Heavy Maytal - Tailgunner- "Midnight Blitz"

 When it comes to a new traditonal metal band with the most buzz, the band that comes to mind is Tailgunner. KK Downing produced their new album, giving these kids from the UK an edge on the competition, and they have the buzz to build the momentum. But none of this means anything if they are just delivering the idea of an era rather than songs that are relevant in 2026. They open with a somewhat aggressive track, considering the genre, at times making me think of a less flashy Dragonforce. The second song is more melodic, which I appreciate, but it also flirts with hair metal a bit, which I feel is an equal influence on what they do. 

Despite KK producing their album, they do not sound like Priest. They sound more like a speed metal version of the Scorpions. This fact is highlighted on "Follow Me in Death". There are lots of guitar solos racing around, so if that is your thing, you might be into this. Three songs in, and I am under the suspicion that these kids are not going to be dark or aggressive enough for me, which is a common problem I have with power metal. By the time we get to 'Dead Til Dark', I'm positive that if a song about vampires is too happy for me, there are going to be some stylistic differences that I might not be able to reconcile with these guys, despite them being good at what they are doing. It begins to become hard for me to even think of this as metal due to how upbeat they are.

"Barrens Land and Seas of Red" finds the rapid-fire pace being maintained. The vocal approach is very similar to what this guy has been doing for the bulk of the album, where a wider range of vocal colors would feel the dynamics of the album. "War In Heaven' features Ozzy/ Sabbath Keyboardist Adam Wakeman. It's more of a power ballad. You do finally get to hear more shades of the singer's voice. He is some hat you stereotypical power metal singer, but without any falsetto yodeling, so far everything has been sung from his tenor chest register. 

The drummer earns his place at the table on "Blood Sacrifice." Their singer tries to be a little more aggressive and goes up into his blended head register on the chorus. "Night Raids' is just as over the top as the bulk of this album has been, though they back off enough on the verses so the vocals have room. No new ground is broken on this song, and the fact that everything is similar in tempo makes the songs sound the same. "Eye of the Storm" at least finds the verses creating more space and tension. When it builds up, it feels more like a tribute to modern power metal. The last song opens with more fanfare to create the mood. Then, they race off into something not far removed from what we have already heard from these guys. The fact that they stick so closely to the rule book for this genre and do not bring anything new to the table is a bit off-putting, and it's too happy for my tastes, but they have the chops for this kind of thing, and it's well-produced I will give it an 8. 

 

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The Top 10 Metal Albums of 1984

Forty years later,  it's time to take a look and honestly assess what were the ten greatest metal albums from 1984. This is not being weighed on album sales, as some of these did not fare that well upon their release but gained ground over time. All of these have stood the test of time, but some are better than others, which is why the number one album is where it sits, and number ten is where it is. The ranking is based on two main factors I was listening to them back when they were released, the impact they had when I heard them, and how well they have stood the test of time for the past forty years. Unlike lists I make today where it;s based more on how much I listened to them over the year, the results here are more cumulative, though the album I listened to the most in 1984 is on here. 

10-Judas Priest - "Defenders of the Faith" 

When this came out it benefited from the momentum of "Screaming for Vengence" which achieved the perfect balance of great songwriting but being accessible enough to pack stadiums. Songs like "Rock Hard Ride Free" just did not age as well as "You've Got Another Thing Comin". When I was a kid and id not know any better I enjoyed it as this was the era that found Priest still on top of the world, but when I want to dig back and listen to a Priest album this is not the first one I reach for. However, it's good enough to belong here and beat out both Scorpion's "Love at First Sting' and Ratt's "Out of the Cellar' for its place here.

 

9-W.A.S.P- "S/T" 

This band found the sweet that was missing in music at the time to fall between what Motley Crue was doing on "Shout at the Devil" and what heavier bands like Priest and Saxon were cranking while adding a darker more theatrical element Kiss traded into blend-in with the hair metal scene. Sleazy anthem with the bite of Lawless' saw blade codpiece. It rocks with more earnestness than Priest had on the more contrived number ten ranking album.

   

8-Slayer - "Haunting the Chapel" 

There was a college radio station I listened to as Kid that has a metal night on the weekends, that played "Aggressive Perfector' which was the first Slayer song I ever hear, It sounded like Venom to me at the time, and it was not until I heard the song "Die By The Sword" on the "Live Undead' album that Slayer really clicked for me, though I was aware Kerry King played on the "Liscenced to Ill " album. These songs aged well.

                       

7-Dio - "The Last in Line" 

As a kid when this came out, I was reluctant to give this album a shot, as I only knew Dio from the two Sabbath albums he sang on, which I was surprisingly ok with given that I was such an Ozzy fan at the time. So "Holy Diver" was the first solo Dio album I bought, and then I went back to check this one out. The title track which he had a video for, I liked, but the album as a whole had to grow on me, and once I discovered Rainbow, then the more it all clicked into place for me.

6-Queensryche - 'The Warning" 

If this album came out today it would be called power metal. I like "Rage For Order' so much that I forget how great this album is. They brought all the elements of what we now think of as traditional metal into play in a manner that had both grace and balls to the songwriting, and Tate established himself as one of the best vocalists in metal at the time.

   

5-Twisted Sister- "Stay Hungry" 

The anthemic classics that everyone knows are not why this album ranks so high, but songs like "Burn in Hell" and "Captain Howdy" that are darker and carry more grit to separate them from the rest of the rising hair metal bands at the time,as they have more in common with Accept and Judas Priest. Great songwriting wins the day, they were not shredders but entertainers. 

           . 

4-Kiss- "Animalize" 

This is the most underrated album on the list, the opening track alone rocks harder than most of their peers at the time. If this was a list of the albums I listened to the most in 1984 this would be at the top of the list. The guitar attack on most of these songs should silence questions regarding if this is in fact a metal album. I would say "Asylum" that came out after this would be the turning point from metal. This is the best of the post-make-up years, and their last great album, as none of the other releases after this would ever measure up. Paul Stanley sounds great here.

   

3-Metallica - "Rider the Lightning" 

This might be the band's best album as it runs neck and neck against "Master of Puppets". I think the effects of touring and substance abuse were beginning to weigh on them when they made "Master of Puppets" and I might prefer this one as it's a darker album, and more refined than "Kill'em All" there is the perfect middle ground of thrashing and melody here. This album grew on me over the years as when this came out, I was not as into Metallica, as when I became more willing to give this one a more solid listen after getting hooked in by Puppets.

   

2-Iron Maiden- "Powerslave"

 I am not saying this is Maiden's best album, it's not. I am saying this album is better than the eight previous albums mentioned here they are all great in their own right. Any arguments against this fact can simply refer to "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" which is better than mosts band's entire careers . 

                  

1-Mercyful Fate- "Don't Break the Oath'' 

As a child, I did not have the musical vocabulary to explain what I wanted when I went into music stores, so when a tall skinny adult with long hair and a chain wallet started working at the record store my grandparents took me to, I did not know what I wanted to ask was 'What's the darkest metal album you have?" so instead I asked "What's the scariest metal album you have ?". The answers in 1984 would have likely been the same as he handed me this cassette. It blew me away, and scared me a bit, while I was more into Kiss and Ozzy IN 1984, I grew into this album, and it might be not only the best album of 1984 but the best metal album of all time. 

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The Top 10 Most Disappointing Albums of 2024

Here's a new edition to the end-of-the-year traditions that makes more sense this year than in the past. I've already warned you there would be end-of-the-year lists not only with perhaps albums from my worst-off list but also trying to make a bigger deal out of albums that are more hype than substance for various reasons we can see here, ranging from nostalgia to wanting to offer a diverse or inclusive list rather than just focusing on which albums have the best songs. People live in such a warped reality bubble they can not handle disappointment and would rather pretend the emperor is wearing clothes than admit their favorite artists are falling short. My role has always been to call out things for what they are, as a form of quality. These are not bad albums, but they did not live up to what these artists did in the past, except for one entry that improved but was never that great and got a critical pass from mainstream music media for reasons that have nothing to do with music.  There are only three artists  that are favorites of mine that missing the mark stung a bit, but in the interest of honest journalism those are the ones I must draw the most attention to so here are the top 10 Most Disappointing albums of 2024

10- Tribulation - ''Sub Rosa In Æternum"

This album is an honorable mention, as it's not bad. It's decent for what is it, in fact in my original review I gave it a 9, but the more I listen to it the more lackluster it feels, some of the gloom is more genuine than others, I think the fact they have strayed so far from their death metal beginnings is part of the problem here, if I reviewed this album today it would have gotten an 8, which would not make it contender for any top 10 lists, aside from this one since this band is capable of greatness. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-tribulation-sub-rosa-in-ternum.html

9-Dool- "The Shape of Fluidity" 

Another case of a band whose previous work was certainly better. This one scored an 8, on my initial listen, which still put it ahead of most radio rock, but unlike their previous album failed to inspire me to give additional listens , so if I had to rate it today would give it a 7.5, a far cry from a top 10 contender. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/dool-shape-of-fluidity.html

8-Body Count- "Merciless" 

This is a band that was never any good, and this album is actually an improvement. At least that is what I thought upon listening to the first few songs then it got worse the deeper into the album you go. I don't care how much they paid David Gilmore to be on this album it's the worst cover of "Comfortably Numb" I've heard. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/body-count-merciless.html

7-Oranssi Pazuzu : "Muuntautuja" 

In my review of this album, I first said they must be growing killer shrooms in Finland. It's a drugged-out mess of an album that captures cool sounds, they never are woven into being cool songs.  They have proven they can balance the two and it's not the case here. If I had to review this one today I would have given it a 7, clearly not best of material. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/oranssi-pazuzu-muuntautuja.html

6-Linkin Park- "From Zero" 

This one is more of a matter of all the hype and buzz around it, there was no way it could live up to the hype, it also highlighted the fact that Linkin Park has always been a pop band despite getting lumped into nu-metal. A few catchy pop songs do not equate to the best of 2024 material. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/linkin-park-from-zero.html

5-Oceans of Slumber - 'Where Gods Fear to Speak" 

Their previous material was doomier and made better use of her soulful voice, this feels rushed and uninspired, well-produced but also very bland. If you think this is the best of anything you did not listen to enough music this year, plenty of bands even did this better than this band. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/oceans-of-slumber-where-gods-fear-to.html

4-Lowen - "Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran"

This album was so bad I could not get through it to review it just felt like a waste of time. It was a flowery mess of symphonic pop rock. The only reason it was disappointing was because it was a shame the album title was so cool, and the music sounded like nothing that should be described like that. 

3-Nightwish- 'Yesterwynde"

Much like the number four I could not get through this album to review it, it's a shame as I liked both "Once" and "Dark Passion Play", there is no backbone driving these songs the attempts at metal sound empty, they would have been better off putting this band to rest. 

2-Unto Others -"Never Neverland" 

I had hoped they would have gone in a more goth direction, but they went in a poppier direction. It sounds like Billy Idol b-sides at times, a great deal of hair metal mixed in but with none of the metal edge.  The pop hooks lured me into giving this album a 9, but if I went back to review this album again I would give it an 8, as the pop hooks did not work to make me want to listen to it again. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/unto-others-never-neverland.html

1-Judas Priest - "Invincible Shield" 

Judas Priest is one of my favorite bands from my teen years, age has not been kind to Halford's pipes, though "Nostradomus" was a great album, perhaps I am in the minority in this regard, but it was more inspired than what they have put out since. This album might fool many people just hungry for Priest as it sounds good from a production stand point, though the original members are beginning to dwindle. At the end of the day if we are being honest this album sounds like the record label asked AI to write what it thought a Judas Priest album should sound like and this is what happened. I gave this a 9, when I first reviewed it but the more I listened to it the more I disliked it so I would give it a 7 today.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/judas-priest-invincible-shield.html

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Judas Priest : "Invincible Shield"

 

Going into this album, we need to make a few things clear. First, this is Judas Priest, they are supposed to be considered one of the greatest metal bands of all time. They are thought of as equals to Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. Thus this album will be weighed with those expectations in place. Secondly, they are largely the original members since KK Downing is the only missing piece and Scott Travis played on "Painkiller" one of their best albums so that counts. Third Halford is 72. Which makes it even more impressive that he hits the notes he does on the second song of this album. I do not know how much love he is getting in the studio in this regard, as I saw him 13 years ago and he struggled with some of the higher notes live.  There are also clearly way more effects on his voice on this album.  

The opening track works and has more fire than I expected these guys to carry 18 albums into their career. The title track touches more on the 'Free Wheel Burning" rock n roll side of what they do, with just enough attack to make this metal. They have to ride the line between having their classic sound but not recycling what they have already done and it is a delicate balance here. They play it a little safe and stick to what is tried and true. I prefer what they did on "Nostradamus" as it found them taking more risks, but this is fun enough. If you like shredding guitar solos there is no shortage of those on this album. 

"Devil in Disguise" is the first song that clicks with me and feels like the Judas Priest I want to hear. It has a groove and the melody works well with it. In contrast "Gates of Hell" feels like they asked AI to write a Judas Priest song and it created something that is what a computer would expect Judas Priest to sound like. "Crown of Thorns" is familiar enough, but has some more melodic moments that feel more heartfelt. They get heavier and thrash it out a little on "As God is My Witness" Rob sounds convincing on this one.  "Trial By Fire " was one of the lead singles from the album, and now listening to it in the context of the album it is one of the stronger songs. 

They can still rip out some killer riffs as evident on the one that opens up 'Escape From Reality". The way the verses give the vocals room to breathe creates a great dynamic feel to ramp up with the chorus. I like the way the vocals are doubled up on the chorus as well. The use of effects on Rob's voice in this song is very effective. 'Sons of Thunder' is another that could have been created by an AI if fed every decent Judas Priest album, though it is on the more aggressive side, but not "Painkiller" aggressive. The more deliberate chug to "Giants in the Sky" works better, though it is not the first moment on this album when I am reminded of solo Ozzy. 

They do recycle some riffs as "Fight of Your Life" has a few riffs that could have been from "Better By You Better Than Me". Scott's drumming saves the song. I had to give "Vicious Circle" a second listen. Rob's vocals are worthwhile but the riffs feel like generic metal. Things end with a more interesting melodic tone with "The Lodger" . I will round this one down to an 8.5, as it plays it a little too safe, and finds them recycling too many ideas from other songs, but Rob sounds great, and the band still has a fire. 

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Mix Tape Mania : Headbanger's Balls Edition

 

If you are a regular reader here , then know I have started back reviewing actual albums. I know I am doing a mix tape a day , I can not help myself at this point, it is harder to focus on blast beats and growling vocals when I am floating around with cotton candy biscuits in my head. But I have said it before and will say it again . This is my fucking blog so I write whatever the god damn hell I want, right not this is what I want, Feel lucky is this for someone and I am sharing it with you guys, not to diminish the importance of what I am sharing with the actual intended audience. On previous ones I have made play lists of  hair metal or emoish metal , but aside from Queensryche on the hair metal one not much in terms of actual metal, so I decided to throw some actual metal , perhaps not the heaviest by today's standards , but maybe we will get around to that, not sure I am really feeling songs about kissing your mother's decapitated head as my head in more along the lyrically lines of these songs today. I have not jerked off in two days so that might be feeding into this more cock rocking metal . 

WASP- "Fuck Like Beast"

   

 Iced Earth - "I Died For You"

   

 Diamond Head - "Sucking My Love"

   

 Kiss- " Keep Me Comin"

   

 Motley Crue - " Starry Eyes"

   

 Alice Cooper - " You're My Temptation"

   

 Judas Priest - "Eat Me Alive"

 

Scorpions - " Animal Magnetism"

   

 Black Sabbath- "Keep It Warm"

   

 Pantera : " Pussy Tight"

 

The Top 50 Thrash Albums of All Time - 20 -11

Now we are down to the top 20 albums of what is the most influential sub-genre of  metal . It opened the door for bands to play louder, harder and faster thus spawning Death metal, black metal, grind core etc.. yeah doom stayed on it's own path. The bands that came out of it are now considered the biggest bands in metal...I mean Metallica and Slayer, come one end of debate. Normally I try to limit it to one album per artist. There are some artists that had much more of an impact so they might get another entry or two. There is thrash ranging from proto-death metal to hard core to power metal bands that evolved with the times. I grew up during the rise of thrash and listened to it through out highschool so some of this is determined by which albums did I listen to the most as they came out and which have endured the test of time. Lets face it none of your Toxic Holocausts or Revocations can touch these bands. They are pretty much tribute bands in comparison


20 - Suicidal Tendencies-" How Will I Laugh Tomorrow, When I Can't Even Smile Today"  1988

 This album finds them crossing over into metal in the best way possible. "Join the Army" found them heading in this direction and they perfected it here.


 

 19- Iced Earth -  "the Dark saga" 1996 


The aggression of this album is what makes it thrash rather than power metal. The songs are what makes it awesome. The guitar tone on this album is unreal. Matt Barlow gives what might be one of the top 5 vocals performances on this list.

 

18-Annihilator - "Alice in Hell" -1989


 I wore this rucking tape out back in the day. Jeff Waters is still doing it but this was the perfect storm with DOA singer Randy Rampage.


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17- Testament-  " New Order " 1988 


 The Perfect blend of power and frantic energy. Chuck Billy's vocals did not sound like every one else and had a commanding personality to them.

 

16 - Angkor Wat- "Corpus Christi" 1990 

Yes it opens with "Blue Velvet" samples and industrial elements. This shit is mindblowing. It is still ahead of of it's time.





15 -  Anthrax -"Spreading the Disease" -1985


 This album introduced singer Joey Belladonna , who would prove to be crucial to their sound. It is a madhouse

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14- Exodus- Bonded By Blood " -1985

 Of the band's on this list who were around in 85, these guys might be the heaviest. This album should be mentioned when it comes to thrash albums that influenced black metal.



 



13- Flotsam & Jetsam - " No Place For Disgrace" - 1988 



 If you have heard this album then you know why it deserves to be here. If you have not heard this album, then why the fuck are you even reading this? Listen to it now.



 


12-Gwar- Scumdogs of the Universe "1990

 The open track slays in a way that solidfies their place in the top 20. Known for their theactrics people often do not realize what an under rated band this is. They started off punk on their first album and bring the thrashing metal in a big way here.


 


11- Judas Priest - " Painkiller" 1990 

 Judas Priest came back to redeem themselves from a run of two duds "Ram It Down" and "Turbo" to show that they were still the metal gods. Preist arguably influenced thrash more than any other classic metal band. This album set them off into a heavier direction they maintained until "Nostradomus".

Metal Hammer's Judas Priest Tribute Album.

Judas Priest was one of my favorite bands growing up. I might not listen to them as much as I used to, but it always brings a smile to my face when I hear them, so I am not only very familiar with their body of work , but have a deep respect for it. Metal Hammer complied this album of previously recorded covers. Covering Judas Priest first and foremost in my mind requires a solid vocal performance. You don't have to hit all the notes Rob Halford does as there not not a ton of singers who can do that. But you need to convey where he was going with it and tell the same story. So I know this is going to be problematic.  This album  opens with Arch Enemy's cover of "Breaking the Law" . This gets a more "Painkiller" treatment. The verse riff is so iconic that trying to add extra chugs in it is self defeating. Here the problem with the vocals that I predicted wastes no time coming true. Just growling through not matter how nuanced the growl is only works on the chorus of this song. There are still enough trademark to recognize it. A power metal band like Sabaton, certainly seems more capable of handling "All Guns Blazing" . There higher register vocals, they are more of a choked AC/DC nature, but at least they are trying. Power Wolf's cover of "Night Crawler" even with the help of sung vocals comes across a little stiff .

 I love Katatonia, so was eager to hear how they did  "Night Comes Down".  This one is off of "Defenders of the Faith" not one of their strongest songs, it's more of a power ballad so it works for these guys. Granted his range doesn't reach beyond what Jonas normally does. Huntress does just fine with "Running Wild" which is a safer picker than "Beyond the Realms of Death" which Blind Guardian takes on. I guess I have never given these guys a fair shot as he does a great job with the more baritone croon. The higher notes at the chorus are more snarled like Ice Earth or even Blackie Lawless.  Kreator does a much better job with "Grinder" than I expected. They should the kind of restraint and served the song like Arch Enemy could have stood to have done a better job of.

Death's cover of "Painkiller" is taken from their 1998 album "the Sound of Perseverance" . I am pretty impressed with Chuck's vocals. Even though it's a scratchier tone he hits the notes. It also has him singing in clean voice on parts. Drummer Richard Christy who also played with Iced Earth nails his parts to the wall. Primal Fear covering "Metal Gods" is pretty much a no-brainer cus they are almost a Judas Priest cover band. I'll give this album a 8.5 . Granted these bands all benefited from having excellent source material to work off of.

The Top 10 Mainstream Metal Albums of 2018

It is that time again. For the sake of this list mainstream Metal is anything that is not black, doom, death metal, or sludge. So that leaves some of the more widely ingested forms like symphonic metal, power metal, folk metal, thrash and nu-metal .  Mainstream doesn't mean they are going on tour with Slipknot or going to be played along side them on Sirrus, as chances are that going to be some bullshit band who i only got three songs into their album before getting bored. score from my reviews to help determine the ranking , but also how many times Last FM told me I listened to each album.An album can have all the critical acclaim in the world but if it does not inspire multiple listens then how good can it actually be ?

While the top ten lists for other genres leaned more heavily on the side of new blood , this lists leans in the direction of more well established acts. Rather than posting media of a track from each band I am leaving a link to the review, which will contain Bandcamp or Full Album Streams. Ok enough talking about it, the time has come to dig into the top 10 Mainstream Metal  albums of 2018.

10-Non Point -"x"


 They were always par for the course when it came to the tail end of nu-metal that was transitioning into the era of Myspace.There is a more thrash feel to the opener , but in a Slipknot manner and the vocal hooks have a Sevendust feel. They prove themselves to be good at what they do once again.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/08/nonpoint-x.html

9-Metal Church- "Damned if you Do" 


 Mike Howe and Kurdt Vanderhoof are the only members from the "Blessing In Disguise" era of the band, which is not the original line up, but a great incarnation of the band that I accept . Howe's voice sounds just as great as it did on "XI". There is a darker and more melodic tone to which is more original than the more straight forward by the numbers what you expect from these guys, straight head proto thrash. This makes the albums more somber and melodic moments help this one stand out.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/12/metal-church-damned-if-you-do.html

8-Code Orange- "the Hurt Goes On" 

 Their album "Forever" rules pretty hard as it showed them utilizing a bigger sound and blending a more industrial tinged influence into the mix. That industrial side of the band is given The first song is gritty and dense metal core that takes the concept of metal and hardcore thrown together and succeeds on every angle. This albums does rock pretty hard and I love how the left of center electronics are blended with their take on metallic hard core.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/06/code-orange-hurt-goes-on.html

7-Arkona-"Khram" 

 Clearing up any problems I had with folk metal, hey show up ready to do battle and don't get over indulgent into the more LARP like elements until the seventeen minute second song. I tend to not keep many sprawling seventeen minute songs in my iPod as they would take up the entire car ride to pretty much any where I go, they borders on being more progressive with the sprawling songs and refined chops.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/02/black-metal-history-month-arkona-khram.html

6-Destroyer 666 - "Call of the Wild"

 Warslut is back with something is almost more like W.A.S.P than black metal. Granted you could grandfather it in as it is as black metal as Venom...though closer to "Calm Before the Storm" than "At War With Satan".  They guitar sound is dialed in. The vocals are standing on the monitors and in your face. The vocal performance is executed in more of a 80s thrash shouted style of singing . There are some black metal tinged rasps thrown in. The drumming is very animated, but where it needs to be. I think the guitar benefits more from when things are not as busy.

  https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/02/black-metal-history-month-destroyer-666.html

5-Tribulation-"Down Below" 

 3 years after "Children of the Night" the boys from Sweden are back. This album seems like a logical progression with a more stream lined take on death metal. Their new drummer is more of a in the pocket rock guy and doesn't hit you with a ton of double bass so this factors in. There is still a great deal of atmosphere and keyboard parts, that help retain the darker mood. The guitar playing is more thoughtful and nuanced to make up for the fact it might not be as aggressive as their previous releases. The vocals haven't really changed and their mid range snarl is  the most biting part of their sound now

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/01/tribulation-down-below.html

4-Judas Priest- "Firepower" 

 The first concern going into any Priest album is how is Rob's voice going to hold up, We might be able to live with out KK, but as the Ripper Owens years proved, his voice is one of the defining traits of this band. Think closer to "Defenders of the Faith" which was the band trying to replicate the massive success of "Screaming For Vengeance" . It is truer to form for the band than "Redeemer of Souls". It has the up tempo aggression that influenced the thrash bands that would follow.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/judas-priest-fire-power.html

3-In the Woods - "Cease the Day"

 These guys are not the only black metal band from the early 90s that have changed their sound over the years.At the onset one might assume these guys have gone more of a Ulver route as baritone clean vocals have a mournful sound to them almost like a doomy gothy version of Pink Floyd. I do like the dark melodic tone this song has almost like something Katatonia might do. By the end of the song things have swelled back into metal. I also like how the effects drape the harsher vocals toward the end of the song, and while it is done in a more Enslaved like manner I do not feel the call and response between the clean and harsh vocals is predictable with a darker and moodier sound than most.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/10/in-woods-cease-day.html

2-Primordial -"Exile Amongst the Ruins"

 These guys used to be more black metal and have grown out of it, which you can't be mad at considering how dark they are and how they get pagan metal right. Right from the first song there is a passing return to harsh vocals for a few phrases. Their second best is better than most. If you are a fan of the band this is going to be what you are waiting for as it's more of the same.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/primordial-exile-amongst-ruins.html ,

1-Dimmu Borgir- "Eonian"

No longer black metal,they do what they do. This involves their ever evolving sound that retains the core of who they are. Shagrath croaks his way through the verses. There is a huge choral sound midway into the song. This confirms they are more of a symphonic metal band than a black metal band.These guys dialing it in is better than most bands can do on a good day.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/dimmu-borgir-eonian.html

The Top 50 Metal Guitarists - 10 to 1

Here we are at the end of our Top 50 Metal Guitarists list, The death of a guitarist I played with turned my thoughts to what makes a good guitarist great. Metal finds the stakes for guitarists high. Shredding can come before playing a fucking song. While all of these guitarists can play a solo, I was also looking for tone, impact on the genre as a whole and how their personalities came through in their playing. So this list of the top 50 Metal Guitarists. If you don't find your favorite guitar player here then know they were just wankers.

 10-Adrian Smith

His Band is primarily propelled by the galloping bass, but they are also known for their twin guitar harmonies. His partner in crime Dave Murray could be on this list too, but Adrian Smith's playing always struck me as being a little more nuanced.


 9-Dimebag Darrell 

His vulgar display of riffing hits you like a cowboy from hell. His solos embrace chaos and melody. He has influenced modern metal tremendously,  his original styling and chops that managed to place him above his hero Ace, when it comes to metal Dimebag is just more fucking hostile.


8-Jerry Cantrell

Some of the more melodic and mournful grunge thanks to the drugged trappings of his band that killed their lead singer. Equally blues base as he is a technical shredder his metal chops can slip out of any run
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7-KK Downing

Until their peers Iron Maiden, Downing's band was not driven by the bass. They were less technical and sometimes more aggressive. It was their album "PainKiller" that really put un-believers to rest.




6-Piggy/ Denis D’Amour

 His sound evolved from dissonant thrash into a space age prog metal sound that defined his band's weird and wonderful brand of metal. While they took influence from bands like Killing Joke and Discharge, Piggy blended that with a angular metallic aggression to create one of the most unique sounds ever.


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5- Alex Lifeson

Lifeson beat out Piggy, due to the fact if his band did not exist then metal and progressive rock might not find themselves so often hand in hand. You might question how metal is Rush, so I suggest getting back to me after hearing "2112" and "Caress of Steel" this is not to say they were metal for the duration of their career as they became radio rock , but those two albums alone solidify his place here.

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 4-Selim Lemouchi 

 He died on my birthday four years ago. Seeing this guy live made me a believer as he was one of the best guitarists I have ever seen live. His band the Devil's Blood, played a jammy style of retro doom boogie. He has two other guitarists in his band that he had to play around and still found the space to do some amazing things.


 

 3-Randy Rhodes

 Some times his tone is too bright for me and I'll blame that on his days with Quiet Riot. He inspired a decade of shred, more tasteful than all the Yngwies , he blended the neo-classical touches in a hard rock context.



2-Andy Larocque

Andy beat out Randy because Rhodes' weakness is his strength, he plays darker. Andy also has a more aggressive playing style making him a much more metal player than Rhodes. Andy's style of playing fit perfectly with the horror motif of King Diamond's writing making them the perfect match.

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 1-Toni Iommi 

There was a second I had him at number two, but them I thought about the "Mob Rules" and "Heaven and Hell" albums where he plays with the same firey precision that Andy does and summons a similar darkness years before , not to mention his use of the devil's note created heavy metal so there is that.


 

Judas Priest : "Fire Power"

Ok...the original review got deleted when I was cutting and pasting for a re-write for another blog, so this is make take on it after many morel listens. The first concern going into any Priest album is how is Rob's voice going to hold up, We might be able to live with out KK, but as the Ripper Owens years proved, his voice is one of the defining traits of this band. The first two songs are pretty much dialed in versions of their former arena rock classics.Think closer to "Defenders of the Faith" which was the band trying to replicate the massive success of "Screaming For Vengeance" . It is truer to form for the band than "Redeemer of Souls". It has the up tempo aggression that influenced the thrash bands that would follow. "Lightning Strike" has more of a gallop than the opener. The over dubbed vocal layers that show Halfords upper range, are pretty convincing.

You can hear echoes of "You've Got Another Thing Coming" in "Evil Never Dies", yet it doesn't feel like they are just recycling their past. For a band like these guys there is the juggling act not wavering from decades of fans expect yet keeping it fresh, the chorus to this song does it fairly well and creates a timeless blend of metal. "Never the Heroes" and other points on this album feel like they are blending the song writing of "Turbo" marrying it to the fire of "Pain-Killer". If you never acquired the stomach for their big fist pumping 80s choruses, then there are moments that won't sit with you either. Though if that is the case why are you even reading a review of  Judas Priest album?  They continue to adhere to this formula on "Necormancer" and why not since it seems to work. The first time I really hear them breaking from this is on the powerful drive of "Children of the Sun" that recalls Rob's days in Fight until the chorus.

It's midway into the album that things really begin to feel invigorated. That is not to say the first act is flawed, it's just uncanny how familiar it is. There are some interesting melodic touches to "Rising From Ruins". They take many of the elements I normally don't like about power-metal and make it work. "Flame Thrower" might be an ode to a bouncer at a leather bar. Lyrically the album is devoid of homo-erotic metaphor that in retrospect haunted their earlier work. Not that I ever minded it as it was always a part of the band's identity and thus became ingrained in metal culture. It's hard not to bang your head to "Spectre" as normally the rule around here is "cool riffs alone do not a good song make", but these guys wrote the book on cool riffs so now how to make them work. While I might still be reluctant to catch their live show with neither of the original guitarists currently on board, I think this album even with the luke warm power ballad  that closes the album is still a powerful statement about the band so I'll give it a 9.

Charred Walls of the Damned : "Creatures Watching Over the Dead"

Knowing Ripper Owens is in this band certainly prepares me for power-metal. I like Ripper. Didn't like him in Priest, but he is my second choice for Iced Earth after Matt Barlow. This band also features former members of Control Denied and Death, so this meets at a place where melodic progressive death metal and power metal can find some common ground. I did expect Ripper to sing with a little more grit on heavier songs like "the Soulless". He does find that grit I was waiting for on "Afterlife". They are melodic in a manner more suited for Ripper's voice " As I Catch My Breath". When we get to "Lies" not only can you hear the influence singing in a Dio tribute band for the past few years has had on Ripper, but how the more melodic moments are coupled with the best song writing choices, where as the heavier moments sound like every other riff I hear every other day.

There is a balance of those polarities on "Reach Into the Light". The riff going into "Tearing Me Down" is pretty catchy and once again invokes Dio before accelerating into the bridge and back into a more hooky 80's metal influenced chorus. Midway into the song there is a flashy guitar break that doesn't do a lot for me. Rob from Death Angel comes in for the actual solo which is solid if you are into that sort of thing. By the time we get to "Living In the Shadow of Yesterday" they don't come across as really being all that heavy. I think if your band is called Charred Walls of the Damned then you need to be much heavier than this album gets.

We know they are all talented musicians in their own right, but this is really flaunted going into the last song. Normally I complain about songs being too long, but I think some of these songs might have made more sense if they were longer to make room for more of build up into the heavier sections or allow for a heavier to let the melodic parts bust out of . The guitar solo often takes up a good chunk when something more interesting might have developed. I don't really think Ripper was that inspired on the last song. The bass playing pretty much steals the show on that one. I'll give this one a 6.5. If you think Ripper Owens can do no wrong and also like ample amounts of cheese coating your metal then round this up to a 7.

Top Ten Metal Love Songs

Some of these might straddle the fence between metal and hard rock, but love songs are always more sensitive, which is why there are so few in real metal, and the harder the song the broader the definition of romance.

 10 - Starry Eyes- by Motley Crue
 9 - Flesh Eater by- Lizzy Borden


8 - Thrills in the Night -by Kiss
 
 7 - 120 Days by Genitorturers


 6 - Welcome Home by Coheed and Cambria

 5 - Magdalena by A Perfect Circle

 4- Soul on Fire- Danzig


 3 -"Sleeping in the Fire" by Wasp


2 - Love You to Death by Type O negative


 1 - Here Come the Tears- Judas Priest

Judas Priest: "Redeemer of Souls"

I was afraid of this one , but  can it be any worse than that last Black Sabbath album ?  With KK gone and Tipton holding down the fort with the new guy,  the tone does seem thinner with the new guy. This rocks more than Nostradamus  , but is no Painkiller. Rob knows what he has to work with and goes for more grit that siren wails. The title track has a pretty decent gallop to it. This could have been written in the 80's , it's less slick and arena oriented than Screaming For Vengeance. So comparisons could be made to some of the earlier albums. They are making no attempts to do anything other than what they do current trends be damned. I think this album could have benefitted from some more modern sounding production, the song writing is pretty much intact.

Like Ozzy,  Rob is working off of charisma at this point , as Ripper Owens could knock some of these out of the park, when it comes to hitting the high notes. The note at the beginning of " Halls of Valhalla" is more strained and rough around the edges. Some of the classic metal elements come across a little like Manowar, and David Wayne of Metal Church is who comes to mind  Rob goes into his upper register. His crooning mid-range is still dead on.

This is far from their last conceptual spectacle. The songs are about as straight forward as Breaking the Law or Freewheel Burning. The melody to " Sword of Damocles" is pretty solid. The chorus sounds like any of the hundreds of power metal bands that pay homage to the Priest. The chug here hit's a little hard than most of their imitators. The falsetto in the break , is uncertain, but what is not is the fact they rock out the final minutes of this song.

"March of the Damned" is another solid song. Rob reminds me of Ozzy vocally at times in the verses. It's a little more radio friendly , if the dial is being turned back to 88. The intro to "Down in Flames" kicks off with guitar worthy to be a Priest classic. The sense of nostalgia is strong , even though they are doing a decent job of being their own best tribute band.

The power ballad  intro to "Hell & Back' once again show Priest is one of the few bands who didn't cheese that out, but can the same be said of the "Wrathchild" like riff in this one.The stomp of the middle section redeems their souls pretty well. The drumming is solid, but it feels like he is trying to hold back and stick to the arena drum sound.

"Cold Blooded" touches some where between "Electric Eye" and Van Halen, with a dab of Rage For Order Queensryche. The darker touch to this song, comes across more evil and works for my money. They should have gotten Iced Earth's producer is one thought this song brought to mind. They do touch on some killer riffs, but once upon a time every riff they touched was killer. "Metalizer" really wants to be Painkiller , but they can't get there and the guitar tone isn't the album brightest moment. The new guy must have wrote this one. The end section makes up for the rough start.

Blues is not where I think Priest would go , nor is it where I want them to go, but they end up there on
 "Crossfire". It has it's moments , but is too amateur to stand up against the rest of their catalog. At times like this it feel like they could not find who they are on their gps and it keeps re-calculating. "Secrets of the Dead" starts of like something Maiden would be more likely to do, until it goes into the restrained chug. "Battle Cry" also starts off like "Wasted Years" to me. it later turns into almost every thing you want a Priest song to sound like, so this look back at what they use to sound like is a mixed bag.

The album ends on a more "Rockarolla" moment with "Beginning of the End. This works its a semi ballad. If this album had been more produced like that Black Sabbath comeback album 13, it would hit me harder. These guys still have it when it comes to pulling their old tricks off and writing songs with thought behind them rather than just dialing it in when it comes to delivering the goods. I will give this one a 9.5 for now, as it works pretty well when I put Priest on shuffle so maybe I am being too hard on it, So I will listen to it louder and see if it grows on me.          

What Maiden Should Play

While I am far beyond stoked for the show June 23rd and the fact is not going to have any thing from after "Seventh Son" for once I would like a band to deviate from it's greatest hits and play the deeper cuts that people who have already seen them before want to hear, lets face it we are the loyal fans who have been helping with their mortgages back in the days when people bought albums, don't you know if people still bought them Maiden would not be touring as much as they have since the market took a decline back in 2006. So here's my wish lists set lists for ten bands who I think could stand to drop the greatest hits tours .

Iron Maiden

1-Invaders
2-Wrathchild
3-Sea of Madness
4-Back in the Village
5-Total Eclipse
6-Still Life
7-Killers
8-Alexander the Great
9- the Prisoner
10-Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Judas Priest

1-Delivering the goods
2-Don't go
3-Riding on the Wind
4-Stained Class
5-Never Satisfied
6-Eat Me Alive
7-Dissident Aggressor
8-Beyond the realms of death
9-Island of Domination
10-Devil's Child

Slayer

1-Killing Fields
2-Aggressive Perfector
3-Die By the sword
4-Black Magic
5-Necrophiliac
6-Behind the Crooked cross
7-Altar of Sacrifice
8-Temptation
9-Spill the blood
10-Seasons in the Abyss

Alice Cooper

1-Go to Hell
2-Roses on white lace
3-Halo of flies
4-The ballad of Dwight Frye
5-Is it my Body
6-Scarlet and Sheba
7-Cold Ethyl
8-It's Hot tonight
9-Steven/ the Awakening
10-i love the dead

Kiss

1-I've had enough ( into the fire )
2-Parasite
3-Keep me comin
4-Hotter than Hell
5-Charisma
6-a Million to one
7-Thrills in the night
8-She
9-100000 years
10-the Oath

Black Sabbath

1-Hole in the sky
2-Tomorrows dream
3-Hand of Doom
4-Megalomania
5-Killing yourself to live
6-Snowblind
7-Sleeping Village
8-Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
9-Into the Void
10-Never say die

Rush

1-2112
2-Circumstances
3-Red Sector a
4-The Necromancer
5-Ghost of a chance
6-Witch Hunt
7-Red Lenses
8-Cygnus X-1 Book one
9-Something for nothing
10-Sub-divisions

Deep Purple
1-Stormbringer
2-Maybe I'm a Leo
3-Child in time
4-Dealer
5-Into the fire
6-Place in line
7-No one came
8-You Keep on movin
9-Woman from Tokyo
10-Perfect Strangers

Nine Inch Nails
1-Mr. self destruct
2-1,000,000
3-Heresy
4-Dead souls
5-Happiness in slavery
6-Kinda I want to
7-the Becoming
8-My violent heart
9-Even deeper
10-Eraser

Alice in Chains
1-Rotten apple
2-Sea of sorrow
3-Last of my kind
4-Down in a hole
5-All secrets known
6-I can't remember
7-Junkhead
8- Angry chair
9-Get born again
1O-Would?

Sound Garden
1-Birth ritual
2-Hands all over
3-Gun
4-Beyond the wheel
5-Jesus Christ Pose
6-Mood for trouble
7-Searching with my good eye closed
8-No wrong no right
9-4th of july
10-Big dumb sex