Portal – Swarth
Here’s an album that definitely is not for everybody! Translation: this is some pretty weird stuff. Portal’s Swarth can be described as noisy, dissonant death metal, but that description doesn’t convey the impact of this music. There is a terrifying otherworldy quality to this album. The band’s moniker fits the music well because listening to this is like being transported to some hellish dark dimension. Every aspect of Swarth’s delivery is directed at making the listener uneasy. The riffs sound like a beast in its death throes, the bass bounds from a droning rumble to a thunderous gong, drums have an urgency verging on chaos, and the vocals are like a zombie trapped between worlds. The lyrics top it off with further weirdness. Many of the words appear to be invented by the band. Example:

Venous stasis fey terminus
Lugubrious everpuce perforate / disseminate
Polymouth clotting foul exsanguinate
Psyphonetaneous secrete

Swarth is an experience. It’s dirty, repulsive, atmospheric, scary, chaotic, raw, and unique. It takes time to fully discover and appreciate. To many it will just sound like a sloppy noisy mess, but as you begin to decipher the melodies and feel the affect of the music, you should discover what an artfully bizarre and disturbing experience Portal’s Swarth is.

Voivod – Infini
I consider Voivod to be one of the most innovative and consistent and ultimately best bands the history of metal. The final release with late guitarist/songwriter Piggy (Denis D’Amour) adds yet another fantastic recording to their extensive catalog of superb metal albums. This one is even better than their previous posthumous record Katorz. Piggy’s riffs are raw, glorious, and full of that distinct Piggy character. All the musicians deliver great performances actually. Jason Newstead’s bass is a great addition to Voivod’s ranks reminding me at times of the punishing bass attack of Blacky. My only complaint with latter day Voivod is Snake’s lyrics which are not as interesting as the cool scifi stuff from the 80s and 90s. With me, it’s a given when Voivod puts out an album it will be one of my favorite metal albums of the year. Its tremendously depressing that this will be the last one.

Slough Feg – Ape Uprising
I am so happy to say that Slough Feg’s lastest album Ape Uprising blows away their prior record Hardworlder. I dig everything about this record. I dig the ape theme, I dig the guitar playing, I dig the old school production, I dig the new drummer, I dig the artwork, and I dig Scalzi’s vocal delivery. Slough Feg is such a great band and it’s nice to see them gain a somewhat wider audience. If you don’t know them, check ‘em out. This is classic sounding heavy metal delivered with passion, authenticity and skill. They’ve been at this for years and they show no sign of deteriorating quality.

Vektor – Black Future
Retro thrash, rethrash, the thrash revival whatever you call it, hasn’t produced many bands of note. Unfortunately for me it’s produced only one band that’s worth listening to and that is Vektor. Most of these modern thrash bands, to put it politely, are “very heavily influenced” by Metallica, Exodus, and Slayer. Vektor comes from mix of German thrash legends Destruction and Canadian masters Voivod. Two of my favorite bands, no wonder I like Vektor I guess. These guys are way more than just a rehash of 80s thrash metal with stale lifeless modern production techniques. For one thing you can actually hear the bass guitar on this record. And it’s worth hearing to say the least. The interaction between the bass and guitars on this record is fantastic. The drumming is great too but what I really dig about this record besides all the killer riffs and solos, are the deadly screeching vocals of David Disanto. He sounds like the bastard son of Schmier from Destruction and Kenn Nardi of Anacrusis. The record has a cool sci fi theme and artwork obviously inspired by Voivod but Vektor have their own voice. Not only that, they’ve crafted one the most interesting, coherent, focused heavy metal records of 2009.

Wolves in the Throne Room – Malevolent Grain
I don’t listen to too much black metal but I am growing to like it more and more these days. I really have enjoyed this two song disc from Wolves in the Throne Room. I like the way it’s structured with a mostly slower acoustically driven song with a female vocalist to start the record. Then a more traditional faster black metal tune with harsh male vocals. That’s it, it’s an EP, two songs clocking in at 23 min total. These guys lean toward a more pagan rather than satanic approach to their lyrics. In an interview I read with them, I found their philosophies a bit peculiar. They appear to be very spiritual – you might say they are downright weird.  Well, their music fits their attitude because I find this CD to be hypnotic and almost trance-like at times yet vicious as well. It’s quite a feat that they managed to create this almost dichotomous atmosphere not to mention remain melodic as well. Additionally, the production on this recording is fantastic. You can really feel the intensity of the playing, like they’re almost playing dangerously fast yet they maintain it for a long period of time like a runaway train. This ain’t no digitally perfect, safe, overly compressed sounding record.

Motorhead – Motorizer
I am so late to the game with Motorhead it’s not even funny. Rather sad actually. Yeah folks I only learned to appreciate Motorhead this year! No shit – 2009. But at least now I can finally say I love them. I’ve been discovering their catalog and it’s full of gems. Surprisingly one of my favorites they’ve done is their latest record from 2008, Motorizer. So close to 2009 I decided to include it here. It’s full of all the raw piss and vinegar, attitude, and Lemmy-wisdom Motorhead has been known for for the past thirty years. It’s a testament to the band that after such a long career they still have what it takes to put out a fucking ass kicker like Motorizer. No filler – all Lemmy and crew-styled killer! Rock out!

Honorable Mention

Crescent Shield – The Stars of Never Seen
That’s right — me!!! I am really proud of our 2009 release and we are lucky enough to be on some best metal of 2009 lists: namely Jeremy Morse and John Ray over at metalreview.com

He goes on to say (I think) that this is all fresh material for the new album. If this snippet of progressive metal greatness is any indication, the album certainly has promise. I loved Control and Resistance and it will be nice to have a follow up after 20 years. I consider Control and Resistance one of best technical progressive heavy metal records.

If you haven’t heard Ron’s latest progressive metal disc check out the video below. It’s a song from Blotted Science which Ron refers to as progressive death metal although its all instrumental. This video is from his forthcoming instructional DVD and its really inspiring. The guy is highly creative and experimental. He plays the whole song ‘Oscillation Cycles’ at the end of the video, so skip all the music theory if you’re not interested. You can see why Ron Jarzombek is regarded as one the premiere prog metal guitarists. The guy really knows music theory and pushes himself to greater heights of creativity and uniqueness with each release. Heavy metal music needs people like this!

Here’s the message from Wendy Dio on Dio’s website http://www.ronniejamesdio.com/

“Ronnie has been diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer. We are starting treatment immediately at the Mayo Clinic. After he kills this dragon, Ronnie will be back on stage, where he belongs, doing what he loves best, performing for his fans.

“Long live rock and roll, long live Ronnie James Dio.

“Thanks to all the friends and fans from all over the world that have sent well wishes. This has really helped to keep his spirit up.”

Best wishes Dio, we love you.

11/25/09: Just hung up the phone with both Wendy Dio and Ronnie James Dio himself. Obviously the news was just released about Ronnie having stomach cancer. I was aware of this a number of days ago but did not say anything public until Ronnie’s camp was ready to release the news. As I have said in the past, Ronnie has always been one of my closest friends and biggest supporters over the many years we have worked together doing various things. We have a friendship far beyond just music and he being a musician and me being a host. So I have been in a knot over this news when I was first told about it around a week ago. The results of the many tests he has had were made known yesterday, so now he knows exactly what he is dealing with and will soon find out the course of action. The GREAT news is that it did not spread and is in an early stage! I just hung up with him and he sounded great. The usual RJD, totally commited to “killing the dragon”, and he will!. He is not in pain, sounded great, and was ready to do what he has to do and get back on stage and sing like only he can! It was great to have spent about 20 minutes on the phone with him and hear how positive he was and thankful for all the support from his many fans. He’s already made a few changes to his diet that he said has helped him feel great and admitted his days of having a few drinks are mostl likely behind him. I will share what I can when I can, but know Ronnie is ready to fight and win, and anyone who knows the man knows he will succeed! Lets all continue to keep him in our thoughts and prayers going forward for a speedy recovery. Yes Ronnie is a great singer and icon for the music we love, but he is an even better person and I know he will beat this!

Surgery
The goal of surgery is to remove all of the stomach cancer and a margin of healthy tissue, when possible.

Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-powered beams of energy to kill cancer cells. The energy beams come from a machine that moves around you as you lie on a table.

Radiation therapy can be used before surgery (neoadjuvant radiation) to shrink a stomach tumor so it’s more easily removed. Radiation therapy can also be used after surgery (adjuvant radiation) to kill any cancer cells that might remain around your stomach. Radiation is often combined with chemotherapy. In cases of advanced cancer, radiation therapy may be used to relieve side effects caused by a large tumor.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses chemicals to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs travel throughout your body, killing cancer cells that may have spread beyond the stomach.

Depressing stats from Wikipedia

Metastasis (the spread of a disease from one organ or part to another non-adjacent organ or part) occurs in 80-90% of individuals with stomach cancer, with a six month survival rate of 65% in those diagnosed in early stages (Dio is in early stage) and less than 15% of those diagnosed in late stages.

And lets experience one of Dio’s magical performances:

Rules:

• Song must be over 7 minutes in length (or damn close)
• Song must feel epic
• It helps if it tells a story
• One song per band

10. Judas Priest – Victim of Changes
Judas Priest basically wrote the book on epic metal if not metal itself. Right out of the gate on their first album they presented the brilliant and melancholy epic metal masterpiece Run of the Mill. And this was in 1974! Then they follow it up on the next album with Victim of Changes! Well there you go folks, some of the earliest and best epics of all. It seems Halford’s voice is capable of anything and he certainly knows how to tell a story and take the listener on an emotional journey. And the KK’s guitar solo on this song is a journey in and of itself. A true classic.

9. Enslaved – Lunar Force
Blistering Intensity is natural to Enslaved. They are masterful songwriters skilled in dynamics, melody, primitive fury, and philosophical explorations. They are truly one of metal’s best bands and have produced a string of crushing epics throughout their history. It’s hard to pick a best one but Lunar Force stands out for for its juxtaposition of haunting melodies, otherworldly atmosphere, and bone shattering power. Delving into the sparse lyrics reveals an epic and tragic theme that is both surprising and multidimensional.

8. Queensryche – Suite Sister Mary
Queensryche has two inspired grandiose epic metal songs, Suite Sister Mary and Roads to Madness. Roads is incredible but I give the edge to this one. I just love the arrangement. There are not many riffs in the song but it moves along and captivates. Geoff Tate is exceptional. The main riff is pure metal bliss – deceptively complex and driven by a simple bass (drum) thump by Scott Rockenfield. But what makes the song truly haunting is Chris Degarmo’s stunning clean picked theme. A theatrical masterpiece.

7. Manowar – Bridge of Death
Manowar is one the greatest epic metal bands of all. It’s really hard to choose a best epic from them. You’ve got Mountains which I just love. You’ve got Battle Hymn, Guyana, Gates Of Valhalla, Revelation, and March for Revenge. “For When We March Your Sword Rides With Me” – that’s got be one of the most epic lines in all of metal history! I could really have placed any of these exalted metal classics on the list but, Bridge of Death is so awesome with its superb melodic riffs and imagery. And it’s so evil!

6. Fates Warning – The Ivory Gate of Dreams

Well here’s longest song on the list. A whole side of an album (if that means anything anymore). 21 minutes! And not one second of boredom. This song appeared on ‘No Exit’ which was new vocalist Ray Alder’s debut with Fates Warning. He undoubtedly had some huge shoes to fill and rose to the occasion in a big way. His screams are legendary as is his passionate and melodic delivery. Songwriter Jim Matheos really went all out on this song, piecing together eight distinct parts into an expansive and moving vision. Their previous epic songs with John Arch like Exodus or Prelude to Ruin are arguably better, but this song has a special place in my heart for its sheer ambition, passion, intensity, heaviness, and diversity.

5. Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell
Ronnie James Dio is responsible for taking metal fans on many epic journeys throughout his career. Heaven and Hell is one of the best. When he teamed up with Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler it was pure magic. It’s a testament to these massively talented guys that they have been involved in so many monumental metal projects. Just listen to classic main riff of this tune! Pure metal through and through. And I love Dio’s majestic yet “open to interpretation” lyrics. Yes you will see Black Sabbath again on this list but I get a pass because this is Dio-Sabbath, and Dio-Sabbath is especially worthy of note to say the least.

4. Mercyful Fate – Satan’s Fall
I’ve always been in awe of the genius of this song. The riffs never fucking repeat for 11+ minutes (until the very end)! But it still sounds like a focused and coherent song. Riff after brilliant riff, a flurry of catchy diverse vocal melodies, superbly creative drumming, one clever transition after another, and a slew of great solos – unbelievable! And it’s all packaged up to propel the listener on a wicked voyage to the depths of hell. The song is a beast that takes few listens to digest but it’s worth it. By the time that intro riff comes back around again you really feel like you’ve witnessed the rescue of Satan from a perilous demise.

3. Black Sabbath – War Pigs
There’s no metal fan who hasn’t heard this song is there? If anyone can claim to have invented metal it’s Sabbath. Well, they invented epic metal too. As soon as the haunting overture of War Pigs hits you, with sirens wailing, you know you’re in for a dark and sinister trip. Then the punch of the simple 2 chord riff and Ozzy’s chant-like vocals take us ever onward into the black oblivion of war and unchecked power. Sabbath has a long career of brilliant epic heavy metal classics. The Writ deserves special mention for its mind-blowing arrangement and shredding vocal performance by Ozzy. But War Pigs is one of metal’s most respected songs for good reason, it’s just brilliant on every level. And you will get little argument with that.

2. Iron Maiden – Hallowed be Thy Name
Here we go again. It’s nearly impossible to pick just one epic metal song from Iron Maiden. They are one band that is known for their epics. And why not? To Tame a Land, Alexander the Great, The Rime (not Rhyme) of the Ancient Mariner. These are some of the best metal tunes of all time. Hail Steve Harris for weaving so many tales into enduring epic heavy metal songs. Hallowed be Thy Name is such a perfect song it seems. It’s so ominous, so filled with catchy riffs, so descriptive in its storytelling, so perfectly arranged, and so expertly performed.

1. Rainbow – Stargazer

This is perhaps the grand daddy of all epics. Towers, wizards, stars, rainbows – this is the textbook of epic metal imagery. But it’s so much more. The tragic nature of the song leaves a lasting impression. And the riff! Ritchie Blackmore has written so many great songs in his long career but this riff is perhaps the most meaningful in that it is the foundation for one of the best songs in the genre. And I can’t forget the magnificent solo which takes you to the brink of the precipice and tearfully nudges you over the edge. Add to that a truly magical performance by Ronnie James Dio and by the time you get to the fade out you never want it to end.

Here are a few runners up that deserve mention:

• Opeth – Godhead’s Lament (Opeth’s best)
• Voivod – Jack Luminous (Not known for epics but they crafted an awesome space epic!)
• Ozzy – Diary of a Madman (too short but massively epic feel)
• Metallica – Master of Puppets (doesn’t feel quite epic enough but a killer song)
• Helloween – Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 (a classic epic indeed)

There you have it. There are always dissenting opinions so if you feel compelled, add a comment below! And if you hunger for more, check out my own attempts at epic metal glory (’The Endurance’ is our 9 minute epic)!

There’s a video of his band performing at some club on youtube. It’s mediocre to say the least. I don’t listen to much black metal but Cage Jr doesn’t prompt me to venture beyond Bathory and Enslaved. Snarky comments are welcome.

JUDAS PRIEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Judas Priest – British Steel Live a the Gibson Amphitheater, Los Angeles CA.

They were beyond awesome!! British Steel live was fucking godly! I have new found love for this masterful heavy metal classic.
Highlights: The Rage (holy shit!!!), Steeler, Rapid Fire (no low points – all killer!)

The rest of the set was also killer!!
Highlights: Victim of Changes (screams!!), The Ripper, Diamonds and Rust
Low points: Nostradamus, Hell Patrol

The performance was filled with passion and energy. The lead playing was incredible, they were really feeling it. KK was fucking on fire, his leads on The Rage were amazing. The sound was intense, great guitar sound, crunchy but with character. Halford was just fucking incredible. What a voice and what a presence. My voice is shot, neck is sore, and I’m still recovering. PRIEST RULES!!

Heavy Metal is my religion! Halford is god, Priest are gods. All hail!!!

This Ain’t the Summer of Love

Now for a little FRIENDLY argument for metal’s sake. You know I’m not foaming at the mouth when I write this shit. But it’s something I feel strongly about.

I don’t know where the hell everybody seems to get this idea that I’m so unmetal these days. I’ve always thought the beauty of metal is that there’s a very wide scope of music that falls under its banner. I’m just SO unmental because I dig listening to Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Judas Priest, Witchfinder General, Diamond Head, Angel Witch, Quartz, Cirith Ungol, Manilla Road, Savatage, Death, Cynic, Forbidden, Heavy Load, Sortilege, Mercyful Fate, Fates Warning, Sanctuary, Nevermore (pre 7 string!), Anacrusis, Sacrifice, Control Denied, Pentagram and slews of other bands. I guess those bands aren’t metal. And just because I don’t wear corpsepaint, claim Satan’s my best buddy or have a gazillion tats and piercings I’m definitively not a metalhead. I really dig hashing this out with people. For a good example, though I still love Maiden, I really have to say that I prefer going direct to the source for early dual guitar teams: Thin Lizzy, Wishbone Ash, Bubble Puppy (they changed their name to Demian for legal purposes) or Lynyrd Skynyrd (first TRIPLE axe attack!). Yup, Maiden’s great, but they always wore their influences on their sleeves. Who can blame ‘em? It was far better than going the Sex Pistols route! I’m a Maiden fan and will be one till the day I die. Was on the floor for the last Sydney gig. All ’cause I’m just NOT metal anymore. I have more metal on vinyl than most kiddies have CDs or MP3s.

For argument’s sake too… I FULLY agree with the notion that many of the bands I dig are just heavy rockers. Some of them don’t quite stay HEAVY long enough to warrant being called metal. That’s fine by me. Heavy metal came from somewhere. It wasn’t forged overnight. Its birth pangs were heard back in ‘66 on American shores through a few tunes by the 13th Floor Elevators–and in England the same year through The Who, Cream, the Yardbirds and the Animals. Crude, but heavier and decidedly more sinister than the Beatles. Hell, the Stones were always far darker than the Liverpudlian lads.

In another year we had Jimi. To this day I still can’t believe the pyrotechnic playing of Hendrix originated in ‘67! It’s timeless! Take a look around and see how many kids are flashin’ down the street (”If 6 Was 9″ lyrics there!) sportin’ a Jimi shirt in 2009! That he was a black/American Indian crossbreed dude makes it all the more mindblowing. Deep Purple was in its infancy, still doing the odd Neil Diamond cover and hanging to folky roots, but they’d go full-tilt soon enough. ‘68 was a magic year. Stateside we got Blue Cheer, loud ‘n’ primal as hell. Three Marshall stacks on each side ain’t chopped liver. In Britan we had Zeppelin and Free and Humble Pie three of the biggest powerhouses known to man–or woman! Free six-stringer Paul Kossoff taught folks that you could say more without wanking out a gazillion notes a second. Poor, tortured Koss! For heaviness in the bass department, look no further than Andy Fraser. How could notes so HEAVY come out of such a small dude? He didn’t need to play on anything after Free, because Andy had already written the book on heavy bass playing between the ages of 16 and 20.

At the tail end of ‘69 Sabbath was getting their balls to the wall show on the road, but their S/T record wouldn’t hit the stands till the sublimely sorcerous opening of the Seventies. Ditto for New Yorkers Mountain. With ‘em we got Thin Lizzy (Eire!), Trapeze (see “Jury” off their MEDUSA LP for one of the most massive slabs of doom-laden riffage ever to slither their way out of Midland UK slime), Budgie, Freedom, Atomic Rooster, Hard Stuff, Three Man Army and many other ragin’ raw rockers. Americans Captain Beyond (with Brit transplant Rod Evans on vocals), Aerosmith, Granicus, Lincoln Street Exit and Highway Robbery ripped rock a new asshole in the early 1970s.

In Australia we had Head in 1970, who thankfully altered their moniker to the ever-popular B tab of the alphabet–becoming Buffalo. Buffalo, bloody Buffalo! The Oz equivalent of Sabbath. Make no mistake, have no qualms about it, those blokes were the epitome of metal for their first three LPs. Brash volume freaks with lyrics that either stalked the gutter or soared into seas beyond–from “I’m a Skirt Lifter, Not a Shirt Raiser” to “Dune Messiah,” those blokes really had it goin’ on in a major way until they lost axeslinger extraordinaire John Baxter.

What ABOOT them Canadians? Rush and A Foot in Cold Water paved their road, followed by Moxie.

Every once in a while a current act will come along that really impresses me. It happens a lot less now than it used to. I’ll be the first to admit that I think very little honest innovation is happening in metal. I feel technology is making people lazy and sapping the humanity out of music. For all the simplicity digital recording is meant to offer, it sure takes some bands a hell of a long time to get something “in the can.” Has metal lost its spontaneity? Conceived in rough ‘n’ ready fashion, is it being slicked and smoothed to death?

Well, that’s a brief history lesson and a bit of commentary. I could go on for hours, days, months… We’d be sitting here till 2020 if you really get me going. What do I know? I’m just a bitter old cynical fart, you say? Well, trends may come and go, but METAL has survived for four decades now, and it isn’t liable to die anytime soon. So, you can label me a dinosaur. That’s just fine by me! This ain’t the Garden of Eden, and this ain’t Summer of Love, baby!

Perry is a guitarist, singer and songwriter. Check out his hard rocking band Falcon for some pure, raw, heaviness. Falcon is on myspace too. Perry and I also played together in the metal band Destiny’s End.