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)

Helstar

You know what I love? Power metal. You know what else I love? America. You know what else I love? Metal from the 80's. So it's pretty needless to say that I really like Helstar, as they are American power metal from the 80's. The band originates in Texas, and is fronted by semi-legend James Rivera, vocalist of a thousand bands. Their style is the classic American power metal mold, with some thrash influence. Larry Barragan is one of the most underrated guitar players ever - his solos on these albums are awesome. Technical, but not wanking. Catchy, but not simplified. The riffs are nice, too. Rivera sounds like an American Rob Halford with even higher shrieks. Nosferatu is their best album, but A Distant Thunder has to be mentioned for containing "Winds of War", one of those amazing power metal epics that only come along every once in a while. In the vein of "Rebellion in Dreamland" or "The Crucifix", it starts out with a keyboard intro, then suddenly TEARS YOUR FUCKING FACE APART with riffs. But all of these are good albums - all highly reccomended. Enjoy.

"Off to destroy and kill my enemies
For betrayed we were in the scriptures of peace
Beyond the star OF THE RISING SUUUUUUUN"

Burning Star (1984)
Remnants of War (1986)
A Distant Thunder (1988)
Nosferatu (1988)

The Sword

The Sword are an American doom metal band from Texas. Having just got their start in 2003, this band is showing a lot of promise. Heavily Sabbath-influenced, this is just your basic trad. doom. A bit more up-tempo than usual, but undeniably in the doom genre. And holy shit is this HEAVY. You like crushing riffs? I do, and I loved this album. Not to mention that these guys are actually getting popular. They toured with Trivium, and their song "Freya" was featured in the setlist of Guitar Hero II. Hopefully the publicity won't change their music for the worse. This is a band to watch.

"The battle rages, but they fight in vain
When all is done, they must begin again"

Age of Winters (2006)

Hammers of Misfortune

I can't do a Slough Feg post without following it with a Hammers of Misfortune post. That would just be silly.

The Hammers are another band from California. Started by John Cobbet (of GWAR, Ludicra, and formerly Slough Feg) and formerly containing Mike Scalzi (of Slough Feg), this is another band that will stand out to you immediately. It's hard to put these guys into even a hybrid genre, their music is so diverse. I hear heavy, I hear NWOBHM, I hear doom, folk, even black metal in their sound. Each song is a like a composition from a different band, but there's always a noticeable sound to keep it all cohesive. The Bastard, their first album, is a more basic heavy/power work, and is also a concept album. Their next two albums throw out diversity like it was candy. The band even has three vocalists - two male and one female. You'll always be finding something new in these albums.

"Within you live my manufactured dreams
Soon we'll be repackaging your quaint, rebellious schemes..."

The Bastard (2001)
The August Engine & The Locust Years (2003 and 2006, respectively)

The Lord Weird Slough Feg

I know I've been lax in updating, which is kind of sad this early in the blog's life, but I'm making up for it with an awesome-tacular band. The Lord Weird Slough Feg (who are now referred to officially as simply Slough Feg) hail originally from central Pennsylvania, USA, but are now located in California. This is one of those bands where you can recognize them immediately - from the Celtic-folk influences to Mike Scalzi's powerful, unique vocal delivery, this band really stands out. Their music is mainly heavy power metal with folk influences, but they do play around with some doom elements on their latest two albums. Any album is a fine one to start with if you've never experienced the band before, but my personal favorites are Down Among the Deadmen and Twilight of the Idols.


"I am a space pirate, you know my name..."

Self-Titled (re-release with bonus tracks) (1996)
Twilight of the Idols (1999)
Down Among the Deadmen (2000)
Traveller (2003)
Atavism (2005)

Cage

Cage is a power/speed metal band from San Diego, California. They play a Painkiller-derived style of metal, lots of heaviness and wicked solos throughout the whole album. If you can imagine a Primal Fear that wasn't mediocre, this would probably be that band. Their lyrical themes range from killing the devil (in metal?!?! This cannot be!) to scientific mishaps (The Philadelphia Experiment). Check 'em out.

Darker Than Black (2003)

Persuader

Persuader are a power/speed metal band from Sweden. Some might have heard of their vocalist, Jens Carlsson, before - he's also the vocalist of Savage Circus, the project started by Thomen Stauch upon his departure from Blind Guardian. I've uploaded their first two albums here - their third album loses most of its speed roots and adopts more of a basic power metal feel, and I feel like it's a lot more average than these two. Enjoy.

The Hunter (2000)
Evolution Purgatory (2004)

Virgin Steele

I figured that the best way to start off this blog would be to begin with my favorite band on the planet, the almighty Virgin Steele. In my opinion, this is the best power metal band to be found anywhere. This is mainly due to the fact that they correct everything wrong with the flood of generic power metal out there - the riffs and solos are well-defined and original, the keyboard melodies are majestic without descending into wankery or overpowering the guitars, and there isn't some androgynous, falsetto-humping asshole behind the mic. VS began as a project of the infamous Jack Starr, but after their first two albums, they became a project of the vocalist/keyboardist David DeFies upon Starr's departure. Since then, they've put out an incredibly solid string of epic power metal albums. Invictus is their heaviest and the album I reccomend everyone to start with - if you like it, move through the rest of the discography as you will.

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part One (1994)
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part Two (1995)
Invictus (1998)
The House of Atreus Act I (1999)
The House of Atreus Act II (2000)
Visions of Eden (2006)

I N C E P T U M

You can never have too many blogs to download music from, so I decided to add my collection to those already at hand on the Gaian metal forum. This blog will be mainly focusing on power, speed, heavy and thrash metal, with some occasional posts of black and doom. The main reason being that you can find albums of those last two genres fairly easily in the blogs of other users on the forum, while there isn't as much opportunity for the genres I'll be focusing on. I don't know if this will be very successful compared to the other blogs, but it's worth a try. I hope you all enjoy the music, and buy it if you like it (that's what I'm supposed to say to not get in trouble if they find this blog, right?).