Way back as a newbie first year reviewer for the world-renowned Angry Metal Guy, no release floored me quite like Stormzone‘s Death Dealer.  Although I’d never heard of these Belfast hooligans, their hardcore NWOBHM worship and excellent song writing really got my blood riled up. Accordingly, Death Dealer got Steel Druhm’s only perfect score for 2010 and ended up my album of the year as well. Fast forward to 2011 and it’s a grizzled, jaded, cynical Steel Druhm that greets their new release, Zero to Rage. So, do things look different now that my doe-eyed youth has been drained away by long hours, crappy releases, zero pay and spiteful hate mail? Not really! They still embody the very essence of the NWOBHM style that I love dearly and still traffic in the ways of Saxon, Grim Reaper, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. When they hit their stride, they’re as metal as metal gets and no school sounds older. They also prove once again they’re capable of writing metal anthems that rock my metalverse. While this is a little less immediate than Death Dealer, it’s yet another mammoth dose of old style metal with enough hooks for a month-long fishing trip and enough muscle for an amateur bodybuilding contest. These guys have an infectious swagger and charm all their own and it’s still coming through loud and proud. So, don your high tops, skin-tight jeans and bullet belts and climb aboard the Way Back Machine™ as I set the dial to 1983!

Things pick up exactly where Death Dealer left off and both “Where We Belong” and the title track are HUGE songs that Saxon would have gleefully killed Def Leppard to possess. This is anthemic, studded-glove-in-the-air music that makes me grin like an idiot (if you aren’t raising a fist during the title track, you’re clinically dead). Both are super catchy and put across with deadly conviction by “Harv” Harbinson’s excellent vocals. These are the kinds of  songs you want playing as you bravely march into an epic battle against orcs, trolls, nazis and hippies (all must die!). This is Stormzone at their best and I love it muchly. The same goes for massively hooky, traditional metal chestnuts like “Jester’s Laughter,” “This Is Our Victory” and “Empire of Fear.” Pretty much every song is loaded with commanding vocals and gritty, rugged riffs. Things are generally kept straight-forward and simple with an ear toward melody and accessibility but the musicianship does come through in the solos and some of the more interesting riff patterns. The style never deviates from the tried-and-true 80s and that’s fine with me.

The only song that falls completely flat is “Fear Hotel,” which just doesn’t fit in with the rest of the material and comes across as a bit goofy. Another issue is the run time of several songs. While most are punchy, catchy and fun, several run too long (“Last Man Fighting” being the worst culprit). On last minor point is the repetition of ideas within the songs. A few take a good chorus or segment and hammer at it too long. All in all though, this is a very well-written, highly enjoyable collection of “true metal” songs.

As with Death Dealer, Harv’s vocals are the star of the show and his Blaze Bayley meets Steve Grimmet style is great fun. He’s one of the rare vocalists that can make even the most cliched, Manowar-approved lyrics seem sincere. His tough mid-range grounds things but he can soar as needed. Helping Harv along is the big box of NWOBHM flavored riffs Keith Harris and Steve Moore unpack throughout Zero to Rage. At times you hear Saxon, other times Maiden. Regardless, they have this style down cold and they churn out a lot of fist pumping energy with a heaping side order of testosterone.

Stormzone has excavated a comfortable niche in the metal world and they’re mining it for every ounce of old-timey steel glory. If your interests don’t include revisiting the days of metal lore, this may leave you flat. However, if you cherish the sound of traditional 80s metal like Steel Druhm does, this will work wonders for your spirit. Keep it coming Stormzone, keep it coming.

Related posts:

1. Stormzone – Death Dealer Review
2. Vicious Rumors – Razorback Killers Review
3. Riot – Immortal Soul Review

Steel Druhm is as happy as a pig in shite! You see, one of my all time favorite metal albums is Riot‘s Thundersteel. Although it was released way back in 1988, I still listen to it regularly and felt the burning need to write a Retro-spective Review of it a few months ago to spread the gospel. So masterful was that platter, Riot never even came close to equaling it with their later output. In fact, the immortal Thundersteel lineup only recorded one more album together (the very good Privilege of Power) and after that, things dropped off a lot. Now, twenty-three long years later, that powerhouse lineup has reunited to record a proper followup to their magnum opus. Naturally, I was skeptical they could re-bottle the might and magic and create something as brilliant, especially after so many years. Well, I was wrong to doubt, because Immortal Soul is the modern day version of Thundersteel and the best album of 2011 (so far). It has everything that made the Thundersteel sound so intoxicating.  There’s speed, power, wailing vocals, blistering guitars, top-flight song writing, amazingly catchy melodies, choruses and smart lyrics. It’s a winner every way an album can be and its the record I’ve been praying for Riot to write since ’88. If you love the classic, traditional sounds of Judas Priest (think Painkiller), Iron Maiden and especially American acts like Jag Panzer and old Agent Steel, this will blow you away. If you, like me, loved Thundersteel, prepare to be stunned, stupefied and shellacked.

With the opening strains of “Riot,” its a trip back to the insanity of Thundersteel and it’s a thrashy tidal wave with searing, high-pitched vocals. When Tony Moore asks “what’s it gonna take to make you riot,” it’s pure metal heaven (Tony’s voice sounds utterly timeless and amazing)! The wild, shredding at 2:55 onward by Mark Reale and Mike Flyntz is priceless and air-guitar inducing to the nth degree. It’s the type of song that’ll make you remember why you listen to this stuff in the first place. From there, Immortal Soul never lets go of your throat as one barn burner after another flies by. “Still Your Man” is a sequel to “Johnny’s Back” off Thundersteel and includes self referential lyrics and guitar lines and it works wonderfully on its own and as a pleasant slice of steely nostalgia. “Wings Are for Angels” is a super catchy speed assault with a huge chorus, ripping fretboard gymnastics and great lyrics. “Fall Before Me” is a monster epic where Riot channels Manowar and the result is one of the best songs of the year. The title track is another hugely addicting hit with intelligent and fun lyrics you’ll be quoting often and a chorus you can’t shake. There isn’t an off moment or a trace of filler to be found. Every song will win you over and make you bask in their metallic perfection.

Besides the songs themselves (more on that later), the big surprise is how well Tony’s voice has held up over the years. I didn’t expect him to be capable of the wails and upper register histrionics he excelled at back in the day. However, he pulls it off with style all over Immortal Soul. When paired with the nimble and exciting guitar segments Reale and Flyntz crafted, the Riot sound is reborn and back to kick all the ass that needs kicking. Adding significantly to the aural mayhem is some great drumming from seasoned vet Bobby Jarzombek (Fates Warning, Arch/Matheos, Halford, Iced Earth). This is a tightly played, raucous and raging metal album like they don’t make anymore and it screams TRUE all the way to the end.

No matter how skilled the musicians are, without great songs they can’t get anywhere. Immortal Soul is an enormous triumph because they managed to write eleven great songs (and a cool instrumental). On the very first listen, five of them stood out enough to require immediate replay and by the third listen, all were having the same effect. This is one of the best pure metal albums to come along in years and it tickles me to no end it’s Riot that pulled it off.

Thundersteel is a timeless classic and now, it finally has a rightful heir to it’s Iron Throne. Immortal Soul is old school metal glory, all day, all night. Buy it, live it, love it. All hail Riot, the Kings have returned to reclaim Rock City, finally!

Related posts:

1. Riot Founder/Guitarist Mark Reale Passes Away
2. Retro-spective Review: Riot – Thundersteel
3. Riot Founder/Guitarist Mark Reale Hospitalized in Serious Condition

Well, here’s a release I can easily see falling through the Angry Metal Cracks. One is the first (and maybe last) release by a supergroup of sorts led by Michael Andersson, vocalist for Swedish melodic metallers Cloudscape and featuring members of such renowned acts as Dream Evil, Hammerfall and Yngwie Malmsteen. Now, we all know supergroups can be very iffy propositions and Fullforce is no different. It seems whenever a group of talented musicians get jammed into a room to write and record, disaster is as likely to result as triumph. So where does this one fall? Pretty much exactly in the middle of the two extremes. There’s some top notch, super melodic metal here and some rather generic, boring duds. What makes this album of particular annoyance to Steel Druhm is how good the good stuff is. With some real winners on display, its a total buzz kill to have roughly half the album fizzle out and fail to keep the momentum going Fullforce (yeah, you knew it was gonna happen at some point). OK, it’s time for your slightly bitter host to examine One in a non-bitter fashion.

Having been familiar with Michael Andersson’s work with Cloudscape and enjoyed much of it, I was interested to hear what direction he would go with One. Well, its not much different than Cloudscape stylistically. As opener “Mythomaniac” washes over the listener, they’re greeted with brisk, energetic metal with a major emphasis on melody, catchiness and classy performances. As openers go, it’s a very good one and it straddles the line between the AOR hard rock sound of the Allen/Lande albums and the crunch and prog of Symphony X. Andersson’s vocals are well done and compelling and his band backs him up admirably. However, its the followup “None of  Your Concern” that really grabbed me and smacked me silly. This is humdinger of a ditty and super addicting. Again in the vein of the Allen/Lande albums, it takes an infectious hard rock style and gives it just enough metallizing to kick copious ass. Great guitar work, excellent vocal phrasing and a big hooky chorus that will keep you coming back for lots more. With “Heart and Soul” they pump up the heaviness and intensity and its another instantly accessible gem with a winning chorus. Clearly these guys can bring the tools to the tradeshow and by this point I had visions of 4.0′s and 4.5′s dancing in my iron head.  The next two tracks are also rock solid and keep the winning streak alive and then, it comes to an abrupt halt.

The album’s second half feels like it was written by a completely different group and the intensity, catchiness and overall quality take a significant step backwards. Songs like “Rain” and “Suffering in Silence” have moments of quality but feel flat, sterile and bland. Worse yet, numbers like “Wall of Secrets,” ”Father Spirit” and “Into the Cradle” never seem to get going at all. There’s a partial recovery near album’s end with “I Bleed” but by then, I’d been ravaged by the Filler Gremlin™ and I was greatly displeased by this.

In fairness, the performances themselves are great from beginning to end. Andersson is a very good vocalist and his professionalism is always apparent. While he doesn’t possess the most unique style or delivery, he makes the most of his voice with a lot of excellent vocal choices. Likewise, the guitars by Stefan Elmgren (ex-Hammerfall, ex-Lost Horizon, ex-Cans) and Carl Johan Grimmark (Rob Rock, Narnia) are impressive and they do their share to keep things lively, provide meaningful solos and sundry noodlings. These guys are all solid, experienced musicians and the first half of One shows the great things they’re capable of doing together. Sadly, their songwriting lets them down badly on the back half.

Half a great melodic metal album, One is a  paean to iTunes and such similar MP3 tools that allow the buyer to cherrypick tracks. If the first half was released as an EP it would get a big fat 4.0 or better. While the second half is a downer, I’m impressed enough with Fullforce to hope for a second album and more consistent songwriting. If you like melodic metal with a hard rock vibe, give this a sampling but avoid the second half if possible.

Related posts:

1. Zero Illusions – Oblivion Review
2. Bloodbound – Unholy Cross Review
3. Powerwolf – Blood of the Saints Review

Every now and then I find myself sweating a new release and sincerely worrying a band may have already seen its best days. This is one of those perspiration inducing albums. After three platters of excellent progressive metal that reminded me of the halcyon salad days of Fates Warning and Queensryche, Pagan’s Mind really screwed the pooch hard with their last release, 2007′s God’s Equation. Ditching nearly all of the things they had working for them in favor of a stripped down and more commercial approach, it was one of those albums that leaves fans befuddled, bewildered, betrayed and generally in an foul humor (I won’t go into the David Bowie cover, but it was bullshit ass!). With my confidence and fanboydom thus shaken and stirred, I didn’t know what to expect from these Norwegian metallers. Would it be a return to the prog-tastic spacey glory of their Enigmatic Calling and Celestrial Entrance works or a dash further down the path toward commercial oblivion ah la Krokus (yes, Krokus damn you, they were good once!). After much consternation and intestinal distress, I can report their fifth album, Heavenly Ecstasy is way better than their prior misstep, though it doesn’t fully return to their previous levels of excellence.

After only a few seconds of listening to Heavenly Ecstasy, it becomes apparent Pagan’s Mind saw the need to make a return toward their previous proggy sound. However, they sought a balance between that style and the linear, stripped down sound from God’s Equation. While I would’ve preferred a complete about face, this is a happy compromise and things could have been much worse. What we end up with is an album loaded with immediate, SUPER melodic, polished, classy metal that walks the line between the traditional and power genres. The band’s secret weapon is the amazing vocals of Nils K. Rue. This guy has a huge and powerful voice with a great tone and style. He’s one of the best metal vocalists and I wish he did the Russell Allen thing (sing in fifty different bands) since I can’t get enough of the guy’s vocals. He takes quality songs like  “Eyes of Fire” and “Intermission” and elevates them in a way few other singers could. He’s just that good. He shines on every track here, whether its the Queensryche Operation Mindcrime era styling of “Walk Away in Silence,” the huge chorus during straight up rocker “Intermission” or the big, emotional epic “Revelation to the End,” Rue delivers the goods (he even tosses in harsh vocals and screams here and there). What made me breath the biggest sigh of relief is the return to quality songcraft. While only half of God’s Equation was good, all the songs here are solid and some are exceptional (“Intermission” and “Revelation to the End” are the show stoppers).

Also in full force is the guitarwork of Jorn Lofstad. Mr. Lofstad has a knack from writing some high energy, catchy riffs and he can also deliver majestic and beautiful solo work when called upon. There’s plenty of that on offer here. Even when his riffs are more pedestrian, Rue’s vocals carry the songs just fine. On a far less positive note, Lofstad also unveils some decidedly nu-metalish riffing on several songs (“Eyes of Fire,” “Into the Aftermath,” “Master’s Voice”) and I don’t like that. No sir, not one bit! While it’s brief and doesn’t infest the songs to a high degree, its there, waiting like some loathsome disease and it must be isolated and eradicated! Get on that immediately Jorn. Of course, the Pagan’s Mind sound wouldn’t be complete without the omnipresent keyboards of Ronny Tegner and he does his job here, creating rich textures and moods.

While these guys probably aren’t going back to the righteous style of their early works, I can live with this middle ground. Hell, an album of high class metal with power and prog overtones is something Steel Druhm will never shake a stick at. If you abandoned ship after God’s Equation, I’m here to tell you, its safe to sail once again. If you never heard these guys, this is good place to start but their older stuff is superior. Check it out just for the vocals alone. A welcome semi-return to form.

Related posts:

1. Lance King – A Moment in Chiros Review
2. Flotsam and Jetsam – The Cold Review
3. Symphony X – Iconoclast Review

2011 is turning out to be a great year for metal thus far. I find myself giving out 4.0 and 4.5 left and right and there’s lots of new stuff I’m really enjoying. With all due modesty, I caused this to happen by predicting the new Belphegor would be one of my top picks unless we had a truly banner year in metal. Well, you can thank your beloved Steel Druhm for the self-jinx by sending him all the finest ales, meats and cheeses from across the lands. Moving on, we come to another surprisingly good release, this time by long running San Francisco vets Vicious Rumors. These chaps have been knocking around since 1979 and put out some great albums early in their career like their self-titled opus and Welcome to the Ball (their debut even featured mega guitar ace Vinnie Moore). After the tragic death of vocalist Carl Albert in 1995, there was a long dry spell of lackluster and mediocre albums and not until 2006′s Warball did they truly get back into vintage fighting shape again. After a lengthy wait, they finally return with Razorback Killers and once again show themselves capable of much ass kickery and name takery.

After losing the talents of super voice James Rivera (Helstar, Destiny’s End, Seven Witches) since their Warball release, Vicious Rumors recover nicely by slotting in Brian Allen (Wild Dogs, Last Empire, Malice).  Mr. Allen has a wide vocal range, a suitably rough hewn style and he can hit the air raid notes like Tim “Ripper” Owens when needed (Yes AMG, you hate Ripper, its OK). As good as the vocals are here, Razorback Killers is primarily a guitar driven album and the riffs and solos are the real stars. Founder and leader Geoff Thorpe and his battery mate Kiyoshi Morgan slice, dice and shred their way across all ten tracks. At times approximating the twin axe attack of Judas Priest circa Painkiller and at other times sounding more like Firewind or even Exodus and Testament (no, this is NOT another retro-thrash album), they put on quite a show.

Lead track “Murderball” (what’s up with these guys and balls?) is an instant hit and has that classic/traditional metal sound down cold. Thick, crunchy riffs, powerful but melodic vocals, a big memorable chorus and it even features guest solos by Eric Peterson of Testament fame (very cool ones of the foot-up-on-monitor, head-thrown-back variety). This song almost forces you to raise the horns and nod the head. The remainder of Razorback Killers follows along in that heavy traditional metal format and everything is well done and impressive. Allen gets to rage, simmer and boil over on “Black” which has a mid-paced, huge, epic sound and at times reminds me a lot of Black Sabbath’s “Children of the Sea.” On “Razorback Blade” they dive into Painkilleresque rage with loads of aggression and intense wails and screams by Mr. Allen. Great stuff! Whether trying this type of fast attack or the mid-paced grinders, they get the job done and every song is brimming with guitar heroics and vocal histrionics. Other standouts include the creepy menace throughout “Pearls of Wisdom,” the flashy leads and bad ass vox on “All I Want is You” (which sounds like Shok Paris, you probably never heard of them though), and the face ripping attack of “Rite of Devastation.” This stuff is all high quality and good fun for the whole family.

Though always underrated, when these guys were at their peak of creativity they had it going on. It’s great to see them back in action and approaching the level of their classics after so much time in a funk. Kudos to Geoff Thorpe for keeping the band afloat through the lean years. After two consecutive strong releases, I’m hopeful they keep this line-up intact and keep the hits coming. For fans of traditional metal, this is a slick, polished winner and should be examined post haste. Meanwhile, I shall await my well earned meat and cheese baskets from around the globe.

Related posts:

1. Riot – Immortal Soul Review
2. Arch/Matheos – Sympathetic Resonance Review
3. Havok – Time is Up Review

It’s old folks week at the Angry Metal Guy offices. That’s because I, Steel Druhm, am officially old and I’ve been tossed assignments for Tankard, Jag Panzer and now, Assassin, the long running, though unproductive German thrash troupe. Along with the aforementioned Tankard, Assassin was part of the German wave of thrash that hit in the mid 80s. Also like Tankard, these guys were in the back of the pack, far behind luminaries like Sodom, Kreator and Destruction. Their 86′ debut The Upcoming Terror was solid, reminded me of a poor man’s version of Artillery (who were amazing on their first two albums by the way) and some even considered it a cult classic. Their 88′ follow up Interstellar Experience was actually less than stellar and passed without much fanfare. After that there was a long period of inactivity due to equipment theft and they didn’t resurface until 2005′s The Club which was uninspiring to say the least (flaming coyote poo to say the most). Now they’re back with album four, Breaking the Silence and a nifty looking cover featuring the return of those bad ass tanks from their debut. So, did these gents fare better than those booze-hounds in Tankard whose album I only just defiled via review? Has the worm turned for these stoic thrashers or was their reformation as unfortunate an idea as wasabi flavored gummy bears? All these questions and more shall be answered so read on intrepid metal fans.

Probably feeling the need to shake of any lingering effects from their last album, the title track comes out guns blazing and is a slamming old school 80′s thrash antique. Riff heavy, double barrelled thrash with an almost out of control frenzied feel which is indeed great to hear. To me, thrash should feel as if its about to spin out into chaos at any moment and this has that feel. From the title track on through the rest of Breaking the Silence, they never let the foot off the gas and its breakneck, ramming speed til the cows come home (to thrash). Vocalist Rob Gonnella stradles the line between typically hoarse thrash rasp and old school crossover punk shouting (think D.R.I.). Guitarists Micha and Scholli acquit themselves well with their traditional thrash riffing and frenetic soloing. Standouts include “Destroy the State,” “Kill or Be Killed” and “Strike Back.” All have that classic Germanic thrash vibe, aggression aplenty and at times even sound a little like At War (remember them? No?? Fuck, I’m old). All the songs are solid save for “novelty” closer “I Like Cola” which should have been left in whatever godforsaken urine soaked basement it was conceived in.

The production was helmed by old pro Harris Johns who handled their second album and also worked with Kreator, Sodom and Voivod. Needless to say, he understands the genre and it shows in the sound and tone which is close to the 80′s but incorporates modern touches without overdoing it. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it, you ruin thrash by overproducing it. Raw is the only way to go and Mr. Johns apparently agrees. Necessary rawness aside, the drums are a tad too clicky sometimes.

Time and age are tricky mistresses. If this was the follow up to their debut and released in 87′, we might have remembered Assassin as true rivals to the big three of Germanic thrash. Sadly, by coming out in 2011, all it can be is a curious time capsule to a bygone era, producing some happy flashbacks in those of us who lived through it. At the end of the day, Assassin remains a second tier thrash act and while this is enjoyable and way better than Tankard’s new platter, it’s not quite a must hear. File this under nostalgia and I’ll see you at the next old folks day, if I’m not dead by then.

Related posts:

1. Tankard – Vol(l)ume 14 Review
2. Destruction – Day of Reckoning Review
3. Sodom – In War and Pieces Review

Jag Panzer has been an American metal institution since the early 80′s and they’ve always been a band that you could rely on to clobber you with enormous, powerful, top-notch heavy metal of the traditional school. They’re also the original American power metal act. Their take on power metal being far different than the textbook European approach, Jag Panzer were always much heavier, tougher and had more balls than the Helloweens, Gamma Rays and such of the Euro-school. Built around the mammoth, masculine and powerhouse vocals of Harry “the Tyrant” Conklin, the Panzer sound was always hard-edged, large and much closer to the NWOBHM style of Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. After a wait of nearly seven years since 2004′s Casting the Stones, The Panzer finally rolls again and we get album eight (nine if you count the long shelved Chain of Command opus), The Scourge of the Light. Was it worth the long wait? Does Moonsorrow piss in the snow? [Was the Pope a Nazi? - AMG] Of course it was worth it! Scourge is a welcome and mighty return to the metal throne by Jag Panzer and they brings us ten new slices of old school metal glory.

Firstly, let me allay any worries that Jag Panzer would be a lesser entity due to guitar monster Chris Broderick’s departure to join Megadeth. In to replace him is former Panzer shredder Christian Lesague (84-88) and he fills Broderick’s shoes much more than capably and between he and founding member Mark Briody, they make sure Scourge is a guitar geek’s wet dream of wild, fluid solos, techy brilliance and wretched fret excess. Nextly, allow me to give my humble opinion regarding the vocal prowess of Mr. H. Tyrant. The man is the living embodiment of the term “vocal god.” Since the beginning, his massive pipes have placed him right at the top of the metal vocalist food chain and over time he’s only gotten better and more versatile. His performance here is nothing short of a jaw dropping spectacle of leather lunged, metallic perfection. Enough of the gushing, on with the analysis (did I mention this guy can really sing?).

First up is “Condemned to Fight” and it’s an instant classic. Aggressive, heavy riffing, tasteful wankery and the majestic, commanding voice of Tyrant powering things along. It has a huge sweeping chorus, fantastic soloing and sounds almost too good to be true. Epic and classy all the way. I had to hit  replay several times as soon as it ended it’s so damn good. After that they dial back to slower, moodier paces for “Setting of the Sun” (another instant classic in the Panzer catalogue) and “Bringing on the End” (old school riff heavy plodder interlaced with face tearing fretwork) before moving into anthemic Manowar territory with “Call to Arms” and “Union”, both of which are quite simply, metal as fuck. Elsewhere they go back to their Ample Destruction roots for the straight-up ragers “Cycles” and “Let it Out” and also dabble in the gleefully over dramatic with “Overlord” (featuring the Captain Jack Sparrow approved line “scourge of the seven seas, salty of disposition”). Things wind down with another two gems. “Burn” features some of the most aggressive riffing, leads and vocals on Scourge and is a real scorcher, with Tyrant nearing rarefied Halford territory with his screams and shrieks. The closer is the eight minute plus epic “The Book of Kells” which pulls all the stops out for a grandiose and brooding, slow paced metal monster featuring choral sections, layered harmonies, towering vocals by Tyrant and ridiculously intricate fretwork and solos. Everything about this song sounds HUGE and classy. It’s pure gold.

The production was handled by famed producer Jim Morris at Morrisound studios and he did one helluva job. The sound is very big, perfectly suited for the larger-than-life, over-the-top style of Jag Panzer. The guitars sound powerful and forceful and they’re put out in front along with the Tyrant but the excellent drumming of Rikard Stjernquist is also present and clear. When the solos and shredding occur, they have that perfect balance in the mix and you can focus on them and listen in awe. It all works.

I’m happy to report that these guys have done it yet again. This is another Panzer piece of epic American metal, steeped in class then coated in shining chrome. Any fan of traditional metal should get this and all their back catalog as well (except Dissident Alliance of course). These guys are the shit and contain more steel than the Terminator. Hail the Panzer.

Related posts:

1. Things You Might Have Missed 2011: Armor Column – Maximum Collateral Damage
2. Riot – Immortal Soul Review
3. Pharaoh – Ten Years Review

Doom metal is theoretically designed to make you feel sad and sorrowful. Some of it does the trick, some doesn’t. Oddly, the band that always manages to kill my happy happy joy joy moods completely and utterly isn’t even a doom act. Instead, its “dark metal” masters  Evergrey. These guys have made their bones writing increasingly depressive, raw and emotionally crippling music and here on their eighth album, the sorrowful Swedes still haven’t picked up their prozac prescriptions. Yes, Glorious Collision is another massive dose of buzzkilling, fetishistically downcast heavy metal that will make you feel bad about yourself, others and life in general. Doesn’t sound like much fun does it? Well, I doubt anyone will ever argue that Evergrey makes good times music and no, they aren’t much fun to listen to. They are however, very good at what they do and they craft some excellent and beautifully tragic music with powerful feelings.

Continuing the basic sound and style from 2008′s Torn, but with slightly more punch and heft to the guitars this time, Tom Englund and crew return with thirteen tracks of personal misery and woe. Although that may be too much to take all at once, for the most part, the tracks are solid, vintage Evergrey through and through. Songs like “Leave it Behind Us,”  “You” and “Frozen” work very well due to the amazingly haunting, anguished vocals of Englund backed up by heavy riffing from Englund and Marcus Jidell. On less traditionally heavy tracks like “Wrong” and especially “Free,” Englund largely carries the show with his vocals and ensures things are manically depressing and morose (“Free” especially). There are several potential highlight cuts but my personal favorite quickly became “Restoring the Loss” due to the thoughtful (and of course, angsty) lyrics that paint a picture of someone feeling used up and stretched too thin. Fun fun right? No, not only is it not much fun, at times listening to these guys feels voyeuristic, as if you’re watching someone self-destruct or reading someone’s private journal. It’s kinda too much to take at times.

Although there’s a lot of indisputable quality on Glorious Collision, the sheer ponderous weight of the subject matter starts to wear on the listener after awhile and it gets arduous over the long length of it. Also, a few songs, although decent, could have been left off without hurting the album any (“The Disease,” “I’m Drowning Alone”). Also, the album is pretty front loaded with the first five tracks being the strongest and the second half being less powerful. However, it all sounds great (especially the guitar tones) and has a full, balanced sound that allows the negative emotions to flow downhill unobstructed.

If you’ve appreciated what Evergrey has done in the past, there are no surprises here and you can buy with confidence. It’s another successful fusion of metal and group therapy and it’s better than their past few albums . These guys have songwriting chops and Englund can make Dr. Seuss sound like Edgar Allen Poe. It might not work for me in anything but small doses but I can’t fault the quality of the music and the rawness and authenticity of the feelings being conveyed. If really depressing shit is your “thing” then you can’t do much better than this. Enjoy and consider seeking professional help. I’m gonna go listen to Korpiklaani and lighten the fuck up.

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Sodom, sweet Sodom, ever so reliable and happily predictable. They’re the thrash equivalent of your favorite concert t-shirt. It’s always there for you, it’s comfortable, beer soaked and you go way way back together. Since 1982 these German metal-meisters have given us thrash and more thrash with very little stylistic variation or experimentation and for most long time fans, that’s just how we want it. After all, Sodom always specialized in simple, brutal and dirty thrash metal with punk influences and they were proud to be a thrash band even when thrash wasn’t “cool” anymore. I never had to waste time worrying if they would start exploring jazz fusion, ambient soundscapes or become self important about the message in their music. No sir, Sodom was just Sodom. Thankfully, the comforting non-progression continues on In War and Pieces, their thirteenth platter and they continue to deliver their battle tested (and themed) thrash lunacy.

Staying close to the sound and formula from their eponymous 2007 release, In War and Pieces finds Sodom crafting short and ugly thrash tunes that remain faithful to the NWOGTM they helped create along with Kreator and Destruction, while also modernizing the sound to acknowledge that it’s not 1986 anymore. Before you Angry Metal Legions bust out the pitchforks and torches to ravage the countryside, I don’t mean they sound like Killswitch Engage or Hatebreed! I simply mean they aren’t trying to rewrite In the Sign of Evil and this doesn’t sound like a garbage can being thrown down the stairs production-wise. Worry not, all the usual Sodom staples are here, including ”Onkel” Tom Angelripper’s hoarse snarl and some outstanding thrash riffing from Bernd Kost. In fact, this album may have more guitar wizardry than any previous Sodom album and Kost is given lots of room to flex the fretboard to create plenty of impressive solos and leads. All eleven tracks are between three and five minutes and all hit quick and hard, none overstay their welcome or get tedious and all benefit from a solid production job that brings out the instruments but still sounds plenty raw and rough.

Songs like the title track and “Hellfire” with their straight ahead, traditional thrash bulldozing are sure to make long time Sodomites smile. On “Storm Raging On” there is some infectious and interesting solo and riff work from Kost that stands out amid the thrash chaos. Things get slower and sludgy on “Feigned Death Throws” and Angelripper’s snarl sounds particularly sharp and evil here. The real standouts are “God Bless You” with it’s cool vocal pattern and solo work and “The Art of Killing Poetry” where Sodom shows even they can learn new tricks as the track alternates between face ripping thrash and melodic guitar showcasing (seriously, there’s alot of wild guitar here for a Sodom song). All the songs work and nothing really feels like thrash filler. This is a Sodom album through and through. Is it as good as classics like Agent Orange or M-16? No, but it’s light years ahead of most of the thrash out there today and worthwhile just for the guitar work alone.

There are some brand names in metal that stand for consistent quality and reliability and Sodom is near the top of that list. They continue to do what they enjoy and perfect their Germanic thrash attack. While Slayer has stumbled and become boring and fellow countrymen Destruction sound increasingly tired and dated, Sodom continues to remain relevant and vital. If thrash is your thing and you want some angry aggression, look no further than In War and Pieces. It’s not reinventing the wheel, it’s just using it to run you over.

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OK, what the hell is going on here? Why are metal’s elder statesmen forgetting to include metal on their metal albums? First Halford and now this? Virgin Steele has been around since forever (1982), and singer, keyboardist, pianist, composer David DeFeis is a near legendary figure in the metal scene who happens to hail from my neck of the woods in New York. Growing up, I always considered Virgin Steele a poor man’s Manowar (and I think these guys felt the same way). Although I was never a die-hard fan, they had some good early albums and DeFeis is a talented musician and truly gifted and versatile vocalist. However, on album twelve, the pompously titled The Black Light Bacchanalia, DeFeis and company have opted to create nearly ninety minutes of what can best be described as Manowar meets chamber music meets Vegas lounge music. Conceptually, easy listening/lounge  Manowar is the equal of other such self defeating ideas as room temperature fire and Shakespeare performed by mimes. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.

Starting off with “By the Hammer of Zeus (and the Wrecking Ball of Thor),” DeFeis chronicles the tale of these mighty titans with a soft, ”kinda metal” number during which he chooses to sing almost entirely with his “inside voice” as if he’s auditioning for a gig singing at a coffee bar.  No offense Dave but if you put both Zeus AND Thor in the song title, can we get just a little aggression for fuck’s sake?  Thereafter, song after overlong song floats by with more piano, keyboard and gentle singing than any self respecting metal head should ever endure.  Except for “Pagan Heart,” “The Bread of Wickedness” and “Necropolis” which at least suggest some backbone, most of The Black Light will leave you waiting as the band seems perpetually close to the precipice of rocking out, but never does.  Yes, that’s the musical equivalent of blue balls and it pisses me off now just like it did in high school.  Making it all the more annoying is knowing DeFeis is capable of writing/performing some classic and intense heavy metal. Equally irritating is remembering the old publicity photos of DeFeis holding a big sword, yet hearing nary a trace of viking/barbarian aggression over the length of this monstrous snooze-fest.  Not to beat a dead war horse but I have stuff in the back of my fridge capable of more intensity and violence than this.

Aside from the shortage of metal, the music is very professionally done, well executed and at times quite beautiful.  The piano work is gentle and calming, DeFeis’s vocals run the gamut from soft crooning to higher pitched soft crooning  and lots of dramatically whispered intonations.   The guitar work is solid and largely inoffensive with some high quality soloing.  In fact, Virgin Steele may have crafted one of the best dinner party albums ever made, rivaling both John Tesh and Yanni.   If played at a nursing home, barely 3 out 13 tracks would annoy the elderly.  Adding insult to boredom, The Black Light includes a thirty minute “spoken biography” where DeFeis explains what it means to live the life of true heavy metal, expounds on what heavy metal music is (I now know what it isn’t) and finally, the history of Virgin Steele.  All of this is delivered in a bombastic narrative style that would make Joey DeMaio blush, complete with monks chanting and dramatic piano (yes, more piano).

Out of respect for their deep metal roots and hometown hero status, I really tried to like this and then I tried again.  But if the intention was a metallic opera, they forgot to add enough of the metal part.  At the risk of giving the impression I don’t agree with the direction these veteran metallers have chosen, I digress.  Somewhere in the night, Manowar weeps black tears of sadness and rage [while they're not stealing Rhapsody of Fire's schtick. - AMG].

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