1988

Yer Metal is Olde: Riot – Thundersteel

Yer Metal is Olde: Riot – Thundersteel

“Unlike the other bands featured in these Retro-spective reviews, New York’s own Riot is a seminal, long running and well known act. Slogging away since 1977, they released classic albums like Rock City and Fire Down Under. So why are they included here you ask? Well, one of their albums seems to have been lost in time and forgotten even though I regard it as their best by far. That album is, or course, 1988’s Thundersteel.” Steel on Steel.

Yer Metal Is Olde: Metallica – …And Justice for All

Yer Metal Is Olde: Metallica – …And Justice for All

“While other bands and individuals in my life played critical roles in sculpting me into a proud metalhead, Metallica’s famed and nearly flawless ’80s canon will always hold a place in my heart. I fondly remember family car trips listening to Metallica cassettes on an old Walkman while reading along to the lyric sheets. …And Justice for All isn’t my favorite Metallica album, although it certainly was during various stages of my childhood, but it’s something of a sentimental favorite and an album I still cherish to this day.” Olde justice.

Yer Metal Is Olde: Death – Leprosy

Yer Metal Is Olde: Death – Leprosy

“As a lover of progressive music, I often muse on the use of “progressive” as a categorization as averse to adjective. The paradox of unfettered creativity being characterized, and therefore restricted, often seems alien to me. Not so for Chuck Schuldiner, who knew all too well the difference between progression and growth. Long before the intelligentsia of extreme music raised a monopoly on pens, metal sought to forge its own swords. While Death would help define progressive death metal in years to come, it was 1988’s Leprosy that would be amongst the first to channel the genre’s base instincts.” Still infectious after all these years.

Yer Metal Is Olde: King Diamond – “Them”

Yer Metal Is Olde: King Diamond – “Them”

“Judge me for what I am but, to me, and other KD fans, “Them” ain’t derogatory bullshit. “Them” won’t transform you into a dick-less, redneck loser. No. Instead, “Them” will turn you into a helpless pansy who’ll piss her/his pants at the ring of the doorbell. “Them” will keep you up at night and make your stomach turn at that smell of a warm cup of tea. “Them” will be the reason you fall to the floor and curl up in the fetal position when your grandma comes for the weekend.” Teabag the attic.

Yer Metal Is Olde: Queensrÿche – Operation: Mindcrime

Yer Metal Is Olde: Queensrÿche – Operation: Mindcrime

For those who have only listened to metal since 1995, or for those who never thought Queensrÿche worthy of checking out, Operation: mindcrime is a concept album which tells the story of a drug addict who becomes an assassin for a political extremist group, but has a change of heart when he falls in love with a former prostitute who has become a nun.” That’s fookin metal, and olde.

Iron Maiden from Worst to Be(a)st: 3-1

Iron Maiden from Worst to Be(a)st: 3-1

On September 4th, Iron Maiden released its 16th studio album. This new platter is a double-disc monstrosity by the name of The Book of Souls, and now that I’ve received my physical copies, I’m going to be re-listening to it a dozen times with lyrics in hand. So, while we’re waiting on this I’m taking advantage of the moment to do something I’ve wanted to do for a very, very long time: a huge Iron Maiden retrospective, spanning the band’s entire studio discography. Here’s the final installment.

Lingua Mortis Orchestra – LMO Review

Lingua Mortis Orchestra – LMO Review

“I have a weakness for Rage. They’re a band that, while sometimes inconsistent, has long been a standard for cheesy German power metal. They manage to make music like it’s 1988 without blinking an eye, and while that cheese might not endear them to everyone, it certainly has endeared them to me. Twenty-twelve’s 21 was a concerning affair, however. The record contained none of the orchestral flourishes and progressive tendencies that I had been hoping to hear. Instead, 21 was a largely banal affair, with straight rock tracks and a tad more cheese that I could handle at times. Good; not great.” So, is LMO the solution we’ve all been waiting for? The Rage record we didn’t get last time around? Angry Metal Guy fills you in on the details…

Angry Metal Guy’s Classics #3: Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

Angry Metal Guy’s Classics #3: Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

“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.