Trollheart

I thought a) the immediacy of my reaction and b) no chance to duck out since you're there "listening" with me. If you don't want to do it, then fuck you. Just thought it might be an idea.
Okay well that's acceptable then.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

The Batlord

I imagine the novelty of taking in your reactions in real time would get old after a little while. And I doubt I'd be able to contribute anything of interest.

So, meh.

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Trollheart

For our next look at the metal available in this small troubled country we move up into the northeast, to a city called Tuzla, where one of, it would seem, the few bands who are not thrash or black or death metal ply their trade. They are, in fact, my kind of metal: progressive. I was rather surprised but quite happy to find that their one and only album is available in its entireity on YouTube.

Sevdah metal --- Emir Hot --- 2008 (Lion Music)
To be honest, from the only picture I have of them, Emir Hot look more like a viking or thrash metal band than a progressive one, so the tag may be awarded with a certain amount of generosity, but we shall see. This is, as I said, their only album and given that it was released seven years ago now it might not be too premature to believe it is also their last. Furthermore, as they only formed in the previous year and yet managed to get an album out within twelve months, they don't sound like the sort of people who would hang around waiting for another seven before issuing their second.

Whatever the fact of the matter, the album has English song titles so we may assume that Emir Hot sing (or sang) in English. The opener however is an instrumental, one of two on the album, the only two in fact that possess what I assume to be Bosnian language titles. It's an ... interesting tune, almost some sort of national anthem style, but very short before “Devils in disguise” punches its way through and the vocalist, John West (?) has a clear but powerful tone that can drop to a low growl or rise to a scream of Dickinsonian proportions. Good vocal harmonies too and shattering guitar from Emir Hot, for whom presumably the band is named.

Strange little xylophone-like percussion from Mike Terrana lays a somewhat surreal veneer over proceedings before Hot shreds away like a good thing. Now no keyboards are mentioned but there are definitely keys; I can hear them. They're doing a solo right now. The music certainly deserves the term progressive metal anyway. “World set on fire” has a more grindy, chugging feel to it, with a very decent hook in the song. Almost sounds familiar. “Skies and oceans” is faster, rocking along with the percussion of Terrana pounding along, a sense of Scorpions in the song, also reminds me of a far heavier Millenium (the US rockers, not the Polish proggers) and again there's a clever hook there in the chorus.

Of course, most prog metal bands will usually have an epic track, and Emir Hot are no exception. Theirs comes in the shape of “Sevdah metal rhapsody” and runs for just over eleven minutes. It kicks off with what sounds like bouzouki or oud, some sort of ethnic stringed instrument, before it strides purposely forward on a rollicking, rolling rhythm that takes the song with a guitar solo that to be fair squeals a little and sounds to me like it might be out of tune, not that I would know of course. Now we get some accordion, which adds to the ethnic feel of the song before it kicks off on another guitar solo, sort of pulling in a Russian folk dance idea; very interesting and entertaining.

I really like the ethnic touches here, raises the music above the normal level and changes this from being a run-of-the-mill metal album into something quite special. Drum solo now, which I can always do without, but it's handled well, even if it is obviously just padding out the track. There are those keyboards now, solo for a moment before Hot breaks in with a pretty evocative guitar solo with an acoustic going too, kind of puts me in mind of “Stairway to Heaven”. It seems about ten minutes since we heard from West, but now he comes in and to be fair takes total control of the track, but I can't shake those Zep comparisons, even the melody sounds like “Stairway”. A very good song though nonetheless.

I must admit, I would never have expected “Stand and fight” to be an acoustic ballad, but this is how it starts out, and even though it pumps up a little after the first minute or so, it's still pretty laidback and very enjoyable. Another vehicle for the vocal talents of John West allied to the fret mastery of Emir Hot himself. Things speed right back up then for “Endless pain”, with a strange little ending that throws you before the boys go for it with a big snarling, breakneck guitar finish. One more instrumental then in “Hora martisiorlui” before we get to the penultimate track, “Land of the dark.” Another thunderer which rocks along at speed, superb keyboard solo (wish I knew who was on the keys, but there's no mention) , and indeed it's atmospheric synth and sound effects that get the closer underway, with a nice acoustic guitar as the simply-titled “You” opens.

There's a female vocal from somewhere, no idea who she is but she really adds to the song. Hard guitar and drums cut in as the song ups a level, West's voice getting tougher and stronger, the unnamed lady adding her voice to the chorus. Really powerful guitar solo takes the midsection as Hot shows what he's capable of, then he breaks out the acoustic and those superb vocal harmonies send a chill down your spine as we head towards the end of the song, and the album.

TRACKLISTING

1. Forspil (Intro)
2. Devils in disguise
3. World set on fire
4. Skies and oceans
5. Sevdah metal rhapsody
6. Stand and fight
7. Endless pain
8. Horas martisorului
9. Land of the dark
10. You

This is what I always hope to come across during these all-too-brief explorations of the metal of foreign lands. This album deserves to be far better known, and the band should be filling out stadiums, but because they come from a small country with little or no real music press of note, and which is generally regarded as “second class”, nobody is likely ever to hear of them. But this album could stand with some of the best in the progressive metal arena that I've heard; it's really that good.

It's sad also to think that this is probably their only album, that maybe they are now broken up, having failed to make it. There's so much talent there that should be shared. I see Emir Hot himself is a guitar teacher, and has posted a video in 2011 on YT mentioning this as “my last album”; whether that just means most recent or final I don't know, but it's good to know that at least one of the band is continuing on and doing well. Or, of course, given that the band has his name, maybe Hot just got some musicians together to play his music, and maybe he is the star, and we may at some point here from him again.

I hope so, because this music deserves to be heard well beyond the borders of his native country.

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Trollheart

Sad wings of destiny (1976)

Still not quite aware that their record label was piss-poor and also crap at marketing them, Priest returned with their second album. It also bombed, and left them ekeing out a living while surviving on a starvation diet, unsure as to whether they would ever make it or if they should just jack it all in and give it up as a bad job. No wonder this album is so dark, with titles like “Dreamer deceiver”, “Epitaph” and “Genocide”, with the album cover depicting a fallen angel and of course the word “sad” in the title of the album itself. It's really hardly surprising the album went nowhere; their entire budget from Gull Records was a mere £2000, which increased by a factor of thirty plus when they moved to CBS in 1977.

A grindy, Sabbathesque guitar opens “Victims of change”, with Halford still trying to imitate Plant and the production still terrible; I can hardly hear his vocals here. Well, they get a bit clearer in a moment or two but they start off virtually as a faint echo. There's definitely a dark, doomy feel to at least this track, and it's quite long, almost eight minutes, so really, given the poor performance of their debut, a song that long was going to have to be a real winner. And it's not. This could be Led Zep by any other name. There's even a stop-start midsection, and while Downing's guitar rules, it's not enough to save this song, and I doubt enough to save the album. Still, it's something to listen to at least. Nice bluesy section near the end and it starts to pick up until Halford gets possessed by the ghost of our Robert again.

“The Ripper” has much more teeth, possibly one of the first metal songs about a killer? Maybe not, but this was well before Maiden and Slayer, so who knows? Again I'm not mad about Rob's voice here: this song needs a snarl, a growl, and a sense of menace. I don't get that from him at this point. Things slow down for “Dreamer deceiver”, with an acoustic guitar from Downing, a gentle vocal from Halford, which actually works quite well. Some superb guitar work as the song actually intensifies and becomes more than a ballad, and is in fact so far the only track I've liked on the album. “Deceiver” then (drop the “dreamer”) rocks along in a chugalong way, then there's an unexpected classical piece in “Prelude”, where Glenn Tipton excels himself on the piano, before we head into “Tyrant”, which though fast is absolutely devoid of energy, especially in the chorus, when the guys just sound bored.

That's the problem: there's just a lack of energy or commitment on this album. It's as if they've given up before they've even started. It's hard to pick out any track that would show them the way to the path to glory they would eventually tread. There a re good bits, yes, but not enough to string together to make a good album. Lot of UFO in “Genocide” with some Gary Moore tinges too, and it's interesting that they use in the lyric what would become the title of their next album, which would finally break them commercially and set them on their way. This track actually has some punch, I must admit, but is it too little too late? We're near the end now, only two tracks left to go.

Some more nice piano in “Epitaph” and a very decent vocal from Halford; song sounds almost like some sort of lounge music, touches of later Beatles, maybe Bread, that sort of thing. Certainly not metal or anything close to it. Nice though. “Island of domination” tries to finish the album on a strong note, and kind of does really, but the damage has been done, and you can see why this was the second album not to do it for Priest.

TRACKLISTING

1. Victim of changes
2. The Ripper
3. Dreamer deceiver
4. Deceiver
5. Prelude
6. Tyrant
7. Genocide
8. Epitaph
9. Island of domination

I guess it's to CBS we owe the biggest debt that Judas Priest didn't sink without a trace, because after two substandard albums which had been received with colossal yawns, and money getting tighter, you wouldn't have blamed them for throwing in the towel. Certainly, on the basis of this album I can see no reason why this band should have risen to the heights and attained the fame that they did. But then, salvation was waiting in the (sad) wings...

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Trollheart

As an eighteen-year old just very --- and I mean very; my first album, as I've pointed out before, was Maiden's The Number of the Beast --- recently into heavy metal, I tended to choose the albums the same way then, to an extent, as I do now, by the name or the cover. Oh yes, while the rest of you were getting into Scorpions, Alice Cooper, BOC, Accept and Aerosmith, I was checking out bands based on how cool their name or album cover was, which explained why so much of the really good metal in the early eighties passed me by. Back then, of course, lurid, explicit and downright stupid album covers were de rigeur, and band names followed suit. So, to an impressionable teenager out to explore heavy metal, and with some disposable income to, well, dispose of, this naturally caught my eye in the pages of Kerrang!

I may end up being embarrassed to admit that this became part of


When Hell Won't Have You --- Split Beaver --- 1982 (Heavy Metal Records)

Oh yes, laugh now, but at the time I had no idea of the sexual innuendo inherent in the name of the band, and when you look at the label they were on, why it was a match made in Heaven, was it not? Thing is, I bought the album but to this day I could not tell you if I played it, or if I did, what I thought of it. My feelings, writing this now, is that it was --- how can I say this without giving offence? --- crap. It seems to me, now a lot older and perhaps a little wiser, that any band who goes to that much trouble thinking up a cool band name, getting some sexy cover art done and signs with the label who seem like they should have been signing all the local metal bands (surely either a coincidence or massive naivete on their part?) are unlikely to have bothered with such trifling details as song structure, lyrics or melodies. Hell, I'll be lucky if they can play! And yet, they were signed by a label, so they can't be totally terrible, can they? Can they?

This, you'll be totally unsurprised to hear I'm sure, was their first and only album. Though in fairness, it would seem, according to the very limited information I can get on them (the term is also an urban slang one, as I'm sure you know, and my search results have been, to say the least, interesting, none moreso than when I clicked on the link “images of split beaver”...) that this was mostly due to a traffic accident, and they reformed and toured for six years, even winning some Battle of the Bands competition in darkest Birmingham at one point, but they eventually called it quits as the nineties dawned. Mind you, with track titles like “Get out stay out”, “Savage” and “Gimme head”, I doubt we're going to be hearing any treatises on ultra-left neo-Marxist politics here, or ruminations on whether there is anything at the heart of a black hole... other than the remains of their career, that is.

Not too great a shock to find that neither of my music colossi have even heard of the band, so back to YouTube I go. It is something of a jolt however to find that even the mighty Y has nothing on their one and only album, and I have to go for single tracks. This does not sound encouraging. Be that as it may, the album opens on the aforementioned “Savage”, and ... they don't have it. You know what? Fuck it: it's only thirty cents to buy the album from my vendor, so let me just click that and add it and .... there we go. We can now listen to this forgotten classic in all its ironic glory. Maybe.

So, that opening track. “Savage”, we said, didn't we? Well it has energy certainly, kind of a Ravenesque thing with some early Diamond Head in there, vocalist is not bad (guy called Darrel “Savage” Whitehouse apparently) and the bassist Alan “Hunk” Reese (I'm assuming they gave themselves these nicknames. Bless!) reels off a nice line there, while the frets are under the control of Mike “The Bike” Hoppett. Oh god! Please stop! You're killing me here! Oh yeah, the song. Meh, nothing terribly special. It's ok I suppose. They start rock-and-rollin' with a “Johnny B. Goode” riff as “Going straight” gets going. Again it has great energy and really wants to be a great song, but it just, well, isn't. It's not bad, but again nothing to write home about. Hoppett unleashes a pretty sweet solo I must say but the rest of the song does not match it.

There's a lot of the “One, two, three, four!” to introduce songs. This may work great onstage but on an album you get mighty tired of it. The backing vocals are mostly just shouted, and I don't honestly think I could review a song like “Gimme head” with a straight face. Subtle was obviously not in the playbook these guys used. Again, the only really shining light here is the guitar solos ripped off by Hoppett; the vocalist is really not up to it and the songwriting is pretty woeful so far. Mind you, they don't just want head, they want good head! You'd think at this stage in their careers they would be happy to just get head, but no, it has to be good. Picky bastards. Oh dear god no! Sexually tittilating breathing at the end! Save me!

I wonder if “Cruisin'” might change things here? It's a six-minute monster and kicks off on a slow little blues line, with harmonica, and as I always say, you can't really go wrong with harmonica. Double vocal, so yeah, this could be good. I do like a slow blues tune, and whiel the lyric is nothing revolutionary, well the blues ain't about that. It's about simple, catchy and often very repetitive melodies, and this has all of that. A country mile ahead of the rest so far. And now here comes the blues guitar solo: lovely, with added harmonica. You know, I wonder if they switched to another vocalist for the previous track, cos once they get to “Levington Gardens” you can really hear how badly Whitehouse sucks. I would say it's the production, but the last track sounded great so it can't be that. Maybe he needs another singer to fill out the sound? Either way, this track is back to the basic banality of the album minus “Cruisin'”, which is a disappointment but not unexpected.

“Hounds of Hell” has a nice powerful guitar intro and then rocks along at speed, but again you can hear how bad Whitehouse is; it's almost as if the rest of the band are compensating for him. Not that this is such a great song, but everyone else seems to be competent whereas “Savage” is certainly failing to live up to his nickname. Hoppett sounds like he's wasted here; not in the drug or drink sense, but I just feel he should have been destined for better things. He certainly has the talent. “Like wise” starts out with a rip-off of the bassline from “Dancing in the moonlight”, but soon settles into its own groove, a real boogie-along but with really terrible lyric (”Likewise baby/ You drive me crazy” --- see what I mean?), the song saved once again by a fine solo from Mike Hoppett.

Sounds like “Living in and out” might be the ballad on the album (eighties metal albums always had at least one ballad) and starts with a nice introspective guitar, though it does power up a little for the chorus before falling back again, and there's an emotional solo from Hoppett that turns into a real monster as the song heads towards its conclusion. Bit of an abrupt ending, sort of ruined it really. There's a nice groove underpinning “Get out stay out” but it's totally ruined by Whitehouse's below-par vocal, and even when he sings the title there's not the slightest hint of venom or recrimination in it. Reminds me of the way John Wetton sings “Judas” on Asia's XXX. Once again Mike Hoppett comes to the rescue with a blistering solo that totally changes the song, but it's a weak track and I won't remember it, like the majority of this album, which is almost over now. One more track to go.

It may seem an odd title, but “The bailiff” turns out to be a lacklustre closer, with a very basic rock motif and another really terrible vocal. Even Hoppett can't save this one sadly.

TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS

1. Savage
2. Going straight
3. Gimme head
4. Cruisin'
5. Levington Gardens
6. Hounds of Hell
7. Likewise
8. Living in living out
9. Get out stay out
10. The bailiff

Yeah, well I suppose that just shows that you can't judge a book, or an album, by its cover. Poor in the worst sense, it's no surprise they didn't last. If they really did win a Battle of the Bands then all I can say is the competition must have been very weak. I feel like I begrudge even the thirty cents I paid for this album now, although in fairness “Cruisin'” makes up for it very slightly. And then there's the cover: guess that's worth thirty cents of anyone's money. Nothing else is though.

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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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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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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: Signature-free since April 2018

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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