lot more powerful sounding, and a lot more noticeable. In the liner notes, Jim Morris points out that Chuck probably wanted to give the drums and bass the backseat in the mix, but when Jim worked with Chuck years later on Death’s final two albums, Symbolic and The Sound of Perseverance, as well as the two Control Denied albums, he had a different approach and told Jim to give the rhythm section more prominence in the mix. He took all of Chuck’s musical desires in the final two Death albums to heart when he was remixing Human, and it shows. Human 2011 is the Human that Death fans had always wanted it to be.

Its interesting that in the article he points out  cool vocal effects in Suicide Machine, I thought those vocal effects were very distracting and unnecessary.  Overall though, the remixes I’ve heard sound phenomenal.

read it all

Good old fashioned rock and roll never goes out of style and Mr. Big have proven that yet again with their new record What If… After a long hiatus you’d think these veterans would either have lost their edge or conformed to some modern ideal of what rock and roll should sound like. Nope. Mr. Big does things the old fashioned way using the old fashioned tools of songwriting skill, rock and roll swagger, and skillful musicianship. Mr. Big is most well known for their hit To Be With You but be assured this is an album that rocks hard. Nearly every song is a winner; the only bump in the road is the mediocre ballad, ‘All the Way Up’.

Mr. Big is made up of four talented musicians that when put together equal more than the sum of their parts. At the forefront of Mr. Big’s talent pool are the mighty axemen Paul Gilbert on guitar and Billy Sheehan on bass. Both of these badasses have chops, tone, and personality galore. They are far more than just mindless shredders. Sheehan’s classic bass tone and skill are displayed in full force. And Paul Gilbert employs a restrained and sweet guitar tone with a raw edge to his speedy yet tasty leads. Pat Torpey’s accurate, solid drumming gives his bandmates room to shine.
All the great musicianship in the world doesn’t mean crap if the songs aren’t good. And that’s where Mr. Big rises above the rest of the pack with this album. What If is packed with infectious hard rock songs. The arrangements highlight the catchy riffs and build to hook filled choruses; and each tune is peppered with a perfect amount guitar and bass fills to make things more interesting without being overdone. Most of the lyrics are about relationships but they’re not sappy about it. An example is ‘I Wont Get In My Way’:

They cover some tried and true rock and roll subject matter as well; a notable piece is ‘Stranger in my Life’ which could have a double meaning but is ostensibly about a soldier who feels lost. The song affects more poignancy delivering these lyrics in the context of a ballad:

Finally, over all the rocking riffs is Eric Martin’s soulful voice carrying the strong melodies to put the perfect cherry on top of this hard rock sundae. If you’re a fan of hard rock in the tradition of Thin Lizzy, Uriah Heep, King’s X, and of course Free (where Mr. Big’s namesake came from), this is a record you should not miss.

Here are a couple of tunes from What If…

Nobody Left to Blame

Stranger in my Life
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Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini

Enslaved should need no introduction. They are getting a lot of exposure with this album and they have toured Europe and North America opening for Dimmu Borgir. Enslaved deserve all the exposure and accolades they receive. These guys have been at this for almost 20 years and have released a slew of quality albums; Axioma Ethica Odini is no exception. In fact it just may prove to be one of their best. It’s really a stunning record with tons of immediate appeal but it also reveals more and more of itself with each additional listen.

With this album, Enslaved continue to express their message of embracing human nature and independence and vehement rejection of those who try to control us and deny the essence of our humanity. Like this from the song Singular:

And this from Raidho (A runic term meaning journey)

Their music provides a layered texture to deliver these philosophical ideas, taking us from pensive reflective states to vicious warlike intensity. Tonally this record is excellent. The guitar sound is 100% ripping Gibson, not some bullshit bottom heavy chugga chugga. The bass is a pervasive thunderous rumble. The lead guitar tone is full of unique character. There are varying timbres of the vocals of Grutle and Herbrand and their lines are packed with great hooks and melodies. This album just has so much to offer. I could go on, so I will: memorable guitar solos from Ice Dale that compliment the songs, expert arrangements with drum patterns that push the songs forward and heighten the intensity, monumental riffs with clever rhythmic intricacies, etc. This record is yet another great example of why Enslaved have reached the top of the heavy metal heap.

Freedom Hawk – s/t

The east coast of the Unites States is a hotbed of stoner metal bands. Once in a while I’ll poke around on allthatisheavy.com looking for some cool bands. That’s how I discovered Freedom Hawk. They have a lot in common with other stoner bands, raw production, traditional instrumentation and vibe, heavy guitars, and a strong Sabbath influence. Their singer even reminds me a bit of Ozzy. What they have that is not common is magic. They’ve got the killer heavy riffs, great melodic vocal hooks and solos, occasionally fuzzed out but always audible bass, and driving drums combined in just the right ways to make heavy rawk magic. Just check out the song My Road with its irresistible vocal lines and lyrics describing life’s unique journey and living it to the fullest.

I love it, I love the whole album. These guys are playing from the heart and they really connect with me. Rock on with the Hawk!

Castevet – Mounds of Ash

These guys are part of the “post black metal” movement … I guess. They way I see it – they are a Death Metal band. Besides being heavy and all that, they manage to put together memorable songs that are unique and creative. They have a tension to their music. It creates an uneasy feeling that is disturbing yet compelling, but amid the chaotic swirl there are interesting melodies. This music has a lot of depth, now if they only would have published their lyrics! I did a full review on Mounds of Ash, read it and check them out.

Blood Revolt – Indoctrine

This ain’t no easy listening music! Hell no. It’s like roller coaster ride through the mind of a psychopath. Every time I listen to this album I feel drained. It’s remarkable. Indoctrine is a concept album about a religious extremist. It’s told in the first person, so we are inside the tumultuous mind of a savage and deranged man. Vocalist A. Nemtheanga embodies the character of the extremist and uses every facet of his voice to convey the varied emotional states of the character. He raves like a lunatic, full of contradictions. He is confused about his beliefs at times, and at other rimes convinced of his need to kill and destroy for his religious insanity.

A fine example of this (and one of my favorite songs on the album) is My Name In Blood Across The Sky:

Sounds like he wants to be a killer for his god. But in the song Martyr’s Brigade he says:

He doesn’t even care if there’s a god, he’ll be a martyr anyway.
 
It’s a stroke of genius how this band utilized melodic vocals on top of raging speed/death metal music as it creates a deeper understanding and more powerful experience for for the listener. The musicianship here is stunning. The drums are so savage, raw and inhumanly fast! The ripping blast beats and manic fills perfectly complement the character’s chaotic mindset. The guitars are tonally similar to 90s death metal like Dismember. At times however they exhibit a melancholic sense of melody that pushes the listener even further into emotional turmoil. Give Indoctirne a listen, its an artistic triumph and I think you’ll appreciate what it has to offer.

The Flight of Sleipnir – Lore

Viking themes have been employed by many metal bands so it’s a testament to The Flight of Sleipnir that they can use similar themes and come up with something fresh. They combine Viking lore with stoner riffs, atmospheric textures, and clean and black metal-styled raspy vocals to create a brilliant album. Here’s one of the more atmospheric songs from Lore. It’s called of Words and Ravens.

This band has quietly released two killer albums and they are worth investigating. Read my full review of Lore.

Sahg – III

This one took a while to grow on me but it’s safe to say Sahg has done it again. That’s three excellent albums, each boldly numbered for your convenience. Sahg III is more “accessible” than its predecessors so I guess it’s a bit odd that it took me longer to warm up to this record than their prior ones. Perhaps it’s because this is stylistically more hard rock mixed with Sabbathy doom metal. Their prior albums had a heavy psychedelic and epic vibe mixed with the Sabbathyness that complimented each other a bit better. Still, this is a dark record with lyrics based in the darker side of christian and other mythology. The first two songs an the album are about being taken by the devil. Here are a few lines from the secong song, Mortify:

Sahg has managed to tread that fine line of honoring Sabbath and other 70s hard rock and metal gods without becoming a rehashed ripoff. The production is fantastic, nice and warm with passionate performances. The vocals of Iversen are a standout regardless of some Ozzy-like stylings. Most importantly, Sahg write great songs and present them with integrity. These guys deliver the goods, again.

Demiurg – Slakthus Gamleby

Here’s an album that’s wonderfully dismal and festering with wretched ooze. This is evil mid-paced death metal that pukes out the message that the world is a bubbling pile of shit and we’re all gonna drown in it. Slakthus Gamleby has a perfectly dreary and depressing atmosphere, catchy dirge-like melodies, and gravelly vocals belched up from boiling tar. The riffs remain mostly in familiar rock and classic metal territory but they hit you like cinder blocks. This ain’t no technical death metal. Another notable aspect of this gem of an album is the use of melody and texture with the inclusion of female vocals and keyboards. The lyrics tie it all together and perfectly embody hopelessness and horror at times in an almost Lovecraftian sense. Check out Travellers Of The Vortex for a prime example of this:

My biggest complaint with this record is that it’s too polished for its own good. It would benefit from a bit more rawness and a more natural drum sound especially the kick drums which sound like more like drum sticks being hit together than thunderous bass drums. Still, this album will take you on a bleak journey to an infernal wasted earth full of decay and doom. And who wouldn’t want to go there?

There you have it the best metal of 2010. What did I miss? What are your opinions, your favorites, your strong criticisms? Comment below. Metal heads ain’t supposed to be quiet!

My online friend and well known voracious heavy metal connoisseur Iced Ray has come up with this entertaining list of his surprises and disappointments in this years crop of heavy metal releases. There’s a lot covered here and there’s bound to be many disagreements. So enjoy this retrospective of 2010 heavy metal offerings. Post you’re opinions below.

Surprises

1. Triptykon – Eparistera Daimones: I was expecting a good album but not this monster of an evil mutha trucker. EXCELLENT.

2. Fear Factory – Mechanize: Dino comes back…so what, right? Nope, this album SLAYS. Best FF album ever.

3. Accept - Blood of the Nations: No Udo had me doubting this but they proved me dead wrong. This album is an absolute ass kicker.

4. Watain - Lawless Darkness & Rotting Christ – Aealo: I put these together because these 2 bands were recent discoveries for me this year and they both are AMAZING bands. Better late than never.

5. Dark Tranquility - We Are The Void: Huge surprise for me. This album won me back as a fan.

6. Vanden Plas – The Seraphic Clockwork: Was never a big fan but with this album, this band nailed it. Great prog/power metal album.

7. Sons of Liberty – Brush-Fires of the Mind: I am a self admitted Iced Earth fanboy but even I had some reservations about this release. Jon’s conspiracy theories and him singing all the tracks had me a little doubtful but no worries, this album rocks hard.

8. Rhapsody of Fire- The Frozen Tears of Angels: A good return to form for these guys. I started giving up hope after the last 2 albums which were not so great.

9. Ov Hell – The Underworld Regime: Considering who was involved, you can understand the automatic bashing this record would get. However, I thought it’s a pretty good piece of straight up black metal.

10. Danzig - Deth Red Sabaoth: This is by far not a ‘great’ album and it’s nowhere close to the first 4 albums as some have alleged. However, it’s not a total piece of crap as the last few Danzig albums so that in of itself is a mildly pleasant surprise.

Disappointments:

1. Rage - Strings to a Web: Rage have going through the motions for the most part recently and this is another in that line. Done with this band’s future releases for now.

2. Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy: I don’t think anyone expected a This Godless Endeavor Pt. II but this turned out more like a Warrell Dane solo album Pt. II.

3. Early Man – Death Potion: Read some good things about this band so I tried them out. Uh, not very good.

4. Soulfly - Omen: The last couple of Soulfly albums kicked ass so I was looking forward to this one. But this is very lackluster and it doesn’t seem a lot was put into the songwriting.

5. Armored Saint – La Raza: A well done hard rock album. But it’s not really a Saint album, IMO. Bring back the metal.

6. Ihsahn – After: One word for ya – Saxophone. Yuck.

7. Iron Maiden – The Final Frontier: Let me start by saying that this is a pretty good album. Not great and a little too proggy for Maiden. However, I consider any new Maiden album that won’t finish in my top 25 to be slightly disappointing. It’s freakin’ Maiden so I expect stellar stuff. They missed here.

8. Unleashed - As Yggdrasil Trembles: Again, not a bad album but after the last two albums which I really enjoyed, this one falls a little flat.

9. Witchery - Witchkrieg: Read a lot hype about this one so my expectations came in a little higher than usual and this really ain’t all that great. It’s ok but The new Crown crushes this.

“The lyrics pertain mostly to escapism. I tend to utilize surrealistic descriptions to convey the feeling of being confined to the realities of existence, and the need to escape despite inevitable impossibility.”

Well this is helpful. This is a quote from Andrew Hock, guitarist and vocalist of New York City based extreme metal band Castevet. Castevet or perhaps their label Profound Lore made the aggravating decision not to print the lyrics to Mounds of Ash in the CD booklet. Actually they did away with the booklet altogether. This inevitably detracts from the enjoyment and understanding of their fantastic debut album, especially considering I literally cannot understand a single word being sung by Andrew.

A sense of failed escape from some relentless force is definite feeling one gets listening to this record. This is an unsettling record. Unsettling yet peppered with memorable riffs. Australia’s Portal comes to mind by way of comparison. Similarly Castevet is noisy and dissonant yet melodic. There are also some similarities to Enslaved and of course you can’t talk of dissonant heavy metal without mentioning the pioneering Voivod.

Castevet are often referred to as Black Metal. This is mostly inaccurate as they don’t sing about Satan and don’t have the typical black metal vocal style. They do have a fair amount of tremolo picking which is the only stylistically black metal thing on this record. I would categorize them as Death Metal. What’s really appealing about them besides the stunning compositions is that they have a very distinctive sound. Their recording is raw and organic. The drumming is way outside the norm for modern death metal both in the playing style and the production choices. It’s nice to hear death metal where the bass drums aren’t the loudest thing on the record!

Despite the varied drumming, the guitars dominate Mounds of Ash. They are clearly the loudest thing in the mix and occasionally brought up to an oppressive level of saturation. This only adds to sense of menace. As with the drums, Castevet’s guitar tone is atypical and unique in character. And guess what? No sweeps. Hell no guitar solos whatsoever as far I recall. This is not a record of self indulgent, flashy, and robotically precise musicianship. This is an album of original riffs cleverly arranged into ruthless, vicious songs. Disquieting songs filled with tension and hostility. Agitating, tumultuous, and inescapable.

I am a Viking. A warrior of battlefields of old. My ancestors fought and died together. Their legends were made but will be forgotten by time. Brothers and cousins will fall. With axe in hand and horn held high, I split shields and shatter bone.

This is how I feel when I listen to The Flight of Sleipnir’s 2010 release Lore. This two man band out of Colorado knows how to create an atmosphere. Everything about their music and presentation puts you in the time of ancient Viking warriors, epic battles, and dark fantastical times.

Drummer David Csicsely and guitarist Clayton Cushman handle all aspects of this release, everything from the exquisitely crafted lyrics to the throwback production to the captivating cover art and of course the skillful playing of their instruments.

Their music is a combination of stoner metal riffing, melodic acoustic passages, and intricate drumming. The vocals shift from raspy black metal-style to clean and airy. And the sound is raw, completely devoid of the excessive precision and sterility of a modern metal production style. The focus here is on expressing the savagery of battle, the melancholy of loss, and the ephemeral vision of an afterlife. They have somehow manifested the mind of an ancient fighter from and ancient time and spilled it out into their music.

This CD is a must buy. The artwork by drummer Csicsely is great. It comes with a sticker – fun! And you certainly want to sit down with this record and read the lyrics as you listen and immerse yourself in times of yore.

Sleip’nir -(slayp’nir) Odin’s eight-legged steed, and the greatest of all horses. The off spring of Loki and the gray stallion Svadilfari, Sleipnir, the swiftest on the earth could bear Odin over sea, through the air, and to and from the land of the dead.

Band website

5 GREAT METAL BANDS FROM THE 80s!….
That you need to go and hear NOW!!

 
Ahh… 80’s Metal!… Actually I hate that term! Why should a group of years define a sound? I like to call it “Heavy metal that is fucking awesome that just happens to be recorded between 1980 and 1989.” I mean really, a great band can carry on the torch of a classic metal sound! Music is music no matter what time of day or what year it is. Still, it was a great decade. So much happened to Metal in such a short span of time.

This was the decade that Metal and it’s followers stopped being afraid of limitations. Evil (and lots of God) came to the front lines. Screams were EVERYWHERE! Guitars went from safe controlled heavy grooves to chaotic assaults that showed no mercy. All of a sudden we saw hair, spikes, leather, Bangs, Tits and ass!…and some cod pieces! (Thanks Manowar!), fake blood, grotesque and sexual riddled themes, Speed, lightning solo’s ,tales of Hell, rebellion, politics, history, motorcycles and the topic of Metal itself. There was loads of controversy, (PMRC anyone??) MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball was our only real outlet.

But mostly we had each other. Who, if true to the Metal Horde, would turn us on to the little guys who would either become big stars, or forgotten by most but remembered and deeply respected by few. This is what this list is. The latter.

This Metal was not refined punk or reinvented 70’s prog. This sound was it’s own. When the 90’s came it was nearly over. Either your band was obliterated by Nirvana and it’s clones and you ended up as a VH1 nostalgia. Or, there were a few survivors who never forgot the true sound of the time and it’s significance to the growth of the metal we know today. I am one of them. So, it is my duty and pleasure to Reawaken a few names that made (and still make) a difference in my life.

These are in alphabetical order. A good sampling of styles is included. Any problems with this list, (and I’m sure there are many!!) can be put in that fun area below called “Comments” I welcome them!

1. CITIES: Remember these guys? Anyone? Yes there was a metal band called Cities and they were awesome. They only had one album released in 1986 off of Metal Blade called “Annihilation Absolute.” It had a raw, real and yet clean production. It employed a minor celebrity in the form of A.J. Pero who was the drummer of Twisted Sister. His drumming is the best of his career here. They had a cool, straight ahead 80’s metal look and attitude. Their album cover was classic nuclear war theme with them painted in front of all the destruction. Guitarist Steve Mironovich came up with great powerful riffs and crafty songwriting. Ron Angel had a power croon with guts and shrieks in the mix. They were technical yet very accessible. Topics never got too deep but sounded serious when presented. The best cuts are “Fight for your life”, “Cruel Sea” and “Deceiver”. I’m still scratching my head why they never lasted. Maybe it’s that name “Cities”. It’s so not metal. In fact it is one of the dumbest names for a metal band ever. True story… I once asked a metal schoolmate if he “knew Cities with Annihilation Absolute” and he replied ” no I do not yet know if Laaz Rockit is stopping here on their tour.” Ah well, for me they will always Burn forever!

2. CORONER: In the eighties, the band “Death” were just too brutal and “Voivod” were just too annoying for me. (Sorry Dan.) But the Swiss band Coroner had something that really caught my attention. They truly sounded like nobody else and yet there were familiar aspects about them. The combo was mesmerizing. I first heard them off a Noise records sampler called Doomsday News and I was hooked. I found two cassettes from them the next day and I still spin them on a regular basis. They were “R.I.P’ and “Punishment for Decadence.” Their sound of German style thrash and a prototype black metal sound was so visual. Now, I love singers who sing but Ron Royce’s unearthly, almost indescribable voice pierced through the mist. A kind of fine charcoal ash sound if you will. Add that to blitzkrieg riffs and chaotic drumming and you got one gem of a band. Special mention goes to the brilliant guitar work of Tommy Baron, one of the most underrated guitarist of all time. Smooth, melodic solos that soared over the warlike sound that blended into a emulsion of timeless metal. Their third record was released during the last minutes of the 1980s called “No More color” that had a bleak yet soulful sound that said farewell to 80s metal. A great record that also looked toward the 90s. Their last three albums (The excellent “Mental Vortex” the so-so “Grin” and contract bound “Coroner”) finished their career. This was due to the change of direction that the 90’s forced on to so many bands. Today, regretfully, they are a shadow of a lost dream.

3.CRIMSON GLORY: This has to be the most tragic entry for this list. Such mystical magic came from these Florida five. In 86, Their first self titled debut emerged off Roadrunner Records (A fine label at the time.) Now, we all have seen some strange that were quite theatrical. Face paint, (Kiss, King Diamond) Shock, (Alice Cooper, Lizzy Borden) and just plain perverted (Venom, Anvil). These guys took the “Greek theater” mask approach. Also, they did not try to shock but rather entrance with their somewhat calm demeanor and fluid brand of metal. The look was a misfire. It made them look ridiculous and from what I hear, very uncomfortable to play live. But such music!! Cuts that ring so wonderfully include “Valhalla”, “Queen Of The Masquerade” and the stunning “Dragon Lady.” Some wrote them off as Queensryche copycats witch I can kind of see but I loved it anyway. Even though they never needed the mask’s they stuck and refined the design to be more “Phantom of the opera” like for their next opus “Transcendence”. They still looked stupid! I was almost embarrassed to admit to people I was a fan of these guys. To this day their fan base still whisper in small circles of their loyalty. The album however is considered to be one of metal’s finest. A perfect slab otherworldly music that will… well…transcend you! Midnights vocal soar to the stratosphere, Guitar themes galore and Jon Drenning’s classic solos. The best cuts are….all of em! It’s a pure diamond. Then it all ended. They got signed to Atlantic, Removed the masks, looked like hair metal and put out the gut wrenching awful “Strange and Beautiful.” Midnight quickly quit, went into a life of abuse from witch he never recovered. (He died last year of kidney and liver failure). Crimson Glory now exists as a ghost of it’s former self. But for those first two records, they will live in Metal’s Eternal World!

4. DESTRUCTION: I crack up whenever I hear band names that are so blatant. Destruction holds that honor for good reason…they DESTROY!! This once three piece, sometimes a quartet were never really big here in the States. Meanwhile they are considered one of the “Three Kings” of 80’s German thrash in Europe (along with Kreator and Sodom). These days they are still around doing what they do which is fine but mostly rehashed material with better production. I like them better when they were more sinew and true instead of being a business model of themselves. Formed around 83’ Their first EP “Sentence of Death” was as raw as it came. Complete with drum fuck ups, broken strings that did not matter and what sounded like one take, full run through vocal tracks (with overdubs on a second track). Who cares. It was visceral, and pure. The album cover photo looks like it was taken by one of their moms with a Polaroid. The sound however was like you were in front of an Uzi. They came into their own and got some money to put out the neck slashing “Infernal Overkill” filled with razor burn riffs and the strangest screams you ever heard from Marcel Schirmer. A metal classic. “Eternal Devastation” followed with an identical yet wonderful style. The tongue and cheek “Mad Butcher” is fine but a bit weak for my taste. Then they added second guitarist Harry Wilkens and recorded their what I considered their masterpiece “Release From Agony”. A mind bending, oil thick metal. So deep and curling are the songs like “Sign Of Fear”, “Unconscious Ruins” and the title track bring a quivering experience. It’s a wonderful and forgotten slab that was followed by the goofy “Cracked Brain”…..that came out in 1990. What is it about that year that seems to destroy great metal? Ah well.. the 80’s Destruction will live Beyond Eternity!

5. FATES WARNING: What a cool name for a band! This is probably the most well known entry but I am making a point to focus on the records during the 80’s. You know, when they were METAL! Sure they always had progressive tendencies but that did not blossom until the fantastic “Perfect Symmetry.” Their ironically and aptly titled 1989 crossover record. Once the 90’s arrived, they became “Prog Fates” which I dearly love mind you. But back to the gritty and 80’s Fates “Metal Blade” years. It started with “Night On Brocken”, whose original cover was a woman being burned at the stake. This was inexplicably replaced with a stock photo of the Moon for the reissue. Primitive sound, yet wonderful with thoughtful cuts like “The Calling” and “Damnation.” Then came “The Spectre Within” Which for some reason feels more raw and under produced than “Night On Brocken.” Still, gotta love that fucking cover!! Then came “Awaken The Guardian” Also a nice cover but don’t know how it relates to the title. This is a special record for it is the most mature so far. Great production and lots of heart went into this recording. John Arch is a very unique singer who has great range, genuine emotion and terrible diction. You will need a lyric card for this guy! Yet he is very respected and rightly so. Songs like “Fata Morgana”, Prelude To Ruin” and the deeply moving “Guardian” truly astound. **Total self brag here** I got to see the duet of this song in Hartford CT with both John Arch and Ray Alder. Fucking bliss! That and witnessing live the Buckner fumble at Shea at game 6! Too priceless! Back to Fates, Ray Alder came into the fold during the “No Exit” disk which was to be their last pure metal record. I loved it! Songs like “Anarchy Devine”, “Silent Cries” and the mammoth “Ivory Gate Of Dreams” stamped into my brain. Don’t get me wrong, I still embrace the “modern” Fates of today. Hell my favorite album, oddly, is “A Pleasant Shade Of Gray.” But I always love going back in time to discover their long time past.

5 honorable mentions..

1. Leatherwolf: They looked kinda like posers but actually RAWKED!! Triple axe attack and complex song structures brought them to a higher level than hair metal. Dumb name but cool band. Horns song: Rise and Fall

2. Sanctuary: They are one of my faves but they have had rediscovery now that Nevermore is everywhere. Still who does not feel the pure steel of “Refuge Denied” and the soul of “Into The Mirror Black?” Horns song: Battle Angels

3. Scanner: A 80’s German power metal treat! Thick accented German vocals, Fun heavy riffs and topics that just make you go Huh? I mean what is a “Galator” anyway? Who cares! They rule! Horns song: From The Dust Of Ages

4. Vicious Rumors: Another tragic loss on this list. Wonderful vox man Carl Albert died tragically after the recording “War of Words” and Geoff Thorpe never found his footing again. Still They had 3 great records from the 80’s (and one from the 90’s that is their masterpiece) that needs to be etched in stone. Horns song: Lady Took A Chance

5. Toxik Toxic: These guys could have been legends but it was not to be. Formed just 3 towns over from me, they had a power thrash assault with the craziest vox you ever heard. Whirlwind guitars and clever lyrics. But they also had two singers, an asshole guitarist and… well… were from the New York suburbs. They vanished in an instant…except from this metal heart. Horns song: World Circus.

In Metal!!

Michael Grant
Mike is the singer for Crescent Shield

Eddie Trunk was the master of ceremonies and started things off by stating how honored he was to be hosting such an event. Obviously Eddie is a huge Dio fan. He did a fine job as host and had a few entertaining personal stories regarding his relationship with Dio’s music and Dio the man.

One of the early speakers and also one of the highlights of the day was Dio’s high school friend (sorry I forgot his name). He gave a touching speech, stating how Dio would be missed at their 50th high school reunion and just how much he misses his friend.

Another one of the most interesting and moving speeches was from Ronnie James Dio’s son Dan Padavona. He related how he and his father shared a love of music. His dad was always someone who could totally understand his love of hard rock and heavy metal. Although Dan is not a musician, growing up with Ronnie James Dio as a father, it was inevitable he would develop a passion for heavy metal.

As the day went on we were treated to video clips and photos of each stage of Dio’s long music career, starting back with pictures from his early rockabilly days, through Elf, Rainbow, Sabbath, and Dio. Ronnie James Dio was a lifelong musician. He even received a scholarship to Julliard for trumpet at the age of 7. There was also a special video showing some of the more elaborate stage sets and theatrics from the Sacred Heart era. That brought back a few memories for me.

Throughout the day there were acoustic performances of many classic Dio and non Dio songs. Oni Logan performed a great version of a tune from one of Dio’s earlier recordings, ‘Sitting in a Dream’ from Roger Glover’s The Butterfly Ball. One of the most impressive performances of the day was from Joey Belladonna from Anthrax. He sang ‘Man on the Silver Mountain’. His voice sounded great and this acoustic version of the song was excellent. Geoff Tate was another highlight performing ‘Hallelujah’. Glenn Hughes, Dio’s favorite hard rock singer, closed out the performances with ‘Rainbow Eyes’ ‘Catch the Rainbow’.

Toward the end of the day we heard about Ronnie’s charity work with Children of the Night and his newly formed Stand Up and Shout Foundation. Stand Up and Shout is focused on early cancer detection and treatment and it was sad to hear Ronnie would have had a much better chance of beating his stomach cancer if it was diagnosed earlier. Looks like foundation is off to a good start as there was a long line of fans queued up to purchase a memorial shirt proceeds of which went to the charity. The foundation also plans to have two memorial concerts to honor Dio and raise funds. One is planned for London and the other for Los Angeles. They plan to make this a yearly event. During this time Wendy Dio said a few words about Ronnie and thanked the fans. She was obviously very emotional.

The memorial was a fitting send off for the best vocalist hard rock and heavy metal has ever known. It was really nice thing for the fans not only that this day was put together, but run so well. It was a pleasure to be part of a day honoring such a special songwriter, performer, and human being. I’ll miss you Dio.