The Batlord

Possible truth. That riff is the sound of menace of evil. It's slowness allows moments of silence that your imagination fills in with dread.

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This album...




It is like it was made for me to listen to...




It's progressive, it's epic, it's all riffs... I mean this is just ridiculous.

5/5
That's all that needs to be said.

Yet, I feel compelled to explain what this album is to me, and I will try to be objective. First of all, yes, it is the same thing, over and over and over at times for minutes without any changes, so if you are not someone that likes that... well, I really do not know why you are listening to a doom/stoner album in the first place if you do not like that.

It starts with a very, very, elementary doom riff that plays for a few minutes, then the song winds down for a few minutes, and the minimalist beat disappears entirely, then the tune ramps up and the riff returns, only its...different. The difference is barely noticeable-part of the reason the song never gets tiring-but there is a small section added to the riff. It is as if during the breakdown section, the riff journeyed off into the beyond, and came back more...mature, seasoned.

Eventually, a booming voice shatters the stagnation ("stagnation" in word only). The voice is monotone, never changing in pitch or tone as it bellows a tale that can only be heard if you play the entire song--I mean album. I find myself always caught off guard by the vocals, as the rest of the instrumentation is incredibly addicting and pulls you in. On multiple listens, it always seems like the vocals are in a different place...

This pattern continues for most of the song, but it somehow never even approaches boring or redundant. Hypnotic comes to mind. Occasionally, the pattern breaks and the song diverges into...gosh this song, er..album is so long, it is hard to recall everything about it. Anyway, there are a few solos, of which I believe there are three spaced throughout, and they also seem at first to be randomly placed though they are usually interspersed similarly to the vocals to break up the song.

The last thing I want to talk about with this, this is stoner doom, but it is almost...uplifting in a way. About a third of the way through the song, the riff really starts to sound good, and all I can think of is heading off on a grand journey through the desert. I have to say, the whole thing is inspiring.

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Drummer Charlie Benante SLAYS, the riffs KILL, and singer (really, singer applies to this man) Joey Belladonna pierces through the carnage of both while also maintaing a surprising amount of melody.

From the riffs to the lyrics, all the songs are insanely catchy, and the high-energy backing vocals provided by Scott Ian [rhythm] and Frank Bello [bass] complement the buzz saw riffs while contrasting sharply with the melodic tendencies of Belladonna. This is no better illustrated than on "Caught in a Mosh," when Belladonna sings:



Followed immediately by the Ian and Bello shouting


... as the riffs play behind them.

With regards to the riffs, they vary between a Venom album played at 2x speed, to straight up, downpicked, downtuned, extreme metal riffs at other times. "One World"'s riffs give King and Hanneman a run for their money. My favorite parts on the album are the rare points when Benante comes in with the double bass while the riffs play--forming a totally overwhelming wall of sound ("Among the Living").

I can see the album appealing to a wide variety of thrash listeners, as the band brings the melody, and the heavy, in mostly equally measures on most songs. The songwriting in general is fantastic, slowing down at times, and opening up full up for thrash speed at other times. There's not many guitar solos--this is a Belladonna show through and through. There is one exception, which is the medley "A.D.I./Horror of it All" with an extensive section of instrumental thrash goodness playing for the first part.

Not many complaints with this, though, the mixing could use some work, as the bass needs to be much louder on a few tracks. It's very noticeable when you go from listening to "Caught in a Most" to "Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)" or "Skeletons in the Closet" with the latter two sounding comparatively hollow. Also, as much as I like how sings Joey over how he sung on the last album, he could tone down the operatic voice a little bit on some tracks.



Favorite Tracks:

• “A.D.I.”
• "Caught in a Mosh"
• "Imitation of Life" <<<< stone-cold thrash classic.

Overall: 5/5

Final Thoughts: The middle part of the CD is a tad weak, but that's not saying much, because there's not a single bad or skippable song on this album. Among the Living is far, far, superior to Spreading the Disease and Fistful of Metal. One the top thrash albums in existence for sure.

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Wpnfire

Thought I would just share a few thoughts on this album...

Darkness on the Edge of Town is not my least favorite Springsteen album, but it is not my favorite by him either. It is actually the closest I have ever found an album to being unlistenable to me--without actually being unlistenable to me. It is an album that I never play, but I would also never get rid of either.

Darkness balances the bizarre combination of downtempo folk/heartland, pop, rock, and even outright hard rock at times. Even the piano playing is perfectly balanced to set the mood. Darkness never looses momentum either--possibly even better than Born To Run does in that regard.

I own the Promise as well, and while I would love to switch out a few tracks like "Racing in the Street" for the alternate '78 version, it would trash the mood, which is Darkness's strongest aspect IMO.

As you would expect, 3/5 for Springsteen's Darkness.

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The Batlord

If you think Charlie Benante is a beast in Anthrax...

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Yes Benante is killer here as well, though I am unimpressed with the rest of that song.

Wpnfire listens to more Black Sabbath in order to achieve enlightenment.

Meh, "War Pigs" is acceptable. It trades in the doom sound from the prior album's opening track "Black Sabbath," for a more uptempo rock (metal) sound, which is interesting.

EDIT: I want to go back and talk about "Paranoid" some more, because I barely talked about it. Iommi's playing is difficult for me to explain. The riff he plays at the beginning of the song is great, but he stops playing it, and the song starts to suck really bad after he stops playing it. He basically disappears from the song, and that basically leaves the drums as the only thing fueling the song. The drumming is AWFUL. The beat is too fast, and it is not in any way heavy. Iommi and Osbourne need to be MUCH louder in this song. The entire thing is a mess.

Spoiler for Minor rant:

Every time I listen to "Paranoid," "Black Sabbath," sounds better and better to me. Sorry, I fail to see how "Paranoid" is the quintessential Sabbath song. It should not even be involved in the discussion IMO.

Now let's move on.

Now "Planet Caravan" is five-star track. Those drums (?) really complement the acoustic guitar, as well as the nigh-incomprehensible vocals that play softly in the background. It is a strange track, but when it ends I find myself wanting it to continue.

Yes, yes, yes, "Iron Man" is an undisputed classic, and Iommi's riff is further evidence that he is in fact a witch. Not his best work, but solid. Easily my favorite track from this album.

Ugh, I am not a fan of...whatever "Electric Funeral" is. Iommi's playing is...pedestrian at best. I really hate this doom psychedelic rock stuff.

Ah..yes, we return to the downtempo stuff with "Hand of Doom", OH, but of course Ozzy sings in a way that I hate. The tempo goes all over the place, and it is I am not getting anything from this, though Iommi's put the guitar into high gear once more.

At first glance, an instrumental Black Sabbath track sounds like it could be the best thing ever. No Ozzy? Sign me up! Unfortunately, "Rat Salat" is merely average.

Oh **** all. You know as I continue to listen to and discover more music, I have made a rule that all music must have for me to like it: It must have a killer riff, or it's singable. The thing with Black Sabbath is I hate Ozzy's voice 90% of the time, so it's up to Iommi to provide some solid guitar riffs for me to be interested. As great as this closing track is, there is nothing in it that maintains my attention.

3/5 for the holy of holys that is Paranoid.

\m/
Iommi is not a guitar player. He is a magician who masquerades as one. Proof: "Sweet Leaf" is magical. If you asked me what my favorite Sabbath song is, it would be this, or "The Wizard." After the riff plays for a while, Iommi takes us on a wild journey before returning to crush us all once more with riffs. This might be the first time I do not actively hate Osbourne, so it is a victory all around. Far and away my favorite opening track on a Sabbath album.

Metal intros are the worst. After some strange psychedelic playing, "After Forever" goes...surf rock. lol That is what it sounds like right!? Surely I am not the only one that thinks that. Ozzy sounds good here, and Iommi is rocking out on his broom stick-I mean guitar.

After an odd intro track, "Embryo" plays, we segue into "Children of the Grave". Iommi is flying high on his broom-I mean his guiar is soaring along as, what sounds like, tin cans play in the background. Unlike St. Anger though, the drumming is actually appreciable, instead of annoying. Once again, Ozzy sounds good, and so far, I remember why I like this album so much. Towards the end of the song, Iommi puts his broom-I mean guitar, into high gear once or twice and takes off on a short solo.

After all the witchcraft-I mean, riffing, Iommi breaks his broom and trades it in for a new one-I mean, he trades in his guitar for an acoustic guitar and plays a gentle instrumental passage that contrasts sharply with his playing on prior songs. "Orchid" does not last long and soon we are back to crushing riffs again in "Lord of this World." Ozzy brings in the vocals and he meshes very well with Iommi's groovy riffing. Ah yes, this is a 70s album, got to have some psychedelic soloing now right? Iommi casts a darkness spell and-I mean, Iommi shoots the lights out of the building with his playing on this song. Good God!

Iommi's rampage continues right into "Solitude" as he returns to melancholy playing as Ozzy sounds like an entirely different person! Is this how he actually sings?? He sounds like a lesser Rob Halford! Did I just compare Ozzy to Halford?! I will regret doing that later... The flute is an absolutely brilliant addition to the composition! Wow, I am impressed by this song.

Next, the big finale of "Into the Void". This is just great. The album could have ended with "Solitude," and it would be a fantastic album. "Into the Void" is like an encore, with Iommi pulling out all the stops with perhaps his best riff, in a downtuned display of axemanship. Ozzy comes in sounding like his old self, which I am NOT a fan of, but it does not matter, I can understand him, and Iommi offers no hope of me possibly disliking this song. When the song speeds up, the drumming is sick, and Iommi goes full-wizard mode-I mean, he goes guitar God for a few fledgling moments. Near the end of the song, he DOES go guitar God, completely and entirely. I have run out of words to describe his playing. Forget "Iron Man." why do people not talk about "Into the Void" more!?


As we reach the end, how about this? A Black Sabbath album that I do not think is average.

How about: 4/5 for Master of Reality. A well deserved 4/5 too.

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Wpnfire

NOW WATCH...
As I rip off Briks!

I am on a roll with these album reviews recently. So I thought I'd steal ideas for album reviews from that lad Briks, since I am running out of albums to review myself. With Briks' albums that gives me a lot more to work with. Using a random number generator...

the result is 8!

Amon Amarath? Uhhh..., I'll swap that out for Dissection, who is considerably more interesting.

Wpnfire tries Melodic Blackened Death Metal

Storm of the Light's Bane - Dissection

Well, the guitars are sick! The vocals are meh. I actually downloaded this album a long time ago, I never got the courage to listen to it. I do really enjoy the production though, the mixing is top-notch. No hollow sound here. These riffs are just evil and doom-y sounding. Occassionally there are things like recorded screams, thunder, wind blowing, etc... and they add a nice touch to the mood. Wait a moment, "Unhallowed" has the riffs I like...annnnd they are gone. The melodic riffs do not interest me in the slightest.

Ah yes, I remember this. "Where Dead Angels Lie" I believe Batty showed this to me a very long time ago, back when I still had not even heard Sarcó***o yet. That acoustic intro is absurdly addicting, same for the killer riff that plays just after. Those digitized voices are...interesting. I am not sure how I feel about the standard tuned guitars. Usually I like them downtuned whenever possible.

A downpicking barrage plays at the beginning of "Retribution - Storm of the Light's Bane." For "Thornes of Crimson Death," a very melodic intro plays, before the song begins. The riff here is also very melodic, contrasting very sharply with the previous track. The riffs return...and they sound very thrash metal-y, very little like death or black. The vocals on this track are much more akin to black. I am digging these riffs. A LOT. I have to give Dissection props for the songwriting. One the surface, each of these songs seem to sound alike, but once you play them, they do not. Wow, now a wild solo is playing. This is really cool!

This seems like a good album to apply the riff-o-meter (TRADEMARK Wpnfire®) to: Approaching Excellence.

Finally, a soothing melodic piano outro plays. Wow, that was beautiful really. Overall, some of these songs could be shortened a bit, but it is hard to complain about this album. It is far more enjoyable than Suffocation, and I actually would listen to this again.

4/5 for Storm of the Light's Bane

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Frownland

You're not very good at being a metal fan.

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

Isbjørn

Ouch.

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Trollheart

I'm afraid I would tend to agree with Frown. Someone who can totally diss Paranoid and most of Black Sabbath ... well, it makes it hard to believe you are a metal fan. Not saying you're not, but it's sorta like being a prog fan and hating Genesis, or being a Country fan and hating Cash. Kinda hard to take seriously.

I can't believe you found so little to praise in the first two Sabbath albums: both are killer, as I mentioned when I faced them off against each other in Metal Month II, and to say the words "Meh" and "War Pigs" in the same sentence...?

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