Chad Brown of Engage

Engage was a Virginia-based power metal band that played speedy pounders. The combination of fast-tempo, explosive playing powerful, operatic vocals were the key for power metal of the European variety. Bands such as Blind Guardian, Helloween, and Gamma Ray had major roles to play in this direction with BG and Helloween coming from speed metal origins.

Engage’s direction on their 2005 demo was the fastest of Blind Guardian and Hammerfall with some great vocals. As mentioned previously, I’m a big vocals fan and Chad Brown’s performance on the demo was great. I was already sold on the band from the blistering tempo but Brown’s sing and piercing screech sealed the deal.

I first heard Engage on a Pandora power metal stream and looked them up on metal blogs. This would’ve been 2008, a year after their second demo and last release Don’t Look Back. That’s where the band ends, no word of what other bands the members went to or the different musical directions taken afterwards.

I always felt that was a shame because Engage was everything I like and want in a band down to the screeching vocals with this kind of lyrical content.

Songs to Check Out: Pain and Glory, Conqueror

Sergeant Saitan of Deathhammer

Next, we head to Norway for another favorite vocalist of that period, Sergeant Saitan of Deathhammer. This band formed a little after Engage but is still going strong today with banger after banger of albums filled to the brim with rippers.

Saitan’s vocals are pretty much what I’m usually looking for with thrash: dirty, growl-riddled with shrieks that can come out of nowhere. With the instrument barrage of band member Sadomancer (who also does backing vocals), Sergeant Saitan’s vocals really pop during a rapid, rowdy ripper.

Songs to Check Out: Fullmoon Sorcery, Rot Shreds

Jason Conde-Houston of Skelator

The Seattle-based metal band Skelator is a favorite of mine from the early 2000s. I first came across them on a metal blog and looked into them purely on the album cover of their 2008 full-length debut Give Me Metal or Give Me Death. I was not disappointed at all. There’s a lot of speed metal in Skelator to go along with their heavier power metal approach.

Hell, even the more mid-tempo (kind of rare for Skelator) tracks have a tendency to explode into a fast-paced pounder. It’s what they’ve excelled at since 1998 and the vocals leading the charge belong to Jason Conde-Houston.

Now, I’ve gone into the band’s style and vocalist in a review of their demo. The band has only gotten better from that release with experience, better production and expanding their topics lyrically. Sure you can still hear swords, sorcery, and magical evils but you’re also getting love for anime, video games, and metal.

And still you have JCH either speeding through verses frantically or growling through them yet always firing off his screeching wail like some fusion between Rob Halford and  80s Mark “The Shark” Shelton.

Again, this is right up my alley. It’s the same approach as Engage only the band stayed the course and improved with time and lineup changes.

Songs to Check Out: Raging Demon, Agents of Power

Adam G. Warrior of Dismantle

I’ve definitely discussed California’s Dismantle and their 2009 debut Satanic Force. It’s in my top five new wave of thrash debuts because of how the raw energy the entire album had. It wasn’t the most musically unique of that wave nor would I say it was the best but few speed metal and thrash bands from that period match that level of energy on a debut.

I’d put Power from Hell’s The True Metal, Evil in the Night by Merciless Death, and Apokalyptic Raids’ Only Death is Real in that same realm of roughness mixed with tons of energy in playing and singing. Sure, there were bands with higher technical skill and better control over their voice but that unchained approach was what made Satanic Force such an incredible debut.

A major factor of that was the performance of Adam G. Warrior smashing the gas on his voice on each song as he belted out his shriek. There were some songs where you’d get it multiple times and it fit whatever track the album had reached each time.

His vocal approach was more muted in the follow-up release Enter the Forbidden and while Satanic Force isn’t on Apple Music, you can check it out on YouTube.

Songs to Check Out: Satanic Force, Vile Spell

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

We’ll have to dive into this project as there was no listed demos or other projects before the full-length debut for Three. It simply dropped in March 2023 via Black Mold Records, a label that has typically released sludge metal and doom metal projects.

Now, a label’s usual output doesn’t indicate that’s all you’re going to find. You could look through the catalog of a black metal label and find some old school metal in the mix of album releases by bands on the label.

In the case of Three, the release is in the slower waters of doom but with a late 70s-early 80s metal sound. Not so much Black Sabbath but more like a grimier Cirith Ungol with some healthy splashes of Brocas Helm thrown in.

A major contributing factor to that approach is the tandem of  multi-instrumentalist Corey Bing and guitarist/bass player Bahb Branca. The two are Ohio sludge scene veterans who have played in several acts together—many most with releases on Black Mold Records.

Opening Act of Three

Three has seven tracks across almost 31-minutes. The opener is “County Line”, a track that gives “controlled Brocas Helm” vibes. It’s not a rapid jaunt but it’s not s slog either, we’re talking about a pounder that gives the listener some idea of what to expect sonically. This song and “Red Dragon” have a kind of dungeon epicness to it—especially “Red Dragon”.

That track really piqued my interest in the rest of album because it reminds me of what I like to hear from epic heavy metal or U.S power metal: not too produced or clean but still epic in a Conan or Kull sense.

While “Red Dragon” really impressed, “For Your Love”, the second track on the album is the standout of the opening three songs. The longest track on the album, “For Your Love” is a slower-paced affair but it showed what this trio could do with a lengthier piece.

Strongest Tracks: For Your Love, Red Dragon

Second Act

The fourth  “Missing You” is somewhat similar to “For Your Love” only shorter and heavier. The doom is much thicker here. “Remember” is a longer rocker that could’ve been on Black Death. It still has that cavernous sound and slower-tempo while not being similar to other tunes on the album.

If you like your dark and slow romantic doom then “When Your Love Comes Down” might not be too up your alley. It’s notably faster than other tracks on Three and it gets the thumbs up from me. One thing I always liked about old school doom is that you could get a speeder on a slower-paced or mid-tempo release and it would stand out—sometimes as if it was the star of the show such as “Free Country” from Witchfinder General’s Death Penalty.

Closing out the album is “Mirror of Darkness”, a song that has a similar tempo to “When Your Love Comes Down” and gave me more of what I was seeking from this release lyrically: fantasy or dark fantasy themes. It’s a strong closer and could’ve been a stronger opener.

Strongest Tracks: Missing You, When Your Love Comes Down*, Mirror of Darkness*

Strength of the Opener: County Line

Opening tracks are very important since they can set the pace for the album or give the listener an idea of what they’re getting into. The faster and more bombastic, the stronger the opening, for me. In the case of Three, “County Line” is an opener: not the strongest but not the worst choice to kick things off.

However, tunes like “For Your Love”, “Red Dragon”, and the closer “Mirror of Darkness” are very strong picks to open the album just by being the standout tracks on this release.

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Canada’s metal scene at this time always piqued my interest. While Razor’s releases really impressed me, it was the acts that had something “extra” to them that always had me returning and digging into their discographies.

Let’s look at five old school bands from the Great White North—a bit of a refresher or soft introduction, if you will.

Razor

Hailing from Ontario, Razor is one of the bands that were referenced in Darkthrone’s 2007 song “Canadian Metal”, this thrash reminds me of a Canadian Sodom in the speed and fury of their performances and the consistency in quality of their releases.

During its existence, the Canadian thrashers have had two vocalists of note in the late “Sheepdog” McLaren—known for some aggressive squeals—and Bob Reid, who added even more attitude to the vocal approach of the band.

Mind you, Razor has had more than two vocalists but these are the two who appear on their projects. Switching vocalists is always precarious work but when the albums dropped, they always had bangers regardless of the decade or period in metal.

Tracks to Try: Speed Merchants, Cross Me Fool, Road Gunner, Bad Vibrations

Exciter

Another Ontario act, Exciter is somewhat similar to Razor—or rather, Exciter was always recommended alongside Razor. If you’re unfamiliar with Exciter but you know of our next entry in Anvil, they’re a faster, more aggressive Anvil.

What always stood out about Exciter to me was that their drummer Dan Beehler does the vocals. Beehler the vocals until the early 1990s and it made some exciting songs with him shouting over the riffs and blasts of the band.

Look at that, a band living up to an on-the-nose band name! I dig it.

If you’re considering diving into Exciter, I recommend their first three albums; Heavy Metal Maniac, Violence & Force, and Long Live the Loud with Violence & Force being a treat.

Tracks to Try: Violence & Force, Pounding Metal, Cry of the Banshee, Iron Dogs

Anvil

Guess where these Canadian legends hail from—correct! Another Ontario band. If you guessed “Quebec” or “The Maritimes” then…maybe next time?

Anvil tends to play speed metal but you will get some mid-tempo pounders. That’s what the band always excelled at one their albums: pounders of varying tempos.

If the intensity of Razor or Exciter are a bit much and you just want to headbang or rock out: Anvil’s your band. I recommend UK speed metal legends Raven for a similar sound and tempo.

As for some recommend viewing check out their 2013 documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil.

Tracks to Try: Winged Assassins, Metal on Metal, Shadow Zone, Embalmer

Piledriver

Yeah, we’re not leaving Ontario. As a matter of fact, the original entry here was a British Columbia veteran in Thor. Yes, Jon-Mikl “Thunder on the Tundra” Thor.

There are two periods of the Piledriver band: OG ‘driver and The Exalted Piledriver of the 2000s. Well, technically there’s three as during the late 80s and early 90s, Piledriver performed as Dogs with Jobs.

DWJ had two good full length releases but they lacked that abrasive humor and catchiness of Piledriver. We’re mainly looking at the first iteration of ‘driver as those two albums Metal Inquisition and Stay Ugly—from 1984 and 1986, respectively—had bangers. Some of those bangers were pounders while others were rippers but Piledriver had them both.

Lyrically, ‘driver delivers what you’d hear from their thrash contemporaries with a good dose of dirty humor. Even some serious trappings of thrash pushed into comic book territory at times as with songs like “Sex with Satan” and “Alien R**e” from Metal Inquisition.

It’s a song that had me wondering “What’s even going on here?” As for the landmark Piledriver track: give the pounder “The Fire God” a whirl.

Tracks to Try: Metal Inquisition, Witch Hunt, Metal Death Racer, The Fire God

Voivod

Our fifth entry hails from—hey! Look at that, we got a Quebecoise band in Voivod. This was a band that evolved its sound over the decades while remaining consistent from project to project.

In the same way as changing vocalists can be dicey business, transitioning styles can be troublesome. However, Voivod did that well going from nasty, ripping thrash in their debut War and Pain to evolving their sound along progressive metal lines before the 80s ended.

Listening to those 80s and early 90s albums and hearing that rapid growth is very interesting. I’m a fan of the Motorhead-Sodom school of “If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It” but there’s also the Darkthrone school of “Explore and change over time”. Have eras to your sound, don’t be afraid to revisit the dark arts every now and then.

Voivod is a great example of that.

Tracks to Try: Iron Gang, War and Pain, Slaughter in a Grave, Psychic Vacuum

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Smoulder and 80s Epic Heavy Metal

My first taste of this kind of epic heavy metal was in listening to Cirith Ungol and Manila Road—particularly their albums centered on Norse folklore and history. At the time, Manila Road hit while Cirith Ungol took a few years and listens to get into my regular 80s power metal rotation.

That isn’t to say Smoulder is purely rooted in doom metal. Their debut release Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring does lean towards the doom side on some tunes but there are a few speedsters in there. Smoulder will get the cement out if a tale calls for it on this album.

Before we get into the actual music here—I enjoy album cover art. The art for Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring and the follow up Violent Creed of Vengeance have some incredible, 70s and 80s fantasy novel-inspired covers. That will be a discussion for another piece.

Let’s dive into both sides of the album and see what tracks stood out and how strong the opener for this release is.

A-Side of “Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring”

Kicking things off is “Ilian of Garathorm” which is centered around the Michael Moorcock character of the same name—an Eternal Champion. Going with a Moorcock character or theme lets me know which end of the power metal spectrum we’ll be vacationing in on this album. We’re talking battles, figures with questionable motives, and exploring magic and mysticism. Lyrically, that’s all right up my alley!

As for the track itself, it’s good and has a nice, mid tempo with a good amount of heaviness. The leader singer gives me Geddy Lee doing power metal vibes but I don’t want to use Lee as an example or comparison because the singer’s vocals are familiar to a few other singers in the same genre.

Also, I’m no musician and I don’t have a background in production or music engineering but in this song, I noticed something: the bass guitar is important in rock music—especially in genres like doom metal but it doesn’t sound as robust as you’d think it would. Despite that, Smoulder managed to deliver a heavy album.

“The Sword Woman” was similar to the opener and pretty much kept the atmosphere of the album’s storytelling. Nowhere near a bad song but it didn’t really stand out . What did stand out was the A-side closer, “Bastard Steel”. It slams and is more my speed. Digging IT.

Strongest Tracks: Bastard Steel

B-Side

The opener for the B-side is “Voyage of the Sunchaser”. It  has a lengthy opening handled by the guitars and drums before we get vocals almost two minutes in. I’m not the biggest fan of songs that take a bit to get the entire band involved but I enjoyed this. Business picks up in the second half of the song where it just rides.

While the vocalist is there, this seemed more like a showcase for the rest of the band and it was a heavy, rocking one. Plus, a story is being told in each song so each one doesn’t need to just rip and ride throughout—mind you, that’s right up my alley—but certain songs require pacing and build to those moments as the story requires.

“Shadowy Sisterhood” is another tune that starts off slow, making use of the band’s mastery of heaviness for a story to set the tone. Midway, things pick up just a notch as the story goes into this ritual and I really enjoyed how the singer put some screeching emphasis on:

“COAT! THE DAGGER! MYSTIC! FLAMES!”

Love that. It was midway through the song but it was still just—chef kiss. Great sh**.

The album’s closer “Black God Kiss” is a bit of a giant at 9-minutes—which is fine for a band that mixes it up with doom metal and epic heavy metal and has songs that are more one or the other. As you may have gathered, slower tunes aren’t my cup of tea but so far Smoulder has impressed me and this is the best example of them mixing the two genres in this album.

It has the crawling, weighty tempo to lay the groundwork for another tale with a doom approach before sprinkling in some speed from epic heavy metal towards the end. It’s a great piece well worth the listen.  Actually, the whole album is worth a listen. There was only one song that I wasn’t all in on with the first listen—“Voyage or the Sunchaser”.

Strongest Tracks: Shadowy Sisterhood*, Black God Kiss

Strength of the Opener: “Ilian of Garathorm”

The opener was fine knowing what to expect heading in. I definitely would’ve picked “Bastard Steel” as the opener purely because the tempo is what I prefer but there was storytelling being done here. It wasn’t like an anthology of tales in album form, so the track listing is what it is.

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

It’s Gatekeeper—one of the more modern epic heavy metal acts—that we’ll be focusing on here. Originating in Alberta, Gatekeeper plays a mix of tempos depending on story or lore in that song. I actually enjoyed the tempo changes and I’m normally a “the fast option only” listener.

The guitar work and percussion on the debut give both urgency and weight to the songs when you’re just letting the album rock. The singer on this release—Jean-Pierre Abboud—and the lyrical content contributed heavily to that.

This debut has enough going for it to pull a full listen on the first spin. Normally, I’ll break an album up in two parts depending on when I dive into it but this has me on board start to finish. I will say the band’s lyrical Let’s check out the band’s debut from 2018: East of Sun.

A-Side of East of Sun

If there’s always one thing that will keep listening to an album: a speedster opening track. Gatekeeper comes in hot and heavy with “Blade of Cimmeria”. It’s a dope track on its own and I like it as an opener but I will say there are better options—one happens to be on this side of the album.

A song of note is “North Wolves”, it’s not exactly one of the two bangers on this side but it is the kind of track I enjoy listening to on a power metal album. It flows well into another banger in “Warrior Without Fear” and comes off as something as the lead-in instead of its own song. There’s nothing wrong with that role for a song—except when it’s not the intent. Without being sandwiched between the two bangers, it would be probably stand out more but it’s a fine song regardless.

The A-side closer is “Ninefold Muse” and it’s another tune I’ll say was fine and does its job of wrapping up this half. It doesn’t have the same oomph to it that “Blade of Cimmeria” had but it’s a fine song on its own.

Strongest Tracks: Blade of Cimmeria*, Warrior Without Fear

B-Side

“Bell of Tarantia” isn’t a speedster but it has some gas in the tank to ride for 6-minutes with mid temp that builds into a gallop in the second half. I dig it. Also, it sounds similar to Longing’s Past, a U.S epic heavy metal band from the 90s that leaned more melodic than aggressive.

While “Bell of Tarantia” is heavily melodic, the titular track mixes both. If the album was all this, I definitely wouldn’t mind. In fantasy terms, it mixes the epicness of high fantasy with the roughness and intensity of sword and sorcery.

In other words, it’s a great mix.

In albums of this genre, I’m looking for that pumping, anthemic song. It doesn’t have to be “Deadly Sinners”, “Hail and Kill” or “Battle Hymns” but it is one of the album’s battle hymns. In this project’s case “Swan Sword Saga” fits the bill but so does the album closer “Oncoming Ice”.

The closer is a very heavy, epic song that makes use of Abboud’s vocal flexibility well. I’ve been mostly focused on the vocals in this review but the guitar work of Blackwell, Kroecher, and bass player Messier are on point. They have a major role in setting the atmosphere and on East of Sun and they do their thing extremely well.

Overall, I feel that the B-side or second half of this project was more enjoyable but the whole project is worth a listen. I had to check elsewhere for the cover song bonuses since Apple Music doesn’t include them.

Gatekeeper covering Omen’s “Death Rider” was great. I love some Omen and bands covering their music or Jag Panzer’s always pique my interest. The cover of Savatage’s “Hall of the Mountain King” was fine but I think they would’ve slammed on a “Queen of the Reich” cover from Queensrÿche.

Strongest Tracks: Bell of Tarantia*, Swan Sword Saga*, Oncoming Ice

Strength of the Opener: “Blade of Cimmeria”

The opening track “Blade of Cimmeria” was pretty strong in that it established what kind of tales were getting in this album. It also gave a taste of what to expect throughout. However, I would’ve loved “Warrior Without Fear” or “East of Sun” as the opening tracks. “Blade of Cimmeria” is a tune that could hold its own on either side of the album and in any position.

“Warrior Without Fear” and “East of Sun” just seemed to embody the album as a whole better with both being in line with the tempo of the project overall. On that note, the immediate ear-catcher took the opening honors.

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Kiss and 90s Promotion

The poorly executed crossover of Kiss and pro-wrestling will be looked at later but we’re looking at the album that followed the comic: Psycho Circus. Kiss fans would be familiar with the comic and action figures handled by Image Comics and Todd McFarlane. It was when I noticed the different personas of the band.

It was mentioned in the comics that they were one of the most well-known bands in the world—it probably said “the universe”. Before that, I picked up the comic because I saw it mentioned in an ad in Curse of Spawn comic for the Kiss action figures. I figured they were more in Image Comics’ roster of dark, grittier superheroes.

While Kiss was always good at promoting themselves—or rather they’ve always had a good PR team—it was interesting to look back on how they promoted the band throughout the decades. There were no Kiss cartoons in the 90s, you could see them in one of those episodes of Scooby Doo with celebrities in them, and there were bands more relevant to the times around.

However, they managed to snatch up some gold records in another decade. Let’s take a look at Psycho Circus and see what were the bangers.

A Strong Opener and a Few Kiss Ballads

The opening track often sets the pace for the album but on occasion, it can surprise you and turn out to be unlike anything else on the album. In the case of Psycho Circus, the titular track kind of sets the pace. There’s a mix of tempos and sounds on this release but you have some that follow along the same lines as the opener.

Actually, there are several on the album and I wish the entire album was just that. Simply a bunch of hard rockers and heavy songs. Of course, Kiss can craft a good ballad and have several in their arsenal. We’ll get into the bangers but we’ve got to discuss these ballads—or ballad-adjacent songs.

“We Are One” and “I Finally Found My Way” are slower tunes with good placement on the album. I’m not a fan of ballads or most slow tunes but they’re not in odd places in the track list or even worse: stacked. If they had both followed “Within” on the A-side, I probably would’ve been turned off on the album. No one wants to will themselves through an album to give it a fair listen.

Then again, if those three songs all followed each other, the rest of the album would’ve been a fun ride!

Psycho Circus: The Bangers

I couldn’t tell you how I interpreted Psycho Circus the first time I heard it. Now, the title song I always enjoyed. I remember the video being pretty cool at the time and listening to the opener—the first banger of the album—really took me back. Again, I wanted the entire album to be this.

Having gave it a listen decades later and I found it to be an enjoyable album for the most part. “I Pledge Alliance to Rock & Roll” is a fun rock semi-anthem. I say “semi-anthem” in that it’s supposed to be an anthem track but lacks the punch of “You Wanted the Best” and “Raise Your Glasses”.

The other bangers vary between your heavy tracks like “Into the Void” and “Journey of 1,000 Years” and your hard rockers of “Psycho Circus”, “I Pledge Alliance to Rock & Roll”, “You Wanted the Best”, and “Dreamin’”. I’d say Kiss could’ve done two albums in both musical directions and it would’ve been a blast. I can’t say it’s the best Kiss album or the greatest Kiss album but it is the Kiss album I enjoyed throughout the most. If you’ve heard the band or their hard rock contemporaries, you’ve heard a lot of Psycho Circus but it’s all put together very well on this release.

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Lizzy Borden – Visual Lies (1987)

We checked out Lizzy Borden’s debut album Love You to Pieces in a “Greatest Album Debuts”. The L.A act kept things going with Menace to Society which was as fast as they debut but a little more aggressive without going into thrash territory. Visual Lies continues where Menace to Society left off but mixes in some stuff you’d hear in glam metal or L.A heavy metal.

“Oh, like Nitro?!” No, not at all like Nitro. I’d say more like our next entry only faster and more polished.

The Bangers: Me Against the World*, Den of Thieves***, Visual Lies*, Voyuer**

Savage Grace – Master of Disguise (1985)

I don’t know if it’s the production, the lyrical content included or both but Master of Disguise is some speedy U.S power metal with some bite and their debut is a mixture of sinister tales, rebellion, lust, and a little fantasy just because. At a little over 35-minutes and with nine tracks, you’re in for a brisk listen featuring some anthems.

Now, let’s check out a monster of U.S power metal that I feel should get more recognition.

The Bangers: Bound to Be Free, Fear My Way*, Sins of the Damned, Master of Disguise***, Sons of Iniquity*

Omen – Battle Cry (1984)

If you want power metal with no fluff or whimsy and doesn’t keep the foot on the gas all the time: Omen might be for you. They’re to epic metal what Rage is to power metal: a talented, veteran band that did and still produces good music—but there are other bands better associated with the genre. As for this release, it’s heavy and filled more with tales of battles, wars, and raids than epic quests to collect something or defeat a Big Bad.

As for Omen’s ties to Savage Grace, former SG guitarist Kenny Powell formed Omen after leaving in 1983. What I’d say really ties this album together is the late J.D Kimball’s gravely vocals.

This will definitely be an album we’ll explore in the new year.

The Bangers: Death Rider***, The Axeman*, Dragon’s Breath**, Be My Wench**, Prince of Darkness*

Manila Road – Voyager (2008)

This is a bit of a cheat entry because I was trying to keep it in the 1980s with older bands and albums but I guess the rules no longer apply. Yes, the self-imposed rules of the list. Anyway, Manila Road was a Kansas band that started in the late 1970s playing hard rock and heavy metal. Their 1980 debut shows they had a focus more along traditional heavy metal but with each release they tried a little something new: faster songs, longer tracks, slower tales, darker stories.

Manila Road had gone through epic fantasy, horror, serial killers, mysteries, and with Voyager they were on their Viking and Scandinavian folklore sh**. They kept their heaviness but better production and song writing meant they came up with something that could be built upon.

Voyager has nine tracks across over an hour. I also recommend the album before it Gates of Fire.

The Bangers: Frost and Fire, Tree of Life, Blood Eagle***, Eye of the Storm

Medieval Steel – The Dungeon Tapes (2008)

Another cheat entry, this isn’t a full length release but a compilation of demos and singles. Medieval Steel is a band from Memphis that formed in the early 1980s. They wouldn’t put out a full-length until 2013 with Dark Castle. The tunes on this release definitely should’ve been re-recorded as an album because they were good when they were originally released!

The Bangers: Eyes of Fire*, To Kill a King**, Battles Beyond the Stars***, Medieval Steel***

What are some albums from epic metal or U.S power metal bands you recommend? Let us know in the comments!

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Multi-Station Bands: Bon Jovi, KISS, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Co.

You did have a few older bands that got radio play on both stations. Bon Jovi and KISS are two bands that come to mind with 2000’s Crush and 1998’s Psycho Circus, respectively. They’re both bands from roughly a decade or two prior to the late-90s and had hits or singles you could hear on either format.

Of course, the hard rock station played the most known songs. Even at night, you weren’t getting the cuts that fans would love nor were we getting bands outside of the well-known ones—at least in my market. It’s to be expected with the influence some bands have or had on broadcast radio even when old songs are the focus.

A band that existed in an interest spot is Red Hot Chili Peppers. My hard rock station was odd in that you could hear RHCP songs from the 90s which seemed to be the cutoff for everyone but Metallica and Megadeth—but more so Metallica. For Red Hot Chili Peppers, the starting album for tunes on both stations is 1991’s  Blood Sugar Sex Magik which was loaded with hits—pretty much like Californication in 1999.

On mainstream radio, it’s as if the first four albums—seven years of music—didn’t exist. For someone who likes to dive into a band’s early stuff, it was like Evil Dead or Friday the 13^th and the first films in both franchises. Yeah, you could watch them but if you didn’t, you weren’t missing a ton.

The Xtreme Block

A bit of detour before we get in the most memorable block on our hard rock station: the Xtreme block. Over on the alternative rock station called the X—truly creative—there was an evening block called “Xtreme X”. This block usually ran on Saturdays starting at 9PM and featured mostly nu metal and modern—at the time—hard rock acts. So we’re talking Marilyn Manson, Slipknot, KoRn, Linkin Park,  Mudvayne—with Slayer, Fear Factory, and Hatebreed thrown in the mix.

Fear Factory always stood out to me because they were always a featured band on shows here around Halloween time. I’d say it just isn’t a Halloween advertisement without Fear Factory and Sloss Fright Furnace being mentioned. In the case of the contemporary bands on the station, you could hear their most recent songs during the day and throughout the week, but on “Xtreme X” the DJ would give you something else off an album—and even off older albums!

If a lot of that sounds dated, you’re not the only one who thinks so as the station changed formats several times over the years. Then you have the Eagle which held its format.

Time to Get the Led Out

The block you could always count on over on the hard rock station was the Led Zeppelin marathon. The voice tag would proclaim “It’s time to get Led out!” every day at 5 PM Central. It was always with an echo and one of two songs would fade in: “Immigrant Song” or “When the Levee Breaks”. You’d think they would mix it up but nah. Mind you, you wouldn’t know which of the two you were getting but it was just those two songs to kick things off during 5 o’clock traffic.

I guess you couldn’t be too picky if you on your Led Zeppelin options pre-streaming, pre-mp3 players, and while you’re stuck in some sluggish traffic. If you were unfortunate enough to be stuck in traffic the whole hour, you likely heard “Stairway to Heaven” close out the Led block.

While we’re in a time where radio isn’t the main method of enjoying music, what memories do you have of rock radio? Was it the broadcast blocks? Marathons? Winning tickets? Requesting songs? Let us know in the comments!

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

The band as well as the Crüe has its roots in the late 1970s hard rock act Sister which featured future Mötley Crüe bass player and vocalist Nikki Sixx and W.A.S.P frontman, guitarist and vocalist Blackie Lawless. Also in the band was future W.A.S.P guitarist Chris Holmes.

By 1984, Sixx had long since left Sister and—as well as its sister band London—and co-founded Mötley Crüe. Also by that time, Lawless had formed W.A.S.P and two years later, they released their self-titled debut.

What to Expect with W.A.S.P

Before we get into the album, for an idea of what W.A.S.P sounded like on this release, I’d go with a harder, heavier version of Mötley Crüe’s Shout at the Devil or Theatre of Pain but with the tempo of Too Fast for Love. Lyrically, it’s pretty much the same themes but I’ll admit, W.A.S.P’s depiction of sex and listing simply rock because there’s an aggression or crunch to their brand of U.S heavy metal that is different from many of the 80s L.A acts.

With the background and heads up done, let’s get into this one!

The A-Side

If you enjoyed Too Fast for Love from Mötley Crüe but you need something with a lot more bite and just overall oomph, just the A-side of this self-titled release should sate you. With five tracks, W.A.S.P started with a brisk jog via the opener “I Wanna Be Somebody”.

We’ll focus on this tune as an opener but it’s a solid track and isn’t out of place among the other five on this side. I’d say this A-side is nearly flawless as it’s hard to pick three standouts. Even the two songs on this side that aren’t just the heaviest of bangers, they are great tunes.

The final boss of the A-side is “L.O.V.E Machine”. Yeah, it’s one of the singles released for the album and one of their better known tunes but it’s an awesome song! The guitars and drums do their job on this song but Blackie Lawless’ chainsaw vocals just kick this song up a notch.

Enough about “L.O.V.E Machine”, the other two in the A-side thrillogy actually follow this banger. “The Flame” has a somewhat slower tempo than “LM” and that makes it sound more sinister. It’s simply one of a several songs that just drip with lust and it just happens to be one of the better ones.

The third of the storms here is “B.A.D”. This song is basically a harder “I Wanna Be Somebody” mixed with a few splashes of “The Flame”.

Standout Tracks: L.O.V.E Machine**, The Flame*, B.A.D*

The B-Side

Coming off the A-side closer “School Daze” is “Hellion”—which opened this side the way that the A-side should’ve opened. However, it wouldn’t do as an album opener. However, the song that followed—“Sleeping (in the Fire)”: album opener candidate. It’s a great tune with lot of oomph to it that is along the lines of “L.O.V.E Machine”, “The Flame” and “B.A.D”. It’s also in the same vein as “Animal (F**k Like a Beast)”. It has a lot of bite to it.

Similar to the A-side, there is a quartet of tracks that just deliver the goods. Following “Sleeping” you have “On Your Knees” which has some speed to it. Again, Lawless’ voice does the damn job on this one and it’s the case with “Tormentor” as well! This is one of those debuts with the least B-side B-side. Yes, W.A.S.P features an A-side and a A+-side because I really enjoyed this side more than the A-side from start to finish.

The album closes with “The Torture Never Stops” and the band stuck the landing on it. This release doesn’t end on a somber tone or with a ballad. There’s no sweeping 7-minutes-plus epic here. Like all other tracks here. It tickles 4-minutes and kicks the appropriate amount ass required—precisely what I want an album closer to do.

Standout Tracks: Sleeping (in the Fire)*, On Your Knees**, Tormentor**, The Torture Never Stops*

Strength of the Opener: I Wanna Be Somebody

Off the bat, there are songs on this album that would’ve been a stronger opener. While it’s a good song on its and would’ve been at home elsewhere on the album, the sound and imagery of W.A.S.P demanded a harder, heavier song to open things.

Personally, I felt “L.O.V.E Machine”, “The Flame”, Sleeping (in the Fire)”, “On Your Knees”,  and “Tormentor” were all stronger candidates that would’ve kicked album off with some real firepower. Hell, putting “Animal (F**k Like a Beast)” as the opener would’ve had the same effect as those four.

Overall, it’s not the worst opener or even a bad or weak opener but there were much better options. Flow-wise, having “L.O.V.E Machine” follow “I Wanna Be Somebody” was perfect track placement.

If you enjoyed this album, stick around for another dive into another Los Angeles band as we look at Liszt Borden’s debut Love You to Pieces.

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

What stands out to me about Lizzy Borden is that they’re one of those U.S bands that contributed to power metal. Mind you, Love You to Pieces isn’t exactly along those lines of fantasy/sci-fi/folklore and operatic presentation. They’re a band that had the presentation to run amongst the L.A bands of the time but didn’t have a ton of mainstream bangers on deck like some of their contemporaries.

What to Expect from Love You to Pieces

On this release, Lizzy Borden ran with the speed of acts like debut-period Jag Panzer and Omen but the lyrical content is more along the lines of a not-as-sleazy or aggressive W.A.S.P. While we haven’t gotten to this band yet, a spot-on similarity would be yet another L.A band in Savage Grace.

Lizzy Borden just didn’t have the storyline of a CHP officer who is also a sexual predator in their debut album like Savage Grace. Love You to Pieces does have some murderer/stalker tracks but there is a mix of lyrical themes here.

Sonically, the band had a speed metal approach to their power metal anchored by the clean, nimble vocals of Lizzy Borden. They would take this approach with 1986’s Menace to Society and 1987’s Visual Lies.

Version

The version I listened to is listed as the 2001 version released by Metal Blade available on Apple Music. I looked and saw a release for 2002 and the song placement has “Save Me” on the B-side and “American Metal” closing out the A-side.

The A-Side

Things get started with the speedy opener “Council for the Cauldron.” It serves as a strong introduction to the band if a listener didn’t catch their demos. Actually, the production makes this a great intro for newcomers to Lizzy Borden as it’s not rough for this time in the 1980s. Bigger acts had slicker production, sure but the production on this album—when paired with the music itself—works.

As for the rest of the A-side, you have the strongest bangers in “Psychopath” and the self-titled track. In the middle area of the A-side is “Red Rum” which is a good song on its own. However, it’s pretty much the “Psychopath”, “Love You to Pieces” and the anthem “American Metal” show on this side.

Standout Tracks: Psychopath**, Love You to Pieces**, American Metal***

The B-Side

On the review for Too Fast for Love, I said that it had the most B-side B-side I’d heard. The tracks firmly belonged on that side of the album and few would’ve made it to the A-side. Like W.A.S.P’s self-titled debut album, Love You to Pieces has a very un-B-side B-side. This side would’ve made for a tremendous A-side.

“Flesheater” is a good B-side opener but I would’ve put “Godiva” or “Rod of Iron” there and move “Save Me” to the middle. Just to break up the ass kickery. “Warfare” is one of the stronger tracks on this side but it’s really held up by the speedster “Godiva” and the anthem “Rod of Iron”.

I love ending both sides with an anthem and bonus for “Rod of Iron” having an open that sounded like a ballad—only to slam the gas. Good sh**. I’m not a big ballad fan but I could’ve done one for Lizzy Borden since the rest of the album slams.

Standout Tracks: Godiva**, Rod of Iron***

Strength of the Opener: Council for the Caldron

I believe “Council for the Caldron” is an extremely strong opener for the album. A speedy opener that gives the listener an idea of what kind of party they’re getting into? Perfect. You’re getting mostly uptempo tracks running between 3 and 4-minutes. Not only that, most of the songs feel shorter because of the track placement.

“Council for the Caldron” could hold it down on either side and it would work perfectly. As for other possible openers “Psychopath”, “American Metal”, the self-titled track, and—actually, just the entire B-side. This album has a lot of might to it and is definitely an album to check out if you haven’t.

If you’ve already listened to it and enjoyed it—it’s almost 42 minutes, a pretty light listen. Give it another spin.

Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.