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Steel Druhm’s Best Heavy Metal Songs of All Time 30-21

By Steel Druhm on April 14, 2011 in Blog Posts, 14 comments

Well, we’re getting down to the nitty-gritty here folks. As the list spirals down to #1, the acclaim and criticism of Steel Druhm’s tastes will escalate exponentially. That’s fine, for Steel Druhm cares not what others think and his metal tastes are sublime and unassailable. Without further ado, here is my last ten before we get to the crucial top 20 metalpieces of all time (look, I made up a cool word, Pat. Pending). [Read the previous lists by Steel Druhm: 50-41, 40-31. And by Angry Metal Guy: 50-41, 40-31, 31-20.]

Pentagram – Last Rites Review

By Steel Druhm on April 12, 2011 in 2011, 4.5, American Metal, Doom Metal, Metal Blade, Doom Metal, 4 comments

Pentagram has been around almost as long as actual pentagrams have. They’re seriously grizzled, wiley vets of the doom scene and the fact they’re still churning out material is amazing to me. This band has been together in one form or another since 1971 and now they’re back again in 2011. In case you somehow missed the boat on these doom titans, Pentagram plays 70’s styled doom metal similar to early Black Sabbath or old Saint Vitus and they’ve created some of the best moments in the style over their long life. For those already familiar with the Penta-brand, what makes this album a Big Fucking Deal (thank you, Joe Biden) is the return of founding guitarist and doom demigod Victor Griffin (Place of Skulls) who hasn’t graced a Pentagram platter since their last great effort, Be Forewarned way back in 1994. With one of the true masters of doom guitar reunited with one of the founding fathers of doom vocals Bobby Liebling, can things end up as anything other than unnaturally bad ass? No, no they can’t and Last Rites is the strongest and most consistently killer album since Be Forewarned and may even be better. From start to finish, this sounds like a fully recharged and hungry Pentagram and what makes it even better, it sounds WAY heavier and more battle ready than the recent string of releases with Joe Hasselvander playing all the instruments. This is Grade A doom with some serious attitude and it delivers a major kick to the arse. Not what you would expect from a bunch of old codgers eh?

Vicious Rumors – Razorback Killers Review

By Steel Druhm on March 23, 2011 in 2011, 4.0, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, SPV, Heavy Metal, 1 comment

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.

Dawnbringer – Nucleus Review

By Steel Druhm on December 17, 2010 in 2010, 4.5, American Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Profound Lore Records, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 8 comments

Interesting release we have right here folks. For those unaware, Dawnbringer is a project band of sorts for Chris Black (Pharaoh, Nachtmystium, Superchrist) and his guitar playing buddies and together they create something like a mix of NWOBHM, straight up American metal, black metal, thrash and doom (there’s even moments of quasi-southern rock). Tell me that doesn’t sound intriguing, I dare you! Nucleus is their fourth full-length and yep, it’s one humdinger of a rickety metal contraption. At times sounding like a weird mash-up of Iron Maiden, Slough Feg, Motorhead and Black Sabbath, this thing rumbles and rambles all over the place and always seems ready to come unhinged but it just screams METAL! From the production, riffs and vocals, there’s an ever present rough and tough vibe and despite the myriad of styles and influences Dawnbringer tries to squish together, they somehow managed to craft some great metal songs that will stick in your head for a long time.

Atlantean Kodex – The Golden Bough Review

By Steel Druhm on November 17, 2010 in 2010, 4.5, Cruz Del Sur, Doom Metal, Epic Metal, German Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, Epic Metal, 4 comments

Crushing my friends, simply crushing. Like being flattened by some type of heavy industrial smoothing machine, The Golden Bough, the debut full-length from Germany’s Atlantean Kodex will compress you in a major way. However, this crushing may be one of your better listening experience this year if you dig epic/doom metal. Although I was lead to expect good things by their well-regarded Pnakotic Demos EP, I wasn’t prepared for anywhere near this level of asskickery. To put it quite simply, this is one of the most epic and huge sounding metal albums to drop on us in years. With a sound combining Into Glory Ride-era Manowar with the doom of While Heaven Wept and the atmosphere of Bathory’s Hammerheart opus, these guys have birthed a monstrous metal titan that should be essential listening for all fans of doom, epic or just plain old heavy metal.

Monster Magnet – Mastermind Review

By Steel Druhm on October 15, 2010 in 2010, 4.5, American Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Stoner Rock, 3 comments

Monster Magnet is one of the coolest band names ever, hands down, don’t argue. As for the music they’ve produced, I’ve been back and forth on it over the years. I liked their first two albums with their over-the-top 70’s psychedelic, fuzzed out, space rock worship and I always thought Dopes to Infinity was their crowning achievement in terms of rock songwriting. After that things seemed to go downhill as they drifted toward a more commercial rock sound lacking the style that originally drew me in. Despite this drop off, I never lost respect for band mastermind Dave Wyndorf because he was churning out stoner rock before it was called stoner rock and WAY before it became hip, trendy and “retro.” Like his band, Mr. Wyndorf has had his share of ups and downs but there is no disputing that the guy is stoner rock personified and a living, breathing throwback to another musical era. Therefore, it’s with mucho gladness I report that Mr. Wyndorf and Monster Magnet are back on top in a big way with their eighth album Mastermind.

Spiritual Beggars – Return to Zero Review

By Steel Druhm on September 16, 2010 in 2010, 4.0, Doom Metal, InsideOut, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Stoner Rock, 3 comments

A wise and Angry Metal Guy once said (earlier this week) that “retro is the new new,” and the trends in the angry metal world are surely proving those prophetic words true. We are up to our collective arses in retro thrash, retro power and retro retro. While new is always great, even the “new” new can be mighty fine, as with the latest release from Sahg and this wicked mother, Return to Zero from Sweden’s own Spiritual Beggars. This is the seventh full length from Michael Amott’s long running side project and respite from the melodic death metal world and although it’s as retro as retro gets, this is one slamming, jamming slab of heavy stoner/doom rock n roll.

Sahg – III Review

By Angry Metal Guy on September 13, 2010 in 2010, 4.0, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Indie Recordings, Reviews, Black Metal, Heavy Metal, 5 comments

Retro is the new new, apparently. Everyone and their dog is doing retro bands doing old school things with better (or at least louder) production and with the sensibilities of generations who have listened to a lot of music and decided that it’s time to come back to the thing that really seems to unite them: the 1970s. I, myself, have been listening to a lot of stuff from the 1970s lately, and especially the progressive rock movement that influenced many of the musicians from Scandinavia seems to be rearing its head in an interesting combination of traditional hard rock, heavy metal sensibilities and dudes who used to play black metal. Sahg’s III embodies this movement sonically, and does it very, very well.

Heathens – Oh, Mock the Heavens and Let the Heathens Sing Review

By Angry Metal Guy on August 17, 2010 in 2010, 4.0, Black Metal, Reviews, Unsigned Bands, Black Metal, 1 comment

The bread and butter of a heavy metal is the unsigned band. If you are patient enough to dig through piles and piles and piles and piles and piles and piles and piles and piles of shit, you will find the prototypes of up and coming bands. Bands in their infancy, but who are producing something that is heretofore unheard of. Or maybe they’ll just be doing something old remarkably well. Or maybe it’s a blending of the two, successfully putting together a sound that few have heard and being super kick ass at the derivative stuff. In any case, what I’m trying to say here is this; you’re bound to find a band that stands out after enough time reviewing underground stuff. However, knowing where to look is a bitch. So when I was directed to the South African black metal band Heathens by Lord Doom, I wasn’t sure whether I was going to like the material or not. Fortunately, Lord Doom is a man of impeccable taste.

Grand Magus – Hammer of the North Review

By Steel Druhm on June 22, 2010 in 2010, 4.0, Doom Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Roadrunner, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 7 comments

It seems a sad fact that when one anticipates something and really looks forward to it, the chance of being disappointed increases exponentially. After Grand Magus unleashed their wildly impressive Iron Will album in 2008 (which was one of my favorite albums that year), I was extremely stoked for a follow up by this cadre of Swedish metal mongers but wondered if they could match or top the quality of that massive platter. Now that I have the anxiously awaited follow up in the form of their fifth album, Hammer of the North, my fears of being let down seem silly, because once again Grand Magus shows that they know how to craft top quality traditional heavy metal songs with a slight doom tinged edge.