Unknown Soldier

I'd agree with that hence its position at the lower end of the list. It's still a credible album though, but nowhere near as good as some reviewers would have you believe though.

__________________
Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Unknown Soldier

As darkness descends...... the dead will rise again.

The Lowdown
With numerous west coast thrash bands from this period springing up in San Francisco, it was no surprise that sister city Los Angeles would have its own thrash metal bands as well and one such band the “LA Caffeine Machine” better known as Dark Angel were one of those bands. Their album Darkness Descends is often considered one of the landmark thrash albums from this period, so much so that Revolver magazine placed it in their “14 Thrash Albums You Need to Own” list and 14 seems like a strange number to me for a list! For my ears the album is suitably geared up for the dedicated thrash enthusiast, as its song structures are often extended with long instrumental sections (kind of like Slayer trying to stretch out songs) that might just end up testing the mettle of your average metal fan. I think it’s this uncompromising style that earned the band the aptly named “LA Caffeine Machine” moniker that was mentioned earlier and Darkness Descends would be the band’s second album after their debut We Have Arrived had been released the previous year. We Have Arrived was certainly one of those primitive thrash metal albums that’s hardly a listening necessity, even though it does have its fans, so it might be a worthy listen for some out there. The album cover ties in nicely with the gharish and some would call tacky album covers from this period, but as I’ve always really liked these type of Halloween album covers I think it’s a pretty good one and it's almost 3D in style where it really captures the mood of those mid-1980s horror flicks. The album was produced by engineer/producer Randy Burns who was a constant mainstay in extreme metal at this time and had already worked with bands like Megadeth and Sucidal Tendencies, and would later go onto to work with Death. From the word go the production values are far superior than the debut where the riffs are far tighter and more potent, and this is in evidence from the 5 minute onslaught of the title track “Darkness Descends” which like Anthrax features comic book characters. In this case it’s the Dark Judges from Judge Dredd and even features the line ‘this city is guilty, the crime is life, the sentence is death’ which for any Judge Dredd fan is familiar rhetoric. The lack of variation on the album is certainly evident by track three the neatly named “Hunger of the Undead” where it now seems completely apparent that not much is going to change throughout the rest of the album, despite some moody song intros. The strongest tracks come in the shape of “Merciless Death” where Don Doty sounds a bit like Dave Mustaine at times and the equally strong “Death is Certain”. The albums falls down though on its longest track "Black Prophecies" where at over 8 minutes the band had certainly pushed their envelope too far. The end of the album though is saved by "Perish in Flames" which gets back to certifiable thrash territory, even if the track sounds like a another Slayer entry with Don Doty throwing in some James Hetfield type vocals. This would also be the band’s final album with original vocalist Don Doty (yep that’s not Don Dokken btw) where he would soon be replaced by Rob Rinehart. Most of the tracks on the album would be written by guitarist Jim Durkin and fellow guitarist and driving force Eric Meyer would be the band’s mainstay over the years. Star turn on the album is probably put in by drummer Gene Hoglan, who would go onto become known as the best known musician from the band, as his creative drumming over the years would see him feature on multiple extreme metal releases. Dark Angel like so many other thrash bands of their ilk, never actually managed to really grow beyond their local fanbase and largely became known as just another one of those ‘scene bands’ that continued to put out albums over the years, in general though these albums never reached the heights of this their second album Darkness Descends. In quick summary the album is a solid if not great listen imo, largely because most of its songs sound like other artists rather than the band trying to squeeze out their own unique sound, but it's still worth checking out.

Don Doty- Vocals
Eric Meyer- Guitar
Jim Durkin- Guiitar
Rob Yahn- Bass
Gene Hoglan- Drums

Production- Randy Burns

__________________
Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Unknown Soldier

The Lowdown
Along with both Kreator and Sodom, Destruction would form the backbone of the newish Teutonic thrash metal movement, which certainly differed from its American counterpart in a number of aspects. Whereas the American sample was usually pure aggression with different variations, the German counterpart simply adopted a harsher element, overall showing that their brand of thrash was probably closer to what would become black metal. In fact Devastation on their debut album Infernal Overkill and their even earlier EP Sentence of Death were pretty close to a black metal sound, but for Eternal Devastation their best album they had moved away from these beginnings and firmly into thrash territory. Another interesting feature of these German thrash metal bands was the ‘trio element’ to their sound, where these three bands (Destruction, Kreator, Sodom) in this period only had three members in their line-ups. Of course trios were hardly anything new in rock, but in metal it was always a challenge given the need for most metal bands to bash out a potent sound. I’m guessing the influence of a band like Venom and the more technically superior Celtic Frost, may well have been vital influences with the ‘threesome concept’ here. Band frontman vocalist Marcel Schirmer ‘Schmier’ with his screeched vocals, certainly rivalled Mille Petrozza of Kreator and Tom Angelripper (great name) of Sodom at this time in defining the type of Teutonic vocalist that the listener should expect to hear. The striking feature of Eternal Devastation is that it’s an extremely tight and consistent album from beginning to end, with its opening brace of tracks “Curse the Gods” and “Confound Games” which both set the tone for most of the album with their insistent riffing that are prone to instant changes and progression. The sinister sounding vocal approach from Schmier is hard to ignore as he screeches his way through the album, all against the previously mentioned harsher backdrop of the Teutonic thrash metal sound with some interesting progressive elements in places. I particularly like the condensed sound of “Eternal Ban” which seems to cram a lot of what the band has previously played on the previous four songs into just over three minutes. Instrumental "Upcoming Devastation" is a pure headache job with its propulsive guitars and sound that don't seem to stop for the whole of its plus four minutes. Final track "Confused Mind" starts with a welcome acoustic intro before the inevitable final onslaught arrives which is largely more madcap hectic thrashing by our trio and personally I think the band should've gone in for something different for the album closer, as I don't think it's as strong as it could've been. Overall despite some strong progressive chord work on the album, the lack of variety limits very much to what could've been a much more impressive thrash album but of course there are those that like their thrash exactly how this album sounds. According to All Music the thrash sound of Devastation was the most American like of these bands, I’m guessing that this possibly comes from the chord progression that the band has adopted here across the album. Star turn is possibly the buzzsaw guitar of Mike Sifringer which is probably no surprise as the band were known for their guitar proficiency anyway. Eternal Devastation certainly forms a vital element in German thrash metal along with Sodom’s Agent Orange and the even more renowned in Kreator’s Pleaure to Kill (higher up this year’s list)

Marcel Schirmer- Bass/Vocals
Mike Sifringer- Guitar
Thomas Sandmann- Drums

Production- Manfred Neuner

__________________
Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Unknown Soldier

The Lowdown
After reviewing what has been quite a few thrash albums on this year’s list, it was something of a breath of fresh air to review this cult classic from Fifth Angel. Fifth Angel hailed from Bellvue, Washington State and their debut album the eponymous Fifth Angel had certainly been fuelled by the style of neighbours Queensryche (minus the proggy parts) The band can also lay claim to being part of that ‘Seattle power metal scene’ from this period, which for any US power metal fan such as me is all vital listening. As power metal is probably my favourite brand of metal band for band, I always take a big interest in anything power metal related and indeed Fifth Angel have only been a recent addition for me in terms of knowing their discography. This though is hardly a surprise as they only managed to put out two albums, meaning that it was pretty easy to overlook them. Band components leaned heavily on guitarist James Byrd who was a big fan of bands like UFO and MSG, and being a guitarist there was a sure link to Michael Schenker who of course had been in both of these bands. Vocalist Ted Pilot had the power to go high-pitched often a vital attribute for most power metal singers, but at the same time his vocals were pretty beefy just check out “The Night” and “Only the Strong Survive” and it was also clear that the band were also influenced by the NWOBHM in their general rock orientation. Opening cut “In the Fallout” is a pretty damn heavy intro to the album, both fast and epic and it carries the energy of a faster paced Queensryche effort. The song is punctuated with an impressive guitar solo from James Byrd about halfway through, clearly inspired from that classic 1970s guitar solo mentality that he had. “Shout it Out” takes a step back with the speed and infuses a stomping metal beat and its chorus is certainly typical of a ‘shouted hair metal band’ style. Third track “Call Out the Warning” despite picking up the speed, actually sounds more like a European power metal track before then moving onto the moody title track “Fifth Angel” which again had me drawing comparisons with Queensryche. The album’s showpiece track might well be its power ballad “Wings of Destiny” which sounds like Iron Maiden meets Queensryche with a Scorpions song name. But like most of these tracks Fifth Angel again prove that they are very much their own band, as constant listens to this album reveal that the band had their own sound, rather than just sounding like a band that had been influenced by others. The album finishes with strong brace of songs "Cry Out the Fools" and "Fade to Flames" the former strong and melodic and the latter faster and touching onto that almost Europe power metal sound. Overall this is a pretty vital addition to any fan of power metal from this period and in many ways it has more in common with a European power metal release than a fellow American one. Largely because the Fifth Angel sound is pretty much devoid of thrash influences, that were often heard on albums by bands like Metal Church from this period. Saying that though the Queensryche comparisons do keep the album on the American side of the power metal scene, making the album an inviting listen due to its American/European elements. The vocals of Ted Pilot are resonant and melodic throughout, and some of the best of the year imo. The guitar sound of James Byrd is constantly fresh and inviting throughout the album, making this a great example of ‘ a feel good metal album’ in a year that was dominated by the harsher realities of thrash metal.

Ted Pilot- Vocals
James Byrd- Guitar
Ed Arhcer- Guitar
Kenny Kay- Bass
Ken Mary- Drums

Production- N/A

__________________
Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Unknown Soldier

A black soaring eagle arriving late to its nest.

The Lowdown
I guess this is a classic example of the saying ‘better late than never’ because without doubt the Elixir debut album is exactly that. Elixir were in essence another NWOBHM band, but because that label was now completely out of fashion the band must've seemed like an anomaly in 1986, especially with both thrash metal and glam metal ruling the metal waves. Life must’ve been pretty tough for a British metal band at this time, a country of course that had dominated the metal scene for so long throughout the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s. The British legacy had of course shaped metal but other countries like the USA and mainland Europe would now be the future for the scene in general. The Elixir debut album Son of Odin as the name would suggest, would end up being labelled power metal, which was pretty handy giving that this scene was about to burst out as a major metal movement….. and I guess with a name like the ‘Son of Odin’ the album couldn’t be anything else but be under the power metal moniker. The band Elixir were certainly late formers for a NWOBHM act and the Son of Odin is probably without doubt for me the best very late period NWOBHM album, as there are quite a few floating about of very dubious quality. The album has been further enhanced firstly from the late great Dio who reviewed the band’s first single “Treachery” in Kerrang! by giving it and the band the thumbs up in 1985. Secondly the album sneaked onto Terrorizer’s top 20 greatest power metal albums of all time another feather in the album’s cap, especially considering that Elixir would more than likely be one of the last bands that people would guess to be on that kind of list. So what does this archaic album actually sound like? The album starts with “The Star of Beshaan” with its galloping riffs that immediately recalls prime NWOBHM offerings and the second track “Pandora’s Box” a more subdued effort but with enough muscle to make it a standout are a great opening brace. One of the best tracks on the album is the Black Sabbath inspired "Children of Tomorrow" especially with its killer riff that any NWOBHM band would've proud of. Songs like "Trial By Fire" and "Starflight" add further fuel to the fire here and the give the album a consistent feel throughout. Other standout cuts include "Dead Man's Gold" the previously mentioned single "Treachery" and the brooding title track "Son of Odin" which finishes the album. In fact when I listened to the album this time, I realized that is was the 2001 re-issue of the album which actually has a different track order from the original release which did change the feel of the album slightly. Vocalist Paul Taylor was compared to Gary Moore from some sources I read about the album and I can definitely see the Gary Moore connection when listening to this album. Also this album is all about blazing guitars that dominate the album from beginning to end and the band’s five components certainly knew their trade. Now after listening to this album again would I call this a power metal album, on first impressions not really but on a further appraisal I think power metal NWOBHM style would be a label most apt for this album with the expected Iron Maiden influences present as well. In summary it would’ve been an uphill struggle for a band like Elixir, because without a doubt the only British bands that were really selling at this time were the giants such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Def Leppard with not too much being left for the lesser known lights. Elixir’s problem would be further compounded by the fact as well that their sophomore set wouldn’t come out until four years later in 1990. finally the band would gain some notoriety for having an Iron Maiden connection several years later when original Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr had a brief stint in the band.

Paul Taylor- Vocals
Phil Denton- Guitar
Norman Gordon- Guitar
Kevin Dobbs- Drums
Nigel Dobbs- Drums

Production- N/A

__________________
Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Unknown Soldier

The Lowdown
5150 would be a major turning point for Van Halen as this was their first album without the trademark face of the band’s talisman David Lee Roth, who now considered himself to be a solo artist. So without David Lee Roth the band returned as an altered beast with their most consistently accessible collection of songs to date. The band’s constant dabblings with synths would be at their most expansive, their dedication to hit singles even greater and the link to the AOR listening market enhanced with the polished sound and production of the album's most commercial efforts. So enter Sammy Hagar a friend of Eddie Van Halen and a hard rocker that had a long pedigree in the business, Sammy Hagar had made his reputation as the vocalist in Montrose before embarking on a solo career which saw him release an impressive eight studio albums to decent commercial success. Some of these albums especially the Montrose ones have already been reviewed by me some time back (see reviews) but most of his solo stuff was certainly average fare a lot of the time despite having a large fanbase. Despite all this I was always a Sammy Hagar fan and was one of those that welcomed his inclusion into the Van Halen line-up. David Lee Roth was certainly the face of Van Halen and his sexy onstage shenanigans and innuendos were what made Van Halen a huge market seller, but like a lot of high profile frontmen he thought he could do it better on his own and imo his pseudo pop material that he recorded as a solo artist leaves a lot to be desired. With all this in mind 5150 still very much feels like a Van Halen album in its key aspects, because even with David Lee Roth in the band this would’ve been the direction that band would’ve taken anyway. Also on the album’s opening track “Good Enough” if the listener wasn’t aware that David Lee Roth had left the band, the vocal sound of Sammy Hagar is pretty much the same especially with his ‘hello baby’ intro (clearly chosen for this reason I guess) and on a lot of similar tracks he sounds pretty similar DLR anyway. As said earlier I really like Sammy Hagar as he had the ability to sing on 5150 solid polished songs as they should be sung, without ever needing to revert to that overused DLR style, as Eddie Van Halen was now clearly the band leader this stylistic control was probably down to him. The songs on 5150 are a mixture of traditional Van Halen hard rock efforts and a consistently strong collection of power ballads with big hooks. So starting with the power ballads which were designed as the album's singles and they don't come any bigger than "Why Can't This Be Love" with its knocking keyboards intro that turned out to be the biggest selling single from the album and one of the band's best known songs. This then gives way to the even more superior and soaring "Dreams" one of my all time favourite tracks from the 1980s. The band return to that "Dreams" style with the glorious sounding "Love Walks In" another huge favourite of mine and a song I can listen to all day and both of these songs were released as singles as well. The grittier tracks come in the aforementioned "Good Enough" and the manic guitar of "Get Up" which sounds like a nod to "Hot for Teacher" and in my opinion these songs are somewhat mediocre but not without a certain charm in the right places or mood. The best of these type of tracks are without doubt "Summer Nights" whose disjointed style blends in nicely with its melodic chorus, then there is the single "Best of Both Worlds" a straight forward hard rocker that's easy enough on the ear for the record buying public to like. "Inside" is a fun stab of humour from the band and in my opinion a clever addition to close the album. Finally the title track the most ambitious on the album, probably blends in the two principal styles of the album to give a strong late album track that lasts around 5 mins. The album is a testament to Eddie Van Halen’s passion for keyboards which don’t come at the expense of his great guitar playing and Sammy Hagar sounds like he’s been at the band’s helm for years and this is just another album for him with the band, giving the whole listening experience a certain level of authenticity. On the downside 5150 suffers like most Van Halen albums do, in that its singles and standout tracks are consistently stronger than the rest of the album material on offer, a factor which has always dragged down most Van Halen albums in these listings, but nevertheless 5150 is an enjoyable listening experience.

Sammy Hagar- Vocals
Eddie Van Halen- Guitar
Tony Anthony- Bass
Alex Van Halen- Drums

Production- Van Halen

__________________
Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

The Batlord

Did you really just put Van Hagar over Nuclear Assault, Dark Angel, and Destruction? **** off.

__________________

Unknown Soldier

I'm one of the few that probably prefers Van Hagar to Van Halen and even though I know the album so well, it came like a breath of fresh air in a year dominated by thrash, so yer it kind of deserved its position at 12.

__________________
Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

The Batlord

****ing AOR dweebs.

__________________

Anteater

Van Hagar at 12 is an interesting choice, as they do seem to be more AOR than even glam metal by the time Roth departed. Sacred Blade or maybe King Diamond might have been around this point if I were to do a "best of" metal of '86, but I like quite a bit on 5150....maybe it counts as a crossover album?

__________________
Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette