CONDITIONS: Flourescent Youth (2010)

MMMM

Not my usual scene, I was turned onto this after reading about them in Metal Hammer, and this is a great album. It's one of those albums that really makes an impact when you first hear it, giving the impression of true magnificence, but over time it has receded a little, to merely a great album. That said this was easily one of the top ten albums of 2010, and 'Better Life' is an absolute belter of a tune!

KISS - Unmasked (1980)

MMMMM

I should hate this, but instead I love it. Total pop-rock, not even pretending to be heavy or even Rock N Roll! But this is a genuine Kiss classic. 'Is That You?', 'Tomorrow', 'Two Sides of the Coin', 'She's So European', these songs are just brilliant pop tunes and this really puts it's predecessor (Dynasty) in the shade. This was Kiss at their commercial peak, selling out stadiums, selling Kiss lunchboxes and camper than ever. Just brilliant. Don't be fooled by the cover, Peter Criss didn't play a note on this album, and Ace didn't play as much as he's credited with either by all accounts!

DREAM THEATER - Images and Words (1992)

MMMMM

Even though this hasn't dated overly well, I'm still giving it 5M's because it was, and still is, a great album. When this was released in 1992 it was a huge success, and rightfully so. Totally uncompromising, almost to the point of arrogance, this turned progressive Metal on it's head just as millions of people were listening to Nirvana and abandoning Metal in favour of four chord Grunge songs. This was the perfect antidote for the disenchanted and what I really loved about this was the fact that every member of the band really shone as outstanding players. Sadly this didn't last, and each subsequent Dream Theater album became more of a John Petrucci wankfest at the expense of everyone else. Oh well, sit back and listen to the truly awesome 'Metropolis' anyway...

AGENT STEEL - Mad Locust Rising (1985)

MMMM

Another classic Thrash e.p., this one released between the first and second albums in 1985. 'The Swarm' is merely a short intro into the blisteringly fast title track which easily eclipses everything on the 'Skeptics Apocalypse' album, truly frantic and vocally deranged, this is a definite career high point for Agent Steel. On the flip side we had a pretty good run through of Priest's 'The Ripper' followed by another Thrashtastic original entitled 'Let it be Done'. Interestingly, this segued into a mid-tempo chug which heralded the promising  'Day at Guyana' on the upcoming 'Unstoppable Force' album.

SLAYER - Haunting the Chapel (1984)

MMMMM

Only a three track e.p., but a landmark in Thrash Metal history and an essential purchase because none of the tracks feature on any 'proper' Slayer album in their original studio versions. The first thing to notice is that the leap in production from 'Show No Mercy' to this is huge, the guitars here are bristling with energy and the tempo's that Slayer where playing at had dramatically increased too. 'Chemical Warfare' remains a live-set staple and in 1984 this really did sound immense. 'Haunting the Chapel' and 'Captor of Sin' can't quite live with 'Chemical Warfare', but otherwise hold there own against any other early Slayer tracks and again both reek of an increased in aggression and quality over the primitive (but much loved) 'Show No Mercy'. Completely and utterly essential for any Thrash fan.  

MEGADETH - Countdown to Extinction (1992)

MMMM

Megadeth's answer to Metallica's 'Black' album, and an unashamed bid for commercial success. Countdown to Extinction (originally to be titled 'Symphony of Destruction', but changed for commercial reasons!) certainly  gave Megadeth a considerable sales boost, if not exactly satisfying the fanbase eager for 'Rust in Peace' part two. While it is a blatantly commercial re-imagining, and let's face it, a whole-hearted sell out, the album is not without merit. Songs like 'Foreclosure of a Dream' and 'Architecture of Aggression' stack up well against the dreary plod of songs like 'Of Wolf and Man' and they even had the decency to include the nifty 'Ashes in Your Mouth' which is a million times Thrashier than anything Metallica were doing at the time. Overall a solid album, with undeniable flashes of brilliance and quality, and a crystal clear production by Max Norman (something that was sadly lacking on the otherwise monumental 'Rust in Peace').

METALLICA - Master of Puppets (1986)

MMMMM

It's a well established fact that 1986 was the best Metal year ever, but it's also the year a number of bands peaked, releasing career defining, never to be bettered albums. One of those bands was Slayer of course, arguably Dark Angel could also be included in that, whereas Kreator managed to reinvent themselves for the unbelievably brilliant 'Renewal' album and thus avoided direct comparison with their 1986 masterpiece 'Pleasure to Kill'. But for Metallica, artistically, if not commercially, this was their greatest work. I've long said that 'Kill Em All' is my favourite Metallica album, but even I can concede that this is 'better'. The step up from 'Ride the Lightning' to this is a large one, you only have to compare the quality of 'Damage Inc' with the slightly off-hand 'Fight Fire With Fire' or the title tracks of these two albums to see that Metallica really stepped up their game to a whole new level. True there are two tracks that are only okay, and yes because there are only eight tracks they do make up a quarter of the album, but really, who wouldn't be pleased to have written 'Leper Messiah' or 'The Thing That Should Not Be'? 

The big question, destined to remain forever unanswered, is how would Metallica's musical growth been different had Cliff not been killed on the tour for this album. By all accounts Cliff's musical input into Metallica was more than considerable, can it really be a coincidence that things started to falter a little in the quality department as soon as he died? I guess we'll never know, but you only have to listen to the depth of quality of 'Orion' to realise that Cliff was something special.

NEVERMORE - The Obsidian Conspiracy (2010)

MMMMM

Until this album I never really subscribed to the 'Nevermore are awesome' philosophy that so many others do,  but this album really is fantastic. I think what Nevermore finally managed to do with this one was to push the widdling back a little bit and put the focus on the 'songs'. This is an album to sing along with, like me this morning, in Asda with my iPod, walking past the cheese bellowing 'This is why I haaaaaaaate you!' Epic.

RAZOR - Custom Killing (1987)

MM

Hmm, this is decidedly on the weak side. Malicious Intent was way better than this, but this still has a degree of charm, albeit it's once again hampered by the quietness of the guitar and the overloud bass and drums... Stace McLaren sounds like he's holding back with the vocals, almost like he's recording them in a bedroom and doesn't want to wake the neighbours. It's all a great shame, especially since this album saw a temporary change of tack from Razor, who decided to abandon their usual formula of 3 minute thrashouts for some seriously lengthy (and slower) tunes. It would have been interesting to hear them get the chance to try something different without being fucked over by the sound. Ultimately, though it pains me to give it a 2, I just can't honestly do anything else.

DEATHROW - Raging Steel (1987)

MMM

A definite improvement on the rough and ready 'Satan's Gift / Riders of Doom' album, but still not really quite good enough to make it a 4M album. Once again, it's frantic German Thrash that follows in Kreator's footsteps, but never really comes close to equalling that band's blistering attack and songwriting ability.

DEATHROW - Riders of Doom / Satan's Gift (1986)

MMM

Released under two different titles with two different covers for reasons no one seems entirely sure of, this is a solid piece of German Thrash which would appeal to fans of early Kreator. Sadly the band isn't up to the level of Kreator, Destruction or Exumer, but this is enjoyable enough all the same.

DIVINE HERESY - Bringer of Plagues (2009)

MMMMM

Desperately uncool as it may be to like this band, I really don't give a shit. This is great. Like Fear Factory given a massive kick up the arse and blasted into the Deathcore / Death Metal realm. I love the drumming on this album, it's so clinical and intense, but everything about it is great, the production, the singing, the riffs, the chorusses, just a brilliant album, and bollocks to anyone who disagrees. 

RATT - Out of the Cellar (1984)

MMMM

I don't know if they have one now, but for years Ratt were denied a Metal Archives page because they just weren't Metal enough! I guess that might be because their first proper album came out on a major and all the rough edges were sanded off straight off the bat, whereas Motley came out a little earlier and did a couple of rougher sounding albums before their glossy overhaul. Regardless, this is a good album, yes it's not remotely heavy in the modern sense, and it has a massive pop feel to it, but it's still, at it's root, a metal album. Sorry.

QUEENSRYCHE - The Warning (1984)

MMM

After the 'Queen of the Reich' e.p. expectations were high for this debut album, but somehow, Queensryche managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of the victory that was their's for the taking! I don't really know why that is, but one massive problem here is the dreadfully 'gloomy' production. It's all just so downbeat. Where the 'QOTR' e.p. bristled with electricity, this is the production equivalent of one of those energy saving lightbulbs. Which is a shame, because there's some good material here that isn't presented in the best light. That said, if you are in the mood for it, this is a good album

DIVINE HERESY - Bleed the Fifth (2007)

MMM

Opinions are divided on this over at Metal Archives, it's either 'Dino's Triumphant Return' or it's absolute garbage cock metal! Well, I must say I tend to agree with the former. Bearing in mind this was Dino's first album since the weak 'Digimortal' (Fear Factory), this is a lot more impressive than anyone could have expected. I was going to mark it a four, but on reflection that is a little generous, perhaps a little too much goodwill spilling over from the majestic follow up 'Bringer of Plagues'!

SAMIAM - Astray (2000)

MMMM

Punk infused with a massive dose of melancholy, this is a quality album, but unless you are in the mood for it you might find it a little oppressive. Brilliantly catchy at times, and heartrending at others, this puts me in mind of the Cure at times (though it sounds nothing like them). This band could've been huge if things had gone their way.

DEATHSTARS - Termination Bliss (2003)

MMM

You can't get much more uncool than liking Deathstars, really... and I certainly don't rate this as highly as I did when I first heard it. I like this kind of electro-goth (sometimes) though, but the lead vocal gets a bit tedious after a while (so, deeeeep...). Middling is a good way to describe this, it's okay, but after a while it gets a little dull, better of sticking to Kovenant, who do this kind of thing better.

MILLENCOLIN - Machine 15 (2008)

MMMM

I'm convinced that Millencolin are never going to make a 5M album now. They've made several great albums, but none which really make that last little jump to true magnificence. Which of course doesn't mean that their albums aren't worth the time of day, because they certainly are, it's just that they don't have the depth of a Bad Religion, or the irreverent attitude of a Dwarves. This is still a good record with plenty of catchy songs and well worth investigating.

NOFX - Wolves in Wolves Clothing (2006)

MMMMM

Frankly, since 2003's 'The War on Errorism', NOFX have been unable to do a thing wrong in my eyes. Every three years they pop up and drop their next classic platter and disappear again, leaving me happy and singing along, waiting impatiently for the next one. 'WIWC' is about as perfect a Punk album as you could wish for. Catchy songs, twisted humour and infuriatingly memorable melodies that stick in your head like Napalm sticks to kids!

MOTORHEAD - Bomber (1979)

MMM

Despite the inclusion of several Motorhead classics (Bomber, Poison, Dead Men Tell No Tales...) I never quite got on with this album as well as I did with 'Overkill'. The thing is I hate the blues, and this album has a blues track on it. Horrid. Plus the whole thing lacks the bite and attack of it's illustrious predecessor. It's a good album for sure, just not a great one.

VICIOUS RUMORS - Soldiers of the Night (1986)

MMM

Solid but unspectacular, this is still an enjoyable romp with shredder Vinnie Moore drafted in to add a little guitar pizzaz. This album was released in 1986, but it strikes me that Vinnie Moore's excellent 'Mind's Eye' album wasn't much later and his playing is far superior there. Whatever, this sounds somehow 'old' compared to 'Digital Dictator' which was only a couple of years later and pummels it on every level really, not least in the vocalist department with Carl Albert replacing Gary St Pierre. Fun but not essential by any means.

MANOWAR - Into Glory Ride (1983)

MMMM

"Above the wreckage of your mortal world I sta-a-aand..." bellows Eric Adams on 'Revelation (Death's Angel), the first song I ever heard from this album. This is so metal it hurts, and seals Manowar's place in Metal history for all eternity. In truth there are parts of this album that suck, notably the insane warbling on one of the longer tracks, but when you have songs like 'Revelation' and 'Gloves of Metal' you can forgive a band a lot.

LACUNA COIL - Shallow Life (2009)

MMMM

Oh deary me, one glance at the reviews on Metal Archives will tell you that I am out of step with the rest of the world on this one. For me, Lacuna Coil started wonderfully with their debut mini-album and got slowly worse with each release. How shocked was I then when I picked this up and found the band moving into slightly poppier territory and sounding much better for it. This style absolutely plays to the band's strengths and gives Christina the chance to shine. Sadly, rumour has it that the new album will be 'heavier', which I imagine means that they will be returning to their dreary (but commercially successful) previous style. Shame.

MEGADETH - So Far, So Good...So What (1988)

MMMM

Having dispensed with the services of Gar Samuelson and Chris Poland, the two Daves returned with a pretty boy guitar teacher and a Fred Flinstone-esque drummer and still pretty much managed to deliver the goods. Chuck Beehler's drumming is best described as lumpen throughout (especially compared to his jazzy predecessor) and Jeff Young's contributions were adequate rather than particularly stunning. Despite this the album contains some bona-fide Megadeth classics, including 'In My Darkest Hour', 'Into the Lungs of Hell' and 'Hook in Mouth'. But the cover of the Sex Pistol's 'Anarchy in the UK' can piss right off, thank you very much. 

BLACK SABBATH - Heaven and Hell (1980)

MMMMM

The best Black Sabbath album, bar none. What is there to say about this classic album. It's immense. Ronnie James Dio elevates Sabbath to a new level of greatness with his awesome voice while Tony Iommi blasts his band into the 80's with a refreshed musical outlook that leaves the 70's behind. Truly this is Sabbath at their absolute peak, it's just a shame that 'Mob Rules' couldn't live with this one and then we had the 'Live Evil' debacle and Ronnie's departure. Oh well.

CORONER - Punishment for Decadence (1988)

MMMM

This is the only Coroner album that ever really clicked with me. Combining the Thrashified Malmsteenesque riffing of the first album with a keener sense of songcraft and hooks, 'Punishment for Decadence' also has a nice late 80's production which makes it rather easier on the ear than the tinny 1989 follow up 'No More Color'. Love Ron Royce's voice too, like a Germanic Nasty Ronnie almost, well maybe not... Obvious standout track has to be the classic 'Sudden Fall', although many would call for 'Masked Jackal' since it was a video clip.

T.K.O. - In Your Face (1984)

MMMM

Looking at the cover you would be forgiven for thinking this was real nancy-boy stuff, probably even in the Pretty Boy Floyd league of naffness. But you'd be wrong. Because what we have here is Grade-A early 80's Glam Metal. Think early Motley Crue or Ratt, only heavier, grittier and with a better singer and a more bad ass attitude. Most bands of this ilk sounded great until they got signed to a major and glossed up to fuck in the studio. Thankfully this album is raw and all the better for it, it's Glam Metal with the emphasis firmly on the METAL.

DIMMU BORGIR - Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia (2001)

MMMM

Easily my favourite Dimmu album, this one is leagues ahead of everything else they've ever done in my opinion. Chiefly the reasons for this are the improved songwriting and the phenomenal performance of drummer Nick Barker (ex- Cradle of Filth, among many others). Barker impresses right from the off as the band steam into the first track proper 'Blessings Upon the Throne of Tyranny', with his insane blasting snare and precise footwork. This album also benefits from another two essential components which set it above the run of the mill, ICS Vortex's incredible clean vocals and an excellent production courtesy of Studio Fredman in Gothenberg. As an added bonus, if you get the box CD you also get a romp through Twisted Sister's classic 'Burn in Hell', which is quite amusing. 

GORDON GILTRAP - Fear of the Dark (1978)

MMMM

Certainly the only album which could be described as 'folk' you are going to find in my collection (well, All About Eve maybe...), and even then this album has something of a 'rock' edge, despite being played for the most part on an acoustic guitar. Giltrap's playing is pretty mesmerizing and I remember hearing this for the first time about twenty four years ago and being thoroughly blown away by it. It still sounds pretty impressive today and the acoustic parts don't date (unlike the rather weak side one closer 'Weary Eyes').

CORONER - Grin (1993)

MMM

Conceived in the dark years of the early 1990's, like so many others Coroner suddenly felt the need to do something 'different'. I've never really worked out why that was, but it was a scene wide knee jerk reaction to the Grunge-era, and one which finished many a band's career. One such band was Coroner, the Swiss band who had thus far released four sterling Thrash Metal albums with a strong sense of musicality and originality. Truth be told, Grin is a good album, but it's so dark and despressed that whereas the songs on their own might excite, taken as a whole the album is something akin to quicksand. With that in mind it's impossible to give this one more than a middle of the road '3'.

SAVATAGE - Hall of the Mountain King (1987)

MMMM

My favourite Savatage album by quite a long chalk, this one isn't sullied by the overuse of piano's or laden with Andrew Lloyd Webberisms, it's just proper Heavy Metal done, well... properly! Production wise, it's not perfect, but it certainly has energy and Chris Oliva is on good form throughout, throwing around a ton of great riffs and solos. Jon Oliva sounds pretty damn good here too and puts in quite a lung-bursting performance. Solid.

WHIPLASH - Power and Pain (1985)

MMM

A truly atrocious album cover and a pretty dreadful production can't completely ruin this great album, try as they might. Whiplash had a slightly different sound than most US Thrash bands, at least partly because vocalist/guitarist Tony Portaro largely eschewed the use of palm damping the strings, which meant his riffs sounded less controlled than most of the clinical Bay Area thrashers, and a fair bit more energetic. He could play the guitar too, ripping solo's like Mustaine from his BC Rich Bich (who was also using this guitar about this time), and scattering the record with his intricate and dextrous playing. This is brutal Thrash for sure, with just the hint of a Hardcore edge, sadly it really does sound like it was recorded in a garage, which makes it hard for me to give it more than 3M's.

DEPECHE MODE - Music for the Masses (1987)

MMMMM

A stupendous album which has a plethora of great songs, hell even the remixes on the CD reissue are great! This is without a doubt the best Depeche Mode album even though I guess it's fair to say it might be their equivalent of Metallica's 'Black' album. Make no mistake, 'Music for the Masses' lived up to it's name and propelled DM to the very top of the popular music tree, selling millions, and for once justifiably so. For me the track which stands out the most is 'Sacred', if only because it was covered by the band 'Moonspell' on their '2econd Skin' e.p. in 1998).

CELTIC FROST - Vanity/Nemesis (1990)

MM

Often described as 'too little, too late', this is actually the sound of a confused band running dry of ideas. Celtic Frost were a band who thrived on being 'different' throughout their career and so for them to make an album this dry, conformist and, frankly, dull is a sad epitaph to a great outfit. It's all oh-so mediocre and weak that it's a struggle to get through the whole thing. Taken in isolation a few of the tracks might pique your interest, but by the end of this album you'll not want to listen to it again for a very long time. I can only assume that after the debacle that was 'Cold Lake', the record company demanded a straightforward Metal album. And whereas with 'Into the Pandemonium' CF got away with making a crazy album because it was succesful, this time the boot was on the other foot. The band split up a few dates into an unsuccessful UK tour to support the album.

RAZOR - Violent Restitution (1988)

MMMM

In a year when many great bands were releasing sub-standard albums, it's nice to recall that this was the album that briefly put Razor back on the straight and narrow. 'Malicious Intent' (1986) and 'Custom Killing' (1987) were both lacking the killer instinct that made Razor's first two albums Thrash classics, and this one started to tip the scales back the other way, perhaps in no small part due to the replacement of M-Bro with a decent drummer! Sadly this was to be the last album for vocalist Stace McLaren and after that Razor were never really the same band.

CELTIC FROST: Morbid Tales (1984)

MMMM

Hard to believe this mini album was created by (largely) the same people that spewed up the hugely overrated 'Apocalyptic Raids' e.p. just a few months previously. For early dark Thrash Metal you can't go wrong here, awesome guitar tone, simple but effective riffs and superb aesthetics, Celtic Frost certainly made their mark here and went a long way to putting 'Hellhammer' behind them.

VARIOUS ARTISTS: Speed Kills (1985)

MMMM

The legendary 'Speed Kills' introduced many people to the wonderful world of Thrash Metal back in 1985, but the compilers were clever enough to realise that there would be many like me who were already on board and so made sure to include some rare and previously unreleased tracks to lure us in. At the time of release, the Slayer, Possessed, Exciter and Venom tracks were all exclusives, cunning indeed. Okay so this didn't exactly open my eyes to a ton of bands that I hadn't already heard of, and I suspect the big winner out of this was possibly Bulldozer, because I'd never heard of them before this and I bought their album on the back of this compilation, unfortunately the song featured here was the best one on the album, but that's the name of the game I suppose!

HELLOWEEN - Walls of Jericho (1986)

MMMM

Probably my favourite Helloween album still, this was the first and last time that you could ever really call Helloween a proper Thrash band. Even then Helloween were clearly not aligning themselves with the likes of Slayer and 'Gorgar' clearly wants to be 'Ride the Lightning'. That indiscretion aside, this is a great album and closes with Helloween's best song, the epic 'How Many Tears'.

POWERMAD - Absolute Power (1989)

MMM

Powermad come from the same place as Laaz Rockit, that 'not really Thrash' but kind of that doomed both bands to obscurity. Shame really because this is a good melodic Speed/Thrash album which has plenty of good songs and catchy choruses. Like Laaz Rockit, the singer is good but perhaps not quite 'mainstream' enough for the band to have really hit the big time. Good stuff all the same.

PESSIMIST - Call to War (2010)

MMM

Sodom-esque nu-Thrash that got my attention pretty quickly, this stands out among the masses of mediocre modern Thrash bands and while this album couldn't really be called a 'classic' this band certainly have a lot of potential for the future.

VISION - Watching the World Burn (2000)

MMMM

A very good album with some killer songs and one absolute classic (Close Minded) this is the only proper 'Hardcore' album I've ever really clicked with. Typically for this genre it's fairly predictable, but this fuses energy and songwriting so well that you can't fail to love it.

WARRANT - First Strike (1985)

MMM

It's more of the same from Warrant on this mini album, which preceded 'The Enforcer' by only a few months. So it's more typical Germanic Speed Metal, in a similar vein to Warlock. Nothing really outstanding to comment on, but satisfying enough in short bursts.

WARRANT - The Enforcer (1985)

MMM

Classic German Speed Metal which inhabits a similar area to countrymen Warlock, but without the benefits of Doro Pesch's looks and voice. This is pretty run of the mill stuff really, but extremely enjoyable all the same. Melodic and moderately aggressive, you'd have to be fairly hardhearted not to find yourself nodding along at some point.

OBITUARY - Slowly We Rot (1989)

MMM

Definitely a very high three this one, and a very enjoyable blast of primitive Death Metal bludgeon. I remember buying this when it came out and cracking up as the intro gave way to the gurgling vocal. Obituary really don't do subtle and feeding as they did off the grinding riffs of Celtic Frost circa 1984, it's no surprise that Obituary quickly found themselves propelled to the top of their chosen genre.

ONSLAUGHT: In Search of Sanity (1989)

MMM

Actually pre-dating Metallica's foray into the mainstream, this album saw a drastic change in style for Onslaught and the recruitment of former Grim Reaper vocalist Steve Grimmet. Grimmet certainly gave the band a more melodic edge but overall this album wasn't a complete success. By their own admission the band were not the most talented of musicians and everything is so 'careful' that you can't help but imagine the band in the recording studio, concentrating on every note, unfortunately this robs the album of a large part of what made their previous albums so enjoyable, energy. Truth be told Grimmet was more suited to the bluesy rock he went on to perform with Lionsheart and this album is ignored by the band today, dismissed as a failed attempt at mainstream success. The production is pretty lifeless too and the drum sound is pretty lame, but there are some good tunes here and 'Welcome To Dying' is Onslaught's brave attempt to out-Metallica  Metallica, with very limited success (it has to be said).