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.

Most of these songs are from the band’s hot late-1970s run where Phil Lynott had become seasoned as a front man. The 80s weren’t the best time for the band as really drug abuse impacted their recording.

The Boys Are Back in Town (Jailbreak, 1976)

This is a track that everyone raised on radio has heard at least once. It was regularly in local commercials here in the Yellowhammer State along with Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s Alright” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”.

Despite how overplayed the song is, it is the best introduction to the band’s music. The opening verse lets you know it’s just about bunch of hometown boys who returned to the city:

“Guess who just got back today?
Those wild-eyed boys that had been away
Haven’t changed, haven’t much to say
But man, I still think those cats are great”

Lynott’s vocals here are pretty much his baseline. This was a commercial hit that had a little of the trademark street-dangerous energy of Thin Lizzy but this song isn’t our next three tunes.

Johnny (Johnny the Fox, 1976)

One of my all-time favorite Thin Lizzy tunes: “Johnny” tells the story of a drug addict driven to the extremes of armed robbery. The titular Johnny finds himself surrounded by police only to meet his death in a dirty alley.

As an aside, I think this Johnny is the same one that was mentioned in “The Boys Are Back in Town” but not the titular Johnny the Fox.

I love storytelling songs and at just shy of four-and-a-half minutes, this is one of the best ones I’ve heard. Depending on the singer, this could’ve been just another song but Thin Lizzy’s performance made the song.

Hands down, “Johnny” is the best song on the album and one of Thin Lizzy’s best.

Opium Trail (Bad Reputation, 1977)

Lynott passed in January 1986 at the age 36 of sepsis. For years he had dealt with drugs and alcohol during a chaotic period for rock and roll. I view “Opium Trail” as something of a part one to our next entry as it’s about the highs and lows of drug use. We’re not at the end of a story like “Johnny”.

The song has a different vibe from a lot of Lizzy songs in that it’s funkier—much like the excellent “Waiting for An Alibi”. Most of Thin Lizzy’s songs are heavily rooted in blues. Actually, it’s one of those classic rock bands where you can still hear the blues roots in their music as it developed.

Compared to the rest of the songs on this list, only “Opium Trail” and the last entry give off a different vibe for Thin Lizzy.

Got to Give It Up (Black Rose: A Rock Legend, 1979)

This track our pretty much be in the middle if you were to put “Johnny” and “Opium Trail” in a sequence. “Got to Give It Up” is basically about an addict explaining why they need to quit drugs and telling the listener to tell their parents about how they’ve failed at trying to get off the stuff.

“Got to Give It Up” was definitely a personal song for Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy. Again, this was a period where Lynott and other musicians were heavily into drugs and the effects on recording were usually evident.

In Thin Lizzy’s case, the issues came through in the recording process even though the band was ridiculously consistent with releasing albums during their run. Lynott’s singing here is blues-y as usual but it’s the significance of the song that gives it that extra nudge to being an essential track.

Our next track has never been considered an essential track but it’s definitely a must hear Thin Lizzy song.

Cold Sweat (Thunder and Lightning, 1983)

As mentioned in other articles, Thunder and Lightning marked a stylistic change for the band. The albums that were released during the late 1970s had a little bit of metal in them. There was definitely an “edge” there that made their hard rock sound a little more aggressive and a little more dangerous than contemporaries like KISS.

To be a little more specific, Thin Lizzy was like an Irish version of Australia’s AC/DC but Thunder and Lightning was the band’s Painkiller. It’s a direction Thin Lizzy should’ve taken earlier as the band’s trademark dueling guitars were a perfect fit.

The awesome thing here is that everything around Lynott changed while he came in with his tried-and-true performance and it worked wonderfully. The guitars had much more bite to them on this album and “Cold Sweat” is the best example of that new direction.

While the album as a whole is both late for the band but just in time for that wave of hard rock and metal, this track would’ve been at home on an older album like Jailbreak, Black Rose: A Rock Legend, or Renegade.

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.

Definitely hard rock but there’s speed and weight to it. Most of these songs don’t have that slower blues mosey or rockabilly bounce you’ll hear in energetic songs from AC/DC or Kiss. Also, pay attention to what Freddie Mercury is able to do with his voice on the debut.

The A-Side

I’ve done a few albums from the 1970s and 1980s where we have a 10-track release that manages to keep things under 40 minutes. In those cases, the album is usually split eventually across the two sides. With Queen, we an A-side with four tracks but that’s because a few songs are a bit on the beefy side length-wise.

There are two tracks that really caught my attention here in the two “King” songs. “Great King Rat” comes in with speed and heaviness which I love, of course. It’s not what you’d get from speed metal in the 1980s but it was similar to a song on New York band Riot’s first two albums. I’d something like “Road Racin’” or “Warrior.”

As mentioned in our review of Riot, those first two albums—also released in the 1970s—were hard rock with a speed metal song tucked in there somewhere. Queen was definitely cooking with something here—they were cooking throughout the album—but this song and the other A-side banger really intrigued me.

Before getting into that one, “Keep Yourself Alive” deserves a nod for opening the album with some bite. There’s such a mix on this album that if you’re someone who needs some fire off the bat—like myself—this track does the job.

“My Fairy King” is my favorite track on the album. It reminds me of something I would hear on a Rainbow album—and that gets a massive thumbs up. Queen released before Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow but the more of that and Uriah Heep I hear here, the better.

I’m not the biggest progressive rock fan and Queen isn’t just dominated by it but what prog is here leans more towards the faster, heavy end. That works for me.

Standout Tracks: Great King Rat**, My Fairy King***

The B-Side

The B-side is pretty damn good throughout. It opens with “Liar” which has the same bite and oomph as “Keep Yourself Alive.” Things slow down quite a bit with “The Night Comes Down” which is a fine song and the only track on the album that catch me off the bat. It would be replayed but on the first run through, it didn’t get any replays.

“Son and Daughter” and “Jesus” were the replay magnets on the B-side. I really enjoyed “Son and Daughter” it was right along what I like about “Great King Rat” with the heaviness. The album closes with “Jesus” and the instrumental “Seven Seas of Rhye.”

Instrumentals rarely do it for me but the closer was a brief one and decent. Again, there was a lot going down in under 40-minutes.

Standout Tracks: Liar*, Son and Daughter**, Jesus

Strength of the Opener: Keep Yourself Alive

My replacements for opener tend to come from the standout tracks on both sides. “Keep Yourself Alive” does a fine job as an opening track but either of the two “King” songs would be my top two picks for that slot. I love an album that starts off with dynamite, high energy—some fire and fury.

“Keep Yourself Alive” has both but “Great King Rat” is a stronger song and “My Fairy King” is even stronger! “GKR” is a bit lengthy for an explosive opener but part of this song’s strength comes from keeping that aggressiveness throughout.

“Son and Daughter” would make for a good opener as well and is punchy in length to where it doesn’t stick around too long.

Overall—like others who have reviewed or recommended Queen—I believe this album shows a lot of the potential that Queen would realize in the 1970s and 1980s. There were a few songs that were fine and many that were good or better. You can hear Queen showcasing “We can do this and that—oh and this! Plus we have this awesome singer and amazing guitarists!”

This album isn’t a collection of Queen’s best but they do deliver some bangers that make me wonder “What if they went this route?” and “I’d love more of this and less of that.” Queen encourages possibilities and ups anticipation for the follow-up and that gets a thumbs up.

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 never been particularly difficult to mix in funk with rock or metal to get a good mix. Living Colour, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Faith No More all did this and produced legendary bangers. As far funk taking in elements of rock, it’s been done with the likes of War, Mandrill, Funkadelic, Prince, and Rick James. We’ll definitely get into Funkadelic because their sound mixed psychedelic rock and their brand of P-funk wonderfully.

Rick James and His Street Funk

However, Rick James—who had a rock edge to his funk since 1979’s Fire It Up—had been considered one the main names in early funk rock. One way to describe it that I really liked was “funk straight from the street”. That’s actually very accurate because even in metal now, having a sound that has a street-wise edge—especially in speed metal—tends to add some character to a Motorhead, Hellhammer, or early-Venom-inspired band.

While his tales of street life, sex, and sleaze predated the L. A metal likes of Motley Crue, Faster Pussycat, and W.A.S P, it was that extra rock bite that made that took his funk from the jam-like enclosures of Parliament and Bootsy Collins and actually saw him become a name in the early MTV age. His funk and later Prince’s were marketable to the mainstream. It wasn’t dated and was right at home alongside Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, and so on.

Street Songs was the approach of Fire It Up revisited and sharpened. Released in 1981, Rick James had dropped an album loaded with memorable bangers, MTV and radio-ready, and headed up with four very strong singles. The other eight tracks that weren’t singles were no slouches either!

He had found a formula that would work for this period and simply had to stick with it. Of course, those in funk or with funk roots regularly experiment and aim to evolve their sound to some degree. While we might hear some funk acts in a form they’ve been in for 10 to 20 years now, it took them years to get their sound to that point and decide “This is it, this is the sound.”

Plus, you have to hear a funk band live to really hear them go through different influences, sounds, and tempos. Yes, even on records funk can be wild and unchained but even those releases see the acts take the best, most cohesive tracks for a release meant to make a profit. Once they’re live, you get a mix of promo and the band in their natural environment.

Rick James was no different despite the decade. Even when he made a comeback with the momentum from his Chappelle’s Show appearances, there was still a fast and loose approach to his performances as he touched on the classic bangers that brought him to the dance. That approach is why the star of Street Songs, “Super Freak” has an amazing 7-minute version—which could’ve been longer, honestly.

Looking at it now, it would’ve been interesting to see how his sound would’ve evolved in the early 1980s with the rise of the glam metal bands—some of which had a very Rick James-approach to their lyrics and showmanship. Could he have gone in a faster, harder direction as many acts do with age and seniority in the industry or would he have kept his approach in full and become eclipsed by his contemporaries who surpassed him before the decade was out?

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.

My mother passed in January 2021 and decided to look more into bands she enjoyed such as Journey, Blondie, and yes, Heart. The first album I heard from the band was their third release Little Queen from 1977 which features a hit song we’re all probably familiar with by now.

Heart – Little Queen (1977)

Little Queen features ten tracks—twelve if you get the reissue which features a cover of “Stairway to Heaven”. The album leans towards folk rock but there are flashes of hard rock.

It’s important to note that in listening to 1970s Heart, you’ll notice that they weren’t the heaviest or hardest band in the land. A lot of the stuff from this period lean towards a lighter side but all of their songs on these releases have emotion to them.

They’re albums you have to sit with and actually take in. On each album there is some hard rock, so you’ll get that fix of music you can just enjoy and not have to really reflect on but that’s not Heart’s bag.

Which I always thought was a shame because Heart rocks out, they really rock out. The best example of the band putting these two sounds together was “Magic Man” from Dreamboat Annie.

I don’t know what it is but there’s just something about female lead singers and folk rock that just clicks. Now, I won’t say it’s hard for a female singer to mess up with folk rock but regardless of vocal range or vocal power, they just tend to gel well with the genre.

It’s no different here. Even though it’s far from my preferred genre, I dig vocalists first then guitarists. Both sisters delivered on Little Queen as they did in the two previous albums and as they would in the 1980s.

Heart was just ridiculously consistent and talented. I tend to use “vibe” a lot when discussing hip-hop but this album is very much a vibe with some harder, rocking songs sprinkled in.

You have something like “Love Alive” and “Cry to Me” right next to “Barracuda” and “Little Queen” on this release and it’s a nice mix that just works. It helps that the songs are good as well, obviously.

While I’m going to get into “Barracuda”, I applaud the placing of “Kick It Out” and “Little Queen”. It’s this double whammy of just hard rock and that gets a thumbs up from me!

Standout Tracks: Barracuda*, Kick It Out, Little Queen*, Cry to Me

The Star: Barracuda

Interesting known fact: the album cover for Dreamboat Annie resulted in one of the band’s most well-known hits. Their original label Mushroom Records released a sleazy tagline that alluded that the sisters were in an incestuous relationship.

Angry, Ann and Nancy began writing “Barracuda” which is their most known song. Trust me: if you’re an adult, you’ve run into “Barracuda” more than three times in your life. It’s like “Ace of Spades” and “Breaking the Law”.

What I really love about this particular song is that it’s the opener. When half or the bulk of your album is lighter, a heavier song like “Barracuda” is a double-edged knife.

On one hand, it’s good to get the blood pumping with a hard song. However, you kind of have to keep that tempo up. That harder song might end up being the selling point of the album or the lead single.

That creates an impression of what kind of party it is when your band might have a wild mix or were just trying something to see what sticks. Hell, your band probably thought “This is a really good song! Let’s make it the single!”

Yet the rest of album isn’t exactly in that same area or it might be another state or two over from that sound. It’s weird but “Barracuda” is such a great song. I would’ve loved an album heavy on this or the sound of “Magic Man”, honestly.

Album Verdict

It took some listens over the years for me to appreciate the album. This just wasn’t my sound for the most part. Once you appreciate an album, you might even get to enjoy it.

Right now, I’m still at the appreciation stage. While “Barracuda” and “Little Queen” are in my hard rock playlist—as is “Magic Man” and a few others—the album as a whole isn’t something that get revisited regularly.

The musicianship here is extremely tight and they use their inspirations extremely well to make some good tunes but as an entire project, I’m just in the middle on it.

As I said, this album has more of a chill vibe than what was usually on the radio at the time. Folk rock still had some skin in the rock game in the late 70s but Heart brought just enough hard rock that mainstream fans would give it a purchase.

I’ll say overall, this was a solid album. Great musicianship by all involved, Ann is a favorite of mine as far as singers go but the vibe or just how the tracks are arranged keeps Little Queen from being a strong album.

Grade: Solid Album

Staff Writer; James 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.

This was an album I saw in stores as a kid and thought it looked cool from the artwork. I used to draw a lot back then and stuff like comic book and album covers were an influence.

Mind you didn’t, I didn’t hear the album until a decade later. When I finally did listen to it, it was something entirely new. By that time I was listening to hip-hop but mainly stuff from the South.

It was 2005 and 1992’s Body Count was the first I’d heard any Ice-T project. This album piqued my interest and is the reason I enjoy Power and O.G. Original Gangsta now.

The Vision for Ice T and Body Count

Body Count made its debut on O.G. Original Gangsta. This likely contributed to the band being labeled rap rock tag. If it needed a new title, “street metal” or “hood metal” would’ve done it. Ice T doesn’t actually rap on the first album.

It’s more of a mix between singing and spoken word. Growing up, Ice T took in all kinds of music and had friends who played rock and also enjoyed metal. Ice T’s hip-hop career definitely allowed for exploration of different styles.

What Ice T and Ernie C wanted to achieve with the band was rock and metal with hip-hop energy and storytelling. As a long-time fan of rock and metal, I can agree with his view that the lyrics do tend to lean more towards fiction depending on the band.

I believe the intent was to merge rock and hip-hop together merging content that is usually addressed in politically aware hip-hop with the technical side of rock.

This mix should’ve been massive in rock and resulted in more artists from a hip-hop background or who grew up in the trappings discussed in hip-hop telling their stories in rock. Professionally, it brought Ice T into households and on radios that didn’t entertainment hip-hop.

What happened with this meeting of styles was more like bands taking the technical aspects of both and making of rap rock or rap metal. Stories—about a part of America that the mainstream usually ignored until something bad happened—were still being told.

However, for the most part they were more aggressive versions stories we’d heard for decades in same genre. They were just faster, louder, and often featured rapping.

Influences of A Pioneering Band

That brings us back to how the idea of Body Count came about. Ice T and Ernie C rocked with Black Sabbath as well as the thrash metal and hardcore punk bands of the decade prior. Crossover thrash was also an influence and was ultimately the direction the band ran.

In 1992, there were hip-hop artists and groups that made darker music while still staying firmly in the realm of reality. The goal was to use the dark sound of rock they enjoyed and address issues Ice-T did in his hip-hop career.

On paper, it was simple. Bring the dark mood of Black Sabbath, discuss real life social issues as they relate to the artists, and make it loud, fast, and intense. Body Count nailed that on the debut album.

The Debut Album

What I liked most about the debut album is the experimentation from Ice-T. A lot of songs feature shouted spoken word from the lead singer. Then you get a track like “The Winner Loses” which is a dark song about a crack abuser.

A song like this one and “Cop Killer” have warnings and messages amongst the guitars and drums. That’s another thing; the other members were on top of it. Guitarists Ernie C and D-Roc the Executioner, Mooseman on bass, and drummer Beatmaster V all brought it on the debut.

When listening to rock for a while, it can become easy to overlook other members of a band unless they do an exceptional job. It’s also hard when you’re like me and put a greater emphasis on singing performance and lyrics.

The entire album is dark but not dark to the point of being bleak. It’s a mix of metal and hardcore punk on the sound side and the album structure from hip-hop with interludes being used regularly.

You know, the skit track that you might skip over on an album. Some of them are placed really well and sets up the next song. Allof the interludes were placed for a specific effect on the listener.

However, the overall flow could be impacted at times. You had some interludes that result in a tone shift between songs as was the case in listening to “KKK B****” then getting into “Voodoo” which is a horror-themed song about a run in with voodoo.

I definitely recommend this first album if you’ve wanted to hear Ice-T in a different but familiar environment. It’s also always good when an artist has love for a genre that isn’t what they’re known for, pursues a project, and have it end up successful.

Here’s hoping Denzel Curry takes note and pursue rock as well.

Staff Writer; James 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.

That doesn’t take away from the musicianship or songwriting, I’m into faster, aggressive, energetic music. Of course, there are bands such as Electric Wizard, Lucifer, Acid King, Witch Mountain, and Doomsword that are staples of my rock listening.

This brings me to Black women singing doom metal. Now, there aren’t a ton of them singing doom metal. Hell, Black men aren’t even threatening a monopoly in metal, however Black women are there and the two singers we’re going to focus on are crushing it.

One singer might be familiar to TheBRHM readers—Kayla Dixon—but we’ll get into a brief intro of Cammie Gilbert and her singing ability as well.

Back Up…What’s Doom Metal?

In simplest terms, doom metal is a slowed down version of traditional heavy metal—Judas Priest, Iron Maiden-period metal.

While Black Sabbath created heavy metal and the guitar sound so closely associated with the genre, a sizeable chunk of their first Ozzy Osbourne era stuff is doom metal.

So, Black Sabbath presented two genres of metal during its early years and some bands went the slower doom metal direction.

The slower, deeper playing of doom metal comes adds to the music’s atmosphere with lyrics often being centered on themes of emotions, life, dreams, horror, drug use and dark literature.

Basically, if it could be made dark and possibly moody, doom can and most likely will do it. That said, not all doom metal is dark and depressing. Just any form of metal, the lyrical content can be about anything but the music itself is performed with that atmosphere and tempo in mind.

If a doom metal band wanted to make an album about kittens, pandas, and fries—or chips for our readers in the UK—a band can do that. Metal is flexible like that.

A more musically trained person could explain the intricacies of doom metal better but this is the gist. In the same way that speed metal is faster old school metal, doom is old school metal thrown in reverse at core.

Cammie Gilbert of Oceans of Slumber

Getting away from the genre lesson, we have Cammie Gilbert of Houston, Texas band Oceans of Slumber. Formed in 2011, the band plays progressive and doom metal but their album The Banished Heart was a really a mix.

More on that album in a review. Cammie Gilbert joined Oceans of Slumber in 2014 and made her debut on the Blue EP in 2015. It was her vocals on the band’s cover of Candlemass classic “Solitude” that impressed me.

With the release of the band’s sophomore release Winter in 2016, we got to hear Gilbert’s singing put to the gauntlet of an hour-long doom and prog album and she doesn’t budge.

Her singing performance doesn’t sound better on some songs than others. She’s just consistent throughout. What also rocks about her singing style is that Oceans of Slumber puts it at the forefront of the band’s sound.

Even with the 2020 self-titled album, she’s still the vocal focus despite having bass player Semir Özerkan and guitarist Alexander Lucian providing backup vocals and doing a damn good job of it.

Check out the tunes below to experience Gilbert’s singing.

Recommended Songs: “Solitude” (Candlemass cover), “Winter”, “A Return to the Earth Below”

Kayla Dixon of Witch Mountain

Dixon and Witch Mountain have been mentioned before. Hailing from Washington D.C, Kayla Dixon has a background in jazz, musical theater, ballet, musical theater, and acting. A true polymath of the creative arts.

She joined the Portland-based Witch Mountain in 2015 and made her full-length debut with the band on their 2018 self-titled album.

The sound Dixon brings to the band is similar to what Cammie Gilbert brings to Oceans of Slumber. When the music has this darker or more occult vibe or atmosphere to it, you want a certain voice or tone.

It doesn’t have to be a female singer but going back to Coven’s Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls from 1969, you had Jinx Dawson heading up a dark band and her vocals just fit the music.

Dixon has that the same kind of energy to work with WM and her background in stagecraft adds to live performances. She doesn’t come off as an overly technical performer but as one who enjoys what she’s doing and believes in her band’s talents.

Even though I discovered Dixon in Witch Mountain, the song “Remnants of Stars” stands out to me mainly because of her performance but also because it’s her plying her craft in a power metal band.

The faster, bombastic stuff will always win me over and Dixon with Helion Prime impressed the hell out of me. Her classical background was a perfect fit for the band and I’d like to see her return to the genre in the future if possible.

For now, get a load of Kayla Dixon’s singing chops with these recommended tracks.

Recommended Songs: “Remnants of Stars”, “Midnight”, “Nighthawk”

Black Women in Doom Metal

I’d love see more Black women singing doom metal or playing whatever instruments. Black women playing straight-up metal is something I can get behind. It would add something not just from a performance standpoint but there’s a lyrical benefit there.

Who are some Black women you’d love to hear perform metal? Be sure to let us know in the comments below! Drop some names and we could get into them in future article.

Staff Writer; James 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.