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Metallica, being one of my favorite bands, seemed like one of the best bands to do a review on. I only have seven of their albums (Kill 'em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, ...And Justice for All, Metallica, Reload, Death Magnetic) so don't complain if I skip over some albums like St. Anger, because I don't have them therefore I [obviously] can't review them (duh). Since I got that all explained lets get to the friggin reviews!

Kill 'em All



Metallica's debut album, which would have been titled "Metal Up Your Ass" until the record company said they couldn't use it, is the typical raw-sounding first album. Although the lyrics are a bit simple and the songwriting is mediocre, the album's energy is really what makes it a good, listenable album. You can hear the attitude in just about every song, and even when you don't the hear attitude, you feel it. Surprisingly, if you compare the general songwriting of certain songs you'll realize that the songs Dave Mustaine had a hand in, are more complex, both lyric-wise and in terms of song structure. Dave Mustaine, being the composer of many of the solos (which I have to admit are fantastic), was unfortunately fired and replaced before the release of the album. So, although the solos are written by him, they are in fact being played by ex-Exodus guitarist, Kirk Hammett. The only tracks that were a bit blah were Jump in the Fire, and Metal Militia. The album doesn't lose direction or become unenjoyable much or at all, so after you grab Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning, I'd highly reccomend you check this one out.
Rating: 7.5/10
Best Songs: Phantom Lord, Seek and Destroy, Hit the Lights

Ride the Lightning



After Kill 'em All, Metallica stepped up to the plate and holy crap did they deliver! What some fans would call their best effort to date Ride the Lightning was a monster of a record. Probably one of the heaviest album of its time the album starts of with Fight Fire With Fire, which has a slow acoustic intro and then explodes into a furious rampage of guitars, pounding drums, and shouted warnings of apocolypse. Not the best song off the album but it definitely gets your head banging. From there on, your senses are assualted with blistering solos and thumping riffs. Cliff Burton's impact on the bands songwriting is very apparent in this record. They have a more clean and intelligent sound while retaining their energy and badass image which is very benefical to the overall feel of this album. Although Cliff was in the band for the release of Kill 'em All he joined after most of the songs were written, so his only contribution was Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth), a bass solo that he wrote himself. Yet again, the album features two tracks co-written by Dave Mustaine; Ride the Lightning and The Call of Ktulu. Shockingly (all sarcasm intended [holy crap thats a pun too. Killed two birds with one stone that time]), these two songs are riddled with fancy guitar work and solos, which yet again are played by Kirk Hammett. Not only has the composing gotten better but Lars Ulrich's drumming has developed greatly, and so has James Hetfield's singing and guitar playing. Within one album Metallica had transformed from an amateur band of teenagers to potential rock (or thrash)-stars.
Rating: 9.4/10
Best Songs: Creeping Death, Ride the Lightning, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Escape

Master of Puppets



Just after you thought it couldn't get any better... I actually held off getting this album for awhile (mostly because I'm a cheapskate) but as soon as I listened to it I was blown away. Although I tend to exaggerate sometimes I seriously consider this album the best in my collection. Like Ride the Lightning, the album kicks off with a song, in this case Battery, that happens to have a acoustic intro. Unlike Fight Fire With Fire this song builds up at the beginning and then smacks you in the face with a mind blowing riff that gives into a faster drum beat and screaming vocals. After the songs abrupt end you get thrown right into Metallica's most recognizable and arguably their best song, Master of Puppets. The thundering guitars, angry yells of James Hetfield, and fast paced drums gives you the instant need to headbang and about halfway through it melts into a slow ballad-like guitar solo courtesy of Kirk Hammett. At the conclusion of the solo the song goes back to its original tempo where Kirk gives us another solo although this time its a brief face melting solo. After that the song plods along and then ends. The heaviest song off the album, The Thing That Should Not Be, is also one of the slower ones but in this song you can really feel the bass as well as hear. The eerie guitar work about 3 and a half minutes in adds to the song so that its actually evil sounding. The next piece, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), was my favorite of the album for a while. It starts off very slow and melodic and gradually builds up to be a hell of a song featuring a blaring solo towards its end. Although its not the usual Metallica fan's favorite song, I think Disposable Heroes is one of their best. It's very unique and doesn't fit one's perception of the usual anti-war song and other than that I think its pretty catchy too. The sixth song off the album, Leper Messiah, isn't anything incredibly special (in comparasion to the rest of the album), although I think Lars does a great job drumming on this song. Orion, on other hand, is actually a masterpiece. This shows you that Metallica isn't afraid of cranking out the occasional instrumental, and doing a pretty damn good job at it too. Damage Inc., the album's closer, wraps up the whole package quite nicely and leaves you with a great impression of the album and high expectations for the next.
Rating: 9.8/10
Best Songs: Orion, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Disposable Heroes, Master of Puppets

...And Justice for All



Bashed by some and adored by other who say its Metallica's last "true" thrash album, ...And Justice for All falls towards the top of the list for me. Although it could use some more bass, just about everything else makes up for it. After the tragic death of Cliff Burton, who I think was most responsible for really shaping Metallica's sound, the band released...And Justice for All. You can feel the anger in every note of that entire album and even James' vocals, which are usual furious, seem to get louder and more demanding. Lars' drumming in that album is the best work he's done to date, and Kirk's frequent shredding makes every song worth the listen. Another thing about this album that is unique is the duration of the songs, which, in this album, are about 7 to 8 minutes on average. The album again kicks off with yet another ass-kicking, fast opener. The rest of the album is generally the same (not in a bad way though), each song with its unique characteristics here and there, but similar structures and feel. One song that I have to at least mention is One. Although I might seem to be very unoriginal for liking that composition I think its fucking awesome anyway. The guitar solo and the whole sound of the song just flows very well and the subject matter is very interesting too. Now lets take a big leap to the final two songs of the album. To Live Is to Die is the last song Cliff wrote for Metallica. To Live is to Die was a phrase Cliff liked a lot and was made of Cliff's last collection of riffs. And here we reach the end of ...And Justice for All with Dyers Eve, which happens to be one of the few songs under six minutes on the album. Not the best song of the album but it ties up the loose ends and contains the general emotion of the album. Cliff's absence on the record is obvious and the lack of bass doesn't help much but the album pulls through anyway and leaves you satisfied.
Rating: 9.2/10
Best Songs: ...and Justice for All, One, The Frayed Ends of Sanity, Eye of the Beholder

Metallica



Metallica's most successful commercial expedition so far is Metallica (also refered to as the Black album), and if you've listened to it before you would know why. The album shoots right off with its highest charting single, Enter Sandman. This track, although considered overrated, has more thought out lyrics than Metallica's previous efforts, and basically no low-points. Plus the chorus is extremely addicting, as is the killer solo, although the song itself bears a striking resemblance to the Megadeth song, Go To Hell. Sad but True, a slow but powerful song, driven by a beast of a riff. Following the trend of Enter Sandman, the track has some decent lyrics and James' voice sounds more like a deep roaring than the barking he did on ...And Justice for All. The third selection in the album, Holier Than Thou, is the most hatred-spewing song in the album, in which James sings about those who think more highly of themselves than they really should. Believe it or not, in a documentary I saw about the making of the Black Album, Lars was the only one who thought Enter Sandman would be the highlight or best received song off the album. The rest of the band [and Bob Rock] thought that Holier Than Thou was going to be a big hit with the crowds but, as we already know, Lars was right (shows you he's actually a pretty smart guy). Then we get around to The Unforgiven, one of Metallica's most well known tunes, which is also one of their more depressing songs. The song in general is great but receives some heavy hits from critics who say its overrated, along with the rest of the Black album. It is also one of those rare successful songs that the band made sequels to, both of which I consider decent (although, The Unforgiven III is superior to The Unforgiven II). One of the songs more prevalent features is the guitar solo (which seems to be the case a lot through out this album). Middle-Eastern tinged Wherever I May Roam was one of my favorite songs on this album, because it's meaningful, has some of Metallica's better lyrics and is just overall pretty damn good. I especially like the bass because of it's unique sound in this song. Another underrated Metallica song Don't Tread on Me, features a very catchy chorus, pummeling drums and last but not least, yet another treat from Kirk Hammett. The last few songs on this milestone album (minus Nothing Else Matters) are another heap of underrated Metallica tunes that no one seems to appreciate but me. Since I can't resist but to comment, I have to say, although many people claim it over-hyped and overrated, The Black Album delivers. It's got heavy songs, faster songs, slightly depressing songs, and even a ballad. Just because they made a few music videos doesn't make them sell-outs.
Rating: 9.3/10
Best Songs: Nothing Else Matters, The Unforgiven, Enter Sandmany, Of Wolf and Man

Here's an interesting one. I'm going to tell you my personal top ten Megadeth songs!

1. À Tout Le Monde

First off, it is not A Tout Le Monde! Not "A Tout Le Monde" people. Change it to "À Tout Le Monde" (no quote marks, of course) and scrobble it with that!

Now this is the best Megadeth song period. Dave Mustaine composed a masterpiece. He does his absolute best with his singing and guitar playing. I don't really wanna spoil this fantastic song, so uhh yeah go listen to it NAO!! Find out for yourself. Though probably you the reader reading this, you probably know the awesomeness of this song. It is truly an excellent song that all people should listen to at least once in their lifetime. It is that damn good.

2. [track artist=Megadeth]In My Darkest Hour

This is a really killer track. Does it compete with the masterpiece Fade to Black? Maybe... you be the judge of that. In My Darkest Hour and Fade to Black have been compared before. Though ya know, they're both equal in my book.

Now isn't this song in memory of Cliff Burton? I know for fact that Mustaine and Burton were close friends and they even kept in touch after Mustaine was booted out of Burton's band. My favorite part of the song is when it really picks up momentum when the guitar distortion kicks in.

3. Kill The King

Not that much is said about this track. I really like the rhythm guitar in this song. It sounds really easy to play, I could play it easily. A novice guitarist could easily play it. I really like the chorus in this song. Dave sounds really great during the chorus. He really puts some emotion into it.

4. Mechanix

This is a great 'ol track that has excellent riffing. Listen to the tempo in this song! Man this makes me feel so alive and nitrous! This is just an excellent and heavy track. It is thrashy to the max.

5. Tornado of Souls

This song off Rust in Peace is a true thrash metal masterpiece. This one really caught my attention when I listened to RiP for the first time. This one is a super impressive song. The most impressive song off the album.

6. Sweating Bullets

"Hello me, meet the real me!" These are the most infamous lines out of any Megadeth song. I remember this song back in the 1990's. I wasn't that into 'deth at the time, though I really liked the music video for this song. This is the song that made me remember about Megadeth and I would later get into 'em more by 2004.

7. Peace Sells

Besides the most famous bass line out of any song you could ever think of, this has some great guitar riffing and vocals. The lyrics are also pretty damn good. They really speak to me. The lyrical content is still true to this day and it'll remain that way for a long long time. The guitar solo is pretty damn awesome.

8. 1,320

Ah a new song on here? Not another track off RiP or So What? Well this track is simply Megadeth back in full form. This is their best song of 2009, in my opinion. This song really really speaks out to me. It's the perfect driving song. You better believe I will be blasting this while driving once I get Endgame! I will do it without fail! This is the best Megadeth song to drive to.

9. Take No Prisoners

This song is really thrashy and it is hard. The lyrics in the first 8 lines of the song rules. That's what should happen to those prisoners Dave speaks of in this song. I agree with him 100%. Way to go Dave! This song features some drumming and guitar playing.

10. 502

This is song is fast and sweet. One of my favorites right next to In My Darkest Hour off my favorite 'deth album [album artist=Megadeth]So Far, So Good... So What!. I find this a really great song to drive to. One day I was driving back home from some appointment with a counselor I used to see, this track came up. It was great timing as I was driving.

In My Darkest Hour is #2 and I have no idea why it shows up down here in the proper format...

list of my favorite metal/rock singers (in no particular order)
-Bruce Dickinson
-Ozzy Osbourne
-James Hetfield
-Lemmy
-Dave Mustaine
-Geddy Lee
-Rob Halford
-Phil Lynott
-Ronnie James Dio
-Joe Lynn Turner
-Joey Belladonna
-John Bush
-Andrew Stockdale
-Ian Gillan
-David Coverdale
-Geoff Tate
-Axl Rose
-Udo Dirkschneider
-Roger Daltrey
-Sebastian Bach
-Glenn Hughes
-Bon Scott
-Brian Johnson
-Steven Tyler
-Alice Cooper
-Robert Plant
-Ian Anderson
-Freddie Mercury
-David Lee Roth
-Eddie Vedder

(Previous NWoBHM Band of the Week) / (Next NWoBHM Band of the Week)



"I think 'Am I Evil?' will always be the most important song to me; it's certainly become our most famous and made the most money."


When Diamond Head set out to write a song heavier than Symptom Of The Universe, they were a young unsigned band consisting of Brian Tatler (guitar), Sean Harris (vocals), Duncan Scott (drums) & Colin Kimberly (bass). (Note: they did however borrow heavily from Gustav Holst's I. Mars, the Bringer of War from his Planet Suite)

School friends together in a band since 1976, Diamond Head became frustrated come 1980 when they found themselves still unsigned, even after support slots for AC/DC and leading nwobhm light Iron Maiden, and resolved to (more-or-less) self release a couple of singles. In February 1980's edition of the influential Sounds magazine, the most influential of all nwobhm writers Geoff Barton famously claimed:

"This band have more great riffs in a single song than Sabbath had on their first four albums."


Higher praise could hardly be hoped for as the Stourbridge quartet released their first two singles Shoot Out the Lights (b/w Helpless) and Sweet and Innocent (b/w Streets of Gold (below)) in quick succession.



I'm sure I don't need to tell the readers that this led to the band...not being signed. So they self-funded the recording of a seven track album and carted it around to as many labels as they could find. Some were interested, but none took the offer up so the untitled album was released independently. Why not? It had already been recorded. If you don't know the tracks that made up the 1980 White Album also known as Lightning to the Nations then you need to run out and buy the Sanctuary Records re-issue now. If you're on the fence or have already purchased the album have a listen to the opening track [track artist=lightning to the nations[/track]



1981 saw Sounds Magazine publish a lengthy article on Diamond Head titled something like "Why Aren't This Band Signed Yet", and a further two self-released single by the band the double A-side [track artist=diamond head]waited too long[/track]/[track artist=diamond head]play it loud[/track] preceding the 'EP' [track artist=diamond head]diamond lights[/track]. (Every track up until now is collected on the current re-issue of Lightning to the Nations, I'm sure they're all readily available on youtube too, but on this ocassion I'm not going to scrounge them all ready for you because if you don't buy this album you won't buy any nwobhm other than perhaps some/all of Iron Maiden's catalogue.) Also in '81, Lightning to the Nations saw limited official release in Germany.

Come 1982 though and Diamond Head would finally sign to a major label. The bad news is that it was MCA. If you've been following my nwobhm journals, you'll already have a fair idea that signing to MCA is a bad idea. White Spirit and Fist did it in 1980 and were effectively chewed up and spat out, Tygers of Pan Tang also signed to MCA at the same time and had some commercial success but were forced to rush albums and manipulated into a commercial money making machine before being driven into the ground. MCA were a professional record label though, surely they learnt from their mistakes in 1980 and 1981?

...No...

What followed was 1982's Borrowed Time. The album was preceded by the single [track artist=diamond head]in the heat of the night[/track] (below), the Four Cuts EP and a prominent appearance at 1982's Reading festival, usurping Manowar's slot just under Budgie as the American band were forced to cancel when they were unexpectedly dropped by their label. The album sold pretty well, peaking at number 24 in the UK album chart, but was tainted largely by things MCA insisted on, most notably the (awful) written-to-specification intended hit single [track artist=diamond head]call me[/track] (youtube) which headed up the Four Cuts EP and was later released as a single in its own right. Also tainting the album's essentiality was the unnecessary re-recording of both Lightning to the Nations and Am I Evil? for the band's second album, many fans including the band members themselves were frustrated at the lack of 'new material' on the album, but MCA were in the driving seat now, but hey, at least they paid for a series of promo videos to all be shot in one go at the same place looking more or less exactly the same as each other! They also booked up a headlining tour with Twisted Sister scheduled to support. Obviously though I wouldn't have used the word 'scheduled' in the previous sentence if Twisted Sister hadn't pulled out and been replaced by Tank at the last minute.



As we know from the previous entry on Tygers of Pan Tang, a year to record an album is considered a very long time by MCA, so Diamond Head were rushed back into the studio after the tour and ordered to record a lot more 'hit singles' for their third album, which became 1983's Canterbury. [track artist=diamond head]makin' music[/track] (youtube) and [track artist=diamond head]out of phase[/track] (youtube) became not only the first two tracks but the first two forced singles from the album that broke up Diamond Head's classic line-up. Founder member Duncan Scott and long time bassist Colin Kimberley both left in that period, seemingly as a direct result of record label pressure. The band's sound, or what little was still evident of it between the fingers of MCA's tight grasp and creative control (overruling the band completely on both the cover art and running order), had changed beyond recognition, moved with the times and lost its individuality. Harris and Tatler staggered on until 1985 when they placed Diamon Head on a long term hiatus.

Circa 1990 the build up to a comeback began. [track artist=diamond head]wild on the streets[/track] was issued as a single in November 1991. The album, however, Death & Progress would not surface until mid 93. When it did see release though it featured a pair of high profile guest musicians in Tony Iommi and Dave Mustaine. Unfortunately, a support slot for Metallica didn't go quite to Sean Harris' expectations and, after performing dressed as the Grim Reaper, the band split again. In this iteration though Diamond Head sounded as though they were attempting to blend in with the musical landscape of 1990-1991 invoking legitimate Bon Jovi, Skid Row and Mr. Big comparisons. Not that I have anything against those bands (long time readers and friends know I'm a fan of a few of Sebastian Bach's projects for example), but we're quite far removed from where we started now, aren't we? Phrases like 'influenced by Led Zep', 'A primary influence of Metallica' and 'nwobhm' aren't on the tip of your tongue when describing this album...okay, maybe the first one is, but not the other two.

[track artist=diamond head]truckin'[/track] from Death & Progress really brings bands like Skid Row and Aerosmith to my mind, and this is one of the heavier tracks.

Around 2003-2004 word spread that Harris and Tatler had reunited again and were nearing completion of a fifth album. It wasn't to be though and the duo split up again. Officially, there have been two further Diamond Head releases in 2005 and 2007, but with only Tatler remaining of the classic line-up and the band's signature sound having been lost so long ago, there seems little point in considering them anything other than a continuing solo/side project of Brian Tatler. Both the two latest albums are streamable on last.fm, but new vocalist Nick Tart, probably sounds closer to Sean Harris than Tatler's guitar work compares to the 'classic' sound associated with Diamond Head.

[track artist=diamond head]mine all mine[/track] (first track from All Will Be Revealed (2005))

[track artist=diamond head]skin on skin[/track] (first track from What's In Your Head? (2007))


Instrumentally, Skin on Skin reminds me more of Muse or System of a Down than any classic rock or nwobhm bands. It's clear though that Tart is psychologically in the classic hard rock vocalist mold.

So, what I think of Diamond Head overall? Started off fantastically, but Borrowed Time was a big step down and Canterbury highly avoidable. I've not spent a huge amount of time with the later work, but it's clearly a few steps removed from the early material. Keen fans should probably check out the later work, but don't feel the need to drop everything to do so.

(Note: Once again I have referenced Suzie Smiled...The New Wave of Biritsh Heavy Metal by John Tucker, a great resource and enthralling read for nwobhm fans which I highly recommend. Brian Tatler's quote at the beginning of the article was lifted from John Tucker's interview which is more fully represented in the book.)

Megadeth / Trust / Cryptic Writings (1) / Jun 1997

sablespecter's Album of the Year for 1997 (RDF: 75.0%)

At last, Dave Mustaine scores an AotY! After finishing in a close second twice - once to Metallica in 1986 (which I am sure grates on him) and to Judas Priest in 1990 with what was Megadeth's strongest album - Megadeth receives the honor with the final album to feature my favorite lineup, with David Ellefson, Marty Friedman, and Nick Menza. Go ahead and pillory me for doing this with this album, but I'm glad to do this for one of my favorite bands/artists.

A lot of Megadeth fans don't like this album because it does veer away from thrash metal, but objectively evaluated - and please do put the album into context, considering the two that would follow! - it's a good album with good music. It's important to understand what was going on behind the scenes. Basically, regardless of how much success Dave had had, he didn't think it complete without a #1 (see the infamous "Lars meets with Dave" scene in Some Kind of Monster). That's what was going on here with the more "mainstream" rock songs on the album: a chase for a #1. And that's exactly what he got with today's album-opening selection. What great drums to open the song!

If you can get past the mainstream songs on here like that one, Almost Honest (how did they get that great opening sound?), the very interesting I'll Get Even, and A Secret Place (all of which get dots from me), there is also some kick-ass old-school Megadeth aggression on here, particularly The Disintegrators and the three tracks that close the album. So while it may not be a "typical" Megadeth album and plenty here to give the critics fuel, I think it's objectively a good album. It just does seem odd to be the one to finally score Megadeth an AotY, when two stronger albums couldn't!

Overall another weak year, with just a Top 5 and only two more honorable mentions and just five altogether at the time taking those marked with the "Ø" off the list.

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Rounding out the Top Five of 1997 (in order of descending RDF):

Bruce Dickinson: Accident Of Birth (70.8% RDF)
Of all the AotY Awards to this point, the final decision for AotY 1997 is the closest and toughest. Odd considering what a weak year it is overall. The difference in the RDF numbers is only half-dot (Freak gets just a pink dot). This album was also released just two weeks prior to Cryptic Writings. I desparately wanted to give Bruce an AotY award for this, my favorite of his solo albums. I think what I like best about it is his bringing in elements of "otherworldly influences" and aspects of eastern religions. I have an amatuer interest in theories of the former and an intellectual interest in all of the latter, and the alignment with those two interests of mine outside of music are what make the album so appealing to me.

ØIn Flames: Whoracle (63.6% RDF)
When is it OK for a leading melodic death metal band to cover Depeche Mode? (1) When it turns out great. If you listen to DM at all, the darkness of their music is not all that much of a stretch to be so covered anyway. (2) When it fits thematically within a concept album about the fall of human society. And yes, doubtless this album will be debated in metal circles until the actual fall. But it stands as one of their best.

Sarah McLachlan: Surfacing (60.0% RDF)
What's something as soft and wispy as this doing in the AotY rankings of an avowed metal fan? Of course, you have to consider the weakness of the year overall and the lack of competing material, particularly metal material. But still! Frankly, this is one of those instances that demonstrates the eclectic nature of my music interests. I don't mean to sell her short, though. She's got an amazing voice, writes great material, and this album is full of some of her classics.

ØRammstein: Sehnsucht (54.5% RDF)
No matter how much fans around the world may like Rammstein, there is still something peculiarly German about them. That sounds like a stupid thing to say. Of course, they're German. But let me see if I can explain what I mean. With so many bands, their music and performance doesn't necessarily hold so fast or so close to their heritage or country. You know they hail from a particular place, but there's not a lot which makes you aware of it when you listen to the music. (Language is obviously the most common sign. e.g. you listen to Max Cavalera and even though he's singing English lyrics, you know he's from Brazil.)

That's true of course for Rammstein, too, since they sing in German - decisively - listen to Till Lindemann's emphatically rolled R's. In this case, though, I'm talking beyond the language. The German culture has so many facets that are unique to the world, and without being German or at least having a lineage that was German until only relatively recently, they can be - not merely misunderstood - but missed entirely. Many of those facets appear in the music of Rammstein. In some cases, word choices which are merely interesting may actually have a second meaning, or else an allusion which is not clear outside the context of German culture. The title of this album is a particularly interesting case. In the German experience, "sehnsucht" is a "craving" or an intense "yearning" somewhat like nostalgia, but without a definite time or place or thing being missed. There's no great translation for it, but it's like missing something terribly but without being able to describe exactly what it is, or maybe not even knowing what it is, leaving a sense of contented melancholy that accompanies you on your journey through your life. I understand it completely - it very much describes how I feel anytime I take time to look around me and live that examined life. This is touched on not only in the title track, but you can feel it in Alter Mann as well. You can also find some of that great double-meaning wordplay in Du Hast.

Honorable Mentions (in roughly alphabetical order by band/artist name):
Foo Fighters: The Colour and the Shape
Fu Manchu: The Action is Go

Is your favorite album from 1997 on this list? Are there any others you would add?

\m/ (ò_ó) \m/

Ø: For the 1990s AotY Awards, albums which were discovered after the 1990s have been noted with an "Ø" This provides a perspective on how much thinner the album lists were at the time.

Pink Floyd / High hopes / The Division Bell (11) / Mar 1994

sablespecter's Album of the Year for 1994 (RDF: 81.8%)

Fifteen years after scoring their first AotY Award for The Wall, Pink Floyd came back to the top of the list with an album that I don't think gets enough props. I didn't think that they still had one final studio album in them seven years after A Momentary Lapse of Reason, and I think lots of fans were surprised at both the sound and the quality, if not the tone and continued "us vs. you" theme. All said, I think it's deserving of more listens than it probably gets.

The wide, open sound and slow pace give it a feeling of emptiness and reflection on what was and what might have been, and the guitar work of David Gilmour - check Marooned - leaves me wanting more. Lost for Words finds David resigning himself to the fact that reconciliation would never come, and moving on in the interest of letting go and finding a future without a single minute more lost to recrimination and bitterness. Today's selection is a moving, despondent album- and catalog-closer that always leaves me feeling a bit dejected over how much more could have come from Floyd if not for egos, divisiveness, etc...ending with the sound of a lone bell tolling in the distance.

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Rounding out the Top Five of 1994 (in order of descending RDF):

Fu Manchu: No One Rides For Free (75.0% RDF)
The Fu had started about seven years prior as a punk band, and went through a number of member changes before this debut even came out, by which time they'd drifted to the SoCal stoner rock band that they are today. But this ain't sludgy stoner rock, this is suitable for surfers and skaters, with fast-paced 70s-style rocking with lots of fuzz and distortion. After a couple more albums, Eddie Glass and Ruben Romano left and formed Nebula. Be sure to check them out, too. Lots of good stuff there, though it leans more psychdelic jam rock.

ØCorrosion of Conformity: Deliverance (64.3% RDF)
The first album with Pepper Keenan as full-time lead vocalist, and by now the punk roots are gone. This is full-on stoner metal with no hidden nods to Sabbath.

Black Sabbath: Cross Purposes (60.0% RDF)
The Sabbath albums with Tony Martin aren't the greatest works, but certainly better than the Glenn Hughes/Ray Gillen disasters. Tony Martin needs a nod of thanks and due credit, because without him I don't think that Tony Iommi could have kept Black Sabbath as a going concern that allowed for the temporary return of Ronnie James Dio for Dehumanizer after the first couple of Tony Martin albums, and for the good-for-everyone reunion with ozzy after the next two. This isn't to discount Tony Martin's talent. I think more of the issue was the general drift in direction. Tony is a solid contributor on lyrics, and has good, strong vocals to deliver them. He's certainly Sabbath's third-best vocalist (Ian Gillan is a great vocalist generally, but not for Sabbath, despite my liking of Born Again.) and in fact, until the new Heaven and Hell album comes out, he's done more Sabbath albums than Dio! I was surprised by how much of this album I did like. Maybe it's because Martin does kinda sound like Dio at certain times...have a listen to Cross of Thorns...withouy writing from the same relatively narrow fantasy canon that Dio writes from. And of course, Iommi has some great meandering, bluesy guitar work here, such as on Dying for Love.

Megadeth: Youthanasia (58.3% RDF)
Could Dave Mustaine keep his successful run going after the previous two killer albums? Well, not quite, but it does have some proven favorites (mine is the cool, insanely self-referential Victory). He lost some fans after this album (not me), but in this weak period for metal in general, it's an album that still stands out and stands the test of time.

Honorable Mentions (in roughly alphabetical order by band/artist name):
ØBurzum: Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
ØEmperor: In the Nightside Eclipse
ØKyuss: Welcome To Sky Valley
Pantera: Far Beyond Driven
ØPride & Glory: Pride & Glory
Queensrÿche: Promised Land
Tesla: Bust A Nut

Is your favorite album from 1994 on this list? Are there any others you would add?

\m/ (ò_ó) \m/

Ø: For the 1990s AotY Awards, albums which were discovered after the 1990s have been noted with an "Ø" This provides a perspective on how much thinner the album lists were at the time.

*Since Deliverance - and several of the Honorable Mentions - wasn't discovered until after the 1990s, had I assigned the awards at the conclusion of 1994, Bust A Nut would have would have slipped into the fifth slot with a 57.1% RDF. This year had only a couple more highlights than 1993, but still a weak year in general.

Judas Priest / Painkiller / Painkiller (1) / Sep 1990

sablespecter's Album of the Year for 1990* (RDF: 90%)

After scoring an honorable mention in 1974 and 1976, then making it into the Top 5 in 1977 and 1978, Priest just missed the Top 5 in the heavily competitive year of 1980 and finished a narrow second to Iron Maiden in 1982. But after Screaming for Vengeance, they began to slip, finishing out of the Top 5 with Defenders of the Faith in 1984 and not even making an honorable mention with Turbo in 1986. They closed out their 80s contributions by regaining some ground with Ram It Down, receiving an honorable mention in 1988.

But as many of the metal titans began to falter as the 1990s dawned, and much of metal beginning to flounder in a dilution of B- and C-list wannabes and hairspray, Priest came raging back with the flame of true metal blazing brightly and finally scored an AotY Award! The addition of Scott Travis behind the kit helped immensely, giving the songs a feeling of speed metal.

Despite what you may think of Grammy Awards, their nomination for "Best Metal Peformance" for this album was justly deserved. Ironically, in what must have been some ridiculous continuing attempt to make up for their worst choice ever (and the one that permanently lost the interest of metal fans), the Academy got the metal award all wrong again and gave Metallica their second (of three in a row) for their B-side cover of Stone Cold Crazy! In truth, the only other serious contender to Priest for the 1990 award was the album that finished second on my list...

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Rounding out the Top Five of 1990 (in order of descending RDF)

Megadeth: Rust in Peace (77.8% RDF)
Speaking of Dave Mustaine's long-time foils...after finishing second to their best album in 1986, Megadeth close the gap versus the winner this year with what a large portion of Megadeth fans consider their best album. (I'm partial to Peace Sells... but have them about even in my rankings since this album is the first to feature my favorite lineup with Marty Friedman and Nick Menza.) Hangar 18 was itself nominated for the 1991 Best Metal Performance against Metallica's black album (their third win of the three-in-a-row), but I can't quite argue that one: though I like "Hangar 18" better than any song on the black album, I don't know that I would have chosen it over the entire Metallica album. However, if it had been the entire Rust in Peacealbum up against it instead of being nominated for the 1990 award, I would have Megadeth in a no-brainer. The black album would finish a considerable second against just the trio of Holy Wars...The Punishment Due, "Hangar 18," and Tornado of Souls. And yes, had RIP been released in 1991, it would have been my personal AotY for that year.

Queensrÿche: Empire (72.7% RDF)
I liked this album so much that when they came to my college town on tour in the spring of 1991 and I could find no one else interested in going to the show, I went alone. I was willing to go solo (the only time I've ever done that) to finally see Qÿ live. Suicidal Tendencies opened, and it was a fantastic mid-sized arena show. I'm guessing that I had seen shows prior to that one that included videos playing on giant screens behind the band as they plated, but maybe not; this was the easliest show I remember attending and seeing that. It's unfortunate that many non-fans only know the band by their (still way too overplayed) Top 10 Silent Lucidity (meh...no dot from me), but this album does have four infra-red dots to offset it.

Don Dokken: Up From the Ashes (72.7% RDF)
After being so disappointed that Dokken had split after releaseing my two favorite of their albums, I picked this up somewhat skeptical knowing that there would be no George Lynch on guitar. The strength of Dokken exists equally in Lynch's playing and Don's voice! But what a surprise this turned out to be. This is way better than any of the Dokken albums of the 90s, *including* the ones where George returned. This is also infinitely better than 2002's Long Way Home, one of the rare albums to score a full 0% RDF. Part of the problem on that was the rather uninspired guitar work of John Norum, but Norum's first alliance with Don was here and his contributions are excellent, so what happened? There are a couple of klunkers on this, but eight tracks are worth having.

Testament: Souls of Black (70.0% RDF)
The last of Testament's original thrash metal albums, but I think it was overshadowed somewhat by Seasons in the Abyss (perhaps rightly so, but I personally rank this higher.) After this, the sound began to get "cleaner" and a lot of fans became unhappy with their direction. This one features a lot of long-time favorite tracks though.

Honorable Mentions (in roughly alphabetical order by band/artist name):
Alice in Chains: Facelift
Anthrax: Persistence Of Time
Bruce Dickinson: Tattooed Millionaire
Deep Purple: Slaves & Masters
Dio: Lock Up The Wolves
ØEntombed: Left Hand Path
Garth Brooks: No Fences
Pantera: Cowboys From Hell
Slayer: Seasons in the Abyss
Steelheart: Steelheart
Trouble: Trouble

Is your favorite album from 1990 on this list? Are there any others you would add?

\m/ (ò_ó) \m/

*A few notes about the 1990s. Many of the albums honored for the AotY Awards were found after the 1990s. (I've noted those with an "Ø" which allows you to see just how much more meager this list was at the time.) Coming out of the 70s and 80s, most of the music I listened to faded out of visibility with the surge in other styles like grunge and other genres like "modern country" and remained less visible even later in the decade behind popular fascination with divas and boy bands.

At the time it felt like hard rock and metal had effectively dissappeared altogether. But looking back it's apparent that with the exception of a few big names, most metal just went underground, new metal stayed underground, and the bands of the earlier generation either split into various projects or different lineups that weren't as powerful as the originals, or else took a total hiatus when it became apparent that the demand of the 80s had waned. All of that turned out to be a good thing, since that's what turned out to be the genesis of the metal renaissance that were enjoying this decade, driven by the second generation bands that cut their teeth and earned their stripes underground and by originals that were rejuvenated by the time they spent apart.

But musically, the 90s felt really long and relatively meager compared to the previous decades! That was mainly because there was no good way to find new metal at the time. Almost nobody had internet access until the second half of the decade, and even once we did have it the web was so young that there wasn't anyplace to "go" to find and/or buy it. No itunes...and the great distributors, resellers, and small labels didn't sell via the 'net right away. The news and release information wasn't generally available that way. No search engines, wikis, or fansites, except maybe some obssessed fan's page on geocities (remember those?) And defintiely no way for all of us music fans to share what we know & love with each other: no Last, Myspace, imeem, seeqpod, Mog, Shoutcast, Pandora, etc, etc.

So the metal was out there if you really wanted to work to find it, but since I got busy - got married, started a career, started a family - it was just easier to fill the void that appeared after ~1992 by expanding my horizons a little bit. For a couple of years around 1992-1994 I went through a country phase, and then after 1995, I couldn't really find much of anything new that I liked, so I spent the second half of the decade finally digging into the late 60s and everything I'd missed from the 70s.

That means that I missed a bunch of stuff that was coming out in the 90s. There are still many groups that formed or began releasing the main body of their work during the 90s that I have not yet dug into. To name just a very few examples: Prong, Helmet, Dream Theater, Annihilator, The Melvins, Eyehategod.

Another problem is that a lot of albums issued in the 1990s are currenly out of print. While a lot of stuff from the late 60s through the 80s has been reissued/remastered/given the "expanded anniversary edition" treatment, it's a bit too soon for a lot of 90s stuff to have been re-released, so I haven't been able to get ahold of some things that I missed then but are gone now. (Anbody have Demons Down? How about Twilight Cruiser? Cross Purposes Live?)

My overall judgment looking back is not so harsh as my feeling was at the time. Not only have I since discovered some excellent music that I missed at the time, I also now see that my decision to accept other genres and look into back catalogs lay the seeds for the eclectic interests that I have now. So the 90s ended up being quite varied and also quite fruitful, something which I would never have believed at the time. However, there's bound to be important things that I missed and still have not found. Let me know what they are!

Abbath Doom Occulta of Immortal
Ace Frehley of KISS
Adam Jones of Tool
Akira Takasaki of Loudness
Alex Lifeson of Rush
Alex Skolnick & Eric Peterson of Testament
Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom
Andre Olbrich of Blind Guardian
Andy James
Andy Timmons (Danger Danger, Andy Timmons Band)
Angus & Malcolm Young of AC/DC
Bernie Versailles (Agent Steel, Redemption)
Bill Steer of Carcass
bjorn gelotte & Jesper Stromblad of In Flames
Brett Garsed (Planet X)
Brian May of Queen
Brian Tatler of Diamond Head
Carl Roa
Chris DeGarmo & Michael Wilton of QUEENSRŸCHE
Chris Impellitteri (Impellitteri)
Chuck Schuldiner of Death
Daron Malakian of System of a Down
Dave Murray & Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden
Dave Mustaine & Marty Friedman of Megadeth
Dave Weiner
Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad)
Dimebag Darrell of Pantera & Damageplan
Dino Cazares of Fear Factory
Donald Buck Dharma Roeser of Blue Öyster Cult
Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio, Hurricane, Burning Rain, Lion, House of Lords, Bad Moon Rising)
Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen
Fast Eddie Clarke of MOTÖRHEAD
Frank Hannon & Tommy Skeoch of Tesla
Gary Hoey
Gary Holt & Rick Hunolt of Exodus
Gary Moore (Thin Lizzy)
George Lynch of Dokken
Glen Buxton & Michael Bruce of Alice Cooper
Glen Tipton & KK Downing of Judas Priest
Gus G (Firewind, Mystic Prophecy, Dream Evil
Guthrie Govan (GPS)
Hank Shermann & Michael Denner of Mercyful Fate
Head & munky of Korn
Jake E Lee of Ozzy Osbourne & Badlands
Jason Becker of Dave Lee Roth
Jeff Beck
Jeff Waters (Annihilator)
Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains
Jim Martin of Faith No More
Jim Matheos of Fates Warning
Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
Joe Perry & Brad Whitford of Aerosmith
Joe Satriani
Joey Tafolla (Jag Panzer)
John Christ of Danzig
John Kay & Michael Monarh of Steppenwolf
John Petrucci of Dream Theater
John Sykes of Thin Lizzy & Blue Murder
Jon Donais & Matt Backhand of Shadows Fall
Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth
Jørn Viggo Lofstad (Pagan's Mind, Jorn)
Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray
Kerry King & Jeff Hanneman of Slayer
Kiko Loureiro & Rafael Bittencourt (Angra)
Kim Thayil of Soundgarden
Kirk Hammett & James Hetfield of Metallica
Leigh Stephens of Blue Cheer
Leslie West of Mountain
Mantas of Venom
Mark Morton & Will Adler of Lamb of God
Marten Hagström & Fredrik Thorndendal of Meshuggah
Mattias IA Eklundh (Freak Kitchen, Jonas Hellborg)
Michael Amott of Arch Enemy
Michael Angelo
Michael Romeo of Symphony X
Michael Schenker of MSG & UFO
Mick Mars of MÖTLEY CRÜE
Mikael Åkerfeldt & Peter Lindgren of Opeth
Neil Young
Nick Bowcott of Grim Reaper
Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap
Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme
Oystein "Euronymous" Aarseth of Mayhem
Paul Gilbert of Mr Big & Racer X
Pepper Keenan & Woody Weatherman of coc
Pete Townshend of The Who
Phil Campbell (Motorhead)
Phil Collen & steve clarke of Def Leppard
Piggy of Voivod
Randy Rhoads of Ozzy Osbourne
Reb Beach of Winger & Dokken
Richie Kotzen (Poison, Mr. Big, Forty Deuce)
Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi
Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple & Rainbow
Robert Fripp of King Crimson
Ron Jarzombek (Watchtower, Spastic Ink)
Ron Thal (a.k.a. Bumblefoot, Guns N Roses)
Roy Z (Bruce Dickinson)
Rudolf Schenker & Uli John Roth of Scorpions
Rusty Cooley (Outworld)
Sammy Hagar of Van Halen
Scott "Wino" Weinrich of The Obsessed
Scott Gorham & Brian Robertson of Thin Lizzy
Scott Ian of Anthrax
Slash of Guns N' Roses
Stephen Carpenter of Deftones
Steve Lukather (Toto, Los Lobotomys, El Grupo, Doves Of Fire
Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple, Steve Morse Band)
Steve Stevens (Billy Idol)
Steve Vai of Dave Lee Roth
Ted Nugent
Timo Tolkki of Stratovarius
Tom G Warrior of Celtic Frost
Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine
Tommy Victor of Prong
Tony Bourge of Budgie
Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath
Tony Macalpine (Planet X, Devil's Slingshot, Ring of Fire, CAB)
Tore Østby (Conception, Ark
Trey Azagthoth of Morbid Angel
Ty Tabor of King's X
Uffe Cederlund & Alex Hellid of Entombed
Vernon Reid of Living Colour
Vinnie Moore (UFO)
Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard
Warren DeMartini of Ratt
Yngwie Malmsteen
Zakk Wylde of Ozzy Osbourne & Black Label Society


This list is just a jumping off point. There are GLARING OMMISSIONS. Please share your recommendations from all genres...I can't get enough guitar virtuosity!

NOW WORSHIP AT THE ALTAR OF THE METAL GODS!