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They hit on something no one else did afaik. I enjoy their recent slew of TV performances of Raining Blood of all things!
Heavy Metal Santa.


I just stumbled across Motorhead covering Enter Sandman, nice little Youtube find!
It's almost carbon but Lemmy is Lemmy, man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF9Gr5waAJg

I like their cover of "Whiplash" - I swap it into Kiss of Death for the sendoff, booting out that "Going Down" beige. ("Phil's son helped write it!" yeah I can tell!) Sounds like it could've come straight off the superbly aerodynamic head-lopping punk of We Are Motorhead (an LP itself let down only by a dull Pistols cover, which you should chop - fucking hell, this post is gaining some kinda inertial grip, can't get away from the bastard - here's a bomb)

Ultimately though, the best thing about that cover is they got a Grammy for it. Lemmy was said to have always harboured a longing to go really mainstream and he wasn't amused.

Actually, IIRC, certain editions of the record have it onboard anyway. Bit patchy, KOD. Was blasting SUCKER the other day, now that's a decent opener at least.

Into the gravy or into the ground, we just don't want you around ♫

Currently listening to Helloween, whom I'm not too familiar with. This is very impressive stuff, I think for 1987(Keepers Of The Seven Keys part 1) this sounds quite modern.

I'm a bit torn on power metal because on one hand the positive/childish vibes I have a hard time to get pumped for that sometimes, but on the other hand I feel like that genre is the true continuation of classic melodic Heavy Metal.

I saw a saying from an old metal head and I tend to agree with that : that the band at that time must have felt like a sort of new, younger, hungry Iron Maiden, but the next generation in that sound. everything is more XTREEM. It's more epic, more melodic, it's heavier, it's faster. all at once. it feels like a definite more modern step ''up''.

I hear a ton of Yngwie in there obviously. I feel like Yngwie's ''Marching Out'' is 75% of the way there. But Ingo's speed metal drumming held for lonnnng stretches is frankly mountain flattening. Holy fuck. The vocals do the job but it's a bit harsh sometimes, I think Yngwie had better singers.

Overall really impressed!

Helloween were my entry ticket into metal. A classmate gave me a tape of Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II and I was hooked.

The Keeper albums are as genre defining as it gets. Their early stuff is good, too, even though the sound production is quite horrible. Pink Bubbles go Ape has a bad reputation, but sound problems aside, I think it's a very solid release, and Someone's Crying is one of my favourite Helloween songs full stop. Chameleon is a confusing album from an obviously confused band, but it has some interesting experiments, and the cringe-worthy moments aren't actually as numerous as many fans claim.

The albums after Kiske's departure are a bit hit and miss. The best one is probably Better than Raw. I'm not really a huge fan of Deris' influence on the sound of the band. He is a solid singer, but his songwriting brought a little cheesiness into the band, and it never really felt like Helloween since.

In addition to Ingo's exceptional drumming, I'd like to emphasize Markus Großkopf's bass playing. He's often overlooked, but I genuinely think he's one of the best of his trade.

Btw, if you enjoy the Keeper albums, be sure to check out Land of the Free by Gamma Ray. It's like the sequel Helloween themselves have never been able to make.

Awesome thanks for the recco. I was thinking of going Gamma Ray but didn't know which album to pick. will cue that next.

currently listening to Stratovarius ''Black Diamond''. It's very good, but I don't get as big sense of progression from Yngwie (or even Tony Martin-era Sabbath for that matter) as I did with Helloween. but a bit more crystalised nonetheless, and very solid.

Hell yeah. That was the album that got me into them as well. So good. Eaaaaagle fly freeeeeeeee

Helloween is a band I kept hearing the name of every once in a while and had never actually listened to until a few months ago.
Feels kinda goofy that I never gave 'em a shot before now, especially given that Ky Kiske from Guilty Gear is literally named after some of the band members. That's roaring praise if I ever heard it.

Keeper of the Seven Keys part II is very fun.

I didn't know lovable Danzig had published books of his infamously elusive lyrics. I'm conflicted, particularly as a big fan of the semi-coherent Earth A.D.

The head of woken darkness
The head of potent evil
Its fury has no master
I am cancer Pretty rugged, but it's not as cute as my old sheet!

Hell is pumping something
Into lots of people
Curious about the eye of death Makes me think of some daemonic poster campaign, leading the unsuspecting into the godawful predicament of Danzig I's End of Time.

TEH ALGORITHM put Kiss's Creatures of the Night from Animalize Live '84 on after Devilock, and without a hint of irony (irony can suck my dick!), it doesn't miss a fuckin step. Big fan of that jackhammering verse riff. Quite fond of the chuggy studio cut, too, but this one sounds like it's gonna fuckin explode. Balls-out rapid-fire glam with matching imagery of scorched-earth sleaze. GOOD JOB COMPUTER Black Diamond came out great here too, absolutely head-stomping.

I know you don't ask for pity / But there ain't nothin' you can do ;-;

Mahfuckin Breadfan popped up while I was doing me HTML tags. That one's like a front-row view of metal Pangaea exploding apart, entire subgenres jutting and splintering off. Good night for noodling around with old favourites.

paging BIRRO

Metal Mythos...

ANTHEM

gonna watch now, brb

Really interested to hear what he thinks of their late 90s/on stuff. Ungodly hour here, will watch when I can crank the speakers up. He's got a good ear for catchy clips.

---



Fantastic work as usual from the Mythos. Whatever you think of Razor, his passion and thoroughness is undeniable.

Was glad to see Immortal Bind mentioned, my favourite of the few post-reunification tracks I've heard. Eizo's howling wail gives me chills ERREH TIME. The CORE version (posted a few pages back by Elrinth) is my favourite.

To be honest, I'm still kinda blitzed by the band's sheer output in the 21st century, but as always this is a great roadmap. Similarly, ala his Motorhead/Ramones, it's good to see "revolving door" cliches put to rest. Two singers, two guitarists and three drummers in 30+ years is a nice even spread for a relentlessly hard-working outfit. Gained a great apprection of Eizo Sakamoto and Yukio Morikawa's criss-crossing eras. It's as if Maiden had gotten Di'anno back after Bruce left, before Bruce again returned.

This ep reminded me of how significant Akio Shimizu (latter-day guitarist) was to me BITD. Was disgusted by the inherently sloppy Alt Pop dominating mid-90s FM radio, where I was. The Dracula Battle albums' precision flare and professionalism was an oasis in that time. Cross A Fear's solo exemplifies the balance of languid agility and rapid-fire precision Razor mentioned.

Not knocking rougher-edged stuff - these days my favourite tone is Heartbreakers/Ramones/Motorhead "tidy chaos," riding the line between tight metal precision and rock n' roll chaos. But fuck me, there were a few too many dickless neckbeards plunking away on nylon strings back then. More like Hootie and the blow my dick and choke down every drop you creepy faux-redneck fucks

Xanadu, WAMPYR KILLER and DEVILMAN cameos. Loved Graham Bonnet's coverage too! "Herro, Glaham-san!"

Great to see RAY DOWN getting a shout. Killer slow/ heavy crusher.

Expected a shout to the late Mr. Tsangarides, wasn't disappointed. ;-;7 An unsung hero of high-octane melodic metal.

My Dying Bride - The Ghost of Orion

I remember that I used to really like the band some 25 years ago, when they released Turn Loose the Swans and The Angel and the Dark River. I can't remember offhand why I lost interest in and subsequently track of them afterwards. Maybe they did some experimental stuff I wasn't too fond of or something like that. However, the latest album is a great return to form, and that trademark wailing violin really is something.

Well consider me intrigued by the Shizimu era now. guy looks like he fucking shreds HARD. I haven't listened much to the Seven Hills and up part of the discography but will give it more of a listen.

Looks like that last part of the catalog (aside from last two) is very inspired by euro power metal (a genre they inspired themselves tho). Well I'm ok with that. as I said last month, I'm more open to it now, been listening to old Helloween, Gamma Ray, old Stradivarius, Edguy and the likes of more oldschhool power metal. and good ol Yngwie of course.

Also wait : some guy from the band covered Castlevania Bloodlines? one of my fave OST of all time? that's fucking badass

I also didn't knew Animetal was a thing. pretty cool, lol

I learned a lot regarding the band members switchouts, I wasn't familiar at all. so that's cool now I know whom was on which album, and get a better feel for them. pretty interesting to compare the styles, especially the singers. they all have their strong points.

That's pretty much the soundtrack of my youth. Edguy's Vain Glory Opera album is a firm favourite, easily on par with the best works of Helloween and Gamma Ray. I've never really gotten into Stratovarius, their style always felt a little too formulaic to me.

Have you considered adding Running Wild to that list? They are something of a guilty pleasure of mine. Yes, their target audience are teenage boys, yes, their songs tend to sound a bit same-y, and yes, Rolf is far from being the best singer in the world, but if I'm in the right mood there's not much in the realm of metal that can make me smile quite as their old stuff. I mean, how can you dislike a band that named itself after a Priest song and released an album actually called Pile of Skulls? Pile. Of. Fucking. Skulls.

Indeed! Japanese Steve Harris himself Naoto "Ski" Shibata produced a whole series of metal ASTs for Konami in the early 90s, the PERFECT SELECTION BATTLE line.




>Dracula Battle "BLOODY TEARS" (from Akumajou Dracula AC) Old standard given ferocious fiery vigour.
>Dracula Battle II "THRASHARD IN THE CAVE" (from Akumajou Dracula X68k) Easy-riding, unstoppably-rising evil, BALLS-HARD Shibata guitar tone
>Shooting Battle "MACHINE GRAVEYARD" (from Thunder Cross) CRUSHING METAL FORCE
>Shooting Battle II "COLONY" (from Axelay) TAP THAT COWBELL YOU FUCK
>Snatcher Battle "THE THEME OF IZABEL (PART 1)" (from Snatcher) ROWDEH
>Best Of "WHAT IS THIS PLACE" (from Super Contra) Absolute earth-shakingly swaggering metal balls, MACHINEGUN THOSE ALIEN FUCKS FFS

When I read of these in EGM bitd, I knew the Nihonjin were where it was the fuck at. Dracula Battle 1 is my favourite, featuring Akio Shimizu on lead guitar. They're all worth hearing though - booming sound and sizzling energy throughout. A couple arrangements are very liberal - Iron Blue Intention and Road of Enemy - but excellent for it. The latter is some of the most wickedly keening, pummelingly heavy Castlevania metal you'll hear anywhere.

Bloodlines' final stage BGM, "Calling From Heaven," came out stunningly. Splendid, languid, tragic, WAMPYR! That Moog-backed pizzicato is otherworldly.

AFAIK, the drums are all machined, but TBH, I think the massive, impeccable hits kind of add to the "VGM" effect. I'm always down with Roland anyway. He tore shit up on Songs About Fucking.

Some arrangements are also more synth than guitar-led, but again, just adds to that sense of golden age Konami VGM wielding almighty metal dynamite. Thunder Cross II's "Dog Fight III" absolutely howls its tale of outer-space valour - those rising verse keys gave me fuckin wood then, and continue to give it me now. Some fuckin Legend of the Galactic Heroes chills. Heading straight for them I press down my guns!

Thanks for the breakdown BIRRU, I'll check these out!



I actually noticed the formulaic aspect too. While I was shooting the shit regarding the origins of euro power metal with buddies, and going through these earlier bands, my thought when listening to Stratovarius was ''this is not a big leap forward''. a big leap forward is exactly what I heard with Helloween, it really felt like a new generation. But Stratovarius I thought was just barely more progression from Yngwie, I guess you could say they mixed Helloween (especially vocal phrasing and melodies) with Yngwie. But if you're in a mood where you don't care about the progression of the genre and just want to hear more Yngwie, then ''Visions'' is a damn fine album.



I actually dabbled in RvΛΛiΛg Wild awhile back, I'm really into '80s metal that's really my jam, and I thought they were strictly a NWOBHM band, I didn't know they were power metal/pirate metal. I listened to the first two I think and I really liked them, I thought it was some damn speed metal/NWOBHM. But I'll give their subsequent stuff a spin based on your reccos.

of course being named after a Priest song piqued my interest back then, basically why I gave 'em a spin

Their earlier albums suffer from terrible sound production and are quite a bit speedier than their later stuff. Maybe start with their Blazon Stone album and see if you like it. If not, you can skip the rest of their output too, if yes, just make sure to avoid everything they released after Black Hand Inn. Nothing that came afterwards is any good.

While on topic, may I suggest giving Rage a spin, if you don't know them already? To me, their Trapped! album is one of the best metal records period. The three albums that came after it are also great, and the three that came before it are pretty good too.

Now, this is only mildly relevent, topic-wise, but I have been listening to the Copula Mundi album by Kinsky ensemble. Nowadays, it's easy to say they'd felt right at home as an Amphetamine Reptile Records' stallion, but way back then, heck, just getting your album pressed as a CD was a big thing, around here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TseQUtlSmmM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muB8d1dtonA

It seems to me, in hindsight, they were something of a theatre. Which still isn't saying much of my perception of 'em as a kid. I BARELY knew NoMeansNo or Voivod, back when. Did know King Crimson, though. Still, in the cold light of the year 2021, they mostly remind me of Charles Wuorinen (whose music I respect, to say the least).

I am a bit sozzled atm, having arrived home from work on Friday, just wanted to say that

Beware of the slippery stairs! You could easily fall...
AND BREAK YOUR NECK!
Ahahahahahaha! *Ahem*

Has been on my mind all evening, and it didn't disappoint now it's rumbling my floorboards. I can't believe people consider KD an acquired taste. He's the fuckin Bee Gees gone metal as fuck, fuck is the matter with you asswipes?

Might be some oldschool Castlevania diehard bias talking here, admittedly - a lifetime being aware of stairs - but fuck you anyway.

KD is only an acquired taste for those with no taste. Huzzah!

Last time I remember not liking King was at the ripe age of 16-17. My maniac metalhead friend used to stick all his CDs in the side pocket on his driver door, so they'd just roll about getting scratched to hell. He used to throw on Abigail a lot, which skipped like hell after the good thrashing, naturally. Then I think he replaced the CD after it was just trashed (like he usually did), then gave it to me and I was sold, scratched glory and all. Can't remember what all I got in that haul other than SPAZZ and Maiden's self-titled.

Glory days

As the hellish grip of DEVILS PISS lessens, I will revise somewhat - but only somewhat - and say that the Family Ghost video in specific is an ASSWIPE DETECTION MECHANISM

Who could dislike these vigorous young chaps eating fried chicken and rocking the fuck out in their castle? (■｀ω´■)
ASSHOLES THATS WHO (■｀W´■)

(I got more sympathy for the PMRC This shit looks fuckin rad, YOOF AT RISK )



Of rawk LPs to play end to end in regular commutes, Abigail and Maiden's ST are two I would immediately shortlist! (ALSO L.A.M.F, Leave Home, Bound To Break and To Mega Therion)

hell yeah

A friend of mine brought to my attention that Axxis have (apparently 2 years ago already) released an anniversary collection of re-recorded songs from their early career. While the new recordings are all much weaker than the originals, it reminded me of just how good their first two albums Kingdom of the Night and the creatively-titled II were, as the majority of the songs has been taken from those. Do give them a listen (the originals, not the re-recordings) if you're in the mood for competently-crafted hard rock with just the right amount of cheesiness injected.

I have actually no idea if the band is widely-known internationally or, come to think of it, even just nation-wide, but it used to be a big deal where I grew up, because it was this local band from the next city in the area that got signed by a major label. Mythical!

I read an interview with a leading countertenor lately, who, when asked if any male can sing such a voice, answered "sure, any male, if not particularlry voice-troubled". I may be misquoting it, but the message I've got was: no matter your actual tessitura, if you're just about any man, you can do it.

Black Rose FOREVER!


____________________________________________________________________________


Also going to give a shout out to the local RAWK heroes from the D.C. area PENTAGRAM! I'm going to plug the Death Row cover of this album because it's way cooler.

-1985-





For those who aren't familiar, Pentagram appeared on the Heavy Metal landscape in the early 70's. Actually formed and started playing out in 71, but didn't cut anything professionally until ~73. Bobby Liebling was just a kid at the time, and led a group of slightly older chuggers to glory in a glam rock inspired slug fest of sabbath proportions, but with a distinctly more DC vibe, which I would describe as being much more industrial and stripped-down in nature, while having a real kick-ass rhythm section.

Pentagram helped to create the minimalist cut-your-throat-out intensity that ended up defining the early DC hardcore scene. Even after Minor Threat showed up on the scene, the punks and skins would all still come out to see Pentagram (or Death Row when that's what they called themselves) and many mosh pits thrashed to their Satanic vibes.

They had very little commercial success, and didn't get a real full album together until the mid 80s, after they had briefly changed their names to Death Row. The Death Row album basically got scrapped and rerecorded as the first Pentagram record after it was decided that the original name had better recognition. After their first two LPs (criminally) failed to make a dent, the lead singer just kind of checked out for awhile and Joe Hasselvander the drummer joined the British band Raven (from Newcastle).

Fast forward to about 1999 and Bobby finally managed to rip the nails from the lid of his crypt and recalled his minions. A glorious second-wave of new material followed, and a number of RAWKing shows, including many Metal Fest appearances.

The last time I saw them play was in the year 2000 when they opened for Electic Wizard on their DOPETHRONE tour in DC. Eyes-bleeding face-melting good.

Wasn't sure where else to post this honestly.

apologies if it's already been posted before but someone covered the Ocarina of Time soundtrack as a prog-rock album and it works sooo damn well. There's some moments I think could literally be dream theater.

https://youtu.be/pDH3g6rRjM8