Heavy Maytal - Iron Maiden's "Virtual XI"

 

1998 was an odd transition period for metal, so it was easy to imagine how another Blae Bayley album might slip between the cracks. The mix is better than the previous Blaze album, with more of a classic Maiden sound coming from the guitar. Harris falls low in the mix, but the drum sound is better. "The Angel and the Gambler" makes me think of the Who.  There is more of a rock feel to it. It is a little too upbeat and happy in the execution for me. Keyboards are also taking a much larger role in this one. There is a cool melody breakdown on this one, but it might be part of the formula for this album, like the acoustic intros were for the previous one. It almost feels like they are jsut jamming, which I can appreciate. 

"Lightning Strikes Twice" has an odd chorus refrain, but the guitar solo section is classic Maiden, though the bulk of the song is kind of clunky. I've heard Bruce sing The Clansman" before live andd then went to check out the original, so the only song from this album I am familiar with. It captures more of the classic Maiden sound as it slowly builds. It takes two minutes for the drums to come in, but it's pretty anthemic and a tough song for them to beat on this album. The middle section finds them returning to a more jammed feel. "When Two Worlds Collide" follows the formula of a more subdued atmospheric intro that they build. Here it's into a gallop that should work, but Bayley's vocals feel a little awkward to me. 

They get proggier on "the Educated Fool". It still works on the formula they seem to be using during the period. His vocals seem too dry; it feels like they should put some effects on them. It might have helped the overall vocal sound, as he is a decent singer, but he is not given much love in the studio. The guitar harmonies on this song work better than most on this album. "Don't Look in the Eyes of a Stranger' feels like it was a B-side from "Fear of the Dark." The creeping tempo helps with the shadowy tension. The breakdown into the ambient middle section is a little odd until they begin to build it up. They are back to the Blaze formula on the last song. It builds up well enough, and Blaze sounds fine; it's just not that memorable despite when they lock into their classic harmony parts. I will give this album a 9 as well, even though it's an improvement over the previous album, it feels like they were just punching the time clock in some respects. 

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Heavy Maytal- Darkthrone : "Pre-historic Metal"

 

It seems these guys are now transfixed on their Celtic Frost phase. They are still black metal if you are talking about how that genre was defined in the 80s. There is a rawer sound to this album than their previous one, but it does not hinder the head-banging, fist-pumping riffs. The vocals croaked with a Tom Warrior-like anguish, sitting back further into the guitars. You can still tell who this is as they have their ambiance abounding on the first song. The title track finds the tempo simmering to more of a Venom-like place. They built this to a more thrashing pace that is part  Mercyful Fate. There is just a hint of black metal, but it's done in such an old school way you can't tell except to notice the intensity shifts. 

"Siberean Thaw" is a weird one that wanders into oddly atmospheric places but sells itself with the killer riff the song ends on. "Deeply Rooted" finds the Mercyful Fate influence surfacing again. The snarl of the vocals does not contribute muh on this one, even though the guitars are pretty cool here. They could tell it was starting to drag when they wrote, as that point is when the riff shifts its groove. They try to go for a more Maiden-like gallop, which does not work as well. The sung vocals can be pitchy as usual. Though the sung vocals show great improvement on the most Mercyful Fate-like so far, "The Dry Wells of Hell," where he even goes up into a falsetto note.

While it is a bit of an odd bird, the more experimental atmosphere to "So I Marched to the Sunken Empire " was needed to break things up. It is the most interesting moment so far. Some proto thrashing goes down on "Eat Eat Eat Your Pride" that looks back a little into their older punk stuff. They do throw in a dynamic shift and slow it down. The more chugged riff is pretty powerful, so hard to complain about this song. 'Eon 4" closes the album with a more lumbering doom feel. The vocals feel like they were improvised on the first take. It shifts into a hookier, more Mercyful Fate-like riff, but vocally, there is no King Diamond.  I will give this one a 9 and see how it sits on me. When I want to hear Mercyful Fate, I will just play"Don't Break the Oath." But if that is what it takes to bring them out of the Celtic Frost phase it's a step in the right direction. 

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Heavy Maytal - Iron Maiden's "The X-Factor"

 I have never given the Blaze Bayley albums a chance. I have a few of these songs live when Bruce has sung them, so here we go. The opening track is "Sign of the Cross." It works well enough; it's obvious Blaze lacks Bruce's range, though his voice has a lower baritone grit that works for this song. I will find out how it holds up for the bulk of the album. It does sound like Nicko is just kind of dialing it in on this song. There is an interesting shift in the darker gallop this song goes to. But something is off even when i listen to just the instrumental sections, you can tell it's Iron Maiden, but it doesn't sound fully like them, this is due to the fact that Martin Birch is not behind the console. Nigel Green does seem like he is great with drum tones, though there is an interesting space in the mix created by how the guitars sit in different places. 

The beginning of "Lord of the Flies" makes me think of 80s Dire Straits. The new singer did give them the chance to experiment more. If they only got a better drum sound. Blaze's approach is more rock n roll on this one. His style of singing also makes the chorus not punch enough. It could almost be any bar band on a Saturday night playing originals, with the clever guitar interplay the most redeeming thing here. "Man on the Edge" is likea more rock n roll take on "Gangland." Things get darker on "Fortunes of War." the guitar parts also show improvement. The anthem power ballad "Look For the Truth" finds Blaze doing pretty well, and the whole song actually working. 

The clean guitar intro seems to be a pattern with this album. The Aftermath" finds its groove after one of these intros. "The Judgement of Heaven' finds the vocals sitting a little awkwardly atop everything. There are some tradmark guitar passages, but it sounds more likea band influenced by Iron Maiden than the actual band. "Blood on the World's Hands " has a suitable bass intro that leads to something that sounds more like the band with a lurking tension to it; it's one of the better songs so far. Blaze is inconsistent because he sounds good on this one.

It's not surprising that The Edge of Darkness" carries more sonic shadows. It reminds me of "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" but carries an epic gallop. This lineup is capable of pulling off good songs; I don't think the mix is doing them any favors. Another acoustic intro for "2AM", which gives Blaze enough room to really sing. He does not have Bruce's swagger, but works well on this one. Though not sure about how the drums are pushed forward for the guitar solo. "The Unbeliever" opens with some intersting guitar riffs, not sure about the interplay between the vocals and the drums though. Not the album's most focused song. 

"Justice of the Peace" is more like what you want from an Iron Maiden song, as it balances the bombast and melody with high-energy drive. "I Live My Way' seems pretty basic, but it works. They close the album with more of a rocker, picking up the pace for "Judgement Day," which feels like it's more obligatory than playing to Blaze's strengths. At the end of the day, aside from Blaze, these guys are Iron Maiden, so their chops alone make it more worthwhile than anticipated 

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Heavy Maytal - lIlwind : "the Unfolding at the End of Light"

 

This Peruvian doom band is not content sticking themselves in one sonic box, despite what you are led to believe going into the album with the more traditional doom feel of "Crimson Skies." The epic bellow of the sorrow-filled vocals is what anchors their place here, rather than if they were another growing funeral doom band or death doom band, sub-genres I enjoy when done right, but these guys are focusing on songwriting rather than checking off the expected boxes for what the cool kids in doom are doing these days, perhaps that is due to being from Peru, and having to live off 80s metal vinyl if they are in a region with no wi-fi. Whatever the case, they are rocking it here, even with the first song being over ten minutes as they are jamming out.  

There is a touh of Candlemass in what they do. "Wanderer" has more of a fuzzed-out stoner rumble to it. They know who both Electric Wizard and Pallbearer are in Peru, it seems. There is more dynamic ebb and flow here as the riffs expand and contract, rather than jsut jamming out into guitar solos like they did on the first song. "Portal" moves with more grace in its rumble to just feel like reverbed out classic metal. There is more of a rock progression here. They are not overt Sabbath worshippers whih is something I appreciate. The first hint of it lies in the blues-tinged rumble of " God of Sleep." I like what the vocals are doing, but it falls pretty solidly within the expected boundaries of doom. It is an almost nine-minute song, so it drags slightly. It builds into some haunting guitar melodies to create a more melancholic tapestry that makes you headbang to, but it's pretty effective. 

It takes a minute for them to get "Lucifer's Mule" going. It carries a more monolithic chug that drives it. They allow things to drift off into more atamosoere a few minutes in. The chug grounds this and is a good sonic weapon for their arsenal of sound. Five minutes in, things begin to shift. A bigger, more metal riff comes in to build it up. They modulate it from their into something with a more aggressive crunch. The emotive feeling to the vocals brings My Dying Bride to mind at times. The guitar solos flow out of the steady build with organic grace. 

They close the album with a sludged out cover of the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog' which seems like too obvious a choice. They do a good job with it andd I like how it's more deliberate to create a heavier tone. The vocals don't change their approach. I enjoyed this album; it was not predictable, though it did employ a few doom cliches, but was not chained to them. I will give it a 9. Dropping July 3rd on Personal Records

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Heavy Maytal - Iron Maiden's " Seventh Son of Seventh Son"

 

This album is where some old-school Maiden fans begin to cast doubt on how well it holds up with their classic material. I like it because it is a darker album. "Moonchild" is a great opening song; it's uptempo, and Bruce carries a balance of grit and operatic croon. Lyrically, this album is loosely based on Orson Scott Card's book "Seventh Son." It studies more mystical topics. "Moonchild" is more influenced by Crowley. Despite being a power-ballad of sorts, "Infinite Dreams" might be the album's best song. It finds Dickinson singing in a more nuanced lower register in the verses, and soaring back up on the chorus. 

Where a point of contention on this album is that this is where the band switched from using Roland GR-700s to actual keyboards. I think it's done tastefully, and it's not like they turned into Yes. However, I do remember thinking when this came out that  "Can I Play With Madness" was too happy-sounding with the being harmony vocals on the chorus, felt like a nod in a more commercial direction, but when you sit down and really pay attention to the lyrics, it's clearly not the case. I think if they were trying to stay relevant, they would have gone heavier, as that is where metal was heading in 1988 with bands like Slayer breaking big. Some of the album's most memorable guitar solos are also on this song. 

"The Evil That Men Do" is another great tone with a darker tone and Bruce finding more interesting places for his voice to go than the most predictable belting. Not sure how you think you can get a more epic gallop than what they do on the title track.  Everyone is on point here, though you expect no less from these guys. There is a cool atmospheric breakdown that builds tension well for the guitar solos to explode out of. In some ways, it reminds me of the middle section of "Hallowed Be Thy Name." They bring more bite and a refined take on their classic sound to "The Prophecy". You can hear how this influenced today's power-metal bands. 

"The Clairvoyant" works of a pretty powerful tension that, when coupled with Bruce's intense vocal performance here, works wonders. The guitar harmonies on this album seem to have their own cohesive personality that sticks to the mood of the album. Despite being warned that a demon is going to rape you in your bed at night , the chorus has an upbeat feel to it. This is the band finding a new pinnacle, and it also deserves an 11. Despite its naysayers, it stands toe to toe with the band's best work. 

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Heavy Maytal : Acid Reign : "Daze of the Week"

This long-running British thrash band Acid Reign is back with a ripping speed fest that finds the opening song still having purpose rather than jsut slapping you upside the head and running off. In some ways, their approach makes me think of a less punk Vio-Lence with the higher pitched Exodus styled vocals. The title track keeps the momentum going, though the vocals have a more deliberate punch to their staccato accents, and Howard Smith actually sings rather than just shouting at you on the chorus. 

These guys date all the way back to the 80s, so they obviously know what they are doing and come from a time when songwriting mattered more than just being heavy. "Not Truth" jsut kind of races past you while "King of Coniption" is catchier and has more purposeful songwriting. The emphasis on songwriting should always be at the forefront of critical thinking when it comes to music, no matter the genre. The solos are all pretty ripping if that is what you are into. With a song like "Alonely," they clearly understand this concept. 

Midway into "Blind Lies' things get more melodic, which helps create a stronger dynamic sense for the album. At just over six minutes, it's the album's longest song. "Sorrowsworn" finds them stepping on the gas, the drums keeping pace even as the chorus gets more melodic. "Young Old Man" has a more Megadeth-like rock swagger. The vocals bark out in a more hardcore fashion. "Fantastic Passion" kinda blew past me on this first listen to had to give it another try and pay more attention. It's pretty average thrash. The last song, however, might be the album's best as it's the most vocally melodic nad dyanmic. These guys came back and brought it right I will give this album an 8.5, as it is sure to be one of the better thrash releases this year.

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Heavy Maytal - Iron Maiden's "Powerslave"

One of the most amazing things about this band is how they released their most classic albums only a year apart, recording them in between tours. This was brought to its pinnacle as the most finely tuned musical machine imaginable with their most aggressive and epic album to date, "Powerslave". It rips open with the rapid fire of "Aces High," which has a chorus that takes flight in a manner not unlike the subject of the lyrics. The slow down to a more deliberate pace for "Two Minutes to Midnight". "Losfer Words' is the ironically named instrumental, which feels like it has a heavier drive than the previous instrumentals released by the band, though some of the stign was taken out by the melodic solos.

"Flash of the Blade" is about Dickinson's love of fencing. The verses follow a similar formula employed earlier in the album as they race along to build into an anthemic chorus. This album is much more high-energy, with none of the songs leaning towards a power-ballad direction. This high-energy tempo can also be heard in "The Duellists." I think this more aggressive style of writing was perfectly timed as it coincides with the rise of thrash.  They keep the momentum with "Back in the Village."  This song is the lyrical sequel to "the Prisoner". It is one of my favorites on this album.

Despite the album cover, the title track is the only Egyptian-themed song, and even then, it's a metaphor for how Bruce felt about being a rockstar. The most deliberate and powerful song on the album. The sprawling epic "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." It speeds up into more of a gallop, which was mid-paced for them on this album, but to be a song that was such a grandiose prog metal sonic spectacle, the vocal melodies are all catchy as hell. They let things linger in the atmosphere midway through the song before building into a thundrrous climax.This album also goes up to an 11, so that is the score it gets reserved for only the rare upper tier albums, that are flawless classics.  

8.9

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