So this one is personal. I’m not coming at it like some neutral critic with a clipboard. I’m coming at it like a fan who has carried this band’s records across half his life, which means I get to love them and side eye them in the same breath. And the question on the table is a real one. Did the biggest thrash group to ever do it lose a little of its danger once the whole planet started singing along?

Roll it back to 1983. Kill ’Em All drops and it sounds like four broke kids who borrowed gear and recorded in a closet, because that’s basically what happened. There is dirt under every fingernail of that record. Hit the Lights, Whiplash, Seek and Destroy, all of it played like the rent was due and the only currency they had was speed. James Hetfield was barking, not crooning. Kirk Hammett was peeling off solos like he was being chased. You could practically smell the cheap beer and the sweat. Nothing about it was polished, and that was the entire point.

Then came the leap that told you these dudes had bigger plans. Ride the Lightning in 1984 took the raw thrash and added architecture. For Whom the Bell Tolls rolls in heavy as a funeral. Creeping Death stomps. And then Fade to Black showed up, a slow burning piece with actual melody, and the purists clutched their pearls like the boys had gone soft already. Funny how that conversation started so early. But that track wasn’t a surrender. It was a flex. They were showing you an outfit that could be brutal and beautiful without picking just one.

For my money though, the mountaintop is 1986. Master of Puppets is the album where every gamble paid off at once. The title cut is eight minutes of pure controlled chaos. Welcome Home Sanitarium aches. Orion is a wordless instrumental so gorgeous it makes you forget these were the same maniacs screaming about death a few tracks earlier. This record is the argument in a nutshell. Raw enough to scare your mama, smart enough to study. Nobody had married those two ideas that cleanly before, and a whole generation of bands spent the next decade chasing it.

Now I have to slow down and pour one out, because right after that peak the universe took Cliff Burton. The bus flipped over in Sweden in the fall of 1986 and the bassist who anchored all that ambition was gone at twenty four. You cannot tell this story honest without sitting in that grief for a second. The hungriest, most untouchable version of this group died on that road with him. Whatever came next, came after a loss that reshaped the entire project from the inside out.

And Justice for All in 1988 felt like the band processing that pain through sheer density. The songs are long, dry, jagged, almost cold. You can barely hear the new bass in the mix, which became its own legend. One gave them their first real video and a doorway to a wider crowd. The machine was warming up. You could feel something shifting, even if you couldn’t name it yet.

Then 1991 happened and changed the math forever. The self titled joint, the one everybody calls the Black Album, sanded the eight minute epics down into tight radio bullets. Enter Sandman, Sad But True, Nothing Else Matters. Bob Rock cleaned up the production until it gleamed. And it worked beyond anybody’s wildest dream, selling tens of millions and turning a thrash crew from the underground into stadium gods who soundtracked football games and car commercials. Here is where the central tension finally bursts wide open.

Because did that mean they sold out? My honest take is more complicated than a simple yes. Those tunes are built like tanks. Enter Sandman is a perfect piece of writing, and anybody who pretends it isn’t is letting nostalgia lie to them. But something did change in the trade. The danger got smoothed. The records before this one felt like they might leap out the speaker and rob you. This new direction felt like it wanted to be your friend, fill an arena, get the lighters up. Not worse exactly. Tamer though. The fangs were still there, just filed down a touch so they didn’t draw as much blood.

The era that follows is where I get genuinely salty, and I won’t pretend otherwise. Load and Reload in the mid nineties brought the short haircuts, the eyeliner, the bluesy alt rock cosplay. The look screamed that they were chasing whatever was charting instead of leading the charge like they used to. Then the Napster mess landed, and Lars Ulrich became the public face of a lawsuit against the very file-sharing world where many young fans were discovering music. The most rebellious group on earth was now lecturing teenagers about downloading. Read that back slow. The irony was almost too thick to breathe.

St. Anger in 2003 is its own strange beast. They tried to sound raw again, ditched the guitar solos on purpose, and recorded a snare that sounds like somebody banging a trash can lid in an empty garage. Bless the effort, because the hunger was finally back in their eyes. The execution just tripped over its own feet. You could hear a crew trying to remember who they were after a decade of being everybody’s favorite radio metal. Watch Some Kind of Monster, the documentary from that stretch, and you see millionaires in therapy trying to locate the fire they once had for free.

To their credit, they kept swinging. Death Magnetic in 2008 reached back toward the thrashy old self with real intention and mostly nailed it. Hardwired to Self Destruct kept that thread going. 72 Seasons in 2023 proved these old heads can still gallop. They never went away, and they never stopped trying to recapture lightning. That matters. A lot of legends would have coasted on the catalog and called it a career.

So let me answer the question I started with as plain as I can. Did winning the whole world soften the edge? Yeah. It did. There is simply no version of this story where a band sells out every stadium on the globe and keeps the exact feral quality of four hungry kids in a closet. Comfort changes you. Money changes you. The threat of being broke and ignored was the fuel, and once that ran out the fire had to burn on something else.

But here is the part the angry purists always skip. Changing the edge is not the same as losing the soul. The hunger of the early days is genuinely irreplaceable, and I will scream that into a microphone. And yet, writing off everything after 1986 is lazy fan behavior dressed up as taste. These men dragged an entire underground genre into the mainstream and made it impossible to ignore. They turned thrash into a global language. Kids in countries that band never even visited learned guitar because of those riffs.

My final word is this. I keep both versions in heavy rotation, and I refuse to choose. I want the broke maniacs who recorded like the rent was due, and I want the grown survivors still trying to outrun their own legend three decades later. The teeth got filed down, sure. The bite never fully disappeared. And honestly, the fact that we are still arguing about it forty years deep is the loudest proof that what they built will outlive every one of us. Now if you’ll excuse me, Battery just kicked in again, and my spine has some straightening to do.

Staff Writer; Terry Poole

This brother brings sharp ears, deep respect, and real passion to every heavy metal riff, rock record, and overlooked gem he covers for TheBRHM… He writes for fans who still believe loud music should have soul, history, and meaning…

One may contact him at TerryP@TheBRHM.com.

Let’s look at the three things that really reignited my interest in metal music in 2006. For context, I started back listening to rock music in 2004 via Fuse TV covering the “Van’s Warped Tour”. That led to me discovering Uranium hosted by Mistress Juliya. Uranium introduced me to a lot of modern metal and metalcore bands but I wasn’t getting that history of the genre.

I was purchasing metal compilations through mail order in 2005 but I was listening to a lot hip-hop and the pop punk bands Fuse had in heavy rotation. When VH1 began pushing “Metal Month”, my interest was piqued and I would be tuning in.

Re-Airing Headbanger’s Ball

While not the biggest factor in me diving into metal, the re-runs of Headbanger’s Ball introduced me to a lot of bands from the 80s that caught my imagination. I remember staying up late and writing down band names even though I had classes to instruct the next morning.

It was in those airings that I first discovered Judas Priest and Dio through the videos for “Breaking the Law” and “Rainbow in the Dark”. Hearing their vocals made me a vocals-first fan since I love storytelling and imagery.

By the next month, I had Metal World ’73-’93 and checked out a bunch of Dio and Black Sabbath albums from the library. So, it was pretty effective in getting me interested.

Heavy: The Story of Metal

I’m a documentary fan and a metal documentary is something I’m going to set time aside for. Narrated by MTV OG and 120 Minutes host Matt Pinfield, Heavy covered the major bits of metal history.  The short of it is a focus on the hard rock influence, a little bit on punk, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, the 80s boom period, thrash, glam, and the 90s.

The major bits since it only had four 40+ minute episodes to get it all in. Hell, the 90s episode (the last in the docuseries) focused more on the rise of alternative and grunge before getting into nu metal.

At time, I found it to be an engaging film but I was pretty new to metal, so I learned a lot. Looking at it more recently after listening to a lot of metal over the years and reading biographies, it was more of a decent crash course.

Think of it as a cheese sample at the supermarket. Technically barely a bite but who knows, you might just stick around.

Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey

While Heavy was a sample, Sam Dunn’s Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey was more like a two or three plate run at the buffet. There was still that “this is a good starting place to learn” factor that I get from Heavy years later but there was more of a dive into the history and origins of the genre.

The addition of the metal family tree was very helpful because it introduced bands not shown in the Headbanger’s Ball re-runs or in Heavy. It introduced a couple of subgenres, featured interviews with musicians of varying levels of success and influence, and gave us the filmmaker’s story of his love for metal.

It was an honest documentary that spawned Global Metal which explored more of the international metal scene and history and the series Metal Evolution.

Supergroup

While it didn’t have an impact on me diving into metal and becoming a fan, I guess we can’t end this with discussing Supergroup. I watched it in the first run of the show and  it was…reality TV.  It wasn’t exactly Rock of Love (which probably also aired during “Metal Month”) or Flavor of Love but more like Real World with old rockers.

It featured drama in form of stress over making new music with a band including Sebastian Bach formerly of Skid Row, Jason Bonham son of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham and formerly of UFO and Foreigner, Ted Nugent, Evan Seinfeld of Biohazard, and Scott Ian of Anthrax.

There was also some drama around Bach’s drinking in the show but he came through at end during the band’s debut show. That was the show. It was entertaining at times but it wasn’t worth the watch then or worth a rewatch now. If anything, I checked out Anthrax and early Skid Row while learning about the band members.

Do you remember VH1’s “Metal Month”? What were your favorite or least favorite parts of it? Pick your memory and share in the comments!

Centered around the mythos of Vancouver-based former Mr. USA and Mr. Canada bodybuilding champion Jon Mikl Thor, the eponymous band started out heavily rooted in the love of rock and adventures-with-swords fantasy.

Thor’s music is right up my alley thematically and you might dig them too if you’re into early Manilla Road and Manowar from the U.S, Sweden’s Heavy Load, or early Stormwitch from Germany.

The Sixth Release of Thor: Triumphant

What we’re looking at is Thor’s 2002 full-length release Triumphant and the tracklisting. When the album released, it featured ten tracks and clocked in at just 58 minutes:

1. Call of the Triumphant
2. Intercessor (from the film The Intercessor: Rock n Roll Nightmare Part 2)
3. Viking’s Funeral
4. Back for Blood
5. Anger
6. Thunderhawk
7. Everybody Needs a Hero
8. Fubar Is a Super Rocker (from the film Fubar: The Movie)
9. Hail Steeve Reeves
10. The Guardian’s Flame – An Opus by Thor I. Thunder on the Tundra, II. Crimson Twilite, III. War Hammer

I remember getting this album in 2007 as part of one of those Columbia House CD-type deals where you could get a selection of CDs for the price of one. Also in that haul was the Judas Priest compilation Metal Works ’73-’93. At the time, I remember the album being alright. I definitely enjoyed “Call of the Triumphant”, loved “Intercessor” and liked “Anger” but it was either the selection of songs or the placement of the songs that didn’t really do it for me.

It was shame because there are Thor albums I liked such as Only the Strong and Thunderstruck where the song placement wasn’t an issue. Remember, it always helps  to have a good amount of fun or great songs on each side. It isn’t unusual to get an album that is too top-heavy with all the bangers in the first half or too bottom-heavy where you have to get through some mid or decent tracks to get to the primo songs.

Look For Those Alternate Versions

I admit that Triumphant might not be the best example of an alternate release. That’s an honor that Judas Priest’s Killing Machine and Hell Bent for Leather would take. Triumphant was picked because the 2003 re-release by Scratch Records featured some slight shuffling of tracks and the addition of a few songs bringing it to 15 tracks and a length of a little over 70 minutes:

1. March to Glory
2. I Am Thor
3. Anger III
4. Call of the Triumphant
5. Intercessor (from the film The Intercessor: Rock n Roll Nightmare Part 2)
6. Slave
7. Viking’s Funeral
8. Back for Blood
9. GraveYard
10. Thunderhawk
11. Throwing Cars at People in Coke with Thor (ft. Full Blown AIDS)
12. The Guardian’s Flame – An Opus by Thor I. Thunder on the Tundra, II. Crimson Twilite, III. War Hammer
13. Fubar Is a Super Rocker (from the film Fubar: The Movie)
14. Everybody Needs a Hero
15. Hail Steeve Reeves

The extra songs were like decent bonus than tunes that gave the album a different sound or made for different listening experience but the slight tracklist shuffling made this a better listen. Sometimes you just want all the bangers in one place or in close proximity to each other. In the case of Triumphant, the songs I enjoyed the most from the original release make up a trifecta of tracks.

Meanwhile, other tracks I wasn’t initially impressed with were viewed more favorably because they were deeper into the album or had better lead-in songs. That isn’t to say that this became the Thor album—that’s either Thunderstruck or Thor Against the World—but this was the album where I first noticed tracklisting and song placement is everything.

What are some albums you believe could’ve benefited from better track placement? Are there some songs from an album you believe would be better used on a different album? Let us know in the comments!

Also, Dissident Alliance is a release that is best that it isn’t included. It would’ve been better just to drop Chain of Command in 1994. At any rate, we’re looking at the band’s debut Ample Destruction.

Introducing Jag Panzer

Jag Panzer is a band that fans of 80s metal or power metal might be familiar with. Founded in 1981 as Tyrant, the act has featured co-founders bass player John Tetley and guitarist Mark Broidy for the bulk of its first run until 1988 and since the band’s revival in 1993. Their present vocalist is also a co-founder: Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin.

The Tyrant remained with the band until shortly after the release of Ample Destruction then left to record the 1986 release Metal from Hell for fellow Colorado metal act, Satan’s Host. Conklin would make his return to Jag Panzer in 1995 in time to record the band’s other classic, The Fourth Judgment in 1997.

For the early 1980s, the band’s sound reminds me of a mix of Brocas Helm’s performance on their 1984 debut Into Battle and Lizzy Borden’s performance on Love You to Pieces. Jag Panzer is one of those bands I often point to as a great example of 80s U.S power metal or epic heavy metal. They’re capable of dark, moody dungeon-exploring metal and speedier war-ready battle hymns.

We’re going to look at both sides of Ample Destruction, see what stands out on both sides of the album, and go into the opening and closing track. This album in its original form included nine tracks, no instrumentals or spoken word parts, and runs for just over 39 minutes.

While the OG album isn’t on Apple Music, you can check out Decade of the Nailed-Spiked Bat. Released in 2003, it features the tracks from Ample Destruction shuffled and mixed in with tracks from the 1992 Tyrants EP and Chain of Command.

A-Side of Ample Destruction

With five tracks, the A-side of Ample Destruction is one of the stronger album A-sides. On the one hand, this isn’t exactly rare because there are plenty of albums that either A-side-heavy or have good distribution on both sides. Then again, you also have albums that can be an ordeal together because of a boggy A-side with only a smattering of bangers, rippers, or pounders or it’s lop-sided with all the good stuff on the B-side.

The thing with this is the A-side is typically the first album or the early tracks on an album and you don’t want to have to go through a mid or bad A-side just to get to the actual A-side material. A heads up: this album falls into the first category with a strong distribution of bangers on both sides and no skips.

Ample Destruction opens with the banger “License to Kill”, the shortest song on side A and the album overall at just over 3-minutes and it gives the album a strong start and is a nice sample of what you’re getting into with Jag Panzer. I feel it’s a good introduction to Harry Conklin’s singing ability but it isn’t the best example on the album. Following “License to Kill” are “Warfare” and “Symphony of Terror”. “Warfare” is a strong follow-up pounder and “Symphony of Terror” a more of a mid-tempo, building epic. Again, it showcases Conklin’s singing throughout and really lets him do his thing on chorus.

Closing out the A-side are the star tracks “Harder Than Steel”, a tune that picks up the pack just a bit but keeps the pounder approach. I often mention this song as a good example of epic heavy metal or U.S power metal. The guitars have that bite you’ll hear in “License to Kill” and “Warfare” and the dazzle of “Symphony of Terror” but it has a little more umph or speed to it. However, it’s not the speeder of this side.

That honor goes to A-side closer “Generally Hostile”, one of the two speed metal entries of the album. The song gallops, rides, and has a lot of punch to it. It’s also my favorite vocal display for Conklin on the album. I talk a lot about the vocals but the guitars and drums do their job and then some throughout the project. Whatever the theme or story of the song, they lay a great stage in each track for Conklin to paint the picture.

Standout Tracks: Symphony of Terror**, Harder Than Steel**, Generally Hostile**

B-Side

After a heavy A-side, we have “The Watching” which a slower, somewhat grim tune that clocks in at over four minutes. I’d say this song, B-sider “Reign of Tyrants”, “Symphony of Terror” and closing track “The Crucifix” are good introductions to Conklin’s band after Jag Panzer, Satan’s Host. Those are three songs that could easily be on their debut album Metal from Hell. Speaking of “The Crucifix”, it’s longest song on this debut at over seven minutes.

Often when I see lengthier song times, I tend to think “This is going to be a slow affair” and I might give the faster songs another listen to prep me. After doing that, I got into “The Crucifix” and the first three minutes and change seemed to confirm my fears. Then it kicks into the second half of track and the tempo picks up. I was pleased and it went together well enough that I couldn’t say “Just give me the second half of the song.” The entire song is fine but in the mix of the first nine, I don’t see it as a particularly strong closing song. It’s definitely a closer but I don’t know about it on Ample Destruction.

One reason for that is that the version I listened to was a re-issue which featured the bonus “Black Sunday”. I felt that would’ve made a better closer as it’s similar in tempo but brief at under three minutes. Before closing this out, we can’t forget “Cardiac Arrest”. Falling between “The Watching” and “Reign of Tyrants”, “Cardiac Arrest” is the other speed metal offering. While doesn’t have that same gasoline and fire as “Generally Hostile”, it gives the B-side a shot of energy on a mostly mid-tempo, heavy-leaning side.

Standout Tracks: The Watching*, Cardiac Arrest**

Strength of the Debut

I tend not to put grades or scores on these since they’re more retrospectives or quick dives than reviews but this a debut I would’ve given at least four stars or a low-90. It’s a great debut album and while it’s a cult album, it’s a classic of power metal and epic heavy metal. It showcases that early 80s period in U.S power metal and was how I discovered other U.S power metal acts from that period such as Brocas Helm, Manilla Road, Chastain, and Omen.

Admittedly, if I had discovered any of those bands first, I would’ve found Jag Panzer but this album was good enough and hit all those spots that I dig in metal music: strong, piercing vocals, fantasy or warfare lyricism, and guitar work that boosts or blends with the direction of the band and the singer’s abilities.

Ample Destruction is a ridiculously strong debut and highly recommended.

One of the things I wanted to do was touch on each Priest album before really digging into the best and worst parts of the band’s iconic releases. So, while there’s still Invincible Shield from 2024 to look at let’s take a gander at Redeemer or Souls—for a refresher or first look. This album was significant as it was the first album without long-time Priest guitarist and co-founder K.K Downing, the entrance of Richie Faulkner, and pretty much sharpened the sound of Angel of Retribution.

When it comes to Judas Priest, I tend to say follow their “of” albums to trace their sound and how it grows over time. The sound here is a more seasoned  version of what we heard on Angel of Retribution.

The First Act of ‘Redeemer of Souls’

So, Redeemer of Souls starts off with “Dragonaut” which wasn’t the strongest song to run as an opener on the album but this wasn’t your usual Priest album. If anything you could say it was lacking in firepower a bit throughout. The second and third tracks had stronger claims to being an opener but this is the track arrangement we have.

Again, the arrangement can make for a totally different listening experience in most cases. In the case of Redeemer of Souls—eh. Who knows? This album had a strong concentration of mediocre tunes and stuff that could’ve been left off. That’s another thing: less is more sometimes. While many artists drop releases with 15-20 tracks, oftentimes they can get it done with 10-15 of the strongest tracks on the album and have a near-untouchable release.

In the first half, we have standout tunes in the titular track and “Halls of Valhalla”. I feel they “Halls” is the stronger of the two. They sounded like they could’ve been bangers on Angel of Retribution easily. A tune that wasn’t going to be a banger but still had some muscle to it was “March of the Damned”. It was just above mid but I wouldn’t call it a highlight among the first seven tunes.

Strongest Tracks: Redeemer of Souls, Halls of Valhalla*

Act Two

The second act features six tracks capping off this 13-track journey. Now the first three tracks on this side of “Cold Blooded”, “Metalizer” and”Crossfire”? Not particularly bad. These songs could’ve been on Angel of Retribution with stronger nods to “Metalizer” and “Crossfire”. They have a shortness to them which make them punchy and at this point in Priest’s run, I prefer screeching Rob Halford with a punchy, powerful Priest.

Once we get to the last three tracks, we’re in longer tunes territory and I won’t lie, it didn’t work for me. This is a hard assortment of tracks to try and rearrange for the stronger album. Some songs—like these three—run a little long and if you tune out and let the music just run the speakers, you won’t know where one song ends and another begins. I often caught on that “Battle Cry” was playing because I’d heard it a bit before listening to the full album.

Oddly, this was one of those time where the B-side didn’t totally show the A-side how it’s done.

Strongest Tracks: Metalizer, Crossfire

Recommendation: Skip

By the time we reach track eight, this album really just flows from one song to the next without any song after the third really standing out up until this point. That’s not entirely a bad thing but you could say it is when the album had been in the works for three years and it’s six years after the last release. Not only that, it was a release that many were mixed on. I’d say the average take on Nostradamus from those I asked has been “It’s alright.”

Meaning Redeemer just had to be better than “Alright” or at least match it. Unfortunately, it was a bit flat listening to it years later. It’s odd because I actually remember enjoying this album for the most part. If you’re exploring Priest for the first time, I’d say this isn’t the best introduction. If you’re rusty, this one is skippable and didn’t get better after a decade of marination.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

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 Type of Vibe Is Blind Guardian?

To be honest, there are different vibes with Blind Guardian’s music. It can depend on the decade or the particular project. For most of their discography BG is pretty intense and that’s mostly on the pace of albums and the band’s playing speed.

Blind Guardian is one of the pioneering bands of what speed metal—my favorite genre—would become in the 1980s. The genre had already been established with albums such as Judas Priest’s Sad Wings of Destiny, Motorhead’s debut album, and Riot’s Rock City.

With the bands that made it out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal—the ones that found success and fame—you’d hear a lot of speed metal on albums. There was a mixing of UK punk and heavier rock music during this period. The result of a mix of bands with more mid-tempo approach and some that were faster but had their mid-tempo moments.

These albums would make it outside of England and influence younger bands that were experimenting with their sound—such as Blind Guardian in the late 80s. So, for their sound, BG was definitely faster early on. The band mixed this speedy approach with fantasy and Lord of the Rings-inspired lyrics.

It was a new and fun experience when I first heard this classic German outfit, I had dove into speed metal and thrash metal. All of it was aggressive with songs about Hell, destruction, violence, nuclear war, politics, and so on. So, this was extremely refreshing.

There was still this aggressive, fast approach that I love but it had its moments where it would get away from that for a moment. When I researched Blind Guardian more, I found that this was also one of the bands that would pioneer power metal—another favorite genre—and it made sense.

In short, if you like some umph to your fantasy tales and epic legends, Blind Guardian has you most of the time. As the 90s and 00s rolled around, BG mixed in some more mid-tempo pieces as their albums became more conceptual and featured more of an atmosphere to tell stories.

The Performance of Battalions of Fear

This album is a total beast from start to finish. Hell, I’m far from the biggest instrumental fan but the two instrumentals that are on the A-side and B-side (the third and eighth tracks, respectively) were really good. As I’ve always said, I’m a big vocals and lyrics guy, so instrumentals really have to add to the album’s pace or atmosphere.

From “Majesty”, the album opener to “Battalions of Fear”, the last lyrical track, this album doesn’t let up pace-wise. It’s a fun, fast album that blitzes you with semi-related but commonly-themed adventures, lore, and the like. These are themes you’d want in music that is more mid-paced or slower so that you can digest the stories and stuff.

In BG’s case, it’s taking out a lot of the exposition and hitting you with the heat seekers. It’s like watching the trailer or a commercial for Lord of the Rings or the later Harry Potter films where the most exciting or dramatic parts are shown. That’s Battalions of Fear and the follow-up.

The original album is a 37-minute trailer to reel the listener in on their sound and material—and works! Their first two albums just reel you in and then you start to get the full movie or whole book approach with the 90s albums.

As a matter of fact, as unrefined as Battalions of Fear can sound at times when compared with their recent albums, I’d say that not only is BoF a great debut but probably one of the greatest. BG’s sound came a long way in albums 35 years of making metal.

I’d even recommend listening to the bonus edition. It’s available on Spotify and iTunes and features some demo material which is often times rawer than the released studio albums.

Power of the Opener: “Majesty”

The opening track on Battalions of Fear is “Majesty” which clocks in at seven and a half minutes. It’s not a fast seven minutes, either. You are cognizant that you’ve been on this song for some time and that it hasn’t bled over into another song. No, this is still the same song and you’re just four minutes through it.

That aside, it’s a lengthy track with a strong, fast-pace. If it were a little faster it would be exhausting, actually. Keeping that pace for anything over three or four minutes? Insanity! Four minutes is pushing it before I start considering pressing “next”. However, there are tracks that either ride the full time at full speed or tracks that ride fast, give you a short breather, and continue riding.

“Majesty” falls in the latter category. There is a momentum of breathing space before the pace ramps back up. This is a damn good opening track and a good pick as here are some other lengthy songs on the album which hit five and six minutes.

I couldn’t picture “Majesty” being in the middle of the album and at least not on the A-side. However, a good replacement opener would definitely be “Run for the Night”. It rides harder than “Majesty” at less time. However, it lacks that little extra that would make it a better opener. “Run for the Night” is a song for after you’ve caught Blind Guardian’s pace and approach. It’s not exactly the first BG song I’d pick as an intro if time wasn’t an issue.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

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 Kind of Vibe is Riot City?

At first, I was thinking “Wow, Riot City gives me Riot vibes.” Riot is an 80s band from New York City that different periods before settling in the speed metal and power metal lanes. The thing about each of those periods is that they each had some pretty damn good stuff. Their first two albums were hard rock but had speed metal songs on both in the late 1970s.

However, Riot wasn’t to be exact. It’s just that the opening track “Warrior of Time” rides like a Riot song. No, Riot City reminded me more of a speedier Judas Priest. They’re as if you mixed Priest’s Painkller and Defenders of the Faith together, tossed in some Battalions of Fear from Blind Guardian, and gave it a gallon of 80s bite.

Riot City is as if Judas Priest played just their high energy hits and we’ve got some King Diamond or Lizzy Borden mixed in where the lead singer will ride the peak of their shrieking. It all makes for a fast, heavy, and sometimes epic listen. The way that the vocals are used from track to track takes the album on some other direction with a familiar conductor.

The band has been around since 2011 and just released their debut in 2019. They had plenty of time to practice, write songs, round them out, and perform with other projects before they floated out Burn the Night and that was time well spent.

If I had to firmly place the sound, it’s towards the end of Halford’s first run with Judas Priest and some of Halford’s solo albums—but faster. The sound is as if you had all of the fast Priest songs in simplest terms. I know many enjoy the slower, more meaningful Priest songs but the faster ones really rock, folks.

So, imagine if Judas Priest played Defenders of the Faith, Painkiller, Redeemers of Souls, and Firepower—and only those albums but faster. That’s pretty much Riot City. It’s not the best description but that’s what I’d go with for someone more familiar with Judas Priest or older metal.

Great Debuts: “Burn the Night”

Talk about an A+ debut! Burn the Night is just about a perfect debut for a metal band in their vein. There’s the foundation of “We play fast, heavy as hell metal music. We’re loud and heavy” with a little of the unexpected. After the first two songs, you get the idea that this might be a pretty fast affair.

You’d be correct as the album is 37-minutes. However, the third track changes things up a bit. “In the Dark” starts off sounding like a ballad—which I’m not too big on—then it really starts to rock. I mean, it really starts to rock once it kicks into gear. Then you know “Oh, this whole thing is a speedy affair. Nice.”

Throughout the album, the band just rides tracks. The percussion and bass are holding the pace of these songs tightly because the guitars can go on their own at times. Sometimes, the guitars can ride a little hard then the vocals glues all of it together.

Speaking of the vocals, Cale Savy did the damn thing on this album. He had moments where he brought tracks into this epic realm outside of the speed fest approach. Apparently, he’s handed over vocal duties so we’ll see if they keep the explosive approach of this debut or make something entirely different.

Burn the Night is the debut from a young band made of seasoned musicians who have been in other bands in Canada. While each player has other projects that either came before Riot City or are more active, this band has a lot of potential to deliver a strong follow-up based off just the debut.

To sum up the album: it’s what Painkiller III or Painkiller IV would’ve been if Judas Priest made the first Painkiller a series of albums. I hate to keep comparing Riot City to Judas Priest but there are times in this album where it just really hits: “Priest”.

Strength of the Opener: “Warrior of Time”

I’d say that “Warrior of Time” is a good opener for Burn the Night. It’s an explosive track that doesn’t even display Cale’s vocals at their peak but it rides for almost six minutes. It has this pace that really establishes what you’re getting into on this album. Sometimes you want to be surprised while other times you just want to know what kind of party it is.

Hell, sometimes you just want consistency. I’m big consistency in a band and throughout an album. Burn the Night is a very consistent album and “Warrior of Time” really sets that up. If I had to pick a different opener then “Steel Rider” or “The Hunter” would be my closest picks. However, “Warrior of Time” is the strongest track of the three.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

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.

However, the California offerings beside Hirax don’t get that much of a mention. I sum it up as not having that big of catalog or a strong output across decades. We’re looking at what I feel is the better introduction to Sound Barrier of its two full length releases: 1986’s Speed of Light.

Side A of Speed of Light

The first five tracks of Speed of Light make for an extremely strong A-side. It was as if Sound Barrier was expecting this album to be a breakout project for the band and they went all out on the four original tracks and the Thin Lizzy cover which closes out the side.

The opening/titular track kicks things off with some speed metal that wouldn’t be out of place on a U.S power metal release of this period such as Omen’s Battle Cry or Jag Panzer’s Ample Destruction. This song gives a sampling of what to expect for the rest of the album as for the band’s sound and approach.

My personal favorite from the A-side is the follow-up tune “Gladiator” which is right up my alley when comes to more sci-fi or fantasy-themed speed metal. If we’re not in the whipping through the wasteland in war wagons, I like my speed metal along these lines and could’ve taken an album of just this from Sound Barrier.

“On the Level (Head Banger)” and “What Price of Glory?” are both good tracks that keep the A-side just rocking along. They don’t slow down the album or give an early breather but the album as a whole isn’t the fastest thing. It’s very up tempo throughout but we’re talking about a pounder-heavy project. It’s not ripping through tracks like a Kreator or Sodom release.

Closing out the A-side is a clean cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Hollywood (Down on Yours Luck)” . Now, I enjoy the original from the 1981 release Renegade but I really dig the pace of this one. The OG track has a some grit to it, Sound Barrier’s sounds like it has better production for the time in addition to a little more heaviness. It’s similar to the Judas Priest treatment of Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust” that I love.

Strongest Tracks: Speed of Light, Gladiator**, Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)*

B-Side

Kicking off the B-side is “Fight for Life!” which puts us back into something that could’ve been on an early Omen or Jag Panzer release. Or more specifically a number of U.S power metal albums that dropped in the early-mid 1980s. Along with speed metal and thrash, that genre is right up my alley, so this was very pleasing to the ear.

The heavyweight of this side is “Aim for the Top” which could’ve been the opening track. It has more speed to it than the previous track and would’ve been at home on the A-side. This is the 80s metal I love to hear and if Speed of Light had been along these lines from start to finish, I’d say this was an essential listen for the speed merchants.

“Hard As a Rock” is heavy track that straddles between heavier hard rock and a pretty run of the mill heavy metal pounder. It’s not the heaviest of pounders but it’s still a solid tune. It has the misfortune of coming after “Aim for the Top” and would’ve probably been better served as the closer to the stronger A-side.

Thinking about it, this track and the closer “On to the Next Adventure” are the best examples of the overall production of this album. It will remind you of a NWOBHM era album. Other tracks on the album had enough speed and energy to them that production took a bit of a back seat to my observations but these two tunes don’t have that same umph as most tracks here.

However, Sound Barrier didn’t slack on the album closer. It’s a good, heavy song with some get up and go that ends things on a strong but unfulfilling note as there was no next adventure for Sound Barrier. There wouldn’t be a single until 2017 then nothing else.

Following Speed of Light, Sound Barrier called it a day and some members moved on to other bands, notably projects associated with former short-time Sound Barrier guitarist Alex Masi.

Strongest Tracks: Fight for Life, Aim for the Top**, On to the Next Adventure

Strength of the Opener: Speed of Light

As mentioned above, the titular track “Speed of Light” is a strong opener for this album. It does the job of establishing either the pace or atmosphere of the album

Oddly enough, when I first gave this album a listen years ago, I remember not thinking much of the opener. Looking back, I was heavily into my new wave of thrash bag and I preferred blistering fast tracks start to finish. When I got into Manowar, Chastain, and Omen, a gained an appreciation for “Speed of Light”.

So, it’s a great opening track for the album. Alternative opening tracks include “Gladiator” from the A-side and “Aim for the Top” from the B-side.

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.

A-Side of Sacred Steel’s “Ritual Supremacy”

Getting right into it, the album starts off with a titular pounder. You’d think it set the tone for the album for wait until the B-side, folks. “Ritual Supremacy” has the speed and heaviness balance I prefer down pat and wouldn’t you know it: “Leather, Spikes, and Chains” follows up in the same fashion.

“Watcher Infernal” is slower but heavy and it breaks things up a bit. It’s not a slow as the following tune but it’s definitely a tempo shift. This isn’t unusual for Sacred Steel releases and depending on the album you might come across it sooner or later on the A-side.

What’s certain is that Sacred bloody Steel really runs with it when they’ve a slam fest of fast tracks going then you’ll might get a double dose of doom after.

They’re a versatile band and have something for the speed freaks like yours truly and the doom hounds. It might not be exactly what you want for one or both but it’s on the table should you choose to partake.

“A Shadow in the Bell Tower” is another of the dark, macabre pounders that Sacred Steel excels at. It rides similarly to the titular song and “Leather, Spikes, and Chains”. What I also enjoyed about this track is that it didn’t overstay its welcome. It’s one of the three short speedsters on Ritual Supremacy and it just works. I could’ve done with another minute but the length is perfect for a track of this pace.

The A side closer, “Entombed Within the Iron Walls of Dis” is a gloomy epic about the titular Dis from Dante’s Inferno. It jumps between the band’s aggressive speed and epic doom during the more melodic parts.

Vocalist Gerri P. Mutz has a lot of experience in speed, power and doom metal, so these kinds of songs aren’t exactly experimental for him or Sacred Steel. I’m going to put this in the “banger” column.

Strongest Tracks: Leather, Spikes, and Chains*, A Shadow in the Bell Tower*, Entombed Within the Iron Walls of Dis**

B-Side

“Bedlam Eternal” is similar to four of the A side tracks and I’m good with that. The pace of the album was awesome on that side—why not keep it up. I’m not a listener who gets speed weariness, it gets the thumbs up from me.

“Demon Witch Possession” is a pounder that could’ve started the B-side easily. As a matter of fact, it could’ve been on the A-side since it’s a little more aggressive than a track like “Watcher Infernal” or the titular track. It’s one of the 3-minute slammers on the album.

The epic for the B-side is “Covenant of Grace” which clocks in at just a little over 6-minutes. It’s different from “Entombed Within the Iron Walls of Dis”, in that it leans more into doom trappings pace-wise. The heaviness of this epic is played up more and that works to break up the pounders.

“Omen Rider” is one of the songs on Ritual Supremacy that is squarely an epic heavy metal song. It’s far from doom metal and rides with speed metal but it isn’t a pounder like the majority of the tracks here.

Don’t get me wrong, there is speed to be had here but it’s more in bursts. For the majority of the song, there’s a heavy, galloping pace—like a faster Iron Maiden.

The album closer “Let the Blackness Comes to Me” sees Sacred Steel return to its magical doom and gloom sorrow bag. Pace-wise, it’s a follow up to “Omen Rider”, it’s just sorrow-laden but not chock full of misery—that’s always a plus in my book for songs.

All that aside, it’s a good song and a great closer. Sure, I prefer speed but this is a good song and something different after banging my head hard for the first half.

Strongest Tracks: Demon Witch Possession*, Omen Rider

Strength of the Opener: Ritual Supremacy

Having listened to Sacred Steel since 2007 and having gone back to listen to older albums, there are things you come to expect from the band that they always hit each album. One of those is hot dropping with a double dose of speed to kick things off.

If there isn’t a double dose, the pounder tends to come after a heavy opener as was the case with 2004’s Iron Blessings and the opener-follow up combo of “Open Wide the Gates” and “Your Darkest Saviour”.

The opener here was could’ve opened or closed the album, it’s a flexible song that could’ve also been any place on the album. It did well as an opener, the majority of the songs were in a similar vein, and I’m pro-starting things off with a fast-paced banger. I wouldn’t give “banger” honors to “Ritual Supremacy” but it did a good job kicking things off.

As for other opening options, I’m going with “Leather, Spikes and Chains”, “Demon. Witch Possession”, or “A Shadow in the Bell Tower”. In that order.

The album as a whole is an extremely fun listen from start to finish. It reminded me of  a blend of their 2004 release Iron Blessings and 2013’s The Bloodshed Summoning, two albums I really enjoyed. I found this release to be a better follow up to The Bloodshed Summoning than Heavy Metal Sacrifice.

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.