Angry Metal Guy

Edguy // Age of the Joker
Rating: 3.0/5.0 —Not their best joke
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Websites: edguy.net/ myspace.com/edguy
Release Dates: EU: Out now!  US: 09.13.2011

Just so you feel appropriately thankful, Steel Druhm survived storm, surf and medieval living conditions to bring you this damn review. With that out of the way, there’s a new Edguy album out, its called Age of the Joker. Now, I like old Edguy quite a lot. They had a really classic Euro-power metal sound and some serious songwriting chops. As they went along however, they went from their original power template into more of a hard rock/arena rock style and with an increasing sense of tongue-in-cheek silliness that I didn’t care for (Rocket Ride is a mighty lame album with a few good songs mixed in). Of course, main-man Tobias Sammet is also the mastermind behind the Avantasia albums and I’m a fanboy, especially of 2010′s The Wicked Symphony and Angel of Babylon releases. The man can sing and the man can write, there’s no denying it. Therefore it’s quite a letdown to hear how mellow, safe and uneventful a lot of Age of the Joker is. Sure, there are the usual big Edguy anthems here and there, but by and large, this is a pretty tepid, pedestrian release by a band capable of much much more. Way closer to pompous cock rock than classy Euro-power, it goes down a road I’m not that into but it still has its moments of charm and fun. Continue reading

Well, here it is folks. The final 10 [Here's the first 40: 50-41, 40-31, 31-20, 20-11 and Steel Druhm's: 50-41, 40-31, 30-21, 20-11, 10-1]. And this is going to ruffle a bunch of feathers, I guarantee it. These are, for the most part, not widely considered “favorites” and would never make fan-voted lists, but these tracks all got onto this list pretty easily. I’m not as angry about the whole Gibson list anymore, and I’ve lost a bit of steam because of that, but these tracks are all fucking fantastic, top-o’-the-line kind of shit. I hope you enjoy the list and I look forward trolling you soon. U MAD BRO!? Continue reading

Turisas // Stand Up and Fight
Rating: 4.5/5.0 — Excellent (but take your time with it!)
Label: Century Media
Website: turisas.fi
Release Dates: EU: 2011.02.28 | US: 03.08.2011

Few bands have ever generated the kind of excitement that Turisas generated among my friends in 2004 when we first got wind of Battle Metal—the debut record from this Finnish viking metal group. Stylistically it really was like nothing we had ever heard. Over the top orchestrations ruled the disc with nary a guitar solo in sight. Instead, the music was largely good for beer swilling and chanting at our drunken parties (which were usually followed up by everyone putting their hair in a certain type of ponytail and running around screaming “Riders of Rohan!”). Hard hitting tracks like “Battle Metal” and “The Land of Hope and Glory” excited us to no end. This band was something unique and special.

For me, however, Battle Metal has always paled in comparison with the follow up record The Varangian Way which was released in 2007. While the first record was a collection of fantastic tracks, The Varangian Way was a flow-blown concept record of the best kind. Orchestrated to perfection and written with the kind of flow that few records I own have (see: The Wall by Pink Floyd, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son by Iron Maiden and V: The New Mythology Suite by Symphony X to understand what I mean), The Varangian Way blew my mind. It was more progressive than the earlier record and while criticized as ‘trying too hard’ by some people with poor taste and small minds, those changes sat well with me.

So in some ways, then, it should be no surprise that Stand Up and Fight, the third record from Turisas, is again a progression away from the fairly straight forward (if bombastic) roots that the band came from. However, how does a band ever follow up a record that is easily in my top 20 records of the 2000s (and almost made my Top 15)? Is it even possible to get anywhere near the kind of narrative flow and balance between Battle Metal style aggression and The Varangian Way style progressiveness and orchestrations? Continue reading

Iron Maiden // The Final Frontier
Rating: 3.0/5.0 — A good record…
Label: EMI
Websites: ironmaiden.com
Release Date: EU: 08.13.2010 | US: 08.17.2010

Iron Maiden is the greatest heavy metal band to ever live. Thirty years after the release of their self-titled album, they are arguably just as relevant as they ever have been—not resting on their laurels and imitating a hits jukebox, but instead touring the world playing their new material to the joy of fans everywhere. After what was a rousing success with their most recent record, the 2006 release of A Matter of Life and Death, there is actually maybe a bit more pressure on the band to produce something that is quality, memorable and, frankly, classic. Especially with the rumors floating around that this is Maiden‘s final album, spurred even further on by the fact that Steve Harris helped write every song on the record, the pressure cooker of fan scrutiny is reaching fever pitch. And so it falls to this Angry Metal Guy to try to put all of this into some sort of context; to try to listen to my favorite band with fresh ears—and I’ve come to some realizations about the band in the process. Continue reading

In an attempt to not re-post Blabbermouth’s news like many of the blogs out there (since yes, I, too am unfortunately tied to Blabbermouth for my news), I try to do a bit more analysis and opinion on certain things. Think of me as the pundit to your regular news hour. Anyway, I have often given Iron Maiden shit about their American tours. Now once again they’re skipping the midwest in the US for the most part, and unfortunately they’re not coming to Sweden except for the stupid Sonisphere festival which costs way too much to just see Maiden (RIP Dio.). But one of the things I’ve often complained about is Maiden‘s reluctance to do new tours in the US or to play deep cuts on tours (can’t you play Alexander the Great JUST ONCE!?). Continue reading

Doc Coyle from God Forbid posted a really interesting blog over at Metal Sucks which I recommend everyone go and read right now. Now sure, Doc isn’t a modern day philosopher, but what he is is about one year older than I am. And he’s also someone that this Angry Metal Guy can really agree with on several points. I, too, have recently gone through this “I’m getting old,” thing, when I realize that I’m meeting people who were born in years I remember—”Oh, 1988, huh? Yeah, well, shit Seventh Son of a Seventh Son came out that year! My brother got it for Christmas!” I get added on MySpace by people who were born the year that I was an angsty teenager who listening to Life of Agony and Type O Negative and pretending I was miserable. Or really being miserable I guess.

One of the points that Doc makes, however, that I would like to rebutt is basically saying that old guys get sorta stuck. I don’t think that’s entirely true. What I think happens is that the novelty starts to wear off after a while. And so every time you hear a new band you can say something like “Well, shit, that’s just an _insert band here_ riff, why not go listen to the original?” I find myself doing that all the time. I think the other thing that happens is that our tastes start to mature in the sense that we start to understand things better. We all know that metal is music for musicians, but when you’re 18 and knockin’ out riffs to whatever it is that you’re knockin’ out, you’re not thinking about the trends or what’s going on before you, etc. More importantly, you know nothing about record production, the trends you’re being subjected to and so forth. You probably haven’t realized that metal is just commercial music, so you’re not thinking about things critically. But as you get older you get more cynical. You see excellent bands who don’t pass in the current trend passed over by labels consistently, while shitty trend bands get picked up. You hear every band replace the fuck out of their drums and you notice that everything sounds fake and lifeless.

But not only that, you’ve seen what’s cool in the underground before.. sometimes in reality! For example: sure, I was a kid, but I got Metallica‘s Kill ‘Em All as a bribe when I was 7 or 8 years old to not tell my parents that my brother had ditched me at home with his weird, antisocial buddy. I listened to Testament and Slayer and non-stop Iron Maiden while kids in my age group wet themselves over flannel-clad suicidal douchebags with bad habits and now that all the kids are in neo-thrash and neo-NWoBHM bands, I have trouble thinking “Hey, this is exciting!” ‘Cause I heard it when I was younger. I loved it then. It influenced my taste in music and my guitar playing, writing, etc. Why would I as the old guy (28) I am get excited about people reliving a scene that’s been super done already once?

One final thought: while lots of metalheads are really metalheads for life, there are a large number of kids who get into metal during those topsy turvey years of 13-19 and then when the hormones die down, they go back to listening to Weezer (or I guess Muse now? I dunno, what’s hip people?). These people have no context when they’re being young, energetic and super into it. They weren’t listening to metal as kids and they’re not going to be listening to metal when they’re older. It’s just not gonna happen. As an old guy you have every right to get cynical and shake your cane at shit that sucks—especially when it’s driven by kids with no critical thinking skills, no context and not a lick of sense. Just like we were when we were moshing crazy at shows, screaming at the top of our lungs and trying our hardest to get the hormones to just calm the fuck down.

Want some shit to shake your new found Old Metal Cane™ at? How about God Forbid getting grouped in with metalcore when you guys are obviously a fucking thrash metal band. Get at it! And welcome to adulthood.

“Seven deadly sins, seven ways to win, seven holy paths to hell and your trip begins.  Seven downward slopes, seven bloodied hopes, seven are your burning fires.  Seven your desires…” Cue the keyboards and the power chords.  Anyone who knows this album and loves it knows exactly what I’m talking about.  Possibly the coolest album intro of all time, to the best heavy metal record ever written: Iron Maiden – Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.

Of course, Maiden makes it onto everyone’s lists when you do those all encompassing lists that metalheads and music geeks are obsessed with.  But it’s always Number of the Beast or Powerslave and everyone seems so content to just let that go.  I guess if you were 16 or 17 at the time and these were your first Maiden records, that probably explains it.  But as a huge Maiden fan who has extensively listened to every single one of their records hundreds of times (including the Blaze Bayley records), I have to report to you: Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is easily the best Iron Maiden album and, in this Angry Metal Guy’s angry, and not-even-remotely-humble opinion, the best heavy metal record ever written.

I’m actually not exaggerating.  I really do believe that Seventh Son is the best album ever.  And let me tell you why: first, these guys hit their musical peak with this album.  Every Maiden album has filler, tracks which didn’t live up to the standard of the album they were on.  The song “Quest for Fire” mars an otherwise amazing album in Piece of Mind.  I find “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner” to be absolutely tedious, and “22 Acacia Avenue” makes baby Jesus cry.  And let’s not even talk about after Adrian left the band.  But not on Seventh Son.  Every single track on this album is amazing, and the one song I don’t think is just totally stellar was actually a hit single throughout the world (“Can I Play with Madness”)!

But whether or not these songs were hits or not, the composition on this album is perfect.  Dickinson’s vocal performance is unparalleled (a rare feat in the early days), the writing was unique and amazingly layered and in-depth, and the concept seems to hold the album together thematically.  Even the artwork is a step above the other stuff: grotesque, but not cheesy. That’s without having mentioned that this is the last album that Harris plays his unique lead-style of bass and shortly hereafter Adrian left, depriving the following albums of his textured, beautiful leads.  But herein, everything came together  into the perfect blend of musical virtuosity, pop sensibility and heavy, intelligent music.

Of course, everyone has different tracks that they think really embody the band, but I think for me that it’s “The Prophecy” that embodies what I love about Iron Maiden.  It starts slowly, delicate and beautiful, and then builds.  The guitar tone is very 80s, but very excellent before pounding into a fantastic syncopated riff, which may be one of the most powerful that was ever written for the band.  Dickinson nails the vocals, which are layered and have amazing lyrics.. and the leads are tremendous.  But what seals the deal for me is the final moments—the fading guitars and the beautiful acoustics that blended over top to the end.  This kind of musical diversity and intelligence just doesn’t exist on Maiden’s other albums.  This kind of perfection just doesn’t exist on any other record that I’ve ever listened to.

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is truly a classic and if you don’t own it you are depriving yourself of the best heavy metal album ever written.