MARILLION - Misplaced Childhood (1985)

MMMM

This one is a bit like Venom's 'At War With Satan' in that it's a definite game of two halves. Here the lightweight first side drags the score down while the magnificent second side pulls it right back up. Forget about 'Kayleigh' and 'Lavender' the second side is truly where it's at here, a beautifully crafted concept piece which still sounds great twenty five years later.

ANTHRAX - Fistful of Metal (1984)

MMMM

Still my favourite Anthrax album, this one sees the band playing a slightly more traditional form of uptempo Metal, but with still plenty of proto-Thrashing going on. I still say Neil Turbin was the best singer Anthrax ever had and this album is just a blast from start to finish.

SLAYER - South of Heaven (1988)

MMM

Possibly the most disappointing album in the history of metal, Slayer knew they couldn't top their 1986 masterpiece, so instead they dropped this lukewarm platter and ran. 3 or 4 really top notch songs hold together an album of filler, frankly, with 'Ghosts of War' and 'Silent Scream' the only songs offering the classic Slayer thrashing their fans really wanted. The title track is a good song, but is overexposed now and worn out. And after the shock and awe of the previous album's stellar production, this one sounds a bit crappy, actually.

SLAYER - Hell Awaits (1985)

MMMMM

While ultimately eclipsed by 'Reign in Blood' you still can't knock 'Hell Awaits'. Sure the production isn't the best, such a shame the album didn't have the attack of the 'Haunting the Chapel' e.p., but the songs are awesome, particularly the title track, and well pretty much all of them really, the only slightly less than stellar one being the closer 'Hardening of the Arteries' which seems to serve as little more than a pre-cursor to the clever outro. A legendary album and still a brilliant one too.

MNEMIC - Passenger (2007)

 MMMMM

Supposedly not one of their best according to the people who know (jack shit), this album is the perfect workout album, aggressive and catchy with massive songs that make you want to pump iron! God knows how many times I've listened to this on my iPod in the last couple of years, just fantastic.

THE INTERBEING - The Edge of Obscure (2011)

MMMM

Undoubtedly this album will feature in my best of 2011 list, this is great stuff. Taking cues from Mnemic this mixes epic, melodic choruses with those jarring odd-time signature type of riffs that Meshuggah specialise in. I was kind of disappointed with the last Mnemic album, so it's good to see another band delivering the goods in a similar vein.

RUSH - Power Windows (1985)

MMMMM

About as close to perfection as it's possible to get. Everything is spot on, the production, the songwriting, the performances, all utterly flawless. I have nothing bad to say about this album whatsoever, it is truly a magnificent piece of work and would doubtless be top 5, if not number one in my all time best album list!

KREATOR - Extreme Aggressions (1989)

MMM

Supposedly the best of Kreator's albums, but not by my reckoning. It's solid and much better produced than 'Terrible Certainty' but it just lacks something vital that I quite can't quite put my finger on. This does have some good tracks but somehow I just never connected with this one like I did with the other albums.

KREATOR - Coma of Souls (1990)

MMMM

Much maligned for being too similar to the previous album (Extreme Aggressions), in my humble opinion this one is much better. The title track is easily one of Kreator's best songs and new guitarist Frank Blackfire (the man who brought Sodom credibility) adds a sprinkling of class all over this album. 'Terror Zone' for instance has an excellent harmonized guitar intro and the whole album is much more memorable than it's illustrious predecessor.

KREATOR - Terrible Certainty (1987)

MMM

A tough one to score this, it's either a very high three or a low four depending on my mood. A much cleaner sound than 'Pleasure to Kill' and some dodgy soloing from new guitarist 'Tritze' can't disguise the fact that this should have been better. The 'Flag of Hate' e.p. promised an album perhaps the equal if not greater than 'PTK' but this is not that album. What went wrong? It's no turkey, but it should have been better.

KREATOR - Renewal (1992)

MMMMM

Heavily criticised for treading water with 'Coma of Souls' (utter bollocks), Kreator set about re-inventing themselves for the post-Nirvana era. Taking on some industrial influences and general nastying their sound up a bit, Kreator created a unique and quite brilliant album that confused their fanbase a little but for those who got it, well it's damn near perfect. 'Karmic Wheel' is the centrepiece of this amazing album and I also recommend checking out the remixed version where you can actually hear the intriguing mid section properly.

This is a genuinely stunning album and fully deserves to mentioned in the same breath as 'Pleasure to Kill'.

METALLICA - And Justice for All (1988)

MMM

1988 delivered some massive disappointments and this was another one. Following 'Master of Puppets' was never going to be a walk in the park but this missed the goal by some distance. Sure 'One' was a great song (even if the riff is a complete Dark Angel rip off!) and the title track isn't without merit, 'Blackened' too is a good opener and 'Dyer's Eve' is Metallica's last great forgotten thrasher, but inbetween it's all a bit mushy and frothy with not a lot of substance to any of it. The production is crap too, with zero bass audible from talented newbie Jason Newsted, so overall, I really can't give it more than a '3'.

METALLICA - Ride the Lightning (1984)

MMMM

Always slightly less impressive to my ears than the debut, nonetheless 'Ride the Lightning' is without doubt a quality release. In fact if anything the stand-out tracks are the slower more intricate songs, with 'Escape' a particular favourite of mine. Sadly it's the faster songs that let the side down with 'Fight Fire With Fire' sounding a little bit 'off the cuff' and 'Trapped Under Ice' a good belter but no 'Metal Militia'. The real winners here are 'Fade to Black', the massive chug of the title track and the instrumental 'Call of Kthulu'.

MOTORHEAD - Overkill (1979)

MMMMM

A pretty faultless album this one. Great songs, great production, awesome cover art and a title track that rivals 'Ace of Spades' in the Motor-classic stakes. This was the first Motorhead album's I ever heard and the title track alone is worth the price of the album, but there's plenty more good stuff where that came from. Even the less well known tracks on this one are great, especially the gnarly closer 'Damage Case'.

VINNIE VINCENT INVASION - All Systems Go (1988)

MMM

A huge disappointment after the incredible (and mental) debut album. Here Vinnie toned down the guitar playing massively, choosing to make his point in more conventional and brief solo spots... some of these are sensational and jaw dropping but there are problems. For one Mark Slaughter's voice is horrible and the whole thing is coated with sugary cheese and squarely aimed at making the band an MTV sensation. Sadly for Vinnie after this album his whole band left and renamed themselves Slaughter and sold a million albums...

VICIOUS RUMORS - Digital Dictator (1988)

MMMM

Running very close to a '5', but not quite making it, nonetheless this is a great album and my favourite V.R. album overall. Great songs, great guitar playing, great vocals, and a big step forward from the slightly less well executed 'Soldiers of the Night'. Hard to pick favourite tracks, but 'Lady Took a Chance' was always one to get the repeat button treatment.

ANNIHILATOR - Set the World on Fire (1993)

MMM

Album number three sees vocalist number three take the mic with Aaron Randall's more commercial voice lending this album a different, more glossy feel. Make no mistake there's some good tunes here, but the best ones are far from Waters' Thrash roots. Indeed, perhaps the best song on the album is an acoustic ballad (Phoenix Rising) while Randall fails to convince on the more hard edged material and Waters already sounds like he's regurgitating ideas on complex album closer 'Brain Dance'.

ANNIHILATOR - Never Neverland (1990)

MMMM

It's a game of two halves here, side one presents an extremely strong brace of songs while side two lets the show down, a shame really. On side one the stand out cuts are 'Stonewall' and 'The Fun Palace' and new vocalist Coburn Pharr fits in well (although like Randy Rampage before him, he will be replaced soon enough). A strong album overall which shows the potential to rival the debut, but doesn't quite manage it in the final analysis.

ANNIHILATOR - Alice in Hell (1989)

MMMM

Still Jeff Waters greatest album to date, this one has class stamped all over it, but comes up short on actual songs. Sure 'W.T.Y.D.' and 'Alice in Hell' are Thrash classics, but overall, it leaves a little to be desired. That said, Waters playing is exemplary and in 1989 this was pretty staggering stuff. It would have been interesting to hear the result of Waters taking up that post he was offered in Megadeth, but I'm sure it would have ended in tears sooner or later.

M.O.D. - U.S.A For M.O.D. (1987)

MMM

Billy Milano's post S.O.D. release fails to really ignite and suffers from the inevitable comparisons with 'Speak English Or Die'. Partly this is due to the production (think 'Hell Awaits' to S.O.D.'s 'Reign in Blood') but also because the spite has gone, and Billy's lyrics are delivered with a kind of 'yeah it's offensive but we don't really mean it' kind attitude, and that's just it, they don't mean it. Still some good tunes though.

EXODUS - Impact is Imminent (1990)

MMM

It seems a little harsh grading this album a '3', but the sad fact is that apart from some inspired moments it is a bit lacking overall. What makes it harder for me to give such a indifferent score is that the title track is probably my favourite Exodus song of all time (and Gary Holt's favourite riff apparently, so why don't you play it live you tit?). But leaving that aside, this album is short on classics, with only 'Only Death Decides' really troubling the old school favourites. Despite the equal rating, this is still far superior to 'Force of Habit', but no competition for 'Bonded by Blood', 'Fabulous Disaster' or even 'Tempo of the Damned'.

KISS - Creatures of the Night (1982)

MMMM

The last album Kiss released in their trademark make-up (at least the first time around) and after the 'courageous' attempt at Prog Rock that was 'The Elder' the pressure was on Kiss to come up with something that reaffirmed their rock and roll credentials. C.O.T.N. certainly did that, being their heaviest album to date (and since for that matter). Much of this was down to a new guitar player by the name of Vinnie Vincent, though Kiss insisted on trying to pretend that it was Ace, yeah right! 

JUDAS PRIEST - Screaming for Vengeance (1982)

MMMM

Opening with one of the most classic intro's ever recorded, this album pointed the way forward for the Priest after the limp-wristed and blatantly commercial 'Point of Entry'. Throughout their career Priest have frustrated endlessly, one minute dishing out classic, top quality metal, the next offering up weak trend chasing pap, but here JP hit on a winner and detailed the blueprints for the majestic 'Defenders of the Faith' album.

EXODUS - Fabulous Disaster (1988)

MMMM

Bouncing back from the less than devastating 'Pleasures of the Flesh', at last Exodus got the crunchy production they needed to show off their awesome tunes, and this album has more than a few of them. 'Last Act of Defiance', 'Corruption', 'Toxic Waltz' and the title track all stand as Exodus classics, and even though there are a few songs with a whiff of filler about them, this album remains a sturdy 4M release.

VENOM - Possessed (1985)

MM

I always remember Cronos bemoaning the fact that this came out the same day as 'Hell Awaits' and possibly 'Bonded by Blood', which probably wouldn't have mattered so much if this album didn't suck balls. First off, the cover is shit, really shit. Secondly the production takes the tinny sound first utilised in a less extreme form on 'At War With Satan' and pushes it even further into irritating clankiness. And once again Venom took their best song of the period and released it as a single, leaving it off an album which could dearly have used a song as good as 'Nightmare'. I do remember getting this through the post the same day as 'Hell Awaits', I played 'Hell Awaits' four times, played this once, then went back to 'Hell Awaits' there was just no contest.

IMMORTAL - Blizzard Beasts (1997)

MM

When I got hold of this I was so disappointed. 1995's 'Battles in the North' was amazing, but this, this just plain sucked. Mostly it was the fault of the God-awful production, but in truth most of the material on here just wasn't that great. Incredible to think that they would bounce back with the incredibly polished 'At the Heart of Winter' and win themselves a legion of fans!

DWARVES - Come Clean (2000)

MMMMM

A wonderful album of pop-punk tunes, with an epic running time of about twenty minutes! Still, it's quality not quantity as they are always telling us and this thing has no filler whatsoever. Just brilliant, catchy songs and a perfectly balanced production. Excellent, and their best album to date.

IRON MAIDEN - Piece of Mind (1983)

MMMM

I don't know what it is about this album, it's a great album, I just never connected with it like I did with 'The Number of the Beast'. I don't know why that is really, but whereas I will defend 'Invaders' and 'Gangland' from criticism I can't feel the same way about the fillers here. That aside this album does have some stonking tunes, 'The Trooper', 'Flight of Icarus', 'Die With Your Boots On'... I can't help feeling that I should give it a 5, but I just can't quite justify it somehow.

RAZOR - Malicious Onslaught (1986)

MMM

Sadly, Canadian's Razor couldn't maintain their hit rate and with this their third album, they slipped down the order somewhat. It's all a bit half-arsed to be honest. Like they've given up. M-Bro's drumming, never the greatest, was getting noticeably less impressive and the whole thing has the feeling that it could have been better. Perhaps Razor's intention to release two albums a year was their undoing, an idea that was abandoned after this release. Still, there are gems to be found here, 'Night Attack' being a particular favourite of mine.

ONSLAUGHT - The Force (1986)

MMM

The trouble with Onslaught was always that they were good, for an British band. Somehow the UK got left behind in the mid-80's and though this is perfectly enjoyable for what it is, cutting edge it wasn't. Admittedly it was a step closer to what a Thrash band perhaps 'should' sound like, whereas the gloriously downbeat 'Power From Hell' was clearly a racket made by some Punks who'd discovered Slayer. But then again, that did give the first album a lot of it's naive charm. Not there aren't some good tunes contained herein, but nobody was really mentioning Onslaught and Slayer in the same breath, or even Onslaught and Overkill...

DESTRUCTION - Sentence of Death (1984)

MMM

Noisy, sloppy, everything good German Thrash should be, and yet this slightly misses the mark. Sure 'Mad Butcher' is a classic in the making, 'Total Desaster' is brutal fast for the time and the overlooked 'Black Mass' is well worth a listen, but Destruction were still honing their skills and the other two tracks are a bit weak in comparison. Still it wouldn't be long before the band were unveiling their masterpiece.

DEATH - Symbolic (1995)

MMMM

Truly teetering on the edge of true greatness (and a 5M review) this is possibly the best Death Metal album ever made, and certainly the best Progressive Death Metal album ever made. A crystal clear production assists the cause as Chuck takes everything he's learned from the two previous albums and moulds it into a more coherent and accessible whole. You could really tell Chuck was into Fates Warning too, especially on the incredible 'Crystal Mountain'. If only this could have been his epitaph.

BAD RELIGION - The New America (2000)

MMM

A very disappointing release from Bad Religion, but even a bad BR album is a good album, so there's plenty to enjoy here. Notable tracks include 'The Hopeless Housewife' and 'World Without Melody'. Overall this featured more than the usual amount of filler you would expect on a BR album, but as I said, even bad BR is pretty good!

KREATOR - Flag of Hate e.p. (1986)

MMMMM

Not an album granted, but this is so completely awesome I have to review it anyway. This came out just after the 'Pleasure to Kill' album (and indeed the CD of 'PTK' included these tracks as a bonus) and captured the band at the perfect point where they were making the transition from the brutality of 'PTK' to the cleaner sound of 'Terrible Certainty'. Three tracks, the first a remake of the live favourite 'Flag of Hate' (originally from the 'Endless Pain' debut album) and two new songs 'Take Their Lives' and the crushing 'Awakening of the Gods'. This e.p. is essential, if only for the last track, because 'Awakening of the Gods' is probably the greatest Kreator song of all time and should definitely have been included on a proper album. Fools.

KREATOR - Pleasure to Kill (1986)

MMMMM

Alongside 'Reign in Blood', 'Master of Puppets', 'Darkness Descends' and a few others, this album was one of 1986's most imposing releases. Brutal Thrash that pummeled you into submission, with some epic chugging parts to make you bang your head, this was just the German Thrash album of the decade, with only Destruction's 'Infernal Overkill' giving it any sort of run for it's money. Buy or F.O.A.D.

NUCLEAR ASSAULT - Game Over (1986)

MMM

1986 was a hell of a year wasn't it? Truth be told, this is the only Nuclear Assault album I ever really took to. I'm sure most would cite 'Survive' as the best album but for me this is hands down the winner. 'Stranded in Hell', 'Brain Death', 'Hang the Pope', 'Live Suffer Die', this album is crammed with minor gems, but even so me and Nuclear Assault never really hit it off somehow.

DARK ANGEL - Leave Scars (1989)

MMM

After what seemed an eternity from the previous release (Darkness Descends, 1986) this needed to be an astonishing album to propel Dark Angel back to the forefront of the Thrash scene. Sadly it was good, but not really good enough. Hindered by a muddy production, this has some great songs, but not everyone took to new vocalist Ron Rinehart, although personally I think he was killer! Once again Gene Hoglan impresses with his inhuman drumming, but sadly overall it was too little too late.

SLAYER - Reign in Blood (1986)

MMMMM

This album has been talked about so much over the years, but the sad fact is that someone coming to it today cannot comprehend the jaw-droppingness of this in 1986. Who would have dared imagine that Slayer could step up so far from such an awesome album as Hell Awaits in the space of a single year? Of course the production was the real killer, where Hell Awaits was dingy and dank, Reign in Blood set new standards for Thrash recording and partly because of that, this is still the only album that has ever literally made my jaw drop. A masterpiece which has weighed heavily on the bands shoulders ever since, truth be told.

SAXON - Power and the Glory (1983)

MMM

Probably my favourite Saxon album, but it still really can only muster 3M's. Aside from the title track there's nothing particularly stunning here, and the last song (The Eagle Has Landed) plods on for an eternity. Still, this was something I picked up when I was thirteen, so it's nostalgia more than anything.

WATCHTOWER - Control and Resistance (1989)

MMMMM

An unreserved 5M's from me here. This album was never far from my stereo in the early 90's and it's such a shame they never followed it up. Supposedly Technical Thrash, although there's not much that's 'Thrashy' about it to be honest, even if it does share some audio cues with that particular genre. Again the vocals won't appeal to everyone, but the guy had some difficult shit to sing over, so you have to make allowances I think! Technically brilliant, just try tapping along and see how long it takes you to get lost, I'm sure Meshuggah were fans back in the 90's.

TWISTED SISTER - Under the Blade (1982)

MMM

Can't quite bring myself to give this a 4, despite the fact that it's definitely the best TS album. Those who only really know the singles would find this quite a surprise, from the surprisingly brisk 'Under the Blade' to the brooding stomp of 'Destroyer', this might well exceed your expectations.

LEATHERWOLF - Leatherwolf (1985)

MMM

Also known as 'Endangered Species' this 9 track album was another of 1985's US Metal highlights. The album is certainly not Speed or Thrash, but is more in the Power Metal vein (before the term was highjacked by Italian keyboard widdlers). Overall this is a very solid release, if not quite rating a 4M mark.

KING DIAMOND - Fatal Portrait (1986)

MMMM

For me, the best of King Diamond's solo career (perhaps tying with 1989's 'Conspiracy'), which sees most of the old Mercyful Fate line-up intact and with a better contract in the pocket. Noticeably different from the 'Don't Break the Oath' album this sees the band plying their wares in a much more 'Hammer Horror' style than previously, and the 5 song concept piece set the scene for much of King's solo career.

NASTY SAVAGE - Indulgence (1987)

MMMM

Knocking on the door of a 5M review but not quite making the cut, this is Nasty Savage's finest hour. The pummeling bass drums of Curtis Beeson are perhaps the most noticeable feature of this album, but alongside that it has some great guitar playing and some brilliant songs. The vocals of Nasty Ronnie might not be to everyone's taste, but if not then you're probably a poser anyway!

MEGADETH - Killing is My Business... (1985)

MMMM

A horrible production can't hide the quality of the material on Megadeth's first album, which is significantly more jazzy and progressive (for want of a better word) than anything they would come up with later. This was Mustaine at his pissed-off best, doing his best to show Metallica that he was a better guitarist than Kirk Hammet (and pretty much succeeding it has to be said). Greater albums would follow, but this was an impressive opening volley.

INSANE - Wait and Pray (2005)

MMM

As you might have guessed, these Italians are nuts for Slayer and for 'Show No Mercy' in particular. So no prizes for originality then, but all the same this is a really fun album and definitely a better bet than most of the so-called Thrash revivalists!

VOIVOD - War and Pain (1984)

MMMMM

Still for me this band's crowning glory, in 1984 this truly sounded like the nuclear holocaust come to life. Totally uncompromising, brutal, noisy, and gnarly as hell, this isn't going to appeal to everyone but this primitive noise certainly endeared them to plenty of thrashers back in the day. Of course, over the coming years Voivod's sound became far more accessible and polished, but this for me remains their greatest recorded achievement. 

ARTILLERY - Terror Squad (1987)

MMMM

A dreadful album cover masks an aggressive thrash classic from this Danish crew. Bursting with energy and with a guitar sound that could cut steel, this really is a great record. The production is raw as fuck and the vocals might not be to everyone's taste, but for quality thrashing you can't go far wrong here.

AGENT STEEL - Skeptics Apocalypse (1985)

MMMM

Sticking with the US Speed Metal of 1985 theme, here's another one. The slightly thin production can't hold back what is another great set of songs with some ludicrously fast playing and Jon Cyriis's insane vocals. I recall this being described as Iron Maiden on speed back in the day and it's not far wrong.

W.A.S.P. - Kill Fuck Die (1997)

MMM

Following the dreary 'Still Not Black Enough' this was a shot in the arm for the once most shockingest band in the world. On reflection, 14 years hence, it is a bit less than stellar, but does contain some good tunes and the epic closer 'The Horror' channels The Doors and turns it into something that I can listen to without wanting to puke, actually it's my favourite song on the whole album!