I consider the following must own classics:

Rock City (1977)
Narita (1979)
Fire Down Under (1981)
Restless Breed (1982)
Born In America (1983)
Thundersteel (1988)
The Privilege of Power (1990)

Fire Down Under is so incredible! I listen to it all the time. But really I can’t say I’ve heard a bad Riot album. Sadly I have never seen them live. :-( RIP Mark, your musical legacy will live on.

Mark Reale, the founding guitarist of the legendary metal band RIOT, passed away earlier today (Wednesday, January 25) in a San Antonio hospital due to complications of Crohn’s disease — an ailment he has battled for most of his life. He was 56 years old.

Reale had reportedly been in a coma for the past two weeks after suffering a subarachnoid hemorrhage on January 11.

Mark spent most of his life working and performing while enduring almost constant pain and the side effects of treatment for Crohn’s disease. He was in Texas bravely attempting to practice for the shows, but was felled by a severe onset of Crohn’s symptoms, leaving him in the Intensive Care Unit at an undisclosed facility. Mark was struggling with these symptoms throughout the production of RIOT’s new album, “Immortal Soul”, and guitarist Mike Flyntz recorded a major portion of the guitars on the LP with Mark’s creative direction while Reale was unable to perform.

“With the news that Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi has been diagnosed with the early stages of lymphoma, his bandmates would like everyone to send positive vibes to the guitarist at this time. Iommi is currently working with his doctors to establish the best treatment plan–the “IRON MAN” of Rock & Roll remains upbeat and determined to make a full and successful recovery.

“This comes as Black Sabbath–Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums)–are writing and recording their first album in 33 years in Los Angeles (still set for release this fall) with producer Rick Rubin. They will now go to the UK to continue to work with Tony. Further information will be released as it becomes available.”

From Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s website:

What Is Lymphoma?

Lymphoma is the name for a group of blood cancers that develop in the lymphatic system. The two main types are Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

In 2010, about 628,415 people are living with lymphoma or are in remission (no sign of the disease). This number includes about 153,535 people with Hodgkin lymphoma and 474,880 people with NHL.

Hodgkin lymphoma has characteristics that distinguish it from other diseases classified as lymphoma, including the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells. These are large, cancerous cells found in Hodgkin lymphoma tissues, named for the scientists who first identified them. Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the most curable forms of cancer.

NHL represents a diverse group of diseases distinguished by the characteristics of the cancer cells associated with each disease type. Most people with NHL have a B-cell type of NHL (about 85 percent). The others have a T-cell type or an NK-cell type of lymphoma. Some patients with fast-growing NHL can be cured. For patients with slow-growing NHL, treatment may keep the disease in check for many years.

KING’S X 2012 tour dates:

Mar. 28 – Dirty Dog Bar – Austin, TX
Mar. 29 – Warehouse Live Studio – Houston, TX
Mar. 30 – Trees – Dallas, TX
Apr. 01 – House of Rock – Corpus Christi, TX
Apr. 03 – The Rock – Tucson, AZ
Apr. 05 – Key Club – West Hollywood, CA
Apr. 06 – Brick by Brick – San Diego, CA
Apr. 07 – The Coach House – San Juan, CA
Apr. 10 – Don Quixote’s – Felton, CA
Apr. 12 – Cargo – Reno, NV
Apr. 13 – The Boardwalk – Orangevale, CA
Apr. 14 – Pound West Oakland – Oakland, CA
Apr. 17 – Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, OR
Apr. 18 – El Corazon – Seattle, WA
Apr. 21 – Herman’s Hideaway – Denver, CO

They are not getting any younger so if you’re a fan you know how great they are, don’t miss ‘em! And if you haven’t seen them do it!!

“We are thrilled to announce that a special Helstar 30th Anniversary Concert will take place in Houston, Texas on Saturday, March 24th at Warehouse Live! The entire show will be audio & video recorded and later released as the first official live Helstar album and DVD! Tickets are on sale now at this location!:
http://warehouselive.frontgatetickets.com/choose.php?a=1&lid=63404&eid=71956”

I remember back in 86 Remnants of War was constantly played on my turntable. Helstar has put out quality metal for many years and is definitely a classic band. I love ‘em. Happy anniversary Helstar!

Captain Beyond’s self titled album from 1972 is one of the best hard rock records of the 70s. I freaking live that album. If you haven’t heard you MUST! Spotify link to Captain Beyond

RIP Larry.

The original line-up for Captain Beyond were singer Rod Evans, drummer Bobby Caldwell, guitarist Larry “Rhino” Reinhardt, bassist Lee Dorman and keyboardist Lewie Gold. Rhino Reinhardt and Dorman also had played in Iron Butterfly.

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?

Its both sad and entertaining to see how much dave Mustaine has lost the plot.

Read the entertaining and depressing interview at MTV. The interviewer hammers him pretty hard.

Excellent Chuck tribute and historical article.
NPR Remembers Chuck

The new video for Arch/Matheos’ song Midnight Serenade from their AWESOME album Sympathetic Resonance.

Great video!
No stupid concept, yay!
John Arch is not wearing a hat, yay!
Guitar solo edited out, boo!