1995

Yer Metal is Olde! Death – Symbolic

Yer Metal is Olde! Death – Symbolic

“I’m not the staff member you’d expect to write a retrospective on Symbolic, or any other Death release for that matter. When Chuck Schuldinger died and took the golden age of death metal with him, I was six years old and had no concept of what a riff was, could never experience the bizarre fun-house mirror that was ’90s metal as it happened.” Timeless albums care not about age.

Yer Metal Is Olde – Meshuggah – Destroy Erase Improve

Yer Metal Is Olde – Meshuggah – Destroy Erase Improve

“The passage of time can seem like it’s moving so fucking fast that its almost surreal when sorting through candidates for the Yer Metal is Olde feature, and then suddenly realizing a significant album has crept up to a milestone anniversary which cannot be ignored. Such was the case when it dawned on me that Meshuggah’s groundbreaking sophomore classic Destroy Erase Improve celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015.” Some things can be destroyed, but not improved.

Iron Maiden from Worst to Best: 6-4

Iron Maiden from Worst to Best: 6-4

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.

Are you not entertained!?

Yer Metal is Olde! Dark Tranquillity – The Gallery

Yer Metal is Olde! Dark Tranquillity – The Gallery

“Genre-defining albums don’t come along every day – or every year – so when they do pop up, it’s important to take note of them for future generations like me. When The Gallery saw release in 1995, so many moons ago, I was not really prepared to appreciate its artistry due to a preoccupation with jaundice.” Prepare for some yellow journalism.

Yer Metal is Olde: Some Personal Reflections from an Olde-ish Guye

Yer Metal is Olde: Some Personal Reflections from an Olde-ish Guye

“The Yer Metal is Olde segment here at Angry Metal Guy has always been one of my favorites. If you’re looking to expand your repertoire with some classics or need a reason to shuffle back through your library, clatter through your jewel cases, or dig through cracked cassettes for nostalgia, this is a segment for olde and younge alike.” 1995 was a tough year for kings and patriots alike.

Yer Metal is Olde: Paradise Lost – Draconian Times

Yer Metal is Olde: Paradise Lost – Draconian Times

Draconian Times is an album that never should have worked. By now Paradise Lost’s career trajectory has been discussed ad nauseam – from rotten doom-death to Depeche Mode-inspired dance rock to their current gothic metal resurgence – and Times was essentially that early transition album, a puberty-stricken adolescent with a new slicked-up hairdo and a European leather jacket that still fit a little too big.” It shouldn’t have worked, but it did. And now it’s olde.

Yer Metal is Olde:  My Dying Bride – The Angel and the Dark River

Yer Metal is Olde: My Dying Bride – The Angel and the Dark River

“Once upon a time in 1995, yours truly, then a long-haired kid with patchy facial hair, baggy cargo pants, and numerous black t-shirts featuring whoever was on Century Media Records at the time, was first getting into doom metal via word-of-mouth and the late, great Metal Maniacs magazine (RIP Katherine Ludwig). One of those bands I was told to check out was England’s gloomy sextet, My Dying Bride.” Doom is its own reward.