The Batlord

Well, since the whole point of listening to these comps should be to discover new music and not just to show you how much of a pretentious elitist I am I figure I should go back and check some of these bands out in more detail. Especially before I move on and completely forget about these dudes.

Metal Massacre I

Pandemonium - Flight of the Demon EP - 1982

I believe I remember saying that they had a kind of Mercyful Fate vibe with the vocals and was curious where they would go with their sound, but this band only ever got to release one three-song EP before breaking up, which is actually more than a lot of the bands in this series can claim. So unfortunately they never got to really show if they had any potential beyond just being a straight-forward heavy/speed metal band. Too bad, cause this EP is a minor gem. Not necessarily required listening, but fans of early-eighties metal should get a kick out of this. I know I'm banging ye ol' head.







My, oh my, but that is one ****ty album cover. Still, I count myself lucky that this band actually has albums (plural) for me to listen to. Alright this isn't so much Sabbathy as it is just melodic metal. Kinda dull to be honest. Perhaps Unknown Soldier might get more out of this, but this is far too tepid and generic for me to get anything out of. Jesus Christ that cover is an abortion.

Malice - In the Beginning... - 1985

Their debut was released three years after the first Metal Massacre, so I'm curious if they've evolved any. Well, they've got a bit more polish, the uber-cheesy vocals from Metal Massacre have been toned down to a more eighties rock'n'roll style (though he still belts it out when it's called for), and the raw speed metal now sounds more like Judas Priest with more of a cock rock swagger, but I'm not sure if I'd call that evolution. I'm sure a lot of cretins might call this hair metal, but they'd be fools. This is straight-up, anthemic heavy ****ing metal and I'm ****ing loving it so far. They can't even spell original, but who gives a ****? And these guys have an unselfconscious love of rock and metal that brings to mind Manowar and Hammerfall, and that cheeseball passion is what I love most about those bands, so these dudes are making me happy. Listen to this band.

Dude, "Stellar Masters" is a killer ****ing track.

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