Unknown Soldier

Overview
I’ve often mentioned in contrast to a lot of reviews and opinions from this time period, how I’ve often thought that heavy metal around this time actually had very little in common with punk musically, which of course it was often compared to. But what punk did have in common with heavy metal (especially the NWOBHM) were two things. Firstly both had a D.I.Y ethos where bands just got on and done it with the limited resources that they had available. Secondly certain heavy metal bands relied on a punk attitude to build their fanbase and Iron Maiden were one such band that qualified on both criteria points. Iron Maiden were able to present their brand of heavy metal very much at street level a la punk, as opposed to the stadium rock approach that a lot of metal bands aspired to, oddly enough when Bruce Dickinson joined the band a few years later, the band would be the polar opposite of this early approach. In terms of attitude, Iron Maiden had started out as a pub band that played the East London circuit and you needed to be hard band to do that. All through this period band leader Steve Harris had held the band together, through numerous line-up changes and had a steadfast belief in what the band were doing. So with the vast majority of quality NWOBHM bands coming out of the Midlands and the North East, London was certainly due a major player and that player would come in the form of Iron Maiden and they along with Angel Witch were both early leaders of the London HM scene, but of course Iron Maiden would go on to quickly scale critical and commercial heights that few bands could’ve dreamed of. From the word go the band’s trump card was largely their aforementioned punk attitude which was perfectly delivered by vocalist Paul Di’Anno (who looked like a street tough) and this won the band a large number of punk inspired fans. The band were soon championed by then influential music newspaper ‘Sounds’ in fact ‘Sounds’ were amongst the most vociferous of all the UK music press when it came to the NWOBHM, especially since Maiden had already impressed with their 3-track demo of “Iron Maiden” “Invasion” and “Prowler” which of course would all appear on their debut album. These three tracks would then be released on the 1979 EP The Soundhouse Tapes, before the band signed up with EMI and then they appeared on the NWOBHM compilation Metal for Muthas in 1980. Most importantly they also had an influential manager in Rod Smallwood (just think Peter Grant for getting stuff done) and after some more line-up changes issued their eponymous debut album which would be recorded by producer Vic Malone. Most importantly though the the band achieved two vital marketing victories and that was the introduction of a band mascot called Eddie and even more importantly the band’s distinctive album artwork which would vital to the band and also to metal. The importance of album artwork can’t be stressed enough, as there was no MTV, videos were newish, so things like radio airplay, press coverage and album artwork were vital advertising tools, as the amount of people that would buy on the strength of an album cover, despite never having heard more than maybe a song by the band was quite staggering (I was one of those who would often buy on the strength of an album’s cover as well) The album would go onto to reach an impressive no.4 spot on the UK album chart and sell by the bucketload on mainland Europe and see the start of a new metal legend.

Verdict
The Iron Maiden debut would be an album that linked punk to the NWOBHM and for that reason alone it can be considered groundbreaking. But the album is so much more than just groundbreaking, as the album is a genuine metal heavyweight and one of the most vital of the whole decade. In Paul Di’Anno the band had a true growler for a vocalist and he both looked and sounded the part, and was especially good on the album’s more punkier numbers like the blinding album opener “Prowler” one of the most enduring tracks on the album, which quickly demonstrated the band’s stunning musical ability especially when it came to playing at speed. Other punkier tracks well suited to Paul Di’Anno included the percussion heavy “Running Free” and here the drums of Clive Burr pretty much dictate the track and then there is the rapid tempo of “Sanctuary” which just actually appeared initially on the US version of the album. Musically the band were beyond most of their contemporaries as in guitarists Dave Murray and Dennis Stratton, they had a pair of guitar wizards that were able to match K.K Downing and Glenn Tipton from Judas Priest when it came to playing at pure speed. Songs like the seven minute progressive rock inspired epic “Phantom of the Opera” would soon become quintessential Iron Maiden and would be the basis for the future direction of the band, especially when Bruce Dickinson jumped on board. This song is then handily followed by the instrumental “Transylvania” again another stunning exercise as the band flex-out. The iconic “Charlotte the Harlot” is another essential track and would be a recurring character featured by the band and finally there is the album closer the eponymous “Iron Maiden” which was the only song on the album not to feature Steve Harris on its writing credits, as it was written solely by Dave Murray and this remains another early band essential. The band even had time to put down some softer based tracks, like the gentle opening ballad “Remember Tomorrow” which does come early on the album, but about halfway through the whole track beefs itself up and the band do what they do best, and give us another display of breathtaking technicality which dominates the song. Then comes another ballad “Strange World” a song often seen as the weakest album on the album by many, but personally I really like it and think it’s perfectly suited and placed on the album. Certain critics would dismiss the album’s production, but again they probably haven’t taken into consideration the D.I.Y approach of the band. Also band leader, bassist and principal songwriter Steve Harris underpins the whole album with his galloping bass style. Overall as a band Iron Maiden had musical capabilities that even most 1970’s prog bands would’ve been happy to have had, as the band displayed their ability to stunningly change tempos and play extremely complex musical passages with relative ease. Most of the above characteristics would soon earn Iron Maiden the status of the new heavy metal giant on the block and even after just one album, they were seen as the British metal band most likely to follow in the footsteps of Judas Priest, which of course they not only did, but they would also surpass Judas Priest in terms of sheer impact and commercial achievements in just a few sheer short years. Upon listening to this album, the one thing that always stands out is the presence of that distinctive Iron Maiden sound from the word go and I guess metaldom largely has Steve Harris to thank for that.

Paul Di’Anno- Vocals
Dave Murray- Guitar
Dennis Stratton- Guitar
Steve Harris- Bass
Clive Burr- Drums

Production- Will Malone

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Metal Wars

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Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Urban Hat€monger ?

Something totally random but I actually have Will Malone's one and only solo album.
It's kind of like a third rate Donovan / Tyrannosaurus Rex hippy folky stuff.



And it's still better produced than Iron Maiden's debut.

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Unknown Soldier

Never knew he ever recorded an album and there's even a hint of David Bowie in his singing style.

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Unknown Soldier

Overview
The tragic death of Bon Scott had occurred when AC/DC were at the height of both their creative and commercial powers and this had surely been a huge blow for the other band members. Like any band in this situation the other band members had considered quitting, much like Led Zeppelin had decided to do after the death of John Bonham. But staying true to the spirit of the deceased Bon Scott and also to the wishes of his family, the band finally decided to carry on and do what they do best and that is supply us with riff after riff. Once this decision to carry on had been made, there was probably no doubt in the minds of the other band members in the type of replacement vocalist that they wanted and that was a vocalist that was capable of continuing with the sound and style already laid down by Bon Scott. This was hardly surprising considering that the band’s sound had been built around the mammoth riffs of Angus and then complimented by Bon’s famous bellow. Because the somewhat one-dimensional blues inspired hard rock sound of the band was seemingly only really suited to a vocalist in the style of Bon Scott. So as could be imagined for a band of AC/DC’s stature, the auditions for a new replacement became a somewhat rigorous affair. Among those auditioned included blues rock man Terry Slesser (Back Street Crawler) Buzz Shearman (Moxy) a band I always loved and I reviewed their excellent debut album on my 1975 listings and finally there was a certain Noddy Holder of Slade which would’ve been very interesting had he joined! But the job ultimately fell to Geordie vocalist Brian Johnson with his distinct gravely yelp and he also just happened to be in a band called Geordie, who had already released several albums over the last several years. Brian Johnson had also been known to the band prior to joining, as Bon Scott had been a fan of his singing style and actually likened him to Little Richard and in many ways he was the perfect choice to step into Bon’s shoes! Meticulous producer Mutt Lange was retained and the album was recorded in the luscious surroundings of the Bahamas and would become the band’s biggest selling record ever and to date has sold a whopping 50 million copies worldwide, easily making it the biggest selling album by an Australian band of all time! Back in Black was also the album that broke them big in the USA and would launch them as one of the biggest stadium rock acts in the world. The band also become regular headliners at the Castle Donnington metal festival back in its heyday, which was one of the shrines of everything metal and hard rock. The songwriting for the album had actually started when Bon Scott was still alive and these songs were mostly retained, so when Brian joined the band he started to write the lyrics to the songs and the influential Young brothers continued to write the music. The all black album cover is one of the most famous of all time and also a suitable gesture considering that the band were still in mourning at the time of its release and needless to say the album has made a multitude of best ever lists and they’re far too numerous to mention here! In 2004 American death metal act Six Feet Under did a cover version of the whole album and one of these days I need to get around and listen to it but I’ve no idea if it’s any good!

Verdict
With its all black over and with an opening song called “Hell’s Bells” initial assumptions could easily assume that this was a going to be an album focused on mourning for Bon Scott in a somewhat twisted style, but once the album gets going it reveals itself as more of seamless exercise in hard rock bliss and serves as the perfect tribute to the spirit of Bon Scott. The mid-tempo heavy “Hell’s Bells” starts with the onimus drone of church bells and leads us into the first offerings of Brian Johnson who instantly becomes the mouthpiece of the AC/DC beast on this song. The mid-tempo power is maintained on gems like “What Do You Do for Money Honey” “Give the Dog a Bone” “Have a Drink on Me” and “Shake a Leg”. All the above tracks are essential in every way, but the album saves certain tracks that could be labelled its higher classics like the rapid “Shoot to Thrill” one of the many tracks seemingly built for Brian Johnson, the controversial “Let Me Put My Love into You” a couple of ground tremblers in the title track “Back in Black” and “You Shook Me All Night Long” and rounding off the ten track bonanza is the trademark “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”. Nearly all the album tracks are both anthems and staples of stadium rock and no band could make blues inspired hard rock sound so delicious circa 1980as AC/DC either! Finally no review of Back in Black would be complete without tackling the endless debate on Bon v Brian as the best frontman of the band. But for my two pennies worth Bon Scott was AC/DC and much like any other excessive rock frontman (Jim Morrison, Phil Lynott and Lemmy just to name three) he fully encapsulated the ‘sex, drugs/drink and rock ‘n’ roll’ lifestyle to its absolute maximum. Brian Johnson followed much in the same style, but where he was different to Bon Scott was in his ability to fall in with the band sound and become part of the actual beast, instead of possessing the idiosyncracies of Bon Scott, who largely at times focused on sounding like an Aussie criminal with a twisted sense of humour, which for some makes Bon Scott more of an acquired taste. Personally I actually prefer Brian Johnson’s blended style, but the problem is with the exception of Back in Black, the band’s discography with Brian Johnson falls well below the overall quality that the band had put out with Bon Scott and for that reason alone I’d take the Bon Scott era anytime! After the release of Back in Black the band found the album too hard a match to follow and every release that I’ve heard since (some 30 odd years) doesn’t even come close to matching the hard rock messiah that is Back in Black. After Back in Black it would seriously be downhill quality wise for the band, sure they would maintain themselves as big as ever over the next 30 years as the premier hard rock act in the world and a prime example of a band resting on their laurels. In hindsight it always seems that on Back in Black, that the personal anguish of Bon’s death focused the band to reach another creative height for possibly the last time and that height was certainly fuelled by a hungry Brian Johnson. After this album though, the spark or fire just seemed to leave the band permamantly and the following For Those About to Rock We Salute You which despite having a superb title track simply pales in comparison to Back in Black, overall Back in Black is surely the band’s best ever studio album and sadly they'd never come close to matching it ever again!

Brian Johnson- Vocals
Angus Young- Guitar
Malcolm Young- Rhythm
Cliff Williams- Bass
Phil Rudd- Drums

Production- Robert John “Mutt” Lange

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

The Batlord

Your review of Iron Maiden has forced me to put on Killers and there is literal moisture in my from the sheer metallic perfection of the title track.

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William_the_Bloody

I defiantly agree with you on the quality of the band under the tutorship of Bon Scott, they simply had more depth to their music. Once he passed on the band became a one dimensional wall of power chords.

I do think that this is in part do to the fact that Bon Scott was simply a better vocalist who had a lot more range than Brian Johnson. He was a better lyricist as well. The AC/DC of the 80's would become a parody of the 80's burnt out rocker with their cheesy redundant lyrics about booze and strip clubs.

Personally I think Highway to Hell is their best album with High Voltage and Powerage being my personal favourites. That being said, I recognize Back in Black as the landmark album, so no argument out of me for number 2.

After Back N Black it was a long slope downward until the Razor's Edge.

PS: just a thought, its really hard & bit off putting to read your reviews when you have to use the scroller to move back n forth, easy to get lost as well. It could just be my computer settings but other journals don' t seem to do that. Just some advice.

Unknown Soldier

You see good lubrication is essential, as I've constantly been telling you.

As I more or less said, it seems the band on Back in Black just had enough creative energies and spark to knock-out one more killer album.

This more or less sums it up and the band as far as I'm concerned are one of the worst examples of a band resting on their laurels, but all credit to them as they've been doing it for 30 plus years.

I'm guessing that you mean the international version of High Voltage and not the Australian only one?

Razor's Edge is the one produced by Bruce Fairbairn if I remember rightly.

Somebody else remarked on this but I've got a large computer monitor, so maybe that's the reason. On my monitor I see everything as it should be.

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

William_the_Bloody

well yes the international version, but I sort of cheat, I have soul stripper attached to mine. Personally I think its one of the best songs AC/DC ever made.

Unknown Soldier

Overview
When I started gaining my musical knowledge back in the early 1980s, metal was often not on my radar as it was just too loud and not really my thing, I was more of a new-wave, prog and AOR man. Naturally though it was only a matter of time before I flirted with the genre and got into the Scorpions, Def Leppard and Van Halen (due to their accessible tracks) and from there I backtracked to bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and all of a sudden I loved heavy music as well as long as it was melodic. My love of extreme metal would come much later and that was largely thanks to Megadeth (but that’s a story for another day) It wasn’t until sometime in the 90s that I discovered who Diamond Head actually were, largely thanks to Metallica and Megadeth constantly namechecking them. I then heard some songs and read they were like Led Zeppelin and thought they were just ok. I never really followed up on them again until I became a metal nut in the 00’s which meant I needed to hear everything and I mean everything connected with the genre and digest what was on offer. It was only then when I was absorbing the NWOBHM that I really discovered who Diamond Head were and what they actually represented to the genre. I soon realised that my interpretation of the band sounding like Led Zeppelin was actually incorrect and quickly realised that the comparisons to Led Zeppelin were actually based on the band’s amazing ability both musically and in the songwriting department, which made them probably the most innovative and most talented British heavy band since Led Zeppelin. They were formed in one of the hotbeads of the NWOBHM that of course being the West Midlands and like a number of NWOBHM bands they had built up a strong following due to their electric live shows. These shows were built around the band’s pivotal double act of vocalist Sean Harris and sublime guitarist Brian Tatler (who were the sole composers of the band’s material) Much like Iron Maiden, Saxon, Def Leppard and the band most like them Angel Witch, they were amongst the early leaders of the NWOBHM and a deal with a major label seemed inevitable for them, but then struck the curse of Diamond Head! The band’s misfortune and road to stardom was soon scuppered for the following reasons 1) The band refused initially to play the London scene as they felt they didn’t need to, which was commercial suicide as this was where all the major labels were based 2) Instead of having a savvy manager like say Rod Smallwood who was great at getting things done, they had Sean Harris’ mother and producer Reg Fellows, a duo who seemed very good at turning down potential lucurative offers for the band! 3) As often mentioned album covers were a band’s key to success, just think Iron Maiden for impact and even Saxon for getting noticed when it came to album covers. All Diamond Head could muster was a cheaply produced plain white cardboard cover, the above cover is one of the later editions of the album. 4) Like the punk and new-wave scenes, the NWOBHM scene was extremely fast moving and unless a savvy band kept with the pace they were quickly left behind and when DH finally decided to get their act together it was all too late! Finally in hindsight the metal world owes a debt to both Metallica and Megadeth in keeping the spirit of Diamond Head alive for so long.

Verdict
Lightning to the Nations is number one on this year’s list quite simply because it’s the most accomplished and most exhilarating album of the year and given the quality of competition that is some achievement! So what actually makes Lightning to the Nations a masterstroke of metal? Firstly most metal bands were taking their influences and blending them into their own sound just think Def Leppard and a band like Iron Maiden even took it a step further and created something quite different. Diamond Head on the other hand did neither of these two aspects and instead captured the essence of everything 1970’s hard rock and heavy metal and turned it into a newer living and breathing animal. Secondly despite being on a paltry budget, they were able to produce an electrifying studio album that could shame many a band. Thirdly they were one of the few bands along with Angel Witch, that were able to combine melody with sinister musings and the only difference between the two bands in that department, was that Angel Witch looked towards punk and new-wave for their inspiration, whereas Diamond Head looked towards traditional rock and metal. Finally Japanese metal mag Burrn! rated Lightning to the Nations as the third best riff album of all time behind Black Sabbath’s Paranoia and Slayer’s Reign in Blood and we all know just how majestic those two albums are! Lightning to the Nations consists of just seven tracks that last around 40 minutes and fuck me most of these tracks were well beyond what other bands could ever hope to achieve in terms of creativity and maturity on a debut! The seven tracks start with the title track and album opener “Lightning to the Nations” which displays a unique combo of speedy anthemic metal against a backdrop of lazy & sleazy sounding 70’s hard rock. “The Prince” continues this with both manic speed and guitar histrionics, before slipping into what sounds like an already trademark band sound. “Sucking My Love” is one of the showpiece tracks on the album, a 9 minute plus ode to everything friggin cool about metal and for 9 minutes the song sways between giving a blowjob and sounding downright menacing and features that masterful Diamond Head essence. The other showpiece track is the all out sinister sounding “Am I Evil?” which skilfully borrows the intro from Gustav Holst’s “Mars, The Bringer of War” before Brian Tatler’s dishes out one of the meanest sounding riffs ever laid down on record and a riff that laid the basis for the Metallica sound. The band could also do ‘simple’ as well on a track like “It’s Electric” with its delicious riff and it’s another much covered DH track, before the album finishes off with the speed of “Helpless” a perfect final track. The band also had commercialism covered on songs like “Sweet and Innocent” and non-album track “Shoot Out the Lights”. Overall the pure brilliance of Lightning to the Nations surely comes in its subtle approach to metal and instead of bludgeoning and shaking its fist at its audience, it prefers to suggest and evoke everything great about metal to that audience instead. Along with the previous number one albums of Judas Priest’s Stained Class 1978 and Scorpions’ Lovedrive 1979, Lightning to the Nations completes a trilogy of masterful metal albums from this period and it’s an album not just guaranteed to make you orgasm once, but several times in a row, but the fit is not going to be for everybody!

Sean Harris- Vocals
Brian Tatler- Guitar
Colin Kimberley- Bass
Duncan Scott- Drums

Production- Reg Fellows

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Unknown Soldier

This is the section where I discuss what I think is a contentious album that came out in the year and will fall under one of the following highlighted. 1) An album that a large section of musical followers (critics and fans) rate highly and despite not seeing the album as bad, I still don’t really get the attraction. 2) A hugely significant album that was highly commercial but not really good enough for the main list, but still worth a mention. 3) Basically an album that’s a pile of crap and the artist really shouldn’t have released it.

A marriage made in purgatory.

Verdict
Year after year I would give certain albums in the Ozzy solo discography a twirl, in the hope that I’d finally agree with all the positive views that his early solo discography actually has (especially his first two with Randy Rhoads) So once again for my 1980 year listings, I gave his debut another serious listen but yet again it was business as usual as the album did nothing for me! Previously I could never quite put my finger on why the album did nothing for me, but this time around it became crystal clear and had been staring me straight in the face for years! Firstly Ozzy Osbourne has always been a very distinctive sounding vocalist and his voice very much an acquired taste. Vocally he was always limited and never had the vocal prowess of artists like Ian Gillan, Dio and Klaus Meine for example or even the sexy allure of a Robert Plant to woo listeners with, but what he did have much like Alice Cooper was a malevolent voice that had the ability to come across as both blatantly evil or very ‘tongue in cheek’ and usually with a dash of twisted humour! Now in Black Sabbath Ozzy Osbourne was a legend and his voice was the perfect dirige as he followed the guitar riffs of Tony Iommi, and he always did the business in Black Sabbath even when the quality of the band went drastically downhill with albums like Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die. After this of course he got divorced from Black Sabbath and went solo, and soon found a new partner in crime Randy Rhoads (already a guitarist extraordinaire) and he in turn would form a completely different kind of marriage with Ozzy than Tony Iommi had. Randy Rhoads had been in the shockingly bad Quiet Riot (before they got better and became famous a few years later) and he was also an artist that had styled himself on the neo-classical guitar lines laid down by the likes of Ritchie Blackmore and played at an amazing efficiency. Now neo-classical in its purest form was always a grandiose affair that tested the skill, speed and mettle of a guitarist and was played in a serious manner, therefore it certainly deserved a serious sounding vocalist to complement it. Now this is the problem that I have between Ozzy and Randy, as Ozzy wasn’t that serious sounding at all but instead came across as the lecherous husband who didn’t know how to treat his supermodel wife Randy Rhoads! Sure they had a great working relationship right up until Randy’s sad demise, but it’s in the execution of the songs where the problem lies. Ozzy’s lecherous style was always in my mind at complete loggerheads with the playing of Randy Rhoads, as instead of following the guitar of Randy Rhoads as he had done with Tony Iommi, he now sings with more freedom and versatily, but his limited vocal ability has him sounding like a fish out of water on several of the album’s songs! He sounds extremely clichéd and one dimensional on “Suicide Solution” distinctly dull on the album’s genuine ballad “Goodbye to Romance” all wrong on “Revelation (Mother Earth)” and he doesn’t do justice to the potential brilliance laid down by Randy Rhoads on “Crazy Train”. In fact his best performance is on the album’s best track “Mr.Cowley” and he’s not too bad on the party sounding “No Bone Movers” either. I guess another reason why I don’t dig the Blizzard of Ozz is that I’m not much of a neo-classical man (unless it touches power metal of course) so the glowing acclaim that Randy Rhoads has on the album doesn’t do much for me, despite having some genuine moments of real brilliance! But the overall problem is Ozzy’s attempt to dominate proceedings with a melodic and jovial style approach, to what is sometimes a dark subject matter and this has always left me distinctly disappointed, as Ozzy’s vocals don't go with Randy’s guitar or even vice-versa. But then again most would disagree with this viewpoint, as the Blizzard of Ozz is considered a genuine cornerstone of 1980s guitar metal and even helped to inspire bands like Europe!

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History