HARD ROCK SOLDIER x HEAVY METAL KILLER: Rawk Thread

[BIL]

We've had some good rock/metal discussion in the general music thread, lately! Thought I'd start a thread for those who wanna rawk. Pls share thoughts about rambunctious devil's music.



Punks, KVLT and all manner of outcasts encouraged. Let's not overthink it.



---

Tony MacAlpine - Maximum Security (1988)



Blew my goddamn socks off recently, and still gaining over time. Lyrical, ultra-smooth neoclassical shredder. I couldn't believe I'd never heard of this guy! I'm not the most lettered music fan, to be sure, but he's a cohort of guitar luminaries like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert. He has quite an extensive catalogue, both solo and collaborative, which I've just started to scratch. This one is solid gold, at any rate.

Highly recommended to fans of oldschool Japanese VGM, specifically the 90s Redbook metal OSTs exemplified by Winds of Thunder and Sapphire. If you dig those, you'll wonder where TF this record's been all your life.

Key to the City (stage 2-1 )
Hundreds of Thousands (penultimate boss )
Tears of Sahara (staff roll, best track ;-;)

[Udderdude]

Good reccomendation. I'm ready to RAWK.

[Blinge]

Been enjoying The Melvins lately

[Marc]

As I've done since time began on this board, I'm popping up to suggest that everyone should give Planes Mistaken for Stars a listen. Up In Them Guts or Mercy. That is all.

[Ajora]

Extreme metal and classical music are my two favorite musical genres, but I've lately been getting more into The Who. Awesome band.

[Imhotep]

Been enjoying The Melvins lately

Zodiac live https://youtu.be/rFVjlhBZYfo


lots of stuff to mention. I've been listening to Uboa, Coma Wall recently

https://uboa.bandcamp.com/album/coma-wall

[null1024]

Still on an Anthem kick, was blasting FIRE 'N' THE SWORD on my way home today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hhRu4Mhqfo

I DON'T NEED THE
FIRE OR THE SWORD ANYMORE!
I DON'T WANT THE
POWER OF THE FLAME TO BURN AGAAAAAIN!

My Japanese is terrible to the point where I can't even watch something like Precure raw , but one line came out to me listening:
Moeru akai sora kara wa owari o ima tsugeru. -- the burning red sky tells of the end
I love it. So cool.



On an entirely unrelated note, I've also been listening to Slaves, a British punk duo. Very classic punk rock sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC9JDwCCimA -- Sockets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmtU-bLyReU -- The Hunter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd7I6tdY4wY -- Magnolia

the lion in the jungle shows no shame, it shows no pride
it does what it needs to to stay strong and to survive
Killer.

[BIL]

Still on an Anthem kick, was blasting FIRE 'N' THE SWORD on my way home today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hhRu4Mhqfo

I DON'T NEED THE
FIRE OR THE SWORD ANYMORE!
I DON'T WANT THE
POWER OF THE FLAME TO BURN AGAAAAAIN!

Their (honestly quite good) Xanadu single for Falcom makes that track extra-rad.

GET POWWAR

Bound To Break, the sort of disc that'd stop a bullet.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I've lately been getting more into The Who. Awesome band.

Aren't they?

[BIL]

I wonder if the same guy directed the videos for Rainbow's All Night Long and Graham Bonnet's solo Night Games, both starting and ending on conspicuously fanboyish shots of drummer man/myth/legend Cozy Powell. I approve! Handsome chap.

Great radio-rock tune, Night Games. I'm really digging that transitional late-70s/early-80s period, when Purple, Rainbow et al were doing catchy rock that retained its bluesy, soulful grit, well short of the AOR that guys like Coverdale lapsed into later on. Smouldering lead break from Micky Moody after the first chorus.

Bonnet seems to be a star magnet, just about everything I encounter of his has at least one renowned player in the lineup (Cozy & Moody here, Jon Lord onstage, though IIRC he actually plays on a different tune from Line Up). Shame about the alleged onstage punch-up VS Malmsteen, but these are some supernova rockstar egos at play.

[Obiwanshinobi]

So I resist jacking that other thread for the sake of plugging Nosferatu is Dead here.

[FinalBaton]

Upon reading the word ''Nosferatu'', I thought for sure you were gonna talk about Slint.



Very nice opening post I quite like the framing of these b&w pics, looks gud

Ahhh, Tony McAlpine. That was a great find Birru. I checked a live on YT and it was really enjoyable, he had a great drummer and bassist with him too. I like how despite playing neo-classical, he doesn't dress in frilly shirts, but instead just looks like a normal dude on stage, wearing like a flannel shirt and baseball cap pretty jarring dichotomy but it's actually cool. (don't worry Ingwie, I still think you're cool)

I love so many bands and I've recommended so many on here already that I kinda don't know where to start but then again I saw the emoji smoking a doobie in the opening post saying ',don't overthink it'' so I'll follow that

I guess I'll start by making a big post pumping Voivod's tires soon, since they need to be even more known than they are now IMO.

more to cum

[BIL]

Very nice opening post I quite like the framing of these b&w pics, looks gud

Haha, thanks - I did try to at least get the eyelines reasonably straight.

Been going through lots of Graham Bonnet's stuff, both solo and collaborative... gonna do some writing up, but for now, will just say his Stand In Line with melodic shred outfit Impellitteri is my favourite after the splendid Heavy Metal Anthem. Cut out the daft "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" instrumental for a short, catchy, hard-hitting record with his earth-shaking power and soaring range opposite Chris Impelliteri's sparely-unleashed blistering shred. Amusingly, it includes a cover of his Rainbow hit "Since You've Been Gone," which seems to presage HMA's roid rage. Almost gospel-like exuberance and joy, I really like it.

The heaviest tune here, "Leviathan," has a doomy aspect he absolutely nails. "Lost somewhere, in the dark water..." Reminds me of Tony Martin's rising operatic despair on Tyr's "The Sabbath Stones."

His radio-friendlier solo Line Up is my current lowest-rated, mostly just ok with one great single in "Night Games," a really fun Chuck Berry cover, but also one very shit tune that sent me packing.

I think he does best when paired with heavy melodic metal, ala Anthem. His appeal to me is a sharp-dressing Blue-Eyed Soul sort with a metal frontman's power and range. Line Up's awful "Out On The Water" has him sounding like a knockoff David Lee Roth at his lowest, lounge-lizardest mid-90s nadir.

Assault Attack with MSG is, unsurprisingly, way the hell stronger, as is Rainbow's Down To Earth, though I've not gotten into either quite as strongly as the aforementioned pair. Haven't scratched his Alcatrazz stuff yet... think I'll be sticking with these metal collaborations before his poppier solo stuff, definitely his strong suit imo.

[Udderdude]

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

Pretty good instrumental stuff from CROW'SCLAW. (No, it's not a Touhou arrange. lol)

[Acid King]

Currently running Savage Master a lot lately. Really dig all of their albums though I've been going back to Mask of the Devil the most. My 8 month old twins fucking love "Ripper in Black" and light up every time I put it on.

Other recent traditional/old school heavy metal jams I've been digging lately include Midnight Priest's Aggressive Hauntings (think Painkiller-era Judas Priest x Mercyful Fate), Haunt's Burst into Flame, and Argus' From Fields of Fire.

[carlbarx]

T H I N L I Z Z Y

That woman's gonna break your heart : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIdg-i5HS1M

One of the most underrated bands in the history of rock!

[null1024]

The Savages - The World Ain't Round, It's Square
'66 garage rock tune by a group from the Bahamas.
Always loved how raw this song sounded. Very, very punk.

[BIL]

Other recent traditional/old school heavy metal jams I've been digging lately include Midnight Priest's Aggressive Hauntings (think Painkiller-era Judas Priest x Mercyful Fate)

Fuck yeah. MERCYFUL PRIEST indeed! Wish it wasn't so obscenely late here, I'd be blasting this fucker loud. Nails the distinct Abigail/Painkiller balance of chromium tone, instant hooks and pummelling aggression.

Vocalist LEX THUNDER (love the sobriquets... IRON FIST and STEEL BRINGER are a lethal pairing ), besides his obvious KD/Halford qualities, also reminds me a bit of Perseverance-era Chuck Schuldiner, that bridging of the hysteric and the plaintive.

Does anyone else love that LP-style 35-40minute runtime? It almost reminds me of the classic 30minute 1CC vs 30hr RPG dichotomy... not quite that extreme, obviously, and longer records can of course work if the material is up to snuff. In recent years though, I've really liked the inherent focus of my Ace of Spades, Screaming For Vengeance etc.

I'm the sort to happily chop down would-be LPs to rock-solid EPs via the magic of modern playlists, admittedly.

[Herr Schatten]

I've been listening to Motörhead's March Ör Die recently. It's a strange album. Outshined by both its predecessor 1916 and its follow-up Bastards, it's objectively not the band's finest hour. Mikkey Dee gives his debut on this album, but his remarkable injection of fresh energy into the band cannot yet be felt.

In a way, I see the album as a companion piece to Iron Maiden's Fear Of The Dark from the same year. Both albums open and close with very strong songs, but inbetween those there's ...not much of note. Fear Of The Dark has Be Quick Or Be Dead and its title song, March Ör Die has the wonderfully energetic Stand (one of my favourite Motörhead songs full stop) and the grim and bleak title track. Of course Maiden managed to sneak in another all-time classic in Afraid To Shoot Strangers, while, sadly, Motörhead couldn't come up with something of that caliber. (I guess you could count I Ain't No Nice Guy featuring Ozzy and Slash, but that one's cheesiness is so over the top that I find it hard to enjoy at all.)

[BIL]

"Stand" is cool, I agree. Otherwise, March Or Die's best contribution is probably it convincing Lemmy to give up chasing mainstream radio success. Kinda his End of the Century/Johnny Ramone moment. Commercialism's no shame in itself, necessarily, but it led to some of their weaker records - the middling Rock n' Roll, and mk1's demise after hurling themselves into Iron Fist, chasing another UK #1, right after five straight years of recording and touring. Bastards, Sacrifice and the excellent Overnight Sensation are vastly stronger records.

I've never really rated any of his Ozzy contributions/collaborations, though it makes me happy that they netted him some well-deserved cash! He earned more from those than he had in his entire career up to that point, IIRC.

Also gave Lem a great story about being in LA to record March during the riots, seeing a burning building on the news, and realising it was the one he was standing in.

[null1024]

In a way, I see the album as a companion piece to Iron Maiden's Fear Of The Dark from the same year. Both albums open and close with very strong songs, but inbetween those there's ...not much of note. Fear Of The Dark has Be Quick Or Be Dead and its title song, March Ör Die has the wonderfully energetic Stand (one of my favourite Motörhead songs full stop) and the grim and bleak title track. Of course Maiden managed to sneak in another all-time classic in Afraid To Shoot Strangers, while, sadly, Motörhead couldn't come up with something of that caliber. (I guess you could count I Ain't No Nice Guy featuring Ozzy and Slash, but that one's cheesiness is so over the top that I find it hard to enjoy at all.)

Man, Fear of the Dark.
It still kills me how much better the title track is vs most of the rest.

[FinalBaton]

I think Judas Be My Guide is a stellar track, it's almost making my top 10 actually. This one is CRIMINALLY underated.

Be Quick Or Be Dead is great also. very raunchy almost thrasher with some killer riffage. so much damn energy and so evil


So yeah, less than half the record is awesome, but I still let the whole thing roll since the aforementionned two and title track are so strong.




Speaking of that, buddies and I took the challenge of listing our top Maiden songs. Starting with a top 10, then narrowing it to a top 3 and then top 1. not gonna be easy... I'm pulling my hair out over here haha

[Elrinth]

Loudness is pretty good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U6t3ufJ1Ds
Anthem is also pretty gaad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E0ikYn5KAc
My fav doujin band is Demetori: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6TSUHjKnsM
but I also like SSH and Crow's Claw. Live House S.S.H is where my discovery of doujin music started.

[BIL]

Just when I think I've seen all of Holy Diver's metal references



AION - Human Griefman (1990)

No-nonsense breakneck thrash, won't change your world but worth the runtime. Best trackname: CARE KILLED THE CAT

Speaking of that, buddies and I took the challenge of listing our top Maiden songs. Starting with a top 10, then narrowing it to a top 3 and then top 1. not gonna be easy... I'm pulling my hair out over here haha

From my recent revisits, the still state-of-the-art "Phantom of the Opera" would be an obvious T5 shoe-in, and from the less quintessential, "Caught Somewhere In Time" encapsulates everything I love about Maiden almost as neatly. Summons a vast retro-future soundscape, then blasts across it with galloping, spiralling elan, feeling half its actual duration. The sterling riffs, the perilously duelling solos, Harris's superhumanly agile bassline and Bruce's operatic bellow and sneer, all via Martin Birch's sparkling-clean production... a FTL space-metal juggernaut. I'd still call it their best mini-epic outside of Phantom itself.

TIME IS ALWAYS ON MY SIDE

Anthem is also pretty gaad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E0ikYn5KAc

First track I've heard of the Eizo mkII lineup - sounding absolutely murderous.

My fav doujin band is Demetori: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6TSUHjKnsM

I like these guys too - really got into Begierde des Zauberer a couple years back, particularly its soaring "Dawn of the Dead" and "Desire Dream." Offering to the Sukhavati and Nada Upasana Pundarika have some killer stuff too (the formidably lyrical "Mysterious Mountain" and that heartbreaking "Dance of Pundarika" come to mind)

Good dudes, I think they work for Falcom? Deservedly so.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Upon reading the word ''Nosferatu'', I thought for sure you were gonna talk about Slint.

Hadn't heard this one for quite a few years. Sorta known-to-be-little-known-in-their-time-and-age band. The only notion of them I found in a rock music magazine from the era was in an interview with someone from Sunny Day Real Estate, speaking of their influences along the "...we also listen to Slint, known by no-one else, it seems" lines.

P.S. So I'm listening to the "Extreme Cold Weather" album by the Swiss band Messiah right now, to be precise, a 2002 A.D. year CD reissue of it, live extras & all, and it's pretty charming. The word "fucking" features prominently, if I say so.

[FinalBaton]

@BIL : hell yeah brother, Phantom of the Opera is in there and towards the top too. In fact, it is for sure in the top 2. The discussion started when buddy and I asked ourselves if there was a tune that tops it. This is gonna be subject of drunken debate! I think Hallowed Be Thy Name is up there also and is a contender.

Yep, a track (or two) from Somewhere Back In Time is bound to get in my top ten. For sure. I also can't imagine that there won't ba song(or two) from Powerslave. I mean that record is so damn stacked to the ceiling, with vertiginous-inducing peaks.


Re: Anthem. So basically, I find that everything from Heavy Anthem down, is solid. I'm legit shocked by the consistency of this band. (Only the 1990 album I haven't heard as much, gonna spin it tommorow).only little knick is Hunting Time having some forced electronic production (hey, it was the'90s an industrial bandwagon was making its round) but still allright. And I'll go on record sayin that the first 2 records, despite bieng more oldschool and less the percussive polished thrash we've come to adore, are still fucking ace. Think pre-leather priest in term of production and stiyle a bit too.


ALso gave Eternal Warrior 2 spins and I quite liked it. Sounded pretty much like Domestic Booty to me. Very decent for sure, fine even. Also listened to Seven Hills and early impression was that it did not grab me.

[Blinge]

Did anyone ever get into the depressive experience that is Poison The Well ?

No idea why i'm listening at 7:30 am

Man's got one hell of a scream on him, and the way it's punctuated by the rhythm section in this track. Hits me right in the nuts.

[FinalBaton]

Hadn't heard this one for quite a few years. Sorta known-to-be-little-known-in-their-time-and-age band. The only notion of them I found in a rock music magazine from the era was in an interview with someone from Sunny Day Real Estate, speaking of their influences along the "...we also listen to Slint, known by no-one else, it seems" lines.

I think it was a classic case of ''small group of people (mainly musicians) got it back then, and every one of them cherished it and got influenced by it''. In fact Steve Albini theorized just that in an interview. I def remember Ian Mackaye prop-ing them up in some interview too

[Obiwanshinobi]

There surely is a category of music appealing mostly to musicians, King Crimson being poster boy here (that THRaKaTTaK live abum, really).

Closer to the topic, them lyrics on South of Heaven album by Slayer:

I deal in pain
All life I drain
I dominate
I seal your fate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU0RIt2TeSg

You stud, bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia while you're at it.

Also, there is a track literally titled Space Invaders on Extreme Cold Weather by Messiah:

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

[FinalBaton]

funny you mention Slayer : some lyrics grabbed my attention recently as I see an interview where Kerry detailed the lyrics for Raining Blood and it is absolutely savage and epic beyond belief actually. Not in a gore sense necessarily, but in a biblical sense moreso. Gonna check it again but it's someting about an arch-angel taking revenge and slaying angels in heaven, which is where the raining blood comes in. blood of angels raining down on earth. wow. fucking awesome

(Slayer are of course one of my most influential and cherished band. probs THE most. I just gave an interview for a book being made on my hometown's punk scene, and I mentionned Slayer as my biggest influence. with Ramones probs close second since I learned guitar playing their stuff and catchy 3 chord punk was so huge in my circle of friends/hometown scene).


Gonna go check that Messiah project you mentionned, I'm curious now