Archive for classic metal albums

Stone Picks His Top 6 JUDAS PRIEST Albums… Whoa!

Posted in Heavy Metal, metal music, Music, music news, rock music, rock music news with tags , , , , , on July 18, 2014 by Metal Odyssey

Judas Priest - promo band pic - 2014 - #1986

JUDAS PRIEST – I ponder rather consistently, as to which albums are my favorite from the Judas Priest catalog. I’ve decided to choose my top six Judas Priest albums once and for all. Or is it really once and for all? Everyone has their own likes and dislikes; therefore my list is just that, a personal choice.  Four out of the six albums I’ve chosen are from the classic era of Judas Priest; an era that catapulted this iconic band into super Metal stardom.

Let me know which Judas Priest albums you would choose as favorites, via comments; it will be interesting discussion! Judas Priest really are the Defenders Of The Faith. There are great Metal bands and then there are F*#king great Metal bands. Judas Priest for me are F*#king great. Metal be thy name. – Stone

Judas Priest - Painkiller - promo cover pic - #4494

#6

PAINKILLER 

Released in 1990, Painkiller was a comeback album for Judas Priest after the Turbo and Ram It Down mainstream darlings. This was also the last studio album before Rob Halford stepped out and Tim “Ripper” Owens stepped in for 1997’s Jugulator and 2001’s Demolition. A kick-ass album is Painkiller, front beginning to end it rages. ‘Nuff said.

Judas Priest - Redeemer Of Souls - promo cover pic

#5

REDEEMER OF SOULS

I honestly never anticipated such a milestone album from Judas Priest! With the absence of guitarist and founding member K. K. Downing, I wondered how anyone else could step in? Well, Richie Faulkner has stepped in, quite superbly! Rob Halford sounds like he’s 25 years old on this album! This is a grand follow-up to 2005’s Angel Of Retribution; with my making no insult to 2008’s concept (detour) album Nostradamus.

I could easily have made this new Priest offering my #2 pick; only I would be ignoring all the influential reasons why I fell in love with this band in the first place. This new album from Judas Priest has me psyched-out beyond Metal belief; a consummate Metal album of 2014! I’m tempted to put this Redeemer Of Souls CD under my pillow at night. Just kidding. No, I’m not.

Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith - promo cover pic - #00115

#4

DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH

1984 was a very, very good year due to Defenders Of The Faith being released. With classics such as Freewheel Burning, Love Bites, Some Heads Are Gonna Roll and the anthemic Heavy Duty, studio album #9 from Judas Priest will forever give me super Metal powers. Well, I think so, anyways.

Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance - classic cover promo - #3061

#3

SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE

There’s no denying that Screaming For Vengeance was my first album (vinyl) purchase of this amazing band. The first time I heard a Judas Priest song was You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ and I was transformed! The Hellion sent me over the Metal edge! I never heard anything that badass in my entire life! The rest is my being a Metalhead history. Thank you, thank you, Judas Priest. Thank you, again.

Judas Priest - British Steel - promo cover pic - #9094

#2

BRITISH STEEL

“Grinder, Looking for meat, Grinder, Wants you to eat”

Yes, even your neighbors grandmother knows the songs Living After Midnight  and Breaking The Law, however, it’s songs such as Grinder and Metal Gods that makes British Steel a beacon for Metal.

Judas Priest - Stained Class - promo cover pic - #7667

#1

STAINED CLASS

A 1978 release, Stained Class was ahead of its time. Really. Please name another Metal band that captured a Metal sound like this, back in 1978! You can’t! Black Sabbath’s Doom and Stoner Metal was the complete opposite! KISS, Deep Purple, Van Halen, Thin Lizzy, Scorpions, Rainbow, Ted Nugent and Led Zeppelin were all too unique with entirely different sounds; so different in fact, that Judas Priest made everyone else in 1978 sound like Hard Rock bands. This was… METAL! A New Wave Of British Heavy Metal!

This Judas Priest album was a look into the future of Metal, as we all know and cherish it today. Without this era of Judas Priest, there would be NO Metallica or any of their 1980’s peers; I firmly believe that. A strong, lean and yet (never before heard) powerful album, lyrically oozing with a rabid bite that only Rob Halford could deliver vocally! Stained Class is my favorite Judas Priest album of all-time. Metal be thy name. – Stone

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* For more info on JUDAS PRIEST:

Facebook: Judas Priest

Website: http://www.JudasPriest.com/

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LONG LIVE JUDAS PRIEST.

LONG LIVE THE NWOBHM.

LONG LIVE METAL.

Stone.

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BLACK SABBATH – 1983 “BORN AGAIN” ALBUM IS METAL OF PROFOUND IMPORTANCE

Posted in 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal bands, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal bands, 1980's metal music, Album Review, black metal roots, classic heavy metal, classic metal, collecting metal music, cool album covers, creepy album covers, doom metal music, essential heavy metal albums, essential metal music albums, guitar legends, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal albums, heavy metal albums 1983, heavy metal music, heavy metal vocalists, Metal, metal album review, metal music, metal music albums, metal odyssey, Music, old school heavy metal, old school metal bands, rock music, scary album covers, spooky album covers, vintage heavy metal albums, vintage heavy metal bands with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 7, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

Black Sabbath "Born Again"Back on October 4, 1983, Black Sabbath released their eleventh studio album – Born Again. I was serving time in high school as a senior in 1983, I also became a born again Metalhead that same year, thanks to this most underrated Black Sabbath album. I am not kidding or trying to sound like a yahoo by stating that. Born Again was a match made in Metal heaven for me… the prolific vocals of Ian Gillan uniting with the ultra legendary Black Sabbath. I have to admit, with Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio not fronting Black Sabbath, it was common place for professionally paid Rock Music critics to easily overlook the other lead singers this Rock And Roll Hall of Fame band has bestowed over the decades. I never overlooked a damned thing Black Sabbath had done, especially when they joined forces with Ian Gillan. From the front album cover artwork of the demon baby, to the down right eerie and chilling Metal Music heard on Born Again, this album is a must listen and own in Metal Music 101.

When I first listened to Born Again, back in good ol’ 1983, the synthetic instrumentals of Stonehenge and The Dark left a Metal imprint on my subconscious like none other… all I could think back then and now is this is the soundtrack of doom… all hail Black Sabbath. The guitar riffs, leads and solo on Zero The Hero sound as if I am listening to a descent to the darkest depths of inner Earth… I love that descent. Trashed is not just an amazing song lyrically, this is an early introduction of Heavy Metal making the transition to pure… Metal. Comparing Born Again to other Heavy Metal albums of that time is what separates the Heavy Metal label from Black Sabbath, thus anointing this iconic band to true masters of Metal Music.

The Metal of Born Again is not Thrash, yet it is not Accept, Quiet Riot or Saxon of that time period either. With Born Again, a black album was unintentionally or intentionally created, (both with album artwork and the Metal Music within), while Black Metal itself was simultaneously being born into a genre, courtesy of Venom, Bathory and Hellhammer . I can’t compare this Black Sabbath album to their earlier albums with Ozzy. Nor can I make a comparison of Born Again to the Dio led Black Sabbath either. The song Born Again alone is a study in just how far Tony Iommi would go in making a unique Black Sabbath album, one that would stand apart from the entire Black Sabbath catalog… forever. Listening to Ian Gillan’s vocals on this song honestly takes my Metal breathe away. Ian Gillan is beyond unreal great on Born Again – all one needs to do is open their Metal mind to the song Hot Line and thou shall understand and realize why. Seriously, the vocals of Ian Gillan on Hot Line makes me imagine what life would have been like for this Metalhead, if more Black Sabbath albums were created with his legendary voice. I guess it is obvious by now, that I revere Ian Gillan.

Digital Bitch may have been the most popular song from Born Again, the song that advertised their Born Again Tour on FM Radio back in 1983-84. Despite the fondness that commercial FM radio had for this song, it blazed with Metal fury like no other song back then. Disturbing The Priest, this song title alone made for my own personal battle cry for serving eight long years of time – in a parochial school. Trust me on that one. In Metal hindsight, maybe the professionally paid Rock Music critics of the world were never ready for the dark Metal Music that Born Again was about. This was not the Deep Purple version of Ian Gillan, nor was this the Children of the Sea version of Black Sabbath. Keep It Warm actually grounded this Born Again album, keeping it from being a non-stop onslaught of apocalyptic, melancholy and dark sided themes.

In a Metal nutshell, this Born Again album was forged by the union of Ian Gillan joining the legends of Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill ward. This version of Black Sabbath has suffered through too many years of comparisons to the Ozzy and Dio fronted bands of the same name. All too often, the ignorance of professionally paid Rock Music critics can water down the integrity of a great album from an elite band. Such is the case here with this incredible Born Again album from Black Sabbath. I never saw this Black Sabbath lineup as anything other than Black Sabbath, only with a different lead singer in Ian Gillan who rose to the Metal occasion with unparalleled pipes.

Over the years it has been amusing to me, to even read that Ian Gillan himself was never satisfied, actually displeased, with the music and demon baby artwork of Born Again. (The liner notes of this Born Again CD detail this, as written by writer Hugh Gilmour). If only Ian Gillan knew, just how much this Born Again album has meant to me, as a lifetime fan of his prominent vocals. Black Sabbath fans who appreciate the music created by Tony Iommi, (guitar), Geezer Butler, (bass) and Bill Ward, (drums), know that the Ozzy, Dio and Ian Gillan versions of this band carry their own Metal identity that captivates with it’s own powerful mystique. Born Again by Black Sabbath is more than a vintage Metal album that I recommend, it is a vintage Metal necessity, that should be embraced and heralded as an important contribution and moment – to the history of Metal Music.

To my best Metal buddy Scott… thank you for buying me this hard to find CD. Having owned a copy of Born Again on cassette, spanning three decades, deserved a righteous Metal upgrade. I truly wish I kept the vinyl album of Born Again that once was in my collection.

Black Sabbath "Born Again"

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Heavy Metal 101: 10 (or more) most underrated Metal albums you need to know

Posted in 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, 1980's thrash metal, 1990's heavy metal music, Album Review, Black Metal, Black Sabbath, classic metal, cool album covers, essential heavy metal albums, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, horror metal, king diamond, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Motorhead, Music, old school heavy metal, Over Kill, Power Metal, speed metal, Thrash Metal, thrash metal album review, thrash metal music, thrash metal music reviews, tony iommi heavy metal guitarist, vintage heavy metal albums with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 28, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

 

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If you are a veteran Metalhead, these ten (or more) Metal albums that I consider underrated may not surprise you. Heck, you may already have owned them for several years or even decades. In the Metal event you are a new recruit to the dynamic world of Heavy Metal, welcome aboard and go out and BUY THESE METAL ALBUMS for they will serve you right! Oh, what do I mean by underrated? Well, for starters, these are Classic/Vintage Metal albums that do not seem to get enough attention these days – as I surf around the world wide web, these are the albums that tend to go unnoticed for some oddball reason or another. It is my goal to surround the readers of Metal Odyssey with the knowledge necessary, to make prudent Metal album buying decisions too. These ten Metal albums, in my Metal opinion, have most definitively stood the test of Metal time. Enjoy and absorb this list, please note that these Metal albums are not in any specific order. (These Metal albums are my own personal choices for most underrated, I am sure many knowledgeable Metalheads out there will have differing opinions).

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MERCYFUL FATE – “MELISSA” – King Diamond, plus, absolutely NO radio friendly tunes found here. This band laid down a whole bunch of Black Metal groundwork for others to learn from.

TWISTED SISTER – “YOU CAN’T STOP ROCK ‘N’ ROLL” – Just before Dee Snider & the boys became really famous. I find this album to be just as inspiring today as it was in 1983. My favorite Twisted Sister album.

BLACK SABBATH – “BORN AGAIN” – Ian Gillian on vocals, ’nuff said. O.K., this is one tough album or CD to find. “Trashed” is very heavy stuff, a very fast Black Sabbath tune. This version of Black Sabbath is incredibly good. Bev Bevan of Electric Light Orchestra fame actually was the drummer on the “Born Again” Tour during 1984/85. That is correct. You did read this right. Now that is cool, having an ELO and Black Sabbath connection. 

MOTORHEAD – “ANOTHER PERFECT DAY” –  Of all the Motorhead albums, this one deserves more respect. The tune “One Track Mind” is reason alone to own this vintage Motorhead release, plus the album cover artwork and liner notes are extremely diabolical and cool. 

GRIM REAPER – “See You In Hell” – The album title says it all… the title track “See You In Hell” is for me, a Heavy Metal anthem that brings back memories to my Metal heart. This was one heavy duty band for me… worth every Metal second of listening enjoyment. Overall, great band, great album, I wish they could have done twenty albums.

EXODUS – “FABULOUS DISASTER” – Gary Holt is such an important guitar player in Thrash Metal history. Exodus is always grouped in with the Thrash Metal originators. In my Metal opinion, each original Bay Area Thrash Band is just as important as the next… I am giving Exodus their just due here and “Fabulous Disaster” is just that, fabulous Thrash Metal.

VINNIE MOORE – “MINDS EYE” – Hey, this guy can play guitar. Heavy Metal guitar too. An all Metal instrumental album could never hurt no one, especially a Metalhead. Listening to Vinnie Moore in college helped me get unreal grades in fine arts, I am not kidding. I drew some of my best stuff listening to Vinnie Moore – thanks Vinnie.

MANOWAR – “HAIL TO ENGLAND” – Very loud and Old School Metal. This album has all the Metal attitude and heavy music you could ever ask for, plus, as a bonus, these guys are quality Metal musicians too! There are those times, when I need a cool Power Metal band that is Old School, that I can sing along to. They very well might be… “The Kings of Metal” as they advertise… heck, I would never think of telling them they are not.

OVER KILL – Every album they have ever made. Yeah, this sounds crazy, yet these guys are that great at playing Thrash Metal. Over Kill always seems to have been the hardest working Thrash band on the planet, with no star status or star treatment from the wide world of professionally paid critics. Different lineups throughout the years has not affected my loyalty… as long as there is Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth and D.D. Verni leading this potent Thrash attack, I am Metal happy.

W.A.S.P. – “K.F.D.” – This is one heavy, monster of a W.A.S.P. album. Extremely heavy W.A.S.P. – Blackie Lawless was not fooling around with this album… I listen to “K.F.D.” when I have both good and bad days, the end affect is still just like opening up a can of Metal whoop ass and getting straightened out – Blackie Lawless style. Thanks Blackie Lawless.

KROKUS – “HEADHUNTER” – O.K., sure, there is some commercial appeal here with the tune “Screaming In The Night”, yet it is a far cry from any of the heavy ballads that blitzed us all in the 1980’s. Factor in the raging track “Headhunter” and the Metal grooviness of “Stayed Awake All Night” and you have served up yourself some decent party tunes.

Black Sabbath "Born Again"

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Danzig – debut album from 1988 is all Metal muscle

Posted in 1980's heavy metal albums, 1980's hard rock, 1980's heavy metal music, 1980's metal music, Album Review, classic metal, cool album covers, Danzig, essential hard rock albums, essential heavy metal albums, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal album review, heavy metal albums, heavy metal guitarists, heavy metal music, Heavy Metal Reviews, heavy metal vocalists, horror metal, Metal, metal music, Metal Reviews, Misfits, Music, old school heavy metal, rock music, vintage heavy metal albums, Vocals with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 27, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

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Listening to the debut album from Danzig, (titled “Danzig”), is always a refresher course in what smash mouth Metal is about. Released in 1988, this album in my Metal opinion, has all the ingredients necessary to be looked upon as a muscular Metal Classic. I will admit, that this is one of my favorite Metal albums ever and Danzig does hold high rank in my Metal universe. Before Glenn Danzig went the all Metal route with his music, well, was there anyone else in Metal that sounded like him? My answer is nope. I liken Danzig’s vocals to be of profound Metal uniqueness, where he will clearly deliver the spoken word, then sing and/or belt out vocally with real conviction.  Sure, I even agree that Danzig’s vocals sound a tad like Jim Morrison at times… not a bad dude to be compared to for vocals. The ten tracks on “Danzig” are laced with the lyrical darkness that are open for interpretation. Musically, Glenn Danzig is a Metal mastermind at combining the straight up and anti-commercial approach to these songs, while not over complicating any of the songs structure. “Mother” is the closest you will get to ever seeing a Danzig tune dabble with mainstream popularity.

I can recall how the great Danzig song “Mother” gave me an unexpected surprise that actually made my day. My best buddy in the Galaxy, well, he is a steadfast and loyal Boston Red Sox fan, (I am not). He took me along to Fenway Park a couple of times, (paid for my tickets too) and we both took in two fine games. I will always appreciate his generosity. Well, at one of these Red Sox games, the relief pitcher – closer was called in to the game, his name was Keith Foulke. I did not realize that this pitchers theme song and/or warm-up song to get pumped up to – was none other than Danzig’s “Mother”. Here I am, innocently sitting in the historical Fenway Park, by the historical “Pesky Pole”, within a sea of Red Sox fans and I am taken by Metal surprise to the electrifying and heavy loudness of Danzig’s “Mother” coming over the stadium speakers! I felt so proud to be a Danzig fan at that moment. Let me tell you, that song lit up the thousands of Red Sox fans at Fenway Park that day. 

Now, back to this Danzig album, my favorite four tunes, (not in any specific order), are: “Twist Of Cain” – which has the sandpaper tough, do not mess with me attitude oozing from the lyrics and music, “She Rides” – a track that has that slowly driven, heavy beat that gives me an instant, devious, Metal grin, “End Of Time” – which is melancholy and spooky lyrically and rocks heavy with thick Metal grooves, leads & riffs, then of course, “Mother”. I will say that in my Metal opinion, all ten songs on “Danzig” are fully loaded for maximum heavy musical enjoyment. The Danzig lineup for this debut album was: Glenn Danzig on vocals, Eerie Von on bass, John Christ on lead guitar and Chuck Biscuits on drums. Not that Glenn Danzig needed any introduction to the Rock universe back in 1988, he did arrive with storied and musically historical careers with the Misfits and Samhain behind him. However, I firmly believe that this debut album was built to last, succeeding in launching the Metal legacy that Danzig has so brilliantly created.

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