A Note About Requests

I'd entirely forgot about requests in the process of uploading all these albums...I figure some of you will have requests for certain albums, and I'm perfectly willing to find them and upload them for you, especially if they're ones I'm interested in myself. All I ask is that they fit the theme of the blog (heavy/power/speed/thrash metal). I won't be pissed if you request a power/prog album or something like that, though. But don't you dare ask me for drone or a Moonblood demo. I should be able to find whatever you want, unless it's some kind of gr1m, thrice-buried demo of the n3crokvlt. Just post a comment in the latest post in the blog, and I'll get right on it.

Angel Witch

A bit of a deviation from usual on this post. Then again, NWOBHM led to power, speed, and thrash metal, so it's sort of just like going back to the roots, right? Anyway, Angel Witch were one of a multitude of NWOBHM bands. I don't really have a lot of information on them, to be honest, but I do know very good metal when I hear it, and this album is very good metal. Some have even called this the greatest NWOBHM album of all time. Very well-written riffs and solos, a great rocking vibe throughout the whole album. The vocals are nice - higher-ranged, but not a lot of shrieks. My personal favorite thing about this album is the guitar tone; particularly during the lead guitar parts. It just sounds perfect for NWOBHM. Note that this is the reissued album, with six extra bonus tracks. And you want all of them, believe me.

"I'm going to go insane if nothing happens soon
I look out at night to see your shadow by the moon"

Self-titled (reissue with six bonus tracks) (1980)

Jag Panzer

Jag Panzer are an American power metal band from Colorado. Though they've been around since the early 80's and have released about eight albums, I'm only posting one today. Ample Destruction is the band's debut album, and also one of the greatest USPM albums ever recorded. Heavily influenced by NWOBHM bands like Diamond Head and Blitzkrieg, this album had ridiculously enormous balls for the time that it was released. It's one of the heaviest power metal albums you will ever find. Mark Briody's awesome riffs and solos combined with Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin's amazing voice make a great, great record. Conklin in particular shines due to just how much effort he puts into this album - powerful mid-range vocals and awesome shrieks abound. His vocals aren't as refined as they are on later albums from the band (obviously), but everyone should enjoy them anyway. Harry left the band after this album and the band went through some transistory stages before reforming in 1996 and taking on a more progressive/power sound. Those albums are all good, but none have quite hit the level this one did.

Note: Harry joined a band called Titan Force after leaving Panzer, and apparently the two albums they put out are very similar to this one, and of similar quality. I'm going to see if I can track those two down, and if the rumors are true, I'll make sure to post them here.

"Gonna break ya, shake ya, slap you on your back
Use all my metal power to give you a HEART ATTAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK"

Ample Destruction (1984)