Trollheart

Oh come on now! You didn't seriously think I was going to run Metal Month without crowbarring in some Iron Maiden, now did you? Last year, as you may remember, I featured my top ten tracks from the pre-Dickinson era, but this year I want to try to set out my top forty tracks overall. Now, this does not include any albums after Brave New World, not because they're not good, but because in general, I have not really listened to any of the albums after that. I've probably heard them once or maybe twice, but certainly not enough to be able to pick out good tracks from them, whereas the other albums I know pretty much inside out. This list also does not contain anything from the new album, because I've yet to fully absorb that. On first listen, it's quite possible that some of the songs from The Book of Souls might very well have made it onto this list, but as I didn't have the time to fully immerse myself in it before the list was compiled I'm just excluding it, which I think is the fairest way to approach it.

Naturally, some of you will gasp in disbelief at the position of some of these songs, my ignoring others and will think that some of them perhaps do not deserve to be in a Maiden top forty, and that's fine; but remember this is my list and these are my own personal preferences. I know Iron Maiden very well, unlike most other metal bands, and I have been very careful to choose only the tracks here that I personally believe deserve their place, and have ranked them as I think they should be ranked.

So, with that in mind, let's get underway.

40 “The Angel and the Gambler” (from Virtual XI)
It might seem odd, considering all the (deserved) flak I've given the two Blaze Bayley era albums, that I would include a track from one on my top forty, but there's a reason for that. When I relistened to Virtual XI on “Last Chance Saloon”, in a final, desperate bid to see if there was anything --- anything! --- I had missed on the album, some small item that might point towards any kind of reconciliation between us, something to heal the divide and allow me to accept this as a legitimate Maiden album, my fears were confirmed. It is as bad an album as I had thought, and the passage of time had not done anything to change my mind. Slightly older ears agreed with the younger ones: this is not an album worthy of my favourite metal band.

But I did at least find one track I could stomach, and this is it. While it's very repetitive, very much overlong at just short of ten minutes and just seems to be the result of lazy writing on the part of Steve Harris of all people, there's at least a discernible melody there and I actually like the way Harris uses the keyboards. None of the other songs from either album had a sniff of a chance of getting into my list but this did, scraping in just right at the bottom. But it still made it.

39 “Iron Maiden” (from Iron Maiden)

Many of you will howl and jeer and scoff, and perhaps throw the first thing that comes to hand in derision, protest or perhaps just laugh in incredulity that such a standard, the very signature tune and a song that no gig is complete without, should occupy such a low place on my list. Well, sod you is all I can say. I think everyone knows my preference for Dickinson over Di'Anno and even narrowing it down, I like Killers much more than I do the debut. The self-titled album that launched the phenomenon that is Iron Maiden upon us is, to my mind, a little too raw, a little too rooted in punk tropes, and badly produced. Once they sort themselves out though --- ditch Dennis Stratton for Adrian Smith, fire Malone and fall in with Birch --- we have a totally classic album on our hands, which is why much of that album is going to feature here, probably a lot higher than this one.

I don't particularly care for “Iron Maiden” the song, but as it's such an anthem for them I felt it would be next to impossible to leave it off. Nevertheless it too only scrapes in, though at least it's better than “Angel and the gambler”!

38 “Afraid to shoot strangers” (from Fear of the Dark)

There aren't too many fans who will dispute the fact that this was a poor album. The last to feature Dickinson for eight years, it was the one that launched us into what I have termed before “The Wilderness Years”, when we were expected to accept a third-rate vocalist and a slew of fourth or even fifth-rate songs, resulting in two turds on acetate. Thankfully this time is long past now, but even back in 1992 you could see the cracks widening and Fear of the Dark has maybe five decent tracks, with I think only three selected for my list.

This one I like because of its change in tempo. From a slowish, almost balladic gentle song it kicks up halfway into a real rocker, with the vocal from Dickinson surging in response. I also like the subject matter, that being a soldier is not always an honourable job or one you should wish to do, and that war is never ever ever black and white. One of the tracks which, coming as it does near the start of the album, lulled me into a false sense of security and instilled in me the hope that this could be a decent album, an impression I was very soon disabused of.

37 “Moonchild” (from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son)

A lot of people love this album. I don't hate it by any means, but I see a lot of weak tracks in it. Despite its being a single, and a hit, I don't really care for “Can I play with madness” much at all, and again, the title track is way too long. This also marks the end, mostly, of the shorter Iron Maiden albums, with only eight tracks. With the exception of Virtual XI which has eight --- seven too many if you ask me! --- all future Maiden albums would have tracks in the double digits, and their running times would extend exponentially, culminating in this year's The Book of Souls, which runs a staggering ninety-two minutes.

Anyway, what has all that to do with this pick? Nothing really: I'm just pointing out that I wasn't as impressed with Seventh Son as many others were, but that I do rate several tracks from it, and this, the opener, with its introduction before it kicks up on the twin guitar assault, is one of them. Dickinson's somewhat evil laugh at the end helps too.

36 “Die with your boots on” (from Piece of Mind)
The perfect follow-on from the hugely popular “The Trooper”, this song doesn't go into too many weighty discussions and ideas about war, as later Maiden songs would. Following in the lyrical footsteps of that preceding track, it presents war as more or less inevitable as Bruce declares “No point asking where it is, no point asking who's to go? No point asking what's the game? No point asking who's to blame?” The best thing you can do is die on your feet, stand up and face your enemies, and in the best tradition of the Vikings and later the Klingons, die with honour and glory. I believe (though I may be wrong) that there was a tradition among old soldiers (maybe Vikings, not sure) that if they did die in bed, they would ask for thier boots to be put on their feet, so that when they had to face their Maker they could say that they did indeed die with their boots on.

It's a bouncy, fist-pumping song with a superb solo from David or Adrian (who knows who does what?) and on the album it picks up the abrupt ending of “The Trooper” and almost piles directly into this, giving you hardly time to draw breath. It also ends suddenly with a big “DIE!” from Bruce. Class.


35 “Where eagles dare” (from Piece of Mind)

The opening track from the album, it hit me square between the eyes when I first heard it. My last experience, at that time, of Iron Maiden had been the stupendous ending to The Number of the Beast, the incredible “Hallowed be thy name”, so I was unsure if the lads could top that. They didn't --- few if any Maiden tracks could --- but by god they came back with a hammerpunch of a followup album, and to hear this as the first track was a vindication and a realisation that, yeah, I had found a band I could really follow, and who would get me into other metal bands.

I like the way Steve Harris employs a lot of “Boys Own” adventure into his lyrics, with references to war and fighting, battles and heroes. It may be a little simplistic, but tracks like “Aces high”, “Tailgunner” and of course this and the previous one give you a real feeling that he is proud to be British, to be linked to all those heroes, brave men who gave their lives so that people like me were not writing things like this in German --- if I'd been spared the concentration camps, that is!

34 The Nomad (from Brave New World)

There are many reasons why I've chosen this. First of course is that it was taken from the album on which Bruce triumphantly returned to us, and we could put the sour memories of Virtual XI and The X-Factor safely behind us. Secondly, I like the way it goes into a long instrumental section near the end, and when I heard it first I thought it would end like that, but then after several minutes of this Bruce comes back in with the vocal, and it's so surprising the first time you hear it t hat it really has an impact on you. It's also interesting that it's one of Maiden's more progressive songs, and doesn't use the fast tempo that they normally prefer to employ. I like the semi-arabic phrasing on it, which certainly puts me in mind of someone travelling through the desert. Finally, I love the fact that although it's a long song --- over nine minutes --- it never seems to drag or seem overextended, or filled out for the sake of it.

33 “Bring your daughter ... to the slaughter” (from No Prayer for the Dying)

I'd have to include this if only for the title. What a hoot! But given that it was Maiden's only ever number one single, it would have to find a place here. This is possibly the more surprising when you realise that it was written by Bruce solo, his first since writing two tracks on Powerslave, including the title track. Originally used in the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street 5, Dickinson was asked by Harris if he would hold off putting it on his debut solo album and allow Maiden to record it instead. Despite being banned by the BBC (boo!) the song shot to number one, though not in time for Christmas.

It's a good punchy rocker with a lot of humour, and the rhyming of the two words is just pure genius. Again, No Prayer is not a stellar album, but if I had to pick some decent tracks from it, this would definitely be among them. And so it is.

32 “Out of the silent planet” (from Brave New World)

Originally, I couldn't get this into the countdown and so had to replace another track. Which one? Can't recall now. Might have been “Remember tomorrow”. Yeah, I think it was. Anyway, you all know I love Brave New World and I do have other tracks from it in the list, but I particularly like this one for some reason I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's the odd title --- what the hell does it mean? --- or the hook in the chorus. Could even be the way the guitars follow the vocal melody near the end. Or the big mad guitar intro that then descends into a sort of acoustic buildup, or even the way it speeds up and gets really intense near the end. Maybe it's even the fact that much of the lyric is just the title being repeated. I don't know, but I really like it, so here it is.

31 “The Trooper” (from Piece of Mind)

I don't really have to explain this one do I? One of the best singles released by Maiden, the lyric lays bare the uncaring nature of war, the futility of it, and the eponymous soldier realises this as he dies, declaring “As I lie forgotten and alone, without a tear I draw my parting groan”. Could there be a more stark reminder of how brutal and unglamorous war is? If you fall in battle, don't expect your buddies to pick you up or help you, or stay to ease your passing. They'll be too busy trying to keep themselves alive!

The guitar motif in the song fits in perfectly with the subject matter, and Maiden's traditional “Whoa-oh-oh!” used throughout it just heightens the excitement, and also saves Harris from having to think up a chorus! The usage of the Charge of the Light Brigade in the video to accompany the single just sets the seal on Maiden's comment on war. Perfect.

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Trollheart

Over the years, metal bands have made appearances in various TV animated shows, such as Family Guy, South Park and of course The Simpsons. Sometimes the appearance of the band is integral to the plot, sometimes it's just an excuse to shoehorn them in some way, but whatever the case, it's always good to see our heroes come to life as cartoon images of themselves, and I'm sure that as much as it is an honour for the animators and actors to work with these bands, it goes both ways, as Judas Priest's Rob Halford noted “Being on The Simpsons was the greatest moment in my life!” Surely he's slightly exaggerating there, but I'm sure it's a big thrill when you’re

We'll get to Priest in due time, but right now the first band I want to look at were one who made their guest appearance in South Park, and whose storyline was so completely in contrast to the band that it worked as actual comedy gold.


In the season 3 episode titled “Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery”, Norg's favourite band arrive to play a Halloween gig, to the dismay of Priest Maxi, and when some “pirate ghosts” (literally, ghosts dressed as pirates who say things like “Arr!”) show up to spoil the festivities, he accuses Korn of bringing them to South Park, denouncing them as satanists. Korn take on the role of the Scooby Gang, even affecting the accents, mannerisms and catchphrases of Fred, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne and Scooby (complete with their own dog mascot) and investigate the mystery.

The plot of course, isn't important, taking in as it does suspected necrophilia, exhumation of a dead body and the subsequent devouring of said body by a dog --- standard SP mores --- as well as Cartman being his usual selfish self and wishing it was Christmas, while hijacking a blowup doll his mother has ordered in the mistaken belief it is a present for him. What is great is the way Korn (who are far from my favourite band) throw themselves into the roles and really get into the spirit of things. Here, they plan to attack the pirate ghosts by transforming. Problem is, all they can transform into is ... corn. Not much help there.

When they finally “solve” the mystery, Korn appear onstage and chide the residents of South Park for painting them as bad people, and then proceed to play a song. With the way it's been led into, you really expect them to play some sixties bubblegum pop or something, but no, they launch into one of their own songs as the people watch open-mouthed. Great ending.

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Trollheart

Time to return to the Members' Top Ten, and sample three more of Frownland's selection. Well, two, as I already reviewed one last year...

On to number six, where we find a band who had the dubious distinction of being the ones whose album launched my “Love or Hate?” thread...

A Blaze in the Northern Sky --- Darkthrone --- 1992

I don't recall being very impressed with Transilvanian Hunger. but has my newfound semi-appreciation of/tolerance for Black Metal changed that I wonder? Thanks for that, Frown! A ten-minute opener? Still, at least there are only six tracks! Sounds pretty evil I must say.... dark mass evil. And here come the guitars in overdrive. You know, looking back over my “Love or Hate?” thread, I see I actually enjoyed that other album of theirs. Had it not been for the vocals I would not have given it the first Hate rating. But of course it's the same here; dark, screechy growled vocals I can't make out at all, and I must admit, the music, thus far is not a patch on Transilvanan Hunger (heh! TH! Never noticed that before!) Yeah, not a lot to write home abut here.

Second track is a lot better, has a nice sort of anthemic, marching feel to it. Speeds up later, but still pretty good. Yeah, you know, this is getting better as it goes along. Mostly. It's loud and raw and vicious, and I have NO idea what's being sung, but I'm kinda grooving to it. “Where cold winds blow” is pretty badass I must say. Yeah, if you want your Black Metal brutal and uncompromising, this is probably where to start. Bitchin', with a sideorder of Satan.

And so on to number five, which is apparently labelled as one of the most challenging, difficult albums in the genre. Sounds like fun!

Obscura --- Gorguts --- 1998

“Experimental and dissonant melodies”, they tell me. “Strange rhythms”, they tell me. “A work of great depth and vision”, they tell me. “One of metal's most techical and complex albums”, they tell me. We'll see. Lot of stopping and starting, bit annoying. Vocals are of course not what I like, but other than that, meh so far. Hmm, sounded like violin there. Maybe I've been working too hard... Holy good fuck! We're FOUR tracks in and I haven't really heard anything much I can remark upon. I haven't heard any challenging rhythms, experimental signatures, technical changes. Of course, I'm not a musician, so maybe these are more detectable and obvious if you play, but I just don't see it personally.

Okay, “Clouded” is a much, much, much slower track, more like Doom Metal, plodding along at a snail's pace, but I have to say the overall feeling I'm getting here is boredom. It's just ... there's nothing to keep my attention. If this were a Torture Chamber album it wouldn't really work, because I don't hate it, I just ... it just makes very little impression on me. It's like someone roaring to get my attention and I just don't want to make eye contact. Noisy, chaotic, loud, yes. Interesting? No. Not to me. There's some good guitar histrionics in “Subtle body”, to be fair, but nothing else impresses me. I'm just glad that's over.

Yeah, got nothing out of that. I wasn't repulsed, scared, just bored. I could not separate one song from another, and I certainly could not and will not remember any of the tracks on this album. The last one though had the most appropriate title: “Sweet silence”. Amen!

Like I say, Frown picked for his number four an album I extensively reviewed last year in Metal Month II, Mastodon's Blood Mountain, so I'm not going over that again thank you very much. That takes us to his top three, which we'll be tackling on Wednesday.

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Trollheart

All right, settle down! Take your seats please, and turn off all mobile phones. The feature presentation is about to commence to start. It's time again to watch, undecided as whether to punch the air or cringe down in your seat as we return to show you more of what happens when


“We live to rock” by Thor, from the album Wild in the Streets, 1986.
Appears in the movie Rock'n'Roll Nightmare, 1987.

If you thought the last movie we featured was bad, don't even think about watching this one. Though you might possibly want to listen to Thor, who contributed the track “We live to rock” to a movie that was so bad it went direct to video --- in Canada! Yeah.


“God gave rock and roll to you II” by Kiss, from the album Revenge, 1992.
Appears in the movie Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, 1991.

Right, fuck all these crappy movies and films I haven't seen. Let's take one I enjoyed, as I think did anyone who watched it. One of the best closing themes ever in the sequel to Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Kiss revitalised the old Argent hit and pumped it up for the nineties, creating a rock anthem that still reverberates though metal today. Righteous, dude!


“I disappear” by Metallica.
Appears in the movie Mission Impossible II, 2000.

The only standalone Metallica track, “I disappear” (something a lot of you probably wish they would do!) was written specifically for the soundtrack to the sequel to the Tom Cruise career-resurrecting Mission: Impossible. It smashed the charts and became a number one for Metallica, I think their only one, ironically. I haven't watched the franchise myself --- not interested in watching Cruise be cool; he's far from my favourite actor, though I do commend his performance in Born on the Fourth of July --- but it's an internationally recognised phenomenon now, based on the old TV spy series I vaguely remember watching as a kid. Yeah, I'm that old.

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The Batlord

Every time Trollheart talks about a solo: take a drink.

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Wpnfire

I know how much you like to read about an album's history when you listen to it, and I don't know how much you read about the Judas Priest-Gull feud, but Gull Records is much, much worse than you give them credit for. I've dug up some old articles and pasted some snippets here about Preist's time with Gull if you're interested in reading them.

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Last.FM

My RYM Ratings

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The Batlord

I predict that either TH will appreciate Sin after Sin for its greater diversity, or still won't care but will think Stained Class is ****ing badass.

If not then I boycott Metal Month III unless the feature is about me.

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Trollheart

Let's move on to February then. What sounds good here? Oh, I've heard someone talk about these guys, so let's give this one a spin.

One Man Army --- Ensiferum --- 2015 (Metal Blade)

Introduction: What do I know of this band? Little to nothing, but as I say someone here has been touting them around so it's worth a shot. They're Folk Metal, which can be a lot of fun, and they're from Finland, which is fast becoming one of my favourite exports of really good music, including AOR and progressive rock, to say nothing of, indeed, folk metal. The titles are in English, so that should help (often, I find that Finnish bands in general and Finnish folk metal bands in particular tend to sing in their native tongue, which is great but gives me nothing to write about lyrically), and apparently the band describe themselves as “melodic folk metal”, which could be another plus. This is their sixth album in a career spanning so far twenty years, although their first album was only released in 2001, so technically that only makes fourteen. Whatever, it's impressive.

Track-by-track

1. March of war: We open on an instrumental, and it's suitably warriorish, with nice flutes and deep-throated male chorus, bells, the sound of an army, indeed, marching off to war. Very stirring; you can just see the line of glinting spears and hear the slow canter of the horses.
2. Axe of judgement: As expected, things kick up in a kind of a power metal way, vocalist Petri Lindroos one of two singers (listed as “harsh” and “clean” vocals) and he screams and roars while someone narrates or chants something behind him. Good keyboards, powerful guitars, kind of thing you'd expect really, lots of energy and passion. It will be interesting to hear how the “clean” vocalist performs. Great guitar solo there near the end.
3. Heathen horde: Slower, more kind of a march in this song, with a great “warrior's chorus”; fair gets the blood pumping. Nice sort of medieval guitar then we have clean vocals which I assume are courtesy of Markus Tiovonen, though he seems to be singing in Finnish. That doesn't last and we're back to Petri howling his lungs out. Good fun though.
4. One man army: This one flies along at lightspeed, very energetic.
5. Burden of the fallen: Sounds like this could be a ballad. Certainly starts off slow and gentle, with a very pastoral sound: acoustic guitar, harpsichord-like keys, and the vocals are clean for the first time, as Tiovonen takes the lead. Sort of a lament after a battle, in case you didn't get that from the title. Short, too.
6. Warrior without a war: Back to the heavy, driving beat, although it's not as frenetic as some of the previous tracks. A return for Petri with his howled vocals, the whole thing galloping along nicely. Some very orchestral-style synth.
7. Cry for the earth bounds: Not sure what that title is meant to mean: if it had been “earth wounds”, yes, but “bounds”? Anyway, opens on another big warrior chorus/lament then lopes off into a nice mid-pacer, with initially clean vocals but Petri is back to take control; seems he may be the main vocalist. Good backing vocals though. Sounds like a female vocal in there now, though none is credited (later yes, but as a guest and only on that track) before it kicks back up again.
8. Two of spades: Einsferum go one better than Motorhead! This song has probably the most folk metal influences, with a definite ethnic feeling and it rockets along.
9. My ancestors blood: Big dark deep roar, like something out of a Black Metal album, dark muttering and a militaristic rhythm.
9. Descendants, defiance, domination: Wow! This is eleven minutes long! There's some mention of “Heathen throne part III”, but it's shown on both this and the last track, so I don't know if they're linked or if the author of the Wiki page fucked up. At any rate, this starts off slow and ominous, with chimy guitar and piano, then it picks up speed, but it's still a good four minutes almost before any vocals come in. Petri growls, then one or the other of them speaks, and the music continues, a great hook now in the guitar melody. Tomas takes over on vocals, and it is nice to hear some clean, decipherable singing, though Petri also takes part, the two of them kind of swapping verse for verse or line for line as they go.

Got a warrior's chorus coming in now, the percussion getting really driving and now we're off on a jaunty guitar solo with spoken part over it --- holy shit! It's over! That did not seem like eleven minutes! Leaving us with one track.
10. Neito Pohjolan: I guess this is in Finnish too. A fast, almost Country beat running it and with guest vocals from Netta Skog, whomever she may be. Did I just hear steel guitar? I'm sure I did! Weird closer, but weirdly satisfying.

Conclusion: Yeah I think I really like folk metal. There really wasn't anything here I didn't like, and overall I'd have to say the album hung very well together. Good effort. Might check out some of their other material at some point.

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Last year, as part of “The Metal that made Me” section, I looked at three compilations of metal songs which I believed were important to the genre overall --- Metal for Muthas II, Brute Force and Killer Watts. This year, I want to very much expand that while still retaining the same basic idea. So in this section, I'll be telling you what I can about the band/song involved, where they got their start and where they ended up, ie what became of them after this series. Please note: don't expect too much in the way of reviews, as these are basically geared towards asking

And the series itself? Well, you may recall that some time ago, someone, I think it may have been Batty or possibly Unknown Soldier, reviewed some of the compilation series put out on Metal Blade Records in the eighties, under the umbrella title of Metal Massacre. This has now grown to a staggering thirteen volumes! Admittedly, they now take metal right out of the 80s and into the twenty-first century, and I don't know if I'll get through them all but I'm going to give it a good shot.

We begin, of course, and where else would we, with volume I. Again please take note: these songs will not be reviewed. There will be a basic, very short note about each and then anything I think that is relevant to the song or band involved, followed by a “Where are they now?” closing comment. I'll also be rating them through my patented “Love or Hate?” (TM) system. Most of these bands you'll probably know already, so feel free to comment if you feel the need.

Metal Massacre Volume I, released 1982.

Track one: “Chains around Heaven” (Black'N'Blue)

Yeah, about that: Black'n'Blue are probably most famous, like it or not, for having at one time had future Kiss lead guitarist and manager Tommy Thayer among their ranks. Though they are still around, having released a total of five albums since 1984, their last effort was in 2011.

The track: It's a decent uptempo song, with a nice hook, but I don't feel it's anything special. They supposedly had an “in-your-face” sound. Well, maybe you had to see them live to appreciate it. Still, it's a good enough song.

So where are they now? Still around, though as I said their last album was in 2011 with nothing heard of them since, though they did play live gigs in 2013.

Track two: “Live for the whip” (Bitch)

Yeah, about that: You have to admire a female-fronted band who just say fuck it and to hell with convention and caution. Bitch used S&M themes in their live shows, incurred the wrath of PMRC and Tipper Gore, were ironically kept in the news by the same self-styled do-gooders, aiding the sales of their second album, but later toned their set and their music down, changing their name to Betsy, for the lead singer, Betsy Bitch, nee Weiss.

The track: Faster and punchier than the opener, and Betsy's a decent (though not fantastic) singer. The BDSM overtones of the song are perhaps a little cartoonish, but at least they garnered them some controversy when released. No publicity is bad publicity, right?

So where are they now? Still going, after a rather long hiatus. Officially their last album was 1998, with some live performances in the intervening years, but last year they returned as a full band and played a live date in April, with a two-day headlining festival gig lined up and a new album due soon.

Track three: Captive of light (Malice)

Yeah, about that: Malice hailed from Portland, Oregon, and immediately drew comparisons to Judas Priest, which was not helped by the fact the one of their two guitarists looked just like a certain KK Downing! They survived though, and supported Motorhead, Alice Cooper and WASP, even Slayer on tour, though the last did not end well.

The track: Got a good boogie rhythm to it, kind of reminds me of early Diamond Head. Vocalist has that Eric Adams kind of operatic scream at times. It's okay but again my skirt is firmly in place.

So where are they now? Malice released two albums in the late eighties, plus an EP in 1989. Other than it was compilations until 2012, when they recorded four new songs to go with yet another compilation. So technically they're still around, though not much seems to have happened over the last three years.

Track four: “Octave” (Avatar)

Yeah, about that: I can find nothing about this band, who unfortunately chose a name that about twenty other bands, spread across the world and working in various sub-genres from thrash to doom, also chose.

The track: It's an instrumental. It's metal. It's not bad.

So where are they now? Not a scooby doo pal!

Track five: “Death of the sun” (Cirith Ungol)

Yeah, about that: Possibly one of the very earliest doom metal bands, Cirith Ungol were formed in 1972 but survived without any major backing from a label for eight years, only releasing their debut album in 1980. They lasted till 1991 and released four albums, changing their original doom metal approach to a more progressive one as the years went on.

The track: Right away, this is the first track that has stood out for me. The high-pitched, almost screamed (but still intelligible) vocals, the almost seventies hard rock sound, the dark guitars, the pace of the music, everything marks this band out as one to watch.

So where are they now? After four albums Cirith Ungol split, and in 1998 founding member Jerry Fogle passed away, leaving other founder Greg Lindstrom playing with his new band, Falcon.

Track six: “Dead of the night” (Demon Flight)

Yeah, about that: The only things I can find out about Demon Flight are that a) they came from LA and b) they released one EP in 1981 before splitting up.

The track: It's interesting again, with a kind of doomy/prog feel to it, wailing vocals which are certainly different (think a toned-down King Diamond perhaps) and it sounds like they could have been onto something. Pity they didn't stick at it.

So where are they now? All indications are that they split after this EP, though there is nothing to definitively confirm this. Still, with no output since 1981, I don't see them returning over thirty years later!

Track seven: “Fighting backwards” (Pandemonium)

Yeah, about that: Originally formed as Demon in 1977, they changed their name but still managed to pick one that has since been copied by a dozen bands. They hailed from Alaska, of all places, and released three albums before splitting in 1988.

The track: Again, we're looking at more hard rock than heavy metal here, the likes of Zep or Free, with a hard buzzy guitar and a very decent vocal, but I guess they failed to make the big time. Sounds like they had some real talent though.

So where are they now? Split after three albums, in 1988. Don't you pay attention?

Track eight: “Kick you down” (Malice)

Yeah, about that: The only band to feature twice on this volume.

The track: A whole lot better than their other effort. This has real bite in it, and you can see in this case why it was chosen to be included.

So where are they now? See above.

Track nine: “Hit the lights” (Metallica)

Yeah, about that: Anyone who needs background on Metallica can just get the fuck out now, and you are banned from all future Metal Months! Go on, turn in your leather jacket and your laminated pass!

The track: An early effort from the LA giants, which became the first track on their first ever album. If you've heard Kill 'em All you know what to expect. If not, then remedy this oversight immediately.

So, where are they now? One of the biggest and richest metal bands on the planet, that's where!

Note: This first volume was actually released in three pressings, apparently, almost identical each time, but there were slight differences, with tracks included on the other pressings that are not on this, the third one. So I'll just quickly address those now.

On the first pressing, the Black'n'Blue song is replaced as the first track by this, which I find about a thousand times superior. Why they changed it for later pressings (dropping the Steeler track completely) is beyond me.

Track one (First pressing): “Cold day in Hell” (Steeler)

Yeah, about that: Steeler were a band who started off against the odds, as a metal band born in Nashville, the spiritual home of Country music. Although they gained moderate success they only ever released the one album, and their main claim to fame is that they once had guitar supremo Yngvie Malmsteen in their lineup. Steeler are said to have been very influential to many metal bands, probably mostly thanks to the Y-Man and his incredible style of shredding.

The track: Has a great bite about it, and even though Malmsteen had yet to join at this point, you can hear the pretty superb guitar work that marks this out as something special. A lot of power with a stomping kind of bravado, and a pretty catchy hook in the chorus, even if to me it does sound like “Holiday in Hell”!

So where are they now? Only three or four months after Malmsteen joined, he left, and due to constant lineup changes the band folded in the summer of 1983. Founder Ron Keel went on to form the short-lived Keel, while Yngwie, well, we all know what happened to him.

On the first and second pressing, there are ten tracks, the fourth (that instrumental) being pushed down to fifth by the inclusion of this, much more important song.

Track four (First and second pressing): “Tell the world” (Ratt)

Yeah, about that: Well I think we all know who Ratt are? Out of the cellar? Invasion of Your Privacy? One of the big glam metal acts of the eighties, they're still around. Hide the cheese!

The track: Ratt were always a cut above the rest, and with the likes of Motley Crue and Quiet Riot led the glam metal revolution of the early eighties in LA. You can see on this why they've stayed the course and weathered the passage of time. Unknown and unsigned when they recorded this originally, it ended up on their greatest hits album ten years later and gave them a title for a later compilation in 2007. The swagger and sass evident even in this early track shows what a big name this rodent was going to be.

Where are they now? Still around, and going strong.

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Metal Massacre II, released 1982

Yeah, two albums of unsigned bands in the one year. Metal Blade were busy in '82!

Track one: “Lesson well learned” (Armored Saint)

Yeah, about that: Armored Saint went through some lineup changes, including one forced upon them when their guitarist died from leukemia, and another when vocalist John Bush joined Anthrax, and in fact they disbanded in 1992, reformed in 1999, went on hiatus in 2001 and finally reformed again in 2005. They have released eight albums to date.

The track: The production is terrible, but the rawness kind of adds to the song's appeal. It's a good rollicking rocker, driven on powerful guitar and with a strong vocal.

So where are they now? Still around, still recording.

Track two: “Mind invader” (3rd Stage Alert)

Yeah, about that: Oddly enough, these guys seem to have released just one EP in 1984, which did not have this song on it. They were another band from LA.

The track: A much better track than the first one, with elements of Sabbath, Rainbow and Uriah Heep in it, great guitar work and what sound like keyboards. Really strong and powerful vocal. Fun fact: two ex-members of Steeler, whom we met on the first volume, played with 3rd Stage Alert. Actually one of the best tracks I've heard on either volume to this point.

So where are they now? Well, they were talented, good songwriters and a cut above anything else here, so naturally they split and were never heard from again.

Track three: “Rivit (sic) head” (Surgical Steel)

Yeah, about that: Well, when all you can manage in two years is to release two demos, one of which contains ninety percent of the other, don't expect stardom to come knocking on your door. It didn't.

The track: I guess it's sort of early thrash, which is odd when you see a picture of the guys, who are serious poster boys for hair metal! Not too bad a track but a little hard to take the tough-as-nails lyric seriously when you can see who's singing!

So where are they now? Split up I guess. Never even got an album out.

Track four: “Shadows of steel” (Obsession)

Yeah, about that: Seems Obsession are famous for bringing to fame vocalist Michael Vescera, who went on to head up such bands as Loudness and Dr. Sin, and worked with Yngwie as well as getting into production. They've also provided songs for various slasher movies, including the third instalment of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

The track: Interesting echo effect on the vocals. Reminds me of an early Iron Maiden, though a bit more polished. I can see why Vescera was highly sought after as a vocalist.

So where are they now? Still going, having released their last album so far in 2012.

Track five: “Sceptres of deceit” (Savage Grace)

Yeah, about that: Not a whole lot of interest I can tell you about Savage Grace, other than they once employed Randy Rhoads's brother on vocals and that their original vocalist and guitarist, and founder of the band, disappeared “mysteriously” before they reformed in 2010.

The track: Decent song, but the vocalist seems to be straining a little? Nothing overly special about the song, but it's not crap either. Holy shit! Is there a woman joining him or is his range actually that wide? Maybe I should rethink my idea on this track.

So where are they now? After the disappearance of Chris Logue, the co-founder of the band, they decided to carry on with a new vocalist, but their last real album was out in 1986, so whether you can say they're still around technically or not I'm not so sure.

Track six: “No holds barred” (Overkill)

Yeah, about that: Right. You're joking, yes? We all know who Overkill are.

The track: It's a little raw compared to the kind of thing they would later do, and to be honest listening to this you actually can't get the same idea that you did from the likes of Metallica and, later in this series, Slayer. It's a good song but I feel it's a little below par.

So where are they now? Still going, with their last album, their sixteenth, released last year.

Track seven: “Lucifer's hammer” (Warlord)

Yeah, about that: Anything you need to know about Warlord, see The Batlord. He loves them.

The track: Despite Batty's enthusiasm and his belief that they would be right up my alley, I couldn't get as excited about Warlord as he did. I thought what I heard was okay but not remarkable, and it just did not impress me. Here, it just sounds like a sub-Gary Moore song to me. Okay but again nothing special. This would later appear on their debut album, Deliver Us, released the next year.

So, where are they now? Warlord were another band who suffered from ever-fluctuating lineups, and disbanded in 1986, with a brief reformation in 1997 and then in 2011 they reformed properly, releasing a new album in 2013. Point of interest to no-one but me: Shadow Gallery guitarist Gary Wehrkamp is now playing bass for them.

Track eight: “Such a shame” (Trauma)

Yeah, about that: Trauma's claim to fame is that they once numbered Metallica bass player Cliff Burton (RIP) in their ranks. They seem to have had a stop/start career, being around since 1984 but only releasing one album until this year, when they released their second, making a thirty-one-year gap between the two!

The track: They've been compared to Maiden, and I can see the similarities. Impressive guitar work.

So where are they now? Have no idea where they've been for three decades since their debut, but now apparently they're back with their, um, second album...

Track nine: “It's alright” (Dietrich)

Yeah, about that: Again, nothing much I can tell you. They had one demo and one EP and that seems to have been about it for them. Oh, they were presumably named for guitarist and founder Brad Dietrich.

The track: Sounds like they had some talent too. Good rocker with an impressive vocalist. Not the most imaginative of lyrics, but you can't have everything. As indeed, they did not.

So where are they now? Split up, it would seem. Very little information on them.

Track ten: “Inversion” (Molten Leather)

Yeah, about that: Can't tell you a thing. No information at all.

The track: Good song, not as bad as some of the ones here. Odd how they didn't survive.

So where are they now? Search me, but as there's zero information on them around the interweb, I assume they never made it and split up.

Track eleven: “Kings” (Hyksos)

Yeah, about that: I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume they were Greek, or had some Greek members? No, from LA. And given the fact that both guitarists were Gonzaleses, I'd think more Spanish than Greek. Other than that, can't tell you much except they cut one album in 1982, and this was on it.

The track: Another decent rocker, even if the vocalist's range is a little screechy for my tastes. Nice kind of progressive feel to it in the later minutes. Pretty good actually; really improves in the latter half.

So where are they now? Again, I assume they're split up but I can't confirm.

Track twelve: “Heavy metal virgin” (Aloha)

Yeah, about that: Bit of confusion here. Metal Archives says they worked under the name Vixen from 1981-82, then changed to Aloha and became Hawaii from 1983-1986. If they changed their name so much it's not that surprising they had no chance to make it. Looks like they got out two albums under the latter name though, which is more than they managed as Aloha!

The track: Well it's the only one on the whole compilation to feature a female vocal, which is interesting in itself. Lisa Ruiz has a decent voice, though it doesn't knock me over.

So where are they now? After three years under the name Hawaii it seems they ran out of names and decided to call it a day.

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