Destruction - Cracked Brain, 1990

A tape from the shelf. Frontman Schmier wasn't present for this release but it still retains the energy and they acknowledge as part of their catalog, unlike The Least Successful Human Cannonball, which I understand they denounce completely.

Cracked Brain sacrifices a touch of extremity in favor of more technical riff work and wacky soloing and is quite an original release in it's own right. Some off the hook material throughout.

Mercyful fate - Melissa, 1983



Don't Break the Oath, 1984

That's not to say we didn't have any sick CDs. If these are in your collection then something's going right.

I've always preferred Melissa for it's hazy atmosphere and composition and the fact that I like every song better than any song on Don't Break the Oath but obviously they're both 6/5

Don't Break the Oath was one of the first albums I ever bought and I've played the wheels right off of it. "Gypsy" is still one of the catchiest songs evvur.

A Selection of Fatherly Favorites

I suppose I can compile these into single posts to tone down the redundancy. Spoiler: They will mostly be metal.



Vader - Revelations, 2002

I enjoyed death metal before Timeghoul, they were just among the first bands I found on my own that rocked my world. But for my dad, ever the simple man, Vader were pretty much thedeath metal band (and Six Feet Under truth be told, but we don't have to get into that). We had this and the Reign Forever World/Blood comp CD, and he chose Revelations for the pedestal. It's an underrated piece in their catalog, but greatly important for him and by extension me. He was always all about the drums. And so am I.



Raven - Rock Until You Drop, 1981

My dad will go on at length about the badassery of Raven, and so it's no surprise that I will too. I understand they were a staple of his own musical development from a young age. This album, and Raven as a whole, are prime time purveyors of sick, energetic and loose NWOBHM/speed metal and just an absolute blasting beast. Hell Patrol is the jam like you don't even know.



Overkill - Taking Over, 1987

Overkill just rules my family. You could have found this record hanging on the wall of every house/apartment we've ever occupied.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/IgcAA...kMr/s-l300.jpg

Manowar - Into Glory Ride, 1987

The same can be said about Manowar and this album. My dad has a white t shirt that he painted "Manowar" on the front with "Death and Glory" beneath with a stencil, and even just that shirt is a defining element of my childhood. I like Manowar for days but there will always be haters and I don't care for the most part, but I always defend this specific album.



Testament - Practice what You Preach, 1989

There's a consistent theme with my dad and thrash, he'll always tell you that the classic groups all put out their greatest material in the period of 1987-1990.



Hateplow - Everybody Dies, 1998

Some generic bad taste death metal, but we had the promo. He dug it, I guess I do too but it's really not that stellar.

https://img.discogs.com/XPbKsR5QXm_s...-1022.jpeg.jpg

Hangnail - Clouds in the Head, 2001

My dad had an affinity for the stoner rock label the Music Cartel, and among its output came this CD, that I have truly jammed to death. They have an album before this one that I like better, being more trippy et al, but this one received more play time, some straight ahead stoner metal with catchy riffs and hooks.

https://img.discogs.com/9a9rkd4z56J3...-2942.jpeg.jpg

Sally - Sally, 1999

Another group from the Cartel roster and another CD we had. This band is madly obscure it would seem or perhaps just hard to search for with that name but most likely both. Anway, it's considerably heavier on the doom than Hangnail, and a distinct voice that I enjoy.



Solarized - Driven, 2001

If any of these Cartel albums let loose the nostalgia with such ferocity, it's this one. It seems like it was always playing when I look back, and listening to it on my own after a long time just hit me with a brick of memories. Seriously every song is implanted so deep onto my soul, especially the track Mean Spirit, which seems less like a song than just an audio component of who I am.



Orange Goblin - Coup De Grace, 2002

He was a big Goblin fan but preferred their more driving and straight ahead rocking material, like this album which he would cite as one of his favorites. A lot of the same could be said as it was for Solarized.

I love Overkill but somehow only came to them a bit later than most thrash fans probably do. But Raven were one of the first metal bands I ever got into. I don't know if I prefer Rock Until You Drop over All for One but maybe I should even though All for One went hard rock in the most fun way.

What about Wiped Out

Haven't listened to it as much so I don't have as much investment. "Crash, Bang, Wallop" is the ultimate Raven jam though.

we love this too

The Residents - Commercial Album, 1980

Seems among the definitive Residents albums while simultaneously being among the most accessible, ergo the perfect starting point, I was told. I jammed it pretty hard.