Dusting Off a Cassette Pt. 48: Metallica: ...And Justice for All

I don't want to spend a ton of time reviewing this album for the music so much as talking about what it meant to me in my formative metal years. This was the second metal album I ever bought, being beaten only by Ride the Lightning. This was an absolutely incredible album to me at that time. I had never heard anything so complex and fast and intense in my life. My older brother listened to Metallica, sure, but he listened to The Black Album. This was different. This was Metallica at probably their most aggressive and extreme.

I had fallen in love with Metallica from the first album I ever bought. This second album reinforced that and kept me looking for more. I would still end up getting Master of Puppets before I ever got The Black Album. Even though the songs from that album were the first ones I really heard, that was not the most exciting album to me.

I listen back to this album now, and it is still a very interesting listen. It does feature some of the best riffs Metallica had ever written and it was certainly their most difficult and complex album. The drums are perhaps too high in the mix, and let's face it, Lars Ulrich is not the best drummer in the world. The bass is also too low in the mix, perhaps the band was being unfair to Jason Newsted, still grieving the death of Cliff Burton. This is an extremely angry Metallica.

"One" is perhaps one of their best-known songs, and certainly their best-known video. Every other track on here is bludgeoning and suffocating, filling the listener's ears with riff after riff delivered at breakneck speed.

While Ride the Lightning was my first metal album, I believe it may have been this album that convinced me that metal was the music to pursue.

Dusting Off a Cassette Pt. 43: Metallica: Metallica

I guess it's time for my opinions on "The Black Album" by Metallica. As I have mentioned many times before on this blog, Metallica is the band that got me into metal. At the time that I was in fourth and fifth grade, "The Black Album" had been released and had proven to be enormously popular. I remember seeing the video for "One" off of the previous album quite a bit, but "Enter Sandman" and the other hits off of this album were the ones that really made me take notice of the band. My older brother bought this album and I heard it several times while he was going through a very short metal phase.

A few years later, when I was in seventh grade, MTV was showing videos from Metallica's live boxed set. It was at this time that I finally bought my first Metallica album. But, I chose Ride the Lightning. I followed that with ...And Justice for All and then Master of Puppets before I ever bought the self-titled album. So, it took me awhile before I got this album.

I always liked the early stuff better. It's not that I mind this album, I don't. I listen to it once in awhile. It just doesn't hold up to the band's first four albums. It's different. It's the album that made fans of millions, and lost the band lots of previous fans. It's a polarizing album. The band had made a calculated effort to change their sound and become more marketable. They brought in a big-time record producer and spent a long time in the studio recording and dissecting the music so that it was perfect for mainstream consumption. This album is a product, not a labor of love like the earlier albums.

It was huge upon release. The glam scene was on its last legs and grunge was on its way, but this album was a monumental album that showed that heavy metal could be marketable still. You just had to do the right things, which included not playing too fast, not being too controversial, and follow the rules of the record labels. This album, more than grunge, helped drive a stake through the heart of metal. Metallica was a hugely popular and influential band, and now they were softening their image for mainstream approval. It wasn't long before many of their contemporaries did the same. We had tamer sounds from Megadeth, Anthrax, Testament, and many others. Thrash had become a bad word and would take years to make a comeback. Obviously death and black metal were never meant for MTV, but this album assured that they would not be seen. The fallout was almost as huge as the album sales.

When all is said and done, it was Metallica, not Nirvana, that pushed metal into the deep underground and lead to journalists claiming the death of the genre. Bands had to follow their lead to get anywhere and those bands that did not play nice were dropped from labels and not heard from again for years.

This is a decent album. It's catchy, the songs are good. But, it is not the be-all, end-all of Metallica's career, much less metal in general. Some of the songs are still very good. But, they don't hold a candle to their earlier thrash material. I don't mind this album musically, it's what it represents to the metal genre as a whole that makes it difficult to stomach. It set metal back years. I just hope that wasn't the intention.

Lyrics: H.P. Lovecraft

I am a huge fan of H.P. Lovecraft's work. Every major horror author of the last 75 years owes a debt to Lovecraft. Many times his influences are obvious in the works of Stephen King and Clive Barker, as well as others. His influence can also be strongly felt in the lyrics of many heavy metal songs. That's why we're here today.

ADVENT: "SHUB-NIGGURATH"
Where the stones lain,
thou will call his name

If thou know the Signs,
If thou know the Words.

When the Sun
Enter in the Ram,
And darkness are fallen,
Turn thy face
To the Northern Wind

Iah! Shub-Niggurath!

...Heaven can wait...
Great Black Goat of Woods
Worldly pleasures
I call thou!
...Waiting another day...

The sign of Voor
Rise in the sky
The seal is broken
The sign of Kish
Appear in the circle
The Gates are open
The Sign of Koth,
Elder thou watching,
Seals what was unfolded

Return on the Earth again!
Wordly pleasure!
Great Black Goat of Woods!

Kneeled thy body
By Archon of the Night,
Scent on the fire
The Seal of Blaesu
is tracing

I'll have their power
Becoming as a god
My soul is strong
I feel their stream
Growing within;
Black Horrors of the Night
Will kneel to me
I'll take their forces
and I'll order
Over them...

ZARIATNATMIX, JANNA, ETUTNAMUS,
HAYRAS, FABELLERON, FUBENTRONTY,
BRAZO, TABRASOL, NISA,
VAR-SHUB-NIGGURATH ! GABOTS MEMBROT!

Ancient creatures
Who sleep beyond the time
Appear through mist and fire
Without shape,
Out of cosmic void

Is my soul condemned
From here to eternity?

Now that I open the Gates
I see the horror
That come out of time and space...

The Horror... The Horror...

DEATH BREATH: "FLABBY LITTLE THINGS FROM BEYOND"
Vile beyond conception
Floating in the air
Made visible by science
They're around you everywhere

In loathsome profusion
Archaic and arcane
These jellyish monstrosities
Are fucking with your brain

Confused to a state of repulsion
You stare at the unnamable spawn
Keep still - Don't move or they'll get ya
These flabby little things from beyond

Beyond aesthetic standards
Fouler than the night
Paralyzed you're screaming
As they're going for a bite

With a malignant purpose
Too unholy to be grasped
You slowly start to fathom
That this is your final gasp

Lo and behold the abominations
You try telling yourself you've been conned
But as they pierce your flesh you acknowledge
The flabby little things from beyond

With your preternatural eye
You watch before you die
Sights so vastly profane
You've gone beyond insane

Confused to a state of repulsion
You stare at the unnamable spawn
Keep still - Don't move or they'll get ya
These flabby little things from beyond

ELECTRIC WIZARD: "DUNWICH"Dunwich child,
You know not your fathers' name.
Dope numbs the pain,
Ascend dark wooded hills to kane.
Your mothers' witches,
Burnt at the stake for sorcery.
You were conceived,
Upon the altar, rites obscene.

Child of Dunwich rise
You have your fathers' eyes
Child of Dunwich rise
End the world that you despise

Dunwich child,
Of whispered past now they'll learn.
High on the hill,
Black clouds gather now they'll burn
Bay at the stars.
"Why was I born at all?"
Hear voice of doom,
From other worlds your fathers' call.

Our time has come,
The end has begun...

SEPTICFLESH: "LOVECRAFT'S DEATH"
The cold comes
The rats in the walls break
The deadly sound of silence
As time decays
You try to name the unnamable
A whispererer in darkness

Our hound smells you
The haunter of the dark
Will come to take you to our realm
Your life, your books
March in front your closing eyes
Beyond the walls of sleep

Lovecraft in the realm of the dead

Obsessed with Necronomicon
The Arab's wicked dream
You found a path to Azathoth
And walked the Dagon's realm

Your friends were haunted too
Do you remember Charles?
Or haven't you heard
The music of Erich Zann
The call of Cthulhu we disguised
With notes and raving rhythms
To spread the seed of lurking fear
Into the heart of man

Lovecraft in the realm of the dead

Your time is out you saw too much
You used the silver key
You know too well that minds like yours
Can never rest in peace

You stared at the abyss
You'll never rest in peace

You'll never rest in peace

METALLICA: "THE THING THAT SHOULD NOT BE"
Messenger of Fear in sight
Dark deception kills the light

Hybred children watch the sea
Pray for Father, roaming free

fearless Wretch
insanity
He watches
lurking beneath the sea
great Old One
forbidden site
He searches
Hunter of the Shadows is rising
immortal
in madness You dwell

Crawling Chaos, underground
cult has summoned, twisted sound

Out from ruins once possessed
fallen city, living death

fearless Wretch
insanity
He watches
lurking beneath the sea
timeless sleep
has been upset
He awakens
Hunter of the Shadows is rising
immortal
in madness You dwell

Not dead which eternal lie
stranger eons Death may die

drain you of your sanity
face The Thing That Should Not Be

fearless Wretch
insanity
He watches
lurking beneath the sea
great Old One
forbidden site
He searches
Hunter of the Shadows is rising
immortal
in madness You dwell

Metallica also had an instrumental song called "The Call of Ktulu".

MORBID ANGEL: "THE ANCIENT ONES"
Locked deep beyond the gate
Lost within the stars
Realm of the ancient ones
Malignant ones
Against the light
Power of the blackened sky
Hateful spawn "We are the chasm depths"

Come forth ancient ones, Tiamat Kutulu
Rise, greet the cursed with your wrath
My enemies are yours
Twist their minds with your spells
Crush their souls
With your infernal grasp

A scorn from the Absu
Kutulu snaps his jaws
Cauldron burns and receives
Crushing the voice of the tyrants
Raise the horns in blasphemy

YYRKOON: "OCCULT MEDICINE"
Through the universal needles
The official healing knowledge spreads itself
Here in some dark and hidden places
Humans dedicate themselves
To morbid discoveries
Morbid experiments
And sleeps the occult... medicine

Studying the art of death to feel a morbid thirst
Old as the beginning of time
Mutilation creation of misery into the cave of hell
Into this diabolic place
And sleeps the occult... medicine

Steel instruments shine in
A lively light of green substance
Dead or alive
Bodies and souls are waiting for the contact with these macabre tools
They are only creations made alive

This is just a small sample. There are tons more.

My Metal History Pt. 2: Metallica and Beyond in Middle School

Part 1 discussed me getting into metal via Metallica's Ride the Lightning album. After RtL, Metallica was my focus. Within a few months I picked up the remaining Metallica albums in the following order: ...And Justice For All, Metallica, Master of Puppets, Kill 'Em All. At the time, the self-titled album was considered their magnum opus by everyone I knew. Yet strangely, I was not as drawn to it as I was to the other albums. It was somehow lacking the energy and aggression of the rest of the albums. To this day, I feel the same way. Quickly, MoP became my second favorite Metallica album, featuring epic length songs and powerful riffs. The other two I also listened to frequently. I still own all five of these albums on cassette and still drag them out often enough. These were the albums that laid the groundwork for my interest in metal music.

I ran into a problem though. After those five albums, Metallica had nothing else out. Luckily my older brother had a rather brief interest in mainstream metal music. He had albums from groups like Alice in Chains, Faith No More, Motley Crue, White Zombie, Danzig, and Megadeth. I discovered his collection which allowed me to broaden my horizons a little bit. At the same time, I was listening to some of his other tapes like Guns 'N Roses, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and the like. But these other groups never interested me quite like the earlier list of bands. I would listen to them if I was bored and wanted to hear something different, but it was never quite the same.

As I continued in middle school, I began to tape my brother's stuff onto blank cassette tapes for my own listening edification. Eventually, he would just give me the albums by Megadeth, Danzig, and Motley Crue. I also began branching out a little more. I would begin to compile albums from Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Pantera, Anthrax, White Zombie, Faith No More, Queensryche, Testament, Ozzy Osbourne, Type O Negative, and more. Megadeth quickly became one of my new favorites and I began picking up as many of their albums as possible. I also picked up non-metal bands such as Monster Magnet, The Offspring, Bush, Stabbing Westward, and others that were heavier rock bands.

I actually got my first CDs around Christmas of my ninth grade year. I received CDs from Alice in Chains, Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne and, oddly enough, The Smashing Pumpkins. The Pumpkins CD never sat well with me and became the very first album I owned that I eventually sold.

The one thing that never changed throughout middle school though was the fact that even though I purchased albums from non-metal bands, they never interested me in quite the same way that the metal albums did. I still have most of my cassettes from those days, but I still dig out the metal albums.

My Metal History Pt. 1: The First Album

I’ve decided to look back a little bit into my history as a metalhead, and probably reveal some rather embarrassing things about it (I used to own albums by KORN!!!!!). Anywho, let’s start at the beginning.

At first, there was nothing. Some time after that I heard Metallica.

Seriously though, prior to my metal addiction, I listened to some random crap that I’m not even sure I own anymore. Mostly R.E.M. though, which is fucking weird to think about now. My older brother started getting into a little bit of heavy metal though, and that’s when I started becoming interested. He was listening to groups like Faith No More, Motley Crue, Metallica, Megadeth, Alice in Chains, Danzig, and White Zombie. He also listened to a laundry list of other artists from genres like alternative rock (the grunge scene was very big when we were growing up) and rap. That was the beginning for me.

Back then, MTV played these things called music videos. They are very rare these days. Most kids have never seen one on MTV. Also back then, they played a rather diverse grouping of music videos. As the decade wore on, they scaled it back completely to rap and pop music, but they would occasionally play metal videos in the early 1990's. My older brother, being the trendhopper that he was back in those days, picked up anything and everything played on MTV that was not pop music. MTV played groups like the ones listed above, and my older brother bought into them. He used to play his music as loud as possible when we were the only ones home, so I heard a lot of this stuff. I also saw them on MTV.

It all started to change when MTV started playing live videos from the recent Metallica box set Live Shit: Binge and Purge. They played videos from lesser known songs (at least for the mainstream) such as "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Fade to Black". These songs quickly became favorites of mine. When my 13th birthday rolled around, I went birthday shopping with my grandmother. We stopped off at the usual places a 13 year old boy likes to shop at: baseball card store and comic book store, then we ended up at the mall to get some clothes. It was there that I decided I wanted a tape. I had it in my mind that I was going to get the Metallica tape that had those songs on it. We went into the music nook, literally a corner of the store with a temporary wall full of tapes put up, looked around until I found it: RIDE THE LIGHTNING. I remember my grandmother asking if the band swore at all, I really didn’t know so I just said no. She would not have bought it for me otherwise. This was my very first metal album. The rest is history.

Metal's Sacred Cows

Are there metal bands who are beyond criticism? No, of course not. However there are some groups who went through a period where criticism is fairly difficult, not impossible because music junkies in general can be very elitist and dislike anything that is popular. This is also true of metal. That being said, here are some bands who went through a period of time that is almost universally praised.

1. BLACK SABBATH
Duh. The band who started it all. Without Black Sabbath, we would not have metal. That reason alone is enough for metal fans to praise their work. Another reason is that their material has withstood the test of time. It sounds just as good now as it did when it came out.
PRAISEWORTHY PERIOD: Self titled album through Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath. After that they got too proggy and drifted away from metal. They came back strong when Ronnie James Dio took over for Ozzy Osbourne on vocals.
BAD ALBUMS: Forbidden, Technical Ecstacy, Never Say Die, Born Again, Seventh Star.

2. JUDAS PRIEST
Almost on par with Black Sabbath in terms of respect from metal heads. Judas Priest took the Black Sabbath sound and perfected it. Judas Priest was also one of the first bands to truly embrace the tag of "Heavy Metal." Priest also gave metal a look.
PRAISEWORTHY PERIOD: 2nd album through Defenders of the Faith with one exception. They also came back strong with Painkiller later on, one of the quintessential speed metal albums. Then Rob Halford left for a few years. When he came back, the band was rejuvenated.
BAD ALBUMS: Point of Entry, Turbo, Demolition, Nostradamus.

3. IRON MAIDEN
Iron Maiden is the principal band from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and one of the few such bands that is still active. Maiden is one of the biggest metal bands in the world. They didn't start out that way though, it was not until classically-trained vocalist Bruce Dickinson joined the band that they really took off. Still able to headline world tours.
PRAISEWORTHY PERIOD: Dickinson's first album, The Number of the Beast through Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Iron Maiden seemed to lose steam in the late 1980's. Bruce Dickinson left the band for a few years. Yet again, when he came back, so too did the band.
BAD ALBUMS: No Prayer for the Dying, Virtual XI, Dance of Death.

4. METALLICA
Surprised? You shouldn't be, Metallica was hugely important in metal. One of the founding fathers of the thrash metal movement and still one of the best such groups. Metallica achieved popularity that was once thought impossible for a metal band.
PRAISEWORTHY PERIOD: Debut Kill 'Em All through ...And Justice For All. The first four albums by Metallica are on par with anyone else's first four albums and quite possibly better than anyone else's first four albums with the only exception of possibly Black Sabbath.
BAD ALBUMS: Load, Reload, St. Anger.

That's pretty much it for unimpeachable metal bands. I'm sure I may be forgetting some, but these groups during these periods are so important to metal, that very little else comes close.

Dusting Off a Cassette Pt. 4: Metallica: Kill Em All

Metallica was the first band I really got into. This was before CDs had become the most common form of buying music so I have the first five albums by Metallica on cassette.

Kill Em All was Metallica's debut album and one of the first thrash metal albums of all time. This album is a classic. There are some great thrash anthems here including "Hit the Lights", "Seek and Destroy", "The Four Horsemen", "Jump in the Fire", and "Metal Militia". The sound is raw and powerful featuring some great riffs. The riff in "The Four Horsemen" is one of the all time greatest thrash riffs. Many of these songs, in particular the guitar riffs, were written by Dave Mustaine who had been kicked out of the band prior to the recording of this album. Mustaine has always been one of the better riff men in metal and that shows in this album.

There is nothing to dislike in this album. It is pure, classic Bay Area thrash. The songs are enrgetic and powerful, the individual performances are terrific, and the album has influenced a huge number of later bands. This is thrash at its best. This album would be surpassed by Metallica's sophomore album Ride the Lightning.

Profound Albums

A friend of mine posted one of those survey notes on facebook yesterday asking for 15 "profound albums". My friend listed his 15 albums and not another word was said about why they were profound. I decided to look at this, and think deeply about it. I won't list 15 albums, because there are way more than that, but I will list the ones that I think were the most important because of when I got them and what they have come to represent in my life.

1. Metallica: Ride the Lightning
My obvious choice, because this was the first metal album I ever bought and it remains my favorite album of all time to this day. I got it around my 13th birthday, my grandparents used to take us shopping when it was close to our birthdays in order to let us pick out our presents. This was the only album I got that day. My musical tastes were starting to point towards metal and Metallica was the first band I really started to enjoy from the genre.

I was in junior high and no longer a kid, and I began liking this music which has shaped my life ever since just as my experiences in junior high began to shape my life. As stated before, I still consider this my favorite album and recently picked it up on vinyl.

2. Sepultura: Roots
I picked this one up in the summer between ninth and tenth grade, therefore it was at a time when I was in the middle of a conversion from junior high to high school. This album reflects that change as well as it is the first "extreme" metal album in my collection. This album was my conversion from the thrash, groove, and traditional metal I listened to in junior high to the more death-oriented stuff I listened to in high school and college. This isn't the best representation of the extreme time in Sepultura's career, but it lead me to seek out their earlier works, in particular Morbid Visions.

3. Dissection: Storm of the Light's Bane
Another album that is currently one of my all time favorites. As I was graduating from high school, I began to listen to heavier, uglier, more frightening music. This was at a time when my own personality was becoming darker as well. The early years of college, I began wearing a lot of black, with some disturbing jewelry around my neck, on my wrists, and my fingers. This was another change in my life from the rather safe high school, to the much more chaotic college life. Though I was never one to really get into trouble, there was a change in me from high school to college. This music reflects that darkness that crept into my soul little by little. Still one of the coldest sounding albums I have ever heard.

4. Meshuggah: Contradictions Collapse & None
I bought this album in the summer between my senior year of college and law school. This is an extremely difficult album to listen to, as the band is extremely complex musically. The time signature, speed, and riffs constantly change over the course of the album leaving the listener feeling uneasy and unsafe. Particularly interesting given the time in my life that I got it. College was relatively easy for me, law school was never easy. Both my personal life and my academic life were to go through some radical changes that I was not prepared for.

5. Evanescence: Fallen
Kind of an odd album for this list as it is the only non-metal album on the list. This album represents the heartache at two of the hardest things I have ever had to endure. The melancholy atmosphere and sad lyrics encapsulate the struggle I went through at the time. I have moved on in my life now and have healed from these things, but I will never forget them. I also do not own this album anymore as it was too close to the situations.

6. Mercyful Fate: Melissa
This was one of the first albums I bought in my new home. It represents the change from the old, school-based life to the new work-based life and also my transformation from casual metal fan to hardcore metal listener. It was at this time that I not only completed my education, but abandoned the false and non-metal albums I used to listen to.

7. Scorpions: Bad for Good
I bought this album from my current girlfriend and as such it has come to symbolize the relationship I am currently in. A much more positive album filled with some love songs, this has come to represent the positive state of mind that I am in, thanks to her. She has done a lot for me and I am forever grateful to her. Scorpions is one of the bands that she can actually handle listening to, but this CD would not play in her car.

8. Syrach: Days of Wrath
A very recent pickup but an apt description of my last few weeks at my current job, which will be ending next week. Need further evidence? Reread that title.

Great Band, Terrible Album Pt. 2: Metallica: Load

I remember distinctly the anticipation. I was 15 years old, just out of junior high. Metallica had been my favorite band since the seventh grade. I picked up all of their albums quickly, at that point there were only five. I considered myself a big heavy metal fan already, even though I only listened to about ten to fifteen groups regularly. Metallica was the favorite though.

It had been six long years since Metallica's last full length album, colloquially known as "The Black Album." That album lifted Metallica into another stratosphere, previously only known to such metal luminaries as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. Metallica was one of the biggest bands in the world, not just in metal, but all of rock music. They had toured with Ozzy Osbourne and Guns 'N Roses. They were huge. Obviously this album was one of the most highly anticipated releases in years.

There was one song on the radio prior to the album being released. A kind of strange sounding song called "Until It Sleeps." It was different, not nearly as aggressive as their prior material. Their prior album had simplified and slowed things noticeably, but this was completely different. I liked the song, so much that I picked up the CD single while I was still waiting for the album to be released.

The day finally came and I went to pick it up as soon as I could get my hands on it. I was shocked when I heard it. Gone was much of the aggression. The band had lightened their sound considerably even since the last album. In its stead, Metallica had become a blues-driven hard rock/sometime heavy metal band. There were some decent songs, but nothing like what came before. The worst song of the bunch "Mama Said" sounded like it should be played in a seedy, smoky country bar room after a rodeo. The album was long, nearly 79 minutes, and only a few standout songs. I was crushed, Metallica had let me down.

After six years I was expecting an amazing album, Metallica did not deliver that album. Now, 13 years later, Metallica still has yet to deliver an album building upon "The Black Album". Reload was more of the same, released shortly after Load. St. Anger is a stripped down, emotional roller coaster of an album, but is too bulky, its good ideas not fully fleshed out, and horrible production and lack of guitar solos make it a difficult listen. Death Magnetic is the closest Metallica has come to reclaiming their legacy. Metallica did a few things right during this downtime, Garage Inc. is a pretty decent cover album featuring two discs, one with all new cover songs, and the other with all of their previous cover songs recorded for singles. Disc Two is the best, but the Mercyful Fate cover on Disc One showed Metallica could still kill it. S&M, the live album featuring the San Francisco Philharmonic was interesting, with some quality moments. Finally, live Metallica was still great.

Load is the album that halted Metallica's forward momentum like a brick wall, even though "The Black Album" was a major decrease in quality. Metallica has yet to recover, though some positive steps have been taken.

2008 in Review-Metal

2008 Metal Year in Review
Albums:
1. Grand Magus: Iron Will: This is it. The best metal album of 2008, and since I hate all other types of music, it's my personal pick for best album overall in 2008. This is a great, melodic, old school sounding metal album. Grand Magus sounds like a cross between Cirith Ungol and Judas Priest, doom meets traditional heavy metal. Easy to listen to, fun, and catchy as hell. The mark of a great album is memorability and this album definitely has that.

2. Eluveitie: Slania: It was actually a fairly close decision to pick Grand Magus over Eluveitie. I had Slania much earlier than Iron Will so for much of the year, Eluveitie was going to be my pick of the year. There's nothing wrong with finishing second though and this album is great in its own right. Melding melodic death metal to Celtic folk music and having it come out sounding good is no easy task but Eluveitie pulled it off. They often even use traditional Celtic folk instruments such as the hurdy-gurdy. The slow songs are beautiful, while the fast ones are sure to get your head banging.

3. Mictlantecuhtli: Warriors of the Black Sun: If you threw Storm of the Light's Bane-ear Dissection and Reign in Blood-era Slayer into a blender, this is what would result. An amazing album from an American black metal band, no less. This one came late in the year but made a major impression.

4. Toxic Holocaust: An Overdose of Death: Toxic Holocaust is a one-man band who is clearly influenced by the likes of early Sodom, Venom, Bathory, and Celtic Frost. These influences shine through and make this probably one of the most memorable, fun albums this year.

5. Lair of the Minotaur: War Metal Battle Master: I would have thought it would be difficult to combine thrash metal, a genre noted for its speed, and doom metal, pretty much known for being the exact opposite of fast. However, Lair of the Minotaur pulls it off in this campy, metal cliche-ridden album that is a blast to listen to.

6. Hail of Bullets: ...Of Frost and War: When I heard that members of Dutch death/thrash titans Thanatos were joining forces with Martin Van Drunen of Asphyx and Pestilence fame, I knew I had to check it out. My faith was rewarded by this gem of an album that pays tribute to Autopsy, Bolt Thrower, and the early 1990's Swedish death metal scene.

7. The Gates of Slumber: Conqueror: A great traditional doom metal album in the vein of Candlemass, Trouble, and Cirith Ungol. Every once in awhile, the band wakes up to put a faster song together, but otherwise remains lethargic and punishing.

8. Septicflesh: Communion: Greek Hellenic black/death metal with some surprising orchestral sections added for good measure. One of the more unusual albums I have heard this year. Septicflesh don't hold a candle to countrymen like Rotting Christ or Varathron yet, but a few more albums like this will certainly help.

9. Holy Moses: Agony of Death: One of the major differences between the Bay Area thrash bands and the German thrash bands of the 1980's is that many of the German bands are still actually playing thrash. Holy Moses is one such example of the German groups. Backed by Sabine Classen's inhuman shrieks and some of the best thrash metal in years, this album is nonstop punishment from start to finish.

10. Nocturnal Fear: Code of Violence: American black/thrash metal band in the vein of the 1980's German thrash metal bands. A true throwback album to a great scene.

Concerts:
Because I live in rural Nebraska, concerts are few and far between. The only two concerts I went to were out of state, although there were a couple of concerts I tried to get to in Omaha.

1. Metallica/Down/The Sword in Des Moines, IA: Forgive me, but I remain a Metallica fan. Their latest album was actually worthwhile and they still kill live. Surprisingly they still manage to play their old stuff quite well and they seem to have denied the Load/Reload/St. Anger past. Down is fantastic and I have been a fan since NOLA first came out. A great southern/stoner doom metal band, the only real problem was when Phil Anselmo's mic went out. I haven't paid much attention to The Sword but they put on a reasonably decent show despite seeming a little intimidated by the larger than life bands they were supporting.

2. Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Kansas City, MO: I love to point out to people who express shock that I would attend a TSO concert that the band started off as a project for a bunch of guys in the 1980's metal band Savatage and that they frequently have guest appearances from other luminaries of the metal scene. The Christmas program part was very good, if a little long, but where the band really shines is the neo-classical/shred/power metal part of the performance. I would be more inclined to purchase an album if they stuck to their instrumental stuff, but it was a hell of a good show and the lighting was amazing. I'm slowly turning Lindsay over to the dark side.

Shows I missed: Nile was in Omaha, although most of the bands they were there with were complete crap. I would have liked to see the brutal death metal band with a fixation on Egyptian topics. Also, the Summer Slaughter tour had a stop in Omaha as well. It featured some terrible bands like Born of Osiris, Whitechapel, and The Faceless, as well as the terrible new version of Cryptopsy. However, Psycroptic, Aborted, Kataklysm, The Black Dahlia Murder, and most importantly Vader were also there. It would have been worth it just to see Vader.

Surprises:

1. Metallica: Death Magnetic: There was a lot of discussion over just what would happen with this album. Some people, including the band, believed it to be a return to form and billed it as the missing link between ...And Justice for All and the Black Album. Others said it would be further circling the drain. The truth is that both camps were wrong. This is not a return to form and it is not further evidence of the band's decline. It is the best album they have released since the Black Album easily though and it is a good album. For that, I am happy.

2. Sothis: De Oppresso Liber: I didn't know what to expect from this group. They were billed as the next big thing in American black metal, a tag that, let's face it, is not terribly exciting. They were also hugely hyped and carried by Hot Topic (yuck). When I heard the album though, I was impressed. They sound like an earlier version of Dimmu Borgir, symphonic black metal, so opinions will depend on how one feels about that band. Since I like early Dimmu, I liked Sothis.

3. Testament: The Formation of Damnation: Not surprising because the album is good, no, it's surprising because after nine years of promises and letdowns, we finally have a new album from this great band. Testament was one of my early favorites. This isn't a great album, and it didn't come close to my Top 10, but it is a good album.

4. Cavalera Conspiracy: Inflikted: Early Sepultura is one of my favorite bands. It's been no secret that they have been going downhill since Chaos A.D. was released and have been even worse since Max Cavalera left the band. Max created a band called Soulfly who are also terrible for the most part. So when Max (vocals, guitar) and Iggor Cavalera (who continued playing drums in Sepultura until just recently) joined up and put together this neo-thrash/groove metal album, it proved that the two still had something left.

5. Nachtmystium: Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. 1: Nachtmystium is one of the most famous American black metal bands, although they have been stretching beyond the genre for some time now. Assassins is a psychedelic black metal masterpiece.

Disappointments:

1. In Flames: A Sense of Purpose: Holy shit. I am not one of those people bashing In Flames later-era material, in fact I really liked Reroute to Remain, Soundtrack to Your Escape, and Come Clarity. Not as much as their early stuff, but it was catchy and interesting. What the hell happened? They seemed like on Come Clarity that they were trying to get back to their early sound, then crashed into a wall and never got back on track.

2. Cryptopsy: The Unspoken King: One of the greatest brutal death metal bands loses its iconic singer Lord Worm, then hires some metalcore singer. No thanks.

3. Judas Priest: Nostradamus: It is so hard to complain about these guys since they were the second big metal band, behind only Black Sabbath. However this year, they decided to try something different, they wanted to add an orchestra and put out a double album rock opera, and then they fell flat on their face. Judas Priest was great because they were straightforward and simple. Why after nearly 40 years would they mess with that formula?

4. Destroyer 666: They failed to put out a release again this year after tons of hype saying that they would. Their last release was in 2003 and it was a five song EP.

5. Bolt Thrower: Apparently Bolt Thrower broke up. One of the most amazingly consistent death metal bands ever is no more. I am very sad. But at least they went out on a high note as Those Once Loyal, which came out in 2006, was one of their best albums, which is really saying something for this band.

Best Reissue of the Year: Hellhammer: Demon Entrails: And it's not even close. The Hellhammer demos are some of the most desired, yet difficult to find recordings in extreme metal. Hellhammer was the precursor to Celtic Frost and recorded a series of demos in the early 1980's which were traded heavily early on. Now anyone can get them.

Looking Forward in 2009:

1. Suffocation: Blood Oath: The brutal death metal pioneers are back.

2. Kreator: Hordes of Chaos: German thrash metal band with their first album in three years.

3. Wintersun: Time: The much delayed, much anticipated second album from the former
guitarist/songwriter of Ensiferum.

4. Dawn of Azazel: Hopefully they will release a new album soon, no other details available except that they are recording.

5. Destroyer 666: Please?

Top 100 Albums-Outdated a Little

For my first blog I figured I would post my Top 100 Metal Albums that I worked out last Spring. This is an outdated list as I have picked up several classic albums and some underrated gems that would probably make my list. That's okay for now. At some point I will update it.

I managed to find this. This is an old post from Myspace. This was in ten parts. I will only reproduce the actual albums analyses:

100. AHAB: THE CALL OF THE WRETCHED SEA: This is a concept album about Moby Dick from these German funeral doom merchants. Agonizingly slow and monolithically heavy, this album will suck you in and have you imagining that you are on board the Pequod with the sea air blowing through your hair.

99. EDGE OF SANITY: CRIMSON: One song, 40 minutes long. Swedish death metal stalwart Dan Swano brings his vision of a bleak future to the listener in this avant-garde metal opus.

98. DARK FUNERAL: THE SECRETS OF THE BLACK ARTS: Swedish black metal at its best with crushing blast beats and shrieking vocals. All songs are about Satan or evil, but if you know Dark Funeral that's certainly not a surprise.

97. SKELETONWITCH: BEYOND THE PERMAFROST: One of the newest bands to make my list, this album captured my attention right away with its retro-thrash attack and blackened shrieks. One of my personal favorites of the thrash metal revival, they should have a bright future.

96. DEMILICH: NESPITHE: Totally bizarre death metal from Finland. This band only released this one studio album, but it is a legendary release. Incredibly deep croaking vocals and technical riffs make up the sound. It's too bad they didn't stick around.

95. BURZUM: DET SOM ENGANG VAR: Norwegian black metal legend Varg Vikernes's one-man band. More infamous, than famous, Vikernes is well-known for his time in Mayhem which ended when he stabbed guitarist Euronymous to death in his apartment. This is my favorite of Burzum's material with equal parts screeching black metal and soothing ambience.

94. EXHORDER: SLAUGHTER IN THE VATICAN: Pantera fanboys take note, because this album is where that band got its well-known sound. Exhorder was groove metal before Pantera became popular.

93. THORNAFIRE: EXACERBATED GNOSTIC MANIFESTATION: Another newer band, Thornafire hails from Chile which is kind of a unique place to find a metal band. Thornafire plays old-school U.S. death metal in the vein of Morbid Angel and Incantation. Another band with a bright future.

92. BOLT THROWER: REALM OF CHAOS: One of the first death/grind bands along with English countrymen Carcass and Napalm Death. This album will crush your skull under its weight.

91. FAITH NO MORE: THE REAL THING: Well-known album from the late 1980's featuring hits Epic, Falling to Pieces, and From Out of Nowhere. It's tough to categorize FNM because their sound was constantly evolving. Terrific vocals and musicianship make this an unforgettable album.

90. MELECHESH: EMISSARIES: One of the more unique albums in my collection, this is a black/death metal band from Israel. They incorporate a lot of Middle Eastern instrumentation and rhythms into their music and their lyrics mostly deal with Sumerian/Mesopotamian mythology. Very interesting stuff.

89. WINTERSUN: WINTERSUN: It's difficult to tell whether this Finnish group is a melodic death metal band or an extreme power metal band. They seem to have elements of both. Harsh vocals but epic in both the sound and the length. They have a new album coming this Spring, I'm looking forward to it.

88. IRON MAIDEN: PIECE OF MIND: Ah yes Iron Maiden, one of my all time favorite bands and one of the icons of heavy metal. This was their second release with Bruce Dickinson fronting the band and features the classics "The Trooper" and "Flight of Icarus." An underrated album compared to what came before and since. This won't be the last time you see Iron Maiden in my list, I promise.

87. CANNIBAL CORPSE: EATEN BACK TO LIFE: One of the most well known death metal bands, Cannibal Corpse provide many of the extremes that have come to be expected from the genre. Bloody artwork and gory lyrics along with Chris Barnes's trademark roar make this debut album a landmark in the death metal scene.

86. GORGOROTH: PENTAGRAM: Norwegian black metal at its most hateful and abrasive. Fast riffs, howling vocals, and blast beats provide the sound for one of the most frightening black metal bands around. Not for the weak of heart.

85. NAGLFAR: PARIAH: A black metal band from Sweden that focuses more on melody than groups like Gorgoroth, Naglfar still uses raspy vocals but the lyrics deal more with personal issues than Antichristianity, at least on this album.

84. DARK ANGEL: DARKNESS DESCENDS: One of the lesser-known thrash metal bands from the mid-1980's, at least as far as the mainstream is concerned. Dark Angel is a more technical band than their peers. Amazing riffs and blazing speed. Many thrash fans consider this the best thrash album ever. I won't go that far, but a great album nonetheless.

83. DIO: HOLY DIVER: One of the all time great voices in heavy metal, this was Ronnie James Dio's best solo album and featured the hits "Holy Diver" (recently horrendously covered by Killswitch Engage) and "Rainbow in the Dark." It was very difficult to leave this so far down on the list but many of the songs are less than memorable. The good ones certainly make up for it though.

82. ANTHRAX: AMONG THE LIVING: Of the Big Four of American thrash, Anthrax is the weakest. That doesn't mean that they don't have their moments though. This album caught them at their best when Joey Belladonna was still the singer. John Bush later replaced him and the band went downhill. Anthrax was much more fun and light-hearted with Belladonna.

81. DANZIG III: HOW THE GODS KILL: Cover art by H.R. Giger, a dark gothic atmosphere, and Glenn Danzig's trademark Elvis-meets-Jim Morrison crooning make this Danzig's best album. A lot more metallic than other albums, this features the classic "Dirty Black Summer." Not to be listened to in the dark.

80. CORROSION OF CONFORMITY: DELIVERANCE: Southern-style sludge metal at its greatest. C.O.C. combine hardcore attitude and traditional doom metal to produce a mindfuck of an album. Several short acoustic interludes break up the heavy bass-driven riffs. "Clean My Wounds" is a classic.

79. INSOMNIUM: ABOVE THE WEEPING WORLD: This melodeath band from Finland combines sweeping guitar riffs and melancholic atmosphere to produce a sound that is aggressive but sorrowful at the same time. The band has a lot of doom influences to their music.

78. QUEENSRYCHE: OPERATION: MINDCRIME: One of the better bands at writing concept albums, this Seattle-based progressive metal band is full of talented musicians and an even more talented singer. Geoff Tate has a highly distinctive tenor while Chris DeGarmo provides the guitar riffs and some fantastic solos.

77. SATYRICON: DARK MEDIEVAL TIMES: One of the well-known bands in the second wave of black metal from Norway, the name of the album describes the sound. Satyricon combine their black metal with the occasional medieval interlude sounding as if it came right out of the nearest Renaissance festival. After this album, Satyricon would start to go in a more standard black metal direction, cutting out most of the folk influences.

76. KAMELOT: THE BLACK HALO: Very good American power metal. Layers of intricate sound and stunning musicianship make up this powerful album. Kamelot is on the verge of making it very big.

75. ROTTING CHRIST: THEOGONIA: RC is a gothic black metal band from Greece. They incorporate folk elements from their home country, including rhythms, instrumentation, and even chanting, providing a powerful atmosphere backing up Sakis's raspy vocals.

74. SYMPHONY X: THE ODYSSEY: A concept album based on Homer's epic poem, epic being the operative word. Symphony X is a progressive metal band from the United States with highly technical, yet memorable riffs and the operatic voice of singer Russell Allan.

73. SEPULTURA: MORBID VISIONS: The debut album from these Brazilian thrash legends is a little sloppy in the drumming and bass (but that is part of its charm), but with an evil atmosphere that has never been equalized by the band. This album helped shape death metal.

72. ATHEIST: UNQUESTIONABLE PRESENCE: Death metal with jazz influences? Seems totally crazy but this band made it work, paving the way for several bands that would try to emulate them, but never match them. Criminally underrated in their time, Atheist is now getting the attention they always deserved.

71. BLACK SABBATH: VOL. 4: The original heavy metal band, responsible for the entire genre, in their classic lineup (Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward). This is one of their more psychedelic releases but features some of their most memorable riffs as well. "Supernaut" makes this worth the money by itself. Expect to see them on this list again.

70. FLOTSAM AND JETSAM: DOOMSDAY FOR THE DECEIVER: Arizona power/thrash metal band on its first full length release. This band is well-known for being the band Jason Newsted was in prior to joining Metallica, this being the only release he contributed to. The band is extremely energetic on this release with the throbbing bass, powerful guitar riffs and banshee shrieks of vocalist Erik Knutson.

69. TYPE O NEGATIVE: BLOODY KISSES: From the high energy of Flotsam and Jetsam to the lethargic gothic doom of Type O Negative. Vocalist Peter Steele has a very deep voice and combined with the dark humor and overall spooky atmosphere of the band provides an unforgettable and unnerving listening experience.

68. CANDLEMASS: EPICUS DOOMICUS METALLICUS: Traditional doom metal from this pioneering Swedish outfit. Poweful vocals and melancholic music merge to create what is universally regarded as one of the greatest doom metal records. "Solitude" is a masterpiece.

67. OBITUARY: CAUSE OF DEATH: One of the earliest death metal bands, the typical lyrical topics are covered by tracks like "Chopped in Half" and "Infected." Obituary stands out from the rest of their peers on account of their sludgy riffs, rotting-sounding vocals, and surprisingly technical guitar solos.

66. BATHORY: BLOOD FIRE DEATH: Bathory mastermind Quorthon (who would eventually take over playing all instruments on their future albums) almost single-handedly created both black metal and viking metal. This was the first album to take the black metal Bathory previously created and mix it with elements of what would eventually become viking metal.

65. IN FLAMES: COLONY: In my opinion, this was the highest point for this elite Gothenburg melodeath metal band. The band was at its most creative mixing Iron Maiden-styled riffs, manic harsh vocals and even began providing clean vocals in some chorus spots.

64. DARKTHRONE: A BLAZE IN THE NORTHERN SKY: Norwegian black metal landmark album which combined the simple death metal riffs the band previously utilized with the atmosphere and raspy vocals that the black metal scene would later become synonymous with. Darkthrone were one of the originators of the sound and many bands still try to capture the feel of this record and fail.

63. MERCYFUL FATE: DON'T BREAK THE OATH: Mercyful Fate was extremely influential on the black metal scene because of the dark atmospherics of their sound. King Diamond's falsetto vocals and the band's dual guitar attack make up the sound of one of metal's true iconic bands.

62. INCANTATION: ONWARD TO GOLGOTHA: One of the early death metal bands from the east coast. Incantation combines brutal guttural vocals and extremely heavy doom-laden riffs into a sound and image that is extremely vile and frightening. Not a good album for someone new to the genre.

61. PARADISE LOST: GOTHIC: These English death/doom metal pioneers put out their best album in Gothic. This album is a testament to the sound the band helped create, as they later drifted into gothic metal/rock territory on following releases.

60. CENOTAPH: SAGA BELICA: Excellent Mexican death metal band featuring raw aggressive riffs, manic screaming vocals, and wailing guitar solos. An extremely energetic album that will get your heart pounding.

59. BEHEMOTH: ZOS KIA CULTUS: Polish black/death metal band. This was one their best album in their new sound adding death metal elements to their usual black metal sound. The band features extremely Satanic lyrics and crushingly brutal music.

58. AMON AMARTH: THE CRUSHER: It's tough to pick just one album from this Swedish melodic death metal Viking horde. Partly because they all sound basically the same and partly because they are all excellent. Gruff, roaring vocals, melodic guitar leads, pounding drums, and lyrics about warfare and Viking glory.

57. CARCASS: HEARTWORK: The kings of English grindcore starting going in a melodic death metal direction on the album prior to this one. This one perfected the sound and was a very early and influential album on the Swedish melodeath scene.

56. DISSECTION: THE SOMBERLAIN: One of my favorite bands, Dissection was a melodic black metal band from Sweden with death metal influences. The music is extremely chilling and includes some insanely technical drumming. Menacing vocals and tremolo guitar riffing completes the effect.

55. SWALLOW THE SUN: THE MORNING NEVER CAME: This Finnish death/doom metal band is one of the better doom bands around lately. At times extremely melancholic, at others frighteningly intense. Don't listen to this when you're in a good mood, it has a tendency to crush hopes and dreams.

54. OZZY OSBOURNE: BLIZZARD OF OZZ: One of the godfathers of the heavy metal genre, Ozzy has released a number of classic albums. This was his first and probably his most well-known, featuring his signature song "Crazy Train." Randy Rhoads provided the fantastic guitar work: riffs and solos, and Ozzy contributed his trademark vocals.

53. JUDAS PRIEST: BRITISH STEEL: Another of the great early metal bands, Judas Priest had a great deal of influence on the thrash metal scene with their fast bluesy guitar riffs. "Breaking the Law" is an all time classic.

52. METALLICA: ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL: The third metal icon in a row here, this is Metallica's most technical album. Fast, intense, and epic, this is where the band garnered mainstream attention. Not their best album, but it's tough to decide between their first four.

51. WHITE ZOMBIE: LA SEXORCISTO: Dirty guitar riffs, bass-heavy sound, B-movie dialogue samples, and Rob Zombie's insane mumbling growls. This is White Zombie.

50. EXODUS: BONDED BY BLOOD: Exodus was one of the early thrash metal bands and are considered to be in the second hierarchy of thrash bands along with Testament, Dark Angel, Flotsam and Jetsam, and Overkill. Exodus has an aggressive, energetic sound that is missing from some of the other bands on this album. The music is loud, fast, and fun, they don't make them like this anymore.

49. IMMOLATION: SHADOWS IN THE LIGHT: Released just last year, this is the quite possibly the New York death metal band's finest release as it blends the band's trademark brutality, deep growled vocals, and dirty guitar riffs with a technicality that was missing from their previous albums. One of the best albums from 2007.

48. OVERKILL: HORRORSCOPE: See Exodus: Bonded by Blood. Overkill may have been the first thrash metal band as they were recording demos even before Metallica. A bit more refined than Exodus, but still a lot of fun.

47. OPETH: STILL LIFE: Progressive extreme metal band on their finest release. This album blends death metal and acoustic interludes to produce an album that is at times brutal, and at others beautiful. Michael Akerfeldt has an amazing clean singing voice and also some truly great death metal growls.

46. BLIND GUARDIAN: IMAGINATIONS FROM THE OTHER SIDE: German power metal legends Blind Guardian combine bombastic music, lightning-fast riffs, and Hansi Kursch's amazing vocals. This album is a stepping stone from their traditional speed/power metal to a more progressive sound.

45. TESTAMENT: THE RITUAL: Similar to Amon Amarth in that it is extremely difficult to determine which album is their best. Testament was a thrash metal band from the Bay Area in the mid-1980's. This is probably my favorite as it is a more mature sound for the band and it includes the amazing "Return to Serenity", my all-time favorite song. Testament would shift to a groove/death metal sound after this album.

44. APOPHIS: HELIOPOLIS: Extremely underrated German melodic death metal band. Apophis takes U.S. death metal like Morbid Angel, and combines it with the Swedish melodic death metal sound of At the Gates. An incredible album that has gone unnoticed by many people, a shame.

43. AMORPHIS: TALES FROM THE THOUSAND LAKES: It's tough to categorize this Finnish band for more than an album or two because they frequently change their sound. On this album, Amorphis is closer to a death/doom style with some folk metal elements. Their cover of "Light My Fire" can't be missed.

42. POSSESSED: SEVEN CHURCHES: One of the major influences on death metal, Possessed is an early thrash metal band from the Bay Area. The subject matter, guitar riffs, and screaming vocals had a huge impact on the later death metal scene.

41. KING DIAMOND: ABIGAIL: King Diamond's debut album after splitting from Mercyful Fate (both bands are currently going with KD singing for both), this album features amazing guitar riffs and solos and KD's inhuman falsetto singing voice. The album tells the tale of the ghost of Abigail who possessed the body of a woman in order to be born again. One of the best concept albums in metal history.

40. DEATH: THE SOUND OF PERSEVERENCE: One of the original death metal bands, as you might have guessed from the fact that the genre and band names sound suspiciously similar. This was the last album by Death, as singer/guitarist/founder Chuck Schuldiner died of brain stem cancer in 2001. This album is incredible, the band had long ago moved away from their raw death/thrash attack and moved in a progressive direction. The songs are emotional, the riffs are amazing, and Chuck produced some terrific solos. The cover of Judas Priest's "Painkiller" is exceptional, I had no idea Chuck could scream like that.

39. SLAYER: SEASONS IN THE ABYSS: You can't have a metal top 100 list without one or two Slayer albums, sure they're overrated but they put out a couple of damn fine thrash metal gems, this being one of them. The title track is probably my favorite Slayer song because it is a lot more progressive than their normal full-on thrashers. The rest of the stuff is typical 1980's-era Slayer.

38. DEICIDE: LEGION: Short, fast, and raw as Hell. Deicide put the death metal scene on notice with this album. Unrelenting in its speed and its intensity, this is the band's best album. Although their latest was nothing to be ashamed of, this is the sound that made them who they are.

37. METALLICA: KILL 'EM ALL: Metallica's debut album was possibly the very first thrash full length album. What a way to start a movement. Fast, raw, and a ton of fun, this is an instant classic. "The Four Horsemen" has one of thrash metal's all-time great riffs.

36. BLACK SABBATH: SABBATH, BLOODY SABBATH: Black Sabbath began incorporating elements of progressive rock on this album and produced one of their all-time greatest albums. Iommi's riffs were still amazing, and Ozzy's vocals were a force to be reckoned with. "A National Acrobat" is unfortunately overlooked quite a bit, I think it is one of the band's greatest songs.

35. MERCYFUL FATE: MELISSA: The album that started King Diamond's career. KD's trademark falsetto and the dual guitar attack were new and unique at the time the album released. An all-time classic album.

34. BLACK SABBATH: HEAVEN AND HELL: The only Black Sabbath album on my list without Ozzy as vocalist, this version of the band was fronted by Ronnie James Dio. It's difficult to decide which vocalist was better, Dio is probably the more talented of the two, although Ozzy's vocals matched the band's sound perfectly. This would be a pointless debate if the songs on this album were anything but the classics that they are. Dio re-energized the band.

33. IRON MAIDEN: SOMEWHERE IN TIME: On this album, Iron Maiden began to incorporate some keyboard parts. It did not detract at all from their music and this album has some great songs. Bruce Dickinson's vocals were perhaps at their strongest here.

32. MEGADETH: PEACE SELLS...BUT WHO'S BUYING?: Megadeth's second album proved that Dave Mustaine knew how to write thrash riffs. One of the major creative forces in Metallica's early days, Mustaine honed his craft with his follow-up band. Mustaine also has a very unique and noticeable voice.

31. CELTIC FROST: TO MEGA THERION: A major influence on both the black and death metal scenes, this Swiss trio combined gothic atmosphere, thrashy riffs, death-style grunts, and other unusual elements into a fresh sound that has never truly been duplicated. Unfortunately, Celtic Frost would never duplicate it either as their music declined in quality sharply after this one until their comeback album Monotheist in 2006.

30. DARK TRANQUILLITY: SKYDANCER: One of the great bands from the Gothenburg, Sweden melodic death metal scene, Dark Tranquillity has a much rawer sound on this release. Melodic lead guitar lines and tremolo picking coupled with future In Flames singer Anders Frieden's tortured shrieks give this a cold, gothic atmosphere.

29. FEAR FACTORY: DEMANUFACTURE: Industrial death metal pioneers on their second album. This one is volatile and has a fuller sound to it than their debut. The band also turned this into a concept album of sorts. Burton Bell has one of the more interesting voices in metal between his hardcore screaming and his more melodic clean singing voice.

28. DOWN: NOLA: Supergroup made up of members of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, and Eyehategod. Down brings a Southern rock edge to good old stoner/sludge doom. One of the few bands able to modernize Black Sabbath-style riffs. This is a killer.

27. AT THE GATES: SLAUGHTER OF THE SOUL: The landmark album in the Gothenburg style. Every metalcore band owes a major debt to this album. The sound is still better when you hear the real thing.

26. MAYHEM: DE MYSTERIIS DOM. SATANAS: The most famous album from the Norwegian black metal scene. This album came after singer Dead committed suicide, but before bassist Varg Vikernes murdered guitarist Euronymous. A cold, terrifying atmosphere.

25. SEPULTURA: BENEATH THE REMAINS: Brazilian thrash metal band on their best album. The band had left their rawer Slayer/Sodom sound behind on this one in favor of a more refined thrash. Still a amazing album, but the band would go downhill into groove metal soon after.

24. DESTROYER 666: COLD STEEL...FOR AN IRON AGE: Fairly unknown band out of Australia. D666 combine thrash metal and black metal into an aggressive and raw sound, featuring lyrics about war. The sound would come to be known as War Metal and this is one of its elite bands.

23. ROTTING CHRIST: NON SERVIAM: Atmospheric black metal band from Greece. This is the album that the band put everything together and managed to incorporate some Greek folk music elements as well.

22. OZZY OSBOURNE: DIARY OF A MADMAN: In my opinion, this is Ozzy's best. The songs are not as well-known but they are better written and stronger. Guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoads's last album before he died in a plane crash.

21. DESTROYER 666: UNCHAIN THE WOLVES: Slightly less thrashy than the other D666 album and a lot more black metal. This is the band's debut album and a very impressive debut at that.

20. ENTOMBED: LEFT HAND PATH: Swedish death metal pioneers on their debut album. One of the all time classic death metal albums, with a dirty rock and roll vibe to it with gruff vocals. Some truly evil sounding metal. Unfortunately the band would later take a very strange direction.

19. DARK TRANQUILLITY: THE GALLERY: One of the pioneering bands of the Gothenburg melodic death metal sound on their greatest album. Standard harsh vocals mixed with rolling guitar leads over heavy bass riffs. An amazing album, and even better if you can find the version with the bonus tracks. Their version of Metallica's "My Friend of Misery" is quite possibly better than the original.

18. JUDAS PRIEST: DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH: One of the all time great bands in heavy metal and a big reason for the continuing scene today. Priest took the Black Sabbath sound and added speed and power. This is, in my opinion, their greatest album. It has the energy of their 70's material and the heaviness of their 80's material in the best overall package.

17. IRON MAIDEN: POWERSLAVE: This was the first album that Maiden started experimenting with a more epic feel. Their previous albums were a little too punk for my tastes, though I do enjoy them. This album dropped the punk vibe in favor of a straightforward metal assault.

16. PANTERA: COWBOYS FROM HELL: The only Pantera album I truly enjoy all the way through and it is amazing. This is before the "trademarked Pantera" sound which they ripped off of Exhorder. This album is more of a power/thrash hybrid. Phil Anselmo's wailing shrieks are incredible and the album is fast and energetic.

15. ICED EARTH: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES: This band is quite possibly the Iron Maiden of its generation. Melodic and powerful, backed by Jon Schaeffer's characteristic galloping guitar riffs and Matt Barlow's impressive vocals.

14. DEATH: SYMBOLIC: Death further delves into the progressive death style they had begun experimenting with from a couple albums previous. Chuck Schuldiner is one of my favorite figures in metal as he was incredibly influential on the technical death metal scene. His guitar playing is extraordinary and his tortured screams are extremely powerful. R.I.P. Chuck.

13. EMPEROR: IN THE NIGHTSIDE ECLIPSE: My favorite black metal album and the first black metal band I ever purchased. Emperor combines the raspy vocals and raw aggressive riffs of other Norwegian black metal bands with orchestral synthesizers and cold atmosphere.

12. MORBID ANGEL: COVENANT: One of the first death metal bands, this album is pure unadulterated aggression and power. Only "God of Emptiness" slows things down and that is one of the most frighteningly evil songs I've ever heard. The video is on my profile page.

11. BLACK SABBATH: PARANOID: The band that started it all. This is their second album and they have perfected the sound they experimented with on their first album. This album contains the all time classics "Iron Man", "Paranoid", and "War Pigs." It also contains the highly underrated "Electric Funeral."

10. SLAYER: REIGN IN BLOOD: Brutal, fast, and intense. This album was a huge turning point in heavy metal. Slayer added an extreme aggression missing from the likes of Metallica in the thrash metal scene. This album also helped to spawn the death metal genre. A little tame by today’s standards, but a total mindfuck when it was released.

9. SODOM: AGENT ORANGE: In my opinion, the best of the Big Three of German thrash metal bands. Sodom, like Slayer also had major influences on another genre of metal besides thrash. In Sodom’s case, they heavily influence black metal and their first EP is widely considered one of the first black metal recordings. This album was when Sodom perfected their war-influenced thrash attack.

8. KREATOR: PLEASURE TO KILL: The German version of Slayer, Kreator’s riffs are fast and brutal and Mille Petrozza’s shrieks are incredibly powerful. One of the most aggressive-sounding vocalists of all time in front of some killer thrash riffs. The best album to come out of the German thrash scene. This one will pummel the listener from start to finish.

7. MORBID ANGEL: ALTARS OF MADNESS: One of the first death metal albums. Extremely raw and intense combining David Vincent’s powerful growls, some insane drumming, and Trey Azagthoth’s impressive guitar riffing style into something uncompromising in its aggression. Many bands have tried and failed to sound like Morbid Angel, one of the true masters of the genre.

6. BLACK SABBATH: MASTER OF REALITY: Speaking of masters of the genre, this is THE album by Black Sabbath. This is when they were in full-on doom metal mode. Highly underrated album for some reason, but it features the absolutely killer song Children of the Grave.

5. METALLICA: MASTER OF PUPPETS: Widely considered the top metal album of all time by a bunch of people who really don’t know much about metal. Don’t get me wrong, this is an absolute classic, but it’s not even the best album by Metallica. Some great songs but Metallica was starting to become a little pretentious on this one, just look at the absurd song lengths on here. Still an amazing album.

4. DISSECTION: STORM OF THE LIGHT’S BANE: This album gives me chills. Dissection is truly terrifying and they present an extremely cold, grim atmosphere. Tremolo guitar riffs, insanely technical drumming, and the inhuman shrieking of Jon Nodtveidt make up most of the sound, but the album also features some haunting acoustic guitar interludes to keep the listener on his toes before steamrolling into more powerful black metal.

3. MEGADETH: RUST IN PEACE: Megadeth’s finest hour. Dave Mustaine teamed up with guitar virtuoso Marty Friedman and the two shredders absolutely had a blast with this one. Searing guitar solos perpetuate this album. Tornado of Souls is one of the greatest thrash songs of all time.

2. IRON MAIDEN: SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON: Somewhat of a theme album from Iron Maiden this time around, many of the songs focus on psychic abilities. The high point of Maiden’s career finds them putting together epic songs backed by amazing guitar riffs and solos and Bruce Dickinson’s soaring operatic vocals. Amazing stuff.

1. METALLICA: RIDE THE LIGHTNING: As I alluded to earlier, this is Metallica’s greatest album and my personal favorite album of all time. I am partial to this because it was my first metal album. But it is also the best combination of the better styles of Metallica. Forget the shit they have put out since AJFA, this album combines their almost-progressive thrash sound of MOP and AJFA with the raw aggressive thrash of KEA. Great, powerful songs like Fade to Black and For Whom the Bell Tolls make this album completely unforgettable.

Also, here is a post that I did for Halloween:

Well here we are on Halloween. This is definitely one of my favorites holidays, if not my favorite. One of the things I like to do on Halloween is listen to music that quite clearly has a Halloween vibe to it. I tortured myself for about half an hour last night picking out 10 albums to listen to today. Most people know I am a little obsessive compulsive about my listening habits. Nowhere is this more evident than last night in preparing this. So without further ado and in alphabetical order, I present my Halloween playlist.
1. Cradle of Filth: Dusk...And Her Embrace: Cradle of Filth is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. I enjoy the creepy atmospherics and surprisingly Dani Filth's voice. This is definitely a good band to listen to on Halloween because of the over-the-top image and subject matter. In my opinion Dani Filth is an excellent lyricist, although that is sometimes missed due to his psychotic shrieking. This is Cradle of Filth at their gothic and symphonic best before they were more concerned with selling albums.
2. Death: Scream Bloody Gore: How can you pass up an album with song titles like Zombie Ritual, Regurgitated Guts, Baptized in Blood, Evil Dead, and Beyond the Unholy Grave? Death's first full-length is an extremely raw, stripped-down, fun listen. One of the earliest death metal albums and still one of the best.
3. Denial Fiend: They Rise: Former lead singer of Death Kam Lee started a new band devoted to the same feeling as his early band. Again, a lot of fun, with most songs dealing with horror movies. The gang vocals give the impression that the band had as much fun making the album as I do hearing it.
4. Dimmu Borgir: In Sorte Diaboli: Similar to Cradle of Filth in that they are extremely over-the-top. I ultimately chose this album just because of the symphonic parts which I felt gave it a Halloween feel. Not my favorite Dimmu Borgir album, but not terrible.
5. Iced Earth: Horror Show: Each song on this album deals with a different horror movie monster with Dracula, The Creature From the Black Lagoon, The Phantom of the Opera, Damien, and Frankenstein all represented. Ultimately a disposable album from this band, and was done to fulfill a contract, but it's a good listen this time of year.
6. King Diamond: "Them": The master horror storyteller in one of his greatest concept albums. "Them" is the story of Grandma returning from an asylum, some bloody tea, and ghosts trying to reclaim their home. A hell of a lot of fun although you really need to be in the mood because of King's falsetto. The music is fantastic traditional metal.
7. Luna Ad Noctum: Dimness' Profound: An underrated symphonic black metal gem. This is the sound Dimmu Borgir strives for. Thrashy riffs, creepy vocals, and keyboard flourishes abound in this. The cover is fantastic as well.
8. Merciless Death: Evil in the Night: The impression is that these thrash metal revivalists are trying to channel early Death. Another one heavy on the zombies and murderous rampages. One of the best acts of the new thrash revival.
9. Mercyful Fate: Don't Break the Oath: King Diamond's prior band. They laid a lot of groundwork for black metal bands. Surprisingly not a concept album although it gives off an overall eerie vibe. Definitely not one to listen to in the dark alone.
10. Possessed: Seven Churches: I love this album and try to get it in whenever I can. That said, the reason for its inclusion here is the opening track The Exorcist, complete with the theme from Tubular Bells. One of the early Satanic bands and helped usher in death metal. The rest of the songs are fast and thrashy as hell. This is not an all-encompassing list. It's just what I chose for today, so if there are any arguments, I don't really care.