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Compilations
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New Comments
The following are the newest comments about discs in the Brutal Metal
database. Click on the album name to go to the page for that CD and
add comments of your own!
| CD:
Helloween - Better Than Raw |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: May 27, 2023 at 4:24 |
| excellent release for HELLOWEEN and imho one of their best ever with a massive production ,strong electric sound and many good songs with Deris showing his vocal and songwriting ability!"hey lord","time","i can"are gine songs indeed!essential
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| CD:
Vicious Rumors - Something Burning |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: May 22, 2023 at 19:40 |
| Pretty good release for VICIOUS RUMORS or what s left of them being a total different band after Carl s death and some of the members changed!raw heavy sound but not those astonishing guitars and even more plain songs tha t dont really work even though there is a certain quality!def their worst at the time
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| CD:
Vicious Rumors - Word of Mouth |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: May 19, 2023 at 3:54 |
| excellent release once more for VICIOUS RUMORS getting along with a more groovy updated 90 s sound and the result is big as expected!all the songs standout with amazing melodic and heavy lines,sensational vocals and those trademark guitars!great times and one of the greatest heavy metal bands still on
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| CD:
Nuclear Assault - Survive |
| From: ItalRocker |
Date: May 18, 2023 at 17:34 |
| This record rocks! Even the Zeppelin cover is great!
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| CD:
Vicious Rumors - Welcome To The Ball |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: May 17, 2023 at 7:38 |
| excellent album once again for VICIOUS RUMORS with a massive production,blistering guitar work and Carl s amazing vocals!flawless heavy metal music with big songs choruses,solos and "when love comes down" stealing the show!great stuff
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| CD:
Kamelot - Haven |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: May 7, 2023 at 13:29 |
| Haven is another good one for KAMELOT but not as their ones with Roy on vocals!they seem to add some newer elements in their sound that i dont think suit them and overall the songs dont create the same vibe despite the fine musicianship
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| CD:
Vicious Rumors - Vicious Rumors |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: May 3, 2023 at 13:50 |
| excellent release for VICIOUS RUMOURS that i had the pleasure of buying and spinning when it was out !first one in Atlantic records and that one is a metal bliss with outstanding guitar and vocal work along with fine songwriting !flawless from start to finish ,this one is a must haveand one of the best ever power metal albums
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| CD:
Kamelot - Poetry For The Poisoned |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: May 1, 2023 at 10:43 |
| Pretty good release for KAMELOT offering their prog rock metal music pomp,epic,dark with interesting lines and arrangements !Khan s vocals always stealing the show but this time i feel the songs could be a bit better!Good stuff
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| CD:
Vicious Rumors - Digital Dictator |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: April 26, 2023 at 7:05 |
| excellent release for VICIOUS RUMORS and a classic of the 80 s US power metal scene with exceptional guitar work and amazing vocals!"lady took a chance","minute to kill","digital dictator" and "towns of fire" are great songs indeed!love it
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| CD:
Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare |
| From: CC |
Date: April 19, 2023 at 16:15 |
| Wow, what an ignorant comment. So far away isnt a fucking song writting for their fans girlfriends, it is a tribute to The Rev. Must be difficult being such a know it all and thinking your opinion actually matters.
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| CD:
Stress Factor 9 - Brainwarp Mindspin |
| From: Leykis101 |
Date: April 19, 2023 at 0:27 |
| This band was called Vertical After b4 this, with the impossible to find album Powered By Crime
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| CD:
Kamelot - Ghost Opera |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: April 18, 2023 at 9:00 |
| very good release for KAMELOT offering their progg power metal/rock with Roy s performance stealing the show but also the rest of the band giving a solid performance ,especially in the keys department!"rule the world","echo eden" are the highlights!very good stuff indeed
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| CD:
Suffocation - Effigy of the Forgotten |
| From: Leykis101 |
Date: April 10, 2023 at 9:24 |
| Just saw these guys with their new singer Ricky, I'll tell you right now, as good as the discs are, they do them no justice, if you ever want to see a killer live band, go check out these guys, Terrance Hobbs is one of the coolest dudes in metal, outside of being a legendary death metal guitarist, an 18 yr old girl couldnt get into the place they played, so Terrance brought the entire band outside to her, she broke down in tears, I about broke down in tears, selfless acts like this are rare, but they do happen, they allowed her to stand outside the door where she could see them play, those are not only killer musicians, but good people, props to Suffocation, btw, Ricky is fkn awesome, he's not trying to be Glen, he has his own style, and he kills it.
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| CD:
Helstar - Burning Star |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: March 15, 2023 at 12:44 |
| US power metal classic for HELSTAR from Texas back in 84 and one of those that defined the genre!great vocals and solos make it flawless from start to finish with songs like "burning star","run with the pack","possesion" and "witches eye"!great stuff
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| CD:
Accept - Russian Roulette |
| From: visitor |
Date: February 9, 2023 at 21:14 |
| This is an underrated album that rarely gets mentioned while people rave about Restless and Wild or Balls to the Wall. Those are gems, but this album deserves more than it gets. It’s the last album of the golden era of Accept and the last of five incredibly fine albums in a row. The band said they wanted to go back to their raw sound after the somewhat overly commercial Metal Heart and it really shows here, but as the other comment stated there’s still a commercial edge in form of catchy choruses and a clean production. The title track and Heaven Is Hell are the epic cornerstones of this album, but the other tracks rock as well. I don’t get tired of this album.
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| CD:
Accept - Restless and Wild |
| From: visitor |
Date: February 9, 2023 at 20:55 |
| The second of five Accept albums in a row that are all absolute metal classics. Fast as a Shark was the first Accept song I ever heard, and it absolutely rocked a teen boy’s world. And has ever since. The energy this band has is almost unsurpassed in the metal genre.
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| CD:
Accept - Breaker |
| From: visitor |
Date: February 9, 2023 at 20:48 |
| This is the first ”real” Accept album, that’s what the band said itself. Raw energy, sharp riffs and catchy choruses. No fillers here!
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| CD:
Accept - Breaker |
| From: visitor |
Date: February 9, 2023 at 7:23 |
| This is the first ”real” Accept album, that’s what the band said itself. Raw energy, sharp riffs and catchy choruses. No fillers here!
|
| CD:
Accept - I'm a Rebel |
| From: visitor |
Date: February 8, 2023 at 9:57 |
| No comments for this album yet, well it’s not a big surprise... it’s a step to the right direction from the debut but they’re still searching for their own sound. Luckily they found it on the next album, and the rest is history. Here they have the energy, but otherwise this album is still a bit all over the place. Some entertaining tracks here though; I’m a Rebel is of course the anthem for the gigs, and I also like Save Me, I Wanna Be No Hero and Do It. They were heading for success..!
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| CD:
Jag Panzer - The Age of Mastery |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: January 25, 2023 at 14:22 |
| very good release once again for JAG PANZER with Harry s vocals of course stealing the show along with remarkable musicianship as well!pure US power music ,oldschool and underground will satisfy most of the fans!
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| CD:
Jag Panzer - Mechanized Warfare |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: January 12, 2023 at 10:06 |
| excellent release for JAG PANZER with a massive US power metal sound and remarkable songwriting!the music is very well structured and performed and to be honest didnt expect that one to be so good!"take to the sky" and "hidden in my eyes " are the highlights !
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| CD:
Arch Enemy - Khaos Legions |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: January 4, 2023 at 16:32 |
| I'm in the minority on this one. I love it, but most everyone else seems to think it's tired, rehashed and uninspired. I think it's great, especially "Bloodstained Cross," "Under Black Flags," "No Gods, No Masters," "Through The Eyes Of A Raven" and "Thorns In My Flesh." The three instrumentals are all throwaways though, with the voice-over being total cheese. That alone could knock a full point off the rating. Otherwise, I guess maybe the newness of Arch Enemy was wearing off, causing many to shrug and move on? There isn't anything here that Doomsday Machine doesn't offer, but for the most part, I still dig this album quite a lot.
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| CD:
Arch Enemy - Rise of the Tyrant |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: January 4, 2023 at 16:24 |
| Man, I don't have much connection with this album at all. I think it's the production. The drums are barely there, just the faint popcorn-in-the-microwave of the double-bass. I don't hear any snare or toms when the guitars are raging (and they almost always are). It's hard for me to pick out individual songs because of that. So this is kind of Arch Enemy's lost album for me.
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| CD:
Arch Enemy - Doomsday Machine |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: January 4, 2023 at 16:09 |
| As much as I love Wages Of Sin, Doomsday Machine may be my favorite Arch Enemy album. The guitar shredding is off the charts here, and the production has such a punch. The songs combine the best aspects of the previous two albums, and while the tempos may not be as frenetic, it allows the songs to stick in your head. "Nemesis" is an all-time fan favorite, but even better is "My Apocalypse," one of Arch Enemy's best mid-paced stompers. And then there's the thrash-fest of "I Am Legend/Out For Blood," a track no one seems to talk about. Pretty much every other song is a standout as well, with eventhe instrumental "Hybrids Of Steel" seeming more like a real song rather than an interlude.
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| CD:
Arch Enemy - Anthems Of Rebellion |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: January 4, 2023 at 15:57 |
| Anthems Of Rebellion is kind of the junior version of Wages Of Sin, to my ears. Still a great album, but the songs seem a little more consciously catchy, without losing the signature sound. I guess that's entirely appropriate, given the album title. The band does start to pad things out with intros, interludes and outros, which they will continue to varying degrees going forward, and I don't think most of those songs add much to the proceedings. They either could have been left off completely or absorbed into other songs. "We Will Rise" was the big "single" here, but other highlights include "Dead Eyes See No Future," "Leader Of The Rats," "End Of The Line" and "Saints And Sinners."
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| CD:
Arch Enemy - Wages of Sin |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: January 4, 2023 at 15:49 |
| I saw Iron Maiden, Dio and Motorhead in 2003, and during the break between bands, one of the songs played over the PA system was "Heart Of Darkness." Me and my buddy, who had been the one to turn me on to Arch Enemy in the first place, flipped out.
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| CD:
Arch Enemy - Wages of Sin |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: January 4, 2023 at 15:45 |
| This was my entry to Arch Enemy. At that point, I was still an extreme-metal skeptic, but this band, along with Amon Amarth, made it easier to get into death metal. And granted, it's not death metal as in Cannibal Corpse. It's death-metal with heavy power and traditional metal influences that make the songs much more accessible to someone used to more typical rock songwriting. The extremity is there in the razor-sharp modern production, the double-bass drumming, the tuning of the guitars down to C, and of course in the vocals, but as things went in 2002, this went down pretty easily. As for the disc itself, although I endoy some of the Johan Liiva material, Wages Of Sin is really the beginning of Arch Enemy for me. Three of their bestsongs ever are "Burning Angel," "Heart Of Darkness" and "Ravenous," with other highlights being "Dead Bury Their Dead," "Web Of Lies," "Behind The Smile" and the slow, melancholy "Savage Messiah."
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| CD:
Exciter - Kill After Kill |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: December 19, 2022 at 16:55 |
| pretty good release for EXCITER back in 92 returning to their trio form and of course delivering some quality speed metal as they always do!not blowminding but still a good album
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| CD:
Dio - Sacred Heart |
| From: Doug |
Date: December 9, 2022 at 21:23 |
| Great documentary on Showtime on Dio. Been listening to RJD a lot lately. He and Vivian were a good pair, at least musically.
|
| CD:
Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: December 8, 2022 at 16:08 |
| IRON MAIDEN s debut is an alltime classic of the scene with a raw ,street heavy metal sound ,great solos and excellent songwriting!all the songs stand out and of course the artwork is unique
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| CD:
Exciter - Exciter (O.T.T.) |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: December 1, 2022 at 10:52 |
| very good album for EXCITER keeping on offering a heavy speed sound with great riffs and truly howling vocals!nothing new ,nothing blowminding but still consistent speed metal that doesnt disapoint."i wanna be king","dying to live" are the highlights
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| CD:
Opeth - Watershed |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: December 1, 2022 at 1:57 |
| Watershed.
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| CD:
Opeth - Watershed |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: December 1, 2022 at 1:56 |
| Some of the transitions within tracks aren't as seamless as they have been in the past, with the sudden, jazzy piano-and-drum break in "The Lotus Eater" standing out as particularly jarring and out of place, but rest of the song is aces. In fact, they all are, in their own way. I think the balance between death and prog was damn near perfect on Ghost Reveries, and while it's definitely tilting more toward prog on Watershed, I would have been totally happy if they had stuck close to this sound. Instead, they went full-bore into prog-rock. I fucking hated Heritage, and while later albums weren't as bad, that style is really not to my liking, and those albums are barely fit to sit on the same shelf as everything up through
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| CD:
Opeth - Watershed |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: December 1, 2022 at 1:47 |
| Watershed is the end of the old Opeth, their last album as a progressive death-metal band. There are still plentof ferrocious growls to be found on songs like "Heir Apparent" and "The Lotus Eater" and I think a couple others (the thing about Opeth at this point is that you get caught up in the songs and forget about counting growls). Mikael Akerfeldt's delivery on these songs is more desperate, almost frenzied in places, than we're used to hearing from him. But there are also several songs with entirely clean vocals, and even in the heavy songs, you can go for minutes at a stretch without hearing a roar. There's also a heavier keyboard presence than ever before, which only heightens that dark, elegiac, autumn/winter atmosphere that Opeth do so well. The disc actually begins with the arresting acoustic half-song "Coil," with its mournful dual vocals, before leading into the heaviest track, "Heir Apparent."
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| CD:
Korn - Life Is Peachy |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: November 28, 2022 at 13:43 |
| Also of note, Life Is Peachy is considerably shorter than the debut, since the songs in gengal are not long. Plus, several tracks, like "Twist," "Porno Creep" and "Low Rider," are little more than interludes. The overall sound is very murky and dark, and quite a few tracks blur together. The atmosphere is like being stuck in a small, stuffy room, or maybe that's me, since that's the setting in which I first heard the album.
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| CD:
Korn - Life Is Peachy |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: November 28, 2022 at 13:26 |
| There are certain songs, and moments within songs, that rival the material on the first album. But when a song breaks down and goes quiet in the middle? Look out! Here comes some of the worst singing you'll ever hear! I know, I know, Jonathan was probably going for that effect, trying to sound like somebody having a breakdown, and you certainly do get that feeling. But from a purely vocal/musical standpoint? Awful! David Silveria is the true star of the album—dude was a hell of a drummer. Listen to his work on "Porno Creep"—that flurry of ghost notes reminds me, oddly enough, of Frank Beard's work on certain songs on ZZ Top's Tejas album. Best songs here are "Chi," "Good God," "No Plac To Hide," "A.D.I.D.A.S.," and "Ass Itch." But "Twist," "Kunt!" and "Wicked" rank as some of their worst material ever. "Kill You" tries for more of the harrowing drama of "Daddy" and just ... fails.
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| CD:
Korn - Korn |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: November 22, 2022 at 16:07 |
| Before them, seven-string guitars were mostly a tool of the super-shredder, but Munky and Head used them in an entirely different way that was completely foreign to someone who cut their teeth on hair bands and thrash. And that tight, airless production seemed alien to someone used to the booming sounds of the '80's. In hindsight, and with hopefully some wisdom, I can see Korn's debut as a pretty good album, although it didn't have the impact on my life that it did for many other people.
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| CD:
Korn - Korn |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: November 22, 2022 at 16:01 |
| I always enjoyed the rhythmic nature of Korn (and nu-metal in general, for the most part). But as a child of late-stage hair-metal, I couldn't get behind what we all called "crybaby bullshit." Even though I was squarely in Korn's target demographic, I don't think I was ready for them. I still thought of metal as a fantasy and an escape (if I thought about it at all), and Korn's hyper-real themes did not really resonate with me. I had my problems for sure as a teenager, but didn't want to hear about the dreary, everyday dysfunction that was the reality for so many people. I wasn't molested, my parents were together and relatively happy, and I wasn't actively bullied at school. I couldn't always relate, and didn't always try. Anyway, it's damn near impossible to separate Korn's music from their subject matter, and there really weren't any bands in metal that dealt with those topics so nakedly in 1994. Korn broke a lot of ground, musically and thematically.
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| CD:
Korn - Follow the Leader |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: November 22, 2022 at 15:12 |
| There was a remix of "All In The Family" that came out prior to the album's release, and I don't know where it can be found nowadays. Anyway, "Reclaim My Place" and "Justin" regain some momentum, but things really start dragging in the late going, with a "My Gift To You" just plodding along for what seems like forever. But then there's "Earache My Eye," which seems perfectly suited for this band. Too bad it's a hidden track.
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| CD:
Korn - Follow the Leader |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: November 22, 2022 at 15:08 |
| I've grown more fond of Korn as the years go by. I'd never call them a "favorite band" or anything, but I can enjoy their first few albums for what they are, and I give them a lot of credit for doing something unique. Follow The Leader came out just as I was leaving for college, and was regularly heard blasting out of dorm rooms. The first half of the disc is pretty bangin', and gives me a warm, nostalgic feeling for a time when all doors still seemed to be open. I especially like "It's On" and "Dead Bodies Everywhere" along with the two singles. Things get more uneven beginning with the moronic "All In The Family." I remember Rolling Stone frowning and tut-tutting about the "gay-bashing" in the song, and at the time I thought they were clueless and had no sense of humor—this was how guys my age talked. We insisted we meant nothing by it and thought this song was a hoot, but now even the band admits it was completely asinine.
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| CD:
Korn - Untouchables |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: November 22, 2022 at 14:56 |
| One of the most distinctive things about Korn, especially on their first couple albums, was that close, claustrophobic production. The music sounded like it was recorded in a tiny, airless room with almost no reverb, with David Silveria's high, clanging piccolo snare and those seven-string riffs drilling into your skull. That sound really heightened the sense of dysfunction and paranoia that was so much a part of the band. On Untouchables, the sound is much bigger and more spacious, and as a result, Korn sounds a lot less unique. Also, there's no rapping at all, and even Jonathan's staccato, off-kilter vocal phrasing is dialed back in favor of him trying to actually sing—which, at this point, he is just not very good at. I liked the first single "Here To Stay" when it first came out, and maybe a couple other songs, and while I've come to appreciate the band's first few albums as the '90's get ever smaller in the rearview, Untouchables is where I get off the train. Oddly, their most rec
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| CD:
Realm - Endless War |
| From: ghettonation73 |
Date: November 9, 2022 at 23:28 |
| Realm is from Milwaukee. My home city, two of the former members of Realm, Steve Post and Mike Olson, are in a cover band called Thrasher. Thrasher is a local cover band in Milwaukee that covers mainly the "Big Four" of Thrash, but also do some other thrash metal covers. They kick ass.
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| CD:
Metal Church - The Dark |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: November 7, 2022 at 20:52 |
| Metal Church continue on with their not-quite-thrash sound, channeling the heaviest, fastest parts of Judas Priest (think "Riding On The Wind" and "Freewheel Burning") but with a more workmanlike approach. Also like Priest (specifically Defenders Of The Faith), The Dark is held back by very dated '80's production, and a try-hard metal anthem in "Start The Fire" that is pretty juvenile. On the plus side, "Watch The Children Pray" is an even better slow song than the previous album's "Gods Of Wrath," and "Ton Of Bricks," "Method To Your Madness" and the title track are top highlights. A few songs in the late going tend to blur together a bit, but each is strong when taken on its own. I prefer the debut, but The Dark is a good follow-up.
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| CD:
Metal Church - Metal Church |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: November 7, 2022 at 20:41 |
| First released independently in 1984 and then picked up by Elektra and reissued the next year, Metal Church's debut comes storming out of the gate with a sound that dabbles in thrash, but is not as all-in as the Big Four, which kinda puts them on the same level as Armored Saint. There are some cheesy elements—remember the times—like the voice-over that opens the album and the lyrics to the title track, but overall this is one strong, underrated release. Great production as well, with loud bass, crisp drumming (killer performances by Arrington) and nasty, grinding riffs topped by the banshee screech of the late David Wayne—easy to imagine Blitz Ellsworth listening very closely. Thrashy moments abound in "Hitman," "My Favorite Nightmare," "Battalions" and the instrumental "Merciless Onslaught," while things cool down for the sort-of-ballad "Gods Of Wrath." The best track though is the ripping opener "Beyond The Black." The unhinged cover of "Highway Star" is entertaining as well.
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| CD:
Exciter - Unveiling the Wicked |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: November 5, 2022 at 8:48 |
| excellent heavy metal music for EXCITER back in 86 slowing down a bit and offering more anthemic songs with losing their rough & mean attitude!the guitar work is great and some good songs here like "break down the walls","die in the night","(i hate) school rule" and "shout it out"!recommended
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| CD:
Overkill - Horrorscope |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 31, 2022 at 15:01 |
| Blitz is still Blitz, God love him, but he seems to have refined his David Wayne-like screech, and it comes off as less grating than in the past.
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| CD:
Overkill - Horrorscope |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 31, 2022 at 14:56 |
| There's an interesting parallel betHorrorscope and Persistence Of Time. Like their fellow New Yorkers, Overkill had a fair number of light-hearted, semi-joke songs in the '80's, though their humor was more rude sarcasm than 'Thrax's goofiness. But like Persistence Of Time, Horrorscope is where Overkill got serious. The closest thing to a joke is their cover of Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein." The scrappy underdog appeal is still there, but there's a steely resolve and a more grim outlook. The dry production helps, stripping away some of the dated '80's sounds, like replacing the thudding, wet-cardboard drum sound with the high, crystal-clear clack of the piccolo-snare. The sound puts you in mind of a blighted urban landscape. Even the Twilight Zone-esque piano intro to "Bare Bones" sounds ice-cold.
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| CD:
Overkill - The Years Of Decay |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 31, 2022 at 14:43 |
| Still, I've always felt that Horrorscope is where Overkill truly came into their own.
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| CD:
Overkill - The Years Of Decay |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 31, 2022 at 14:40 |
| I'm not the world's biggest fan of '80's Overkill, honestly. That punky, New York attitude set them apart for sure, but it also made them seem a little bit behind the pack. I feel they're not brought up more often when the topic turns to possible Big Four expansion as a result of these early albums. Every album has a couple standout tracks, but for the most part, there's a lot of filler that would relegate them to the lower tiers of thrash. The Years Of Decay might be their best '80's album, but it's held back by dated production, the usual crop of not-very-special (and increasingly very long) songs, and Blitz's shrieky acquired-taste voice. There's no need for this album to run to nearly an hour—And Justice For All it is not. Good tracks include "Elimination," "I Hate," "Nothing To Die For," and despite their length, "Skullcrusher" and the title track for adding different flavors to the disc with, respectively, a doomy Sabbath vibe and an attempt at a "Fade to Black"-style epic ballad
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| CD:
Type O Negative - Life Is Killing Me |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 24, 2022 at 17:12 |
| ... passed. Both discs had plenty of worthwhile moments for big fans, but neither is as essential as the three that came before. Kind of the same feeling you got from Reinventing The Steel or, it pains me to say, later Amon Amarth.
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| CD:
Type O Negative - Life Is Killing Me |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 24, 2022 at 17:08 |
| Life Is Killing Me is sort of a "return to the roots," as there are several faster, punkier songs that we've not heard the likes of since Bloody Kisses. These include the snide "I Like Goils" and the first single "I Don't Wanna Be Me." Elsewhere, "How Could She," "Anesthesia" and the title track are prime, doomy Type O. Also making a return is the band's sense of humor, as "Goils" addresses the rumors about Pete's sexuality, and "How Could She" deals with romantic rejection by cartoon characters. Still, I have to admit that by the time these final two albums came out, it was beginning to feel like Type O Negative's time had
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| CD:
Children of Bodom - Halo of Blood |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 23, 2022 at 20:20 |
| "Bodom Blue Moon (The Second Coming)" is somewhat prophetic as a song title, as Alexi and the gang bounce back to near-Blooddrunk level on this disc. Halo Of Blood starts and ends strong, with the first two and final three tracks all being highlights. "All Twisted" is my favorite out of those. "Transference" was the first single and video, and I remember being underwhelmed by it. But the low point is "Dead Man's Hand On You," as Alexi was just not a good clean singer, as Bodom's many non-metal covers made abundantly clear. His bad singing was funny and charming when part of an obviously unserious cover, but isn't a good sound on a COB original.
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| CD:
Children of Bodom - Relentless Reckless Forever |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 23, 2022 at 20:09 |
| Now I finally knew how other COB fans had been feeling for a few years. That clumsy album title might have been an omen, but this is quite a mediocre record from the band, with the most remarkable thing about many songs being their ridiculous titles. Any one of these songs is okay by itself, but none are on the level of past Bodom classics, and taken all together it makes for a bit of a slog. Good ones include "Shovel Knockout," "Was It Worth It" and "Northpole Throwdown." The Eddie Murphy cover is a good laugh of course, but only that.
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| CD:
Children of Bodom - Blooddrunk |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 23, 2022 at 19:55 |
| And there are a few more here, but the title track and "Tie My Rope" are essential Bodom, and other good ones are "Hellhounds On My Trail," "Smile Pretty For The Devil," and "Roadkill Morning." Unfortunately though, this disc marked the end of Bodom's best period, and from here on out, their albums would offer two or three pretty good songs, but a lot of forgettable material, and certainly nothing like a "Sixpounder" or an "Every Time I Die."
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| CD:
Children of Bodom - Blooddrunk |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 23, 2022 at 19:50 |
| The people who didn't like Are You Dead Yet really didn't like Blooddrunk. It's still a good album, but not on the level the last three. There were a couple of less-inspired tracks on Are You Dead Yet
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| CD:
Children of Bodom - Stockholm Knockhout Live |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 23, 2022 at 19:43 |
| Children Of Bodom weren't the sort of virtuosos who frowned at their fretboards onstage. Alexi Laiho and Co. were total showmen, and this set captures them arguably at their peak. People talk about how great the live experience of Slipknot is, but honestly, I think COB could go toe to toe with them, and with four less guys, putting on a wild, exuberant performance. One of my favorite live albums of the new millennium.
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| CD:
Children of Bodom - Are You Dead Yet |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 23, 2022 at 19:33 |
| The thing about Are You Dead Yet? is that Children Of Bodom were becoming bona fide stars at this point. Songs like the title track and "Living Dead Beat" are arena-metal anthems for the modern age. And this was a time when metal was still recovering somewhat from the nu-metal years, with metalcore really taking off with bands like Lamb Of God and Killswitch Engage. COB may not have achieved quite that level of popularity in America, but were definitely part of the conversation, and were no longer an underground band. And yet they retained their own quirky identity. We needed a band like them at the time. It's very unfortunate, but maybe inevitable, that the pack caught up with them (as did their well-known heavy partying), and their later releases faded into mediocrity. Like a lot of outsize personalities, it turned out Alexi wasn't a very happy guy in the end. Another note: the only thing that could have made this disc better would have been the inclusion of "Knockleduster," which wa
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| CD:
Children of Bodom - Hatebreeder |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 23, 2022 at 19:15 |
| I admit I'm not as big on the first two Bodom discs as I am on their prime era in the aughts. They just seem to lack a bit of the catchiness that would come to mark the band's personality. However, there are still some COB classics found within, including "Warheart," "Silent Night, Bodom Night," and the band's namesake song. But the best song, hands down, is their traditional set-closer "Downfall." Just a monster track, and a prime example of how Janne Wirman's keys added such a unique flavor to the band and were every bit as important as Alexi's guitar gymnastics.
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| CD:
Gamma Ray - Heading for Tomorrow |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: October 21, 2022 at 12:07 |
| excellent debut for GAMMA RAY with Kai Hansen hitting the spot with Ralph and creating a easy fun heavy hard sound with elements of many different genres and very well stated above from HELLOWEEN till QUEEN!!!i was lucky to catch them live at that tour and they were great
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| CD:
Type O Negative - World Coming Down |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 14, 2022 at 15:51 |
| If October Rust was the "sex album," World Coming Down was Type O's "death album." Even two of the three love/sex songs are about dead women. Meanwhile, Peter Steele was grieving the death his mother, and well on his way to becoming a full-blown cocaine addict. ("What kind of an asshole starts using hard drugs in his mid-30's?" he asked later.) So we get songs about all of that, and the three sound-effects tracks that depict the ways in which the band will most likely die (from drinking, smoking or coke). For me, the best songs are "Everyone I Love Is Dead," the October Rust-worthy "Creepy Green Light" and first single "Everything Dies." The title track is a massive, downcast epic of grief and self-loathing, while "Pyretta Blaze" is another ode to a (presumably live) goth girl. It's all capped off with a Beatles medley to show you there's more to the band than Sabbath and the Cure.
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| CD:
Type O Negative - October Rust |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 14, 2022 at 15:38 |
| As I alluded to years ago, October Rust is Type O's "sex album." Leading off (after a couple of joke tracks) with a balld is all but unheard of in metal, but "Love You To Death" is one of the band's best songs ever, and sets the mood well. Josh Silver's keys are even more prominent on this album, and there seem to be even fewer crushing riffs. Other good songs include "Red Water," "In Praise of Bacchus," "Wolf Moon," and one of their best spooky songs, "Haunted." Also, I like to imagine an alternate-universe 1996 where "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend" was a huge hit, but here on earth, references to a "meat triangle" probably held it back. (Oh yeah, "Wolf Moon" is about menstrual sex—gettin' yer red wings, as the bikers say.)
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| CD:
Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 14, 2022 at 15:27 |
| "Suspended In Dusk." You can get all this and more on the two-disc "Top Shelf" edition.
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| CD:
Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 14, 2022 at 15:26 |
| It's autumn again, and so a good time to revisit the Type O. This is a band that really could only have existed in the '90's. Much of their politically-incorrect humor would not be appreciated today, and the whole goth culture they simultaneously embraced and lampooned now seemed antiquated. They became known as the Drab Four, but thanks to synesthesia, I "hear" a lot of colors in their music thanks to Josh Silver's lush keyboards, which do tend to drown Kenny Hickey's grinding doom riffs timetimes. "Kill All The White People" and "We Hate Everyone" sound like leftovers from Carnivore, and were removed from a later digipak re-release of the album (the track listing above has been updated to the original), but they offer a bit of their own flavor when things sometimes threaten to bog down. "Christian Woman" and "Black #1" are essential tracks as is "Summer Breeze," but other good ones include the title track, "Too Late" and "Set Me On Fire," as well as the bonus track "Su"Suspended In D
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| CD:
Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 14, 2022 at 15:26 |
| It's autumn again, and so a good time to revisit the Type O. This is a band that really could only have existed in the '90's. Much of their politically-incorrect humor would not be appreciated today, and the whole goth culture they simultaneously embraced and lampooned now seemed antiquated. They became known as the Drab Four, but thanks to synesthesia, I "hear" a lot of colors in their music thanks to Josh Silver's lush keyboards, which do tend to drown Kenny Hickey's grinding doom riffs timetimes. "Kill All The White People" and "We Hate Everyone" sound like leftovers from Carnivore, and were removed from a later digipak re-release of the album (the track listing above has been updated to the original), but they offer a bit of their own flavor when things sometimes threaten to bog down. "Christian Woman" and "Black #1" are essential tracks as is "Summer Breeze," but other good ones include the title track, "Too Late" and "Set Me On Fire," as well as the bonus track "Su"Suspended In D
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| CD:
Type O Negative - The Least Worst of Type O Negative |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 14, 2022 at 15:07 |
| This is a decent compilation containing most of the band's essential tracks. Just know that, although this the track listing on this website doesn't indicate it, many of them are edits and/or remixes. We all know Type O frequently blew past the seven-minute mark, so some of the edits would come in handy if you were doing a radio show, for example (which is why I initially got this back in college). But songs like "Christian Woman" are not served well by being trimmed up at all. Thankfully, "Unsuccessfully Coping" is here in all its essential twelve-minute glory, and with three new songs plus the oddity of the Sabbath cover and some of the remixes, this is worth having.
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| CD:
Prong - Beg to Differ |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: October 3, 2022 at 8:27 |
| excellent album for PRONG ,ahead of its time offering a groovy heavy thrash album with a sensational rhythm section and great riffs all over!all the songs stand out and Beg To Differ still is their trademark!Awesome
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| CD:
Mind Over Four - The Goddess |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: September 29, 2022 at 11:56 |
| pretty good debut for MIND OVER FOUR with a rather complicated proggressive sound and approach !imagine a more alternative & proggy PRONG and you might get an idea!fine musicianship and lots of electricity,still the songs should be a bit more clear!good stuff
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| CD:
Exodus - Exhibit B: The Human Condition |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: September 26, 2022 at 13:13 |
| ... "Downfall," one of the very best songs from the Dukes years along with "Deathamphetamine," off Shovel-Headed Kill Machine.
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| CD:
Exodus - Exhibit B: The Human Condition |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: September 26, 2022 at 13:10 |
| Exodus emerged in the 21st century as the most vicious of the old-school thrash bands (sorry, Slayer). All six of their postmillennial albums are just fucking brutal! The problem is, as you might have guessed from glancing at the track listing above, their albums tffbe entirely too long. Exhibit B is perhaps the worst offender, at an exhausting, ear-numbing 78 minutes. (Exhibit A is technically shorter, but also only contains one truly short song aside from the album intro.) To be blunt, very few of these songs need to be six-plus minutes, and everyone would have been better served if most were around the four-minute range. That said, there is thrash goodness in abun^sh:, as Gary Holt finds a place for seemingly every riff he ever wrote. Rob Dukes is kind of a generic shouter compared to the personality of Steve Souza, but serves his purpose well enough. The hard part is picking out songs that stand out, but I would take "Burn, Hollywood, Burn," "March of the Sycophants" and especially
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| CD:
Gack - Fix |
| From: Leykis101 |
Date: September 20, 2022 at 8:15 |
| this is Laaz Rockit under a different name, trying out not thrash, I wont call this groove metal cause its not, it's just heavy metal, not thrash, the album as a whole is pretty good, the first 2 songs are mindblowing, the 2nd song might possibly have one of the heaviest riffs in music history, just fucking mindblowing guitar riff, I had to listen to it on repeat because I couldnt believe what I was hearing, it's that heavy of a riff, buy this album if you like jamming heavy metal
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| CD:
Sevendust - Next |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: September 8, 2022 at 15:56 |
| Not sure if it was due to the change in guitarists, but Next feels like the heaviest Sevendust album since the debut. much as I enjoyed songs like "Ugly," "Pieces," "Desertion" and the ballad "Shadows In Red," Next was the last Sevendust album I got into most of the next decade. I got reacquainted with them on Black Out The Sun, but it seoms like after Next, the band just kinda faded into mediocrity. I've always dug Sevendust, at least in theory, but I'd be lying if I said anything from the last fifteen years has moved me the way their early albums did.
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| CD:
Sevendust - Seasons |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: September 8, 2022 at 15:47 |
| When I started college in thefall of 1998, Sevendust were one of my favorite new bands, and I listened to their first two albums all the time. By the time I (barely) graduated in late 2003, Seasons—which had just been released—was an afterthought. I still enjoyed the band, and always meant to check this disc out, but it was several years before I got around to it. In the meantime, I'd discovered there was more to metal than what got played on corporate FM radio, and that stuff was taking up most of my listening time, where bands like Sevendust and Godsmack were relegated to the C-catalog, so to speak. But Seasons is one of the band's better albums, with good tracks like "Disease," "Enemy," "Broken Down," "Skeleton Song," "Disgrace," "Suffocate" and even the rap-infused "Face To Face" standing out from the bunch.
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| CD:
Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait - The Orphean Testament |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: August 30, 2022 at 17:39 |
| ... or the previous album touch me as deeply as The Storm Within or The Atlantic, they're both still very strong releases with plenty of that sombyet soaring Evergrey magic. Best tracks me are "Save Us," “Midwinter Calls," "Reawakening," "Heart_" (blistering solo!) and "Blindfolded."
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| CD:
Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait - The Orphean Testament |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: August 30, 2022 at 17:36 |
| Pompous album title, but another good disc from those masters of the morose. A Heartless Portrait continues on in a similar vein to last year's Escape of the Phoenix, but feels like it hits a little harder, with only one true ballad (the closer "Wildfires"). Although, given the way Tom sings and how his voice is the focal point of the band, it's sometimes hard to differentiate what is a "ballad" and what isn't. While I don't find that
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| CD:
Sanctuary - Refuge Denied |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: August 30, 2022 at 10:22 |
| very good debut for SANCTUARY offering classing US power metal music with those unique Warrel s vocals stealing the show!"battle angels" and "termination force " are thehighlights !a classic of the 80 s power scene
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| CD:
Evergrey - Escape of the Phoenix |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: August 26, 2022 at 13:12 |
| The heavy songs are some of their heaviest on this album, which reminds me of Torn. But unlike Torn, there are several ballads, and an overall heavy keyboard presence. Tom is still in fine voice although, as can be expected for a smoker and drinker, his tone has deepened over the years. You can really hear that if you listen to an early album and a later one back-to-back, but he still sounds very much like himself. To be honest, it took me a while to get into this album, where the previous two both had songs that grabbed me immediately. Tom's lyrics have the odd combination of being both quite wordy and articulate (veering toward therapy-speak in places), but also a bit awkward and not as fluent in English as they could be. Not much progress has been made in that regard since the early days, alas. Favorite tracks for me are "Forever Outsider," "Where August Mourn" (see what I mean?), "A Dandelion Cipher" (whatever that is), "In The Absence Of Sun," "Eternal Nocturnal" and "Run."
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| CD:
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: July 27, 2022 at 1:01 |
| To ears raised on thrash metal and beyond, it sounds quaint, sure. But to people in 1982 whose idea of "hard rock" was the lightweight FM-RADIO fare of the day like Foreigner and Journey, this was pretty fuckin' heavy and state-of-the-art.
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| CD:
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: July 27, 2022 at 0:54 |
| And, also as Popoff points out, half of this album consists of heavy Kiss songs, while the other half, including the likes of "Electric Eyee," "Riding On The Wind" and especially the title track, point the way to the future, even hinting at Painkiller, still some eight years off. It's funny that Bob Halligan was brought in to help write a "radio song," which didn't even end up being THE radio song. Halford is not wrong in his assername that Screaming For Vengeance is the natural successor to British Steel, rather than the lukewarm Point Of Entry, but for its beefier production. Both are stone-cold classics, even if they swap the grimness of early albums for more of a carefree feel to appeal to Americans. The worst song here is "Pleasure And Pain."
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| CD:
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: July 27, 2022 at 0:44 |
| It's hard for modern ears to hear this album and understand how heavy it was in its time. People who weren't there, me included, tend to imagine that metal was a lot more prevalent in the early '80's than it really was. That's partly because we've heard guys in prominent later bands talk about the NWOBHM and Anvil and Mercyful Fate and tape-trading and all this stuff, and we imagine that was the norm. Maybe for a minority of obsessives, and more power to those lucky bastards, but that wasn't most people's experience. So for Judas Priest to hit #4 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart was quite a feat back in '82, even if it was with what Martin Popoff likes to call "just a heavy Kiss song."
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| CD:
Cannibal Corpse - Tomb of the Mutilated |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: July 18, 2022 at 14:24 |
| ... know better than most, singing ABOUT something is not the same as advocating it. Morbid fascination does not equal endorsement. I do agree that Barnes is the main culprit, as the band has stayed no less brutally violent with George on the mic, but seem much more driven by fantasy and horror than grisly reality, as the rest of the band took more of a hand in lyric-writing as well. (Also, George is a better vocalist than Chris, whose one trick was his gurgly deep growls). For its impact at the time, and the number of perennial live staples held within (the immortal "Hammer Smashed Face" chief among them), Tomb of the Mutilated is an essential album in the genre.
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| CD:
Cannibal Corpse - Tomb of the Mutilated |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: July 18, 2022 at 14:17 |
| Thanks in no small part to Jim Carrey, Tomb of the Mutilated is the album that put Cannibal Corpse on the map, and it still remains their best-known album. Their sound was quite different from the other big death-metal bands of the time, like Obituary or Morbid Angel. They had plenty of musical chops, but technical prowess was secondary to sheer brutality. The guitars are so trebly, they almost sound like whit noise, but that also allows Alex Webster's popping bass to really cut through, which was a rarity in death metal. Chris Barnes's vocals are super-guttural and mostly indecipherable, which may be just as well, because Tomb of the Mutilated contains the band's sickest lyrics (although some songs on The Bleeding come close). I absolutely understand why many are repulsed by this, however the band has pointed out that many songs were inspired by real-life events. "Addicted To Vaginal Skin" is about, and contains a sample of, serial killer Arthur Shawcross. And, as metalheads should kn
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| CD:
Iron Maiden - Killers |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: July 13, 2022 at 12:02 |
| 2nd step for IRON MAIDEN offering their raw,energetic heavy metal music but they seem that with Dianno couldnt move towards a more massive sound like they did later on with Bruce!highlights are "wrathchild","murder in therue morgue" and "prodigal son"!good stuff
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| CD:
Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: July 10, 2022 at 5:23 |
| excellent album for IRON MAIDEN back in 86 getting a slightly commercial edge without losing their trademark sound!flawless from start to finish ,all the songs are catchy and strong and the band offers a fabulous performance!brilliant
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| CD:
Wargasm - Ugly |
| From: ItalRocker |
Date: June 29, 2022 at 3:43 |
| The awesome follow-up of their debut shows why these guys are so underrated! Hard-hitting songs from top to bottom make this CD anything but a sophomore slump. Check it out, you'll be glad you did!
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| CD:
Wargasm - Why Play Around |
| From: ItalRocker |
Date: June 29, 2022 at 3:38 |
| Awesome Power Metal from Boston! Check out their vids on YouTube, and you'll be blown away!
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| CD:
Picture - Eternal Dark |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: June 11, 2022 at 4:18 |
| after their great previous one PICTURE are getting heavier and darker with some good moments but didnt reached their heights!you can find some good riffs though and sthe classic metal elements are present in songs like "eternal dark","make you burn" and "griffons guard the gold"!good stuff
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| CD:
Picture - Diamond Dreamer |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: June 7, 2022 at 12:06 |
| excellent piece of heavy rock music back in 82 bringing the basics very well performed !big guitars ,strong vocals and a fine street heavy feel that shows the purity of that era !great anthemic songs like "hot lovin","diamond dreamer" and "get me rock n roll" are included in this classic European metal release
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| CD:
Vicious Rumors - Soldiers of the Night |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: May 31, 2022 at 11:48 |
| excellent debut for VICIOUS RUMOURS showing from the start what was going to be:astonishing US power metal music with great guitar work and strong vocals offering great songs to the fans!Vinnie s solos are thrilling ,Gary s vocs are howling and overall the music is flawless!"march or die","soldiers of the night"and "ride into the sun" are classics!
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| CD:
Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: May 27, 2022 at 20:25 |
| excellent release for IRON MAIDEN once again with great songs ,shorter,catchier along with their classic duo guitar work and a fine performance by Bruce!bought it when it got out and revisiting it brings back youth memories!
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| CD:
Megadeth - Rust in Peace |
| From: ItalRocker |
Date: May 16, 2022 at 1:54 |
| For me, this album slams the door on the Megadeth vs. Metallica rivalry as NOTHING before or since this release from either band can or ever will top this! FACT!!!!
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| CD:
Megadeth - Endgame |
| From: ItalRocker |
Date: May 16, 2022 at 1:48 |
| Damn! Chris BroDerick. Sorry about the typo. Great guitarist! I saw Chris live with Megadeth in 2010 doing RIP in its entirety. Excellent performer!
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| CD:
Megadeth - Endgame |
| From: ItalRocker |
Date: May 16, 2022 at 1:44 |
| I completely forgot that I had this CD! It blew my mind! My favorite featuring Chris Brokerick. Tracks 2, 5, 6, 7 and 11 are my faves. Solid offering!
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| CD:
Judas Priest - Redeemer Of Souls |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: May 3, 2022 at 10:04 |
| excellent release for JUDAS PRIEST that stands easily near their classics with many different songs covering all their styles through the years from fast heavy metal anthems like "dragonaut" or "redeemer of souls" to mid tempos hard rockers like "hell&back" or "crossfire" !didnt expect it that good and with such depth
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| CD:
Exciter - Unveiling the Wicked |
| From: Eric |
Date: April 20, 2022 at 17:03 |
| Original guitarist John Ricci was cool in his own way, but I gotta say that Brian McPhee added much to the sound with his more technical riffs and solos and I personally think this is Exciter's best album. "Die in the night" is awesome and they should have made a music video for it back in the day. In concert they could have benefited from using an additional live drummer, giving Dan a chance to focus more on his singing. All songs are good, among which "Waiting in the dark" and "I hate school rules" stand out. Quite different from the first three records, but still very good. Just that it was a little less speed metal, more melodic and "technical". A nice review is here: https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Exciter/Unveiling_the_Wicked/2917/wcnmvp/941910
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| CD:
Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith |
| From: Eric |
Date: April 20, 2022 at 16:39 |
| KK mentions in his book that the band felt since then that Defenders' opening 4 songs: Freewheel Burning-Jawbreaker-Rock Hard Ride Free-The Sentinel is the best start of any hard rock album, ever. Halford also likes Love Bites very much, a different+cool song. Eight winners make this Judas Priest's ultimate+most consistent album. Let's hope JP will remix their 80s albums one day, since Allom+co never achieved an amazing sound for the band, which I think actually hurt them in the competition. They sounded better live, check out Live in San Bernardino 1983/05/29 & Live in Dortmund 1983/12/18, when the band was on fire; at their peak both in popularity+performance. Also Jawbreaker has my favourite KK guitar solo+Freewheel Burning has an amazing Tipton solo. Holland had a bombastic Bonham style, very solid, just that the drum sound+too loud cymbals did him injustice. (Maiden+Birch had a superior sound throughout the 80s.) Halford's '83 vocal performance at 32 yrs of age is just stunning.
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| CD:
Judas Priest - Painkiller |
| From: Eric |
Date: April 20, 2022 at 15:22 |
| The three singles are very solid, yes, but for some reason I never really liked the album very much as a whole. A few fillers and playing very heavy, a few weeks after Pantera released Cowboys might have been perfect timing, but does not necessarily mean the best result. I know Painkiller is very popular among 'brutal metal fans', but I actually like Defenders the best, 8 amazing songs in a row, and Vengeance even had the melodic single Take these chains whereas Steel had an almost pop hit in Living after midnight-that's classic Priest to old-school Judas fans. Surprisingly Painkiller 'only' sold gold, whereas several others reached platinum. When comparing Painkiller to Living after midnight, it almost seems like two different bands. Chris Tsangarides was much better soundwise than Tom Allom; I never found 80s Priest having great sound (muddy bass and drums with way too loud crash cymbals in the mix). Maiden and Queensr˙che both had killer sound in the 80s, just for a comparison.
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| CD:
Judas Priest - Angel of Retribution |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: March 9, 2022 at 18:01 |
| ok release for JUDAS PRIEST with a monsterous metal sound but somehow below their standards !Rob s vocals arent as strong as expected and the guitar solos not so exciting!not bad of course as you will find big riffs and some classic metal lines,just not great!"deal with the devil","wheels of fire" amd " angel" are the highlights
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| CD:
Metallica - ReLoad |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: March 2, 2022 at 17:03 |
| For some reason, when I get done streaming an album on Apple Music, it reverts to a random shuffling of songs it thinks I like. And it seems like the first one is almost always either "Cemetary Gates" or "Fuel." Man, I just cringe nowadays whenever I hear "Gimme fuel, gimme fi', gimme that which I desi'!" This is a song that has definitely not aged well.
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| CD:
Korn - Issues |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: March 1, 2022 at 15:25 |
| Issues came out pretty quickly on the heels of Follow The Leader, and I remember being surprised to hear "Falling Away From Me" on the radio one day. I know David Silveria later said this disc was rushed, and the songwriting was compromised, where there were no longer very many of those weird, jerky rhythms like on the first two albums especially. There are, however, several unnecessary interludes, that are more than just soundscapes but not full-fledged songs. Although worth noting, there's almost no rapping on this disc, after the last two having a pronounced hip-hop element. I was not a big Korn fan, although I tried. I'm a little more forgiving nowadays, and can enjoy them for what they are. like all their early albums, there are good songs here, like "Falling" and the other singles "Make Me Bad," "Somebody Someone) and "Let's Get This Party Started."
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| CD:
Judas Priest - Hell Bent for Leather |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: January 28, 2022 at 15:23 |
| very good release once again for JUDAS PRIEST with a big variety of songs that keep the interest high but somehow doesnt make it a s solid as it could be!of course we re talking about the pioneers of heavy metal and you can find some classics like "hell bent for leather","delivering the goods"!all the JUDAS PRIEST albums are essential
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| CD:
Sanctuary - Into The Mirror Black |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: January 17, 2022 at 6:30 |
| excellent 2nd step for SANCTUARY in the early 90s offering a classic US power metal release with thrilling vocals and razor sharp guitar work!"taste revenge","future tense","sounds of destruction" are the highlights
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| CD:
Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier |
| From: CC |
Date: January 9, 2022 at 13:09 |
| Don't really come to this site much these days, so only just saw this reply from over a decade ago ha ha. Trying to understand how Pie did not agree with me, and then says "there is nothing memerable" which is exactly what I was saying.
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| CD:
Soen - Imperial |
| From: Doug |
Date: December 29, 2021 at 18:32 |
| I had never heard of these guys, and just stumbled on this album. I like it, especially the first 5 tracks. Worth a spin, IMO.
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| CD:
Tributes - The Metallica Blacklist |
| From: Doug |
Date: December 13, 2021 at 21:44 |
| Man, I had a really hard time getting into this one. Was all over the place for me. Listening to the SAME song multiple times, per disc, got old fast.
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| CD:
Black Label Society - The Song Remains Not The Same |
| From: Doug |
Date: December 13, 2021 at 21:37 |
| We know Zakk the guitar god, we forget that he's also a great pianist. Blind Faith cover is pretty cool. He struggles a bit with the Simon & Garfunkel tune.
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| CD:
Crimson Glory - Strange and Beautiful |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: November 23, 2021 at 14:57 |
| very good release once again for CRIMSON GLORY this time jumping on the hair metal movement that was on at the moment ,offering an interesting sound like LED ZEPPELIN going commercial or something like this!got it when it came out and really enjoyed it back in the day,still sounds strong and fresh!
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Tributes - The Metallica Blacklist |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: November 3, 2021 at 14:35 |
| Huh—guess nobody likes "The Struggle Within" or "Of Wolf And Man." Obviously, this is a novelty intended for people who only dabble in metal. I doubt most of us 'heads are particularly interested in hearing these songs performed by this collection of pop stars and country crooners.
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Judas Priest - British Steel |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: November 3, 2021 at 7:00 |
| excellent release once again for JUDAS PRIEST getting into the 80s with a glorious release that became a classic of the scene!many great anthemic songs and maybe 1 or 2 fillers but overall a must have for 80s metal fans
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KK's Priest - Sermons of the Sinner |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: October 19, 2021 at 15:54 |
| This just isn't on the level of Judas Priest, despite being led by founding guitarist K. K. Downing. There are some strong riffs, and a few good songs ("Hellfire Thunderbolt" was a good choice for a first single), but to be blunt, this sounds like a regional Priest cover band deciding to try and write some originals. Ripper sounds great, but he tends to dominate many songs, overpowering them and detracting from them in a way that Halford rarely does. It's like he really doesn't know when or how to hold back. I get it, that's his thing, but in the end, KK's Priest sounds like any of the generic power-metal "projects" he's been involved with, like Beyond Fear. So Ken's attempt at revenge on his former bandmates for not offering him his job back after he decided he didn't want to stay retired just ends up being another vehicle for Ripper to shriek over.
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| CD:
Anthrax - Persistence of Time |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: September 16, 2021 at 18:37 |
| CORRECTION: "Got The Time," sung by Joey. Thought I'd heard somewhere Scott sang this, and it is in a bit of a deeper voice than Joey usually sang in.
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| CD:
Anthrax - Stomp 442 |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: September 16, 2021 at 15:39 |
| ... at the time, because it's actually quite good.
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| CD:
Anthrax - Stomp 442 |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: September 16, 2021 at 15:37 |
| The oddly-named Stomp 442 ranks near the bottom of most people's rankings, usually just above Volume 8. Too bad, because it's actually a fairly strong disc. The first half in particular has several songs that can go toe to toe with anything on the much more well-regarded Sound Of White Noise. "Random Acts," Fueled," "King Size," "Riding Shotgun"—are you kidding? That's one hell of an opening run there! "Dropping the Ball" and "Bare" are pretty feavy too, and John Bush is really singing hard in places. Elsewhere, some of his vocals have a bit of a staccato, rap-like cadence elsewhere, although to say he's rapping is an exaggeration. Of course, Spitz is gone, leaving them with no lead guitarist. Dimebag fills in here and there, and his tone is unmistakable when it appears (check the intro to "Riding Shotgun"). "Tester" is a strange song for Anthrax, but not bad, and "American Pompeii" has some cool drumming that jumps out and grabs your earddX's a shame this album wasn't appreciated at t
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| CD:
Anthrax - Sound of White Noise |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: September 13, 2021 at 15:14 |
| ... similar lyrical terrain, but a world away in tone from "Efilnikufesin." Other notable songs include "Hy Pro Glo" and "1000 Points of Hate" ("I wash my fuckin' hands of this," Bush rages). The band would be able to rise to this level again on various songs throughout the rest of Bush's tenure, but never for a full album.
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| CD:
Anthrax - Sound of White Noise |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: September 13, 2021 at 15:09 |
| It came as a big shock to most people when Anthrax fired Joey Belladonna and replaced him with John Bush of Aromred Saint. Both bands were coming off their best albums (Persistence of Time and Symbol of Salvation). Perhn surprisingly, Bush's maiden voyage with Anthrax sounds like a mix of those two albums, with some flavor from Metallica's Black Album thrown in. The music is far less thrashy than before, however I think some of the comments above calling it "alternative" are overstating their case. Sound of White Noise is a fantastic, diverse record, and the songs are built around Bush's deeper, grittier voice, a big change from Belladonna's high wail. The disc gets off to a slammin' start with several top highlights in a row. "Room For One More" should have been a massive hit on MTV and metal radio, but according to Scott Ian's book, its release as a single was bungled by the label. The Twin Peaks-inspired "Black Lodge" is a somber ballad about watching someone succumb to addiction, s
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Wrathchild America - 3-D |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: September 13, 2021 at 12:44 |
| very good release for WRATHCHILD AMERICA keeping on their groovy technical thrash music with that excellent rhythm section and fine vocal work !if you liked their debut you ll probably already know about it!my favs are "3d man","gentleman death","forever alone" and "another nameless face"!recommended
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| CD:
Anthrax - Persistence of Time |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: September 12, 2021 at 19:02 |
| Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer, Judas Priest, Pantera, Queensryche, and even Alice In Chains (although many of us wouldn't hear them for several months)—all of these bands put out very, very strong albums between August and October of 1990, making the fall that year an awesome time to be a metalhead.
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| CD:
Anthrax - Persistence of Time |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: September 12, 2021 at 18:55 |
| Gone are the board shorts and songs based on Stephen King novels, replaced by black clothes and more social commentary. The darker, less goofy outlook is coupled with music that is still Anthrax, but has a grim, steely edge, complemented by crystal-clear production. The band also trade in some of the bounciness of old for twisty rhythms that seem inspired by what Metallica did on And Justice For All. Supposedly Joey had a tough time singing the newly serious lyrics with the gravitas that Scott wanted, but ultimately pulled it off. The big single was the clearest throwback to the more light-hearted days of old, the breakneck cover of Joe Jackson's "Got The Time," sung by Scott, but other highlights include "In My World" and "Belly Of The Beast," both of which were also videos. There's also "H 8 Red," one of the band's most underrated tunes. I love Among The Living, but I think Persistence Of Time holds up better as a whole, and is my favorite from Belladonna's first tour of duty.
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Iron Maiden - Senjutsu |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: September 7, 2021 at 13:17 |
| Quite obviously, Maiden don't care what I think, because they keep on releasing albums like this: another set of eight overly long songs with lots of yodeling from Bruce, lots of soloing from all three guitarists, and few hooks—plus two shorter, punchy anthems. Should be other way 'round, lads! Worse, it's another double album. They couldn't cut out just three minutes of this to make it all fit on one disc. Bollocks! Also, there's lots of keyboards doubling the melodies, which blunt what heaviness there is (and let's face it, in context of the times Maiden really aren't that heavy anymore). But because Maiden are pros, the album does have its moments: "Stratego" and "days Of Future Past" (the two shortest songs), the curiously laid-back but still brooding "Writing On The Wall," and the closing "Hell On Earth"," my pick of the many-too-many epics.
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| CD:
Trouble - Trouble |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: August 23, 2021 at 14:20 |
| "Soft may the worms about him creep; never heard the children weep—he's asleep." Eric Wagner, gone to live in memory's garden.
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FireWolfe - FireWolfe |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: July 24, 2021 at 14:17 |
| very good debut for FIREWOLFE with an excellent polished production and their sound reminding me of bands like SAVATAGE or FIFTH ANGEL!guitar driven music with strong melodic lines and memorable anthemic songs will satisfy most 80 s metal fans!"mod"," armed forces" and "the tempter " are fine songs indeed!recommended
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Motorhead - Bad Magic |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: June 9, 2021 at 18:37 |
| ... and Motorizer as one of the band's less-inspired (and less-inspiring) albums. As the final statement from such a legendary band, it's hard to listen to, quite honestly. In the later part of his life, Lemmy underwent the same kind of transformation Ozzy did. There was Teddy Bear Ozzy, and there was Grandpa Lemmy. He went from being a straight-shooting outlaw to a crusty but lovable old man. When Rolling Stone profiled him in about 2008, it was hard not to see him as a bit of a relic, stuck in the past and almost kind of pathetic. We blamed those metal-hating snobs at Rolling Stone for drawing him that way, but secretly we wondered—is that how he seems to everyone who doesn't worship his music like we do? And are they maybe not 100% wrong? And what does it say about us that we idolize someone whose second-greatest claim to fame (and a very close second at that) was being an unapologetic, functioning alcoholic?
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| CD:
Motorhead - Bad Magic |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: June 9, 2021 at 18:22 |
| Even at the time of its release, Bad Magic overshadowed by Lemmy's very obviously failing health. His PR team did their best to put on a good face for the previous two or three years, and it made the whole operation seem smarmy and dishonest—the opposite of what the man stood for. "Lemmy just needs to rest ... minor procedure ... back to full strength very soon ... better than ever." Bullshit! We all saw those sad videos from the last few months of Lemmy hanging on mic stand, walking with a cane, laboring for breath, forgetting which song he was singing. And so here is the final album, most of the music written by the other guys, Lemmy sounding hoarse and weak in places, rather than gruff and curmudgeonly, and this somehow highlighting the cliched nature of many songs. Lemmy had been singing about "shooting out all your lights" for decades, so why not have a song with that title? Even with the historical context put aside, Bad Magic is down there with Snake Bite Love, Kiss Of Death and
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| CD:
Motorhead - Rock 'n' Roll |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: June 9, 2021 at 17:31 |
| There's a spoken interlude next, not sure which song it's supposed to be a part of, and then "The Wolf" and "Traitor" are more grim, sinister Motorhead fare. About here is where things get a bit dodgy, because "Traitor" is serviceable but unremarkable—like the opposite of "Blackheart," there were starting to be one or two of these on most Motorhead albums as well. "Dogs," I don't get this one at all. "All For You" is another attempt some old-time rock 'n' roll, but much less successful than "Stone Deaf In The USA"—Lem's attempt at melodic singing is predictably poor. The album finishes on an up note though, with "Boogeyman." The reissue includes "Cradle To The Grave" from The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II, and the band's longest song, the seven-minute-plus "Just 'Cos You Got The Power"—both very worthy tracks, and a live set from the previous year's Monsters Of Rock festival. Also of note, Wurzel's absolutely blazing solos on "Stone Deaf" and the title track.
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| CD:
Motorhead - Rock 'n' Roll |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: June 9, 2021 at 17:15 |
| A lot of people don't seem to hold this album in such high regard, and I'm not sure why. As the title suggests, it's less metallic than many of their albums, but that's more in spirit than in sound. Rock 'n' Roll has a really, really strong first half, with the title track and "Eat The Rich" being evergreen classics. The former is an anthem for all of us lifers, and the latter shows off some of Lemmy's weirdest, wildest wordplay ("Shetland pony or extra pepperoni—just pick up the phone!") "Blackheart" is an underrated, hard-z-nails track that no one seems to mention (doesn't every Motorhead album have a couple of these?) "Stone Deaf In The USA" is like Lemmy's beloved '50's rockabilly run through a blast furnace—no mistaking that infectious bounce.
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| CD:
Motorhead - Orgasmatron |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: June 7, 2021 at 18:36 |
| After the slight aberration that was Another Perfect Day, Lemmy gets back to baseline with a new lineup. Of note, this is the first full-length album to feature Phil Campbell on guitar. The record is bookended by two menacing, mid-paced tracks in "Deaf Forever" and "Orgasmatron," both all-time classics for the band (especially the latter). In between we get plenty of speedsters like "Claw," "Ridin' With The Driver" and "Nothing Up My Sleeve." "Dr. Rock" boogies like nobody's business, and was a concert favorite for the rest of the band's career. Lemmy has lamented the production, but it sounds fine to me. (I do notice that he's yelling in more of a high-pitched voice than his usual gruff bark.) This is definitely in upper third of the band's catalog.
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| CD:
Motorhead - Another Perfect Day |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: June 7, 2021 at 18:24 |
| ... "Marching Off To War" and "I Got Mine." It makes for an almost happy sound, and Lemmy's singing is more tuneful. A song like "Dancing On Your Grave" is almost poppy by this band's standards. All of this is not to say that Another Perfect Day is a bad album—it isn't, not at all. It's just a little different. But then you have true hidden gems: "Rock It" sounds the most like the Motorhead we know and love, along with the bonus track "Turn You Round Again." "Tales Of Glory" is my other favorite, along with the aforementioned "Grave." Alas, "Die You Bastard" doesn't quite live up to its title.
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Motorhead - Another Perfect Day |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: June 7, 2021 at 18:17 |
| Exit Fast Eddie, enter Brian Robertson (late of Thin Lizzy). An odd fit from the start, Lemmy admitted, in everything from his guitar-playing to his funny clothes. His playing is a bit more melodic than you would expect for a Motorhead album, and his tone has a shimmery shine to it (little bit of chorus?). There are even several songs with clean guitars, like "One Track Mind,"
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Holland - Early Warning |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: June 6, 2021 at 11:00 |
| Excellent hard rock release for HOLLAND back in 84 offering a solid sound along with a remarkable songwriting !Ebony record s was a cult record company with fine acts and that one aint no exception with songs like"early warning" ,"kick it back","about it out" or "no chance"! Under rated and with getting it
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Virgin Steele - Life Among the Ruins |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: May 26, 2021 at 10:28 |
| excellent release once again for VIRGIN STEELE choosing an even more hard rock path (like most of the bands at the time)but always keeping their trademark De Feis piano lines & lyrics!the sound,the musicianship and the songwriting is really great and all the songs are remarkable!at stuff from a great act at least till that time
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Fist - Turn The Hell On |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: May 15, 2021 at 17:33 |
| a classic of the NWOBHM movement for FIST offering their street heavy hard music rough n straight as expected!plain songs well performed with that purity of those bands and remarkable guitar work!"hole in the wall gang ","the watcher","axeman" and "name,rank and serial number" are the highlights
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| CD:
My Dying Bride - The Angel And The Dark River |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: May 14, 2021 at 14:39 |
| ... sound more lost and lonely is the absolutely chilling violin intro to "Your Shameful Heaven." Other highlights are "Black Voyage" and "A Sea To Suffer In."
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My Dying Bride - The Angel And The Dark River |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: May 14, 2021 at 14:36 |
| Some accuse My Dying Bride of being melodramatic. A fair criticism—I mean, there is the way Aaron Stainthorpe's voice cracks with despair at the beginning of "From Darkest Skies"—take it easy, dude! But man, there's just something so alluring about MDB's brand of all-consuming woe. This is my favorite of their early albums. Aaron is singing more, although it's more in a bereft monotone than the mournful croon he's perfected on recent albums like Feel The Misery. This is music for the solitary, black nights between cold, rainy days. Even when they're singing about sex, as all self-respecting goths will do from time to time, it's more about the use and abuse of power. MDB are like a more intellectual version of Paradise Lost, on downers. "The Cry Of Mankind" is one of their all-time classics, even though almost half the song is the outro's waves-and-foghorn sound effects, as the repeating guitar melody slowly fades like a ship going out to sea, leaving you on a barren shore. The only sou
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| CD:
Virgin Steele - Virgin Steele |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: May 11, 2021 at 6:40 |
| excellent debut for VIRGIN STEELE back in 82 with great hard heavy songs ,great guitars by Jack abd those unique David s vocals !"still in love with you","children of the storm" ,"ve on thru" are fine songs indeed!
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Helloween - The Time of the Oath |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: May 6, 2021 at 13:28 |
| very good release for HELLOWEEN once again gaining a strong melodic side from Andi s contribution along with their early trademard of fast anthemic songs!the musicianship is excellent and all the songs are very well structured and performed !"wake up the mountain","forever and one","a million to one" and "anything my mama dont like " are the highlights
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| CD:
Slayer - Reign In Blood |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: April 30, 2021 at 19:49 |
| Highlights are of course "Angel Of Death" and its crushing midsection leading into the deranged guitar battle, and the indivisible "Postmortem" and "Raining Blood" (early pressings contained a mastering error that misplaced the transition between two songs by about forty seconds). Many delights lurk between those two bookends, however. At times, Tom has trouble keeping up vocally, reducing his lyrics to a frenzied babble that only enhances the unhinged character of the music. It's interesting to note how the two great thrash monoliths of 1986 take opposite approaches, with Metallica going for inqeasingly progressive compositions, and Slayer just bludgeoning you into submission in about half the time.
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| CD:
Slayer - Reign In Blood |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: April 30, 2021 at 19:39 |
| What a difference good production makes! Enter Rick Rubin, who turns down the reverb and gives a crystal-clear, diamond-hard sound to Slayer's "next ten songseaz they self-deprecatingly referred to this metal landmark. The band continue to improve on their instruments as well, with classic riffs, those demented solos, and of course Lombardo's monstrous drumming. Thirty-five years later, with all manner of extreme metal available to terrorize your neighbors, Slayer may no longer be the ultimate in brutality, strictly speaking, but this record still packs an enormous wallop that is just undeniable. I might generally prefer the greater diversity of Seasons In The Abyss, but when I've had a really shitty day and am just fed up with humanity, it's Reign In Blood all the way.
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Sword - Sweet Dreams |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: April 27, 2021 at 12:48 |
| excellent release for SWORD back in 88 that offered a solid heavy /hard sound with great riffs ,much power and strong vocal work !the musicianship is very good and the songs are dynamite but should have better choruses and maybe a slightly more commercial approach!"the trouble is","caught in the act" and "land of the brave " are the highlights!got that vinyl back in the day and still loving it
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Judas Priest - Ram It Down |
| From: hair metal again |
Date: April 25, 2021 at 7:51 |
| excellent release for JUDAS PRIEST back in 88 with amazing guitar work and thrilling vocals from Rob indeed!underrated in their catalogue mostly because of the strange choices in promoting it!"ram it down","heavy metal","come and get it" are great songs !you cand go wrong with the PRIEST
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| CD:
Danzig - 4p |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: April 23, 2021 at 18:57 |
| ... sinister as you'd want, with that title. "Sadistikal" and "Invocation" are both pure atmosphere, painting pictures of moonlit graveyards and dark basements, and I enjoy both tracks. But to be fair, it's easy to see why somebody who'd just discovered Danzig via "Mother" or even "Dirty Black Summer" might be disappointed with this album. This would be the last release for the original lineup, and nothing released after it would have the same magic, to put it kindly.
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| CD:
Danzig - 4p |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: April 23, 2021 at 18:50 |
| Danzig's fourth album came out in the fall of '94, on the heels of the surprise resurrection of "Mother" the previous winter. 4p (or just 4) is well in line with the first three albums, but is also noticeably darker and a bit less "fun." The disc takes its musical cues more from songs like "Sistinas" or the back half of II: Lucifuge than the swaggering anthems like "Twist Of Cain" or "Dirty Black Summer." Lots of softly picked/crooned intros and slower tempos, and a more somber, brooding, late-night feel than the previous albums. "Brand New God" and "Bringer Of Death" are exceptions to the rule with their overt speed and heaviness, and first single "Cantspeak" has a cool, creeping rhythm and that weird, backward guitar. "I Don't Mind The Pain" sounds almost like a dark country song before breaking into a heavy, sing-along chorus, while "Until You Call On The Dark" (kind of a rewrite of "How The Gods Kill") has one of those signature, squealy John Christ riffs. And "Stalker Song" is as
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| CD:
Danzig - Thrall-Demonsweatlive |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: April 23, 2021 at 15:03 |
| This EP spawned a minor hit with "It's Coming Down," with a nasty, grinding riff. But more importantly, it resurrected "Mother" and made it a hit, both with the live version that was very popular on MTV, and with the remixed studio version at the end. Glenn sabotaged himself the first time around with a video MTV wouldn't air, but somehow got himself a belated hit in late '93. Which seems so odd now, because musically it was so out of step with what else was going on at the time. But just hearing that first B power-chord, you can instantly recognize the song. But the remix is indistinguishable from original to me, and so unless 're a super-fan or completist, you can probably skip this one. "It's Coming Down" is great, though.
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| CD:
Danzig - Danzig 3 How The Gods Kill |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: April 23, 2021 at 14:49 |
| Danzig 3 improves on the previous album in that the sound is pretty much identical, but the songs are more consistent, at least to my ears. "Godless" and "Siinas" just have that backwoods-horror atmosphere that Danzig were so good at back then, while "Dirty Black Summer" (a big hit on MTV and metal radio) and "Left Hand Black" bring the RIFFS! The title track combines both these elements, adding lots of those screeching harmonics that John Christ was so good at. These first few albums were such sinister fun! I don't think Glenn gets enough credit for inspiring the current scene of occult rock like Ghost and Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. However, I read the comment from "Titty" above and had to laugh. Yep, he's not wrong.
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| CD:
Danzig - Danzig II - Lucifuge |
| From: Doghouse Reilly |
Date: April 23, 2021 at 14:37 |
| Danzig experiment with their stripped-down, bluesy metal formula on this second album, adding some clean guitar sections and upping the blues quotient. Songs like "Long Way Back From Hell," "Snakes Of Christ," and "Her Black Wings" could have appeared on the debut (and all are highlights). But beginning with "Devil's Plaything," you have a string of several songs that have long, acoustic intros that tend to run together rather than set themselves apart. The pure blues of "I'm The One" does leave an impression, as something different. "Killer Wolf" tries to do the same with an electric-blues feel, but Glenn really hams it up on the vocals and comes off sounding silly. This is a good disc overall, and that creepy-carnival atmosphere is always enjoyable. Your mileage may vary though, as to whether it's a stylistic breakthrough after the more one-dimensional debut.
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